One of the questions I get asked most often is some variation of:

“How did you become a Life Coach and build your coaching business?”

I completely understand why people ask because I remember being in that exact position. In the summer of 2018, after I found my life purpose I started asking myself:

“Okay…but how do I actually turn this into a career?”

Having a passion is one thing. Building a business around that passion is another.

When I first started my journey, I was still working my corporate 8-5 job while completing my coaching education, building my skills, and figuring out what it would take to create a successful life coaching business.

Looking back, there are a few key steps that helped me go from aspiring Life Coach to running a full-time coaching business.

Here’s the path that worked for me.

Step 1: Get Properly Trained and Certified

The first piece of advice I received from another Certified Life Coach was to attend a school accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

This was important to me because I wanted to make sure I was receiving high-quality education and developing the skills needed to truly support my future clients.

I researched several coaching schools and ultimately chose Life Purpose Institute (LPI) because it felt like the right fit. I completed their full coaching program, earned my Advanced Life Coaching Certification, and continued my education because I wanted to become the best coach I could be.

At the time of writing this, I have successfully obtained both my Associate Certified Coach (ACC) and Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credentials through the ICF.

This was not an overnight adventure. I attended classes, completed homework, wrote papers, peer coached, practiced coaching, and started building my business at night and on weekends while still working full-time.

It was a busy season of life that was absolutely worth it.

Step 2: Start Your Coaching Business Before Everything Is Perfect

When I work with entrepreneur coaching clients who are starting a business, I always tell them to focus on three things first:

1. Make sure your business is legally set up.

Make sure your business is registered correctly in your state and that you have the proper protections in place. You want to be legally protected and you want to be in good with the government! Side note: entrepreneur coaching with me is often a tax write off!

2. Get clear on what you offer.

What problem do you solve?

Who do you help?

What transformation do you create?

So many aspiring coaches struggle here. They are marketing to everyone therefore they are marketing to no one.

They are coming from a place of desperation, which looks like I have to take every single client I possibly can, instead of from a place of alignment taking only clients they really love to work with.

The desperation energy is something clients and the universe responds to and will keep you in a state of lack and will end up in burnout. I could go on and on about the mindset piece here but we don’t have time for that right now!

3. Have a way to get paid.

You need a simple way for clients to invest in working with you. That’s it.

The pretty logo, fancy website, professional photos, and branded business cards can come later.

They are fun and exciting but they do not a business make!

I honestly didn’t have all of those things when I first started Ashley The Life Coach, and guess what? I was still coaching clients and my business was making money!

One of the biggest mistakes I see entrepreneurs make is waiting until everything is perfect before launching. I literally know coaches from my program who got so lost in fonts and colors that they to this day never launched their business, and that was back in 2018! It’s 2026 as I write this!

Perfect branding doesn’t create a successful business. Taking action does.

Step 3: Understand Marketing and How to Find Coaching Clients

One of the biggest reasons I was able to grow my coaching business was because I understood the importance of marketing. I actually majored in Advertising and Public Relations at TCU, which gave me a strong foundation in understanding how to communicate with an audience.

Remember, if you are marketing to everyone, you are marketing to no one.

Here are the strategies that helped me build my coaching business:

Niche Down

This is one of the biggest pieces of advice I give my entrepreneur coaching clients. Many new business owners worry that choosing a niche will make them lose clients, but the opposite is true.

The clearer you are about who you help, the easier it is for the right people to find you.

Start Showing Up Before You Feel Ready

I got on social media before I felt completely comfortable and honestly, I don’t even use social media in my personal life.

But I understood that building relationships and sharing my message online was important for growing my business. Instagram became one of the biggest tools I used to build Ashley The Life Coach.

It allowed people to get to know me, understand my coaching style, and see the transformation I help create.

Tell People What You Do

One of the simplest things I did was tell everyone I knew that I was a Certified Life Coach.

Friends.

Family.

Former coworkers.

People I met along the way.

You never know where your first clients will come from.

One of my first clients came from a referral from my high school friend’s dad. Word of mouth is incredibly powerful.

Building a Coaching Business Is Possible With The Right Foundation and Approach

Becoming a Certified Life Coach has truly been one of the greatest decisions of my life. Going from corporate America to creating a full-time coaching business was not always easy.

There were lessons to learn, uncomfortable moments and times I had to trust myself before I had proof that everything would work out.

But step-by-step, I built the business I dreamed about.

Now I get to wake up every day and help people create clarity, confidence, and lives they truly love. That is something I never take for granted.

Today, I help aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners avoid the mistakes I made, create clarity around their business, and build a business that aligns with the life they actually want.

If you are thinking about starting a life coaching business or growing an existing business, entrepreneur coaching can help you create a clear plan and take confident action.

And by the way, this isn’t limited to life coaches! I help all kinds of entrepreneurs from real estate agents to personal trainers to handymen to lawyers build their businesses.

Apply for a free consult to learn more about how coaching with me can help you grow your business with clarity, alignment and without doing the most.