Coaching is an exciting career path with so much potential.
It allows mission-driven people to do work that makes a true impact, and it offers a lot of flexibility and freedom. Many people get into coaching for these reasons.
Most coaches I know are deeply driven by their desire to change lives. And the large majority want a lifestyle with some element of the freedom and flexibility they wouldn’t necessarily have in another career.
Depending how you set your coaching business up, there is a range of different kinds of impact you can make, income you can achieve, and lifestyle approaches you can design.
The problem is, most coaches get caught up in taking one step in front of the other to grow their businesses, and forget to take the time to zoom out and consider if where they’re heading is really where they want to go.
Otherwise, you might end up several years into something before you stop and realize, “Oh wait. This isn’t what I wanted at all! How on earth did I get here?!”
For example, you might have set out to create time freedom but then booked your schedule so solid and chosen a business model where you always have to be “on call.” Or you may want the freedom to travel for fun & pleasure, but instead you’re jumping on flights every week to go speak and travel doesn’t even feel like fun anymore.
If you’re new to coaching, it’s great to start out with a vision of what you want, knowing it can evolve over time. And even if you’ve been coaching for years, it’s never too late to stop and assess whether what you’re building is truly in alignment with where you want to go.
One of the best ways to begin getting clarity about the kind of coaching business you want (and don’t want) is by looking at what other people are doing.
Luckily, the coaching industry is full of many wonderful examples of different ways to set up a business. There truly is no one “right” way. It’s all about what works best for you!
When you look for people you want to model your business after, don’t worry about whether you resonate with their message. Instead, look at the structure of their business and their lifestyle.
- What kind of reach and impact do they have?
- How much money are they making?
- How are their programs structured?
- How much are they charging for their services?
- How much time and personal investment do they put into their brand?
- How big of a team are they managing?
And then the two most important questions… 1) What do you love about what you see? 2) What would you do differently?
Some coaches have a massive reach and are making tons of money – but this means they run a company that requires their full presence and attention, and this can be a lot of work.
Consider Tony Robbins…
He is making amazing money and impacting millions of lives, and the structure of his brand requires him to always be at the center of things. Does this kind of business sound exciting to you, or does it sound exhausting or overwhelming?
Another great example is Marie Forleo…
Marie keeps her offers very streamlined. For years, she offered a single online business program and produced a lot of free content through her MarieTV channel on Youtube. She has since branched into a couple of additional offers, but she is very selective about what she releases, so as not to have too many different things going on at once.
Her reach is also large, but her business requires much less of her time & energy. All of her programs are pre-recorded online. As a result, she likely has more freedom and a lot more tasks she can delegate in her business.
Another coach I know personally decided early on in his career that he only wanted to work very deeply with a small number of clients…
After years of building up to this place, he was able to create a business where each year he only takes on a handful of clients who each pay him 6 figures.
As a result, he gets to know that he is deeply transforming their lives, while making the income he wants. He isn’t reaching a broad audience, but he is doing very impactful work that has a ripple effect on the world. He also has an enormous amount of time freedom, as his business is very simple & streamlined.
As you can see, there are countless ways to design and grow a successful coaching business.
The most important question to consider is “What do you really want?”
If you knew it would work out – and you didn’t care what anyone else thought – what would you desire to create? (And does your vision align with the lifestyle you truly desire to have?)
Is your priority freedom of time?
Leaving a legacy for your kids?
Building wealth on a large scale?
Touching as many lives as possible?
Look for examples of people who have built successful businesses that allow them to have the income, impact and lifestyle you desire.
If you can’t find someone who has all of that in one, take what you like from each person – and disregard the rest.
This will help you begin to make powerful distinctions about the direction you’re heading and what you want to create. And with that clarity, you can move forward knowing you’re building something that will truly be aligned for you over the long-term.
At the end of the day, there’s no right or wrong way to do it!
What’s most important is that you create a life and business that truly brings you alive.
P.S. If you’d love support to make your vision a reality, Aliveness Mastery® is our 9-month program to birth the next version of you and your coaching business. Our last session of the year starts July 20th! (Applications close on July 14th!) Click here to learn more and apply now.
