The Difference Between a Life and Business Coach Explained

You know you’re capable of achieving more in your personal life and business, but something keeps holding you back.

A life and business coach can be the powerful tool you need to transform both your professional and personal spheres. In fact, the right coach will help you develop clear goals, enhance your leadership skills, and create effective business strategies tailored to your specific needs.

Whether it’s unclear goals, challenging business operations, or the struggle to maintain a work-life balance, reaching your full potential often requires expert guidance. As your dedicated life and business coach, I help entrepreneurs and professionals like you unlock their best selves while building thriving businesses.

If you’re ready to get started, request your free business strategy session here.

This comprehensive guide will show you exactly how to choose the perfect life and business coach who aligns with your goals and can take you to new heights. In it, you’ll learn about different coaching approaches, essential credentials to look for, and practical steps to ensure you make the right choice for your personal development and business growth.

Understanding Your Coaching Needs

Making the right choice between a life coach and business coach starts with understanding your specific needs. The first step is to take a moment and reflect on where you feel most stuck in your current situation.

Identifying Personal vs Business Goals

Your coaching needs typically fall into two distinct categories:

• Business-focused goals:
  • Starting or growing your business
  • Creating systems for business growth
  • Developing marketing strategies
  • Creating systems and automations
  • Helping refine and streamline operations
  • Enhancing management techniques (when to hire, who to hire, processes to support your team, etc.)
• Personal development goals:
  • Finding your purpose
  • Doing things in an aligned way that feels good to you
  • Setting meaningful boundaries
  • Regulating your nervous system and dealing with stress
  • Improving relationships
  • Improving quality of life

Assessing Your Current Life and Business Stage

Specifically, you need to evaluate where you currently stand in both personal and professional spheres.

One of my clients hired me to help her make more money in her second business. But when we first met, I learned that she was working 80 hours a week. So the first thing we needed to do was get her time and team under control.

Within a few weeks she went from working 80 hours to 30 hours just by putting a few boundaries, systems and team members in place.

Then we went on to focus on growing the second business, which doubled in revenue over the next six months.

By assessing your current circumstances, you figure out what the next level looks like for you. You can do this on your own, or get support from me in a free strategy call. 

This helps you find a life and business coach who can help you with your current prioroties in an aligned way.

Determining Time and Financial Investment

Coaching is a significant investment in your success. So, you need to consider both the financial commitment and time dedication required.

Pricing in the coaching industry is a little subjective, but I’ve seen as low as $50 an hour and as high as $50,000 monthly. (For realllllll). An average is going to be closer to $500 to $3500 monthly, and I personally fall right in the middle.

You don’t want the cheapest option, because often the lowest prices are also reflective of someone’s experience. But more epxensive also doesn’t necessarily lead to more results.

At the end of the day, a good coach can’t get results for you. They help you lead yourself, teach you the things you don’t know to bridge the gap, and empower you. So hire someone that has helped others do what you want to do, or is doing what you want to do. And if you don’t know what those things are yet, then hire someone (like me) that has a broad enough background and client experience to help you choose a path.

Some things to look for

Look at your business objectives, current schedule, and energetic capacity to determine what you can invest in this particular area of your life and what the most effective strategies for change will be for you. When evaluating potential coaches, specifically look for:

• Clear coaching engagement duration
• Fee structure that fits your budget
• Scheduling flexibility

The coaching relationship works best and helps you truly thrive when you’re ready to take responsibility for your own growth. Moreover, success blooms when you are willing to reflect and implement changes. Your coach should be someone who understands your unique needs and can provide practical guidance aligned with your vision.

Remember, your life and business coach stands with you through every business high and low. Choose someone with whom you connect.

Key Differences Between Life and Business Coaches

Understanding the distinct differences between life and business coaches helps you make an informed choice for your growth journey. Let’s explore how these coaching specialties differ in their approach and outcomes.

Core Focus Areas and Expertise

Life coaches and business coaches serve different primary purposes. Indeed, life coaches concentrate on personal development, helping you improve relationships, manage stress, and enhance overall life satisfaction. Business coaches, particularly, focus on increasing profitability, efficiency, and business success through proven strategies.

While some coaches have specialties in both, you’ll want to determine the areas in which you’re looking for real change and decide if you would like one or the other or someone who can do both. You’ll spot the right fit when you understand how each type of coach shines in their own way.

