15 Signs You’re a Coach Even if You Don’t Call Yourself a Coach

It’s possible that you are a coach even if you don’t call yourself a coach. You’re probably wondering what this means. Let’s put it this way:

You might be a music teacher, but you could be a music coach.

Are you a sports trainer? You could be a sports coach.

You might be a financial advisor, but you could be a finance coach.

The list could go on.

No matter what your job title is, if you are passionate about your job and enjoy helping people, there’s a good chance you are coach material!

What is a coach?

A coach is a professional who helps clients identify their goals and reach them using their experience and expertise. Great coaches have an instinct to help and teach.

Coaches love helping other people grow personally and professionally. A coach supports their client’s growth through coaching sessions that may include goal setting, brainstorming, creating plans of action, accountability and more!

There are many coaching niches

But wait, I am not a coach. You might say. The fact is, you might be a coach, even if you don’t call yourself one. 

These days, there is a coaching niche for just about everything. The following list is not exhaustive, but it should give you a good idea of how many different kinds of coaching niches there are:

Life Coaching

• Relationship Coach
• Family Coach
• Parenting Coach
• Marriage Coach
• Spiritual Coach
• Enneagram Coach

Health Coaching

• Wellness Coach
• Fitness Coach
• Nutrition Coach
• Personal Trainer

Business Coach

• Finance Coach
• Sales Coach
• Executive Coach
• Career Coach
• Workplace Coach

At this point, you should have an idea of your coaching niches, or perhaps you even relate to one or two of the above niches.

Still wondering if you’re a coach? Check out the 15 signs below that you are a coach even if you don’t call yourself a coach.

1. You are a Business Owner

As a business owner, you are always looking for ways to grow and expand your products or services. Coaching can be a great service to add to just about any business. You can use what you’ve learned as a business owner to coach others.

If you have a product based business you can coach others on how to create and market a great product.

If you are a service based business you can coach other service providers on how to package, market and sell their services.

As a business owner, you could also create an entirely new venture as a business coach. As a coach you will share the knowledge and wisdom you’ve gained as a business owner with clients who want to start a venture of their own.

2. You’re a Problem Solver

Coaches are often natural problem solvers. You might be a problem solver if:

• People seek you out for help
• You listen well to gain a deep understanding of problems
• You work collaboratively with others to discover what isn’t working
• You know how to offer solutions that lead to results. 

If you enjoy the thrill of offering your knowledge and expertise to help others solve their problems you just might be a coach!

3. You’re a Leader in Your Area of Expertise

You are really good at what you do. People recognize you as a leader and an expert in your field. It isn’t uncommon for others to seek you out for your advice or input.

4. You are a Good Listener 

Good listening skills is one of the most important traits of a good coach. Through active listening, you understand what the speaker wants and needs.

You know how to ask powerful questions that help others gain clarity. You know how to analyze the information you collect and come up with solutions and advice that practically solve problems.

5. You are a Safe Space for Others

You are the person people turn to when they need a safe space and are known for being reliable, dependable, and non-judgmental.

As a true coach, you hold space for others while also helping them carve a path forward. Because you are a safe space, others feel comfortable confiding in you about their dreams, goals, and disappointments. Your confidants leave an interaction with you feeling heard, seen, and ready to take action.

6. You’re a Lifelong Learner

Leaders are learners. You are naturally curious and enjoy staying up on the latest trends and information about your industry/niche. You especially love sharing your knowledge and insights with others.

7. You’re a Pioneer

You’re a self-starter. You are known for blazing new trails and embracing challenges. You look for innovative ways to enhance and improve solutions and products that already exist.

 8. You are Not Afraid of Hearing “No”

Sometimes “No” often means “Not Yet.” You don’t take rejection personally and even look for ways to turn a “No” into a “Yes”.

9. You’re a Generous Helper

Great coaches love helping people. You are probably a coach that doesn’t call yourself a coach if you already offer your knowledge, insight, and expertise generously. You give away what you know because you enjoy the thrill of seeing other people succeed! 

Just imagine how many more people you could help if you started marketing yourself as a coach!

10. You Want to Make a Difference

You want to use your strengths, skills and experience to enhance the lives of others. The knowledge you have could make a significant impact on the lives of others.

Sharing your strengths, skills and experience is about more than being helpful. For you, it’s about leaving behind a legacy of impact.

11. You’re a Go-Getter 

You are so ambitious, it’s almost like you coach yourself. You are self-motivated and always on the go. Hard work doesn’t scare you and nothing can stop you from achieving your goals. 

You are both a dreamer and a doer and are always reaching for new achievements.

12. You’re an Optimist

The glass is always half full for you. When others see a pain point or a problem, you see an opportunity. You work out solutions and see new possibilities in every situation. 

13. You are Creative 

Coaches are often creative people. You use your creativity in many ways. Through your creativity you help other people come up with creative solutions to problems, explore their creative passions, and launch their creative calling. 

As a creative, you hold a coaching super power that helps your clients solve problems quickly and reach their potential.

14. You are a Risk Taker

You know that growth comes from taking risks. Calculated risks don’t scare you and you love helping other people overcome their fear of risks to achieve growth. You know that incredible things are possible outside of your comfort zone.

15. You Already Get Paid to Do What You Love

Are you already getting paid to do what you love? In your current role as executive, business owner, mom, you might already be getting paid for the skills and help you offer others. Whether you’re showing entry level employees how to take their next professional step, sharing your wealth of experience with budding business owners, or helping other moms reclaim some sanity you might as well make it official with the title coach! 

Coaching can be a very lucrative career. Coaching has grown into a billion dollar industry and isn’t showing signs of slowing down anytime soon. If you are already sharing your skills and expertise through your current role, now is the time to consider starting your coaching business!

What it Takes to Become a Coach

If you can identify with any of the signs above, there is a good chance are you are a coach (or great coach material)! It’s an ideal time to launch your coaching business. And it’s simpler than you might think.

It’s a good idea to look into training or certification for certain niches, but currently, most coaching niches don’t require a specific certification. Certification is not always necessary but it does boost your credibility and confidence. Getting certified also helps potential clients believe you have enough expertise for them to spend their hard-earned money on your coaching services. 

You already have some experience, training, and possibly education in your field but that likely isn’t all you will need to run a successful coaching business. Many new coaches hire their own coaches or take courses to help them with leadership training, communication skills, business and marketing, entrepreneurship, social media tips and tricks, email list marketing, sales funnels, and more. Join The Coach School to learn how to run a successful coaching business.

Ready to Start Your Coaching Journey?

The Coach School was created for people just like you who have natural coaching skills but need some help when it comes to launching and growing your business. Through The Coach School you’ll get…

• A step-by-step process for creating and growing a successful coaching business in just 12 weeks.
• Custom training and LIVE coaching with Coach School founder Alli Worthington
• A dedicated mentor and mastermind of like-minded peers

Don’t delay your coaching journey any longer! Join The Coach School today.

Ashley’s Success Story

Our student Ashley runs Adventure Advising. It is a travel planning service for folks going to Disney, Universal, and beyond. And this is what she has to say about The Coach School:

“I joined The Coach School hoping to learn that secret recipe for successful, meaningful entrepreneurship, and I came away with so much more than I ever could have imagined. Trust me, no matter what kind of helper you are, even if coach isn’t your name at all, The Coach School is for you. You’ll walk away with confidence and skills that you need for your business to take off.”

See Ashley’s full testimonial here.