How to Set Your Client Capacity as a Coach

How many clients can you really take on as a coach? In this episode, Emily Merrell and Lexie Smith talk about how to set your client's capacity as a coach. They speak to how to determine such throughout different seasons of life, and the reality of how much time a single client truly takes. Reflecting on their experiences dealing with fluctuating workloads and capacity, they share tangible tips and homework on how listeners can avoid burnout or boredom. 

Here’s what you’ll learn: 

• The number one element that is key in determining and setting your capacity as a coach
• Tips on how to take inventory of your own energy levels
• How finding the time of the day that you work best in is critical
• The definition of a super-user and under-user is in coaching, and how each affect your capacity overall
• How much time it truly takes to service a coaching client or a group program
• That it’s OK to change your capacity throughout different seasons of your life and business
• And More!

Follow Em & Lex on Instagram at @readysetcoachprogram

Learn more about the Ready Set Coach Program at Readysetcoachprogram.com

Learn more about Six Degrees Society and THEPRBAR inc.

Transcript

 How to Set Your Client Capacity as a Coach - Podcast Transcript

Emily Merrell 

can I tell you something I'm kind of obsessed with what rhymes there's more power.

Lexie Smith 

Guys, if I have to hear Emily say core power yoga one more time, we should turn this into a drinking game actually quick Cineworld. Before I let you talk. I was just talking to a member of our cohort who listens to this show yesterday in our grad session. And I told her that she needs to take a shot every time she hears me say get neutral on the show. Well, I

Emily Merrell 

got neutral yesterday thinking of you I after I like rage against the machines. I was like pillows, I hate you everything I hate you. And I was like Lexie would say get neutral. If I send an email in response.

Lexie Smith 

So that's my word. And your Word of the month is core power yoga.

Emily Merrell 

I think I have kind of an addictive personality at times, like I'll get really addicted to one thing, and then I'm done with it. Like I'm very satisfied. So in 2016 or 2015, I got really into knitting. Like I got really into dating. I really loved knitting, I knit. And I talked about knitting. And then I found my knitting recently. And I was like, Yeah, not really into it. And then, like, I got into SoulCycle I bought the shoes for SoulCycle and everything I was, I was I was committed. And then ClassPass believe me like I was I was tweeting at ClassPass to keep it unlimited, I would go every single day. I was like that was my dream job was to work at ClassPass. And now here we are core power yoga. You had friendship bracelets, you had Oh, we have friendship like friendship, bliss. Friendships words.

Lexie Smith 

I think words are hard. I think we've talked about this briefly. But my husband's the same way as you he's gone through like fate hobby phases is like how I frame it. He has been, let's see here. He was really, really into biking at one point and wanted to be like a long distance biker. Then he was really into gardening. And then this is like a he's like a he's an engineer played football in high school. So some of these hobbies make me make me giggle a little bit. Then he got really into running. What is he into right now? Well, I don't feel like he has a lot of time to have a life right now. Golf. Golf is the thing right now.

Emily Merrell 

into golf. Golf. You know, I can totally get on the golf wagon. I was introduced to Top Golf last year. Oh my god, that was the most cathartic experience to hit balls in the middle of nowhere in winter or whatnot. I thought that was that was awesome. So I could totally get into into golf. But yeah, core power. I think what I like about

Lexie Smith 

shot everyone shot she said it. Yeah,

Emily Merrell 

back to core power, you know, core power, please call me I will work for

Lexie Smith 

you. Now.

Emily Merrell 

What I really like about it is it's it's winter here. And so like you go into the studio and it's really warm. So it kind of feels like you're going into a sauna or something like that. And then it's but it's not so hot. We're Asana I feel like a minute for a minute and then I want to get out and and then I love the fact that it's pretty fast paced, but then it also takes the time for like savasana and child's posts. And I'm wouldn't say I'm a yoga person. And I like the fact that I'm getting better at yoga or feel more confident in yoga poses. Well, I'd always be like, Oh my God, what are they doing? What's a warrior? Who is where you're one so anyhow. What about you, Lex?

