You’ve finally started your coaching business, and everything feels shiny and new.
You’re excited. Passionate. Pumped.
New ideas for coaching services and packages are coming through hard and fast.
Although it’s just side hustle coaching for now, you know you’re going to switch to a full-time business soon.
“One in three Americans currently has an alternate way of making money other than their job,” says Ajit Nawalkha, the co-founder of Mindvalley Coach. But here’s something many newbies in the industry don’t realize: the start of your journey can be extremely hard to navigate. Mistakes made now can cost you a lot later.
Think about it…
This is the starting line. The point where you begin to invite clients, build your reputation, and grow your coaching practice.
If you don’t get on the right track now, it may take months or even years to correct rookie mistakes and become a full-time coach.
Here are three approaches from Ajit on how to scale a side hustle business in coaching.
1. Start Strong
Knowing how to start a side hustle is one thing. Building a thriving coaching business on the side when you’re not the best coach you can be—that’s impossible.
Especially if you don’t understand how to include core coaching principles and practices in your sessions. Your clients won’t have results, and your business will never get off the ground.
“Knowing your strengths and using them to get you started is the easiest way to start your coaching business,” Ajit advises. “It also adds to your current experience.”
So commit to learning everything you can about becoming an extraordinary coach.
Enroll in a reputable coaching program or course.
Read great coaching books.
Attend weekend seminars and retreats.
Find a mentor to discuss your side hustle business ideas.
When you do this, you’ll see your coaching skills improve. Exponentially.
And you’ll start to build an awesome reputation.
This is one of the fastest and most powerful ways to create a long waitlist of eager clients and lifelong fans and followers.
“Coaching has become a favorite when it comes to creating an alternative income,” Ajit points out. “It is fun; it’s progressive. There is more demand every day.”
In fact, it’s the second-fastest growing industry in the world—the average yearly growth is 6.7%. But it means nothing if no one knows you exist.
From the first day you start your business, focus on learning side hustle marketing methods you can expand on with time. In other words, master becoming visible in a crowded marketplace.
Make this your priority. Understand how to craft a personal brand and establish your authority.
Learn how to pick a niche and market yourself so you will be seen, heard, and trusted by all the right people.
These are the essentials that will get your coaching business moving forward quickly.
There’s no need to feel overwhelmed. Just take it step by step—but get going.
If you don’t, your dream of going full-time will remain just that. A dream.
3. Don’t Rush It
You may have found your purpose, but so many new coaches feel the pressure to go full-time in just a few months. Or even weeks.
This is a massive mistake. When you rush toward your goal of going full-time, you’ll start to cut corners. You’ll use bad hacks and risky shortcuts where you shouldn’t.
You’ll take on clients who aren’t right for you, charge prices that don’t reflect your worth, and cut back on your ongoing learning and development as a coach.
You’ll also feel tremendous pressure and stress to keep going even when you’re drained and depleted. This will block you from coaching at your highest level, and it will damage your reputation.
And here’s the irony…
The faster you try to get to full-time status, the slower you progress.
What does Ajit suggest? “Early in your career, if you set a low expectation of yourself, you stand a chance of actually meeting it.”
So take a deep breath and take it a little slower. Focus on sustainable success, not quick wins.
You want to be a transformational coach who’s been around for decades. Not just a “flash in the pan” nobody remembers after a few months.
And who knows? Before you know it, you could be the one consulting as a side hustler.
Scale Your Impact, Scale Your Income
Helping someone through their transformation, even if it’s through side hustle coaching, can be one of the most fulfilling things you can do with your life. What could be better than helping and serving others while making a great living?
These three powerful strategies are a great start to creating a solid foundation for your business.
Go deeper by learning the roadmap and skills you need to build a stable and profitable coaching career. Join us in the free Become a Mindvalley Certified Life Coach masterclass.
Many coaches think that making a sale means sacrificing their integrity. If that’s you, it’s probably why you hate the process.
You love your clients, and you’re dedicated to helping them achieve results. If only you could get them through the door…
If that’s not happening, it’s not because you lack the skills. It’s not because you don’t have passion or ambition, either.
It’s because you want to keep your sales integrity. And no one ever hits their targets if they do that, right?
Wrong.
You don’t have to be pushy to call in a long line of high-paying clients. Quite the opposite.
You can sell millions of dollars worth of events, sessions, and programs by ditching the sleaze factor during a sales conversation.
Try these three pillars of integrity in sales from Ajit Nawalkha, the co-founder of Mindvalley Coach, to set yourself up for success the next time you’re pitching a client.
First Pillar: Focus on Connection and Conversation
We’re more connected now than at any other time in human history. But we’re also more disconnected in very crucial ways than ever before.
We thirst for real human relationships. As we spend more and more time online, we drift further and further away from face-to-face conversations and genuine relationships.
That’s why it’s so important to demolish that distance. To create an emotional bond even if you’re on a sales call with a client who is oceans apart from you.
How do you achieve that? By focusing on authentic connection and conversation—not on selling.
Talk to your clients. Ask about their lives. Find out what makes them happy and what makes them sad.
Allow them to reveal their goals and dreams (the real ones and not the ones they think everyone wants to hear). Truly see them for who they are—vulnerable, flawed, amazing human beings on a journey to reach their highest potential.
When you bring your heart and soul to every sales conversation in this way, you’ll succeed every single time. Because your potential clients will feel seen, heard, and understood.
They’ll experience the power of an authentic, unapologetic human connection, and they’ll feel compelled to work with you.
And you’ll make that sale. Without even trying.
Second Pillar: Bring Your Whole Self to the Table
You will become a master at authentic selling. Why? Because you’re a coach.
And, as a coach, you care. Deeply.
You want to create positive transformations for people. Your heart is already in the game. So there’s no need to try to be a “salesperson” or to try to practice ethical sales.
Instead, take a deep breath and be yourself. That’s all you need.
Allow the real you to shine through. The “you” who dreamed of becoming a coach. The “you” who cannot think of anything better in this life than making a great living helping others.
When you bring your authentic self to the table, your clients will feel your love, your commitment, and your desire to help.
This is what sells. This is what inspires clients to pick one coach over another. Not credentials or testimonials—although those are helpful too.
When it’s down to the wire, your clients will choose to work with you because they can feel how much you care.
So ditch those sales methods that don’t feel right, and the frameworks and strategies that don’t align with you. Instead, be yourself.
It’s the secret to selling with integrity and hitting hundreds of thousands—even millions of dollars—in sales.
Third Pillar: Create Transformations
Don’t wait until you’re in a paid session to be a coach.
When you get on that call, ask what your client is struggling with. Do everything in your power to help. Reach deep into your coach’s toolkit and help them find the solution they need.
Even if you can’t come up with a full solution, give them something that they can work with. Something they can take action on as quickly as possible.
Create that transformation. It’s a taste of all the good things to come when your client decides to work with you.
They’ll appreciate your concern. They’ll love that you care. They’ll find themselves drawn to your work.
Serve first and always.
When you do this, your packages and events will sell themselves.
Unlock Your Coaching Mastery
Commit to using these three pillars of sales integrity, and take action the very next time you’re in a sales conversation with a potential client.
You’ll find that when you choose congruence and alignment, you’ll start to hit your biggest sales goals you never thought were possible.
The best part?
You’ll get to do it all by sticking to your values and beliefs and staying true to who you are.
Learn how you can build a profitable coaching career that reliably delivers the income you want without sacrificing your values. Join us in the Become a Mindvalley Certified Life Coachfreemasterclass.
Living a great life is different for everyone. As a coach, you know that it starts with defining what that means to you personally.
When you work with clients, your job is to help them identify what an ideal life looks like for them and then guide them to understand what they need to do to get there. The Wheel of Life, according to Mindvalley Coach co-founder Ajit Nawalkha, can help you do that through the process.
What Is the Wheel of Life?
The Wheel of Life exercise is a very simple personal growth tool that helps you evaluate your life as it is and define where you want it to be. It’s a great exercise for both self-coaching and working with clients who seek more awareness of their life vision and a balanced life.
