Business Building CAN Feel Better for Coaches: No More Ewww!
TL;DR
Running a student-centered coaching business doesn’t have to feel “icky”—but let’s be honest, for many educators-turned-entrepreneurs, the business side can feel confusing, overwhelming, or even downright gross.
In this post, I share highlights from our April Rock Your Biz call where academic coaches explored real questions about intake calls, therapy referrals, marketing without burnout, and redefining what success looks like.
Whether you’re coaching gifted teens, supporting ADHD learners, or just trying to get your systems in place, this peek inside our community will leave you feeling less alone—and more equipped to build a business that reflects your heart, values, and strengths.
This Post Will Resonate Most With:
Academic, EF, and ADHD coaches building a private practice that feels authentic and aligned with their values
Tutors and learning specialists beginning to shift into more coaching-style work
Classroom teachers exploring a coaching or tutoring side hustle—or even a full career transition
Let’s take a closer look at what coaches are really talking about when it comes to building a sustainable, soul-aligned business.
🚿From “Ick” to “Aha”: Building a Coaching Biz That Feels More You (and Less Ewww)
Spring brings a flurry of final exams, student overwhelm, and last-ditch efforts to support learners before summer hits. And for academic coaches who also run their own businesses? This time of year can be both high-impact and high-stress.
You're juggling urgent student needs and navigating shifting schedules, reschedules, and a surge of parent inquiries. It's a good reminder that your business ebbs and flows with the academic calendar—and you deserve a place to reflect and recalibrate.
And let’s be real: for many educators-turned-coaches, the business side of coaching can feel… kind of gross. Marketing, pricing, systems—it’s a lot, and it’s often not what drew us to this work in the first place.
But it doesn’t have to feel that way.
When you’re surrounded by a community of thoughtful, heart-centered professionals who are building their work around shared values? Suddenly it’s less “ick,” more “aha.”
💬 What Our Coaches Are Discussing This Month
Every month in my Rock Your Biz community (an add-on to the Anti-Boring Learning Lab), I host a coaching call for academic coaches who are building - or sustaining! - their education-based businesses. These conversations are equal parts personal, professional, and powerful.
We laugh, we strategize, and we get real about what it means to help students while also creating sustainable income for ourselves.
We keep our main Anti-Boring Learning Lab calls “biz talk free” so school-based educators can focus purely on student support strategies. But for our self-employed coaches, we have a supportive offshoot program called Rock Your Biz where we explore the real-life questions that come with building and sustaining a practice.
Here’s a peek inside what we tackled this April:
🔹 Short but Impactful Parent Intakes
One coach asked how to keep initial intake calls with parents to just 15 minutes. The group shared tips like creating pre-call questionnaires, setting expectations early, and using language like “We’ll go deeper once we’re working together.” The consensus? Respect parents' anxiety, but set boundaries that protect your time and energy.
🔹 When Students Don’t Want Coaching (But Parents Do)
Another coach shared about a gifted 8th grader who insisted he didn’t need help—while the parent strongly disagreed. Together, we brainstormed ways to meet the student where he’s at, from using a strengths-based approach to inviting honest conversation about what coaching could look like if he ever needed it.
🔹 Knowing When to Refer to Therapy
Coaches often walk a fine line between executive function coaching and mental health concerns. We heard from multiple coaches about how they compassionately helped students and families recognize when therapy was a better next step. One even used a kids’ book about monsters to create a metaphor that helped a student understand resistance and fear—such a creative approach!
🔹 What If You Love Coaching… But Not Business?
We got honest about how draining the business side can be. One coach admitted she’d rather subcontract under someone else than run her own business. This sparked a powerful discussion about identity, purpose, and how success can look different for each of us.
🔹 Standing Out When Parents Interview Multiple Coaches
Several members shared that parents are shopping around more than ever. We talked about how to build trust quickly, set yourself apart with clarity and confidence, and own your unique approach. From using curated intake forms to recording short “about me” videos, the ideas were smart and doable.
🔹 Credentialing and Lanes of Expertise
Finally, we reflected on the growing number of coaching certifications and niches—and how confusing that can be for families. Coaches shared their desire for more transparency and collaboration across specialties, especially when it comes to referrals.
