Can I Become a Life Coach?—You’ve Got to be Kidding.

Consider The Following Questions When Asking Yourself ‘Can I Become a Life Coach?’

Do I have a genuine interest in people?
Do I actually want to add value to people’s lives?
Am I a good listener?
Am I willing to coach even if I don’t make any money?

If you answered yes to these questions what are you waiting for? The next step to becoming a life coach is to find a coaching school that resonates with your needs and your pocket book. Overall, coaching methodologies are similar, so find what fits for you, learn and follow the method, and you’ll become a certified coach before you know it. But where your training will take your life after certification, is a whole different story.

‘Can I Become A life Coach?’ Is The Wrong Question to be Asking Yourself.

The question is not ‘can I become a life coach?’ but ‘can I market myself once I become a life coach?’ Becoming a life coach is the easy part, but marketing yourself, becoming known, building a client list, becoming a social media queen/king, that is the challenge.

I’m an excellent coach. I’ve had 40 years of on the ground experience helping people through counseling and mentoring, but learning the techniques of coaching served to enhance my gifts and talents. I find coaching far superior than counseling, with a success rate in actually helping people unequalled. I love coaching and just wanted to get back to coaching so for me, learning the business side of building a coaching practice was my greatest challenge. While taking the course and becoming life coaches, me and my coach buddies had no idea what was lurking in the shadows.

For years I did not have to concern myself with the business side of things, but when I started my own private coaching practice, suffice it to say, I found myself marketing and business challenged. I was compelled to search for a coach program that would not only help teach me the skills of coaching, but business skills as well. I enrolled in a great course—yet I was still unprepared for the frustration and tears in regards to the marketing side of things. Moral of this story? My advice to anyone seeking a coaching practice is—brace yourself, both mentally and practically, to become a good marketer as well.

The Bottom Line: Can I Become a Life Coach?

My answer is, absolutely! Just be sure you consider all sides of the equation and look before you leap. The way I see it is, either you have to have substantial resources to start your business so you can employ others to handle the marketing side of things, or you’ll need to not only take a course in coaching, but one in marketing. If you do find you have to start out doing it all yourself–don’t despair, because the upside to this is–as your business grows and you’re able to hire others to take care of the marketing side of things—having learned it yourself, you’ll have a good handle on all aspects of your business. Either way you need enough money to invest.

So take it from one who has trod the road of marketing trials and tears, when counting the cost of a coaching practice, you need to include not only the cost of a coaching school for getting your certification, but factor in a good course that can teach you how to market yourself.

Dana Bosley
Spiritual Growth Coach
Writing team, Coaches Training Blog Community

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