Avoid These Costly Mistakes Before You Quit Your Day Job for Coaching
So, you want to make the leap into full-time coaching? It’s exciting, but don’t let the excitment get the better of you, without the practicalities you might find yourself in the same position three years from now—in motion, convinced you’re taking action. I see too many wanna-be-coaches with part time jobs trying to figure out how to ‘make it’, and it might just come down to one or more of these things.
So, before you say goodbye to your steady paycheck and dive headfirst into entrepreneurship,consider the points I’ve written below. Pause and really reflect on them. I know if I did I would have saved so much time, stress and money.
Transitioning from a regular 9-5 job into coaching requires more than passion. It requires strategy, preparation, and patience. Here are the key things I wish I knew before making the shift, and the costly mistakes to avoid if you’re on the journey, or considering it.
Learn from those you know, like, and trust before going out on your own.
Before trying to guide others through transformation, make sure you’ve gone through your own. Too many people want to step into the coaching world without having experienced the transformative process themselves—this is a crucial misstep.
And I don’t just mean doing a few single sessions here and there. I mean signing up to a full 1:1 Program with a coach, or multiple, to learn. If you’ve never had a coach yourself, how can you expect to guide others through the same journey?
Experience the process firsthand. Invest in coaches you trust, who have walked the path before you. Go through multiple transformations with others, learn to heal your trauma, and become confident within yourself. You’ll not only learn the craft but also deepen your understanding of the challenges and breakthroughs that your clients will experience.
By receiving coaching yourself, you’ll know exactly what you’re asking your clients to do, and have an idea how they might feel — this is empathy. Empathy, compassion, presence and trust alone can carry you a long way in Coaching, and therapy for that matter— those skills are invaluable.
Remember, you gain empathy when you can imagine what it’s like to be in someone elses shoes—you can imagine it, but it’s super valuable to have lived experience—and that’s invaluable in this industry.
Master your craft without tying your self-worth to your business results.
One of the most dangerous traps new coaches fall into is linking their self-worth to their business outcomes. Your worth isn’t determined by how much money you make or how many clients you sign. In fact, tying your value to your business success is a sure way to burn out emotionally.
It takes time to become great at what you do. Becoming a skilled coach is a process that requires patience, practice, and continuous learning. Confidence comes from competence, and competence comes from repetition over an extended period of time. instead of judging your worth or success based on quick wins, immediate client results, or how much money you’re making early on, you should focus on getting really good at what you do—your "craft" as a coach.
The more you develop your skills, deepen your knowledge, and build experience, the more confident and capable you’ll become over time. The more skilled and knowledgeable you become, the more natural your confidence will feel—and that confidence, when earned, is unshakeable.
And remember: you are worthy no matter what level of success you achieve.
Don’t leave your full-time job until you have a repeatable process.
Making the leap to full-time coaching is exciting, but it’s important not to rush it. Before you quit your job, make sure you’ve built a reliable and repeatable process for attracting clients, marketing your services, and delivering consistent results.
Without a solid framework, you risk struggling to find clients, dealing with financial instability, and, ultimately, burning out. A proven system allows you to bring in clients consistently and provide them with real, lasting transformation.
When you have a repeatable process in place, you’ll be able to transition to full-time coaching with confidence, knowing you’ve set yourself up for success instead of scrambling to figure things out as you go.
Provide more use value than you receive in cash value.
This is one of the best pieces of advice I can give you: Always provide more use value to your clients than what you receive in cash value. Why? Because when clients feel they’ve received more than what they paid for, you’ll build a reputation that will carry your business forward. This kind of service leads to referrals, and referrals mean you spend less time worrying about cash flow and more time doing the work you love.
This doesn’t mean undervaluing your services or undercharging. It means focusing on delivering exceptional value in every session. You might hear people say, “charge your worth,” but this is often tied to the idea of linking self-worth to business success. Your worth isn’t dependent on how well your business performs, so the phrase “charge your worth” can be misleading. Instead, charge based on the level of value you’re providing to your clients. If you’re a new coach, you may not yet have the skill set, confidence, or experience to command higher prices—and that’s okay. Mastery takes time, and with time comes greater value.
When clients leave feeling transformed, they become your biggest advocates. A referral-based business, built on consistent results and exceptional value, is one of the most stable and rewarding foundations you can create.
Have sufficient capital to reduce stress.
Let’s be honest: coaching is an incredible career, but it can take time to build a consistent stream of income. This is why having 6-12 months of savings before going all in is crucial. Without this financial cushion, stress can easily creep in, affecting how you show up in your business and with clients.
Even if you try to hide it, scarcity and desperation can be felt by potential clients, and that energy can impact your ability to attract and retain them.
Having enough savings gives you the freedom to focus on truly serving your clients, without the constant worry about how you’ll pay your bills. Operating from a place of abundance allows you to grow your business sustainably and attract clients with ease.
And remember, there’s absolutely no shame in keeping a full-time or part-time job until you're comfortable with the income you’re making as a coach. If you think it’s shameful to work another job while building your coaching business, it might be time to check your ego. There’s no timeline or one-size-fits-all path to success, so give yourself permission to build your business in a way that feels sustainable and aligned with your life.
Prepare for taxes from day one.
Taxes might not be the most exciting topic, but they’re absolutely essential when running your own business. Start setting aside 30% of your earnings for taxes right from the beginning—side note, i’m in Australia. This not only ensures you won’t get caught off guard when tax time rolls around, but it also gives you a clear idea of how much money you actually need to generate to meet your goals. This isn’t to get you discouraged, it’s to ground you into reality.
If you’re eligible, sign up for GST (Goods and Services Tax) right away. Being proactive about your financials gives you a true picture of your business's health, so you can make smarter decisions and stay ahead of the game.
Also, I’m no financial advisor. I’m just sharing my own experience, and thoughts.
My Final Thoughts
Transitioning into coaching full-time can be one of the most rewarding moves you’ll ever make, but it requires preparation and intentional action. Avoiding these common mistakes will set you up for a smoother, more successful journey into your new career. Take the time to build a strong foundation, and you’ll be able to coach with confidence, serve with heart, and create the kind of business that truly lights you up.
If you want mentoring from me, someone who has been a full time coach for over 5 years, click to BOOK A FREE CALL.
