Thinking of becoming a Life Coach? You’re in great company! The coaching industry has exploded over the last decade or so, with tens of thousands of people around the globe choosing to turn their passion for helping others into a rewarding and lucrative profession.

Today, Life Coaching is emerging as a respected and growing field that offers unparalleled freedom and flexibility. As a Life Coach, you can do deeply meaningful work being in service to others, while building a business that fits YOU and your lifestyle.

In fact, many Life Coaches choose to work virtually—giving them the opportunity to work from anywhere in the world, with whomever they wish!

Becoming a Life Coach

If you’re wondering exactly what it takes to become a Life Coach and launch a new career, the Health Coach Institute team have put together some useful tips for to help you start the process of becoming a Life Coach.

Step 1: Get Trained with a Credible Coaching Program

First and foremost, we recommend that you invest in an education that will teach you the art, science, and business of Life Coaching. Although the coaching industry isn’t currently licensed or regulated (meaning basically anyone can declare themselves a Life Coach), we strongly advise getting trained through an accredited coaching program for three main reasons.

3 Reasons for Getting a Coaching Certification

  • Coaches who choose to become certified stand a far better chance of helping clients get real, lasting results.
  • They’re generally better equipped for career success than their uncertified counterparts.
  • Potential clients and employers are likely to want to see proof of your expertise before enlisting your services!

Choose the Right Coaching Certification for You

There are a lot of training programs out there, so be sure to spend time thoroughly researching and comparing them. Evaluate each school, assess each curriculum for comprehensiveness, and check to make sure the school is accredited. (The International Coach Federation is considered the gold standard when it comes to coach accreditation, so check their site out for confirmation).

A couple other boxes you’ll want to check off when selecting your training program include reviewing student testimonials and ensuring the training you choose includes the opportunity to work with practice clients.

Don’t let this second point scare you! Working with clients while you train will give you critical experience honing your skills as a Life Coach and will help you develop your confidence. Plus, some schools (like Health Coach Institute!) allow you to start seeing paying clients while you’re in school…so you can start earning back your tuition before you even graduate!

Step 2: Find Your Coaching Niche

Next, you’ll want to determine your “niche”—that is, what type of coaching you’d like to specialize in. The Coaching industry is becoming increasingly competitive, which is why it’s important to set yourself apart from the crowd.

So ask yourself: what are you really passionate about? Do you want to help executives run their businesses? Connect others to their deep power within? Guide working professionals to find more career fulfillment? Help people enjoy healthier relationships?

What are the Types of Life Coaches?

There are tons of options when it comes to choosing your niche, but here are just a few of the common Life Coach niches you can choose to specialize in:

  • Executive Coaching
  • Career Coaching
  • Relationship Coaching
  • Spiritual Life Coaching
  • Stress/Anxiety Management Coaching
  • Health & Wellness Coaching
  • Business Coaching
  • Corporate Coaching
  • Family/Parenting Coaching
  • Creative Coaching
  • Communication Coaching
  • Retirement Coaching
  • Leadership Coaching
  • Grief Coaching
  • Confidence Coaching
  • Time Management Coaching

Get as specific about your niche as you want. Want to help “mompreneurs” find greater work/life balance? Great!

Want to help millennials find greater peace and happiness through meditation? Awesome!

Want to help people in the midst of a midlife career change? Fantastic!

By determining your niche, you’ll ensure you’re doing the work you find most fulfilling, you’ll limit your competition in your field, and you’ll also be able to offer your clients more value because your services are focused around a very specific expertise.

Step 3: Launch & Market Your Coaching Business

You’ve completed your training and you’ve determined your niche. Now it’s time to get down to business—launching and marketing your business, that is!

Here’s a basic checklist of action items to get your coaching business up and running and primed for success:

  • Pick your business name.

  • Determine your fees, hours, and any other pertinent information future clients will need to decide if your services are right for them, and draft your coaching agreement.

  • Purchase a website domain, and create a website that details your services and what makes YOU and YOUR coaching style the best choice for your prospective clients. Be personal so people can get a sense of who you are, add images and videos (it’s easier than you think!), give away free content to demonstrate to potential clients what you know and how you can help them, and be sure to include a sign-up form on your site so you can capture contact information from your prospects and keep in touch.
    Order business cards.

