Ever wish you knew what all the best business builders had in common? What talents contributed to their success? Well, that’s exactly what the BP10 is all about! If you want to build a successful coaching business, you need to tune in!
We kick things off by explaining what BP10 stands for (Builder Profile 10) and how it identifies the top talents that successful business builders possess. We also share about our own top talents and how they influence our approaches to business, especially when it comes to building relationships and profitability. Spoiler alert: we have different strengths, but that’s what makes our conversation so rich! We also discuss the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people—your personal "board of directors"—to fill in the gaps where you might not excel.
Whether you're contemplating starting your own business or looking to enhance your existing one, this episode is packed with tips and encouragement to help you leverage your unique strengths for success. So grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and let’s get building!
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Actionable Insights from the BP10 Framework: The various worksheets and tools provided in the "Born to Build" book, which accompany the BP10 assessment. These resources encourage self-reflection and help you articulate your purpose, dreams, and plans for the future. Brea mentioned the purpose journal as a particularly impactful tool for self-awareness. If you're considering starting your own business or transitioning from a corporate job, I highly recommend diving into these resources. They can provide clarity and direction as you embark on your entrepreneurial journey.
There are talents specific to building a business: The BP10 assessment identifies the top talents necessary for building a successful business. It emphasizes that no one person possesses all ten talents, highlighting the importance of collaboration and filling gaps with the right people.
The assessment is just the beginning: The assessment unlocks additional resources, including worksheets and activities, that promote self-reflection and strategic planning. Taking action with these tools can lead to greater insights and business success.
The BP10 Talents and CliftonStrengths work well together: Both assessments can provide a deeper awareness of personal strengths and areas for growth in business.
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Take the Assessment: If you purchase a physical copy of the book, Born To Build, it includes a code to take the assessment. If you prefer to go paperless, you can purchase an assessment code here.
Read "Born to Build": Purchase and read the book "Born to Build" by Gallup.
Complete the worksheets and activities included with the assessment to gain a deeper understanding of your business-building capabilities.
Compare your BP10 with your CliftonStrengths: Take the time to reflect on how your BP10 talents align with your CliftonStrengths. This can help you understand how to leverage your unique combination of strengths for greater success in building your coaching practice.
Join a Group Coaching program: If you don’t want to go through the BP10 resources alone, consider joining my BP10 Coaching Cohort. This can provide support and accountability as you explore your talents.
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Lisa: Hi, I'm Lisa.
Brea: I'm Brea.
Lisa: And today's topic is the BP10 for building a coaching business or building any business for that matter. What in the world is a BP10, Brea?
Brea: It's another assessment that Gallup puts out. I know everybody's like, what? Gallup does something other than CliftonStrengths? So it stands for Builder Profile and 10 is the number 10. What Gallup has done is they looked at people who highly successful builders as far as entrepreneurial and building businesses. They've identified what talents have gotten them there and made a list of 10 that you need to build a successful business.
Lisa: Tell us about your top. I mean, you could even just be your first, your number one, but it could be anywhere up there in your top talents. What resonated with you the most when you read your top?
Brea: Yeah. So my number one is relationship, which is so true. For better or for worse, this is how I approach everything. If I'm cold calling or I'm reaching out to a company that I've never reached out to before, my first instinct always is to go to LinkedIn and see, do I know anyone that works there now or that has worked there or that might have a connection there? That's always my first instinct, which may or may not be helpful, you know, but that relationship is always always leading me.
Lisa: Mm hmm. Mm hmm. I could totally see that. And that would be comfortable for you and fun for you. And it would feel like a way to build a business that doesn't feel like the slog.
Brea: Yeah, totally. I would much, much, much rather build my business with people. Independent is my number 10, yeah. I just, I don't love doing it alone. I love doing it with people. I love doing it for people. From creating my offerings, it comes back to that relationship. What does the customer in front of me need? That's what I'll create an offer for. What are the relationships that I have? Who are the people in my network? What do they need? Or where are they? Then I show up at those networking events. Relationship leads everything.
Lisa: Mm-hmm. This is fun because my independence is also, it's my ninth out of 10 and relationships high. It's in the top four for me as well. And mine has a little different angle and I totally can map it to my strengths. So my number one is profitability. I know you're so surprised.
Brea: Okay, no surprise there. I love that. I love that. You know, I love that. That's low for me. So having relationships, people in my circle who bring that is such a gift. And that one is… Oh, go ahead.
