081: The Mindset Engine with Kevin Breeding

Kevin Breeding is a proven and seasoned executive coach and consultant, speaker, and author.   

Before he started his coaching business, he worked as the Director of Advertising at Walmart Stores, as a Partner in the Washington D.C. based Hutchinson Group, and as the Senior Vice President of the Emmy and Telly Award-winning Creative Producers Group. 

In today’s episode, he will share how he transitioned from his former corporate career into being a much sought-after consultant who has worked in 53 countries and currently serving clients on five continents. 

Serendipitous Start 

A lot of people who wish to venture into the expertise space put a lot of thought into how they’re going to put their services out there, but for Kevin, his start was more of a happy accident.  

He narrates how, when he was still working in the corporate world, people called him up to ask him to be their coach. It puzzled him why they would want that, so he initially tried to refer them to other people, until a good friend admonished him for turning away a business opportunity when it’s right there knocking on his door.  

Guiding Principles 

When he first started his coaching business, Kevin admits that he had some reservations because he wasn’t sure how effective he would be as a coach. So, he told himself that he’d take the offer if he can answer four questions:  

Can he help his clients?  Can his efforts impact their business?   Will he enjoy doing it?   What value can he offer his clients from there going forward?  

To his pleasant surprise, he found his answers, and the rest is history. 

Setting Yourself Apart 

There are tons of people working in the expertise space, and another ton who are planning to venture into that world as well; however, Kevin believes that what sets him apart from others is that he can ask questions that other people dare not ask.  

People tend to put a clear boundary between professional and personal lives, but there are times when you just can’t separate the two. Kevin acknowledges this, so instead of ignoring things that are obviously there, he tries to address them so both he and the client can trace the root of the problem together. 

Taking a Step Back 

Sometimes, the best way to help people is to let them sort things out on their own -- and according to Kevin, that can be one of the biggest challenges of being a coach.  

People are most receptive to being helped when they really need it, so what you can do is to wait for them to recognize that, then prepare a toolbox of options that can help them fix the areas that they need to address. 

Based on his experiences, relationships that start like this tend to last longer and grow stronger over time. 

Asking Questions 

A common misconception about people in the expertise space is that they know everything, when in fact, no one does -- even coaches.  

When Kevin started his coaching business, he had some general idea on how he’s going to get it off the ground and how he’s going to run it afterward, but he also thought of soliciting other people’s ideas for good measure.  

That turned out to be a good idea because it helped him understand exactly what his target clients want, what they would be expecting from him, and how much they’re willing to pay for it -- and he got it all from doing Facebook Lives which didn’t really cost him anything. 

The Formula to Success 

When asked about the formula to success, Kevin responded, that the formula is that there is no formula. There’s no single way to get things done and make it work for everyone, so you need to “try a bunch of stuff, keep what works, throw out the rest.” 

Book Recommendation 

Kevin highly recommends Marshall Goldsmith’s “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” for people who are stuck with a current dilemma and don’t know how to move forward. His website, https://kevinbreeding.com/ also offers insights on how you can grow your business by changing your mindset via daily coaching lessons delivered through their Mindset Engine app. 

Kevin Breeding is a proven and seasoned executive coach and consultant, speaker, and author.   

Before he started his coaching business, he worked as the Director of Advertising at Walmart Stores, as a Partner in the Washington D.C. based Hutchinson Group, and as the Senior Vice President of the Emmy and Telly Award-winning Creative Producers Group. 

In today’s episode, he will share how he transitioned from his former corporate career into being a much sought-after consultant who has worked in 53 countries and currently serving clients on five continents. 

Serendipitous Start 

A lot of people who wish to venture into the expertise space put a lot of thought into how they’re going to put their services out there, but for Kevin, his start was more of a happy accident.  

He narrates how, when he was still working in the corporate world, people called him up to ask him to be their coach. It puzzled him why they would want that, so he initially tried to refer them to other people, until a good friend admonished him for turning away a business opportunity when it’s right there knocking on his door.  

Guiding Principles 

When he first started his coaching business, Kevin admits that he had some reservations because he wasn’t sure how effective he would be as a coach. So, he told himself that he’d take the offer if he can answer four questions:  

Can he help his clients?  Can his efforts impact their business?   Will he enjoy doing it?   What value can he offer his clients from there going forward?  

To his pleasant surprise, he found his answers, and the rest is history. 

Setting Yourself Apart 

There are tons of people working in the expertise space, and another ton who are planning to venture into that world as well; however, Kevin believes that what sets him apart from others is that he can ask questions that other people dare not ask.  

People tend to put a clear boundary between professional and personal lives, but there are times when you just can’t separate the two. Kevin acknowledges this, so instead of ignoring things that are obviously there, he tries to address them so both he and the client can trace the root of the problem together. 

Taking a Step Back 

Sometimes, the best way to help people is to let them sort things out on their own -- and according to Kevin, that can be one of the biggest challenges of being a coach.  

People are most receptive to being helped when they really need it, so what you can do is to wait for them to recognize that, then prepare a toolbox of options that can help them fix the areas that they need to address. 

Based on his experiences, relationships that start like this tend to last longer and grow stronger over time. 

Asking Questions 

A common misconception about people in the expertise space is that they know everything, when in fact, no one does -- even coaches.  

When Kevin started his coaching business, he had some general idea on how he’s going to get it off the ground and how he’s going to run it afterward, but he also thought of soliciting other people’s ideas for good measure.  

That turned out to be a good idea because it helped him understand exactly what his target clients want, what they would be expecting from him, and how much they’re willing to pay for it -- and he got it all from doing Facebook Lives which didn’t really cost him anything. 

The Formula to Success 

When asked about the formula to success, Kevin responded, that the formula is that there is no formula. There’s no single way to get things done and make it work for everyone, so you need to “try a bunch of stuff, keep what works, throw out the rest.” 

Book Recommendation 

Kevin highly recommends Marshall Goldsmith’s “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” for people who are stuck with a current dilemma and don’t know how to move forward. His website, https://kevinbreeding.com/ also offers insights on how you can grow your business by changing your mindset via daily coaching lessons delivered through their Mindset Engine app.