Create Your Coaching Business Plan Framework

Are you the type of coach who has a million ideas and is not sure which one to act on first? If you answered yes, then congratulations, you are not alone! Whether it’s the title of a new blog post you want to write or an entire course curriculum floating out of your brain and onto paper, it can be very exciting. But, what do you do after the initial brainstorming session you had with your notebook? You either save it for a rainy day or make it part of your business’s framework.

The problem with feeling inspired and creative 100% of the time is you’re leaving out the “action part." The part where you make your idea a reality. The part where you sell. Also known as getting out of your comfort zone.

Yeah, it’s great to have all of these ideas put away for the future, but what about now?

I believe that besides fear, so many coaches hoard their ideas because they don’t know where they fit in, and they’re not seeing the big picture. This is why creating a business plan and framework makes sense. If you have an idea for a course and it aligns with your vision (who you’re meant to help and what they need from you) and you’re able to place it somewhere (we’ll get to that soon), then that roadblock is instantly removed, and you can move onto getting your idea(s) onto the internet.

So let’s keep it simple and dive into my signature Coaching Profit System Framework, shall we?

Authority

First things first, you need to know your niche. Establishing your authority is impossible if you have no idea who you’re helping and what you’re helping them with. Coaches can get stuck in this phase because they make it much too difficult. Sometimes, all it takes is a second set of eyes or a chat with someone who is a few steps ahead of you. Most of the time, though, the simpler, the better. With my clients and students, we usually nail their niche down in under 20 minutes. My record is 10 minutes. There’s nothing better than witnessing the moment it all clicks for someone. It’s almost like a permission slip to keep going, which is why this step is a “must do first.”

Additional resources to help you: How to Craft a Stand Out I Help Statement

After your niche is established, you’re ready for the next big decision. Your content medium. Meaning, are you going to blog, create video, or podcast? If you’re solely relying on organic marketing to build your business (most new coaches are), then I highly suggest you choose one and go with it. This is an important piece in your framework as, over time, it establishes your authority and keeps you consistent online. It also provides content ideas for social media, helps build your email list, and enables you to see what your people like and maybe not like.

Additional resources to help you with this piece: How to Get More Email Subscribers Without Spending Money on Advertising

One thing that people are looking for, more than ever, online is connection. As an introvert and a pretty private person, this is one aspect I’m always trying to build on. The thing is, for people to trust you, they need to get to know you and like you. So if you're constantly on the “I am the authority!” and the “Buy now, download now, link in bio, etc.” mode - people can’t connect with that stuff.

What do people connect with? You. Just being yourself. You know those people you pretend to be annoyed with on social media who constantly post to their stories? Yet you keep checking them? Come on, you know! They have huge, loyal followings, and they’re just themselves, but the key here is that they involve you in their day-to-day lives!

Brainstorm how you can create connections with the people in your corner of the internet. Could you go live on Instagram or Facebook every week? Or what about sharing more stories of your daily life? Just try it for a month, and I bet you’ll notice a huge difference in your numbers and confidence in your online presence. If you’re feeling resistance towards this, that’s a sign that you need to do this even more. #getoutofyourcomfortzone

Alright, now that people know, like, and trust you, they will definitely want to learn from you! And the best way to get them started is to create free content, AKA freebies.

The point of creating freebies is simple, and the journey is like this: someone reads your blog post, they see a button that links them to a free resource that could help them even more, they supply their name and email, and they receive the resource in their inbox, and they learn from you. On the other hand, you just added a new subscriber to your list, validating that people want what you’re making.

Additional resources to help you:

Why Creating Free Content is Essential for Growth

20 Things You Can Email Your List

How to Grow Your Email List With Freebies

Discoverability

The point of establishing your authority online is that it’s for the right reasons when you are discovered. You want to bring the right people into your world, so being intentional with your content and how you show up online is crucial. We could get a lot of traffic and engagement online if you gave away a free iPad or a $500 Amazon gift card, but then you’re doing something that could literally please everyone, which would be missing the point. It’s quality vs. quantity here, okay?

Organic marketing is one of the most common things that get put on the back burner in the online coaching business world. Relying on one thing, whether ads, social media posts, referrals, etc. and not paying attention to your organic marketing plan could be a big mistake. Organic marketing takes work, yes, And it certainly is not a set and forget it kind of thing. But leaving it for a rainy day shouldn’t be an option. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, friends.

Promoting your content medium on a solid content marketing plan is a great way to get traffic to your blog, podcast, or video. Infuse your social media calendar with general weekly themes, so you have a topic to drive home to plus, this gives your audience multiple opportunities to hear about what you’ve been working on.

Social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.) can play a big part in your coaching business framework, but I don’t want you to waste all of your energy there. Choose one place to focus on and either recycle the content on the other platforms or simply not worry about them yet or at all. If social media overwhelms you, no worries, you’re normal; the fast-paced atmosphere and the constant updates can get a bit much. If you’re struggling to post and never know what to say, create a content calendar to help brain dump your ideas and use a scheduler like Tailwind to help you.

For most coaches online, paid advertising is when you pay to market your business on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Most coaches do this for sales, lead generation, or traffic. Running ads is a big learning curve, so educate yourself before you start spending money or hiring an agency or coach to help you.

Profitability

Now for the fun part, building out your bread and butter. I got my business earning six figures fast by working with clients and THEN creating and launching my signature program (Stand Out Coaching Academy) in that order. My program ($997) modeled my typical client’s journey, which is why it is successful today. You could add a membership ($17- $97 a month) or a small product ($3-$47) as you grow.

So, tell me, my friend, where are you at in this process. Are you in your business's authority, discoverability, or profitability phase? Take a minute to go through this and ensure you haven’t missed a step. And if needed, get some help so you can be well on your way to creating your next product or program online!