Stories About Starting a Coaching Business

Katrina

Imagine Katrina plans to start a coaching business.  She completes her initial training and starts researching and planning for her business.  She then completes her next coach training program and joins the International Coach Federation.  She is hesitant to start because she wants more (as yet undefined) resources and she is unsure she is good enough to coach.  She stays in a job and is regularly drawn back to researching and planning.  This continues for five years before she decides to start a coaching business obviously doesn’t work for her, so she commits to staying in a job where she is unhappy.

Richard

Envision Richard completing his coaching certification and hanging out the proverbial shingle for his new coaching business.  While he is uncomfortable with marketing he does update his LinkedIn profile and talk to people in his network, so he gets a few referrals.  Richard coaches a few people at a time and while he wants more clients he procrastinates doing the marketing.  The coaching business continues on a part time basis, so Richard decides to get other work too. 

Maria

Visualize Maria starting a coaching business.  After she completes her coach training she utilizes the resources provided and the examples in the previous blogs to develop her plan.  She commits to scheduled action steps and actively talks about what she is doing with her network.  As she spreads the word her contacts refer people to her for coaching.  She ensures she provides a quality service and her clients refer others too.  Maria continues to work on her business consistently and she achieves her goals for the business.

After reading these examples, reflect on the possibilities:

  • Which outcome do you want for yourself?
  • What will it take to achieve that outcome?
  • How will you motivate yourself to follow-through?
  • What resources will you use to create success?
  • What might get in the way?
  • How will you move past the challenges?
  • What is your action plan?
  • Describe your ideal outcome.

The choice is yours – choose what you want and commit to taking the action so you create success.

Cathy Liska

For content specific to coach training and coaching, guest blog posts are welcome.

Most blog posts here are written or curated by Cathy Liska, Guide from the Side®, CDP, MCC.

Cathy is CEO/Founder of the Center for Coaching Certification, CCC. As Guide from the Side®, she is a sought-after trainer and coach with over 30 years of experience in business management and ownership. Cathy built her diverse team at CCC that includes trainers, customer service, and coaches. She was Co-Leader for ICF’s Ethics Community of Practice, on the Leadership Team for the review and updating of the Code of Ethics in 2024, and active in the Ethics Water Cooler. To ensure she stays current in related areas of expertise, Cathy has earned the following: ICF’s Master Certified Coach (MCC), Certified Coach Trainer, Certified Consumer Credit Counselor, Certificate of Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership and Management, Grief Support Group Facilitator, Certified in the Drucker Self-Assessment Tool, Certified Apartment Manager, Certified Civil and Family Mediator, and Certified in DISC.

Cathy’s clients range from attorneys to corporate executives, government to nonprofit, entrepreneurs to children, under or unemployed to newly retired. She specializes in communication, management, conflict, and leadership. Her personal mission statement is “People.” Cathy is known for her passion to serve others so they achieve the results they want.

Podcast: https://www.coachcert.com/podcast.html

Publications: Coaching Perspectives (a series of books with chapters by coach training graduates) https://www.coachcert.com/resources/recommended-reading/coaching-perspectives-series-by-the-center-for-coaching-certification-and-more.html

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