How to Become a Relationship Coach

You may know relationships inside and out, but not the steps to take to create a business out of that knowledge. Learn six of those steps to get started.

Some relationships are destined to end no matter what. That’s a fact of life – some people are simply incompatible. But others (i.e., most of those you’ll help as a relationship coach) could stick together if only they had a guiding hand to help them through the minefield of issues the average relationship experiences.

That’s where you come in.

When you learn how to become a relationship coach, you’ll demonstrate the empathy and kindness needed to help others to improve their relationships. However, before you can do that, you need to know how to start your business so that you’re legitimized in the eyes of potential clients and can actually make money from your relationship coaching wisdom.

That’s where these steps come in.

Step 1 – Learn How to Become a Relationship Coach and Determine Your Area of Expertise

One of the most interesting things about relationship coaching is that you don’t need a degree or certification to do it. You’re not a psychologist or counselor (both positions that require education).

Anybody can claim to be a relationship coach.

Still, you need to understand what you bring to the table before you start your business, both so you know how to market yourself and so that you have credibility to back your claims. For instance, your background may be that you experienced divorce in your 20s but bounced back with a stronger relationship in your 30s. That potentially gives you first-hand expertise in several areas. For example, you’ll have insight into the red flags you missed before your divorce, things you could have done to prevent that divorce, and what to look for in a healthy relationship. All knowledge that others need and will be willing to pay for.

So, start by figuring out what you know.

That’s your area of expertise, and it’ll guide you toward the target audience you need to appeal to with your coaching business. Of course, formal education, such as a psychology degree, adds credibility, but it’s not necessary.

Step 2 – Plan and Then Form Your Business Entity

Before you learn how to become a dating coach and start your practice, you need to create a legally recognized business entity.

Start with your name. Though it’s tempting to assume you can choose any you want, you have to be wary of both statewide naming conventions and trademarks here. In other words, you can’t name your business using any name that’s trademarked in your state, and you need to choose a name that abides by the rules your state sets forth.

These rules differ from state to state, requiring independent research on your part. But typical rules include excluding profanity from your name and ensuring you place the initials of your business structure in the name.

Speaking of which, your business structure is important. The three main options are:

• Sole Proprietorship – It’s the least complicated one to set up but also the one that offers only a slight separation between your business and personal lives. You’re personally liable for everything that occurs in the business under a sole proprietorship.
• Limited Liability Company (LLC) – An LLC offers more protection than a sole proprietorship, particularly in the area of personal liability. It also provides tax benefits. Many states allow pass-through taxation in an LLC, meaning you don’t pay corporate tax on your income, only personal income tax.
• C Corporation – A full corporate entity, a C Corporation is obligated to pay corporate tax on all of its earnings and is often beholden to shareholders. The tradeoff is that you get the highest level of liability protection.

Choose the business entity that works best for you (and LLC is often best for new coaches) and complete your state’s process for forming a business. Usually, this means completing some forms (such as Articles of Organization) and electing a registered agent for the business.

Step 3 – Set Up Your Accounting and Tax Preparation

Learning how to become a relationship coach is like running a business.

That business has to pay taxes (or, at least, the person running it does in the case of a sole proprietorship or LLC). Plus, you have extra tax considerations if you hire people, as you need to have an Employer Identification Number (EIN) both to handle employment taxes and, in many cases, to set up a business banking account.

There’s an easy route to go here – hire an accountant to handle the books. You’ll still need to retain receipts, invoices, and other documentation, but at least your accountant will ensure you’re filing accurately. Of course, that accountant requires payment, which currently stands at an average of $37 per hour in the United States.

The other option is to do your taxes yourself. The first step is to get solid accounting software in place (Xero is a good option). From there, you need to track every scrap of income, as well as each expense, so you can reconcile your accounts at the end of each tax year. Though more of a headache than relying on somebody else to do it, this approach at least gives you a stronger idea of your budget.

There is no “right” choice here. It all depends on how much time you want to spend working on the numbers behind your business.

Step 4 – Figure Out Your Offer Before You Learn How to Become a Relationship Coach

Generic is the enemy of the offer you make to your potential clients.

Saying “I’m a relationship coach” isn’t enough to convince prospects to sign up for your services. There are thousands of people saying the same thing – what separates you from them?

Whatever separates you is the backbone of your offer. The unique selling point that helps you appeal to a certain niche. For instance, our example of the divorcee who found a happy second relationship could have an offer like:

“I help women to recover from relationship loss and find their forever partner.”