Reviewing their lives through this lens helps them prioritize what matters most to them. It helps them reflect on what’s missing and visualize which direction they want to take in the future.
By using this self-assessment tool, they will understand:
What’s important to them,
Where they currently are on the journey of their lives in various areas, and
Where they really want to be in the future.
The 10 categories of the Wheel of Life assessment
Life has many dimensions. These 10 categories help break down one’s overall life vision into distinct categories to help with self-reflection.
Personal growth: How focused are you on your growth and transformation? How much time do you spend every day learning and developing yourself?
Romantic love: Do you feel happy and fulfilled in your romantic life? How important is this category to you?
Family and friends: How is your relationship with your family and your friends? What kind of bond do you have with them, and what role do they take up in your life?
Health and well-being: How focused are you on your physical and mental health? Do you have a goal to improve your fitness or longevity?
Finances: Are you happy with your finances? Are you financially secure, literate, and fulfilled? How important is this category to you?
Business and career: How important is your career or business in your life? What are your goals here?
Physical environment: Is your immediate physical environment—your room, your house, the people you’re surrounded with—serving you well? Is it nourishing you? Or is it something you need to redesign?
Fun and recreation: Do you have fun and recreation in your life? How is it included in your daily routine?
Contribution: How are you contributing to the world? What gifts do you have that you could share with others?
Spirituality: What spiritual beliefs and practices do you have? How do you feel aligned with the universe or higher power you believe in?
How to Use the Wheel of Life
Using the Wheel of Life template is simple. Here’s how you can apply this tool in your next coaching session:
1. Draw the wheel
The first step to applying this tool is to draw a wheel (a circle) on a piece of paper or your screen. Leave room within the circle so you can later fill it with plenty of details.
2. Divide the wheel into distinct categories
Divide the wheel into the ten categories mentioned above, or select the categories that your client wants to focus on and evaluate. Split the circle accordingly and write down the name of each category.
3. Rate the categories in order of importance
This step is crucial. Ask your client to rate each category in order of importance. For example, if their most important priority in life is Personal Growth, ask them to rate it as one. If the least important category is Romance, they should give it a 10, and so on.
4. Compare their current state vs. ideal state
Ask your client to rate each category between one and 10 based on where they stand right now in that area of life. If they are not content with that category at all, rate it as one; if they couldn’t imagine it getting any better, give it a 10.
Next, help them reflect on what their ideal state would look like in each category. Personal growth isn’t about scoring 10/10 in every single area of our lives. We all have different priorities—and limited time. Ask your client to give a number between one and 10 to each category based on where they want it to be.
5. Identify the gaps and prioritize your work
Look at your client’s Wheel of Life and identify the categories that most matter to them. Help them reflect deeper to understand where they want to take each category.
Pay attention to the biggest gaps between their current life and the one they envision for themselves. Prioritize your coaching work together based on this information.
What Happens Next?
With the Wheel of Life assessment in front of you, you have a holistic view of your client’s life. It’s a simple evaluation that empowers you to ask the right questions, such as…
Which area of life does my client need the most help with?
Is that area a priority for them?
Is that area interconnected with another one? And if so, how do I create a plan that helps both life categories?
Apply this powerful tool with your clients to help them understand where they need to put more attention in their personal development journey.
Most people associate coaching models with acronyms like SMART goals. This is especially true if they attended a coaching certification program in which this term referred to a map guiding clients through the coaching process.
While those models come in handy in your sessions, coaching business models are essential for growing your business.
Let’s explore what business models are in a coaching business and their distinct advantages.
What is a Business Model?
A business model is a company’s plan for making a profit. A well-crafted one not only outlines the product or service a company offers but also the intricacies of how it generates revenue, acquires customers and stands out in the market.
It includes the entire customer experience—from the way products are priced and showcased to the channels through which they reach the consumer.
What is a coaching business model?
In the case of a coaching business, the basic model looks like making money by offering coaching services to people who need them.
For example:
A business coach offers services to entrepreneurs who need to overcome certain limitations to run their businesses successfully.
A health coach may offer coaching to an individual who is having difficulty maintaining a healthy diet.
A relationship coach may offer services to individuals or couples who are experiencing difficulty in their relationships.
An executive coach may offer services to busy executives running Fortune 500 companies.
It’s important to note that the model in this case doesn’t refer to what kind of coach you are (that would be your niche or specialty). Instead, it refers to what you offer in exchange for money.
Some coaches combine various business models, while others stick to one.
There’s equal potential for making money with all coaching business models, but they all come with their advantages and disadvantages.
5 Coaching Business Models to Try in 2024
There are several different types of life coaching business models you can consider. However, it’s important to note that you are not bound by any particular coaching model in your business.
Oftentimes, the one that makes the most money is the one that works best for you personally and, of course, your clients.
You can decide to have multiple coaching income streams or to change to a different business model later as you gain more experience with what works for you.
For instance, in the beginning, you may love doing private one-on-one coaching. However, over time, you may realize that you feel drained by it, and you need to find ways to implement scalability into your coaching model.
The opposite could also happen. Maybe you begin by coaching groups, but then realize you are much better at coaching on an individual level.
As such, don’t assume that once you choose a model, you are stuck with it forever.
1. Private coaching
This is the business model for coaching where most begin their practice. (If you’ve taken formal coaching training, then it’s likely that you were required to do some one-on-one coaching for credit hours.) It’s also the easiest place to begin because it doesn’t necessarily require you to create modules and manage cohorts like you would in a group setting.
By starting off with private coaching, you also start to notice the patterns your clients are dealing with. It’ll allow you to use that to experiment with other forms of coaching models, like group coaching or offering products.
This model can be extremely lucrative because your brain and your time are the most expensive things you have. As such, private coaching is typically seen as the most high-end service a coach offers.
Additionally, it’s typically (though not always) easier to sell one high-priced product to one person than to sell a lower-priced product to several people.
However, there are some cons to private coaching. The main one is that it isn’t scalable. Since you’re operating on a one-to-one basis, your income is limited by your time.
If you aren’t booked up with private clients and actually coaching them, then you aren’t making any money. You’re also extremely limited in the number of clients you can take on (we’re not machines).
Lastly, private coaching may not be a good coaching model for individuals who thrive in groups. For example, extroverts may be better at group coaching because their strengths lie in managing group dynamics, not one-on-one interactions.
2. Group coaching
The natural progression for many coaches is to move from offering private coaching to offering group coaching. It’s more scalable because it’s a one-to-many coaching model, meaning you are helping multiple people at once.
If done correctly, this can help you make more money without burning out, as some coaches experience in private coaching.
There are a couple of ways you can conduct group coaching at different price points to meet the needs of your audience:
Long-term group coaching. This is usually a series of sessions done in group form.
Intensive group coaching. Intensive coaching usually refers to a one or two-day workshop where several people participate.
Short online workshop. You can also do short, one-off coaching sessions online, depending on what your market is asking you for. For example, they may be asking you to address a topic that can be covered in 90 minutes versus a four-week-long group coaching course.
Of course, this model only works if you thrive in groups and enjoy teaching on a larger scale.
You also have to keep in mind that with this model, you actually have to sell to and close the deal with more people.
This may be more difficult to do in the beginning stages, which is why many coaches opt to begin with private coaching.
3. Selling products
This model is extremely scalable and offers you a form of passive income.
The work is done up front, and then it can continue making you money for as long as you wish. Additionally, you’re not trading your time for money with this model like you are with private or group coaching.
For example, you write a book or create an on-demand course once and then offer it up for sale for as long as you wish.
This allows you to reach many more people because a book or on-demand course isn’t going to cost a person nearly as much money as signing up for private coaching.
Of course, the downside to this is that you would have to sell several products in order to make the same revenue as from coaching.
Additionally, the selling and marketing never really ends. Once you create a product, you have to constantly let people know it exists.