Lexie Smith 

I was so first I have to crack up because this is so where my brains at when you say up sauna. I'm thinking of Asana, the project management tool, even though I know, saunas came way before the project management tool. That's my world. I am someone who grew up playing sports year round and I have dabbled in trying to find different forms of workout diet like beyond that. I like cardio, and I like abs and it really worked out in my garage. But before we get to squirrel, like you were teeing me up for the perfect transition. So I'm gonna rewind because remember how you and CJ my husband are hobbyists. Well, you guys have phases. So you know what else has phases your work capacity for clients can go in different phases in your business. So today we are talking, talking about how to determine client capacity in coaching.

Emily Merrell 

Can we just say that 10 times fast client capacity in coaching,

Lexie Smith 

capacity in coaching client capacity and coaching client capacity? And coach? That's funny.

Emily Merrell 

Good job. You crushed a subscribe, you know, right, we're like, and there goes or or three followers. Thanks, guys. So let's see, what does that mean? What is when you say, Well, you say it so beautifully fast. But what is and how can you determine client capacity and coaching?

Lexie Smith 

Yeah, so first, this topic came to mind because Emily and I are working with an individual who has been trying to maximize her capacity of coaching clients, meaning how many clients can she have or handle at a given point in time?

Emily Merrell 

Right? It sounds like a tongue twister. Kelly, what's capacity for clients?

Lexie Smith 

Myself, it's an alliteration, a beautiful alliteration. But yes, so basically, how do you know how many clients you can take on what is your capacity and her challenge, she's always worried that she doesn't want to undercut herself and she also doesn't want to take on too much. So it becomes this balancing act. So today, we're gonna like talk about a few things to consider. And I want to kick us off with this reality, which ties back to my transition, that your threshold or your capacity can change in seasons of life and seasons of business. So what do I mean by that?

Emily Merrell 

What you mean by that, maybe you're having a baby, or maybe you're preparing to have a baby or go take maternity leave, or go back to maternity or go back to work postponed maternity leave, there's so many moments that are gonna allow you more capacity and moments that you're gonna be like, no, no, dog, I'm fine. I literally am to have

Lexie Smith 

no dog. Well, yes, exactly. So first and foremost, knowing and this is the beauty of having your own business that you get to control that threshold. That being said, How do you monitor that realistically. So one of the things that's really, really important to find your own capacity is to get very, very aware of your own energy levels. And when you start to feel on the brink of overwhelm, or burnout versus the flip side, you're on the brink of boredom and wanting more. So what are some ways you can start to take inventory of your energy?

Emily Merrell 

Yeah. So first up, I want to just comment that Lexie and I are very different in our energy levels, Lex can do amazing work like doing 10 things at once. I need to focus on one thing at a time to create the quality of work. I can also go further and stay up later and get up earlier, while Lexie asleep, it turns out, which is crazy.

Lexie Smith 

You're a marathon runner, I'm your dash

Emily Merrell 

he is as I've been sprinter. So thinking about your own your own capacity for work, or how you work. And we've talked about this in other episodes before, but really taking inventory and paying attention to moments when you're really jazzed and you're in flow. So flow is a feeling that you will have where you will start a project. And you'll look at the clock and it'll be like four hours later, and you were still in that project, you were still crushing it, you were still excited about what you're doing. Flow doesn't have to be four hours long. It also can be an hour long, it could be 25 minutes long. But for me, personally, I find that I really, really feel the most alert and excited and competent, early in the morning. So what that means when I say early in the morning, that's before noon, in the afternoon, that is the time when I can take phone calls. That's when I can hold space for people. But I do not want to be writing emails. I do not want to be reading copy for something at this point of the day. Like what about you?

Lexie Smith 

Yeah, so I think I found my capacity through trial and error. There's a few different things when it comes to coaching that can affect how much energy a given client has and will pin x. We'll talk about that in a second. But it took me having too many clients to realize I was I was overboard. So what you can do ahead of time is start to post a coaching session. Really take a personal step back and evaluate how you're feeling. Let's say you met with two clients that day. How are you feeling? Let's say you met with three How are you feeling? We want to get to the place where Are you still feel like you're able to show up at 110%. So if you start to at the end of the night feel so depleted, then that is a clear sign that you're kind of you're over capacity.

