Let’s talk about money. Not the inspiring stories about coaches transforming lives, or the personal development you’ll experience, or how coaching will change your perspective on everything. Let’s talk about pounds and pence, because there’s an elephant in the room that our profession seems not to want to acknowledge. When you invest significant sums in a coaching programme (up to £25,400 in some cases), what financial return or ROI can you realistically expect?
The coaching profession has a curious relationship with financial reality. Many training providers will discuss the fees experienced coaches command, and let’s face it, £200-£500 per hour sounds magnificent, but they don’t always explain that unless you already have monetiseable credibility, you’ll likely struggle to find clients without learning an entirely different skill set. Is this deliberate? I suspect not. I suspect they, as well as many (most?) coaches, don’t recognise the privilege that those with monetiseable credibility possess.
We surveyed recent coaching programme costs and found a striking range. Entry-level programmes start around £3,300 plus VAT. Mid-range options cost £5,995-£6,950. Professional certificates reach £7,250. Masters programmes command fees of as much as £25,400. What we don’t know, however, is how many graduates from these programmes actually earn enough to justify their investment. If the data were a) available and b) positive, training providers would surely be shouting about it.
The reality is harsher than most coaches expect. Associate work is becoming scarce, to the point where there’s a company that exists where clients pay the firm, but coaches work for free – essentially paying through unpaid labour to build their required hours. Our professional bodies accept this arrangement because it helps coaches complete their credentialing requirements.
The Disconnect
There is a disconnect between a qualified coach and a successful business owner, and that disconnect is profound. Coaches with marketing degrees and entire marketing careers come to The Coaching Revolution because they can’t market their own businesses. These aren’t people lacking professional competence – they’re intelligent, capable individuals who’ve discovered that Western education systems create excellent employees, not entrepreneurs. It’s fair to say that once they learn the skills, they soar.
The problem I’m talking about here isn’t the quality of coaching training. Most programmes are genuinely good, enjoyable, and transformational on a personal level. I’ve never met a coach who doesn’t love coaching itself. Coach training programmes provide valuable personal development, professional growth, and genuine skills. The uncomfortable truth is that they typically offer only 50% of the skills we need to run a successful coaching business. The other 50% – client acquisition, business development, marketing your services – is either completely absent, or given superficial treatment.
Some programmes do ‘nod’ toward business building. They might include a session on niching (I have yet to hear of one that covers it in enough depth, but happy for you to correct me if you know of one) or sell an add-on ‘building your business’ course consisting of self-paced videos and case studies from experienced coaches who often have monetiseable credibility. These coaches often share how ‘their niches found them’ – advice that’s not at all helpful for someone starting from scratch.
The problem is that videos, no matter how excellent, aren’t enough, because implementation is complex. Coaches need ongoing support to keep going through the inevitable period before they gain traction, yet training providers treat business development as an afterthought – a few videos to tick a box rather than the substantial, supported learning experience it needs to be.
Feeling Resentful
Many coaches feel misled when they discover this gap. They invested significant money and time expecting to emerge ready to build a thriving practice, only to find they’re missing critical business skills. Yet they rarely admit regret about their investment, probably because they don’t. The emotional rewards, personal transformation, and enjoyment of the learning experience make it psychologically easier to justify the expense, even when the financial returns don’t materialise.
This creates a cognitive dissonance that the profession could be described as taking advantage of. Our training providers focus on the high fees qualified coaches can command, without addressing the client acquisition challenge. This results in coaches taking in expensive courses while remaining unaware of the business failure rate or the additional skills they’ll need.
The psychology is powerful. Prestigious institutions carry genuine kudos and status. Coaching programmes are intellectually stimulating and personally rewarding. The community of fellow coaches is supportive and inspiring. These are real benefits – just not necessarily financial ones. Many reasons make a coaching qualification valuable beyond financial ROI – but the coaches I speak to (and I speak to hundreds a month) all tell me that when they started their coach training, they believed there would be a monetary ROI.
So should you avoid expensive coaching programmes entirely if you’re looking for financial ROI? Not necessarily. Any coach can see positive returns on their training investment, but only if they accept two realities: 1) they need additional business skills, and 2) building a sustainable practice takes time and humility.
The question isn’t whether coaching training is worthwhile – it absolutely is. The question is whether you’re making an informed decision based on complete information when you enrol on one.
Financial ROI
If you’re looking for financial ROI then before investing in a coaching qualification, ask yourself:
- Do you have existing monetiseable credibility? This means people who already know, like and trust you, who understand what coaching is and are in a position to commission coaching.
- If not, are you prepared to invest additional time and money learning client acquisition and business skills?
- Can you afford to build your practice slowly while potentially earning little initially? If not, are you prepared to work alongside building your practice?
If you can honestly answer yes to these questions, even the most expensive coaching programmes may represent good value. If not, you might find better ROI starting with more affordable training and investing the savings in business development education.
The coaching profession would benefit from more honest conversations about financial realities. Coaches deserve complete information before making substantial investments. Perhaps most importantly, we need to acknowledge that transformational personal experiences and viable coaching practices aren’t the same thing.
An Opportunity
If you’re ready to start building financial ROI, why don’t you join me for my next free Nail Your Niche challenge? In it, every coach’s question gets answered; everything I know gets shared openly, and I talk about the realities of building a financially viable practice.
There is an optional £99 upgrade that gives you three additional 60-minute group mentoring sessions with me, described as ‘Sarah, unfiltered’ but the core challenge is completely free.