Usually when I hear the word “coaching”, the first thing that comes to mind is Little League or soccer practice. I’m not very athletic, but all of the coaches that I have ever met have been of the athletic variety. That said, there are many different types of coaches out there – life coaches, parenting coaches, executive coaches, and more. Coaching others is a career that lends itself well to working from home.
If you are thinking about starting a coaching career, it is a good idea to identify what kind of coach you would like to be. For example, if you absolutely love fitness and think that you could use that passion to energize the exercise efforts of other people you may be great personal trainer material. Life coaches focus on the big picture, helping individuals to identify what is truly important to them and giving them the tools that they can use to achieve their goals.
Before you put yourself out there as any type of coach, you should go through some type of training and/or certification program and perhaps even work with a mentor. You may already have passion and some expertise on the subject that you will be coaching, but it is essential that you learn how coaching works and how to take your skills and passion and use them to help your clients.
After you are fully trained as a coach, you can begin to build your coaching business. One of the great things about being in business as a coach of any kind is that you are the product. The materials that you will need to run your business are likely to be minimal and the main thing that you will be giving to your clients is your time, energy, and expertise. This helps greatly with keeping startup and operating costs low.
Just like it is in the athletic world, a good life coach, personal trainer, or other type of coach can truly make a deep and lasting impact on the lives of his or her clients. If you are deeply and genuinely passionate about helping others, you may want to think about whether a coaching career is right for you. Good luck.