For many people starting a coaching business they may find that they have to fit everything in alongside other commitments like a full or part time job, caring responsibilities and other things that require their time and energy.

This can make it a little more difficult to carve out time to build your business. Often you find yourself stuck in a situation where you don’t have the time to grow your business which would ultimately allow you to quit the job or access more support and it becomes a vicious circle!

The good news is, there are ways you can grow your coaching business in less time if you’re busy with other commitments in your life. I started my coaching business alongside a full time job, it’s definitely possible and with these tips I’m hopefully going to make it easier for you, let’s dive in!

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Let’s get real on how much time it takes to build a business

I want to get really honest about how much time it can take to build a coaching business. There’s a lot of people out there talking about their 5 hour work weeks and how much spare time they have while they rake in 6 figures. However, that isn’t the reality for most people when they’re starting out, and the truth is there is often a period of ‘hustle’ at the start in order to get some momentum.

I do believe you can build your business in a small amount of time – but the less time you have to work on it, the longer it might take to hit certain milestones depending on the strategies you use. There’s also the matter of time and money, in that financial resources can be used as an ‘accelerator’ in some situations.

But like I said, even with that aside, it’s possible to get to where you want your business to go – I just believe in being realistic about it!

Get really clear on your ‘why’

Most people who successfully build a business alongside other commitments are super passionate about why they want to help people via coaching or why they want to experience the benefits of running a coaching business. Getting super clear on your why and finding the reasons you’re so passionate about it all, is going to help you stay committed when things get busy!

Keep things simple

I know it can be easier said than done, but keeping everything in your business as simple as possible to begin with is going to help you take the right action and maximise your effort.

I am a big believer in giving yourself space for experimentation and play in your business but in order to do this you’ll need to keep other things as streamlined as possible.

That means a very simple business model and core offer, a simple marketing plan and simple back office systems and set ups. You can always layer other things in as you go.

Avoid shiny object syndrome

You can’t open your phone these days without seeing an ad from some business guru telling you that you simply have to be doing this strategy or else you’re leaving money on the table or some other such B*S message.

There are a lot of shiny things out there when it comes to how you can grow your business and being able to tune that out and stay in your lane is really going to help you grow your business in less time.

Most people give up on the simple strategies that we know work because they don’t give them enough time and they become distracted by what they think they ‘should’ be doing rather than just sticking with stuff we know are solid strategies.

If you’re looking for more information on what these simple strategies should be, take a look at my free masterclass Aligned Client Attraction and Marketing Strategies for Coaches as this training will tell you exactly what you should be focusing on to get results in less time:

Document don’t create

This is a tip I heard from Gary V – who I don’t generally resonate with, however this was something super useful, particularly if social media is part of your marketing strategy.

Instead of trying to ‘create’ content all of the time, how can you instead document things you’re already doing that’s connected to your business and niche? This works super well for platforms like Instagram – especially Instagram Stories, Threads, Twitter etc.

For example, if you’re a health coach, can you share some of your meals as you’re making them as super simple recipes?

Define your time

Trying to fit in an hour here or 20 minutes there to work on your business is going to leave you feeling frustrated, so take a look at your diary and see where you can block out bigger chunks of time to work on your business. Maybe that’s an afternoon here and an evening here, I used to find a block of 2 hours or more would make me feel the most accomplished and productive.

However, if all you can find is those really small blocks of time, then practise chunking down tasks into the smallest possible units. For example, let’s say that you have ‘write and publish a blog post’ on your to-do list – which would be a bit of a challenge to do in 20 minutes! Instead of having that as a single item, break that down into each small action.

• Research blog post topic
• Decide on blog post title
• Write intro
• Write main section
• Write outro / CTA
• Find images to accompany the post / create a pin for Pinterest
• Add the text and images to your website and hit publish!

Breaking it down in this way means that you could choose one of those smaller tasks when you do have a bit of time to work on your business. However, I know some people might see that longer list and just feel overwhelmed – as always use whatever works for you and leave the rest!

Double down on what works

This is all about identifying what is getting you the results you want and then doubling down on that. So if your main aim is to get clients, it’s all about looking at what you’re doing in marketing and sales and being able to identify which elements are driving those results and then looking at how you can do even more of that.

This is essentially the 80/20 rule – in that 20% of your work drives 80% of your results – this is about identifying that 20% that’s working.

Yes, this can be a very analytical way to look at your business – and this is honestly something that I struggle with as I like all the fun fluffy things I do in business that bring me joy! But if we’re being real here, looking at the cold hard numbers is what’s going to help you to get results when you don’t have a lot of time so it’s worth making the effort here!

Check your mindset

This is a big one! As long as you still see your business as a ‘side hustle’ as ‘not a real business’ etc, the harder it’s going to be to grow it to where you actually want it to go. One of the most helpful tips I’ve come across from a mindset and a manifestation perspective is to approach things as closely as possible to the state you desire them to be.

For example, if you want to be working in your coaching business full time, fully booked with 3000 people on your email list, how would you be thinking about your business then? How would you be showing up in your business?

Now of course, it’s not going to be possible to show up in exactly the same way when you still have a 37 hours a week full time job, but how can you energetically show up in a similar way? Maybe you commit to emailing your list of 30 people every single week because you know when that list is 3000 that’s what you’ll be doing? How can you make decisions and choices as the person with a £50k a year business even though you’re not there yet?

As always I’d love to know if this post has been useful, let me know in the comments! If you’re seeking support to grow your business in that tricky first 1-2 years then check out my group programme Wholehearted Business which is designed to help you get clients and sort out your marketing so you design a coaching business that works. Learn more here.

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