Becoming A Life Coach Can Be Very Rewarding
If you enjoy helping people, you are outgoing, and you have a passion for life, you may have considered becoming a life coach. On the other hand you might be all of these things and never heard the term before and if that’s the case it is quite ok. Here we will discuss what a life coach actually is and how to become a certified life coach.
So what is a life coach anyway?
The answer varies depending on who you ask and in what area you are discussing. There is a bit of confusion as to what a life coach actually is and what it is they do exactly. The reason there is some confusion is because there are so many different areas one can choose to specialize in. It is true that the basic definition is simply one that helps people to discover goals and then to come up with an actionable game plan to execute those goals, there are many offshoots if you will, in this industry.
You could for example choose to only work with business professionals in their personal lives, or maybe you only are interested in working with sports professionals. Perhaps you are a woman with children and only want to work with other women that also have or are considering having children themselves.
More confusion comes into play when people confuse business coaches with life coaches and personal speakers also get thrown in the mix. The fact is most people that become a life coach work with a wide variety of people who want to efficiently improve their lives. You might think that people who are more down and out use coaches to help them improve their lives when in fact statistically the more overall success one tends to have the more likely it is that they will choose to use a life coach. So the next thing you might be considering is, how to become a life coach
Although it is not necessary in a legal sense to get certified as a life coach, if you are considering becoming one, you may want to consider going the extra mile by becoming a certified life coach. Getting a solid certification from a high quality school not only looks good on paper but they often teach you invaluable tools to get started. This industry has its own unique set of challenges and it can be beneficial to get guidance on how to structure your new found business. Even if you want to work with a business partner it would be beneficial and may even be required to get at least some training.
There are those who have master’s degrees and even PhD’s that work in this industry but often it is a mix of life coaching and different therapies and practices. It is more like they considered becoming a life coach in addition to whatever chosen field they got into.
Getting started
It can be tough getting started in this business because it relies heavily on word of mouth. You can do a great deal of advertising but often those who are getting started don’t have a lot of capital, so starting on a shoe string budget doesn’t allow for much in the way of advertising. The best thing to do in this case is to get yourself out there and start promoting your services. You may consider doing some pro bono work initially in order to get the word out. Practice with family and friends and offer free consultations.
Once you have your name out there you won’t have to do so much free work but offering discounts, contests and other things can get your name known. Working with a more experienced business partner in the beginning is a great idea if you can manage that. You may even want to consider an internship working for little or no money at another firm or for an individual business owner, at least in the beginning until you have sufficient experience.
Truly this business is not so different from many other businesses. In the beginning you have a ton of work ahead of you but it pays off in the end. When you help your first client, then you will understand what becoming a life coach is all about.
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