Your road map forward

If you are moving toward full-time coaching, at some point the math has to work. In my decades of training coaches, I have watched most people abandon the idea long before they start, because they cannot see how the numbers come together. This post is the start of a map for that: the milestones ahead, and the one number everything balances on. You can begin here, whether or not you have read Post #1.

Key takeaways:

• There are three revenue milestones on the way to a thriving coaching business: Base Revenue, Growth Revenue, and Legacy Revenue.
• Legacy Revenue is your Northstar. It sits far out in the future, well past year five.
• Milestone #1, Base Revenue, is the momentum milestone. It means your coaching covers your monthly expenses, not your long-term goals.
• NCC students are on track to reach Milestone #1 in one to two years on average, and it can happen before certification.
• Everything balances on one number: the rate for your coaching service. Set that rate first, even before the service is fully defined. The rate tells you what the service needs to become.

Zooming way out to see the big picture of the journey ahead, there are three milestones to reach:

1. Base Revenue
2. Growth Revenue
3. Legacy Revenue

To put this into perspective, think of Milestone #3 (Legacy Revenue) as the big, distant impact and income goal that you have in your mind. I'm not talking about year 1, 3 or even year 5. Think bigger, longer, and way out into the future. We call this your "Northstar!"

It's helpful to have a sense of direction, and still there is a lot of road for us to travel between today and that big goal. You'll get there, but first we need to reach Milestone #1 - Base Revenue so that you know how to coach effectively and acquire clients in a way that feels in integrity with your values.

This blog series focuses on helping you map your route and timeline to Milestone #1 so you can make clear and educated decisions in your life that move you towards that Legacy goal.

I think of Milestone #1 as the "momentum milestone" because it is about generating enough revenue from your coaching service to cover your monthly expenses. Not your long-term financial goals, but that "monthly nut" that must be met every month to keep the ship afloat. When that moment arrives, it brings an amazing feeling that generates a ton of momentum to keep you going and growing.

On average, we see NCC students on track to reach Milestone #1 in 1–2 years. And, with the right planning and action, Milestone #1 can be reached even before a student becomes a certified Nature-Connected Coach!

Yes, you read that right! If you'd like to know how this accelerated approach can apply to you and your situation, schedule a free snapshot call today and we'll walk through it with you.

In order to cover that monthly nut and effectively be able to map your route and timeline to Milestone #1, there is one important factor that everything balances on: the rate for your coaching service.

Your Coaching Service

Yes, a key ingredient here is the coaching service. I understand that you may not have that clearly defined yet, and that is completely fine! In terms of mapping the steps to your goal of full-time coaching, determining the rate for the service first (even if that service is not yet fully defined) can actually help you understand what your service will need to look like.

I know that may sound unconventional, but you probably already think differently from the rest of the world, so try this idea on:

As a coach, the value of your service is determined by the quality of your education, experience, approach, and effectiveness. In order to make money offering that service, that value must translate into a dollar amount, right?

One way to go about this, which you've possibly already started, is to just start amassing education and experience and at some point declare a value on that. However, that takes a lot of time, and time is an important factor if you have real financial deadlines that must be met, right?

What if a more strategic approach was to determine the value first, then find the training and experience that ensures you can deliver on that value? This way, you're not just spending money on trainings blindly - you're actually investing directly into your coaching business.

You've got real skin in the game invested both for you personally, and for your future clients. And you'll know exactly how much time is involved in learning the skills and tools you'll need to deliver your service effectively, which begins to give some structure to your transition plan.

This is actually a real winning mindset and approach, and from the perspective of an instructor whose full-time job is training professional coaches, the students who approach Nature-Connected Coaching with that level of hunger not only get the most out of our program, but they also push us to improve the quality of our educational experience. This makes the whole ecosystem of Professional Coaching and Nature-Connected Coaching better for everyone!

Now, let's take a close look at this and figure out the rate for your coaching service so we can better map your route and timeline to Milestone #1.

In the next post I'll walk you through the steps. Make sure you have a pen, paper, and maybe even a calculator handy. Also, know that it's ok to round up and use "ballpark" numbers. For now, the process that I'll walk you through just needs to land on a number that is as close to reality as possible.

FAQ

What are the three revenue milestones for a coaching business?

Base Revenue, Growth Revenue, and Legacy Revenue. Legacy Revenue is the far-off goal, your Northstar. Base Revenue is the one to aim at first.

What is Milestone #1?

Base Revenue. It means your coaching service generates enough to cover your monthly expenses. It is called the momentum milestone because reaching it creates the momentum that keeps you going.

What is a "monthly nut"?

The amount that has to be met every month to keep the ship afloat. It is about your monthly costs, not your long-term financial goals.

How long does it take to reach Milestone #1?

NCC students are on track to reach it in one to two years on average. With the right planning and action it can happen before a student is even certified.

Should I define my coaching service before I set my rate?

No. Determining the rate first, even when the service is not yet fully defined, helps you understand what the service will need to look like.

Why set the rate before the service?

Because the other route, amassing education and experience and declaring a value later, takes a lot of time. Setting the value first means you invest in the training that delivers that value, instead of buying trainings blindly.

What do I need for the next post?

A pen, paper, and maybe a calculator. Ballpark numbers are fine, as long as they are close to reality.

Read Post #3

Become a certified Nature-Connected Coach

If you'd like to learn more about NCC and talk to someone about your individualized timeline and roadmap you can schedule a Snapshot Meeting here.

Michael Jospe, PCC, is the founder and lead instructor of Earth-Based Institute, an ICF Level 2 accredited Nature-Connected Coaching certification program based in Boulder, Colorado. He has been an ICF-credentialed coach for over two decades and has trained hundreds of professional coaches since 2008.