Common Questions About Life Coaching Before Starting a Business
What are people really buying when they hire a life coach?
Important: People are not paying for “life coaching” itself. They are paying for help with a specific problem or goal. Coaching is just a means to an end. No one wants to pay to talk to someone as the goal, they want what paying to talk to someone gives them. Which is progress towards a goal.
This is one of the most important things to understand before you start. You aren’t selling life coaching sessions, you are selling what life coaching can do. And, if your coaching feels vague or hard to explain, it will also be hard for clients to understand, and therefore hard for them to say yes. Clear outcomes in a distinct niche make your work so *much* easier to understand, market, and sell. Which means you get more clients and your clients get the help they need! Yay!
Go deeper:
📘 Free written training: Why People Don’t Pay for Life Coaching
What do I actually need to focus on to succeed as a coach?
Coaches forget that getting certified is not enough as you aren’t just becoming a coach, you are also becoming a business owner. Given that, you need to learn how to run a coaching business. It’s not Field of Dreams, if you build it, sadly they won’t just magically come.
Running a coaching business includes understanding how to create offers, how to talk to potential clients, set up contracts and admin, and consistently bring in new clients. Many new coaches focus heavily on certification training and avoid the business side, which makes it harder to succeed (don’t do this). But don’t panic, business skills are going to make you a better coach, so everyone wins!
Go deeper:
🎧 Blog: What It Takes to Succeed as a Coach
What do experienced coaches wish they knew before starting?
So many things! But to bottom line it: Many experienced coaches say they tried to do too much at once or waited too long to get started with real clients. Our advice? Do less, but do it better *and* start before you are ready. These are two keys to success as a coach. The good news? It’s not rocket science! Learn to be honest with yourself and take action and do you’ll do just fine.
Go deeper:
🎧 Blog: What It Takes to Succeed as a Coach
Is there still room for new life coaches?
Yes. There is still room for new coaches who solve real problems and communicate clearly about who they help. The same way there’s room for new restaurants who serve good food and satisfy a problem (where to take the kids after practice, for example).
The coaching industry may be crowded in some areas, but many coaches blend in because their message is vague and they don’t know how to market and run a coaching business. Coaches who understand that it’s not just about coaching, but also about learning business skills, are the ones who succeed. Right now there are coaches who are not as talented as you who are getting clients, but they learned how to market and sell coaching. Remember, you can too.
Go deeper:
📝 Blog: How to Stand Out as a Coach
Do I need to get things perfect before launching a coaching business?
No. The opposite in fact. Clients are not looking for a flawless human being. They are looking for support, perspective, accountability, and someone who can help them make progress. Think about it for a second: A person who seems perfect also seems a little unrelatable or unapproachable. A little imperfection actually builds trust and shows you are human, and it builds connection with your clients. And coaching is all about human connection.
So perfectionism is just your gremlins keeping you safe by keeping you stuck. As long as you focus on being perfect, you’ll always have a reason not to launch your business. It’s time to stop! Embrace being a bit messy, your clients will love you for it.
Go deeper:
📝 Blog: Feeling Unmotivated or Stuck in Your Biz? Try These Simple Hacks
What mistakes do new life coaches make early on?
Common mistakes include trying to help everyone, underpricing services, avoiding sales conversations, and spending too much time on branding before getting clients. You do not need a pretty website to get your first coaching clients.
A simpler path is to choose a clear niche, create one solid offer that you love, talk to real people, and build your confidence through real-life experience. Do less, but do it better. Focus on one thing at a time, and don’t spend tons of money on a website or branding until you’ve gotten some basic business training – if you don’t know what you are doing, you’ll build a website that won’t convert and branding that won’t help you land clients. Save yourself stress! Start with learning how to run a coaching business, and then get into tech.
Go deeper:
📝 Blog: Life Coach Business Lessons
📝 Free Blueprint: How to find your next client in 14 days or less.
And don’t forget you can always work with us more closely! If you want Team Pony’s support, learn more here.