That stands out far more than “I’m a relationship coach.” So, you already have your area of expertise established. Build on it to create an offer that speaks directly to a niche of potential clients who would benefit most from what you know.

Step 5 – Figure Out What Types of Services You’ll Offer

After you answer the how do I become a relationship coach question, next up – how you’ll monetize your relationship coaching business.

To figure that out, you need to determine what types of services you’ll offer. Traditional coaches tend to focus on the in-person one-on-one or couples coaching models. They’re ideal for personal interaction (and you can usually charge more per session) but less than perfect for reaching a large audience.

You can push the boat out and do things like run group sessions or couples’ retreats. But both require extensive investment that you may not be able to make at the start of your business journey.

Then, there’s the online route, such as writing e-books and creating relationship courses, workshops, and running seminars. All of this is content that clients may consume without ever interacting with you directly, but it’s still content for which you can charge.

For instance, some coaches go down the video coaching route of offering general advice and training, with individual services provided to those who pay more. In the case of videos, you can use a video hosting platform like BlurBay to charge clients for access, with other aspects of your coaching being more personal.

Many coaches will offer a combination of these services. An online course in one-on-one or couples coaching for specific clients model is common – use the courses to provide general guidance and charge more for the individual meetings.

Step 6 – Promotion and Marketing and How to Become a Dating Coach With Reach

When you learn how to become a relationship coach, you need to know what you’re selling and how you’re selling it. The final step – scream it from the metaphorical rooftops.

In other words, you need to market your relationship coaching, or people won’t know it exists. Furthermore, your marketing helps you to establish credibility because it gives you a chance to offer nuggets of wisdom that prove you offer helpful advice and guidance.

You have plenty of avenues here:

• Relationship blogging
• Social media posts
• Free YouTube videos
• eBooks and whitepapers
• Podcasting

Any avenue through which you can share your message and elaborate on your unique selling point is good for your business. But there’s a balance to strike. If you give everything away for free, nobody’s going to pay for your services. The trick is to offer tasters – little snippets of advice or examples of clients that you’ve helped that showcase what you can do to help your target audience solve its problems.

Get Started: How Do I Become a Relationship Coach?

The six steps shared here take you through some of the legal aspects of starting your relationship coaching business, as well as various aspects of marketing and service creation. All are vital. You could have the greatest offer in the world, and it won’t mean anything if you’re unable to operate a business legally. On the flip side, having a business officially set up in your state means nothing if you don’t have the service to support that business.

But you have expertise – you’ve learned how to become a relationship coach – and you’re good at it.

That’s always a solid starting point: you’ve familiarized yourself with the nuts of bolts of how to become a dating coach. And if you’re ready to monetize that expertise quickly, BlurBay is your best port of call. As a video hosting and streaming service, BlurBay allows you to upload and charge for video content in a pay-per-access model. It’s ideal if you don’t want to create your own website or rely on ads from social media and YouTube videos to generate income.

FAQs

How much does it cost to create a relationship coaching business?

Costs for creating a coaching business of any kind vary widely, with Coach Foundation’s of between $62 and $38,601 showcasing that fact. You can start relationship coaching with little more than expertise and a platform that only charges a commission (such as BlurBay). But startup costs are higher if you build your own website, for instance, or invest heavily in social media or search engine marketing ads.

What experience or certifications do I need to be a relationship coach?

Technically, none at all – there’s no legally mandated certification or qualification that you need to obtain before becoming a coach. But it’s recommended that you seek some form of qualification. Clients will trust you more when you can point to your own training than they would if you simply rock up and claim to be an “expert.”

How much can I charge relationship coaching clients?

It all depends on the specific services you offer and the value provided via those services. For example, some one-on-one coaches can charge up to $400 an hour, though you’ll likely start much lower than that until you’ve built a strong reputation. Coaches who create online courses can charge more because they provide access to a lot of information upfront, which they support through individual sessions, group sessions, and other supplemental services.

How should I market my relationship coaching business?

There are so many ways!

Social media is always a good route – you can run ads and build gated communities to entice people toward your business. Many coaches also use lead magnets. These are useful pieces of content (e-books and whitepapers, for example) that you provide to prospects in exchange for their contact details. Once you have those details, you can send more information and communicate with the client, slowly nurturing them until they trust you enough to hand over their money.