How Do You Get Clients as a Coach — and When Is the Right Time?

How Do You Get Clients as a Coach — and When Is the Right Time?

One of the questions I’m asked a lot is:

“How do we actually get clients as a coach?”

Here’s my honest recommendation.

If you’ve never coached before and you’re brand new, it’s not the right time to start getting clients yet.

When you’re just starting out as a coach, I recommend spending at least two months fully focused on becoming a coach first — learning how to run a proper coaching session, step by step, so that when you do coach someone, they receive high-quality coaching.

Step One: Train Before You Promote

In the beginning, my advice is simple:

• Do as much coach training as you can

• Practice coaching regularly and consistently

• Build confidence before putting pressure on yourself to get clients

At Academy for Coaches, this is how we structure it.

Every week, we run a two-hour live class, and we do three things:

1. Teach
   We introduce one coaching skill or method and explain how it works.

2. Demonstrate
   Either I demonstrate the skill, or another experienced coach does, so everyone can see how it’s properly done.

3. Practice (Guided)
   Coaches are placed into guided breakout rooms with clear worksheets, so they know exactly what to do during the session.

After that, we come back together, answer questions, share insights, and sometimes run additional guided demonstrations.

That structure is important — because it gives you real support, not just theory.

Step Two: Peer Coaching (With Structure)

The second thing we do is weekly peer coaching practice.

Coaches are paired together so they can practice in a safe, supported way. And importantly, they’re given worksheets to guide the session.

Early on, I made a mistake. I used to tell people to just “go practice peer coaching,” but many didn’t — simply because they didn’t know what to do in the session.

Now, before anyone practices, they have:

• A clear worksheet

• A simple structure

• A step-by-step flow

We recommend two things each week:

• Coach someone

• Be coached by someone

Experiencing coaching from both sides is essential.

Many coaches do more than one session a week — sometimes three or four — depending on their time. But the minimum we recommend is one session as coach and one as client.

What Happens After About Two Months?

After around eight weeks of doing this consistently, something important happens.

You don’t just know coaching intellectually —
you start to feel like a coach.

And when you feel like a coach, the next step becomes natural.

You start thinking:

“I’m ready to work with real people now.”

That’s when it makes sense to talk about getting clients.

A Simple, Ethical Way to Get Your First Clients

We teach a very simple client-getting approach.

Start with people you already know.

If you’re aspiring to be a coach, chances are people already come to you with:

• problems

• challenges

• career frustrations

• life questions

The next time someone comes to you like that, instead of giving advice, simply say:

“Why don’t we sit together for an hour and really look at this?
I’ve had professional coaching training, and I think I could help.”

Invite them into a complimentary coaching session.

The DreamQuest Coaching Session

In that session, we use what we call a DreamQuest Coaching Session.

It’s a space where you:

• explore what they really want

• understand where they’re stuck

• clarify where they’d love to be

At the end, if it feels aligned, you ask one simple question:

“Would you like some support with this?”

If they say yes, you can share an offer document — a clear, written outline of how your coaching works. They can review it in their own time and simply decide:

• I’m in

• or I’m not

No pressure. No chasing.

The Key Point to Remember

I don’t recommend trying to get clients while you’re still learning how to coach.

It’s too much pressure on your nervous system.

Instead:

• Spend two months learning and practicing

• Do as much peer coaching as possible

• Let yourself grow into the identity of a coach

When you feel ready, you’ll know.

And when you start working with real people, it doesn’t even have to be paid at first. Many free sessions naturally turn into paid coaching — we’ve seen this happen hundreds of times.

This is one of the most grounded, sustainable ways to start a coaching practice.

I just wanted to share this with you today.

Until the next video, have a wonderful day — and a great year ahead.