Conversation Among Masters: Conference Sparks VT Coaches

Conversation Among Masters Conference Spurs More than Conversation for Vermont Coaches Ready to Take Their Concept World Wide.
Two Vermont business coaches returned from the 'invitation only' Conversation Among Masters Conference held in Monterey, CA on April 29 through May 3, ready to carry the torch of coaching innovation world wide. The conference, meant to spur conversation among about 150 internationally recognized business and life coaching leaders, led to a cross-pollination of ideas and action in the areas of the future of coaching (according to a Price-Waterhouse study currently, a 1.5 billion dollar industry), the switch from traditional publishing to digital content, mastery, and more. Now, Vermont coaches Liz Dallas and Lea Belair have more than a vision about how to create their dream of World Wide Coaching Centers - they have a plan and people to collaborate with.
Dallas first came up with the idea of establishing a network of worldwide coaching centers about a year ago, based on the success of her Burlington, VT start-up The Coaching Center of Vermont. "We've been having so much success and fun," says Dallas, "that I wanted to spread the good word and help others establish the kind of coaching network we have here." Dallas points to the fact that most coaches, like other start-up entrepreneurs, feel isolated and lack the skills and resources needed to launch a successful business. The Coaching Center of Vermont has provided a safety net by merging members, resources, and systems that not only support coaches but also lead to more innovation in the marketplace," according to Dallas who points to several collaborative start-ups within the Coaching Center as proof of fertile ground allowing coaches to lead vs. struggle with business building.
Lea Belair cites the benefit of attending the conference as getting to network with other movers and shakers from all over the globe. "We met and talked with people from France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Hong Kong, to name a few, who were really excited about this concept and had resources of their own to share in furthering our idea. We chatted over breakfast with one colleague, who hosts a TV show on coaching in Sweden, about how we can collaborate in networking world wide coaching centers to share digital content on the Internet, perhaps partnering with what he is doing as the back-end to his TV production."
Dallas and Belair also had their topic, "Innovative Business Models, seeding the future of the Coaching Industry," picked by Conference organizers as the focus of an Open Space forum that was held during one of the evening sessions. About a hundred coaches formed conversation groups around their areas of interest and reported results back to the main body. "There's nothing like getting a group of world wide industry leaders to do your research for you," quipped Belair.