Despite this, it’s still a model worth considering as your business grows and expands, simply because it’s so scalable.
4. Online coaching
The rise of the internet has made it much easier to start a coaching business with low overhead.
There’s no need to lease an office space if you’re taking all your coaching calls online. Additionally, using an online coaching business model allows you to expand far beyond your local area for clients.
This is typically a matter of personal preference that can be dictated by what’s going on in your life.
For example, self-proclaimed financial therapist and coach Bari Tessler decided to make her entire practice online only after the birth of her child, so she wouldn’t have to sacrifice any time with him.
5. In-person coaching
Some coaches still prefer to do coaching in person and meet clients at their offices or homes. This may also look like doing live events or retreats, depending on how far they want to go.
In-person sessions are a good option if you thrive around other people and would like to add a more personal touch to your coaching. It’s also a great model if you hate dealing with technology and prefer to stay within your local community.
Many would claim that you’re limiting yourself by sticking to your local community. However, it actually comes with several advantages, including low-cost ways to advertise and less perceived competition.
Some coaches even make more money by scaling down and going local than by trying to reach many people online.
Again, this depends on your preferred coaching business strategies and how you can be of the utmost service to your market.
Build a Profitable Coaching Business Your Audience Will Love
Coaching models have more to do with your personal preferences, values, and market than with the actual model itself. But the main question to ask is: What impact do you want to make on your clients’ lives?
The more experience you gain in your practice, the more you’ll be able to tell which model works best for you and your clients.
You can fast-track your coaching mastery and unlock the secrets of the pros in our free masterclass, Become a Mindvalley Certified Life Coach. Here, you’ll learn how to maximize your impact, abundance, and freedom in your practice.
The bottom line is, you’re not building businesses here; you’re forging empires of transformation.
The best salespeople in the world spend 80% of their time working on their mindset and 20% of their time learning sales techniques because they know the truth:
You could be the best at what you do…
You could offer incredible products or packages…
You could have a fantastic sales script…
But if you don’t have the right mindset, you won’t be attracting coaching clients and closing contracts.
So learning how to sell coaching services starts with releasing these five limiting beliefs.
1. I Have to Become a Sales Rockstar… Right This Minute!
Actually, no, you don’t.
No one is born knowing how to sell or how to persuade and influence others.
The truth is that selling is a skill, and just like riding a bike or learning how to play the guitar, it takes time and practice to get really good at it.
If you start out with high expectations (like, “I need to create 30 new clients in two weeks” or “I need to go from $0 to $20,000 in a month”), chances are, you’ll end up disappointed.
Worst of all, you might be tempted to quit even before you can succeed.
Instead, give yourself time to practice the art of selling.
Set a few attainable goals and a reasonable timeline, and make them a part of your personal development plan.
There are a lot of helpful resources on how to sell life coaching services. So keep your eyes open for books, courses, guides, and sales coaches who can help you accelerate the process and improve your sales skills.
It will pay off in the long run and contribute to your efforts in coaching business development.
2. I Need to Succeed More Than I Fail
This is an ambitious goal, but it’ll likely set you up for the exact thing you want to avoid: Failure.
If you go into every sales conversation with an attachment to the outcome, your clients will smell the desperation.
If you approach potential clients thinking, “I need to get them to say yes,” they will sense that and turn away.
And who can blame them? You probably wouldn’t sign with a coach who seems desperate, either.
So what can you do instead? Show, don’t tell.
When you’re on a sales call, think of it as a coaching call. Focus on creating transformation for your potential client. Ask them about their biggest challenge and show them how you’d approach it with coaching.
This gives them a taste of what it’s like to work with you and your skills, so they will be more likely to return to you as paying clients.
3. They Don’t Want Me to Sell to Them
Many coaches think their potential clients hate being sold to, but this is far from the truth.
People don’t dislike being sold to. They dislike those who sell without integrity. That’s a big difference.
When a potential client gets on a call with you, they want to hear the truth.
They want to know about your coaching skills, and they want to know how you can help create a change in their lives. And if they feel good about what they’re hearing, they want you to share how they can work with you.
In other words, they want you to sell.
So tell your clients what they need to know, and give yourself permission to share your offer with them.
When you do, you’ll feel more relaxed and inspired to sell yourself.
4. I’ll Attract More Paying Clients If I Lower My Rates
This belief is probably the most damaging one on this list.
So many coaches—even those who’ve been in the game for a while—believe that their challenges around selling have to do with their price.
They decrease their rates and end up wondering why their sign-up rate dips even lower.
Here’s the truth: Clients aren’t looking for the cheapest coach. They’re looking for the one who can deliver the biggest value to them.
This is why there are coaches who can charge thousands and thousands of dollars for a few hours of their time and still have a long waitlist of clients.
If you want to improve your sign-up rate, forget about compromising on the price.
Instead, focus on becoming the best coach you can be, and your sign-ups will skyrocket on their own.
5. I Need to Perfect My Sales Pitch
Pitching a client during a sales call is a bad idea.
Yes, you need to know how to describe your business and answer your client’s questions, but don’t rely on scripted answers.
You’re not a used car salesman; you’re a coach.
So don’t pitch your client; talk to them.
Memorizing a sales script will sound canned and inauthentic, which will lead to your client losing trust in you. So forget about the script and have a conversation instead.
You might wonder how to sell coaching services online, where you’ll need to establish a trusted connection with your client through a screen.
However, conducting your discovery calls online can actually help your case.
Establishing an online presence on your website and social media gives your clients a chance to look you up beforehand. This way, you can simply focus on answering their questions and bringing your most authentic self to the call.
Become a Client Magnet
Even the highest-paid coaches in the world started out with zero sales. They all worked on their mindset and practiced their skills to get to where they are today.
Overcoming these five limiting beliefs is a great place to start shifting your sales mindset. And when you do, you’ll be able to connect with potential clients from a place of love, authenticity, and genuine confidence.
Here’s what Nimmy Sabu, a holistic life coach from Herndon, U.S.A., who went through the program, said about it:
“I learned to thrive in discomfort and break many of the patterns that were holding me back for a long time. This program gave me hope and encouraged me to challenge my own beliefs. It helped me get clear on my core values and base my choices and decisions on these values to create a life that is fulfilling and of service to others.”
So take the step, like Nimmy and the thousands who went through the program. Because coaching isn’t just about guiding people; it ignites transformations.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, teacher, or stay-at-home mom, active listening is the key to having more meaningful and impactful conversations.
Which is why, for coaches, it’s a must-have.
Active listening reinforces active participation in the coaching conversation, which leads to more effective communication.
Discover what active listening means and five practices that help you get better at it.
What Are Active Listening Skills?
Active listening is about giving your full attention to the person who’s talking to you and seeking to understand them fully before you jump in with a response. It requires you, as a coach, to be fully present, empathetic, and non-judgmental. This allows your clients to express themselves freely.
Coaches who practice this skill pay attention to not just the words but also what’s not being said. In other words, the client’s tone, body language, and even their silence.
Active listening allows coaches to understand their client’s perspectives deeper, uncover underlying issues, and foster a deeper connection.
Here are seven key listening skills coaches use in conversations:
Reflective responses. “It sounds like you’re feeling overwhelmed. Is that true?“
Clarifying questions. “Could you provide more details about the specific challenges you’re facing?“
Paraphrasing. “If I understand correctly, you’re saying that balancing work and personal life is a major stressor for you?“
Summarizing. “So, to recap, you’re dealing with work-related stress and finding it challenging to maintain a healthy work-life balance?“
Empathetic statements. “I can imagine that managing these responsibilities is quite demanding. How does that make you feel?“
Open-ended questions. “Can you tell me more about what led to that decision?“
Silence. Allowing brief pauses, giving the client time to collect their thoughts and share more.
Try these examples in your next session to dig deeper into the issue your client is facing.
How to Improve Active Listening Skills: 5 Techniques to Try
Try these active listening techniques to get better at this key coaching skill with every conversation.
