“I collaborate with coaches and other knowledgeable individuals.”

Kate Solovieva is a former psychology professor, a PN master coach, and the director of community engagement at PN.

This quote has become one of her defining phrases.

While Coach Kate has guided thousands of “regular” clients, her primary focus is on coaching fellow coaches.

Through her role as an instructor for PN’s Level 2 Master Health Coaching Certification, as a facilitator for PN’s exclusive online coaching communities, and as a coach in her own practice, she gains invaluable insight into the inquiries and challenges that both novice and experienced coaches confront.

Coach Kate understands what fellow coaches are up to.

She has witnessed the triumphs and mistakes of countless coaches, and today, she intends to share three prevalent errors she notices them committing.

If there’s one thing Coach Kate desires, it’s to see her colleagues achieve phenomenal success, so her aim with this article is to assist coaches in:

• Overcoming feelings of paralysis caused by insecurity and doubt—and begin growing their business
• Learning to perceive their clients more impartially, allowing them to better meet their needs and aspirations
• Accurately defining their responsibilities as a coach (hint: they aren’t what many coaches believe them to be)
• Channeling their inherent passion and investment in a client’s success—without burning themselves out

We will explore three frequent coaching mistakes, along with strategies to address them. Let’s dive in.

Coaching mistake #1: Prioritizing coaching over selling

Coach Kate likens a coaching business to a three-legged stool.

• There’s the coaching leg (representing your skills and expertise as a coach),
• A selling leg (referring to your capacity to market and draw in a flow of clients), and
• An administrative leg (encompassing how clients schedule appointments, make payments, and other organizational tools and systems).

“Most individuals entering coaching begin with the coaching leg,” says Kate.

“They aspire to be the best coach they can, which is fantastic. However, to truly excel as a coach, mere information and theory have their limits.”

As Kate notes, “You cannot maximize your coaching potential in isolation, conversing with yourself in your office.”

This is why she advocates for challenging the tendency many coaches feel to wait until they possess “complete” knowledge.

Instead, she recommends simply starting to sell.

Why?

Coaches who commence selling earlier also begin coaching sooner.

Over time, they’ll hold an edge over those coaches aiming to be “the BEST coach they can be” by acquiring 12 certifications before offering their services.

Conversely, the coach who “doesn’t fully know what they’re doing” but begins practicing right away will start to develop their business and their coaching experience—and likely enhance their chances of overall success.

Solution: Remember to present yourself as a COACH, not an EXPERT

There’s a natural tendency among aspiring coaches to want to acquire those 12 certifications before they initiate coaching.

“Sometimes we cling to the hope that we will reach a stage where we feel sufficiently confident to address any question posed to us,” Kate observes.

As every coach knows, when you start describing your profession, people will have queries. Often, they will pose questions you cannot answer, which can induce discomfort… even embarrassment.

(You’re meant to be the expert, correct??)

According to Coach Kate, this belief—that you’re expected to be an authority with all the answers—is founded on a mistaken assumption.

“When I enter a coaching conversation, my role is not ‘the expert.’”