Lisa: Well, I think that one was interesting to read. When you think of it like a talent, right? It's almost as if it doesn't get experienced much in the business. It does, but it happens so fast. And I think this would reflect my strategic talent from CliftonStrengths. it's such a vetting tool for me. If we're talking in the context of business, not in my hobbies or my giving strategies or something like that, if it's literally in the context of my business, then if it's not profitable, then I just throw it out immediately. Because if it's not profitable and doesn't seem to have the chance to be. I have 10 other things that I could do that I enjoy that would be profitable. So go for those. And it's just like you in, you out. And then, and then I don't think about it a lot. So it's not one of those that I think lives in my head all day, every day is how I feel. It's just like an early filter and then out.
Brea: Yes. And for me, because even though we both share a relationship in our top, profitability is so low for me that even if it is profitable, If it's not relational, I immediately throw it out, right? Because the profitability is so low that it just doesn't motivate me. So for instance, I understand from a business standpoint, I understand the value of having an evergreen something something. you know, something passive income, you know, something that generates income while you sleep. You know, I, I get how cool that would be to just wake up and have mailbox money as they call it down in Nashville. Like, but there's no relationship. There's no, like, it really just doesn't, fuel me at all. I would much rather create offerings that are profitable that allow me to connect with the client instead of just selling them a digital something and never talking to them.
Lisa: Right. And mine, I will think of things like, okay, does this idea, before I know whether it's profitable or not, does this idea seem like it will be good for profitability? Okay, if yes, you're in, you get the shot at it. And then because relationship is high in my list, then for me, it's like, okay, now, because I do love people and I like being around people, Then, okay, do I already know someone who I could ask questions of? Or do I already have customers who I know and love and the feeling is mutual and I could put in a phone call and we could have a chat about it and they could help me? That the idea I also see in the BP10 report is a watch out. It says ensure your networking activities don't detract from accomplishing other tasks. And that has totally been true in my lifetime. I can get so deep into like having the fun social part of business because it's so fun. Then is the time suck so high that it's getting out of balance for me? It is something I have to watch, especially living out in remote areas. If I'm going to do the in-person relationship thing, it's going to take a day of dedication. So is that day Sometimes I'll have to say, this is a relationship day. I'm doing it on purpose to feed my relationships. But if I'm doing it for business, I would throw it out because it wouldn't be worth the hours. So sometimes I even make those delineations. just to feel like, okay, no, I'm actually doing this because this is a real human friendship sort of thing that I want, but it is a business meeting. This wouldn't be worth eight hours of time of our friendship. I'm going to go into town. I'm going to combine it with other trips. I'm going to do these other things. So it is interesting how it comes into how I spend my time, how often I do it, what it's about, but I'll definitely think of relationship as a way to build business first, just because if you could build it 15 different ways and the relationship way is really fun, then why not go for one? If it can be profitable and fun and have a meaningful relationship all in one, I'm in.
Brea: Yes. Why not? I'm in. That sounds great. You know, I, This is gonna sound bold because it is. I really, really love BP10. I love CliftonStrengths more. Okay, let's be honest. And I love how the two of them work together. It's very, very easy to see how your CliftonStrengths are really bringing the nuance to these builder talents. But I will say that BP10 is the single most valuable thing that I've done for my business, I think. Like the $20 for the code and the time that I put into the worksheets, the activities that the book kind of takes you through, like those resources that Gallup provides, If I did not do that for my business the first year that I was in business, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't still be in business today.
Lisa: Bold statement.
Brea: It is bold, but here's why I say it is because my profitability is so low. If I had not had an assessment Show me that in just plain black and white. You know, like here it is almost all the way down at the bottom, you know. And independence being number 10. You cannot do this on your own. You don't want to do this on your own. You will not do this on your own. And if you're going to really make a business, you've got to make money, you know. So you can't just live in la la land of like, oh, I'll just spend all my time building these relationships and going to these networking things like what you just said. and hope that the dollars fall out of the sky. So even though, you laugh because you can't imagine a world, but believe me, I've lived in that world. So I think it's so powerful to see it on paper, just like it's so powerful for us to see our own CliftonStrengths, our own talents on paper and be like, okay, yeah, these are my talents, these aren't my talents. But that's the thing about BP10 that's very different than CliftonStrengths is in order to be a successful builder, according to the research that Gallup has done, you have to have all 10 of these things present in your business. And what they've understood through research is no one person has all 10 of these talents. So it's different than CliftonStrengths, right? Because we say you don't need all 34. You know, all 34 are good, but it's OK if you, you know, if you don't have all 34 as your top. But this is saying you need all 10 of these. So for me to see what I needed to be successful, what I didn't have, that if I wanted to be successful, I needed to find these things or these people. I needed to fill these gaps. It was just such a a clear, simple way to figure out where do I start building this business.
Lisa: Now you alluded to activities that the book takes you through or the tool would take you through. Tell the listeners about a couple of the things you remember doing and what insights you got from them.
