If you like helping others, have a zest for life and wish to have your own business, you may want to look into becoming a life coach. In the last few years, this profession has become quite mainstream because there is a real market for it. But, how do you become a life coach? On the surface, it may seem that you just need outsized compassion and stellar listening skills, but it does require some more effort on your part. Listed below are the steps you should follow if you are truly committed to becoming a life coach:
Step 1: Find your niche
Before becoming a life coach, it is recommended that you find your niche and then start building your reputation from there. Most life coaches are focused on people’s personal, professional or romantic lives. Some go even deeper by helping them make changes related to their health, such as exercise and nutrition plans, or for uncovering their spiritual side. Once you have discovered your specialty, you will be able to market yourself in a better way and help your business.
Step 2: Get some certification
Technically, you can become a life coach without any certification. It is not the same as a medical doctor or a psychologist where the law requires you to undergo years of training before practicing. However, getting certification can be helpful and it will also help you compete in the market. Plus, it is also reassuring for your clients. You should put an effort to find a legitimate course that is in accordance with your goals. During life coaching training, you will learn some fundamentals, such as how to create a trusting environment for your clients or develop active listening skills.
Step 3: Setup your business
Becoming a life coach means that you also become a business owner, along with being a personal, professional or spiritual advisor. This means registering your business, coming up with a business plan including your startup costs and developing a marketing plan to get your life coaching off the ground. You cannot become a life coach if you don’t have any clients to coach. Word of mouth marketing is best for this kind of business, so you can start by offering free or discounted sessions to people within your network and ask them to spread the word. Most importantly, you should create a digital footprint, as having an online presence can make a big difference these days.
Step 4: Price your coaching services
Putting a value on helping people change their lives is a bit tough. However, this is a business and you need to figure out what your time is worth and then charge for your services accordingly. It will depend on how you work with your clients. Do you prefer to charge a daily or hourly rate? Will you have to travel? Factor in your costs before you come up with a value.
Lastly, you should also continue your education to learn about new practice and to maintain your competence.
You must be logged in to post a comment.