4 Simple Steps To Launch Your Coaching Business Today

Written by: Jason Moss • March 08, 2023

Image Source: https://unsplash.com/@microsoftedge

So, you’re finally ready. It’s been years in the making, years of that silent calling gnawing away at you…

You’re at the starting line now, and you’ve realized…

This coaching thing? THIS is what I’m meant to do.

You’re ready for freedom and fulfillment, to quit your 9-5, get paid to wake up every day and transform lives…

But there’s one problem.

When it comes to making all that happen, you just don’t know where to start.

Everywhere you look is another Facebook ad from some “coach for coaches” telling you about their fancy new “system” for getting clients.

You’re overwhelmed with all the information out there…

All you want to know is—what do I ACTUALLY need to do to launch my business, start signing clients, and make enough to go full-time?

If that sounds like you, you’re in the right place.

In this article, I’ll share a simple roadmap that you can follow to get your new coaching business up and running quickly (so you can start signing paying clients ASAP).

I’ve used this roadmap to help thousands of coaches in all different niches, all over the world.

It’s a proven path that will help you break through the confusion that keeps so many coaches stuck at the starting line.

Let’s dive in…

Step 1 - Choose A Niche

Your new coaching business exists to do one thing…

Help a specific group of people get what they want.

That’s why people pay you.

They have a problem or challenge in their life, or some desire they want to fulfill...

They believe working with you will help them get what they want.

So everything in your coaching business starts with an answer to one simple question…

Who are those people? And what DO they want?

You can’t help everyone because there are way too many problems out there to solve…

If you try to become a “generalist,” you’ll never stand out.

So your first step is to choose a lane and find a specific group of people you can help—or what we call your “niche.”

It’s important that your niche:

• Is specific (so you’re not speaking to everyone)

• Has a clear and pressing need

• Has the money to pay you

• You’re excited about helping them

• They’re not too hard to connect with online

These are the most important boxes to check when it comes to choosing a good niche.

Remember that it’s normal to have some uncertainty about your niche in the early days.

Rather than overthinking it, you can choose a direction and move forward, even if you’re not sure it’s the right one. You’ll get clarity through action—starting to put yourself out there and seeing what resonates (and what doesn’t).

This is the best way to hone in over time on a niche that feels aligned for you.

Step 2 - Build A Mouthwatering Coaching Offer

Once you have your niche, you need something to sell. This is your “offer.”

When you get on the phone and tell people what you do and how you can help them, your offer is what you share.

The best way to think about an offer is as a bridge that takes your niche from where they are today to where they want to be.

Most new coaches struggle to sign clients because they don’t understand that people don’t actually buy “coaching.”

Nobody wakes up in the morning and says “you know what I really need is to hire a coach.”

What they say instead is…

“I’m burned out and I want to feel energized again.”

OR…

“My relationship is on the rocks and I want to feel connected to my partner again.”

OR…

“My business isn’t growing and I want to bring in more revenue.”

Regardless of the niche you serve, the common thing you’ll find in all good niches is a GAP between where someone is today and where they want to be.

Your offer is nothing more than a bridge to fill that gap.

So your next step is to build out a coaching “offer” that serves as that bridge—solving a clear problem for your niche and helping them get what they want.

This could be a package or program based around a certain number of coaching calls, or a “done for you” offer where you’re doing the work for them.

There are many different formats, lengths, and processes that might make sense for your offer, depending on what problem you solve.

The key is that your offer solves a clear and specific problem, fills a gap, and helps someone get from where they are today to where they want to be.

Step 3 - Grow and Nurture Your Audience

Once you have clarity on your niche and an offer they want, your next step is to find people within your niche interested in working with you.

The single best way to do this is to build an audience online…

An audience of people who know, like, and trust you—and see you as an expert who can help them solve their problems.

Building an audience takes time and energy, the heart of service, and long-term thinking…

But done well, it’s literally a money printer for your business.

Any time you want to fill seats for a new offer or book out some spaces in your program, you just send a few emails or share a few posts with your audience and the applications will roll in. 

This is the power of having an audience in place.

When it comes to building an audience as a coach, there are three things you need:

1. A way of growing your audience (i.e: getting in front of new people who don’t know you within your niche)

2. A way to nurture and build relationships with your audience over time (usually through your content)

3. A strategy for inviting people in your audience to work with you if and when they’re ready

For most coaches, the first thing to focus on is your growth strategy.

That could look like a lot of things…

• creating hashtagged content on Instagram, 

• launching a YouTube channel or personal blog, 

• doing outreach to people within your niche, 

• partnering with other coaches and getting in front of their audiences…

There are lots of strategies that work here… 

The key is to use and apply them consistently.

Step 4 - Dial-In an Enrollment Process To Turn Leads Into Clients

Once you’re showing up consistently and growing and nurturing your audience, you’ll have a constant stream of people reaching out to you, sending you DMs/emails, and asking about how they can work with you.

That’s a great start, but it’s ultimately not enough to sign clients consistently.

Once someone reaches out to you, you also need an enrollment process to turn people who say “I’m interested” into paying clients.

When it comes to enrollment, I see a lot of new coaches making the mistake of sending people to their website or sales page (or trying to enroll clients over DMs)…

While this can work, the single best way to enroll new clients in the early days of your business is over the phone—via a 45-minute to hour-long “discovery call.”

When you speak with someone personally like this, they feel seen and heard.

You can answer their questions, tailor your pitch to what they want (and need), and help create the space for them to feel safe with you. 

All of this is incredibly important to making a sale, and you’ll have a much easier time doing this over the phone than via text or your website.

There’s a lot that goes into these calls, but in short, here are the keys to making them effective:

1. Figure out what someone needs and if you can help them

2. Help them COMMIT to make a change in their life

3. Help them see clearly why you’re the best person to help them

4. Walk them through how you can help them and where they’ll be after working with you

5. Answer any questions and concerns they have

6. Sign them up, talk through the next steps, and send them off with the energy of excitement and enthusiasm

This, done well, is a tremendous act of service; it doesn’t have to feel pushy or salesy at all.

Conclusions & Next Steps…

So there you have it…

The 4 simple steps you need to launch your coaching business and start signing paying clients.

1. Choose a niche

2. Build a mouthwatering coaching offer

3. Grow and nurture an audience

4. Dial in an enrollment process

For most new coaches, the best place to start is with step 1—getting clarity on your niche and who you serve. A great way to do this is through journaling, asking yourself questions like…

• What skills, passions or talents do I have that someone else could benefit from?

• If I could work with anyone, who would I love to serve?

• What’s the highest value problem I could solve for someone else?

These questions will help you get started on the right track.

If you’re looking for more help with launching your coaching business, I’ve put together dozens of free trainings and resources inside my free Facebook Group for Coaches, which walks you through the steps you’ll need to take in far greater detail…

Once you’re in there, shoot me a message and say hello. I’d love to connect.

With that, I wish you all the best on your coaching journey.

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