So, you’ve decided to start a coaching business. You’re fired up, you know you can help people, and you’re ready to make this real. But if you're feeling overwhelmed by all the tech, tools, and conflicting advice—you’re not alone. Many new coaches get stuck in “setup mode” instead of actually coaching.
If you’ve found yourself spiraling into endless research—Do I need an LLC? How do I pick a name for my coaching business? What's the best website host for coaches?—you’re already heading down the overwhelm rabbit hole.
Let me stop you right there.
You don’t need a perfect website.
You don’t need a fancy logo.
And you definitely don’t need to spend six months picking the perfect brand colors before signing a client.
What you do need is a clear, actionable 30-day plan that helps you move forward without getting stuck in setup mode.
In this step-by-step 30-day plan, I'll show you exactly how to start your life coaching business, set up the essentials (without overcomplicating it), and land your first paying clients—without wasting months figuring it out on your own.
How to Start a Life Coaching Business in 30 Days
This plan will walk you through exactly how to start an online coaching business without wasting time on things that don’t matter. Follow these steps, and in 30 days, you’ll have your business set up and ready for clients.
Week 1: Define Your Niche, Research Your Market & Create an Offer That Sells
Before you even think about setting up the tech, you need to be able to answer these 3 key questions:
Who do you help? (Your coaching niche)
What is your ideal client struggling with and what are their desires? (Market research)
How does your coaching solve their problem(s)? (Your offer)
This is the foundation your business is built on, not on having the perfect Instagram feed, so let's walk through these 3 steps:
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Coaching Niche
One of the biggest mistakes new coaches make is trying to help everyone.
They worry that narrowing down their niche will mean turning away opportunities, but the reality is the exact opposite.
Here’s why specializing is better for your business:
If you try to be a coach for everyone, you’ll struggle to stand out. People want experts, not generalists.
A clear niche makes it easier to market yourself—you’ll attract the right clients instead of a random mix of people who aren’t the best fit.
You’ll be able to charge more because specialists are always seen as more valuable than generalists.
Bad Example: “I’m a coach for anyone who wants to improve their life and career.” (Too vague)
Good Example: “I help corporate women in their 40s transition into entrepreneurship without burning out.” (Clear and specific)
Pick a niche that aligns with your expertise and what you’re passionate about and commit to it—at least for now. You can always refine it later, but if you stay too broad, you’ll struggle to gain traction.
Step 2: Research Your Ideal Clients & What They Actually Want
If you want an offer that sells, you can’t just guess what your clients need. You have to research what they’re struggling with and what they’re looking for in a coach.
✅ Find Out What’s Already Out There Look at other coaches in your niche and ask:
What programs or services are they offering?
What price points are common?
What gaps do you see that no one is filling?
✅ Listen to Your Ideal Clients The easiest way to do this? Go where they’re already talking about their struggles.
Where to look:
Facebook groups – Search for questions and complaints in niche-specific groups.
Reddit & Quora – See what questions are being asked repeatedly.
Amazon book reviews – Check self-help/business books in your niche and read the 3-star reviews (these are goldmines for seeing what people wish was included).
LinkedIn posts & Instagram comments – What challenges are people in your niche talking about?
💡 Pro Tip: Pay attention to the exact words your ideal clients use to describe their struggles and save these in a file somewhere. This will help you write your sales copy later in a way that makes them think, "Are they reading my mind?!"
Step 3: Create Your First Coaching Offer
Now that you know:
Who you help (Your niche)
What they’re struggling with & what they want (Market research)
… you can create an offer that actually sells.
Here’s how to structure your first coaching offer:
Your Coaching Offer Framework:
The Transformation: What outcome will they achieve? (Example: “I help burned-out corporate women transition into full-time entrepreneurship in 90 days.”)
The Format: 1:1 coaching? A small group program? A VIP day? Pick ONE to start with.
The Length: 6 weeks? 3 months? A one-time session? Keep it clear and structured.
The Price: Choose a price that reflects the value, but don’t overthink it—pick a number and start testing.
