How To Build A Six Figure Coaching Business: The Complete Blueprint

Building a six-figure coaching business comes down to three things: having a clear message, a strong offer, and a reliable way to bring in clients. Nail those, and six figures becomes realistic.

And the market is growing. The coaching industry is now worth over $9.3 billion globally, with thousands of professional coaches building profitable practices. So there’s plenty of demand if you position yourself well.

Key Takeaways

• Clarity fuels growth. Be specific: who do you help, and what result do they actually get from working with you?
  
• A signature coaching method will set you apart. When you capture and refine your methodology, it allows you to provide consistent results, charge premium fees, and expand your reach.
  
• Diversified service offerings will increase revenue potential. Combine 1:1 coaching, group programs, and scalable products like courses to create multiple income streams and stability.
  
• Efficient systems enable scaling. Standardize onboarding, reusable resources, and automation to reduce admin work, maintain quality, and free time for high-value activities.
  
• Strategic pricing attracts committed clients. Set prices based on value and offer packages instead of hourly rates. This will help with better client outcomes and more predictable income.
  
• Growth beyond six figures requires leverage. Expand through certifications, passive income products, and high-fee opportunities like corporate training. This will increase reach without overloading your schedule.

Selecting the Appropriate Business Model for Your Coaching Business

Every coach who has reached six figures has used a different journey to get there. While some start with only a few one-on-one clients, others dive right into leading group programs. Others build digital courses from the start.

However, we think a better lesson is not to duplicate someone else's journey. Your business model should align with your talents, energy, and interests.

So, before you move into making decisions around service packaging and pricing, you need to establish the following three things:

• Why you’re doing this. Is it freedom, impact, lifestyle, or all three?
  
• Who you’re here to help. Be specific, not broad.
  
• What you’re comfortable charging right now. Start where you can, then grow.

With that foundation in place, you can start thinking about your business model. Here are a few that come up often:

• Premium 1:1 Coaching – Perfect if you love going deep with clients. Think executive or leadership coaching. The money is great, but it takes a lot of hours and doesn’t scale well.
  
• Group Programs – Best for coaches who like teaching frameworks and sparking conversations between clients. More scalable, but you’ll need to manage group energy.
  
• Membership or Community Models – Good for accountability-focused niches like wellness or productivity. Predictable recurring income, but churn is a constant battle.
  
• Courses or Digital Products – Great if your process can be broken into clear steps. Scalable, but you’ll need a plan to keep new leads flowing.
  
• Hybrid Models – A mix of the above. Many coaches end up here—a few private clients for premium work, a group program for steady income, and a digital product for scale.

Now comes the reality check: the math. Can your chosen model actually add up to six figures? For instance:

• A 1:1 specialist might work with 10 clients at $1,000/month and hit $120k.
  
• A group program coach could run four launches a year with 15 clients at $2,000 each—also $120k.
  
• A hybrid coach might blend six private clients, a couple of groups, and a small course, hitting around $143k.

The numbers aren’t here to lock you in. They’re here to show what’s possible. Play with them until you find a setup that feels doable and worth showing up for.

Take Jessica Hawks. She built a multi-7-figure business by helping young entrepreneurs leave their 9-5 jobs and launch profitable online ventures. Her success speaks for itself: over $2 million in sales, more than 10,000 students served through Kajabi, and consistent six- to seven-figure annual revenue.

Defining Your Coaching Niche and Expertise

Trying to be everything to "everyone" will make you become just another face in the crowd. Leading coaches clearly define their focus. This makes their message more targeted and offers more compelling.

So, how do you define your niche? Start with your record. Look at the actual results you've helped people accomplish. Look at your past work, volunteer work, or your early coaching sessions. Ask yourself: Building on this, which of these results could I reliably replicate?

Then test for demand. Spend time in forums, Facebook groups, or LinkedIn communities where your potential clients hang out. Notice the questions that come up again and again. Which struggles are people still trying to solve? That’s where opportunity lives.

