The Business of Executive Coaching

If you’ve been wondering how exactly you should announce the starting of your business on LinkedIn, this episode is for you. I was asked this very specifically this week, and I realised that it was a question that people ask me in lots of different ways so I wanted to capture my thoughts here. Many coaches get a bit hung up on doing this “right,”which usually results in not doing it at all, or perhaps sneaking it in and not capitalising on the business potential that comes with an official launch. So if you are about to make the leap and make the announcement, or think you might need to re-introduce your business, I hope this is the practical help you need to take action.  If you’d like to discuss whether the Corporate to Coach Accelerator could be a good move for you as you launch your business, you can book a call here: http://elliescarf.com/bookacall

If you’ve ever felt like you could offer everything as a coach but don’t know where to focus, this episode is for you. I discuss why having too many offers can hold your business back, even when you have the skills and experience to deliver a wide range of work. Saying yes to everything often leads to overwhelm, unclear messaging and makes it harder for clients to understand how you can help.  Instead, I share why refining your offers down to a few core areas is more effective, along with four simple questions to help you decide what those offers should be based on your preferences and market demand. If you’re ready to grow your coaching business with clear offers and a consistent flow of corporate clients, you can learn more about the Corporate to Coach Accelerator at elliescarf.com/cca or book a call at elliescarf.com/bookacall to explore whether it’s the right fit for you.

If there’s one idea that can make selling your services to corporate clients significantly easier, it’s this: It’s easier to sell a painkiller than a vitamin. In this episode, I unpack what that means for executive coaches and why you might struggle to gain traction with your offers., Not because they aren’t valuable, but because they’re positioned around potential future gains and achievements instead of solving current challenges. Listen in for my take on how you can use this idea to make your offers sales-ready. Plus, I share a personal example of where I got this wrong and what it taught me about marketing my offers more effectively without changing the work itself. If you’re ready to grow your coaching business with more structure, strategy and consistent corporate clients, you can learn more about the Corporate to Coach Accelerator at elliescarf.com/cca or book a call at elliescarf.com/bookacall to explore whether it’s the right fit for you.

If there’s one planning interval that I really love it’s quarterly planning. You can achieve something meaningful and significant - but it isn’t overwhelming. What I see for many coaches though, is that this is exactly where things start to drift, somewhere between big annual goals and the reality of day to day work. In this episode, I walk you through an ‘essentials-only’ quick and dirty simple six step process to reset, refocus and move into your next quarter with what really matters front of mind. From reflecting on what’s worked and what hasn’t, to reviewing your sales data, recommitting to meaningful targets, and identifying the key priorities and blockers that will truly move the needle, this approach is intended to be practical and to fit amongst a real life and a real business. If you’re ready to grow your coaching business with more structure, strategy and consistent corporate clients, you can learn more about the Corporate to Coach Accelerator at elliescarf.com/cca or book a call with me at elliescarf.com/bookacall.

If there’s one action that consistently leads to new coaching opportunities, it’s warm outreach. Yet it’s also the task many coaches delay the longest. In this episode, I explore not only why warm outreach is your biggest opportunity, but also why it is so often avoided. To help you move into action I’ll share what we have been doing inside the Corporate to Coach Accelerator this month to prioritise and embed outreach as part of your business plan, and the results that we are seeing already.  If you’d like support growing your coaching business with more corporate clients, including building a warm outreach strategy that works, you can learn more about the Corporate to Coach Accelerator at elliescarf.com/cca or book a call with me at elliescarf.com/bookacall.

Prior to building business plans and hanging out your shingle comes a big (the biggest!) question in your business journey. Are you suited to being in business? And is it a path you should go down? Being in business is sadly not for everyone. It requires more than just loving coaching. It asks you to embrace a dual identity of coach and CEO, and a willingness to tackle challenges you can’t anticipate. In this episode I walk you through the green flags, the red flags, and the key willingness factors that will shape whether business ownership is right for you. If you’d like support building your corporate coaching business, including stepping fully into your CEO role and growing sustainably, you can learn more about the Corporate to Coach Accelerator at elliescarf.com/cca or book a call at elliescarf.com/bookacall to explore whether it’s the right fit for you.

