5 Things You Must Do Before Launching Your Coaching Business

You’re about to take an exciting step in launching your coaching business! You’re eager to change lives through your amazing services and make an income while you’re at it. A thriving career as a coach is so close you can almost taste it.

Before you officially launch there are a few things you must do for your coaching business. Nailing down your niche, strategically naming your business, and preparing to collect payment are just a few of the essential steps you must take before launching. Curious to know what your must-do tasks for pre-launch are? Keep reading!

1. Structure it

First things first, you need to decide how to structure your business. Your business can be structured as an LLC, S-Corp, C-corp or sole proprietorship.

Speak to an attorney or CPA about the best way to structure your business. Because business laws aren’t the same from state to state working with a CPA or attorney to get your business structured correctly is a vital step. In the long run, the small investment of hiring a CPA or attorney could spare you thousands of dollars and headaches down the road. 

Take a moment to research local attorneys and accountants, and then schedule a meeting with one. 

2. Niche it

One of the first things you must do before launching your coaching business is choosing a niche.

Beginning coaches often make the mistake of trying to be everything to everyone. You want the amazing services you offer to reach the right people. You can avoid the error of trying to be everything to everyone by choosing the right niche.

The first step in niching down is identifying your perfect person. In other words, what problem do you solve through your coaching and who do you solve it for? Take a moment to visualize your ideal client (or perfect person). Get familiar with who they are and what their lifestyle is like.

The more you know about your perfect person and the problem you solve for them the easier it will be to choose a niche. Once you have your niche locked in you can start intentionally marketing to the right audience and closing sales.

Pro Tip: If you haven’t done so already, you might want to pursue training specific to your niche. Investing in a training that is specific to your niche will boost your confidence and credibility as a coach.

3. Name it

Now that you’ve niched down, it’s time to name your coaching business. As a new coach, it’s a good idea to name your business after yourself (ex. Jane Doe Coaching). 

Your business will naturally evolve over time to include new offerings and even additional niches. A name that reflects your name rather than your niche will support the natural evolution of your business.

A few things to keep in mind when naming your business:

• It’s better to be clear than clever.
• Keep it concise. You don’t want your URL, email address, or social media handles to be super long.
• Make sure it’s relevant. If you don’t name your business after yourself make sure that your business name is easily associated with the services you provide.

Naming your business is an important step to get right. It’s really tricky to try and change your business name down the line. Take a moment to brainstorm your business name.

Tagline

You’ve got a name, is this whole business thing starting to feel real?

Your name is a short and sweet snapshot of what your business is about. A tagline gives people a glimpse into what it is that you actually do. Your tagline should communicate your value to potential clients.

Here are a few things that create a great tagline:

• Make it clear. Don’t use big words or jargon.
• Keep it concise. About 5-10 words.
• Communicate your value to the customer. Make it about your client, not you.

Don’t stress too much about your tagline. It’s an important part of your marketing but it can always be changed! Start brainstorming tagline ideas..

Domain Name

Once you have named your business, claim your domain name. 

Your domain name will appear before the www. of your website and the @ of your email address. For example, your domain name might be JaneDoeCoaching.com or JonSmithLifeCoach.co

Keep your domain name simple. Your domain name should reflect your business name as closely as possible.

There are several domain name providers to choose from. GoDaddy, Bluehost and Squarespace are great options for domain name providers. Be sure to shop around to get the best deal on your domain name.

Lock in your domain name before launching your business so you can create a beautiful website to send potential clients to.

Claim Social Media Handles

In addition to claiming your domain name, you’ll need to secure your social media handles. No matter what social media platforms you use for your business, you want your handle (or user name) to reflect the name of your business as closely as possible and stay consistent across platforms (if possible). 

When you are just starting out on social media it’s typically best to focus on producing great content for 1 or 2 platforms. Once you’ve got the hang of a few platforms you might consider expanding your social media platform to a few other platforms. 

For now, start by claiming accounts on the platforms that your perfect person is hanging out on and create amazing content that provides value.

