You're a professional coach running an amateur business.

ICF-certified. 100+ hours. Two to four sporadic clients. Income fluctuates £1,500-£8,000/month.

You transform lives in session. You're invisible in the market.

The certification taught you to coach. Not to build a scalable coaching business.

That's what's killing you.

---

Maria: £100k → £220k in 12 months.
Janneke: €175k 2 years from corporate.
Terri: First client in 4 days after 2 years of nothing.

Same problem. One system fixes it.

---

The 3 C's:

1. Clarity. Finally, own your niche.
2. Confidence. Enrol with integrity.
3. Consistency. Predictable monthly income.

Results: 60%+ conversion from systemized approach.

No more feeling salesy, helping everyone, or praying for clients.

Your business becomes as professional as your coaching.

---

My 90-day Business Integrator is for certified professional coaches who are sick of operating like amateurs.

The gulf between your ability to serve and to be seen, so you're the unmistakable choice.

If you're done being the best-kept secret...

Book a 20-minute call. Just you and me: 

→ www.arnoldferrier.com/contact/

We'll see if this is a fit.

DM "COACH" if you have questions first.

---

One more thing…

Your coaching isn't the problem. You're great in session. Your clients love you.

It’s your business mindset and model.

Those are fixable.

Let's fix them.

Arnold

Arnold Ferrier

Another certification won't make you a smarter coach.

The coaches who stall aren't lacking credentials.

They're avoiding the uncomfortable work.

I don't say that to be harsh, but I've seen it time and again.

Here's what sharpens your edge.

#1 Get coached yourself, professionally.

You can't support someone through a process you've never felt.

When I certified from IPEC, I reached out to Bridgette.

I wanted to sit in the seat.
Feel the experience of being coached.
And achieve specific measurable outcomes.

Something cracks open when you take your own medicine.

#2 Record your sessions and listen back.

Really listen.

Trust me, it's uncommon.
You'll hear the moments you rushed past
Where silence was the missed opportunity.

And the gaps where the real work lives.

#3 Ask for hard feedback.

Most coaches never ask this.

Not the bland, 'how was today’s session?'
Ask your clients where you lost them.
What did they want in that moment.

The ones who do grow faster.

The truth is, certifications give you a framework. And frameworks matter.

But real coaching skill lives in the shadows.

It lives in the awkward pauses you learn to hold.
The questions you stop yourself from asking too soon.
The moments you catch your bias mid-session.

Real growth isn't another certificate on your wall.

It comes from doing the deep work you ask your clients to do

Business Coach for Certified Coaches | You’re brilliant in session. Business sucks. Click my links.

I'm not the right coach for you.

I'll say this out loud.

When someone's interested in coaching, they might not know what coaching is.

They might have read something or heard someone talk about their experience. But they haven't felt it.

And yet we ask them to commit to a program

We ask for real money over months.

Based mostly on what we say and what others have experienced.

And we benefit financially.

The language of coaching is powerful:

Transformation.
Breakthroughs.
Life changing.

I've experienced it myself and with my clients.

But when you're the person being asked to trust, and you've never been through it, that language can sound like a promise that's irresistible to ignore.

I'm not saying it's wrong. I believe in coaching deeply. The structure matters. The consistency matters.

The momentum that builds session over session is real and it creates something scattered conversations never could. 

But that doesn't change how vulnerable the ask is.

I also know that if I'm not honest about the position I'm putting a potential client in, I'm not being the coach I say I am.

I'm asking for trust before I've earned it. And that's a vulnerable place for them, not for me.

So what do I do with that?

I think the answer is humility. Real humility. 

The kind that says 'this might not be right for you' even when you need the client.

It means acknowledging openly that this is a big ask.

It means being willing to let someone walk away without making them feel like they're turning down their own potential.

The coaches I respect most are the ones who hold their profession with deep conviction and hold their clients with open hands.

They believe in the structure. They believe in the process.

And they make space for someone to say not yet, not you, or not this, without making it mean anything about the person's courage or readiness.

It also means saying, 'I'm not the right coach for you, but I know who might be.'

That's where the real power is. 

Not in standing firm on your program structure but in being honest with someone and yourself.

I think the profession gets stronger when we talk about this.

I had no one left to talk to.

My client list was empty and I was panicking.

So I told Bridgette I was stuck.

Her suggestion was almost too simple:

"Go through your inbox, your posts and anywhere someone's interacted with you, make a list and bring it to our next session."

I didn't see how that would help.

But I did it anyway.