  • Consider authoring a blog and regularly updating it with content that’s relevant to your niche. We also recommend reaching out to other blog influencers to feature your articles on their site and drive traffic back to yours.

  • Get social! Start a Facebook page, join Instagram, tweet, create Pinterest boards that speak to your niche, etc. You don’t have to do have a presence on every single social channel, just begin with what you’re comfortable with…but know that the more presence you have, the more people are likely to find you!

  • Tell your friends…and family…and coworkers…and neighbors…and anyone else you can think of! Word of mouth is a powerful thing. So go ahead and share your new gig with everyone you know. We don’t mean sell to everyone you know, we simply mean you should casually mention your new line of work. You never know who may be looking for exactly what you have to offer!
    Post your business information in relevant directories.

  • Network, network, network…attend industry functions and seminars, join relevant groups, and meet as many people in your line of work as you can. Ask successful coaches what they’ve done to build their business and what tips they can share.

  • Consider purchasing online ads to boost your visibility and get in front of more potential clients.

  • Offer prospective clients a free consultation so they can get a taste of what you offer and determine if you’re a good fit for their needs.

  • These are just a few of the basics to get you started on the path to professional success, but there are many other creative ways you can get your name out there in front of the people who need your services.

  • Finally, have patience as you begin grow your business. Immediate success rarely happens overnight, and though you may dream of turning your Life Coaching business into your full-time gig someday, it may take some time to make that dream happen. Many just-starting-off coaches choose to work with clients outside of their regular job in the beginning, and then transition to full-time work once they’ve built a solid clientele and business foundation.

Step 4: Continue Your Education

The most successful coaches never stop learning! So make it a point to invest in continued education as you progress in your career. Whether it’s taking advanced trainings or attending seminars, building on your skillset and adding to your coaching “toolbox” will help you stay relevant in your field and expand your client offering. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to network as we already mentioned.

How Long Does it take to Become a Life Coach?

Some training programs can be completed in a matter of several hours, while others can take anywhere from 6 months to a year to complete.

While there’s no hard-and-fast rule regarding how long it should take to complete your Life Coach certification, we do want to strongly caution you against any training that promises to teach you everything you need to know in just a few days. Becoming a masterful Life Coach requires a level of hands-on, practical application that must be honed and refined over time. You don’t learn the nuances of facilitating client transformation in the blink of an eye.

Should You Become a Life Coach?

Here are 5 simple questions to help you determine if Life Coaching is the right path for you:

  1. Do you have a strong desire to help others?
  2. Do you love to learn, grow, and be constantly stretched to be your best self?
  3. Are you an active and empathetic listener?
  4. Would you be comfortable not sharing your knowledge or giving advice, even when you’re sure that you have the “right” answer? (Life Coaches don’t offer answers, they believe clients hold the answers within and help them bring those answers to light.)
  5. Are you interested in a career path that affords more freedom and flexibility, like the ability to set your own hours, work from anywhere, and be your own boss?

If you answered yes to all of the above, Life Coaching could be for you! Click here for more info on what Life Coaches do and how they work with clients.

Requirements for Becoming a Life Coach

As we mentioned, there are no “requirements” for becoming a Life Coach in terms of training, but we highly recommend pursuing your certification for all of the reasons we touched on earlier. Take a look at some of the traits the best life coaches possess.

15 Traits Future Life Coaches Should Have

    1. A deep sense of empathy and compassion
    2. A love of helping others
    3. An interest in personal growth
    4. Excellent interpersonal skills
    5. A knack for building rapport
    6. A passion for learning
    7. Patience
    8. Strong listening skills
    9. Trustworthiness
    10. Integrity
    11. Professionalism
    12. A questioning nature
    13. A desire for truth
    14. Fine-tuned observation skills
    15. A heart-centered work ethic

If these 15 traits describe you to a T, congratulations—you’ve already got the intuitive foundation to become a Life Coach! Now all you need is the training!

Become a Life Coach with Health Coach Institute Certification

Take the next step and start training for an exciting and deeply rewarding career as a Life Coach and Health Coach, with Health Coach Institute!

Feel free to get in touch with with one of our clarity coaches directly, by calling 1-800-303-2399. If you are already a coach and want to advance your skills, check out HCI’s Coach Mastery program. 

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Health Coach Institute provides aspiring Health and Life Coaches with the tools, training, and support to make a great living transforming lives.