Your specific needs determine which type of coach will serve you best:

Life Coach Focus

Helping you develop mindsets and habits to reach your full potential outside of your business or career. A personal coach can help you with things like:

• • Finding your authentic self and purpose and living as your true self
  • Setting personal goals based on your big-picture vision for your life
  • Improving work-life balance and bringing out your inner leader for every area of your life
  • Building self-awareness

Business Coach Focus

Sessions focused on your business plan, marketing strategies, and specific problems or growth areas to help you have a successful business. Some specifics include:

• Winning business game plans to increase your monthly and annual revenue
• Stronger leadership muscles so you can be the best version of yourself to lead your business
• Smart management skills and professional growth
• Smooth-running operations that ensure your business success

Somatic Business Coach Focus

Often integrates tools and frameworks that blend business acumen with body awareness techniques common in life coaching. These methods offer both professional benefits for business owners and benefit their personal life. Some strategies commonly found in somatic business coaching:

• Nervous system flexibility: entrepreneurship is stressful as heck. Somatic coaching helps you regulate your nervous system through the highs and lows, can help release trauma, and increases your confidence in decisions and self trust.
• Manifestation Techniques: To rehearse success scenarios for specific areas of business growth, from improving social media presence to managing sales teams.

Read more about somatic coaching.

Coaching Methodologies and Approaches

Business coaches typically employ structured frameworks to help you reach your next level of success. Accordingly, they use proven business models and metrics to track progress. Life coaches, although equally systematic, focus on holistic development and personal growth strategies.

The coaching methodologies differ in their implementation:

Business coaching emphasizes practical action steps and measurable outcomes for your business growth. Therefore, sessions often include strategic planning, marketing guidance, and performance enhancement techniques.

Life coaching sessions, however, may focus more on a big goal for yourself or your life and helping you step out of your comfort zone to take steps to achieve this.

Expected Outcomes and Deliverables

Each coaching style delivers its own flavor of success. Business coaches help you nail the concrete wins – smoother operations, happier teams, and fatter profits. Life coaches guide you to personal transformation, richer relationships, and unshakeable confidence.

Your coaching investment should show real results you can measure. Business coaching puts more wins on your professional scoreboard. Life coaching helps you feel more whole, with work and life flowing together beautifully.

Evaluating Coach Credentials and Experience

Selecting a qualified life and business coach requires careful evaluation of their credentials and proven track record. Subsequently, you’ll want to ensure your investment leads to real results for your personal life and business growth.

Professional Certifications and Training

The coaching industry is not regulated. That said, there are several respected certification bodies.

Notably, coaches with professional certifications typically charge three times more than those without certifications. The International Coach Federation (ICF) offers three levels of certification, and is the most recognizable body.

That said, I would also look at someone’s background and expertise. I have a degree in leadership, have been marketing online since 2011, and coaching since 2017 (or earlier if you count managing teams in my career). This real world experience and background means that my marketing and business knowledge came from a little college and lot of on-the-job results.

When I got deeper into mindset work, I got a somatic coaching certification. This was a 200-hour trauma informed program to help people with deeper levels of nervous system and manifesting support. I felt I needed that certification to ensure I knew what I needed to know about who I can support, when to refer someone to another specialist, etc.

Industry Experience and Track Record

Experience in your specific niche is essential for achieving your business objectives. When evaluating potential coaches, look for those with at least 5-7 years of relevant business experience. A coach’s track record should demonstrate success in helping clients reach their full potential and create successful businesses.

In 2020, there were a lot of new coaches online who had success monetizing something, and began coaching others to do the same. There’s nothing wrong with this, except that someone with narrow experience and no history hasn’t had to adapt to a market, changing online trends, etc.  So, it can often be helpful to work with someone who has more context.

Client Testimonials and Case Studies

Authentic testimonials provide transparent insight into a coach’s effectiveness. When reviewing testimonials, focus on these key elements:

• Specific Outcomes: Look for detailed accounts of tangible results and business growth
• Volume of Experience: Seek coaches who have worked with 500+ clients across diverse industries
• Success Rate: Quality coaches should demonstrate that over 70% of their clients achieved desired outcomes

Case studies offer deeper insights into a coach’s methodology and results. These detailed accounts show how the coach handles specific problems and implements effective strategies for client success. Through case studies, you can better understand their coaching approach and determine if it aligns with your personal goals.

Remember that credentials alone don’t guarantee the right fit. The most effective coaching relationship combines proper certification, relevant experience, and a proven track record of helping clients achieve new heights in their business and personal life.

Creating a Coach Selection Framework

Creating an effective framework to select your life and business coach requires careful consideration and systematic evaluation. Initially, you’ll need a structured approach to ensure you find the right coach who aligns with your business objectives and personal goals.

Developing Assessment Criteria

Before starting your search for a life and business coach, establish clear selection criteria linked to your specific needs. Your assessment framework should include:

• Professional Background
• Industry experience relevance
• Track record with similar clients
• Business acumen and expertise
• Communication style compatibility
• Coaching methodology alignment

Primarily, you’ll want to gather information from multiple sources about potential coaches. This includes reviewing their social media accounts, client testimonials, and professional achievements.

