Building a coaching business to help people land a remote job might not seem like the best idea during a global pandemic. More so, when everyone is already working from home, but you must think long-term.

Since 2005, one of my passions has been to create online communities and help people – so coaching was an obvious direction for my business.

Here are the lessons learned from building a coaching business.

Have goals and a vision

Writing down my short and long-term goals gave me a vision of what life could look like if my coaching business became successful.  My vision included building a company to help change people’s lives as I changed mine.

I also have visions of walking on the beach with the seals in Kaikoura, New Zealand, opening my bungalow door to the turquoise ocean around Bora Bora, and taking a 3-4 week train journey on the Trans Siberian Express from St. Petersburg to Beijing.

Make sure to spend time thinking about why you are starting the business.  What do you want to achieve?  What are your business’s short- and long-term goals, and how will they impact your lifestyle?

No such thing as a perfect website at launch

This is probably one of my biggest lessons from the first 12 months.  It took me around ten months before starting to market myself as a remote job coach.  It felt like the website had to be finished; realistically, a website is never truly completed.  You are continuously making improvements and changes.

It also felt like my coaching program and products had to be created before thinking about promoting myself as a coach.

Start with a short coaching program that will give your clients a quick win.  Help them get started, guide them through the process, and how to deal with the challenges they will face.

Could you keep it simple?  Do not try and over-complicate it.

Start with a simple one-page website with information on who you are and what you can help people with.  Share your story, and provide a way to contact you for more information.

Evaluate and improve

Every quarter, evaluate how your business is performing.  What is working well?  What is not working as well as expected?  What tasks are you not doing in your business to bring in more income or increase your audience?  Start working on those tasks.

Many coaching businesses focus on social media but do not evaluate the results.  Does Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter drive people to your website and convert them into clients or subscribers?  If not, why waste any more time when you can focus on things that are working?

Sustainable content marketing

When building an online business, you must become a content creation machine. Initially, I planned to film three videos, write three articles, record a podcast and create social media content weekly. It is the content that is going to help you be found online.

For one person, who has to also work with clients and on business development, this is not sustainable in the long term.

You need to find a sustainable content marketing strategy for at least 12 to 18 months.  Consistency is essential for building an audience.

Spend time thinking about what content you enjoy creating the most.  Are you a writer or video creator, or do you love social media?  Think about what is best for you – but most importantly, think about the content you can create every week.

Know your audience and their challenges

Knowing your target audience and where they are online is essential to build a profitable coaching business.  Understanding the challenges they face is just as important, so you can create content that gives them the solution.

Frequently asked questions and How to style content needs to be included in your content strategy.  Creating this article style increased the number of visitors to my website.  It is the type of content that your target audience will be searching for.

Work on mindset issues

Often our biggest enemy is our brain: perfectionism, self-doubt, imposter syndrome, procrastination, and a few challenges entrepreneurs have to overcome.

Most of us suffer from one or more of these mindset challenges.  The only way you can overcome most mindset issues is by taking action.

When it comes to coaching, realize that you cannot possibly know everything – no coach is perfect.  What is essential is that you know more than the people who want to be coached.

Thinking like this made me get over imposter syndrome and self-doubt.

Regarding perfectionism, the only solution is to create content and realize that it will not be perfect straight away, but over time it will improve.  You will learn new skills, and the quality will improve over time.

Have you watched the videos created by successful entrepreneurs on YouTube when they first started?  Could you do it?

You are the product

You are leaving my biggest mistake for last.  Do not waste a year thinking that you must create your products in a sales funnel before launching your business.  You are the product.  Let me say that again.  You are the product.

What you have in your brain, the experience you have gone through, is what people want.  Start by coaching one-on-one.  Figure out their challenges and pain points.  Share the mistakes people make, and share what worked well for you.

Once you have run through your first coaching program with several clients, start thinking about digital products to help more people.  If you focus the first 12 months on building passive income and learning more about your target audience, you leave money on the table.

This is my first time writing about building a coaching business, so please email me via my contact form if you want me to create more.