Emily Merrell 

Yeah. And I think that's such a good learning. And it sucks. Because at the end of the day, this is not something that we can we can teach you, we can tell you about it. But it's going to be a feeling that only you can really understand or really observe and make adjustments for. For me personally, I'm someone that likes to ease into my week and have like one or two calls, if I have that. We do have a ready set coach call coming up on Monday, which I'm very excited about. And then I also then I kind of go slowly through the week, and then Wednesdays and Thursdays. Usually Wednesday is kind of a shitshow. Like, I'm not gonna lie, Wednesday is probably an always my busy, busiest day. And then it's like a mountain and it starts declining. And by Friday, that's when I can start breathing again. And I'm able to recap everything that happened, and then ease me into the weekends. But I always like to give myself that wiggle room both on the Monday and the Friday to not feel like I am catching my breath in a big way when like five o'clock Friday night

Lexie Smith 

happens. Yeah. So there's two tangible things that you guys can do to sort of try to map this out. One is called a time tracker. And this isn't, you know, a crazy, you might have heard of this before, but really spend a week time tracking everything that you're doing in your business. From Yes, client calls, but also the support it takes beyond the client calls, start to time track how much time you're spending on social media, etc. So that is one thing that's pretty easy to track. The other thing the other bonus, it's gonna be really helpful in terms of capacity is along with that time tracking, track your energy, start to take note that Okay, after client calls, I'm feeling depleted, or after writing social media for two hours, I'm feeling like let's go starting to write like start to really get aware of how you operate because Emily nailed it on the head. We don't We can't tell you what your capacity is. That's something you have to get to yourself.

Emily Merrell 

But as we play the role of your naggy moms basically, one other friendly reminder that we're going to put in and this is just a human necessity that a lot of times we forget about because we're business owners and we don't have time for me, we don't have time for self care, we don't have time to fill our cup I have business to run and I have to be on the cover of Forbes by the time I'm 30 Or I'm a failure. So we all those minds, all those ideas floating in your mind. Drink water. Remember to drink

Lexie Smith 

water, like should we hit pause I haven't

Emily Merrell 

get yourself a huge water bottle. Drink at least two of these a day. And when you have to finish or when you finish the water bottle Get up get up to drink more water but I think one of the things in terms of capacity are in terms of energy that I just want to harp on because I'm so guilty of this Lex you're so guilty of this. This is something that we're always learning and evolving on but it is monitoring our energy levels. And a lot of times his energy levels What did they correspond to Lex? How we're feeling? No, they correspond to have you eaten today?

Lexie Smith 

Oh, that's what I mean. Like how you're feeling like yeah, okay, sorry. I meant that but what's your routine? Have you drink water? Have you slept? Yes.

Emily Merrell 

Yes, good job, have you shower or do you feel but together I think during the pandemic, it was so easy for us to kind of feel like a low energy not only with the world blowing up but the fact that we're in our pajamas, we're not dressed for the day so putting yourself when you think about your energy levels and monitoring your energy levels like think about also what activates your your energy levels. Hmm

Lexie Smith 

Great point. Great point. So we're talking about are kind of nailing the hammer nailing the hammer on the head.

Emily Merrell 

I think you got the hammer. Yeah,

Lexie Smith 

you're important. This guy's right. Yeah. So some other things to consider to really start to understand capacity. One sit down and clearly identify how much time a singular client actually takes that is accounting for things beyond the phone call. So do you take 30 minutes before a phone call prepping? Do you then take 45 minutes after a phone call? Is there any support you're providing in between? Write that down? That is something you can track right and you can start to play with some numbers there.

Emily Merrell 

Lex how can people find out how to work

Lexie Smith 

with us? Super simple. Go to ReadySet coach program.com Link in show notes and then What I want to mention, and this is this is a harder one. But I have a piece of advice following this consideration is is this client, a super user, or a not super user. So a super Emily, we tell them what a super user is

