When you’re running your own business, it’s the ultimate freedom. You get to set your own hours, choose which clients you will work with, and create a niche that suits your mission. Freedom also gives you responsibility, or if you’d like to consider response-ability, the ability to respond to your life and environment in any way you see fit.
When it comes down to it, the success of your business is entirely in your hands. When you succeed, you have a lot to celebrate. When you miss the mark, it’s up to you.
Are You Disciplined Enough to Be Free?
There’s a line in a song by the British band James: “You can have whatever you want, but are you disciplined enough to be free?” It’s a great song, “I Know What I’m Here For. ” You can find it on Spotify.
Discipline and a clear roadmap for your success is crucial. Communicating this clear roadmap is critical for team motivation and productivity.
The 90-day planning method perfectly balances long-term vision and actionable short-term goals. Here’s a comprehensive guide to planning your coaching business quarter by quarter.
The 90-Day Coach Planning Method
Core Service Planning
What services do you provide, and how will you offer them? Think through the clients that light you up and motivate you versus the clients that aren’t working for you. Adjust your planning to expand what inspires you and lessen the activities that drain you.
Individual Coaching Sessions
- Set your target number of 1:1 clients for the quarter.
- Block out specific coaching time slots in your calendar.
- Define your coaching packages and pricing structure.
- Create systems for session prep and follow-up.
- Implement client feedback and progress-tracking methods.
Group Coaching Programs
- Plan group program launch dates for the quarter.
- Define group size limits and pricing.
- Create curriculum outlines and handouts.
- Schedule live session dates.
- Develop community engagement strategies.
- Set up group coaching platforms and tools.
- Think about what bonus content can expand your offering.
Growth and Marketing Strategy
Content Creation
Plan 90 days of content themes to support your lead generation and cultivation. Create a content calendar, and leave room for inspired action on daily insights. Determine how many blog posts, social media posts, and video shorts you’ll create weekly. Schedule batch writing and recording times.
Lead Generation
- Set specific lead generation goals.
- Define marketing channels where your audience engages.
- Plan free workshops or webinars.
- Create lead magnets and downloadable resources for prospective clients.
- Set up or adjust email nurture sequences.
Network Building
- Identify strategic partnerships where you can find win-win referrals.
- Plan speaking engagements through local or national associations.
- Look for new calls for speakers.
- Schedule networking events to meet new people in your niche.
- Set collaboration goals with colleagues and partners.
Financial Planning
Revenue Targets
What are your revenue goals, and how will you hit them? Set a quarterly revenue goal that stretches you to new financial heights. Break this down into monthly goals. Track different revenue streams:
- Individual coaching
- Group programs
- Digital products
- Speaking engagements
Expense Management
Keep more of what you earn while getting the biggest bang for your investments. Look for expenses or tools that do similar things and consolidate.
- Budget for marketing activities.
- Plan for tool and software investments.
- Account for administrative costs.
- Set aside tax provisions.
- Plan for professional development.
Business Development
Amplify your ability to be more effective in your business with strategic systems and support.
Systems and Processes
- Audit your current business systems and look for redundancies or inefficiencies.
- Identify automation opportunities to save you time and effort.
- Update client onboarding process to streamline onboarding.
- Refine booking and scheduling systems to reduce friction.
- Implement new tools to make your business run smoothly.
Team Growth
- Assess the need for support staff to take things off of your plate.
- Plan a hiring timeline if needed.
- Create standard operating procedures to ensure everyone knows how to do things quickly and effectively.
- Define roles and responsibilities.
Professional Development
Growing your business requires personal and professional development. Where can you improve your skills so you can expand your offerings?
What new modalities and processes can help your customers find greater motivation for success?
- Set learning goals for the quarter.
- Schedule training and certifications.
- Plan for conferences or workshops.
- Allocate time for reading and research.