The clearer your offer, the easier it will be for people to say yes.
💡 Pro Tip: Don’t spend months “perfecting” your offer—just get it out there and tweak it based on (ideal) client feedback.
Once you’ve got your niche, your name, and your offer, you’re ready to set up your business essentials.
Week 2: Set Up the Essentials (So You Can Start Booking Clients)
When it comes to setting up your business and tech, you have two ways to go about it:
The “Done Right” Way – A polished system that feels professional from Day 1. (This takes time, effort, and expertise—or hiring someone to do it for you.)
The “Done Fast” Way – A quick, no-frills setup that gets you selling ASAP. (It might not be fancy, but it gets the job done. However, when you're ready to step up your game and build something more professional, you'll likely be starting from square one.)
If you want to start making sales quickly, you’re better off starting scrappy ("Done Fast") or hiring someone to handle it for you ("Done Right") while you start marketing (coming up in Week 3). If you choose the "Done Fast" Way, you don’t need a website, social media strategy, or complicated automation. You just need 3 things:
A name for your business (even if it's just your own name)
A way for people to book with you
A way to accept payments and deliver your coaching
Ideally, you'd also set up a coaching contract to protect yourself, plus set up a formal business structure like an LLC, but for now, we're talking bare-bones steps you need to take to get your business off the ground.
Step 1: Choose a Coaching Business Name
A question I get asked all the time from new coaches is “What should I name my coaching business?”
Here’s the truth: Your business name is important, but it’s not everything. You don’t need to spend weeks obsessing over it because unless you go with something wildly offensive, it won't make or break your business.
Here are three simple naming strategies:
Use Your Own Name – Perfect if you’re building a personal brand. (Example: Sarah Jones Coaching) Pro: No trademark worries, and it gives you flexibility if you pivot later
Con: Doesn’t immediately tell people what you do (but your tagline can)
Describe Your Transformation – Focus on the outcome you provide (The Confident Coach, The Clarity Method)
Pro: Clearly communicates your focus
Con: Could limit you if you change direction later When I first started, I focused on alcohol-free life coaching. But when I pivoted into business coaching, I was glad I hadn’t tied my business name directly to sobriety—otherwise, I’d have had to rebrand everything!
Use a Unique or Creative Name – Something memorable and brandable (Aligned AF Coaching, Next Level You) Pro: Standout branding
Con: May require trademark research
⚠️ Disclaimer: This isn’t legal advice, but I strongly recommend doing a quick Google search (and a search on the USPTO website) before committing to a name.
Why? Because you don’t want to fall in love with a business name only to find out later it’s trademarked and you have to rebrand.
If you use your own name, you usually don’t have to worry about trademarks—unless your legal name is say Tommy Hilfiger—and you give yourself more freedom to evolve.
Step 2: Set Up a Booking System
If you want to start working with clients, you've got to give them a simple way to get on your calendar.
You could go back and forth on email, but a smoother and simpler route is to use a scheduling tool like Calendly or Google's Appointment Scheduler. That way, people can book time with you during your chosen availability while you focus on marketing.
Step 3: Accept Payments & Deliver Your Coaching
If we're starting scrappy here, you could send someone a Paypal invoice or even a Zelle/Venmo request.
But for a little more sophistication, do yourself a favor and set up a Stripe account. You can send invoices and create checkout links, and if you eventually decide to offer say online courses, those platforms will require you to link your Stripe account to get paid, so you've saved yourself a step.
Bonus: Protect Yourself with a Coaching Contract
⚠️ Although technically I am a lawyer, I'm taking my legal hat off and just telling you business owner to business owner why you need a contract:
A coaching agreement protects both you and your clients. Key things to include:
Payment & Refund Policy – What happens if they don’t pay or want a refund?
Rescheduling & Cancellation Policy – How much notice do they need to give?
Scope of Services – What’s included in your coaching (and what’s not)?
This is by no means a comprehensive list! It's just a few things to consider, and I suggest you check with a local attorney if you have any questions about what provisions your business might need to save you any legal headaches. But if you'd rather just buy a template written by an actual lawyer and fill in the blank like MadLibs, you can save 10% when you use my promo code MARCIROSSI with The Boutique Lawyer.
