What could be a more fulfilling job than helping people sort out their problems? If you are driven to help others and want to turn it into a profitable online business, then you might want to consider setting up your own online life coaching service. But when it comes to a business, helping and advising people is only a part of it. You also need some technical skills to set it up and marketing skills as well as your own positive mindset to maintain a successful online life coaching business.
This article is just a very basic guideline to starting an online life coaching business, it's not a step-by-step, but at least it can help you decide this is something you might want to try or not.
What does a life coach do?
I'm sure you know what life coaches are. But if we were to define the job in words...life coaching is a procedure of helping people figure out the best version of themselves. Many people believe that life coaches are therapists. Well, some of them are, but not necessarily. Instead, they are good listeners and even a better advisor.
Life coaches help their clients work through their emotions, feelings, and life problems. Some life coaches extensively aim to treat the mental health of their patients by asking important questions and plan for the future as a team with their clients.
However, when you start it as a business, you have to be so much more than a listener and advisor. You also have to be an entrepreneur, a marketer, as well as a salesperson. You have to make yourself known, and sell your own authentic quality, otherwise you're not making money! It's not as technically stressful as you think though... Running a successful business itself is all down to your mindset .
My Experience of Online Coaching Services
As a life coach with over 4 years of online & offline coaching experience, I can tell it's not without its challenges...it's hard work!
One of the biggest challenges of online coaching I think is building a strong connection with clients. It is possible to build rapport and trust with clients online, it's a lot more difficult than in-person coaching. Without the ability to read body language and connect on a more personal level, I find myself work harder to create a sense of trust and safety in the coaching relationship.
Another challenge of online coaching is technical difficulties. For example, a constant delay of sound or slightly fuzzy or echoing effects can be frustrating for both coaches and clients and can disrupt the flow of a coaching session. Coaches must have a strong understanding of technology and be prepared to troubleshoot issues that may arise.
Effective communication is also key to successful online coaching. Since coaches can't rely on nonverbal cues as much as they can in-person, they must be able to communicate clearly and effectively through words alone. This requires strong communication skills and the ability to listen actively and provide thoughtful feedback.
In addition, online coaching requires a high degree of self-discipline and time management. Without the structure of a physical office, it can be easy to become distracted or lose focus. Coaches must be able to manage their time effectively and create a productive work environment to ensure they are providing the best possible coaching experience for their clients.
I don't fell it much but online coaching can be emotionally draining for some. Coaches may be working with clients who are dealing with difficult or challenging issues, and it can be difficult to provide the level of support they need without the benefit of in-person contact.
So to sum up, while online coaching has many benefits, it also presents unique challenges that require specialized skills and techniques to overcome. Effective online coaching requires strong communication skills, the ability to build rapport and trust with clients, a deep understanding of technology, and a high degree of self-discipline and time management.
Decide & narrow down your life coaching niche
Life coaching is a blanket term that covers a broad range of life coaching categories. Therefore, firstly, you have to find your life coaching niche. Picking a niche will help you identify your clients, your life coaching packages, as well as your marketing strategies. In short, the whole structure of your life coaching business relies on your niche.
Some of the most common life coaching niches include:
- Executive/business - team building, leadership, networking and marketing techniques.
- Career development - new career opportunities or develop existing career.
- Personal improvement - change mindset, motivational, mental & physical health.
- Spirituality - religious, astrology.
- Family and personal relationships - love, marriage, divorce.
- Addiction & sobriety regarding a specific substance or behavior (e.g. alcohol, drugs, gambling)
Life coaching industry is extremely competitive. If you search the hashtag #lifecoach on Instagram, you'll hit over 10 million posts. Many self-proclaimed coaches give it a try and quickly get bored within a few months, while some others are so random and abstract, they're not selling their advice. That's why you'll have a competitive edge if you can narrow down your niche. For example, "gay marriage guidance for men under 40" instead of just a "marriage guidance." This way, you'll stand out from the crowd quicker.
You probably already know what you're good at. If your own married life wasn't fulfilled, for example, you wouldn't be able to give a marriage guidance to others. But you can narrow down your life coaching niche is by answering the following questions:
- What is your expertise?
- What obstacles have you defeated in your life?
- What skills have you gained by overcoming various challenges in your life?
- What are the problems people usually bring to you?
Once you find the answers to these questions, you will be able to identify the specific niche you are most passionate about.
Get Certified as a life coach (Optional)
It is not obligatory to earn a degree to practice life coaching. However, having a credible and reliable life coaching certification from a recognized body like ICF certified training program is never a bad idea. It boosts your credibility, attracts more clients, and makes you more trustworthy. Having a certification is especially helpful when you’re setting up a new life coaching business.
Identify the people you want to help with your coaching services
Life coaching is all about your communication with your clients. So, you must have clarity about who your clients would be. Only then can you reach out to them and help them with your services. in order to be able to help people, you must know everything about them, such as:
- Their challenges and fears
- Their goals
- Their gender, age, and income range
- Their needs
Your coaching charges
How you want to charge for your coaching services is up to you. Online tutors charge their clients in various ways.
- Charges per package (usually a package is set for the number of months or number of sessions)
- Charges per session (indicate approximate duration, e.g. 1 hour - 90 mins)
- Charges per month (not recommended, until you become an expert)
- Charges per hour (not recommended)
As you are just starting out, it is best that you charge clients with customized packages. It will enable you to predict what your income would be like so that you can manage your expenses accordingly. Moreover, clients would be a lot more committed to you.
Charging per month may not be suitable at the beginning of your coaching career. It will get you into trouble if, in case, you run out of the curriculum or lose interest in coaching; it does happen, you'll never know. The last thing you want is to announce to your clients that you'll be quitting the coaching job after a few months. Remember, you are selling your trustworthiness, you don't want to wreck your reputation in the long term in case you either re-start coaching or start a different venture online in the future.
Charging per hour is not totally ideal, either. Because your clients would be paying for your time, which means the moment you start talking about something irrelevant (e.g. chit-chat to break the ice), they might feel they're wasting their money.
Outline your life coaching services
When you are deciding the charges, you should consider a number of factors:
- Typical problems that people look to solve within your niche (you may need to do some research by googling.)
- Your experience against the typical problems - how you can teach your students to solve in your way, hidden secrets, the "blind spots" (what not to do.)
- Your target audience and persona - age groups, locations, gender, income, their jobs, typical personalities, etc. (if applicable).
- Your income goals (yearly - monthly - weekly...try working out backwards.)
- Your credentials - what quality you have that sells. In terms of experience and skills that others may not have.
Make sure that your prices are according to all these factors so that your business attracts more clients.
Build up an online presence for your life coaching business
When you set up an online life coaching business, you need to know that it is a digital business where you are most likely to meet your clients online. So, in order to reach out to more clients in this digital world, you should have a powerful and active online presence. The most crucial two pieces to focus on are: your life coaching business website and social media. Without a website with your own domain name, you're not seen as real professional and, likewise, without regular social posts, your low engagement value will be easily exposed.
You should have a detailed and attractive website for your business that must tell potential clients all about your life coaching services. Secondly, these days, it is a must to have a dynamic and strong presence on all important social media platforms, such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more.
Some Final Words
Nothing can ever be more rewarding than helping others, and turning that passion into a profitable business is even better!
We hope that this post guides you in making an easy and smooth entry into the world of online life coaching industry. If you follow the ways that we outlined above, you will surely have your dream come true with a thriving and booming online life coaching business in no time!
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