I aspire to work more as a coach.  Coaching is a part of my day job. It’s both something I enjoy and am somewhat good at. I’ve seen the results of really good conversations about opportunities and obstacles from both sides of the coaching situation.

Helping someone see something in themselves that they didn’t previously. Helping them understand possible paths they may take. Checking in on how they are feeling about their journeys. Asking good and sometimes hard questions about the why. For me there is magic in these conversations.

The list goes on. I’d like to offer my services as a coach, and have been reluctant to do so. I spoke with a coach today about why that might be. He asked me this question.

These are my answers to that question. They may be self imposed limitations, a reflection of my values, or both. Or more things that I am not seeing.

Transparency

I am just starting out and I’d like my clients to be aware and embrace that. I am not a master level coach, so I want expectations to be set and known. Perhaps a client who is just starting out on their own coaching journey is a good fit?

Evaluation
I’d like a process and system for clear and honest feedback about the value of what my coaching service provides. Both from the client (of course), and my own reflections. Perhaps from other coaches as well. How can I serve better? I can’t know without feedback.

Self doubt
I ask myself this question when I think of coaching. It is reflected in the Transparency note from above... Can I really facilitate a great coaching conversation?

While I haven’t done this for personal clients, I do this at work and in other areas of my life. I get good feedback when I do facilitate these conversations. Both positive and adjusting feedback. I’ve developed some skills here. Why do I doubt myself so much?

Clarity of goals
I’m not interested in selling products or services, yet, if at all. Just coaching people. Building relationships. Sparking vitality. Nothing else to sell, no tracking of visitors, no lead generation, no ads.

Life Coach
This term feels dirty to me. I’m sure there are very good life coaches out there. I don’t like that I feel the term Life Coach is a term for charlatans and con artists. But I do feel that. To me there is a difference between Coach and Life Coach. I do not want to be perceived as a person who sells gimmicks.

Who
Until today, I thought the people I could help best were the people I was most like. Designers, developers, artists. Creative people. Identifying your target market feels too much like Sales to me. More importantly, I've come around to the idea that simplifying the who to anyone who can commit to the work might be best. Regardless of job title, industry, background, etc. If someone is able to mentally, financially and tactically be coached, I could help them.

Pricing
I don’t know how much to charge. What’s the service worth? I’d like to honor the value coaching has. And honor the the other professionals who do this work by being priced fairly. I believe that undercutting the competition is a race to the bottom. And price the service right to honor myself and clients. To find the right dollar value for all the above. 

Those are the thoughts that keep me from beginning my coaching journey with clients. I'll be thinking on my answers, and trying to understand which points are valid, and which are my own self-doubts and lack of understanding. I'll be soon working with a coach myself to dig into all this.