I have coached runners for a little over a year now. In that short amount of time, I’ve developed a routine, found my stride, and increased my client base.
The internet is both loud and quiet when it comes to resources on growing as a running coach. If you search “how to grow a coaching business”, you’re likely to find hundreds of online “gurus” selling you expensive courses. The search “how to grow a fitness coaching business” yields advice about teaching fitness classes in gyms or online, which doesn’t exactly translate to running.
I was somewhat left to my own devices. I started a website, an instagram, honed in on my service offerings, and got to work. I am lucky to have connections to local running stores, so I held a couple of free clinics and got a few clients from that. The beginning was a little messy as I navigated pricing, flexibility with in person clients, and learning who I worked best with.
If you are becoming a running coach, consider the following to accelerate through that awkward newbie period. Sure, you’ll still go through growing pains, and continue to throughout your career. However, I wish someone sat me down with the following advice before I met with my first runner.
Hire yourself a coach.
This one might sound a bit silly. You are a coach, why do you need to hire your own?
Working with a running coach myself taught me so much about my own style. I’m talking a one on one coach: high school cross country experiences don’t count. Find a leader you respect, and spend the money to work with them for a period of time before accepting your first runners. Not only will you learn what you value in a coach, you’ll also learn what kind of client you are. You can be case study #1, and decide what you would do the same or differently than your coach. I self-coached for years, but I wasn’t able to understand my “client personality” until there was a third party involved. I am very thankful that I hired a coach before becoming one myself, and I highly recommend it to all new coaches.
Find your style.
I’ve read many articles about niches, narrowing down your client base, and working with a very specific type of person. While specificity might…
