So you want to make a good living as a business coach—not just cover your bills, but actually create a life where you don’t flinch when your card gets declined for buying oat milk. Cool. Let’s talk about how to do that without turning into a walking LinkedIn cliché.
First, understand this: coaching isn’t just about giving advice—it’s about creating results. You’re not there to be someone’s business bestie or a glorified motivational speaker. You’re there to help people cut through the noise, make decisions that move the needle, and stop accidentally sabotaging themselves every time they open their laptop. That’s what people pay for—clarity, momentum, implementation, and outcomes. The good news? If you’re good at that, they’ll keep paying.
1. Niche Like Your Rent Depends on It (Because It Kinda Does)
You can’t help everyone—and trying to is a fast track to being broke and burnt out. The more specific your niche, the easier it is for the right clients to find you.
Example: “I help overwhelmed solopreneurs scale to six figures without losing their minds.” Boom. Clear. Valuable. Not vague fluff like “I help people unlock their potential.” (Cool, but… what does that even mean?)
2. Charge for Value, Not for Time
Hourly rates are fine if you’re babysitting or mowing lawns. But you’re a coach. People aren’t paying for your time—they’re paying for the transformation that happens because of your time.
Package your offers based on outcomes. Solve big problems, charge accordingly. And yes, you’re allowed to make good money for being really good at solving those problems.
3. Sell Without Being a Sleaze
Selling isn’t evil. Manipulating people? Yeah, gross. But if you believe in what you’re doing—if you know you can help—then selling is just inviting someone into a better version of their business (and life).
Talk about the results. Share your process. Show proof. And be real. That alone will make you stand out in a sea of “DM me for a breakthrough call” bots.
4. Build a Brand, Not Just a Bio
People buy coaching from humans, not job titles. Let your personality show. Share your story. Be weird. Be wise. Be you. Because no one else can replicate that, and honestly, that’s your best marketing weapon.
5. Overdeliver (But Set Boundaries Like a Pro)
Want clients who rave about you, refer you, and renew without flinching at the price? Do what you said you’d do—and then a little more. Just don’t confuse overdelivering with overworking. You’re building a business, not adopting clients as dependents.
6. Stay in the Game Long Enough to Win
The biggest difference between the coaches who thrive and the ones who ghost their website after six months? Staying power. Keep learning. Keep tweaking. Keep showing up even when it feels like no one’s listening. Success in this game isn’t for the loudest voice—it’s for the one that sticks around long enough to be heard.
Final Thought: Coaching Is a Business. Treat It Like One.
You can’t just be a great coach—you have to be a great business owner too. That means marketing, systems, client experience, all the unsexy stuff. But once you’ve got the machine running? That’s when the “good living” part starts showing up in your bank account.
So no, you don’t need to be famous. You don’t need 100k followers.
You just need to solve real problems, for real people, really well.
And if you can do that consistently?
You’re not just making a living—you’re building a life on your own terms.