Emily Merrell 

for sure. And I also I just want to before I tell them what a super user is, just remind you also, but tracking this information, this is going to be fodder for when you give yourself a raise, or you change your pricing, you're gonna be like, Oh, I was under charging or undervaluing the time that I gave my clients. So super users, super users are the people that show up to every single event, if you host an event with an unlimited membership, there are me when I was on class paths, and it was unlimited class paths, like I went seven days a week, sometimes twice a day, I would squeeze what was given to me. And that's what they are to you, they are taking advantage of every perk that you're providing them. They are, if you're giving them slack access, or Voxer access, they're probably on there, the moment that they wake up to the moment that they go to sleep at night. So you're gonna have super users, which is also going to be something that you're going to be need to be cognizant that your boundaries are in place. Because those are really good people to just test those boundary limits, and you want to be able to protect them in a gracious way. Then you're gonna have the not super users. Funny enough, I find that people I don't know if you agree with this Lex, but it's usually like our pay in full clients are the people who end up like doing the highest programs, they're the ones that aren't super using as much

Lexie Smith 

1000 5,000,000,000%. Yeah,

Emily Merrell 

yeah, it is. Fascinating. Literally, it's the painful client. I'm probably not a super user, I think you'd have me as a user, you're probably a super user.

Lexie Smith 

I'm a mini mini. Yeah, MIDI.

Emily Merrell 

Any but any not super users are the people that you're like checking in on your like you alive, like, did you get my homework that I sent? Do you want me to review any of the homework? I'm here on standby? You might wonder like, are they getting value with what you're offering them. But these are just people who know what they want. And they, they ask for what they want when they want

Lexie Smith 

it. Another word choice. And I'm not saying this in a negative way, is high maintenance versus low maintenance. And honestly, that really affects your capacity. So a conversation I was having with a client recently, because with PR bury only do one on one, and we'll talk in a second about one on one verse group. But at the PR bar, I only do one on one. And she asked me how I define my capacity. And I told her my capacity isn't just set out, oh, I take four clients at a given time. My capacity changes based on my current client loads usage, meaning do I have three super users with me right now? Or do I have three that are super low maintenance, then maybe I can take on a fourth? So it's something that I'm consistently evaluating every single quarter, who do I have on my roster? How much time are they taking

Emily Merrell 

such a great, great way to phrase it, that it's not a it's not a defined, marked in the sand kind of thing? Like it's definitely something that evolves. So talk about one on one verse grip a little bit too. That's, I was gonna ask you that question. I'm asking you that. You always ask me the questions. Okay. So yes, one on one. You all know what it's like to have a one on one client one on one client is someone as we just described you, you could have a super user or you could have an under user, but you're holding space for one singular human. So that's me holding space for Lexie right now and being like Lexie, how are we going to you know, how are you doing with X y&z We're talking feelings, we're talking emotions, we're talking action, we're talking strategy, whatever type of coach you are, you are in it for them. This is not your time. For personal stories, this is a time to literally be of service.

Lexie Smith 

In lacks. It's a lot.

Emily Merrell 

Like I usually leave a coaching call and I'm like, Oh my God, I need to like move my body. That was a lot. It's a lot, a lot of capacity. However, for other people, it might be like, Wow, I could go run a marathon because I feel so lit up by that call. You might have different reactions, depending on your clients, you might have different reactions just based on how the conversation went, and like the depth that you were having. That being said, it also can drain you because there's it takes a lot more clients one on one to get to sometimes your ideal number, right. So a group commitment I love what a group commitment is, is you're holding space for multiple people. So it's usually not one star of the show who is grabbing your attention. You're sharing and you're dividing that energy equally.

Lexie Smith 

Yeah, and I think Emily and I learned our lesson, the hard way again, not in a negative way. But our cohort has evolved because the first version of ReadySet coach As a group program was very hybrid, meaning everyone got one on one support and group support, they got us editing individually, every single homework assignment or seven, one on one calls us doing one on one slack support. And that meant unintentionally about, we were trying to have a group, they were having a group and 10 little plants. And it was a lot, it was a lot a lot. And yes, there were super users and not super users. But what we ended up doing and we have a whole episode on how to extend life cycles of clients in different diversifying strategies of revenue is we've now landed on a tiered approach, meaning you have the option to upgrade for that one on one. And that allows us really, to monitor and keep track of our capacity.

Emily Merrell 

Yes, and I, oh, my gosh, I want to kind of go back to a young version of ourselves where we're like, Yeah, this isn't gonna be that much work. And then when he looked and we tracked our hours, we were both essentially having, yeah, we were having like full on coaching, one on one coaching sessions, daily with people and then also copy editors, and providing feedback and support on Slack that, like our businesses, took a very, very, very backseat to these individuals, businesses.