4. Brand It

As you begin to set up your social media accounts and create content, branding is something you’ll want to keep in mind. Just like your business name should reflect the services you provide, your branding should reflect the personality of your business. 

Personal branding

Start the process of branding your business by creating a personal brand statement. Your personal brand statement should clearly communicate to potential clients what you do and how your services can benefit them. Use the formula below to draft your personal brand statement:

I coach (target person) to (achieve X) so that they can (outcome).

Visual branding

With your personal brand statement in mind, take a moment to reflect on the visual aspects of your branding. Below are the visual components you’ll want to nail down before launching:

• Colors – Choose 3-5 colors that represent your brand. Canva is a great tool that can help you explore elements of your branding and save your preferred colors and fonts.
• Fonts – Font is another element of your visual branding that you’ll need to determine before launching. Choose 2-3 complimentary fonts for your brand.
• Words – Brainstorm 3-5 words that describe your visual brand.
• Logo – Play around with Canva’s done for you logo templates or consider hiring a professional to create a logo that you love.
• Photoshoot – This element is optional but it can really solidify your visual brand. Consider hiring a professional photographer to help you capture the elements above through the medium of photography. You can then use the photos on your website, social media, and marketing materials.

You’ve niched down, named your business and brainstormed key elements of your branding. Now it’s time to set up systems.

5. Systematize it

Before opening your proverbial doors for business, make sure you have solid systems in place. Setting up systems is a step that too many business owners neglect. Skipping this step will cost you unnecessary time and energy. Get ahead of the business owner curve with systems that will help you run a smooth, organized operation. 

Payment

You’ve made the sale! Now it’s time to get paid. But how exactly will you capture your client’s payment information?

Provide your clients with a professional experience by having a payment system set up. 

Tips for setting up your payment system

Step 1: Set up your bank account. Keep things organized and professional by setting up a bank account specifically for your business.

Step 2: Determine whether you will charge your clients a monthly rate or one-time payment. Read more here about how to price your services.

Step 3: Choose your payment portal. PayPal and Stripe are popular options for collecting payments. You can easily create invoices, capture payments, and send reminders to clients with PayPal or Stripe.

You’re ready to collect your first payment! Communication is the next system you’ll need to tackle.

Communication

After locking in your first sale, you’ll find out that a lot of communication is required to initiate a sale. Even more communication is required to onboard your client, set up appointments, and stay in contact between sessions.

Google Workspace

Google Workspace is the ultimate communication tool. Take advantage of this tool by setting up a professional email account, storing important documents, and scheduling meetings. 

Create and store email templates so you aren’t starting from scratch every time you onboard a new client. Create templates for post Discovery Call emails, welcome emails, and next step emails.

Once you’ve completed the onboarding process you can seamlessly schedule coaching sessions with Google Workspace’s calendar function that integrates with tools like Zoom and Calendly. Instead of swapping a flurry of emails with clients to find a date and time that works for both of you, send your clients to Calendly to book a Zoom call.

You’ve put your most professional foot forward with a legit email account and taken advantage of Google Workspace’s scheduling integrations. Make the most of Google Workspace’s storage feature by storing your coaching forms in the Drive.

Create coaching forms

You know where to store your important client documents but you might be wondering how to systematize the process. Client documents like forms are an essential part of the pre-qualifying and onboarding process. You’ll need forms to vet potential clients and guide them through their next steps once they decide to hire you.

Before launching your business be sure to create templates for the forms below:

• Coaching Application – Create an application in Google Forms to pre-qualify people who are interested in working with you. 
• Agreement – Protect yourself and your client by establishing a formal business agreement. 
• Discovery Document – After your client agrees to the terms of your formal agreement capture in-depth info with a Discovery Document. 

Read more here about the forms you must have for your coaching business.

You’re Ready to Launch!

There you have it, 5 things you must do before launching your coaching business. Structure it, give it a name, niche down, build your branding, and set up systems. Follow the steps above and you’ll be ahead of the game when you launch your coaching business.One last thing, do you know what you should be charging for your services? Before you launch take the “What’s your perfect rate?” quiz to find out what you should be charging for your amazing services!