I am a statistic. 

I broke all the rules, ignored all the advice, and defied all the so-called odds of starting a successful coaching business. 

That’s because I did everything completely opposite of the way the coaching gurus teach:

• Beautiful website with thousands of hits a month, designed to capture in-bound leads? 
  Nah

• Sold thousands of copies of my own published book? 
  Nope  
• Social media rock star with multiple postings on multiple platforms every day? 
  Not at all

In fact, with no online presence, no testimonials and no experience, I was able to build a six-figure coaching business in my first year.

That’s right. 

Six figures in twelve months. 

And I did it in a way that nobody else is teaching today. 

I discovered that all of the advice coming from the coaching “gurus” was just flat-out wrong. 

It’s terribly misleading and is a recipe for failure. 

Here’s why. 

Gurus’ lies are keeping you stuck

I know what you’ve been going through. 

You’ve heard all the advice from the coaching gurus that promise you success if you just do certain things: master online marketing with a glossy website and a robust social media presence. You’ve been told to take advanced trainings and invest in expensive software. 

But if you’re not interested in following their advice, you can’t afford it, or you’ve tried it and it hasn’t worked for you so far, keep reading. 

I’m here to tell you that you shouldn’t believe everything you read or hear from the so-called “gurus.” 

I did it differently, and succeeded because of my “radical” approach. 

You can, too. 

The coaching “gurus” focus on the glitzy and glamorous side of the business, advising aspiring coaches to invest time and money into aspects of their businesses that they’re simply not yet ready for. 

So, I’m calling them out as liars!

Staying focused on these things in the beginning of your business will just keep you broke and frustrated. 

Don’t waste any more time or money doing these ten things the coaching gurus have convinced you that you need.

#1 You don’t need a super micro-targeted niche. 

Do NOT do yourself the disservice of “niching down” this early in the game. There are entire markets out there that you’re more than capable of servicing, but until you’re actually out there serving them, you’ll never know they exist.

#2 You don’t need to be an “expert” in one area to get clients.

OMG! Intimidation, anyone? 

Talk about putting the brakes on your self-confidence before you even get started! 

How do you even know you’re an “expert”? Is it having 10+ years of experience in a given field? Holding a certain degree or certifications?

Having someone (or some institution) say you’re an “expert”? 

Forget all of that! 

What really matters is that you obviously have some powerful knowledge to offer or you wouldn’t be starting a coaching business in the first place. 

#3 Getting clients online is not easy — not even with ads or a sales funnel!

Guess what? Are you sitting down for this one? 

In the first several years of my business, I acquired ALL of my clients offline! 

Meeting prospective clients and turning them into actual clients is hard work. You’ll have to do more than just build new social media profiles, write a few blogs, and create your own sales funnel to start and keep a successful coaching business.

#4 You don’t need more education and certificates before you start.

One of the biggest traps for any coach is to believe they need to invest in more education and certifications before they can start coaching others. 

A long list of certifications and proof of education is nice, but your clients will be more impressed with the positive results you can help them achieve. 

So get out there. Take action. And start coaching.

#5 You don’t need to have an amazing website!

There’s no need to pay a web designer $10k to get you started with a niche you haven’t even validated yet. Do that later after you’ve gotten some clients under your belt.  

All you need to get started is a basic site to get the job done and show that you’re in business. 

You can do this yourself in one weekend using a simple website builder like Squarespace or Wix. 

#6  You don’t have to constantly post on social media about your business; in fact, please don’t badger everyone with a barrage of info about your business.

I don’t know about you, but people who post 20 times a day about their business on social media annoy the crap out of me. 

You don’t need to post everything you do to your newsfeed to make you look “legit.” 

Only post content when you have something of VALUE to share with your audience, not just for the sake of filling space and building credibility. 

#7 You don’t need a massive email list and don’t have to nurture it weekly.

Having an email list is awesome. But you don’t need to have one to start your coaching business. 

There are plenty of other ways to attract prospects and turn them into clients without investing in an expensive email marketing team and complicated software.  

Focus on other tactics first like in-person networking to improve your sales skills and land your first clients. 

#8 You don’t need to do Facebook Lives constantly to build your business.

Surely, “gurus”  have already told you that you have to constantly connect with your audience online to build credibility and brand awareness before you can monetize and get clients. 

There is no reason to even BE online until you have something you can monetize.

#9 Public speaking, a retreat, or an online course shouldn’t be the first thing you sell as a coach!

If anyone tells you to do EVERYTHING but 1-on-1 coaching to start making money with your new coaching business, it’s simply bad advice. 

Public speaking, retreats and online courses are incredible ways to make money as a coach. But you first have to learn how to float before you swim the English Channel. 

All of these efforts are complicated and expensive to orchestrate properly. And as a new coach, you need to start with the basics. 

#10  You don’t have to write and publish a book!

Okay, I have to be honest here. This one really frustrates me. Writing a book has supposedly become the new ‘business card’ of coaching. 

Unless you already have a huge following and ample money to advertise, writing a book while you’re starting your coaching business is a giant waste of time. 

You’ll have wasted a year of your life writing something that is probably really fulfilling to you but will make you zero profit when it’s all said and done. 

Your goal is NOT to be an author. Your goal is to be a coach. So focus on coaching.

So there you have it! I hope that by calling out the “gurus’” lies you see that there is a better way to start a coaching business that’s built on a solid foundation and sustainable for the long-term.