Now let's go find those clients!
Week 3: Start Building Your Audience (Without Social Media Overwhelm)
Now, it’s time to start getting in front of potential clients.
Most new coaches overcomplicate this step by thinking they need to:
Build a full-blown website
Be on every social media platform
Spend hours creating content (with no strategy)
But you don’t need a giant audience to start making money—you just need the right people to know you exist.
Step 1: Set Up an Email List
A lot of new coaches resist this—maybe they've been spammed in the past and don't want to come off as too pushy. But an email list is crucial because it gives you:
A direct line to potential clients (vs. hoping the algorithm gods favor you that day)
A way to nurture leads on your terms (without spending hours on social media)
An asset you control (because Instagram or a hacker could lock you out of your social media account like that 🫰)
How to Set Up Your List in 10 Minutes:
Pick an email service provider and create an account (my favorite is MailerLite!)
Set up one opt-in form that asks for a name + email
Create a simple freebie to encourage sign-ups (more on that next)
That’s it. You don’t need a full email funnel or fancy automations yet—just a way to capture leads and follow up with them.
Step 2: Create a Simple Lead Magnet (Without Overthinking It)
A lead magnet (a.k.a. a freebie) is a super simple way to start building an audience.
What Makes a Good Lead Magnet?
Fully solves a TINY but urgent problem
Quick to consume (think checklist, guide, or short training—not a full course)
Naturally leads into your paid offer
💡 Pro Tip: Make your freebie something that’s useful right away—not some fluffy PDF they’ll download and never use. And if you want to get a bit more creative and compelling? Check out my list of 10 ways to build an email list without another freebie from Canva.
Once you’ve got it, add it to your email list opt-in form and start sharing it.
Step 3: Start Talking About Your Coaching Offer
A lot of new coaches get stuck here because they don’t want to sound pushy or sales-y. But if people don’t know you exist, they can’t hire you.
Where to Start:
Tell your existing network – You’d be surprised how many people already know someone who needs what you offer.
Post about it 2-3x per week – Choose one platform and start sharing tips, insights, and stories. (You don’t need to be everywhere.)
Answer questions in groups – Facebook groups, Reddit, and LinkedIn are full of people asking for help. Give value without pitching, and people will check out your profile or reach out for more support.
💡 Pro Tip: Your best marketing tool is your own voice—talk about what you do and who you help every chance you get.
The goal isn’t to go viral—it’s to start conversations that lead to coaching clients.
Week 4: Start Selling (Yes, Already!)
You’ve done the groundwork. Now, it’s time to start getting paying clients.
Most new coaches avoid this part because selling feels uncomfortable. But you need paying clients to stay in business.
Here's how to get started:
Offer free coaching calls (strategically). Doing 3-5 free sessions in exchange for testimonials is a great way to build momentum—just don’t coach for free forever.
Follow up with potential clients. If someone expresses interest, don’t just hope they reach out—invite them to a call! And check back in later if they aren't ready.
Make the ask. Talk about your coaching, invite people to book a call, and don’t be afraid to say, “Here’s how I can help you.”
💡 Pro Tip: If selling feels awkward, think of it as an invitation—not pressure. Your job isn’t to convince people to buy—it’s to show them how you can help.
Set Yourself Up for Long-Term Success
If you’ve followed this plan, you now have:
✅ A clear coaching offer
✅ A way for people to book calls with you
✅ A simple way to take payments and deliver coaching
✅ A contract to protect yourself (hopefully!)
✅ An email list and a way to attract leads
This is the bare minimum you need to start getting clients.
But let’s be honest—if you want a coaching business that actually grows, brings in clients consistently, and doesn’t feel like a chaotic mess, you need more than this.
And that’s where The Shortcut comes in.
Instead of spending months trying to set up:
❌ A seamless client journey
❌ The right automations to save you time
❌ A business that looks professional and actually converts
… you can have everything built for you inside The Shortcut.
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