Brea: Yeah, so there are eight different worksheets, Gallup calls them tools, that you do as you kind of move through the book. So the book is called Born to Build. The tools, they're just very foundational. There's a purpose journal where it's really a self-awareness exercise, helping you figure out what's your why, what's your purpose, what experiences have you had. You get to dream a little bit about your plans for the future. I love the purpose journal because it was just reflection and dreaming and all the things that I do well, right? There's a self-schema tool that was really powerful for me that helped me kind of dig into the themes themselves. Honestly, all of them were helpful. Overall, just having that framework and that structure for me was super, super helpful.
Lisa: So if somebody is listening to this and they are in a corporate job, thinking about leaving, going out on their own, what would you tell them to do with Born to Build, the book?
Brea: Yeah. So if you want to do it on your own, um, go buy the book. The book has a code, very typical Gallup, right? They include the code in the back. So the book is like, I don't know, between 20 and 25 bucks, depending on the day on Amazon, read the book through and download the worksheets online and just go through, go through the book and do the worksheets as you, as you go through. And if you don't want to do it on your own, then come and do it with me in a small group that I lead.
Lisa: Mm-hmm. Tell us more about that.
Brea: Well, it's just doing it together. So 8 to 10 people, it's 8 to 10 weeks. And we kind of go through chapter by chapter and just slowly work our way through all the different resources.
Lisa: Mm-hmm. Sounds like a great way to do, okay, one of the worksheets or one of the kind of concepts they have is the concept of a board of directors.
Brea: Yes.
Lisa: When I read it at first, I was like, come on. If you're talking about a solopreneur or somebody who has five contractors on their team, they're not going to have a board of directors in the typical sense.
Brea: Yeah.
Lisa: And at the same time, I was just poo-pooing the language, but it does give you a sense for what, you know, do you have a personal board of directors? What would this be like? And it covers what you were describing. Like if you don't have these 10, all really high, then who else do you have in your life whose opinion you respect, but thinks totally different from you, who you could make part of this process, and it's, I thought that was pretty cool after I pooh-poohed it initially. That's so funny.
Brea: Yes, yes, but point is, for you to find the people, you know, to fill in the gaps, so board of directors is huge. And they talk about like, yeah, do you have a coach? Do you have a mentor? Do you have a role model? Do you have an expert? Accountability partner, I think, is one of them. So there are specific people that you need on your board to fill specific roles, which from my experience in nonprofit world, I have seen, unfortunately, a lot of nonprofits pull together a board of directors that are just like their friends. And so I loved Gallup's board of directors because it was very specific about the perspectives that you need to surround you to make sure that you're covering all your bases. So cool. How do you feel like your CliftonStrengths, maybe think of your top five or so, how can you see those influencing your BP10 talents?
Lisa: Oh yeah, well I think positivity, individualization, they're probably the two that are just so glaring as they tie to relationship. I think for profitability, my strategic mixed with my focus, mixed with my maximizer, they're the vetting factor. They're the ones who say this fits. It's kind of like I'm just, I'm very visual and I see this Venn diagram that only has two circles instead of three and one side, says, here's a service I know how to provide and love providing it. And the other side says, the market wants it and needs it. And where they overlap, boom, it's going to be profitable and it's going to be a great match. And so I think those talents line up with that. And then there are things in there with disruptor that's also in my top. And building and testing a minimally viable product, launching to early adopters, iterating, that is so maximizer. And so individualization, like let's figure out what is unique, what's a unique differentiator, what's something different that the market might have an appetite for, but it hasn't been available readily. So, that you get the novel part of things and then also be open and willing to iterate.
Brea: Yeah, that's so cool. I remember first taking the assessment and selling was number five for me, which is just right smack dab in the middle. It's not high, it's not low, it's just right there, but the BP10 uses your top four, so it was not part of that top four. I could sell ketchup to someone in white gloves. I could sell ice to an Eskimo. I have been selling my entire life. I was a missionary for four years and I had to fundraise all of my income. I can sell. Why is this number five? I think it's not that you can't do something. Again, it's not as much about the outcome, similar to CliftonStrengths. It's about that vetting, that prioritization that you're describing. Selling is not my first instinct relationship for me. will always come first. And then I figure out how do I sell it. So it's interesting to look at your BP10s and your CliftonStrengths side by side, you know, and figure out what those connections are.
Lisa: Well, I also see, this makes total sense to me when you're describing it, my experience of you, because yes, I know those things about you and I believe you're very persuasive And in the selling one, it talks about communicating clearly and communication is in your top. I mean, all those things. And I think about things like with your connectedness, you're going to be focused on whether something's a good fit for someone. You're not going to push it if it's not, if it doesn't feel meant to be, you're not going to be the one. who would push on that. And you would be great at rallying support for your ideas, but you're not going to disingenuously rally support for your ideas. If it didn't feel moral or aligned with Brea values, you wouldn't push it. Whereas maybe somebody who's selling is number one, maybe it would be like, I just sell is number one. And it happens before thinking of the relationship, whereas your relationship comes first.