Lastly, create your positioning. A strong niche statement is simple and specific:

“I help [specific type of person] achieve [specific result] using [your unique method].”

Here are two examples:

• “I help new managers build confident leadership skills through a 90-day framework.”
  
• “I help busy professionals lose weight with sustainable meal plans and habit tracking.”

When you can say this aloud (clearly and boldly), you have a niche you can build on.

Blaine Anderson, founder of Dating By Blaine, shows the power of a focused niche. Since 2021, she’s earned over $3M in revenue, grown an audience of 441K+, and helped 2,700+ clients improve their dating lives. Her mix of self-paced courses, group coaching, and one-on-one support proves how niching down can lead to scale and credibility.

Developing Your Signature Coaching Method

All six-figure coaches have one common denominator: a repeatable, clear process. Clients don't pay for random advice. They need proof that you have a solid process.

So how do you do that? Start by considering your last clients. What did your clients always say about you? Were they comfortable sharing with you? Did they love your energy and drive? Did they love your structure and organization? These aren't personality factors — they're hints at the foundation of your process.

Then, zoom in on what you do every time with clients, regardless of their niche. Do you do an intake assessment? Do you build a "roadmap" that has milestones? Do you have weekly check-ins? These repeating steps are the building blocks of your framework.

A solid method usually has three parts which are clarity (clients can explain it in one sentence to a friend), depth (it works even when clients bring messy, complex problems, and structure (it feels like a path forward, not just a collection of sessions).

For example:

• A business coach I know begins with a “sales funnel map” on day one, then uses it as the north star throughout the program. Here's how to think about and build sales funnels.
  
• A health coach builds 90-day plans with weekly check-ins and habit trackers, so progress is visible.
  
• A leadership coach uses a self-assessment at the start, then revisits it every quarter to prove growth.

These are not just random activities. They are signature pieces of a trustable methodology.

Here is a simple approach to create yours: take a blank page and sketch out how you would take someone from point A to point B. This is your first draft. The more you work with people, the more you can refine and test yours and you can add what makes your coaching uniquely yours. Eventually, it becomes the system that only you can deliver.

Nic Barrow, founder of Snooker Gym, turned his lifelong passion for snooker into a thriving global business. Through Kajabi, he’s generated over $500K in revenue, served customers in more than 100 countries, and provided 1-on-1 coaching in over 50. His story proves that even micro-niches—like snooker—can be systematized into scalable, profitable coaching programs.

Structuring Your Service Offerings

Banking on one offer rarely gets you to six figures. In reality, I have seen most coaches diversify — a few high-ticket clients, a few groups, or a digital product here and there. That balance, gives you not only stability but the breathing room to move things forward.

The easiest way to picture it is as a pyramid. At the top are high-touch services, limited to a small number of people. As you move down, the offers become more scalable, serving larger groups at lower price points.

Here’s how coaches often structure this pyramid:

VIP 1:1 Coaching represents the premium tier, with pricing ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 or more, requiring a high time investment of 8-12 hours per month from the provider. This model has low scalability, typically accommodating only 5-10 clients maximum, making it ideal for premium clients seeking deep, personalized transformations.

‍Group Coaching offers a middle-ground approach, priced between $1,500 and $5,000, with a medium time commitment of 4-6 hours monthly and moderate scalability supporting 15-25 participants. This format works particularly well for clients who thrive with structured programs and built-in accountability systems.

‍Online Courses provide a more accessible option at $200-$2,000, requiring minimal ongoing time investment of just 1-2 hours per month once created, with high scalability potential to serve unlimited students simultaneously. These courses are perfect for independent learners and those just beginning their journey in a particular subject area.

Finally, Digital Resources represent the most scalable option, priced affordably at $50-$500 with minimal automated maintenance requirements and very high scalability potential. These resources serve as excellent entry points for new clients and powerful lead generation tools to introduce people to your broader service offerings.

This gives you the big picture, but don’t treat it as a script. If you’re energized by long, deep conversations, one-on-one might remain your anchor. 

