SolveYourProblem
eBusiness Series:
How To Start Your Own
Coaching or Consulting Business
( 18 pages )
Things
to Consider Before You Become a Coach
The job of a coach
is to listen, ask questions, and encourage the client rather
than to advise or give instructions. As a coach you will
be committed to your client’s needs as well as to your own
personal growth. It is important that you believe that all
areas of your client’s life are integrated, including their
relationships, careers, finances, and outside interests.
You should be of the firm belief that all areas of a client’s
life should be addressed while they are on their way to achieving
their goals.
Before becoming
a coach there are several things that you should consider
and ask yourself.
- Do you have
the right qualities to become a coach? There are several
qualities that are important for you to have so that you
can succeed at coaching. The most important quality is
the ability to listen to your client. This leads to communication
skills. You need to be able to communicate effectively
with your client so that you understand their needs and
goals, as well as interpret their fears and discover their
weaknesses. You must be able to communicate in a way that
builds up trust and confidence in the coach/client relationship.
Another quality is the ability to build a strong rapport
with your client. Other qualities that you should have
are flexibility, curiosity, motivation, and inspiration.
You should be able to understand what motivate your client
and believe that everyone has the capability to achieve
more.
- Are you willing
to be self-employed? The coaching profession is very flexible
and allows you to set your own hours as well as decide
how many clients that you want to handle at one time. You
need to ask yourself if you are willing to deal with some
of the disadvantages that come along with being self-employed.
Are you willing to be proactive when it comes to marketing
your business? Are you able to budget well to ensure that
you have finances available when your business is slow?
You need to be certain that you are willing to take the
good with the bad.
- Do you have
the qualifications to become a coach? Generally being a
coach means that you are a specialist in the job of coaching.
You will want to consider attending a program offered by
a college or other educational institute to become qualified
and experienced in the coaching profession. If you are
going to specialize in a certain type of coaching, such
as business coaching, you may want to consider taking some
business courses to familiarize yourself with some of the
business implications you may encounter, but this isn’t
necessary. As a coach you will be trained in the skills
needed to make changes in the lives of your clients. You
may be able to earn your coaching certificate in one year
to six months.
- What are the
start-up costs for you to start your coaching business?
You should do some research and make sure you understand
exactly what is involved in setting up your own coaching
business. You will want to make sure that you are aware
of all the finances and other implications involved so
that after you complete your coaching certification you
are ready to start working.
- How much does
a coach earn? You will want to have some idea of how much
a coach makes per client so that you are aware of your
financial needs and expectations before starting your own
business. Find out what the low pay is at the bottom of
the scale and what the higher scale of profit is.
- What is the
average time spent with a client per contract? Find out
how long you will be spending with a client. Most times
the commitment is for a 3 to 6 month period. The more informed
you are about what is expected of you the less you will
be surprised when you have started your own coaching business.
Before considering
a career as a coach you should also consider the challenges
you may encounter. The more aware you are of all aspects
of the coaching business the more successful you will be.
Challenges include:
- Listening
skills. As
mentioned previously listening skills are a very important
quality that you should have to become a coach. Listening
skills may also be a challenge when it comes to working
effectively with your client. Many times you will have
to adapt what you have learned about listening to a particular
client. No client will be the same and you will have
to learn to become adept at reading body language and
interpreting signals.
- Learn
to avoid giving advice. Sometimes it may be
difficult for you not to offer your advice and personal
wisdom. Your job as a coach is to guide and ask the right
questions so that your client can experience the process
of making discoveries for themselves. Once you start
giving advice you are crossing the line between being
a coach or being a consultant.
- Self-employment. As
mentioned previously, being self-employed can be an advantage
to being a coach or it can be a great challenge. When you
have your own coaching business you are relying entirely
upon your own resources not only to start your own business
but also to maintain it. You may have to be prepared to
experience a lull in your business from time to time.
If you are considering
becoming a coach be sure to research carefully before making
an abrupt career change. There are many aspects of coaching
that you should be fully aware of so that you are prepared
for the advantages and disadvantages of coaching. Hire your
own personal coach to get a feel for how the process works
and what is involved. Ask plenty of questions and take notes.
Take the time to take a good look at your own personal qualities
to decide if you have what it takes to start your own professional
coaching business.
If you are looking
for educational institutes where you can earn your coaching
certificate be sure to find a school that is accredited.
If you are spending time and money for your coaching education
you will want ensure that you will be receiving an accredited
coaching certificate at the end of all your hard work.
 
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