1. Repeat
When you start to consciously practice active listening, you’ll discover just how hard it is to give your complete focus and attention to someone else. But here’s a clever hack you can try: The next time you talk to someone, boost your concentration by repeating some of their key words and phrases in your mind.
This is a discreet, yet, remarkably effective method to kick your focus up a notch.
You can also ask them an appropriate question or two to make sure you’ve understood their point.
Doing this will help you to stay in the moment and remember what’s being said. It’ll also help you come through with the right responses at the right time, which is a big part of this skill.
2. Clear
One of the biggest obstacles to active listening is the tendency to have a continuous “soundtrack” of your own thoughts and ideas playing in your head.
When you’re thinking about your response or what you’re going to have for lunch, you lose track of what’s being said.
Committing to a regular meditation practice is the perfect way to lessen unwanted mental chatter and practice bringing your focus back to what’s happening in front of you.
In just a few meditation sessions, you’ll find that it’s a lot easier to call on your full focus and attention when you need to practice active listening during a conversation.
3. Observe
Studies show that over 90% of communication takes place via non-verbal cues. What this means is that body language is far more important than words when you want to achieve true understanding in a conversation.
Learn about what different body postures and facial expressions mean. Alternatively, simply practice paying more attention to them.
Keep in mind that even experts often misread body language cues. So, if you pick up on something, ask your clients how they feel first before jumping to conclusions.
4. Acknowledge
Part of the magic of active listening happens when the other person feels heard and understood. So show them that you’re listening closely and following along with what they’re saying.
You can nod your head or acknowledge verbally that you’re listening by saying short phrases like “I see,” “yes,” and “right.” If you’d like to encourage your client to expand upon a topic, you can also ask them, “How so?” or say, “Tell me more.”
This shows that you’re immersed in the conversation and interested in your client’s message.
5. Compartmentalize
A coaching session is a space and time when nothing else should be catching your attention other than your client. Phone off, door closed, and all other issues temporarily put on hold.
Conduct your coaching sessions in a quiet space where there aren’t any distractions for either you or your client. Stay away from community offices with glass-door meeting rooms, and let any team members in your office know when a session is on and you want zero disruptions.
Develop a habit of single-tasking in your everyday work to teach your mind that once you’re in the zone, all other unfinished business can wait.
Practicing these techniques will help you improve your active listening skills until they become a natural part of every conversation. It’s one of the best things you can do for your clients and the people who matter to you.
Take the Next Step in Your Coaching Career
Active listening, just like any skill, takes practice. Apply these five approaches in your next coaching session to get better at it and help your clients achieve bigger breakthroughs.
Imagine you just had coffee with one of your colleagues. It was one of the most wonderful conversations you ever had—you were able to help them overcome a problem they had been struggling with for the past two years.
Your colleague thanks you for the help and says, “You should be doing this for a living!”
You leave feeling like a million bucks and go straight home to Google everything there is about coaching. But the more you go down the rabbit hole, the more confusing it gets. You think, “Is it coaching that I’m really after? Or is it mentoring?”
Mentor vs. coach—what sets it apart? Understanding the differences can help you decide which path you want to pursue.
What Are Coaching and Mentoring?
Coaching is a purpose-driven journey that empowers individuals to tap into their potential and reach specific goals. As a coach, your role is to guide clients to discover their own solutions to challenges and foster personal growth in the process.
On the other hand, mentoring is about drawing from personal or professional experience and guiding a mentee who’s interested in the same field you specialize in. Usually, mentors are experts in the fields they’re offering advice on.
These famous quotes clearly define each approach:
“Coaching is unlocking people’s potential to maximize their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.” — Tim Gallwey
“Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.” — John Crosby
Now let’s dive deeper into understanding the key similarities and differences between coaching and mentoring.
Coach vs. Mentor: Key Similarities
Coaching and mentoring have a lot of similar elements, such as:
Building rapport and connection with clients
Supporting the client’s growth and development
Exploring growth opportunities in their careers or business
Being committed to the client’s success but not attached to it
They both aim to give the client direction through goal-oriented conversations. Yet, they know that it is the client’s responsibility to take the actions necessary to achieve the desired results.
So, what sets them apart?
What is The Difference Between a Mentor and a Coach?
Even though coaching and mentoring may sound similar in many ways, there are several aspects in which they differ.
Approach
The most significant difference between the two roles is the way information is given.
A mentor’s primary approach is to give advice, while a coach rarely does so. A mentor gives direction and information, while a coach guides the client to discover that information.
A coach doesn’t need to have previous knowledge, skills, or experience on the subject of the session. On the other hand, a mentor is usually an expert in the field the client is interested in.
Training
Coaches are more likely to have previous training on coaching skills and methodology to guide clients through a clear process.
Mentors are less likely to be trained and more likely to rely on their professional background and experience.
Role
A coach asks powerful questions to elicit insights.
Coaches know that everyone has everything they need within themselves to create the life they really want. And they look for ways to elicit insights in their clients so they can see this as well.
On the other hand, a mentor’s focus is to share their own experience and give direct advice.
Mentors bring their knowledge, skills, and experience to the table to guide others. They have a more direct role in the conversation, and they’re able to bring specific case studies of issues they’ve worked on before.
Tools
Coaching facilitates awareness and self-directed learning, while mentors share their wisdom to provide insight and guidance.
This is why you might see a mentor speak most of the time during the session, while in a coaching session, the coach will be quiet for the most part, listening to what their client has to say.
Objectives
A mentor starts the relationship with a client who already knows what they want before starting the conversation.
A coach helps the person identify what they want and how to create it for themselves.
Which Approach Fits You Best?
Now that you have more clarity on the similarities and differences between a life coach vs. mentor, let’s go deeper into which of these two approaches is best for you.
Mark each statement in the list that resonates with you in terms of how you prefer to work with clients.
A coach…
Enjoys being curious about the way the other person sees their world.
Uses their client’s experience as a way for them to create the results that they want.
Encourages their client to be self-accountable for their actions.
Focuses on helping their clients get clear on what they want, reflect on different perspectives, and explore new possibilities.
Has a formal relationship with their clients, where there is a cadence of structured sessions to work toward their goals.
A mentor…
Enjoys sharing their knowledge and directing their clients to the best possible outcome for them.
Uses their personal experience to help their clients achieve their results.
Leads a more hand-holding process with their clients.
Works with their clients to give them detailed guidance to reach the goal that they have already identified.
Creates a relationship with clients that’s more informal and, depending on the mentor’s availability.
See whether you’ve marked more statements in the coach vs. mentor category. This can inform which methodology you prefer to follow when helping clients.
How Do I Find a Mentor or Coach?
As you navigate these career paths, you can benefit from working with a coach or a mentor yourself. Here’s how you can find the right one for you:
Finding the right mentor
You have to be clear on what you want to achieve professionally, both in the short and long term. The clearer you are on your goals, the easier it will be to find the right mentor for you, as you’ll know what background and experience you are looking for.
Think about someone you admire or look up to. Think about the person that you want to become in the next 5–10 years. That will describe what kind of mentor you are looking for. Once you define that, start looking around in your network.
Look for a person who has the time and disposition to help you in the process. This will offer consistency in your relationship with them.
Find someone who is a couple of steps ahead of you, so they understand the best ways to help you.
Finding the right coach
Get clear on the area of your life that you need support in. It may be related to your health, relationships, or career. You don’t need to have specific goals. You just need to know that you are ready for a shift and for growth in that specific area.
Look for a coach who specializes in the area that you want to work on. Decide whether credentials are important for you and see if you can find some client testimonials about them.
Find someone who resonates with you. Someone who allows you to be heard and seen without judgment. Someone who creates a safe space for you to explore new opportunities and perspectives.
Have a discovery session with your coach first to get familiar with their coaching process. This will set clear expectations for what it’s like to work with them.
Having someone to support you in this journey will not only help you grow but also allow you to experience first-hand what you can give to your own clients.