Next session, we sat down with the stack.

Then she said something I'll never forget.

"We're not looking for clients. We're looking for problems.

Opportunities where you can serve."

We went through the list.

And I found opportunity everywhere.

- Questions I could answer. 
- Challenges I could solve. 
- Struggles I'd been through myself.

I'd been blind to all of it.

Because I was looking for clients instead of searching for problems.

When I reached back out to those people, it wasn't salesy.

It was genuine support.

Your inbox is full of opportunity right now.

You just can't see it because you're looking for the wrong thing.

Stop looking for clients.

Start searching for problems you can solve.

The work finds you when you stop chasing it.

How do I get clients?

I’ve answered this question multiple times and it’s always the same answer.

Hint: It’s not a pitch, funnel or a lead magnet

When I was a Success Coach for IPEC, I had the privilege of coaching hundreds of coaches.

And more than once, without me asking anything, a coach would reach out and say, "Is there an opportunity for us to work together?" 

That lived experience, that felt sense of possibility, is the most powerful thing you can offer anyone. Nothing I know of comes close.

Give people an experience of what it’s like to work with you.

The second way it happens is when you least expect it. 

You're just talking to someone. Really listening. Creating a space where they feel safe enough to share openly what's on their mind. 

And somewhere in that conversation, you begin to understand their situation. And you start to see one or two ways you might genuinely serve them. 

It's not strategic. It's just human connection grounded in curiosity.

And then there's the third way. The third way is different. 

It requires you to do the work first, which is where a lot of coaches slip up. 

If you haven't had that conversation yet, do your homework. 

Read their profiles and posts. Look at what they're managing, what they're building, what they're wrestling with. 

Because when you understand where someone is, you can meet them there.

I came across a post yesterday from someone I'd spoken to about four weeks ago. 

They're setting up a coaching business. And in that post I saw one clear thing. 

One specific reason they might struggle, and one specific way I could help them get sharper on their positioning and their messaging. 

But I didn't just fire off an email. I don't believe in coaching without permission. 

Instead, later today I'm going to send them a short note, asking whether they'd welcome my observation first. 

Asking permission to share what I saw, before being invited. That's it. 

Because the reality is this. All the DMs and emails in the world don't replace actual conversations. 

And when you make it about the other person, when you share what you heard when you talked, and the possibilities you can see for them, regardless of whether you ever work together or not, that's when something real happens.

Listen first. Understand where they are. Offer what you genuinely see.

If you keep doing that, there will always be somewhere to serve. 

And from service, everything else follows.

Does calling yourself a coach feel slightly icky?

In my journey I’ve introduced myself as:
- A founder
- A consultant
- An active listener

For a while I went with IPEC success coach because it felt more specific, more legitimate somehow.

I cycled through the labels looking for one that would finally sit right.

And then I stopped depending on them.

A taxi driver asked me what I did once. I tried to explain it. 

The bemused look on his face said it all.

And in the back of that cab, I realised the label was never the thing creating the link.

My presence, experience and personality were.

What moves people is harder to name and easier to feel.

When you sit with someone and give them your full, undivided attention, there’s a moment. You feel it. They feel it too.

I've watched someone go from "I don't know how to do this" to "I can figure this out" in a matter of minutes. 

What opens up in them is the feeling that achieving the outcome they want is within reach.

And then the most important thing unfolds. They start to sense possibility.

That the change they want is within reach. Not conceptually but cognitively.

When that happens, whatever you called yourself doesn't matter.

Because something shifted in them before you ever made an offer.

They're more likely to work with you the moment they feel change is within reach. 

Your title didn't do that. Your presence did.

So, if the word ‘coach’ feels icky, that's fine. Use whatever feels honest right now.

Pic is me running an annual strategy workshop for the Association of Business Psychologists (ABP)

I dare you to write one.

It takes 5 minutes but lasts years.

Send a handwritten note to someone today.

Forget email, we’re talking real ink, real paper.

These days a handwritten note stands out in ways we’ve almost forgotten.

I got one from a former client this morning. 

Just to share her appreciation for the time and work we’d done together. 

Her thoughtfulness brought me to tears.

And created a deep connection that digital can never match.

It’s a beautiful way to nurture a relationship and show someone you care.

So, here's my invitation:

Pick one person this week. 

A client, a colleague, someone who made a difference. 

Write them a note. Tell them why they matter.

You don't need fancy stationery or perfect handwriting.

You just need to write from the heart.

Who will you write to?

