Hey [accessally_user_firstname] – how are you going so far?  Now that we know where we are going, and we have a better understanding of the territory we will be crossing, we can pack what we need!

Coaching is big business, and that means that there are no end of tools, support services and programs all targeting coaches. Everywhere you look it seems that there is some other bell and whistle that you ‘need’ in order to make a success of your coaching practice, and before you know it you are up to your eyes in monthly subscriptions and tools and programs that are supposed to make your life and business easier.

You know how I know? Because I bought them all! Some people have a thing for shoes, others have a thing for online courses. Me? I have a thing for software. I actually have a line item in my annual budget to spend on software, I am such a sucker for it.

That is why I can say with conviction that tools and supplies are a rabbit hole that can lead you further away from your coaching goal rather than closer to it.

Every adventure needs some tools and supplies, but just as in the best adventure stories and games, it’s best to start of light, and then pick up what you need on the way.

But that then begs the question – what do I actually need?

The tools that you are going to need will vary depending on the model that you have chosen and how much you want to do yourself. I do think that there is value in having an appreciation of the amount of work involved in each task in your business so that you can make an educated decision on how much to spend on tools.

Let’s take a look at each of the most common coaching models:

1:1 Coaching Model – need to haves

– coaching agreement (Google form, Hellosign etc)

– means to accept payment  (cash, cheque, PayPal, Stripe)

– means to connect  (in-person, over the phone, Skype, Zoom)

Next level

– online scheduler  (Acuity, Calendly, Satori etc)

The simplest model is that of one-to-one coaching. There are many benefits to this model in my mind, not least its ease to start. All you need to begin is a document that outlines the agreement between coach and client, a means to take payment for your coaching service; this could be cash or cheque for in-person clients, or PayPal or direct transfer for remote clients, and a means to connect whether that is a physical location like an office or cafe, or via telephone, Skype or Zoom.

If you are carrying out your coaching online and in multiple timezones then I recommend that you utilise an appointment scheduler like Acuity to manage timezones and daylight savings. Juggling timezones can be a big drain on your time!

All of the tools mentioned here can be used without cost.

Group Coaching Model – need to haves

– coaching agreement (Google form, Hellosign etc)

– means to take payment  (cash, cheque, PayPal, Stripe)

– means for group to meet  (in-person, Skype, Zoom)

Next level

– membership platform  (Teachable, Wishlist, AccessAlly, Kajabi, ClickFunnels…..)

If you are bringing groups together you can still do this simply and without cost. Once again, you should have an agreement in place to align expectations, a means to take payment and a means for your group to meet. These are the same as outlined for 1:1 coaching above, although to meet online I recommend Zoom, as you can have a large number of people in the meeting via video. There may be a cost involved to run meetings over 40 minutes. This is as little as $15USD per month.

You may wish your group to move through some resources or curriculum and in order to do that, it might be worth looking into a membership platform. All it really does is provide some security to your content so that only the members of your group can access it. There are a huge number of providers available with varying costs and features. If you are just starting out, something like Thinkific could be a good option as it is free. I began with a password protected page on my website (not advisable!) and then moved onto Thinkific before bringing all my programs into the Coach School training vault that you are using for this course.

Listbuilding/Opt-in – need to haves

– email marketing system  (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign)

– landing page or website  (Instapage, LeadPages, WordPress….)

Next level

– blog  (WordPress)

You may choose to grow your list alongside one of the other options, or your membership platform might require you to have an email marketing system so let’s look at those. An email marketing system allows you to create a form that you can place on a website (if you have one) or a landing page (a single page website that’s sole purpose is to capture email addresses) so that your visitors can join your email list. It also allows you to create a single email and send it to everyone on your list. Simple automation is a great feature to send a series of emails once someone signs up to get to know you, or to share a series of topics like a course. From there, things can get pretty clever and comprehensive.

If you are brand new to the world of online marketing then get yourself a free Mailchimp account to get started.

Whilst it may appear that I am recommending only free or cheap options (I am at this stage) that does not mean that I don’t value investing in tools for your coaching business, I absolutely do. I just want to make sure that you know what you need them for, first, rather than buying the tools and then trying to shoehorn them into your vision.

There are a myriad other options available to create courses, hold content securely and do whiz-bang automation when you need it. In the meantime, figure out what you need right now, and then recognise that everything else is a nice-to-have. And yes, that means your website too. I see way too many new coaches investing all their marketing budget into a shiny website, but it doesn’t actually drive clients to your practice. Get the basics right first, and then add to your toolkit.

To give you an idea, here are some of the tools and services that I use every month: