9 karma · joined September 12, 2012
Each of these organizations have lists of coaches that have been certified to some degree. I have no idea what career coaching certification actually means, but I found my coach in this way. Each of the programs have search pages where you can look for a coach based on your requirements, location, etc. Once you get some names, you definitely need to give them a call and have a 10 minute conversation getting a feel for their "style". Most coaches have info on their websites or that they will send you that attempts to give you an idea of how they work. In particular I would pay attention to how much a coach follows a socratic method (i.e. just asking questions and guiding you) vs more training oriented (i.e. you need to do x, y and z). Good luck!
I honestly don't think anyone understands what it really feels like to build a company until you do it. Before I started running my first startup, I thought that the hardship and mental anguish other people describe was somewhat like what I already experienced during hard times at other companies. It wasn't. You pour your heart and soul into a startup and push to the side your physical health, hobbies, family and basically everything else. Then after a year or more of doing everything possible to try and succeed, you potentially end up with nothing. Like Lucas says, you don't really end up with nothing, but it sure as hell feels like it at the time.