fbpx

How to Get Started as a Life Coach


by Don Smith

All products and services featured on this site are independently selected by our authors and editors. If you buy something through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Many of my coaching clients are people who want to become life coaches. It's an appealing field, especially for those with a lot of experience to share with the next generation. The most common question I get is, “How do I get started?”

While every situation is different, this article describes at a high level what I recommend to my clients.

1. Get Certified

Learning from others who have been in the field for some time is a great way to get started. I chose to go with Kain Ramsay's certification course, which covers most of what you'll run into.

Life Coaching Certificate
Getting Certified Can Boost Your Perceived Authority

2. Hire a Coach

If you want to be a coach, you may want to hire a coach who can walk you through the process and keep you accountable as you move forward. Investing in your development can help you fast-track your business and make you more credible when you talk to clients about investing with you. You can also make notes on how your coach works with you to give you ideas on how to work with your clients.

3. Get Clear on Your Niche

No one wants to hire someone who says, “Hire me, and I'll fix all of your life's problems.” That's why the term “life coach” is quickly going out of style.

Get Clear on Your Goals
Get Clear on Your Niche

Not focusing was a mistake that I made early on. I've got decades of life experience from raising five children, running businesses, sitting on company boards, being a couples‘, men's, and youth group pastor, and completing multiple extreme physical endurance challenges. There are a lot of people I have the experience to help. But no one wanted to hire a “know-it-all.”

I had to choose. Eventually, I concluded that I most enjoyed working with leaders and small business owners and set my niche as a business coach.

You'll need to do the same. Take an inventory of your greatest strengths and pick a niche. Once you narrow down your field, then you can speak to those people. Some ideas are fitness, relationships, or finances. I'm not sure where your strengths lie, but pick something.

4. Create a Website

Create a Website

A website is your business card in today's day and age. Don't skimp on this. I went for years with a free site, with very little return on all my hard work. Once I moved to professional hosting, my business took off. I use SiteGround with WordPress and Thrive Themes.

5. Create a Booking Page

You need a way for clients to set up appointments with you. Creating a booking page where they can quickly sign up for a free strategy call or consultation is a great way to start talking to people.

If you aren't talking to potential clients in the early stages of your business, you WON'T make sales.

Create a Booking Page for Coaches
Professional Booking Page Created Using Thrive Themes

Be sure to deliver value when you do this and not make it just a sales call, or you'll lose them. Your initial visit should mainly be a trial run for your services. I try to ensure everyone who signs up for a strategy call walks away with at least one or two action items they can take immediately.

You can also drive them to a video or webinar, which provides value, then use that to sell them services, but when you're first starting, it's probably best to speak with them live.

Remember the rule names before numbers. If you know someone's name and their specific goals, you can help them. You probably won't get very far in the coaching business if your prospects are a number to you. I still do live calls whenever I have openings on my schedule to get additional clients.

There are two tools I use to do this.

Calendly Pro

Calendly is a calendar management system which integrates to most calendar systems such as Google Calendar. You can use this to allow people to quickly book an appointment. It also integrates with several conferencing solutions such as Zoom to send out an invite. You can even integrate with PayPal or another payment processing tool to accept payments.

Zoom Pro

Zoom Pro is great for one on one or group video conferencing. With the Calendly integration, people can set up an appointment, and it will send both of you an invite.

6. Accept Payments

Accepting payments for your coaching business

You'll need a way to accept payments. PayPal or Stripe would be my choice on this to get started. If you sell things offline, you may want to use Square as they have a nifty credit card scanner. Once you get going, you may want to switch to a merchant account through your bank.

7. Get Traffic

Drive traffic to your coaching website
You Must Send Traffic to Your Website

There are many ways to get traffic. You can do guest posts for this site which is focused on personal and professional development or others like it. Be sure to read the rules carefully and provide valuable information for the readers as constructing the post as an ad will backfire and get you kicked off most major sites. A reader that likes what you have to say will find you, it's all about exposure.

You can go live on Facebook, create groups and invite people, or buy the traffic from a variety of places like search engines or social media sites. Buying traffic is the fastest way to grow if you can do it, but be sure to make sure you install their tracking pixels on your website to track conversions.

Once you get some money coming in, it's time to get legal. Creating a Limited Liability Company (LLC), one of the more prevalent business structures, can protect your assets in the event of a lawsuit. You also need a formal business entity set up before using specific advertising tools.

9. Scale

Getting over fear of spending money - invest in your business

It is almost always easiest to start as a life coach one-on-one until you build up your client base and reputation, but eventually, you may want to think about how your business will scale. Some coaches simply raise prices, others start coaching in groups, some hire additional staff to take on additional work, and yet others create courses. Many do a combination of all the above.

Your niche may determine which makes the most sense. For example, if your niche is helping people get out of debt, those people may not have a lot of disposable income. That niche might be better suited for a low-cost course.

Final Thoughts

I hope these points give you some ideas for your coaching journey. Helping others achieve their goals can be a tremendously gratifying experience. If you need help, feel free to reach out through our coaching page. Enjoy, and good luck!

About the Author 

Don Smith

Happily married with five kids, Smith owns a technology company, is the founder of this site, has served on the board of directors for multiple companies, and loves playing soccer, hiking, and mentoring.

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

“Only the shallow man loses responsiveness to the woes of other's lives, as he sinks into narrow suffering of his own. The

Read More
One Only Gives What They Have

I saw a meme the other day that said, “Intentions are powerful.” That's true; intentions are powerful. But intentions alone won't get you

Read More
Good Intentions Will Not Get You Very Far

Over the weekend, I had a little extra time on my hands, so I turned to a money-making trick I found a

Read More
How I Made $600 in 10 Minutes

Is it possible to create a life where you only work 4 hours a week yet make more money than you do

Read More
Book of the Month: The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris

Have you ever felt isolated as a small business owner, CEO, or leader? If so, you're not alone. Half of the CEO's

Read More
It’s Lonely at the Top: Dealing with Isolation as a Leader

We all wish we could spend every moment of every day with our families, but there’s always work to be done. Everyone

Read More
How to Find Work Life Balance as a Busy Parent

I find it amusing when my ego deems itself fearless. Of course I have fears. But I also boast a partial fearlessness

Read More
Cut the Strings of Attachment and Fear Will Find You

I recall hearing that my mother-in-law would have 24 hours to live, back in May of 2020. She was in hospice. Her

Read More
Disgust: A Catalyst for Change

Take a “fake it till you make it” approach and pretend to have all the qualities you want to develop. Eventually, you'll

Read More
10 Hilarious Ways to Achieve Personal Growth (That You’ve Never Heard Of)

A few moments ago my niece popped up on my Facebook wall. She is a 16 year old grappler who took first

Read More
Need Plus Greed Plus Speed Equals Bleed

 Social media is not just a place to express yourself and post about your personal stuff. In 2020, brands are trying to

Read More
Best Social Media Practices For An Entrepreneur In 2020

Think back to an amazing performance you've seen recently.  Did it ever cross your mind to ask the question how did this

Read More
Little changes, Big Results: How minor changes today can have a major impact over time

SUBSCRIBE

Get new articles and course discounts from leading providers every Friday in your inbox with your free subscription!

>