If you love teaching frameworks, group coaching or courses could be the focus. And if you’re naturally a builder, digital templates or toolkits may be your best entry product. Here’s how to choose between courses and coaching.

Additionally, the smartest coaches don’t stop at offering options. They design a service ladder. Someone might first buy a $50 template, then join a $1,500 group program, and eventually book VIP coaching. Each level prepares them for the next, while keeping them in your ecosystem long term.

Pricing Your Coaching Services Strategically

Many coaches do not recognize the value of what they do. Sometimes, it's due to impostor syndrome or fear of rejection. However, pricing is one of your biggest levers to get to six figures. The important part is being intentional about what you charge instead of just guessing.

Start with your financial goal. Work backwards from the income you want to earn. For example, let's say your annual financial goal is $150,000 and you are already committing to 40 weeks per year of work. That means your weekly goal is $3,750. There are a number of ways to get to this price point, such as ten private clients at $375 per week, five clients at $750 per month, or one group program of 12 people at $2,000 each (that generates $24,000 per launch. That's almost six weeks of income). The key isn't exactly how it all adds up; it's understanding ahead of time how your pricing helps to accumulate your yearly goal before you set your rates.

Research the market, but lead with value. It’s useful to understand your community of equivalents, but don’t fall into the trap of matching the lowest price you recognize; instead, forward your price to the outcomes you deliver. Your coaching may help someone get a better job? Perhaps double their income? Or rebuild the confidence they had lost? The change that you create in someone’s life is worth much more than hours of typical face-to-face session fee. So, think outside the box and price yourself accordingly.

Offer packages instead of hourly rates. Pricing by the hour limits your earning potential and makes it difficult to have clients commit for longer. Packages solve both problems. A $3,000 three-month package is simply $3,000 for 12 sessions at $250 per session. You’ve created stable income for yourself and a commitment for your client.

Don’t be afraid of premium pricing. Higher fees often attract clients who are serious about results and willing to do the work. These clients tend to follow through, which leads to better outcomes for them and stronger testimonials for you.

Building Your Client Acquisition System

Ask any coach what keeps them up at night, and most will say the same thing: “Where will my next client come from?” Random posts and wishful thinking don’t cut it. The coaches who actually grow are the ones who build a simple system for bringing in new business—one that runs week after week without relying on luck.

Start with the channels that usually deliver the biggest wins: referrals, partnerships, and content. Referrals often bring in 40–60% of new clients, because nothing beats a warm introduction. 

Partnerships (say, teaming up with a recruiter or nutritionist) can double your reach overnight. 

Content (a blog post, a short video, or a quick LinkedIn tip) positions you as the go-to person in your space and keeps you visible. Here are effective marketing strategies for coaches.

Other channels (social media, networking events, or even ads) can layer on later. They’re valuable, but they’ll only pay off if your core system is already working.

Here’s a simple way to test your client engine: run a 90-day sprint.

• Weeks 1–2: Reconnect with 10–15 past colleagues or clients. Aim for 3–5 referral conversations.
  
• Weeks 3–4: Publish one strong piece of content that speaks directly to a client pain point.
  
• Weeks 5–6: Show up at two industry events (online or in-person) and make five genuine connections.
  
• Weeks 7–8: Follow up with warm leads. The target here: at least three discovery calls.
  
• Weeks 9–12: Look back. Which actions moved the needle? Double down on those and close 1–2 new clients.

At the end, repeat the cycle. Each round makes your system sharper. Over time, you’ll see patterns in conversion rates, know which channels deserve more attention, and build a pipeline to bring a steady flow of valuable clients.

Creating Efficient Client Delivery Systems

If you want to grow beyond six figures you need to be able to serve more clients without burning out and compromising your delivery quality to them. The solution to that is to systematize.

The idea is a small one; stop reinventing the wheel for each client served. This doesn’t mean that you will not pay attention to the individual needs of your clients. This means that you will systematize 80-90% of your clients and then you will define upfront how you deal with the remaining 10-20% of special cases.