Brea: That's right. Yes. Thank you for seeing that in me.
Lisa: Well, definitely, if you're listening to this and your interest is piqued and you're hearing these words and you have your own business or you're about to start one, check out brearoper.com so that you can see what she has to offer in this way. And I also want to throw out begintoflourish.com. One of our, well, two of our fellow strengths coaches, Jeff and Heidi Liskom, married couple, married coach couple, how should we say that? A couple who focuses on BP10. They specialize in this tool. They have an online class in this tool. So their site began to flourish, would be a cool place to look as well.
Brea: You know, I just want to clarify my bold statement from earlier. The assessment itself, not the most valuable thing that I've done for my business. The assessment plus the worksheets, plus the activities, that was the most valuable. The assessment itself, there's not nearly as much science behind it as CliftonStrengths. The report itself, it's very, very simple compared to the complexity that CliftonStrengths brings us. Just want you to know, if you go and buy the code and take the assessment and you're like, what is this? Just know that there's so much more there. So please do at least get the book and go through it on your own, or at least go through the module, you know, in Gallup Access. Um, reach out to the Lipscombs, reach out to me, reach out to someone to help you, um, really get the, the fullness of what BB10 can offer.
Lisa: Well, I can second what Brea just said, because that is exactly what I did when I first took it. the opposite of what you did. And I was like, yep, okay. That pretty much sounds like, just like people do with CliftonStrengths occasionally. They'll take it and they'll be like, yeah, that kind of sounds like me. Pretty cool. Okay. And then you close the book and then you forget that it's there and you don't do anything else with it and you don't get a ton out of it. You just kind of get the, yep, reinforcement. That sounds about like me. And that's the difference in you getting something that is so rich that you said it's the single best thing you've done for your business. And meanwhile, when Brea brought it up, I was like, I need to retake that and I can't really remember what mine were and I think it was all right but it didn't resonate with me so deeply like it did with you. So those two differences came in. She took action and really dug into it and I did not.
Brea: And, you know, if you are a successful business owner already, this may or may not be as valuable to you as it was to me starting my own business for the first time, going out by myself. You know, it hit me at the right place at the right time. It was really valuable for me. at least check it out and just know that there's so much richness in looking at your CliftonStrengths next to your BP10 talents and just adding to that awareness, that depth of awareness of who you are, what you bring and what you need so that you can go out there and just crush it and build an amazing coaching practice that is honoring the best of who you are and letting you thrive.
Lisa: Yes, I will absolutely second that as my closing thought too. If you are considering using BP10 to build your coaching practice, it's another lens for figuring out what your strengths are, finding top talents that are easy for you to lean on that will bring you success with the least amount of effort.
Brea: Ooh, that sounds good. We talk about ease a lot on this podcast. I hope people don't think that we're lazy. We're not lazy, but we're just, you know, work smart people, not hard, you know?
Lisa: I mean, I could work 48 hours a day. Clearly we don't have that many and just be doing thing after thing after thing, trying to get the small advantage. But if I could work one hour a day and get as far, why would you not?
Brea: Why would you not?
Lisa: That's my goal, Brea. I'm going to try to turn lazy.
Brea: Forget four day work week. I'm doing a four hour work week. Come on, come on.
Lisa: I love it.
Brea: We are Brea Roper and Lisa Cummings signing off.
Lisa: Bye for now.
“Remember, hard work doesn’t have to feel hard. Aligned with your strengths, it actually feels easy, energizing, and fun!”
MEET YOUR CO-HOSTS
BREA ROPER
Communication | Woo | Activator | Futuristic | Connectedness
If you need a Strengths Hype Girl, for yourself or your team, connect with Brea at brearoper.com. She’s ready to deliver an inspirational keynote, empowering training, or transformational workshop. If you’re looking for an expert guide to support your internal Strengths efforts, reach out today!
LISA CUMMINGS
Strategic | Maximizer | Positivity | Individualization | Woo
To work with Lisa, check out team workshops and retreats at the Lead Through Strengths site. For 1:1 strengths or life coaching, check out the Get Coached link. For independent coaches, trainers, and speakers, get business tools support with our Tools for Coaches membership.
The Fine Print: This podcast is not sanctioned or endorsed by Gallup in any way. Opinions, views and interpretations of CliftonStrengths© are solely the beliefs of Lisa Cummings and Brea Roper.