When aspiring coaches begin their journey of training and preparation for coaching clients, a common question they ask concerns their niche. They want to determine whether they need one or if having more than one can be effective. This question can become a stumbling block for new coaches.
If you are considering a career as a coach, we want to help you understand this part of coaching so you can move forward clearly without getting stuck.
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What Are Coaching Niches?
A niche refers to the population you coach or intend to coach. It’s a specialization that is used to narrow your focus or expertise. Just like a real estate agent might specialize in new homebuyers or a wealth manager may specialize in divorced and widowed women, many coaches also specialize. It helps them to clarify the ideal client they want to serve.
There are various coaching niches, and as you begin your coaching journey, you may hear of coaches who specialize in subgroups identified by age, gender, occupation, location, or special interests. For example, some common coaching niches among practitioners are career coaching, leadership coaching, coaching for stay-at-home moms, and LGBTQ coaching.
As you can discern from these examples, some coaching niches are focused on the demographic served, while others identify an area of interest or expertise. Both can help attract the clients you most want to serve and help pursue transformation.
How Do I Choose a Niche?
Some coaches are attracted to different coaching niches because they have a particular audience they want to serve or an area of expertise they want to share. Your history may include a life event that called you to this work. Experience fuels your passion to help others accomplish the same victories you have already achieved.
For instance, someone who has found success earning an income online to support their family from home may coach others looking to quit their 9-5 job and build a flexible online business. A person who has found relief from inflammation by adjusting their nutrition and lifestyle habits might coach people earlier in their inflammation journey. An individual who has found success leading a large corporate team to become relationally healthy, collaborative, and successful might come alongside other business leaders and coach them toward the same success.
The Difference Between Coaching and Mentoring
Although there is often some overlap, there is a difference between coaching and mentoring. In mentorship relationships, people hire you because of your expertise and expect you to offer your problem-solving experience and provide advice and resources based on your history. In these cases, your niche might be very narrow, based on your personal experience.
Here are some important distinctions about coaching niches:
- In a coaching relationship, remaining unbiased is essential.
- No matter how broad your niche may be, your client’s niche will likely be narrower.
- While you may have prior experience in a particular demographic, you may need to withhold your opinions while you ask strong questions to prompt your clients to self-discover.
- Clients may be attracted to you as a coach because you have a similar background, but you may need to guard your assumptions or closely held beliefs.
- Proceed with caution, and consider designing into your alliance the opportunity to clear any assumptions or biases that may get in your way.
- Consider your openness to share your expertise separately from the coaching relationship if appropriate.
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Can I Have More Than One Niche?
In short, yes. Many coaches specialize in more than one area where they feel particularly qualified, interested, or engaged. Part of the appeal of starting or building your coaching practice is the freedom to design it just for you and uniquely blend coaching niches.
Some of the questions you can ask yourself while deciding your niche(s) are:
- Who are the people you most enjoy?
- What are the conversations that most interest or engage you?
- Where can you add the most value or create the greatest impact?
As you build your coaching practice, you will notice the people (and topics) with whom you most naturally connect and enjoy. You will also discover where your coaching clients achieve the greatest transformations, and tweak your niche accordingly.
Do I Have to Have a Coaching Niche?
In short, no. You are not required to choose from any master list of coaching niches. Beginning coaches can and should coach anyone and everyone ready for it to give you experience and to help you clarify your best fit. Your Co-Active coach training and certification prepares you to coach anyone on any topic.
Permit yourself to be an expert in coaching, and let your clients be the expert in their life and work. As your practice develops, you may choose one or two coaching niches or remain open to broader possibilities by promoting yourself as a life coach, an executive coach, or simply a coach.
Niching yourself is up to you. If choosing one is holding you back from launching or building your coaching practice, set that decision aside and go out and coach. If you know you are called to coach a specific kind of client or offer a particular coaching service, go for it!
Either way, the world needs you and the one-of-a-kind coaching that only you can offer. Whatever that is, begin coaching and let yourself shine.
Coach Training With CTI
Co-Active knows coaching. We have trained effective coaches for three decades, building a global network of effective leaders and coaches in all niches. If you want to begin your training to become a coach or increase the effectiveness of the services you offer, our programs and bundles will help. Our rigorous certification program uses proven, experiential learning that will help you increase self-awareness and develop your personal and professional skills.
Learn more about coach training on our website, and choose your path forward today.