It works something like this:

1. Standardize the Start

When a new client signs up, you need to ensure they have the same smooth onboarding experience every time. 

How do you do this? Send them an intake form to gather background information before your first session. Then, use an assessment tool (quiz, questionnaire, or diagnostic call) to establish where they are now, or set up an onboarding sequence so they know exactly what to expect.

This standardization will save you from repeating the same admin work over and over. It also ensures clients start from the same baseline.

2. Create Resources That Work Without You

One of the easiest ways to increase your capacity is to give clients tools they can use on their own between sessions. Examples of these include:

• Worksheets to help them apply what they’ve learned
  
• Templates for tasks they’ll need to repeat
  
• Step-by-step frameworks for processes you teach

Progress won’t depend solely on live calls with you. Clients will keep moving forward even if you’re not in direct contact.

3. Use a Coaching Program Template

This will be your master blueprint for delivering your service. It outlines the topics, exercises, and milestones every client will go through. Why do you need a coaching program template?

• It keeps you consistent in what you deliver
  
• It helps you track where each client is in their journey
  
• It makes it easier to hand off delivery to another coach if you scale your team

4. Let Technology Do the Heavy Lifting

The more you scale, the less time you can afford to lose on admin. Smart tools can automate much of the busywork so you can focus on coaching:

• Video conferencing (Zoom, Google Meet) for remote sessions
  
• Scheduling tools (Calendly, Acuity) so clients can book without endless email back-and-forth
  
• Client portals (Practice, Paperbell, Notion) to share resources and track progress
  
• All-in-one platforms like Kajabi, which combine course hosting, coaching programs, client management, and payment processing in one place, making it easier to manage both 1:1 and group clients at scale

The end result? You spend less time chasing forms, sending reminders, or answering the same questions, and more time on high-value coaching work. Here's what the best online coaching platforms offer and how to choose one.

Establishing Professional Business Operations

A person investing in high-ticket coaching is not just purchasing coaching sessions. They are expecting a seamless and professional experience from A to B! To provide this, you need three foundational elements in place: legal protections, financial protections, and organized client management.

First things first, your legal documents and client onboarding documents. Every coaching business has onboarding documents that should contain agreements that are clear about services, payment terms, schedules, cancellation, anything that will dilute your brand if you do not make it clear. You should bring in confidentiality agreements in order to legally protect people’s information, and have your intake forms filled out before you start your first session. This will protect you legally, but it will also establish to the client that they are in capable hands.

Next, develop a tight financial system. Utilize invoicing tools for professional billing, track your money in detail, and have an accountant who understands service-based business. With clean financial systems, we can avoid cash flow surprises, and we can spend our time looking after clients instead of being stressed over bookkeeping issues.

Finally, implement a client relationship management (CRM) process. As your client base grows, the details you track can get lost in the shuffle. This is where a CRM is able to help. You can log client progress, milestones, and goals, take session notes, and track personal important dates. Clean organization will ensure you replicate a personal client experience, even as you grow.

Leverage Technology and Platforms

Using technology will provide you the ability to sustain efficiency as well as scale. When you can get it dialed in, it will be time-saving, benefit your client experience, and enable you to perform at an even better level while not adding more hours to your week.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Start With An All-In-One Platform

Platforms like Kajabi bring together everything you need. You’ll get client management, content delivery, payment processing, and marketing automation in one integrated system. This reduces the need for juggling separate tools and keeps your operations streamlined.

2. Create A Professional Client Portal

Your portal becomes the central hub for your clients. It’s where they can access program materials, schedule sessions, and monitor their progress. A well-designed portal eliminates unnecessary back-and-forth and gives clients a sense of structure and professionalism.

3. Automate Your Communication

Email sequences handle much of the work in the background. This includes welcoming new clients, sending reminders, and keeping people engaged between sessions. 

Done right, automation keeps your client experience consistent and personal without demanding constant manual effort.

4. Make Video Part Of Your Delivery

High-quality video has become important for modern coaching, whether you’re running live group calls, recording course modules, or sending personalized feedback. It helps you connect more deeply and makes your content more engaging.

