Starting A Life Coaching Practice
If you are wanting to start a coaching
practice my bottom-line suggestions are:
-
Find a qualified mentor coach you can relate to
and enjoy working with.
-
Experience great coaching.
-
Have your coach guide you through the various training
options and alternatives. (Very important!)
-
Have your coach, help you set up your practice
and find the marketing approach that will work the
best for you. (Here it will pay off to ensure your
coach has a strong background in marketing.)
If you have the interest and aptitude,
and are committed to do what it takes, a good mentor
coach can help you start up a successful coaching practice
in 6 months to a year. Be cautions of the claims
of instant riches some schools put forth. Like
many businesses or professions, 20% of the practitioners
do 80% of the business. Make every effort to do
what it takes to get into the top 20%. In the end, the
responsibility for your success is all up to you.
Choosing A Great Mentor Coach
If you are looking to become a
coach, having access to an experienced professional
coach (mentor coach) can really shorten your learning
curve and be of invaluable assistance. Here are some
suggestions to help you choose a great coach:
-
Talk to several coaches and find one you have a
rapport with.
-
Make sure you feel that the coach has a genuine
interest in you. (Check out your intuition on this
one.)
-
Ensure your coach is a member of the International
Coach Federation and is thus governed by professional
practice and ethics guidelines.
-
Ensure your coach has completed advanced
training, and become certified,
at one or more ICF accredited schools. And that
their training included numerous supervisions by
more senior coaches.
-
Ensure your coach has sufficient experience.
-
Ask potential coaches about their philosophy and
approach to coaching. (Do they help
you find answers right for you, or just give advice
that was right for them?)
-
Have potential coaches spell out what services
they deliver, and what the total cost of those services
will be.
Do Your Homework
Coaching is a fairly new profession
and it is evolving quickly. I support new coaches working with clients during their training. (That is one of the ways you learn.) However, if you are looking for a mentor coach, I recommend you pick a well-trained and experienced one.
Currently there are
at least 20,000 people in the world that call themselves
coaches. By my estimate, less than 1 in
5 has completed advanced training at an ICF accredited school and become credentialed by the International Coach Federation.
So if you want to experience good coaching,
be sure to check out your coach's background.
Starting a Life Coaching Practice?
- Let's Chat
I love to work
with new coaches,
and would be happy to talk to you. Please check
out a few other coaches and then contact me at
steve@acoach4u.com
or 604 538 8318.
Useful Links for Starting a Practice
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