EP 292 - How To Keep Going When Your Coaching Business Feels Hard

When your coaching business feels hard, it’s easy to feel discouraged  - especially if you’ve been trying to grow your coaching business and nothing seems to be working. If you’ve been showing up, posting content, and doing “all the things,” but you’re still not seeing consistent clients or income, this episode is for you.

In this episode, I’m sharing what to do when coaching feels hard, and how to keep going with confidence, even when it feels like progress is slow. You’ll learn how to stay motivated, rebuild momentum, and refocus on what actually gets you clients and grows your coaching business in 2026.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

- What to do when you’re not getting coaching clients

- Why consistency and clarity matter more than new strategies

- How to overcome discouragement and stay motivated as a coach

- Simple mindset shifts that help you grow your coaching business with ease

Want to grow your coaching business by becoming a speaker at our upcoming Design, Live, Thrive Summit? There’s only a few spots left! Apply now: https://www.debbieshadid.com/apply 

Ready to build your coaching business in 2025? Register for our upcoming LIVE workshop here: https://coaching.debbieshadid.com/workshop

Free Resources for coaches:

- Free Masterclass to Grow Your Coaching Business: https://coaching.debbieshadid.com/masterclass

- Canva Workshop: https://coaching.debbieshadid.com/register

Tools I recommend for coaches:

- Flodesk (email marketing): https://flodesk.com/c/DEBBIESHADID

- Descript (video editor): https://get.descript.com/cj4n2vzke4vu

Connect with Debbie:

Website: https://www.debbieshadid.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debbieshadid/

🎙️ Listen to the podcast: Life Coach Business Building School

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/life-coach-business-building-school-with-debbie-shadid/id1502118085

If you find this episode helpful, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos to help you grow your coaching business: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz6RS8kQGMLJqJrK9uKdjtg 

Disclaimer: Some of the links shared in this description are affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools and resources I use and trust to support your coaching business.

Let’s connect!

• Website: https://www.debbieshadid.com
• Instagram @debbieshadid
• Subscribe on YouTube