From Insights to Action
Knowing when to put on your coaching or mentoring hat can help you give your clients what they most need for their growth. And just like any committed professional, sometimes you need to put on your coachee hat as well.
“In 2022, I decided to be coached by one of the Mindvalley coaches, and I loved it!” says Patrizia Tammaro Silva, a CEO from Milan, Italy, who went through the Mindvalley Certified Coach program.“My life has improved, and that year has been my most profitable year ever. I decided then to take a step further and enroll in the program.”
Coaches need to juggle endless responsibilities while fostering positive client connections. That’s where Client Relationship Management (CRM) software comes in handy.
It’s the unsung hero of coaches who handles their admin tasks so they can focus on what matters most—guiding clients toward optimal performance.
Discover the best CRM for coaches and how you can navigate it to run your business like a well-oiled machine.
What Is A CRM?
CRM is software that stores all the key information about your client communications. It collects insights into a centralized system so you can better understand your prospects and coaching clients and improve their experience working with you.
It’s a business solution that’s proven to bring tangible benefits for small companies; businesses adopting CRM witness a staggering 29% surge in sales revenue.
Think of CRM as your coaching brain, capturing the progress, preferences, and pivotal moments of your clients in one central hub. No more drowning in scattered notes; your CRM ensures that every coaching session that you deliver counts.
It remembers your client’s:
Contact information,
Communication history,
Purchase details,
Preferences,
And interactions with you.
You can use it to nurture leads, track your client acquisition goals, or fine-tune your marketing strategies.
How to choose a CRM for coaches
Opt for an intuitive interface to save you time and simplify your daily tasks
Choose a platform that allows personalization to align with your coaching style and specific business requirements
If HIPAA compliance is important for your business, choose CRMs with security features to safeguard sensitive client information
If you use other business tools, pick one that integrates with them to simplify your workflow
Consider other features, such as creating personalized meal plans or streaming your workout sessions
12 Best CRMs for Coaches
Here are 12 of the best CRMs for life coaches, consultants, and health professionals for client acquisition and management.
1. Profi
Profi is a strategic asset for coaches who want to methodically scale their businesses. It has great payment and communication features that let you manage clients and sessions seamlessly.
Coaches, consultants, trainers, and therapists find Profi invaluable for crafting customized packages and connecting easily with clients. It has diverse communication tools, including chats, calls, and video sessions, plus a community discussion area for some meaningful interaction.
Profi can also produce professional-looking landing pages and deliver courses. It’s a great tool if you want a streamlined approach to client management and business optimization.
Notable features include:
SMS notifications for clients
Easier communication with solutions like video conferencing
Online coaching sessions in groups or one-on-one
Co-authoring coaching programs with other professionals
Simple, secure, and automated payments
2. HoneyBook
Another expandable and top-notch CRM software for coaching services is HoneyBook, an all-in-one system for customized training solutions. Health coaches, business coaches, and life coaches will all find this program versatile and useful.
With HoneyBook’s feature-packed suite, you can customize your brand and craft client-specific plans. It also has automated communication features to enhance your connection with clients without the need for manual work. Plus, it lets you schedule your meetings and flesh out your marketing strategies with contact forms and brochure templates.
The online payment software of HoneyBook makes it easier to manage revenue and boost sales. For example, by setting up recurring payments for clients.
Notable features include:
Simple and secure invoicing and online payment options
Built-in client proposals to support scalability
Integrations with other systems like Zapier, Gmail, and QuickBooks
Easy task management and program scheduling
Automated features like customized emails, reminders, and questionnaires for improved client relationships
3. Coach Logix
Coach Logix is a free CRM for coaches, making it a rare gem for small-scale coaching businesses. It has a diverse array of features, like session scheduling, progress tracking, and an invoicing system.
While the free version is decent for solopreneurs, the paid versions unlock some pretty neat advanced benefits for scaling your coaching business.
Notable features include:
Great analytics features
Organized billing and invoice management
Session scheduling
An intuitive performance breakdown
4. Bitrix 24
Bitrix24 is an all-in-one business app for collaboration and customer management. It’s particularly handy if you have a bigger team running your coaching business. You can use it to add contacts, set up a sales pipeline, and generate reports. It’s a highly customizable app, allowing you to rearrange fields on the contacts page for a personalized experience.
It has some solid goal-setting features to help you work towards your objectives, and you can set up notifications to keep you on track with them. It also stands out in reporting, even on the free plan, offering great analytics options.
Beyond CRM, it’s a team collaboration hub with features like an activity stream, chat, calls, project management, file drive, and a website builder. With hundreds of integrations and Zapier compatibility, Bitrix24 lets you and your team automate many of your complex business processes.
Notable features include:
Multi-account access
Tracking progress on tasks
Managing meetings
Communication tools for customer relationship management
Password-protected file sharing
5. Satori
Satori includes features like scheduling, client engagement, and business growth tools. It’s easy to use and won’t break the bank—perfect for coaches just starting out.
With a range of features, including CRM, automation, group coaching, and billing, it covers the essentials. It also integrates with all major business apps like Google Calendar, MailChimp, and PayPal.
Satori’s Discovery Questionnaires help you qualify clients and set the stage for meaningful discussions. You can set up multi-session packages for clients and keep track of their progress through easily accessible session notes. Satori is ideal for coaches looking for a simple, effective, and budget-friendly CRM solution.
Notable features include:
Easy-to-use interface
Sign agreements and onboard client management
Manage all client accounts safely
Simple meeting scheduling options
Create and send customized and detailed questionnaires
6. Nudge Coach
Nudge Coach, as the name says, is tailored for coaches specifically. You can use it to track the habits and action steps of your clients between sessions. You can also create customized plans for the people you work with based on their specific objectives. It’s perfect for health coaches and other professionals focusing on establishing better habits in their clients’ lives.
Besides habit tracking, you can use Nudge Coach to send real-time messages and schedule notifications to clients. Detailed insights about their progress help you understand which one of them needs more attention and guidance.
Notable features include:
Daily habit tracking
Customized coaching journeys
Individual client data and analytics
Community forums
Challenges to boosting engagement in group coaching programs
7. Practice Better
Practice Better is an accountability tool mixed with a simple CRM system made for health coaches. It handles bookkeeping, recommendations, and payments in one neat system. Plus, it’s HIPAA compliant, making it an ideal choice for health professionals too.
Practice Better syncs with other systems in your client management workflow, like Dropbox or Google Drive. It’s a versatile business app that lets you develop coaching programs and scale your practice.
Notable features include:
Video calls for sessions
Client forms
Easy schedule management
Automated payment features and invoicing
8. MBody360
MBody360 is a go-to toolkit for health and wellness coaches that helps you streamline your practice effortlessly. It handles client data, health plans, and communication in one user-friendly interface.
You can create personalized lifestyle plans with supplementation, diet, sleep schedule, and other activities. This way, you can tailor each client’s journey to their personal objectives and track their progress as they go along. You can even sync their health data with apps like Google Fit and Apple Health.
Notable features include:
Customized meal plans
Easy session scheduling
Sleep and exercise monitoring
Easy-to-navigate interface with real-time data
Recipes for different diets
9. Quenza
This particular CRM software is a particularly great fit for mental health coaches. You can set up activities for better well-being, track your client’s progress, and send them additional resources tailored to their individual objectives.
Quenza is built in mind with the importance of keeping up the momentum during your coaching process. You can send motivational videos to your clients or schedule messages in advance to give them a little boost in motivation. You can also design their coaching exercises, reflection prompts, and meditations in advance and keep them engaged between sessions.
Notable features include:
Proposal templates and quotes
Sales reporting
Automated workflow management
Video, audio, and text scheduling
10. TrueCoach
TrueCoach is a great choice for fitness professionals, especially personal trainers. You use it to hold online training sessions, connect with your clients remotely, and share workout videos or guides with them.
What sets TrueCoach apart is its focus on accountability and engagement. Its features revolve around improving the coaching experience rather than managing your coaching business.
If you’re in the fitness industry and want a platform that puts coaching first, TrueCoach has got your back.
