Becoming a business coach is a rewarding journey, but it requires more than just passion—it takes expertise, experience, and a strategic approach. If you’re ready to take your knowledge and skills to help others build their businesses, here’s a breakdown of the key steps to position yourself as a sought-after business coach.
Are You Qualified to Become a Business Coach?
The first question you need to ask is: Are you qualified? Experience and accomplishments matter more than certifications in this industry. While having a degree or certification can lend credibility, what really counts is your real-world success and your ability to guide others to achieve similar results.
Start by assessing what you’ve accomplished. Have you built a business from the ground up? Do you have a proven track record of success? If the answer is yes, then you’re already in a good position. But here’s the key: It’s not just about what you’ve achieved for yourself—it’s about helping others reach that same success.
When you’re getting started, don’t worry about being the “big” coach right away. Instead, focus on taking small steps to prove your methods work, and soon you’ll be attracting clients who want the results you’ve been able to deliver.
You Don’t Need a Certification—You Need Experience
So, do you need a certification? It certainly helps, but what people want even more than a fancy certificate is experience. Clients are looking for a proven track record of success, not just theory.
Let me share a personal story from my own journey. Early on, I developed a YouTube strategy that worked on a small scale, but I lacked a proven track record with a larger program. How did I overcome this? I worked with my first few clients for free in exchange for future profits. This allowed me to prove the strategy’s effectiveness on a larger scale, and when the results spoke for themselves, other clients lined up to hire me.
The bottom line? Experience is more important than certification. Once you prove that you can help others achieve real results, clients will take you seriously, and your coaching career will take off.
The End Goal: Beyond Hourly Consulting
Here’s an important piece of advice: Your goal as a business coach shouldn’t be to charge by the hour. While starting out, it might be necessary to begin with hourly consulting, but as you grow, shift your focus to offering end results.
What are you going to help your clients achieve? What will their life look like after working with you? By selling outcomes rather than time, you’ll find that clients are much more willing to invest in you, and they’ll appreciate the long-term results you can deliver.
The Secret to Marketing Yourself as a Business Coach
The key to attracting new clients is effective marketing—and one of the best ways to market yourself is through content creation, especially on YouTube. Create content that showcases your expertise and answers the questions your target audience is asking.
To find out what your potential clients are searching for, conduct keyword research. Let’s say you specialize in sales coaching. Potential clients might be asking, “How do I motivate a sales team?” This is where your expertise can shine, and by answering these questions in your videos, you’ll build trust and attract the right audience.
I have a strategy for this called YouTube SEO. In fact, I’ve filmed a detailed video on this topic, which you can watch for further insights. Learning how to leverage YouTube and its search engine features will significantly boost your visibility and help you pull in the clients who need your coaching services.