5. Choose Tools That Fit Your Model

Group program coaches will get the most from platforms with strong community features and group messaging. One-on-one coaches should focus on scheduling, client tracking, and secure file sharing. If you run a hybrid model, look for a system flexible enough to combine live sessions, recorded content, and automated support.

Scaling Your Business Beyond Six Figures

Reaching six figures is a big deal, but for many coaches, it's just the start. 

Scaling beyond this level means you need to rethink how you deliver value so your income can increase without your calendar filling to capacity.

• Expand through certification. If you’ve developed a proven coaching methodology, consider training and certifying other coaches to deliver it. This lets you serve more clients without increasing your personal workload, while generating revenue from certification fees and ongoing supervision.
• Build passive income streams. Digital courses, books, and licensing agreements allow you to package your expertise and sell it repeatedly without direct time involvement. These products reach a wider audience—including people who aren’t ready for your full coaching programs—while providing an additional income layer.
• Leverage high-fee opportunities. Corporate training programs, workshops, and speaking engagements put you in front of larger audiences while commanding premium rates. They also boost your visibility and credibility in your field, opening doors to new partnerships and higher-value clients.

Scaling is about multiplying your impact, not just your hours. By diversifying your offers and strategically expanding your delivery model, you can grow well beyond six figures while keeping your business sustainable.

Coaches like Tiffany Uman and Jessica Hawks are great examples of scaling beyond one-on-one clients. By adding group programs, digital courses, and other leveraged offers, they grew far past the six-figure mark while keeping their businesses sustainable.

Measuring Success and Optimizing Performance

Money matters, but it’s not the whole picture. A coaching business that’s actually thriving will show signs beyond revenue. You will see happy clients, steady referrals, and programs that keep filling up without you begging for sales.

So, what should you really be tracking? Start with how satisfied your clients are. Are they finishing your program? Do they come back for more? Do they introduce you to their friends and colleagues?

A coach with 70% of new clients coming from referrals is doing something right. That’s a success rate worth bragging about.

Next, look at your pipeline. Every coach should know how many leads came in this month, how many booked a call, and how many actually became paying clients. If you spoke with 10 prospects and only one signed up, you don’t just have a “sales problem”—you’ve got data telling you where to improve, whether that’s your messaging, offer, or follow-up.

And then there’s client lifetime value. Some people hire you once. Others stick around for years or send three friends your way. Those long-term clients are worth far more than a quick one-off package. Design your services and communication with them in mind—you’ll find retention and referrals become your real growth engine.

The point is this: don’t just track revenue. Track outcomes, loyalty, and patterns. That’s how you spot what’s working, fix what’s not, and know if your business is truly healthy, not just “profitable on paper.”

Taking Action on Your Six-Figure Journey

Building a six-figure coaching business requires a clear plan, smart systems, and consistent execution.

1. Start with clarity. Define your niche and develop a signature methodology that delivers measurable results. Your unique approach will set you apart in a crowded market.

2. Structure your offers strategically. Create services at different levels, such as private coaching, group programs, and digital products, that meet clients where they are while supporting your income goals.

3. Build systems for efficiency. Put processes in place to onboard clients smoothly, deliver consistently, and track progress. This allows you to grow while keeping the personal touch that makes coaching impactful.

4. Invest in professional infrastructure. From client management tools to marketing platforms, choose technology and operations that support your business instead of slowing it down.

5. Keep your focus on sustainability. Six figures is a foundation for a business that lets you make a lasting impact and live the lifestyle you want.

If you’re ready to put these pieces in place, Kajabi gives you everything you need to create, market, and deliver your coaching programs in one integrated platform. Start your 14-day free trial today and see how the right tools can accelerate your journey to six figures.

Expert Tip: Here are a few quick six-figure coaching business tips to keep in mind: raise prices gradually, track referrals weekly, repurpose your content into multiple formats, automate your follow-ups, and always measure client success rates. Think of these as notecards to keep your business on track.