Notable features include:
Online training sessions
Workout session management
Tracking the nutrition intake of your clients
Real-time messaging
11. CoachesConsole
CoachesConsole is a go-to CRM for business coaches and consultants. It handles contracts, payments, and invoices.
You can also use it for scheduling both your discovery sessions with prospects and your coaching appointments.
Notable features include:
Calendar and scheduling
Payment processing
Client information management
Website templates
12. My Coach Office
My Coach Office simplifies your coaching business by handling all your client management tasks. You can use it for appointment scheduling, invoicing, and goal tracking.
Besides regular admin features, My Coach Office lets you create shared journals for pre- and post-session notes. You can also build online courses with it, allocate homework to your clients, and manage your group coaching cohorts.
Notable features include:
Client management
Goal tracking
Appointment scheduling
Build a Thriving Coaching Business
CRM tools help you manage the admin tasks in your coaching business, turn prospects into paying clients, and customize their coaching journeys. Hopefully, this guide has given you the answer to what the best CRM is for coaches in your niche.
The foundation for helping people transform is to understand that we are all different. And in order to help other people know more about themselves, we have to understand more about different personality types.
This is where the Myers-Briggs Personality Assessment (MBTI), better known as the 16 personalities test, comes in.
Francesca Facio, the human optimization coach and head of certifications at Mindvalley Coach, breaks down this powerful coaching tool. And here’s all you should know about it.
How Does the 16 Personalities Test Work?
The 16 personalities test is a free assessment that categorizes individuals into one of 16 distinct personality types based on the Myers-Briggs® Type Indicator (MBTI®). Developed by Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Cook Briggs, this widely-used psychological tool evaluates various aspects of a person’s preferences, including:
Extroversion and introversion,
Sensing and intuition,
Thinking and feeling,
Judging and perceiving, and
Assertivity and turbulence.
The test provides insight into behavioral patterns, communication styles, and decision-making processes. It tells you how someone interacts with the world and makes choices.
How Can I Use the 16 Personalities Test in My Coaching Practice?
Our personality is one of the many factors that drive our behavior. That’s why the 16 personalities test is so relevant in coaching.
Your clients are going to have different personalities, which means they want to be motivated, influenced, and learn in different ways.
By understanding people’s personalities, you will understand them better and communicate with them more easily. As a result, they will get better insights and shift how they approach their lives.
You will have Introverts who prefer solitary activities because they are sensitive to external stimulation.
And you will have Extroverts, who get energized by social interactions. They also tend to be more enthusiastic and are easily excited.
2. Energy: How we see the world and process information
There are Sensing individuals, who are very practical and down-to-earth. They have strong habits and rely on data to predict future events.
And there are Intuitives, who are very imaginative, open-minded, and curious. They prefer novelty over stability.
3. Nature: How we make decisions and manage our emotions
You’ll meet Thinking individuals in your practice who focus on objectivity and rationality, prioritizing logic over emotions.
On the other hand, you’ll meet Feelers, who are very sensitive and open about expressing their emotions. They are more empathic and less competitive than Thinking types. They focus on social harmony and cooperation.
4. Tactics: Reflects our approach to work, planning and decision-making
You will have Judging individuals, who are decisive, thorough, and highly organized. They value clarity, predictability, and closure. They also prefer structure and planning to spontaneity.
Then you have Perceiving personalities, who are very good at improvising and spotting opportunities. They tend to be flexible, relaxed nonconformists who prefer keeping their options open.
5. Identity: How confident we are in our abilities and decisions
These are variants that apply to all the other personality aspects.
On one side, you have the Assertive ones, who are self-assured, even-tempered, and resistant to stress. They refuse to worry too much and do not push themselves too hard to achieve their goals.
And then there are the Turbulent ones, who are self-conscious and sensitive to stress. They are likely to experience a wide range of emotions. They are success-driven, perfectionistic, and eager to improve.
Roles
Another important layer of the 16 personalities test is the role we fulfill in society based on how we’re wired internally. It’s the combination of our personality aspects that reveals our goals, interests, and preferred activities.
1. Analysts: Intuitive and Thinking [NT] type
They embrace rationality and impartiality, and they excel in the scientific or technological fields.
Extremely independent, open-minded, and strong-willed, they question everything and never settle for what other people say is right.
They are also amazing strategic thinkers but often struggle with social and romantic relationships.
2. Diplomats: Intuitive and Feeling [NF] type
They focus on empathy and cooperation. Additionally, they’re great in diplomatic or counseling roles.
They bring harmony, warmth, and empathy into all their relationships.
What’s more, they may face trouble when having to make a difficult decision, especially if it affects someone else.
3. Sentinels: Sensing and Judging [SJ] type
Sentinels are highly cooperative and practical.
They embrace and create order, security, and stability in everything they do.
Meticulous, hard-working, and excelling in logistical or administrative fields, they always stick to their plan and don’t shy away from difficult tasks.
The challenge they face is that they tend to be inflexible and have a hard time accepting different opinions.
4. Explorers: Sensing and Perceiving [SP] type
The most spontaneous role of all, explorers easily connect with their surroundings.
They are practical and great at responding to situations that require a quick reaction. They excel at using tools and techniques in different ways to resolve any challenge.
They are also prone to taking risks.
Strategies
Strategies show our preferred ways of doing things and achieving goals. There are four strategies talked about in the 16 personalities test.
1. Confident individualism: Introverted and Assertive [I-A] type
They prefer doing things alone without asking for help. They have high self-confidence and trust in themselves.
One of their biggest values is personal responsibility. They don’t pay much attention to what other people think or say.
2. People mastery: Extroverted and Assertive [E-A] type
They love social contact and tend to have very good communication skills. They easily rely on others for help and thrive in social settings.
They are self-confident and don’t hesitate to share their worldview. They actively seek roles to assist in their communities.
3. Constant improvement: Introverted and Turbulent [I-T] type
These are the quiet, individualistic people who tend to be perfectionist and success-driven. They often spend a lot of time and effort making sure that the result of their work is the best it can be.
Known as high achievers in their field, they tend to worry too much about their performance.
4. Social engagement: Extraverted and Turbulent [E-T] type
The last strategy is adopted by sociable, energetic, and success-driven types.
They tend to be restless, perfectionistic individuals, prone to experiencing both very positive and very negative emotions.
They’re usually high achievers, even if they’re quiet and sensitive. They tend to place a lot of importance on other people’s opinions. They value social status and are eager to succeed in everything they do.
Create More Powerful Breakthroughs for Your Clients
The 16 personalities assessment is a powerful coaching tool that helps you understand your clients more deeply. By identifying their characteristics, you gain more insights into how they think and why they do the things they do.
Here’s what Mindvalley-certified coaches say about the program.
“As I near the end of this four-month program, I can confidently say that I am more in touch with who I am. I have learned to let go of things that were holding me back from becoming the best version of myself. That’s why I now consider myself an ‘Un-Coach,’ someone who unlearns, unleashes, and untames the expectations others impose on me.” — Daphney Bossicot, transformation coach; Fall River, U.S.A.
“After this course, I have a clearer understanding of how to help myself and others with effective tools. They provide many methods and tools you can use in addition to your already existing expertise.” — Daina Migliore, entrepreneur; Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Coaches help their clients find answers to their most burning questions in life and guide them to solve complex challenges. Becoming one gives you the chance to create a positive impact on people’s lives and help them reach their full potential.
Plus, you can earn a decent living doing it.
The coaching industry is estimated to reach $6.25 billion in 2024 in the U.S. alone. However, that money is made by approximately 145,500 active coaches.
You may wonder how to become a coach in this booming but fairly competitive industry. Discover what qualities set the best coaching professionals apart from the rest and how you can start your practice in three steps.
What Does It Take to Be a Good Coach?
The best coaches share the same core competencies and demonstrate certain attitudes towards their clients. If you’re wondering how to become a business coach or life coach, mastering these qualities will set you up for a great start.
