Most people who have an interest in Health/Life Coaching find the idea of it intriguing but the execution of it either exciting or intimidating, so we thought we’d break down the reality of the process and share some tips on what to expect as a health coach.
Keep in mind that every training program differs and we’ll be giving you a run though of how HWCA students move from Aspiration to Execution in the field of Health and Life Coaching.
Step 1. Choosing where/if to train and get certified. Believe it or not, you don’t need a certification to call yourself a coach! However, your competition likely has one so it helpful to choose somewhere to train, not only for the credentials but for the education and structure of applying it. Here you’ll have to choose a program. We recommend choosing a certification that equips you with modern wellness education, holistic practices and help with HOW to apply this education with clients and in business. Since entrepreneurship isn’t often taught, you may need to find a school that includes it (like we do at HWCA) or seek a business coach or additional trainings to get your business together and in front of your ideal client.
Step 2. Start learning. Time block a study window and take notes! At HWCA we train the coaches to become educators while they learn. Practice teaching while you learn and you’ll retain over twice as much.
Step 3. Decide what you want your business to look like. This is where coaches choose the type of wellness practice they want to create or how to pivot an existing practice. Do you want to work in-person with individuals one on one? Do you want to run seasonal groups, online programs, wellness products etc. The options are surprisingly vast! We encourage our students to think ahead and build their practice to suit their season of life and long-term destination.
Step 4. A coach will define their niche. What is your story? What experience have you had and what are you passionate about? This will help you identify your ideal client base.
Step 5. Defining coaching services and products. This is the stage where a coach will create packages, services and pricing for their offerings. If you are trying to sell yourself, you need to be able to articulate what you are selling and what they will receive. It needs to be well organized and easily understood and it needs to be enticing!
Step 6. Once you graduate or even beforehand, you will need to create a business “machine.” This is a system for leads, servicing and closing clients. This is where most coaches get lost. Rest assured, if you pick HWCA, we build this training into our Holistic Gut Practitioner certification and we visit it in the monthly masterminds!
Step 7. Run the machine. Keep the machine running even when you get clients. Once you have clients, you’ll need to balance the running of the business machine and the servicing of clients. This is where you may choose to bring on partners, employees or pay for services that are no longer valuable use of your time. You now have a business.
See, it isn’t that “Some people can do it,” in reality, anyone can do it. It just comes down to asking yourself if the process is worth it to you. Some coaches will never want a traditional business. They may be happy occasionally teaching classes, giving free value online or using their knowledge to build an additional income avenue. That’s great too! The goal for every coach at HWCA is to design something that suits their desired vision, stage of life and quality of lifestyle.
The most important part is remembering to ENJOY THE PROCESS!