In this episode, I’m talking about proposals, and specifically why they matter so much when you’re working with corporate clients. Proposals aren’t just a document you send after a conversation. They’re an asset. They create shared clarity, they build trust, and they’re often what gets circulated internally when your sponsor is trying to get funding or buy-in for the work. So the way you put them together really matters. Listen in as I walk through some of my key tips for your proposal writing process. If you’d like support building your corporate coaching business, including strengthening your proposals, offers, and sales conversations, let’s talk! You can learn more about the Corporate to Coach Accelerator at elliescarf.com/cca or book a call at elliescarf.com/bookacall to explore whether it’s the right fit for you.

Every now and then, I like to gather a selection of questions I’ve been asked and share an ‘ask me anything’ style episode. So buckle in while I talk through the issues that are on your mind. In this episode specifically we are looking at some fundamental topics. We dive into a challenge almost every coach will have to grapple with - namely, how to approach outreach when it feels awkward, including practical strategies to build consistency and realistic expectations around what actually converts. I was also asked how best to share our corporate work (such as testimonials and success stories) in a way that builds credibility without feeling braggy. And I’ve been asked this one quite a few times - what is the difference between legal contracts and coaching contracts in organisational coaching work?  The last topic I cover is a conversation about visibility, including having professional photos taken and why they might help in more ways than having a bank of images for websites and socials!  If you have a question you’d like to answer in my next AMA episode, please do get in touch on LinkedIn or drop me an email!  If you’d like deeper support building a sustainable coaching business with more corporate clients, you can learn more about the Corporate to Coach Accelerator at elliescarf.com/cca or book a call at elliescarf.com/bookacall to explore whether it’s the right fit for you. I’d also love to hear what resonated most from this Q&A episode, so connect with me on LinkedIn and let me know your biggest takeaway.

In this episode, I’m unpacking the subconscious expectation many coaches have, that our business should deliver not just income and meaning, but also excitement and novelty. The challenge is that when we start chasing dopamine through new ideas, offers, or strategies, we often lose consistency with the fundamentals that actually grow a coaching business.Things like outreach,conversations, and showing up visibly over time may not always feel exciting, but they are what support sustainable success. If you’ve noticed yourself getting pulled towards the next shiny idea, this episode will help you rethink what your business is really all about, and how to create your excitement outside of it. If you’d like support building a consistent, sustainable coaching business with more corporate clients, you can learn more about the Corporate to Coach Accelerator at elliescarf.com/cca or book a call at elliescarf.com/bookacall to explore whether it’s the right fit for you.  I’d also love to hear if novelty seeking is a pattern for you, so connect with me on LinkedIn and let me know where you stand!

In this episode, I’m touching on a new challenge that those of us with a presence on LinkedIn are experiencing. We have all loved the potential upsides of AI, but if you are like me you have started to feel uncomfortable with AI taking over your voice, and realised that it is very difficult to take it to a level that feels sufficiently human and that captures your way of expressing yourself. So today I’m exploring how you can use AI in your content without losing your voice or your connection with the people you want to reach. If you’ve been unsure how to use AI without sounding it eroding your credibility and your connection, this episode will help you rethink how you work with it so your content still sounds like you. If you’d like to talk about how content fits into the growth of your coaching business, you can learn more at elliescarf.com/cca or book a call at elliescarf.com/bookacall to explore whether the Corporate to Coach Accelerator is the right fit for you. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn. I’d love to hear what stood out for you from this episode.

In this episode, I’m exploring outsourcing and how it can be a strategic lever for executive and leadership coaches. Outsourcing can free up time, energy and mental bandwidth, both at work and at home. This can include a huge range of tasks, from household tasks to admin, bookkeeping, marketing support and smart systems in your business. I also share some less obvious ways to outsource, including accountability, discipline and decision-making, and how outsourcing to acquire the right tools and support can speed up your learning curve. If you’ve been feeling stretched or overloaded, this episode will help you rethink outsourcing and focus on what matters most. If you’d like support to build momentum with corporate clients, let’s explore whether the Corporate to Coach Accelerator is the right fit for you. Learn more at elliescarf.com/cca and book a call at elliescarf.com/bookacall. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn. I’d love to hear what stood out for you from this episode.