1. Active listening
Using active listening as a coaching tool requires being present for your client and tuning in to both what they’re saying and their hidden body language cues.
It also means asking follow-up questions and digging deeper into the conversation to understand your client’s perspective.
2. Empathy
Effective coaching goes beyond words; it requires empathetic communication. Being attuned to your client’s emotions and personal experience fosters a supportive coaching environment.
Expressing empathy means validating your client’s feelings, demonstrating your understanding, and creating a safe space for open dialogue.
3. Genuine concern
Do you care about your client’s problems, or are you more driven by the next paycheck hitting your account? Powerful coaches are genuinely concerned about their clients, and their coachees can feel this.
Showing concern isn’t about a lack of boundaries; it’s about going the extra mile for your clients. And when you do, their progress will show it.
4. A knack for goal-setting
Goal-setting skills are a fundamental trait of a good coach. You’ll need them to establish clear and achievable objectives for your clients in a variety of real-life situations.
Much of your progress with clients will stem from finding goals worth working towards and breaking them down into manageable action steps.
5. Creativity
Outdated perspectives and solutions that your clients have heard a dozen times are not going to help them get ahead in their lives and careers. To stand out in the coaching field, you need to constantly seek out out-of-the-box ideas and apply them to your client’s unique situation.
Staying creative also takes life-long learning as well as staying open to new trends and methodologies emerging in the industry.
6. Constructive feedback skills
Without constructive feedback, your clients will stagnate. You need to have the courage to challenge them and call them out on their limiting beliefs to inspire growth in them.
To deliver feedback effectively, you need to address areas for improvement, all while maintaining a positive and empowering tone. Being able to strike a balance in this will tell whether you’re made for a coaching career path.
How Much Can I Earn as a Coach?
In the U.S., life coaches make $67,800 a year on average. However, this number doesn’t necessarily determine how much you’ll make as a coach.
The number of people you reach with your marketing campaigns
Your ability to retain clients
The overall success of your coaching programs
Your hourly and package rates
The level of competition within your coaching niche
The number of active clients you work with within a given year
Some coaching niches, like executive coaching, are more profitable on average than others. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be an outstanding coach with a different specialty. Many coaches set their hourly rate to a few hundred dollars and earn six figures outside of the business world.
If you feel this is your calling, concerns about your income should not stop you from building the coaching business of your dreams.
How to Become a Coach in 3 Steps
Here’s how to become a life coach in 2024 and start serving clients:
1. Get trained
Coaching is one of the least regulated professions. You don’t have to earn a coaching license or get a permit to start practicing. However, that doesn’t mean you don’t need any qualifications to coach clients.
Let’s look at how to become a certified life coach and start practicing.
There are several coaching certifications and training programs that can arm you with the necessary skills and methodology for a career in this field.
Just like in any other field, practice makes perfect. Some certifications require hundreds of hours of coaching to be completed. Even if your training doesn’t, coaching clients is what builds your expertise.
In the beginning, it’s worth throwing yourself into as many different coaching situations as you can. Try taking sessions both in-person and online. Seek out clients with distinct challenges and backgrounds so you can try out a variety of coaching tools.
When you’re starting out, it’s perfectly okay to offer a few free sessions to clients as a part of your practice. Be transparent about where you are in your coaching journey, but treat these sessions the exact same as you would paid ones.
3. Start a coaching business
Before you start coaching clients and earning an income doing it, there are a few things you need to set up first.
Register a business (if you’re a solopreneur without employees, a sole proprietorship will do)
Define your coaching niche
Design a coaching package
Set up a website with your coaching services
Consider getting on LinkedIn and other social media channels to grow your reach
At the dawn of your business, you can reach out to your personal and professional network (previous coworkers and friends) to find your first few clients. Providing a great experience to your first coachees can earn you referrals down the line to keep those clients coming.
Turn Your Passion for Coaching Into a Business
The road to becoming a coach is neither short nor easy, but it’s absolutely rewarding.
If you want to dive deeper into the art of masterful coaching, join us in the Become a Mindvalley Certified Life Coachfreemasterclass to learn how to transform your passion into a purposeful profession.
Here’s what students of Mindvalley’s Certified Life program say:
“Before this program, I was still looking to clarify the direction that I wanted to take my coaching practice. With the training that I have received, the robust curriculum, and the 6 Phase Meditation Trainer Certification that was part of this course, I believe that I will be able to add more value to my clients’ lives and help them realize incredible results.” — Marvin Rucker, coach; Bridgeport, U.S.A.
“Within three weeks, I had my first $10,000 week. Ajit is fantastic, and I would recommend this certification course to any new or experienced coach. I would also recommend it to all leaders.” — Sandy L. Smith, executive coach; Calgary, Canada
A coaching training program is a great start to your career, but your education doesn’t stop there. Continuous learning about new coaching tools and methodologies is a lifetime endeavor that can help you deliver more results for your clients.
And it seems everyone wants to be a coach these days. It’s lucrative. It’s fulfilling. But can anyone have the right coaching attributes to make an impact in this business?
The answer is yes and no.
It’s a “yes” if you’re willing to learn how to become a great coach and apply what you learn through hundreds of hours of sessions with clients. It’s a “no” if you happen to think that coaching is just about asking a bunch of questions and hoping your clients come up with the solution themselves. (It’s also a no if you think that coaching is about telling your client what to do.)
The truth is, becoming a great coach requires developing a range of coaching skills and qualities. Combined with a proven methodology, these abilities can create powerful results and a lasting impact on your coaching clients.
Can Anyone Become a Great Coach?
Some may think individuals who are “born to coach” are literally born with these qualities. But that’s not the case. These qualities can be developed, honed, and nurtured, whether you believe you were “born with them” or not.
Any aspiring coach can be a great coach if they are willing to do the work on themselves first, so they can then help their clients grow. What will ultimately differentiate a good coach from a great one is the consistent and never-ending development of these qualities and skills. Perpetual growth will keep making you better and better on your journey to mastering the art of coaching.
Some of these coaching attributes include:
Trustworthiness
Active listening
Courage
Honesty
Compassion
Curiosity
Let’s look into what the 20 top attributes of a good coach and mentor are and how you can develop them in yourself.
20 Coaching Attributes to Develop for Your Professional Growth
To narrow down the list to the 20 most essential qualities, we’ve asked Ajit Nawalkha, the co-founder of Mindvalley Coach, to name the top attributes outstanding coaches possess.
As coaches, we like to make learning actionable. While you read through this list, rate yourself between 1 and 10 on each quality, (1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest). This will help you set specific goals for advancing your coaching career and highlight the coaching attributes you should focus on first.
1. Compassion
Your coaching clients can only grow if they feel that you’re compassionate towards their issues. They need to feel that they’re in a space free of judgment and full of empathy where their challenges are respected and their failures are safe to express.
Studies show that compassion from others can contribute to greater resilience, lower stress levels, and a sense of meaning in life.
As a coach, you often have to put yourself in your client’s shoes to truly understand their struggles. You can do this by taking a moment to empathize with their situation and expressing your compassion before jumping into problem-solving.
Once your client feels safe, held, and accepted, they will be more likely to have agency to resolve their issues.
2. Supportive nature
Great coaches take their clients’ struggles seriously, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem. It doesn’t matter if a client is trying to complete a small project or trying to win a battle against cancer; they need a coach who can be supportive in the process.
Besides expressing compassion in a difficult situation, coaches ultimately focus on guiding their clients out of it. They offer actionable insights and help them see the big picture so they can break their patterns and ace their goals.
3. Growth-oriented mindset
To help your clients grow, you need to have an insatiable thirst for knowledge and improving yourself. In other words, coaching yourself first. If there’s a book, course, or program that can help you develop yourself and your coaching practice, you’re on it like white on rice.
When you have a growth-oriented mindset, you never get tired of learning new tools and methodologies. Instead of sticking to old ways, you continuously seek out new ways you can step up to the next level.