Cancelling took more courage than showing up ever would.

She sent a message the night before. 

Explained where she was at. Didn’t just go quiet.

My first reaction? Respect.

It would have been easier to show up, say the right things, and go through the motions. 

She didn't do that.

The moments I remember most, are the most human.

She hadn’t slept well. Three weekends away in a row.

Needed to walk Oz, do the grocery shop, clean, get to the gym and read the manual for her new car.

She didn’t send me some BS, overwhelmed excuse. 

She just stated what she needed. In order. Honestly.

That’s someone who knows exactly where they are.

And what their day actually needs to be like.

I hope she gets through the list.

I hope Oz gets a good walk.

I always ask for full payment upfront.

No monthly invoices.
No payment plans. 
No apologies.

Here's why it works for me.

When my clients pay in full, that’s when everything changes.

Their commitment deepens.
They show up differently.
They radiate “I'm all in.”

Little-by-little payments turn something powerful into something casual.
And casual isn't what we're here for.

From my side, it frees me completely.

I'm not chasing invoices.
I'm not tracking who owes what.
I'm not becoming a debt collector.

All that drains energy from the work.
And the work deserves all of it.

Now, full prepayment isn't the right way.

It's my way.

I know brilliant coaches who use payment plans and prosper.

I’ve also had 1:1 clients where we’ve agreed them.

That's what I love about this profession.

You get to choose.
You're not boxed in by rigid rules.
You get to build your practice your way.

So, whatever your policy is, own it.
Say it clearly. Say it warmly.

Your clients will respect it.

No monthly invoices.
No payment plans. 
No apologies.


What if my client doesn't get the result they want?

That question used to keep me awake at night. 

And I mean genuinely awake.

Every time a client set a big goal, I'd feel this weight on me. 

Like I was somehow responsible, whether they'd achieve it or not. 

If they weren't making progress, I'd be carrying it around with me between sessions.

It was exhausting. And I can tell you, it's a hard place to coach from.

It took me a while to get really clear on what I was actually promising.

And it wasn't some guaranteed result. 

Or a specific number I could hand over at the end of our time together.

What you're promising is the best coaching you know how to give.

That's it.

You can't promise more than you can give.

And the moment I got clear on that, my coaching felt lighter.

The result gets created by the client. Not by you.

When you trust your client's capacity to do the work, you stop carrying what isn't yours to carry. 

Great coaching brings out the best in people. 

And when that happens, they are far more likely to achieve what they set out to achieve and more. 

Your responsibility is to show up with your best work. Nothing more and nothing less.

One client came to me wanting to develop a one-to-one coaching business.

Through the process, we ended up creating a paid community instead.

It changed her life.

And that mattered more than any goal we started with.

What she came for turned out to be less significant than the thing she became.

Today, I partner with clients on their biggest goals without carrying the weight of guaranteeing them.

I'll share stories of past clients who've achieved similar goals and gone beyond them. But I'm always clear on my role.

The best coaching I know how to give. 

That's all I ever have to worry about doing.

If you're a coach carrying that weight right now, where does your responsibility end and your client's begin?

Being an introvert made me rethink my coaching career.

Not coaching itself. I love coaching. 

It's the part where you have to put yourself out there. That's when my chest used to tighten up.

And I think a lot of coaches know exactly what I mean.

The fear isn't really about talking to people. Introverts are often extraordinary with people. 

The fear is about performing for strangers. And the moment you stop performing and start genuinely connecting, the anxiety fades.

Before any outreach, ground yourself first.

Your nervous system sets the tone before your mouth opens.

Find whatever works for you:
- A walk
- An affirmation
- Five minutes of quiet

People feel your energy before you say a word.

From that grounded place, stop thinking about "all the people" you need to reach.

You're just focused on the next one person. One conversation. That's it.

In that conversation, slow down. Listen harder. Ask sharper questions.

Compassionate conversation is a lost art. It’s so rare these days.

Introverts seldom struggle with connection. They struggle with performance.

The overwhelm doesn't go away through discipline or pushing through.

It fades when you realise you were never meant to perform in the first place.

Connection is your territory. It always has been.

Knowing is the enemy of curiosity.

Before I started training to be a coach at IPEC, I genuinely believed I was an excellent listener.

People naturally confided in me and told me things in confidence.

Then we started the peer sessions and the doubt crept in. I realised perhaps I wasn't as good as I thought I was.

So I applied to join the Samaritans, which is a crisis line for people at the end of the road.

I wanted to find out what listening without judgment or attachment really meant so that curiosity would be present.

