Online coaching is a service in which coaches help clients meet their goals and advance in their personal or professional lives. This can be done through a variety of means, such as video calls, chats, and online forums.
As an edupreneur or subject-matter expert, adding online coaching to your portfolio of offerings can help you scale your business and monetize your expertise.
1. Accessibility
Whether you’re an online business coach, health coach, relationship coach, career coach or something else entirely, your goal is to help people achieve the results they want. This can be done in a variety of ways, including one-time meetings, multi-session packages or pre-recorded resources.
Online coaching is a great way to build your reputation and reach a wider audience, but it’s important to keep in mind that online coaching can be challenging. To succeed, you’ll need to work hard and make sure your program offers value to your clients.
Accessibility coaching is all about changing a team’s will, skill and process to become self-sufficient in delivering accessible products. A good accessibility coach will join the team for daily stand-ups, backlog refinements and working sessions and field questions as needed.
2. Flexibility
Online coaching provides a flexible option for clients to meet with coaches when they want, how they want. This allows them to build skills and habits without the constraints of scheduling or travel time that would otherwise limit the effectiveness of the coach–client relationship.
For many edupreneurs and experts, adding online coaching services is the most efficient way to scale their business with minimal upfront investment. In fact, a number of online course platforms now include the ability to sell coaching sessions alongside courses, downloads and memberships.
This model also frees up coaches to focus on sales by simplifying the conversion funnel and reducing the amount of admin involved in attracting and retaining quality clients. For example, online coaching platforms like Podia have a calendar application that lets clients book and reschedule their own sessions with ease.
3. Cost
Online coaching offers a low barrier to entry. Unlike face-to-face coaching sessions, there’s no need to pay for a venue or equipment. This makes it easier for coaches to get their feet wet and gain valuable experience without a huge financial investment.
The cost of setting up an online coaching business can be high depending on the infrastructure and software required to connect clients and coaches. This includes costs for video conferencing tools, scheduling software, and payment processing platforms. It also includes insurance and liability coverage costs to protect both parties from unforeseen circumstances.
Other costs can include marketing and advertising to attract potential clients and coaches. This can be achieved through social media advertising, email newsletters, content marketing, and paid listings in coaching directories.
4. Accountability
Online coaching is a great way for edupreneurs and experts to diversify their revenue streams without requiring a large upfront investment. Many existing course platforms now offer coaching services alongside their educational products, enabling learners to purchase and schedule 1:1 coaching sessions.
Online coaches often use a simple, convenient, and secure client management system like Quenza to support their clients in setting goals and tracking progress. The platform also allows coaches to message their clients directly and build a community for collaborative discussions and accountability.
Especially in the early days of an online coaching business, it’s vital for new coaches to establish credibility and social proof. This can be achieved through a variety of methods, such as taking on a few first-time clients pro bono in exchange for testimonials and media coverage.
5. Time
As a new coach, you’ll have to invest a significant amount of time in finding clients and providing the value that leads to them hiring you. There are only so many hours in a day to give 1-on-1 coaching sessions, and you can only keep so many clients needs top of mind at once.
One way to mitigate the impact on your own personal time is to add multiple revenue streams to your coaching practice. For example, creating online courses can allow you to build passive income that grows as more people take your advice.
Paperbell offers an all-in-one online coaching software that handles the administrative side of your business so you can focus on delivering high-quality coaching services. It also allows you to create and sell coaching packages, accept online payments, schedule sessions, track client progress and e-sign contracts.