The 3 Essentials Coaches Need To Launch A Business

Plus 3 pieces of common advice it’s best to ignore

There’s no shortage of advice out there about how to launch a health or wellness coaching business. But if you’re in the first stage of building your business, some of it can do more harm than good.

In this article, I’m going to tell you the advice you probably heard and should skip.

Even better, I’m going to give you tips so you can make the most of this phase… because coaches who do the Launch Phase right will set themselves up perfectly for Phase 2. (I’ll cover that in a future post.)

First, here are a few traps I often see coaches fall into…

1. Forcing themselves to “pick a niche”

Every time I hear people advising new coaches to pick a niche, it always makes me cringe.

Truth be told, there was a time when I said the same thing. But then I saw how it can keep coaches stuck.

The thought of picking a niche when you’re just starting out can feel overwhelming.

When a decision feels overwhelming, it’s usually because you don’t have the information you need to make it with confidence. And you probably won’t have the insights you need to pick a good niche when you’re just starting out.

So a “niche” is NOT something to stress over in the Launch Phase (or really ever, as far as I’m concerned).

If you do have a niche, and if it will help you build the kind of business you want, that’s awesome!

Otherwise, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Because there’s something else that’s much more important to building a successful coaching business, as you’ll see in a moment.

2. Building a “brand identity”

I've seen people spend a lot of money on creating their brand identity before hanging out their shingle.

They invest in photo shoots, hire “branding experts” to create their brand archetype and design their brand look, including colors, fonts, a logo, and other completely meaningless things. (And I say that coming from a 29-year career building brands around the world!)

The truth is, all those are nice-to-haves. They will not help you get clients.

A person with a health or wellness problem doesn’t give a hoot about your brand colors, logo, or the photos on your website.

In fact, investing in a brand is often a way for people procrastinate. It keeps them busy so they feel like they're accomplishing something… but it won’t move the needle for their business.

3. Building a website

The third piece of common advice you can ignore is that you have to build a website. At this stage, it’s unlikely that you’ll have what you need to create a website that will help you get clients. And if your website isn't helping you get clients, what's it there for?

To me, the website falls in the same category as building your brand identity. In phase 1, it’s a nice-to-have. But it keeps you from focusing on what's truly important.

This Is Your #1 One Goal In The Launch Phase

The most important part about the Launch Phase is getting client experience. Hands down, it’s your number one goal.

The Launch Phase is about doing the reps. You want to get as much client experience as you possibly can.

Because that’s the only thing that matters when you're first starting out, no matter what kind of business you’re in.

When I was in the Launch Phase of building my business, I already knew I wanted to help health and wellness professionals with their marketing. But both of my mentors told me to get any type of client experience. So that’s what I did.

I worked with interior designers, financial planners, theology teachers, SaaS companies, supermarkets, and yes, even the occasional health professional.

I was open to working for anyone who’d hire me. And I learned so much in the process.

I learned what questions to ask.

I figured out what kind of people I liked working with (and who I didn’t).

And best of all, I gained a lot of confidence.

Eventually, I started seeing patterns.

I started noticing where people were struggling beneath the surface (and it wasn’t what I expected it to be). I also got clearer on what I loved doing, what was missing in the market, and where I could make the biggest difference.

Here’s Exactly What You Need To Do

Now let’s talk about the best way to approach this phase so you get the most out of it. I don’t mean from a coaching perspective. That’s your expertise. I mean from a marketing perspective, which is my expertise.

Every time you speak with a client, or even a potential client, you have a golden opportunity to understand people on a deeper level.

If you ask the right questions, you’ll gain insights that will make your marketing infinitely more effective. It makes the difference between marketing that brings you more clients, and marketing that wastes your time and money.

So let’s go through the things you’re looking for…

1. What are people really going through?

You want to understand how the problem affects people’s lives and how they talk about it. So you’ll need to go beyond the obvious questions, like “how long have you had the problem?” and “how have you tried to solve it?”

You need to get to know how the problem affects them on a personal level. Some of the things to find out are:

• In what ways has the problem changed their life?

• How does the problem show up in their lives?

• What are some of the things they stopped doing because of it?

• How does having the problem make them feel?

• Why didn’t the things they tried work?

• How would their life change if they no longer had the problem?

• Why are they trying to get help now to solve this problem? Did anything happen in their life that made them want to focus on it now?

Of course, questions like these will help you build rapport with the person you're trying to help. But there are 2 other ways they will help you with your marketing.

First, they help you build your clients’ emotional profile with the words they use.

This is the biggest needle-mover in marketing. When your marketing includes words real people use, you’ll be talking to them as a genuine person (versus speaking like a “marketer”).

The second thing is you’ll be gaining important insights that will help you stand out from other options out there.

When you understand people’s frustrations and the obstacles that have been getting in their way, you can figure out ways to make them a non-issues in your coaching.

2. Get a feel for what you like, and don’t like

You want to build a business that you enjoy. And part of that means working with people you like to work with… and avoiding the people you don’t like to work with.

For example, one of the things I see is some people start identifying with the problem. They subconsciously become resistant to change because that means losing their identity… even though they complain about having the problem.

People like that can be a real drain on a coach.

As you gain more experience working with clients, you'll start to see clues in conversations that will flag the people you don’t want to work with.

3. Testimonials

Working with clients is the only way to build your library of testimonials. Even if they're from people who are dealing with a different problem than the one in your program, they’re still valuable. They can speak to what you're like to work with as a coach, which is one of the things people want to know.

How To Find Your First Clients

You could try to find your first clients online, but I think there are better ways. For example:

1. Ask your friends and family if you can coach them. (And ask them for referrals, too)

2. Tap into any communities or social groups you belong to

3. Ask your health and wellness providers — doctors, chiropractors, yoga studios, etc. — if they can recommend you, or if you could put up a sign in their office, or if you can offer a workshop for their clients

4. Look at companies nearby to see if they have corporate wellness programs and offer a free “lunch and learn” session. At the end, give the participants the opportunity to schedule a call with you to discuss their specific health goals

5. Have kids in school? Pull together a workshop for parents in your kid’s class

The Launch Phase is about gaining experience, insights, and confidence. It’s your foundation-building phase. This can only happen by having real conversations.

You don’t need a beautiful brand yet.
You don’t need a crystal-clear niche.
You don’t need a website.

You need reps.
You need data.
You need stories and sessions and lived experience.

Because that’s what gives you something to build on.

Some final tips to totally rock this phase:

1. Say yes to coaching as many different people as possible
   This is how you get better. It’s how you discover your voice, your process, and what makes you different

2. Focus on building your understanding of people on a deeper level
   Track what you’re learning and, most importantly, write down the words they use to describe their experience

3. Let people know what you’re doing
   Tell friends, family, communities you’re in (both online and in real life). Connect with your own health and wellness providers, local businesses, and kids’ schools to see if you can collaborate with them or offer workshops

4. Focus on the transformation
   Figure out better ways to help people get results by looking at the things that blocked them in the past. Keep tabs on what’s working for them. And make sure you get a testimonial from them!

Coming Up Next: The Acceleration Phase

In my next post, I’ll walk you through what happens after you’ve coached enough people to start your acceleration strategy.

We’ll talk about how to narrow your niche, shape your first strong offer, and start building real momentum in your business.

Until then, what part of Phase 1 resonated most for you? Leave a comment below 👇And if you liked this post, please give it a ♥️.