Starting a Life Coach Side Hustle? Pro Tips & Key Considerations
What Is a Life Coach Side Hustle?
A life coach side hustle refers to practicing life coaching on a part-time basis, often in addition to a primary occupation. As the demand for coaching has grown at a rapid pace in recent years, so too have opportunities for coaches. For many, launching a coaching practice in a part-time or “side hustle” capacity is an attractive entry-point to the industry.
For coaches, a side hustle offers simultaneous benefits. Perhaps you want to pursue your coaching passion while generating supplementary income. Or maybe you’re looking to test the waters of a new career path in coaching. Whatever your reasons, part-time work in this industry is common and only growing in popularity. There’s no better time than now to spin up a side hustle to meet the demand in a bustling market.
The Popularity of Coaching Side Hustles
In many respects, the coaching industry is the definition of a “side hustle industry.” In its 2023 Global Coaching Study, the International Coaching Federation (ICF) highlights that the average coach spent just 11.9 hours per week coaching through their private practices. That's only a quarter of a full-time work week! Granted, building a coaching business requires a lot more than just the coaching (think admin work, self-education, marketing).
Nonetheless, coaching in such a part time capacity can still be lucrative. In the same report, the ICF reveals that the average 1-hour coaching session in the US cost $244 in 2022. Check out this article for the full breakdown on how much life coaches make.
While coaching may be a side-hustle industry today, expect that to change as more demand emerges, allowing more coaches to fill out their weeks with business. Again, there is benefit to being early—build your side business now, and you’ll be better positioned to meet the rising demand over the coming years.
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5 Tips to Launch Your Coaching Side Hustle
Embarking on a coaching side hustle can be both an exciting and challenging journey. If you're contemplating this path, here are five essential tips to help you kickstart your coaching venture successfully:
1. Self-Assessment
Before starting, point the coaching lens inward for some introspection. Ask yourself, what do you wish to achieve as a coach? Recognize your strengths, pinpoint your areas of expertise, and identify what sets you apart. It's crucial to understand your unique selling points in the industry. What is it that will convince potential clients to trust you with their personal and professional development?
2. Developing Credibility
While the coaching world remains largely unregulated and certifications aren't strictly necessary, credibility is critical for success. Consider how you plan to establish yourself as a trustworthy figure in this space. For some, this might mean investing in one of the more reputable coaching certifications, like those from ICF or iPEC. However, for others, building a foundation of strong testimonials might be just as effective a route. If you’re just starting out, you may want to try offering complimentary sessions to those in your network to garner initial reviews and build rapport.
3. Don’t Half-Ass It
Coaching demands commitment and sincerity. With the plethora of options available to potential clients, they need compelling reasons to opt for your services. Ensure your coaching venture communicates professionalism right from the start. Create structured coaching packages, draw up real contracts, and maintain consistency with tools like Zoom. The more organized and dedicated you appear, the more clients will feel inclined to choose you. For those who like to map out their operations on paper, creating a simple life coaching business plan is a great place to start.
4. Make It Possible to Scale
If your coaching side hustle is more than just a fleeting interest and you envision it blossoming further, consider how to start building a scalable foundation. Invest time not just in your coaching work, but also in your marketing and sales systems. Check out this article for more on digital marketing for coaches if you have ambitions to see your side hustle sprout into something bigger one day. As with some of the other concepts in this article—the earlier you are to these strategies, the better.
5. Niche Down
This isn’t the first time we’ve written about the importance of finding your coaching niche on the CoachRanks blog. There’s no better way to target a specific audience and differentiate yourself—both of which have become increasingly important as the coaching industry grows. Let’s dive into some basic examples on how to niche down your coaching practice.
Niching Down Your Side Hustle: Examples
As the industry grows, there's an increasing demand for specialists—coaches who deeply understand a particular domain and can offer nuanced, tailored advice. There’s no shortage of coaching niches in need of more coaches. In fact, CoachRanks recently published 24 different coaching niches to keep an eye on in 2024. For now, here are some general examples focusing on finance, career, and health.
Financial Coach Side Hustle
A financial coach side hustle might offer a specialized focus on monetary matters, budgeting, investing, and financial planning. By narrowing down to this niche, coaches can zero in on a specific demographic: those looking to gain control over their finances, eliminate debt, or make informed investment decisions. This refined focus means that not only is it easier to identify and attract your target audience, but it also streamlines the process of tailoring your services.
Career Coach Side Hustle
A career coach side hustle allows for concentrated guidance on professional advancement, job transitions, interview techniques, and workplace dynamics. As with any niche, specificity makes it much more straightforward to market your services to a receptive audience. Moreover, you can design targeted programs and solutions related to careers, making it compelling for clients to choose you as their guiding beacon in their professional journey.
Health Coach Side Hustle
A health coach side hustle emphasizes well-being, nutrition, fitness, and holistic health strategies. With growing awareness around health and wellness, people are actively seeking guidance to lead a healthier lifestyle. By niching down to health coaching, you provide a clear, targeted path for individuals, whether they're trying to lose weight, manage a health condition, or simply adopt healthier habits. Check out this article for a deeper dive on marketing for health coaches.
The common denominator with the above examples? Clients are more likely to trust and invest in a coach who demonstrates a deep understanding of their own specific situation. For the most compelling experience, your marketing and branding should showcase a rich history of your expertise in your niche. That way, potential clients will clearly see that you’re an expert, and not just saying what the person wants to hear.
Embracing a Side Hustle Mindset to Get Started
Diving into a side hustle, especially in life coaching, demands a particular mindset defined by experimentation, DIY, and building from the ground up. The most successful coaches aren’t afraid to try out different coaching packages, branding ideas, and marketing strategies. Chances are it will take lots of trial and error to get your business humming.
But coaching side-hustlers should revel in the luxury of experimenting freely. That’s often the beauty of side hustles—there’s more space to roam and less pressure to figure it out overnight. It just takes commitment and motivation to figure out what works, what doesn’t, and what needs adjusting.
For more on this topic, make sure to check out our checklist for how to start a life coaching business. Also consider subscribing to our newsletter below for exclusive content, tips, and ideas for growing your practice.