🧭 What Themes Are Emerging in Education-Based Businesses
Each of these individual moments connects to larger themes we see emerging regularly in Rock Your Biz. These aren’t just passing questions—they reflect deep needs for strategy, clarity, and community that all education entrepreneurs share.
💡 Marketing without Burnout
Coaches are seeking more ethical, values-aligned ways to attract and onboard clients. From lead magnets to messaging, we’re building tools that feel honest—not pushy.
💡 Program Design & Clarity
Many coaches are reworking their services—from short test-anxiety packages to creative AI-supported group coaching—and looking for guidance on how to bundle, price, and communicate clearly.
💡 Boundaries & Time Management
Whether it’s holding to a 15-minute intake or rethinking how many hours to offer, we’re collectively exploring how to stay energized and sustainable in our work.
💡 Confidence & Identity
Coaches are reflecting not only on what they offer, but who they are as service providers—balancing heart, expertise, and evolving clarity around the coaching vs. therapy distinction.
💡 Coaching Tools & Visual Aids
Our community is full of creative thinkers experimenting with new tools, metaphors, and visuals to support diverse and neurodivergent learners.
💡 We’re Better Together
More than anything, these calls reinforce how valuable it is to have a peer-based space to ask questions, share challenges, and build together.
🔍 Questions to Reflect On as You Grow
If the business side of your coaching work ever feels awkward, overwhelming, or just plain stinky—you’re not alone. But it is possible to build a business that reflects your values and supports your lifestyle.
Whether you’re actively building a coaching business or simply wondering if entrepreneurship is right for you, these reflective questions can help you take stock of where you are—and where you might want to grow next:
What kind of business model actually energizes you—solo, subcontracting, or something else?
How confident do you feel about describing your niche and how you're different from other coaches?
Are your intake processes and offerings truly aligned with the kinds of students and families you most want to work with?
What marketing strategies feel authentic—and which ones leave you drained?
Where might you need more support, clarity, or community to move forward?
Taking time to reflect on these questions doesn’t just help you plan—it helps you stay connected to your mission as a coach and business owner.
And if you’d like a sounding board, so you can talk about your answers with others in the same boat, please consider joining the Anti-Boring Learning Lab and adding on Rock Your Biz.
💬 What Members Are Saying
“These calls have given me ideas for marketing, different modes of delivery, and inspiration for future services. I highly recommend that any coaches or tutors in private practice add the Rock Your Biz resources to their Lab membership—they're incredibly valuable and totally worth it!”
— Beth, College Student Success Coach
“I need something more structured where I can carve out time to do the assignments and take my business from 'pretty cool' to 'off the charts awesome!'”
— Erin, Academic Life Coach
“I dreaded networking and hoped this program would make it feel less painful. Now, I realize networking is actually empowering—and it can be fun! With the Rock Your Biz course, weekly touchpoints, and Gretchen’s guidance, I’ve enrolled new students, connected with referral partners, and found creative ways to nurture those relationships.”
— Charlene, Coach and Trainer
🤝 Join a Biz-Savvy Community That Gets You
Curious how to join us?
Rock Your Biz is actually an add-on to our main educator training space, the Anti-Boring Learning Lab. We intentionally keep the regular Lab calls biz-talk free so that classroom teachers, school-based specialists, and others working inside institutions have a space that’s fully focused on student support—not entrepreneurship.
But for those who are self-employed (or dreaming about it!), Rock Your Biz offers a supportive corner of the Lab just for you.
We ask all biz-minded coaches to start by working through our Anti-Boring Toolkit—so everyone shares the same core language and values when it comes to supporting students. From there, we translate those tools into business-building strategies that feel aligned, ethical, and sustainable.
Even folks who've taken other business trainings often tell us, “This is the community I’ve been looking for.” That’s why Rock Your Biz is a one-time fee that stays available to you as long as you're active in the Lab. Because being self-employed shouldn’t mean going it alone.
If you’re a coach, tutor, or specialist building a heart-centered practice and wishing you had a business-savvy crew to think through this with—you don’t have to figure it out alone.
The Rock Your Biz program offers monthly community calls, hands-on training, and mentorship that keeps you grounded and growing. Come join us.