#DebbieShadid #LifeCoachBusinessBuildingSchool

Transcript

0:00

If you are a coach who feels like nothing that you're doing is working, if you feel like your business is not going the way that it should go, this message is for you. I know you're showing up. I know you're learning. I know you're working out what you should be doing, and you're trying your best. I know you're committed to do this. I know you are, or you would not be here if you are still struggling and you feel like, I don't have any clients, none of it's working. It seems like other people have success and I don't. I just wanna say I get it. and I want you to know that of all the women I talk to, and over the years it's been thousands of women. They all feel the same at some point in their business. what you're feeling right now is actually pretty normal. I know it doesn't make you feel better, but I also want you to know that it is temporary. If we haven't met, I am Debbie Shaddid I've helped over 10,000 coaches not only build, but grow profitable, successful boutique style coaching businesses. I wanna take a moment and acknowledge you. What I know is that you're brave. I know you're committed to changing the world. I know that you are a dreamer who wants to do things right. I know that you are somebody who is going to change the world. I know that sounds dramatic, but I believe that. I want you to know that you are doing what so many other people only talk about. You have followed your intuition. You heard the call and you said yes. And I also know that the people around you, are maybe not as supportive as you would like them to be, and they just don't get it. Your spouse, your partner, your coworkers, your family, your friends are like, what is the big deal about this? I see everybody else online having success. Why can't you? Or maybe you thought it was gonna be easier than it is and you told people that and so there's this thing of like, why don't you have any clients yet? What is going on? You my dear one, are doing what you need to do and you were given wrong information in the beginning. It is work to build a business, but there is victory on the other side of it. I can tell you, you can get a business set up and it will be amazing. But maybe not as fast as you had hoped for. I hear you. I see you. I know it's challenging and I get it that the people around you, they don't understand. But I want you to know. I understand. And so do so many of the women that are out there doing the same thing. You my friend, have done something that is remarkable making the decision to serve people. This is something to be proud of. I hope you feel that. But what I want you to know is it's a journey, It's not just a quick sprint, like we have to get out the GPS, get out the map and figure out how to get there. And it's not always easy. There are turns, there's construction, there's all the things. Imagine the GPS analogy, okay? When you decided to follow your dreams and do step into that identity as a coach, you also stepped into that identity as a CEO. Which is not something you are thinking about. I know that you are doing, again, what most people will not do. In fact, most coaches quit. I had read a stat that like 81% of coaches never make it past year three, and I would say most coaches don't even report that they're actually in business. They quit before they ever get going. So I know that hard things come with getting this started. I know there's a lot to learn. I really wanna acknowledge that there is so much that you are trying to figure out, like, how do I get clients? How do I market? How do I even tell people what I do? It is so overwhelming, but hear me on this. You have done so many hard things in your life. You have figured out how to do those things too. Let me remind you of that. Many things in your life you have accomplished. This is no different. So. If you are saying to yourself like, I am behind, there's something wrong with me. It's working for everybody else, but not for me. Could I please put this in perspective for you? You are learning. Not only how to be the best coach because you care about what you're doing, but also the best marketer who knew that you would have to be a great marketer, and not just for social media, but you're learning how to write emails, maybe even do a podcast. You're learning how to create an offer and then how to price it and sell it. Then even more than that, you're learning how to deliver what you sold. We have a client that we just talked to yesterday and her business is really taking off and she came to the coaching call and she was like, oh my goodness, I'm so overwhelmed. Which is interesting. It was a different kind of overwhelmed. Now she's overwhelmed because she has clients to work with. Quite a few clients and she's like, this is a lot to figure this out. And that's right. it used to be that her worry was, I don't know how to post on social media. I don't know how to use Canva. I don't know how to do this. That she got all that worked out. Then she was in our summit, the Design Live Thrive Summit, which by the way, let me take a pause for just a moment and say. We have a handful of spaces open for our design Live, thrive Summit, which is happening in February, but our coaching starts now around that. So right now is when you need to get on my calendar to talk to me about being a speaker in our summit. There's a link right there in the comments. Make sure you do that. Don't waste any time. It's an incredible experience. This client that I'm talking about that today is overwhelmed with the amount of people that she is serving. Every client that she has came from her being in our summit at this point, we're about six weeks out from our last summit, and she's fully booked. No kidding. That is what happens when you do a summit. Okay. Back to what her challenge is and what your challenges are. As I said. You first have to learn how to sell, then you have to learn how to manage clients. She's trying to figure out like, how do I get things to them? How do I make sure my schedule works? How do I make sure I'm getting them the results that I told them I would get 'em? Right? There's technology that you had to learn. Many of you guys are working on Canva, right? You're working on Zoom. Who knew that Zoom had settings inside of there that you needed to make sure were correct so that intruders didn't come in so you could get transcripts downloaded and so many other things. Plus you've got calendars and you've gotta integrate your personal calendar, maybe your full-time job calendar in with your coaching calendar. Then you've got a website and all of the other things. You are building a company. Literally, most people would have five people working on it to build it. And you're doing it by yourself. You're the copywriter, you're the designer, you are the audience builder, you're the client onboarding person. Every bit of that is on you. And what is so great about that is every bit of that that you're learning. Means that you have control over your entire destiny and your business. It means that you will know how to make money for a lifetime. You'll also know how to make as much money as you want to make. That's the good news. You're a remarkable woman, my dear one. You are. You're not behind. You are becoming a coach with a coaching company. You're not failing. You are growing. You are learning so many things. Every single thing that you're facing right now, every question, every challenge, it's all part of you leveling up to become the CEO of your company. I know you can do hard things. You're doing it right now. I know you're a resilient. I know you have accomplished and overcome so much. if it feels like you're in a season of like overwhelm and stress and just hard, that's okay. Okay. It is shaping you into becoming the next best version of yourself. What's so great about this is when you start coaching lots of clients, it really puts you in the perspective to remember what it feels like to have transformation, Because you're in the messy middle right now of building a business and it's like, oh yeah, I know what it's like to do hard things because I built this business, so I know how you feel. You're telling that to your coaching client, like, I can relate to you. So look, the struggle is going to be here. I'm being honest. You can either resist it, you can complain about it, you can throw in the towel, or you can say, I am doing it. I'm building a business that will stand the test of time. I am gonna do the work that I know I'm meant to do. When you look back on this time, and it won't be very long from now, I can tell you the sense of pride that you have over what you've accomplished is going to be something that you never imagined. Here's what happens. We had a client yesterday who for over two years has been trying to decide on her niche. She's only worked with this for less than 14 days. and she finally decided on her niche and we did all the research. It is a profitable, really good niche that she is highly qualified to coach in. We wrote her marketing message every bit of her website copy. We worked on her branding all of this in less than two weeks. What she had yesterday at the end of our session was a sense of accomplishment that you only know once you have done that. so let me just encourage you. You're gonna look back on this season of building your business and you're gonna be like, oh my goodness, I did so much. And if I can do that, boy, you better look out because I'm gonna build an incredible business that impacts, whatever amount of people you want to impact. you're not stuck. It's not too hard. You are making progress. So if this message encouraged you, which was my ultimate goal, do not quit on your business. Do not quit on your dream. then I wanna ask you to hit subscribe. I want you to stay in my world. I have so many valuable tips to share with you. I really wanna make this journey easier for you. I wanna teach you about marketing. I wanna invite you to just step into my community. Come to one of my workshops, debbieshaddid.com/workshop I do workshops every single month where I teach you how to be a coach with clients. I teach the marketing, I teach all the things I was talking about today. Come and learn from me. That's complimentary. You don't even have to pay to do that. Learn how to be a coach who knows how to grow a business, who has clarity around what they're doing, who can feel confident and do all of it without spending money on paid ads. Okay. I wanna invite you also to come and learn how to be a profitable entrepreneur, not just a coach. Come check out the business building boutique. You guys. I am so excited for what you have to do. This is literally my life's work is to help you be the coach who can get her business built, and who is serving the world doing what you know you are meant to do. Okay? Have a beautiful day. You got this. I know you do. Alright, talk to you soon. Bye-Bye.