No framework. No technique. Just presence.

In the fourth week, I spoke to someone who felt they couldn't go on.

The previous version of me would have tried to fix them. Advise. Find a solution. Counsel my way through.

Instead, I just stayed. No agenda. No "knowing" what to say next. Just pure presence and curiosity.

The irony is that's when I knew.

Knowledge is a noun. It's what you build over hundreds of sessions.

Knowing is a verb. It's what you do with that knowledge in the room.

And you can't be in a state of knowing and genuine curiosity at the same time.

Coaches who create the most impact in the room share something with that Samaritans call.

They're not reaching for what they know. They're staying curious with what's there.

No agenda. No next move. Just presence.

What would change if you walked into your next session without knowing and led with pure curiosity?

7 years ago I believed: If I raise prices, I'll lose clients.

I don't believe in pricing hacks.

But I do believe this:

If people think of you first, you can charge premium prices.

That means getting very specific about what painful problem you solve and who you solve it for. 

Then consistently talking about that problem so the right people remember you.

Not everyone. The right people.

The ones who have the problem, the budget, and the urgency.

They exist in your market. You're just not speaking to them yet.

It's simple, but not easy.

Everyone says, 'pick a niche.' 

But here's what they're missing: 

You don't need to be known for one thing. You need to be known for one outcome.

Because once you know that, you stop projecting your money stories onto your clients.

You stop assuming no one will pay.

And you start testing what your market genuinely values.

Want to charge what you're worth? 

Stop guessing. Start positioning.

"Will a diagnostic or assessment always be part of your coaching program?"

I asked my client this yesterday.

“I think so, Yeah."

Assessments create introspection and innovation.

They give people a framework to understand their differences and work better together.

Not in a simplistic way, but sensitively.

Her reasoning made sense.

I've used assessments too. 

I'm a Lumina Spark practitioner. 

Sometimes I’ll suggest this to a client.

It’s one way to reveal patterns people don't see.

But here's where I get cautious.

The danger is using the tool as a crutch for your coaching skill.

Treating the report as “truth” instead of a discussion.

Over-confidence in assessments can shut down your coaching presence. 

You switch off. 

You think the tool has already told you who they are.

So, I'm curious about your experience.

Do you work with personality assessments in your coaching?

If yes, why? What benefits do you see?

If no, what's your reasoning?

My client is non procrastinatingly brilliant.

She just sent me this:

"I offered a lead magnet on my post today. Already, 83 impressions. 4 people asked for it. I’ve had to down tools to write it now!"

She sold it before she built it.

I bet you’ve spent days creating the perfect freebie.

Designing it. Perfecting it. Polishing it.

Only to post it and hear crickets.

She did the opposite.

Posted the offer.

Validated the demand.

Built it for the people who actually wanted it.

That's courage. 

Not hoping people want it. Testing if people want it.

The market tells you what it wants. Especially if you ask before you build.

Forget perfecting in private. Start offering in public.

You don't need a polished product.

You need real people saying yes.

Then you build it for them.

In 10 minutes, my client got 4 yeses from 83 people.

That's a 4.8% conversion rate on an offer that didn't exist yet.

Want to know if your idea has legs?

Offer it today.

Build it today.

Let demand lead creation.

That's how you stop guessing and start knowing.

“Send me some info.”

What do you send as a follow up?

A client asked me this last Wednesday.

You’ve had a chat.
Someone shows interest.
They ask you to send something.

So, you send:

A PDF about your process.
Your bio, your packages.
A link to your site.
(if you have one)

And they ghost.

Surprise, surprise.

They don't need ‘more info’.
They need to feel seen.

Your follow-up should be about them.

What did you notice in your conversation?
What possibility did you see for them?
What breakthrough could be waiting?

Paint a picture of what could shift for them.
Be specific and make it tangible.

Then invite them to talk more.

Show them you were listening.
Reflect what they shared.

If they specifically asked for your bio or how coaching works, fine.

Pop it in the PS.

But the body of your message? 
That's about them.

Your goal isn't to inform, it's to create a relationship.

Less brochures. More connection.

The thoughtful message that makes them want to keep talking?

That's the one you send.

Stop paying another £200 for shiny new tools.

Here are the 8 tools I (actually) use to run my coaching business in 2026:

1. Stripe → all-in-one easy payment gateway, one offs, subscriptions, and client billing on autopilot. Get paid without the awkward follow-up.