Red Flags to Watch Out For

As you evaluate potential coaches, be mindful of these warning signs that could indicate a mismatch:

• Pressure Tactics: Coaches who rush you into making decisions or use aggressive sales techniques
• Lack of Clear Process: Unable to explain their coaching methodology or expected outcomes
• Over-promising: Guaranteeing specific results or promising unrealistic “get rich quick” solutions
• Poor Memory: Inability to remember previous conversations or maintain focus during sessions

Trial Sessions and Chemistry Checks

Free strategy sessions serve as powerful tools to evaluate potential coaches. During these initial meetings, pay attention to:

• Connection Quality: Assess how comfortable you feel sharing your challenges and aspirations
• Coaching Style: Experience their approach firsthand through a sample coaching conversation
• Value Alignment: Ensure their values and ethics match yours

Afterward, reflect on the experience and trust your instincts about the connection. A successful chemistry session should leave you feeling empowered and motivated to take action. The coach should demonstrate unconditional positive regard and create a safe space for open dialog.

Remember to take adequate time before making your final decision.

The right life and business coach will respect your decision-making process and won’t pressure you into immediate commitment. Instead, they’ll encourage you to ensure the partnership feels right for achieving your full potential and reaching new heights in both personal life and business growth.

Measuring Coaching Success and ROI

First, your coaching relationship needs to shine with real results. Let’s explore how to measure the magic of your investment in yourself and your business by tracking details such as:

Setting Clear Goals and Milestones

Successful coaching lies in establishing clear, measurable targets. As a result, you’ll need to work with your coach to create SMART goals that align with both your personal life and business objectives. These goals should be:

• Specific: Paint a clear picture of your wins
• Measurable: Count your progress steps
• Achievable: Set targets within your reach
• Relevant: Match your business heart
• Time-bound: Put dates on your dreams

Tracking Progress and Results

Coupled with goal setting, your success story needs numbers to back it up. Regular check-ins keep you moving toward your brightest potential. Successful coaching relationships often show measurable results such as:

• A 60% increase in sales teams meeting their quota
• A 16% increase in strategic planning abilities
• A 40% increase in the ability to motivate others
• A 39% improvement in stress management

To maximize your coaching ROI, watch both your numbers and your growth moments. Keep score of everything that moves your business forward and lifts your spirit higher.

Adjusting the Coaching Relationship

Throughout your coaching journey, your needs will grow and change – that’s beautiful, as it indicates that you, yourself are growing and changing. A fantastic coach checks in monthly or quarterly to make sure you’re still headed toward your North Star.

For optimal results, consider these key aspects when evaluating your coaching relationship:

• Goal Achievement Rate: Track the percentage of completed milestones and count your wins
• Implementation Success: Monitor how effectively you’re applying new strategies and how your new skills shine
• Business Impact: Measure improvements in business operations and seeing your business bloom
• Personal Growth: Assess leadership skills and communication and feeling it strengthen

The magic happens when you click with your coach. Speak up about what you need – honest talks keep your coaching powerful and precious. For this reason, maintaining open communication about your needs and challenges helps ensure the coaching process remains effective and valuable.

Conclusion

Choosing your perfect life and business coach opens the door to your highest potential. Your business needs both smart strategy and personal growth to truly shine. Take your time finding the right match – your future success depends on it.

The journey to find the right person might seem overwhelming at first. But you’ve got this. You know what to look for now and you understand the different coaching styles. The right coach will stand beside you through every challenge, keeping you accountable and lighting your path forward.

Remember that coaching represents more than just business strategy – it’s an investment in becoming your best self. Ultimately, the right coach will guide you toward achieving your full potential while building a successful business that aligns with your values and goals.

Ready to get started? Request your free business strategy session and let’s look at how we can take your business and life goals to new heights this year.

Life and Business Coach FAQs

What is the typical cost range for a life and business coach?

Life and business coaching fees generally range from $75 to $250 per hour. Many coaches require a minimum commitment of three to six sessions to effectively work towards your goals.

How can I select the right business coach for my needs?

When selecting the right coach for your needs, look for a business coach with a proven track record, industry experience, and a coaching style that aligns with your goals. Evaluate their communication skills, ask for client testimonials, and ensure they offer tailored advice rather than generic strategies.

What factors should I consider when choosing a life coach?

When choosing a life coach, consider the specific areas of your life you want to improve, the coach’s expertise in those areas, their proven results, coaching methodology, and years of experience. It’s also important to ensure their values align with yours and that you feel comfortable working with them.

What are the key traits of an effective life and business coach?

Effective coaches typically embody curiosity, courage, and compassion. These traits, often referred to as the “three C’s of coaching,” enable coaches to ask insightful questions, challenge their clients constructively, and provide empathetic support overall.

How can I measure the success of my experience working with a life and business coach?

Set clear, measurable goals at the beginning of your coaching relationship. Track your progress through regular check-ins, and assess improvements in specific areas such as sales performance, strategic planning abilities, leadership skills, and stress management. Also, consider the overall impact on your business operations and personal growth.