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Quarterly Review Process
Ensure you’re tracking the right metrics in order to inform your business planning and strategy. Standard tracking metrics include:
- Client acquisition rates
- Client retention rates
- Revenue growth
- Marketing visibility and conversion numbers for:
- Website
- Social media
- Email list growth
- Client satisfaction scores
- Program completion rates
If you’re not tracking these metrics, ensure that you set up a system to do so and review your numbers frequently.
Consider setting up a “dashboard” where you can see all numbers simultaneously. Google Looker Studio (formerly Data Studio) can pull data from various sources to provide a complete overview of your business.
- Schedule monthly progress reviews
- Plan comprehensive quarterly assessment
- Document lessons learned
- Adjust strategies as needed
Implementation Tips
Once you’ve got your plan, ensure that you structure the implementation of your strategy.
Break down your larger goals into smaller weekly or daily activities to achieve them.
Start with the End in Mind
- Define clear 90-day objectives.
- Break goals into monthly milestones.
- Create weekly action plans.
- Time block your daily calendar to provide adequate time for essential actions.
Stay Flexible
- Leave room for adjustments.
- Build in buffer time. You need time to “sharpen the saw” and find your inspiration.
- Plan for contingencies. Things will come up.
Track Progress
- Use project management tools. Optimize your activities and clearly communicate activities and tasks with your team.
- Maintain regular metrics reviews. How close are you to your goals? Do you need to adjust your overall strategy or your numbers?
- Document successes and challenges. What’s working and what is not?
Next Steps
Schedule a Time to Plan
Look at your calendar for the next year, and schedule a day for quarterly planning ahead of each quarter. This might be the last Friday in March, June, September, and December, a quieter day before the start of the next financial quarter.
When it’s on your calendar, you can plan for this day by collecting all the data points necessary to help you create an actionable plan.
Effectively Communicate Your Plan
When leading a team, communicate your plans to everyone so everyone knows where the organization is heading and their role in hitting their targets. Setting this vision is a critical part of team leadership. Your team is motivated by your vision, clarity, and the security of knowing that you’re steering the business in the right direction.
Set SMART Goals
SMART is an acronym that stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
Here are some examples of writing SMART goals that work for a coaching practice.
Specific Goals
Instead of: “Grow my coaching business,” get specific.
- Sign six new one-on-one coaching clients.
- Launch one group coaching program with 10 participants.
- Create and launch a 6-week signature program.
- Generate 500 new email subscribers.
Measurable Goals
Define clear metrics that you will measure. Some examples include:
- Revenue targets: “$15,000 in monthly recurring revenue”
- Client numbers: “Maintain 12 active coaching clients”
- Content creation: “Publish 24 pieces of content (8 per month)”
- Engagement rates: “Achieve 5% email open rate improvement”
Achievable Goals
Consider resources and availability, the constraints you must work within when defining your goals.
- Time available: “Deliver 20 coaching hours per week”
- Current capacity: “Convert four discovery calls per month”
- Support systems: “Implement two automation tools”
- Energy management: “Conduct four VIP days this quarter”
Relevant Goals
Make sure your goals are relevant to your personal objectives and business strategy. These can include:
- Brand building: “Secure three podcast guest appearances.”
- Expertise development: “Complete advanced certification.”
- Market positioning: “Develop specialized coaching framework.”
- Client experience: “Achieve 90% client satisfaction rate.”
Time-bound Goals
If you set a goal without a clear deadline, it will not carry as much weight. Set achievable deadlines, but also aim to stretch outside of your comfort zone.
- Month 1: “Launch new website by February 28”
- Month 2: “Fill group program by March 15”
- Month 3: “Complete client case studies by April 30”
- Weekly: “Send two outreach emails every Monday”
An Effective Plan Balances Ambition, Inspiration, Motivation and Discipline
Remember, the key to successful 90-day planning is finding the right balance between ambition and realism. Your plan should stretch you while remaining achievable. Regular reviews and adjustments will help you stay on track and make the most of this powerful planning method.
By following this structured approach, you’ll be well-positioned to grow your coaching business systematically while maintaining high-quality service delivery and sustainable growth.