Lexie Smith 

Yeah, so it was a lot. And basically, one thing I want to pull from this is to be very mindful, when you're creating your containers, whether they be group or one on one on the support that you're offering, and the structure and the boundaries that you have in place. It's great to want to offer your clients 24/7 hours or throw, throw everything at the kitchen sink. But the reality is, if you do, and then all of a sudden you get a bunch of super users, you're going to be depleted. And to be honest, you're likely not going to be showing up to them showing up for them at 110%. So it's really to your benefit to their benefit to have those boundaries in place to protect your capacity. So that when you are showing up, you're showing up for the full human and coach that they want to work with.

Emily Merrell 

A min to Amen, preach. So, Oh, speaking of boundaries and capacity, my dog wants out of this room. Let's see. She's fine. She's okay. I think that she was out the door. But she's like Emily, mom's on a call. So I'm going to just lay down and not bother her. During this things. That is the work life balance peeps, that is work life balance. So let's talk about work life balance a little bit more. What does it mean? What does work life balance mean? Let's Is it real?

Lexie Smith 

I think it's subjective, entirely. And I think this kind of goes back to the first point we were chatting through on how your capacity can change in different seasons of life. I think work life balance looks different for different people. And I think it's okay, and I think you're allowed to have your own opinion of what that looks like for you. So for some, that might be a four day workweek. For others, it might be working from 8am to 1pm. So you can pick up your kids after school, what work life balance means to you, is what it means to you. So that's the first point I want to make kind of piggybacking off that that directly affects your capacity. Because if you've outlined your working hours in such a way that you're only working for five hours a day, that's obviously going to affect the amount of clients or the client load you can take on

Emily Merrell 

Yes, yes, yes, yes. And it is, it is also something that I want we want to provide you permission with to evolve that will evolve. As we mentioned earlier, there are different seasons of your life and different seasons of your business that are going to feel like oh my god, I want to work 24/7 Because I am watching this business and that's really important for me to work 24/7 Because I know in eight months I plan on having a baby and I want it to be on autopilot. So give yourself that grace that it can ebb and it can it can flow with the seasons but also be realistic that this is just again another permission slip for everyone like your your work doesn't have to be all that you do.

Lexie Smith 

Team work to live not live to work

Emily Merrell 

yeah, and I think it's hard again you're like Emily I'm starting a business lakhs I'm starting a business like that is my identity that is who I what I am doing. And again that it's a season of your life currently but with time and with money and with investments and with systems like that will evolve and I I am going to give a personal experience to like before I had a kid I truly was like I have no problem working all the time. I love working. What else would I do? I have no hobbies. I didn't have core power at this point in my life guys. But truly, I was like, I don't have hobbies, like reading and sleeping, and working are my hobbies. And I like doing it. So why, like, why should I penalize myself or get mad at myself if I didn't want to work all the time. And it wasn't until my life involve taking care of a small tiny tyrant where I had to, I had to stop my day, or I had to be the child care or pick them up from child care at a certain time. And back to what we were talking about earlier about multitasking. Like in those moments, I've made a commitment to myself to be present. Because these are very fleeting moments that are, again, is a part of a season of my life, and will evolve as he evolves as I evolves as my family evolves.

Lexie Smith 

Yeah. I mean, that personal personal story, Emily, that sounded sarcastic, but I didn't mean it to sound like that. Um, I just was, was thinking there's, if there's anything else we kind of want to touch on here. I think that the big soapbox that Emily and I are making in this episode, is that capacity, Clank capacity, the question of how to determine your client capacity and coaching capacity and coaching, client capacity and coaching. Just kidding is not black and white. It is something that you have the power to control. It's something you're going to learn over time, and it's something that's going to be ever evolving. That being said, we did give you some tangible things today that I'm going to remind you as your homework and I think the first and most helpful thing to do is to do that two part audit, one part time auditing and pairing that with energy auditor good or losing energy auditing.

Emily Merrell 

Great job, beautifully said. And so with that our takeaway with the homework is just to hear back from you all we love hearing the DMS that we've been getting from you with the experience with the implementation of the homework and we will see you the next time.

Lexie Smith 

Oh, very cool.

Emily Merrell 

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