Work-At-Home Success Profile Kirby Ingles Life Coaching

Kirby is a Husband, Father, Life Coach and Veteran, who has 20 years leading, coaching and mentoring young professionals. With a pioneer spirit, he helps you spearhead an intentional life of growth through purposeful living and finding fulfillment. He lives in Washington D.C. Metro area.

1) How did you get started working from home?

I got started working from home as a way to make extra income. I ran across a podcast called 48 Days to the work you love hosted by Dan Miller. He had a bunch of great ideas and actually gave some sound advice. He basically said find something you love and start small. He had a lot of creative ideas that were easy to get started. Then I began to find other entrepreneurs who work from home on other podcast and began to absorb the great information that was being given away.

2) How did you choose the work-at-home career you do?

My first work-at-home job was officiating high school baseball and recreation leagues in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. Then I began my life coaching business as a way to take my problem-solving experience and leadership skills I learned in the military and used them to help active professionals become the CEO’s of their lives.

3) How did you get started (basic initial steps)?

When I got started officiating baseball, I just began with a Google search and then emailed and made phone calls to the associations in the local area. I finally got referred to the right guy, and they were having a training camp in a couple weeks. I jumped on the opportunity. I also found a mentor who helped me along the process. He told me what I might face during my first season as a rookie umpire and what skill and steps I would need to develop to progress. The preparation was key to my success and listening to experts.

Life coaching was a different process. I actually went to school and earned a degree in Human Services Counseling with a focus in Life Coaching and then volunteered to help non-profits and a few other organizations to build up a reputation. One of those organizations is Blue Star Families who partnered with Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving to bring Operation Family Caregiver to the National Capital Region. This organization provides free and confidential support to the families of those who served our nation and had returned with post-traumatic stress, a Traumatic Brain Injury, or physical disability. The coaches are specially trained to help military families learn how to overcome the obstacles they face and to manage any challenges that might come along. We help these families get through tough times and make plans on how to manage over the long term.

4) How did you get your first client or customer or job?

My first client came from having a website and connecting through a digital coaching service that I use.

5) How do you market your business?

I market my business by blogging and using social media. I will also talk about my services when I give presentations about masculinity, leadership, and strength-based coaching techniques.

6) What does your usual day look like?

I wake up at 5 am and read for 30 minutes then head out for a run for 60 minutes. After I clean up and change I do some preparation for coaching calls that I have that evening or work on projects for about an hour. Then commute to my job where I work with victims of violent crimes as a program manager and advocate. During my lunch break, I work on my business and then finish the day up at work and head home. I spend an hour with my family at 5 pm and then we have dinner together from 6-7pm. At 7 pm I begin to work on my business, answer emails, do coaching calls over Skype, and continue to work on my website while doing some marketing. At 9 pm I spend an hour with my one year old and my three-year-old, give them a bath and put them to bed. Then I do some professional reading for an hour and then get some rest myself.

7) What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?

Just ask. Many times we are afraid to ask for help. FEAR stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. We are in our heads most of the time with negative talk and we convince ourselves of evidence that doesn’t exist. It doesn’t exist because you haven’t tried, and you haven’t worked with enough people. In the book Great by Choice Collins says that we should fire small bullets until we find one that hits the target. Basically, take calculated risk until you find what works and then shoot the cannon ball. I didn’t take many small calculated risk in the beginning. I wasn’t out there talking to my target audience asking them what the problems they were facing and dealing with were. If I had done that, I would have been able to tailor my coaching and products towards my target audience. Don’t be afraid to take a shot. Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” Just make sure they are small calculated shots until you know you are hitting the target.

8) What advice would you give someone who wants to work from home?

Find something that you love doing, like a hobby or even a fascination and find a way to turn it into a business. The chances are if you love it that much, someone else probably does to and will pay you to do what you both love. If you love something that you do you’ll probably put your heart and soul into bringing the best service or product out there and thats what people want, someone who cares just as much as they do. Someone that is willing to take the time and work with them and for them. Someone who shares the same passion and love. They want someone they can connect with on another level.