4. Innovation
Just like everything in life, things will eventually start to fatigue over time and slowly get old. You should have the latest coaching tools in your toolbelt to help clients face the emerging issues of today. In other words, what worked yesterday might not work tomorrow.
Bringing innovation into your coaching practice takes experimenting, switching, upgrading, or changing your coaching styles and format. In the day and age of TikTok coaches, the only way to stand out in this industry is to keep testing different coaching techniques and eventually develop your own coaching methodology.
5. Humility
Sometimes, our coaching clients are our biggest teachers. Successful coaches love to learn from the people they work with and never assume they have all the answers. They’re willing to admit their mistakes and, likewise, give second chances to their clients.
Master coaches are at the top of this industry, and yet, they’re the first ones to tell their clients when there’s someone better they could learn from. They remain students forever.
6. Active listening skills
The best coaches listen more than they talk. They’re not about trying to impress their clients, and they definitely know the difference between coaching and consulting. They know that client sessions are about the client and not about the coach. They don’t love to hear themselves speak.
A truly remarkable coach often gets completely lost in what the client has to say and holds no thought about themselves. They are present in the moment, judgment-free, at all times.
7. Curiosity
Possibly, one of the most important qualities of a great coach is staying curious. Being genuinely interested in why the client feels a certain way.
They want to know what inspires their client, what makes them tick, what puts them off, and what keeps them going. They want to know everything there is to know about their clients, so they can find the perfect way to help them get to know themselves better.
8. Gratitude
Gratitude is probably one of the best human qualities, but it’s especially important for coaches. High-level coaches are grateful for their clients, their careers, and the fact that they’re able to help others.
They tap into this deep feeling of gratitude when helping clients. They reconnect with it when they have challenges to face themselves and give their best to their clients, no matter what else is going on in their personal lives.
Extraordinary coaches do not take their work or their clients for granted. Ever.
9. Assertive communication
The best coaches are able to communicate their message, advice, and feedback in a way that gets through to their clients. They know how to use the right words at the right moment, adjust their language and tone to connect deeply, and when to remain silent.
They also have an incredible ability to adapt to each client individually and say the right words that leave a lasting impression.
10. Visionary qualities
Another important coaching attribute is rising above the situation and seeing a lateral as well as a future vision.
Lateral vision is about accurately seeing the immediate circumstances around a client’s challenge or problem and identifying what needs to be changed. A future vision helps your client see their future self and the goals they want to strive for.
As a coach, you have to make sure you’re not imposing your own vision on your client, even if you’re convinced it’s what’s best for them. Instead, you must help them create their own version of the future and uncover their intrinsic motivation to get there.
11. Positive attitude
Having a positive attitude is not about hiding the ugly truth or always smiling. It’s about showing your client a more positive, uplifting viewpoint that they might not be able to see for themselves.
If a client isn’t pulling their weight or if they’re constantly making excuses, you should call them out. There’s a thin line between encouragement and coddling, and as a coach, you have to know the difference.
12. Courage
There are many situations in a coaching session that require you to be brave. Coaches who are at the top of their game have the courage to…
Try new ways of connecting with a client,
Set healthy boundaries with them (like no calls at night and on weekends), and
Pull the plug on coaching contracts with an unresponsive or disengaged client.
Being courageous is also about asking hard questions, even though it might make a client uncomfortable, because they know that’s what is needed to create shifts and make progress towards their goals.
13. Being observant
Noticing the subtle details is a coach’s superpower. You need to be highly observant to read between the lines and hear what’s not being said.
You should pick up and interpret the tiniest change in a client’s body language and energy. A shift in the tone of voice, a raised eyebrow, a clearing of the throat, and long pauses between sentences can all tell a lot.
14. Focused (on the right things)
Great coaches are focused on their clients throughout a session. They aren’t easily distracted, and they can stay present no matter what else is going on in the background.
Whether it’s a barking dog next door or a client’s child looking for attention from mom or dad, you need to always bring the conversation back to where it needs to be.
15. Dedication to your coaching practice
It takes time (and patience) to experience transformation and to see the work reflected in internal changes and mindset shifts. You have to commit to riding alongside your clients through the ups and downs and not leaving them hanging when they hit a rough patch.
Even if it takes longer than expected for clients to reach their goals, you should stick around as long as the client is willing to do the work.
16. Radical candor
Honesty is one thing. Radical candor is a whole other thing.
If you’re hesitant about being fully honest with your client about the hard truth, consider this. A study showed that radical candor can reduce the influence of psychological attachment, harsh emotions, and low self-esteem.
Masterful coaches don’t lie to their clients just to make them feel better about themselves.
If a client needs to know they’re not trying hard enough, a professional coach will tell them the truth—even when no one else does. If a client needs to know that their goals are too big, their coach will tell them that too.
A great coach is always kind, but they don’t shy away from the truth.
17. Professionalism
Probably one of the most underestimated attributes of a coach is professionalism. You can be the most charismatic speaker or the most attentive listener, but if you lack this quality, you’re going to hinder the growth of your clients.
Professionalism in coaching might mean…
Being on time (or rather early) for sessions
Keeping your promises, such as sending coaching materials to your client
Arriving fully present for a session and leaving your personal problems at the door
Keeping yourself to your own contract terms at all times
Respecting your client’s boundaries
Keeping your phone and every other distraction away during sessions
It also means going the extra mile for your clients. By the time they arrive to your session, you’ve looked through their notes from the previous sessions and prepared any research necessary to make your time together count.
18. Trustworthiness
Clients need to know that their secrets are safe with you. They need to trust that you’ll never share their personal information and history, no matter what. Everything that’s discussed during the session stays between you and the client.
According to the Code of Ethics shared by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), confidentiality is:
“Protection of any information obtained around the coaching engagement unless consent to release is given.”
The key here is consent. If you want to share case studies of your clients in your promotional materials with pseudonyms, you should still ask for their permission, especially if they’re a highly recognizable public figure.
19. Modeling
Part of your growth journey as a coach is emulating others who are ahead of you in their careers.
In the same way, you need to show up as a role model for your clients so they can look up to you and emulate your journey. Your clients might not pursue the same goals that you do, but seeing your dedication to your growth and career will give them the boost to go after their own.
20. Sincerity
The best coaches are heart-centered. They’re sincere, and they truly care about their clients.
They have a genuine desire to be of service, and they’re willing to go above and beyond a client’s expectations. For them, coaching isn’t just a job; it’s a calling.
4 Top Skills of Impactful Coaches
Successful coaches don’t just share the same attributes but also the same coaching skills. Let’s explore some of the skills you can master to have a greater impact on your coaching clients.
According to Ajit Nawalkha, the co-founder of Mindvalley Coach (formerly known as Evercoach by Mindvalley), these are the skills you have to hone to be outstanding in the coaching field.
1. Deep listening
Deep listening is about giving your clients your undivided attention and listening to what’s being (or not being) said. Listening actively also means asking follow-up questions to understand your client better.
2. Reading body language
Pay attention to the smallest shifts in your client’s body language.
Are they comfortable in the conversation? Do they “wiggle” when they try to commit to their goals?
Before you rush into asking the next question, stop and observe how your client is really feeling.
3. Eliciting new ideas
When your client is facing a problem, they might be stuck in the same problems and convinced there’s no way out. If you can help your clients see the bigger picture from a new perspective, you can lead them to a new story.
4. Intuition
Intuition is your innate intelligence connecting all the dots, and yes, it can be trained. The more you lean into your intuitive abilities, the more you can leverage them to open up new doors for your clients.
You need to start trusting that force is coming through you wanting you to ask that question or lean into that topic.
— Ajit Nawalkha
Watch this 12-minute video and learn about the top coaching skills from Ajit himself:
How Can I Become a Better Coach?
These coaching attributes are a great place to start to see what qualities come naturally to you and which ones you need to enhance and cultivate in yourself.
If you want to dive deeper into the art of masterful coaching, join us in the Become a Mindvalley Certified Life Coachfreemasterclass to learn how to transform your passion into a purposeful profession.