As the year gets properly underway, this episode is all about Follow Up, and why it’s probably the most strategic task that you can prioritise at this time of year. Listen in for practical ideas for who to follow up and lots of ideas of how to do it.  From checking in on conversations that turned cold, to responding to organisational change, sharing insights, flagging capacity and price increases, if you focus on keeping follow up relevant and grounded in real conversations you’ve already had you can’t go wrong. If you’ve invested time in meetings, proposals or coffees over the past year and feel some opportunities quietly slipped away, this episode will help you reset and build momentum for the year ahead. If you’d like support to build consistent momentum with corporate clients, let’s discuss whether the Corporate to Coach Accelerator is the right fit for you. Learn more at elliescarf.com/cca and book a call at elliescarf.com/bookacall. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn. I’d love to hear what stood out for you from this episode.

As we step back into work after the holiday break, this episode speaks to a feeling many coaches experience at this time of year: coming back to your desk and feeling a bit flat and may be thinking “um… no this ain’t it”.  We aren’t diving into big existential questions about whether you should be in business at all, instead this conversation focuses on normalising those moments of doubt and offering practical ways to reconnect with why you started and where you’re heading next. If you’re returning to work feeling unsettled or less energised than expected, this episode will help you reset and refocus for 2026 with practical tools and a refound inner momentum. If you’d like support to create a clear strategy for your coaching business in 2026, let’s explore whether the Corporate to Coach Accelerator is the right fit for you. Book a call at elliescarf.com/bookacall or learn more elliescarf.com/cca, and don’t forget to connect with me on LinkedIn -  I’d love to hear what stood out for you from this episode.

In this episode, I wanted to share with you one of the most popular episodes from the last year. This episode is a favourite because it addresses a question that makes many coaches cringe: “So… what do you actually do?” If networking, referrals, or informal conversations play any role in your marketing, how you answer this question really matters. In this episode, I explore why traditional elevator pitches often feel awkward for coaches. Most of us really deeply value service and humility, which can make self-promotion uncomfortable. As a result, we either over-explain our work or downplay it, leaving people unclear about who we help and when to refer to us. I share a simple, stress-free alternative to the standard elevator pitch. If you want a clear, comfortable way to answer “what do you do?” and open the door to more meaningful conversations and referrals, this episode is a great place to start. Listen in and let me know what you think! If you’d like feedback on your own soundbite, feel free to share it with me on LinkedIn. And if you’re curious whether the Corporate to Coach Accelerator could support you as you grow your coaching business, book a call at elliescarf.com/bookacall or learn more at elliescarf.com/cca. And don’t forget to connect with me on LinkedIn.

If you are a coach, considering starting your own business in 2026, this episode is for you.For the holidays, I’m revisiting some of last year’s most popular episodes, and this episode was certainly one of them. The start of the year is a perfect time for dreaming so dive in if you want to make your dream coaching business a reality.In this episode, I break down the five (plus a bonus!) essential elements of a successful Corporate to Coach Runway strategy, the period that bridges your corporate career and the launch of your coaching business. We dive into practical, financial, and mindset strategies to help you prepare for the discomfort and uncertainty of starting a business. I talk about how to improve your relationship with rejection and sales and how to define your financial runway - so you can grow your business without feeling desperate or overwhelmed. This episode also touches on the importance of community, and realistic timeframes.If you’re ready to start your executive coaching business with confidence and clarity, I’m offering a free one-on-one strategy call to discuss your runway to starting a coaching business If you’d like guidance to start or grow your coaching business, I’d love to support you. Book a call at elliescarf.com/bookacall, explore the program at elliescarf.com/cca, and be sure to connect with me on LinkedIn.

Outreach is one of the most powerful ways to grow an executive coaching business and also one of the most misunderstood. In this episode, I wanted to revisit one of the most popular and practical conversations from the podcast this year, focusing on a topic that consistently comes up for coaches working with corporate clients: outreach. More specifically, I explore what I call the outreach myth, the fear of being perceived as salesy, pushy or misaligned with your values. I unpack why this fear is so common among coaches, how it shows up and practical ways to approach outreach differently. If outreach feels heavy, awkward or out of alignment for you, this episode will help you rethink how you approach it and move forward with more confidence and clarity. If you want support to make 2026 the year you start to grow your coaching business, let's chat to see if the Corporate to Coach Accelerator is the right fit for you. Book a call at elliescarf.com/bookacall or learn more at elliescarf.com/cca. And don’t forget to connect with me on LinkedIn.