Do I become a life coach or not? That is the question you may be asking yourself. Well, here’s the answer – you can become a life coach if you want to enter a field that is exciting, rewarding, and potentially lucrative. But, there are a few misconceptions that need to be cleared up before you begin.

Asking yourself, “Do I become a life coach?” If so, you may have high expectations of what will happen when you choose to become a life coach. High expectations are good, but they must be realistic. Here are a few important considerations about the life coaching business.

5 Helpful Hints When Answering the Question – Do I Become a Life Coach?

1. You will not be making six figures in your first year or two. You may have heard how lucrative life coaching is, and some of the stories are true. But, be realistic – you cannot start your career near the top. Plenty of blood, sweat, and tears are needed to climb the income ladder. Is a great income possible? Damn right it is – but, like fine wine, a life coaching career takes time to mature and unfold.
2. Though you may hear differently, you will have overhead as a life coach. Yes, you can start your practice out of your home, but you will need money for a website and an online presence, and marketing and promotion. It does take money to make money!
3. Many people who ask themselves the question – Do I become a life coach? – think about the potential for passive income. They know that coaches can make additional money through DVD and book sales, group coaching, seminars, and more. However, that doesn’t happen overnight – it takes time to develop and nurture those additional income streams. They are one of the perks of coaching – but don’t expect them to pay dividends immediately.
4. Start slowly and don’t leave your day job right away. If you have a job – keep it. Ease in to the coaching business by starting on a part-time basis. You can get a feel for the business, start putting money away for the day when you make the leap to full time, and you can work on improving your coaching skills. The questions should be – do I become a life coach full-time or part-time? If you already have a job, the answer is part-time at first.
5. Marketing is the key. Ok – raise your hand if you like to market and promote. Anyone? Most individuals detest the marketing aspect of their coaching business. They enjoy and have a passion for coaching, but they only see marketing as a necessary evil; not sure how evil it is, but it is absolutely necessary. Asking yourself the question – “Do I become a life coaching professional?” Then, you should also be asking yourself – “Can I make a commitment to marketing and promoting my practice?” Of course, you can hire someone to market and promote, but that takes money, and you should refer to #2 above.

This is a great question to ask yourself: “Do I become a life coach? It is a dynamic field with intrinsic and external rewards that are not found in many other careers. Though you can expect great things from your coaching career, you should begin that career based in reality – coaching is a business and starting a business is not a walk in the park. However, with patience, hard work, a dedication to self-improvement, and some of that evil marketing, your can realize your high expectations as a coach.

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Fred Philips
Business Coach
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