2. Claude.ai → session summaries, action items and client follow-ups written in minutes.

3. Otter.ai → replaced manual note taking. Records every session so I stay present. Not desperately trying to remember everything they said.

4. Acuity → replaced the back-and-forth. Clients book themselves. No more "does Tuesday work for you?" emails.

5. Kit → replaced generic email blasts. Nurture sequences, lead magnets, and newsletters that actually convert prospects into clients.

6. Zoom → every discovery call, coaching session, and group program. Zero learning curve for clients. They show up, we coach

7. Sales Navigator → replaced cold outreach guesswork Find your ideal client profile in seconds. No more shouting into the void.

8. ScoreApp → replaced boring lead magnets. Quizzes that qualify leads and tell them something valuable. Cuts tyre-kickers before they book.

The best tool stack is the one you actually use.

Start there.

P.S. What are you paying for and not using?

8 tools I use in my coaching business 2026

Self awareness is the new self-sabotage.

Not the idea, the obsession with it.

I spent an entire month tracking every pattern, trigger, and emotional response.

I could tell you exactly why I made bad decisions.

And I could map the flow from emotional discomfort to restless negativity.

There's a pattern to it. Three stages

Stage 1: You discover self-awareness.

It feels like a superpower. You start seeing your patterns clearly for the first time.

Stage 2: You get addicted to the insight.

Every bad day becomes a case study. Every emotion becomes data. 

You journal, reflect, analyse. 

Why am I self-sabotaging? — then self-sabotage again the same afternoon.

Stage 3: The trap closes. 

Self-observation becomes self-criticism wearing a growth mindset costume.

I caught myself writing "You are better than this" at the end of yet another day where knowing better hadn't translated into doing or being better.

That's not growth. That's punishment dressed up as a pep talk.

I was stuck in that loop for weeks.

The breakthrough didn't come from deeper analysis.

It wasn't an insight at all. 

It was the night I finally wrote: "Stop beating yourself up.'"

That one sentence did more than 60 pages of pattern recognition. 

Because the moment I stopped over analysing everything, I actually had the energy to do something about it.

Sometimes the most powerful act of self-awareness is recognising when self-awareness has become the problem.

The antidote to toxic self-awareness isn't less thinking.

It's smaller, faster action.

Before your mind has time to turn it into another case study.

Justin McNaughton

Partner @ CAS | 🗡️ Lawyer for Emerging Tech Companies | Photographer / Mountain Biker / Dad

𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝘄𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲:

•	They focus on growth, no time for details
•	They believe legal services create headaches, not growth
•	They DIY with ChatGPT
•	They think they will have time “later”

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲: 

•	Their contracts become sloppy
•	Their operating documents leave massive gaps
•	Investors reject them because “it’s not buttoned up”
•	Their businesses lose momentum

𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀.


Consider the large tech companies you’re disrupting. 

They have a c-suite lawyer who:

• Protects company assets 
• Advises on legal obstacles
• Identifies and reduces risks
• Oversees compliance issues
• Oversees the company's specialist lawyers
• Acts as the company's legal representative
• Acts as a key negotiator in strategic transactions

They 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 have Intellectual property lawyers who:

• Register patents, trademarks, and copyrights
• Safeguard intellectual property
• Enforce against infringers

These companies have $100M legal budgets.

Emerging companies can’t afford all of this, so what do you do?

𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: a combined outside general counsel and intellectual property counsel.


𝗠𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱:

Over the last 17 years, I’ve worked with all kinds of tech & creative companies:

⇨ I handled trademarks for two leading private timeshare companies
⇨ I negotiate technology agreements across multiple industries
⇨ I’m keen on intellectual property protection and licensing 
⇨ I advised one of the first cell-cultivated meat startups 
⇨ I protected Pitbull's signature "eeeeyoooo" sound 
⇨ I manage m&a for buyers and sellers 
⇨ I negotiate fundraising for startups 

If you plan to exit your tech company or sign a million-dollar contract, send me a dm. 

We’ll set up a call.

Photographs © 2023-2025 Justin McNaughton unless otherwise indicated. 
All rights reserved.
_________________

THIS ACCOUNT IS AN ADVERTISEMENT

Partner

I graded a founder's company today. 

On this fact pattern: 

The company paid contractors $60,000 to build an MVP. 

No contracts. 
No paperwork. 
Just a handshake. 

I also offered ideas in the video to improve the grade.

Video below. 

PS - Please let me know if you like this format.

——
Follow for tips like this: 🗡️ @justin 

#startups #entrepreneurship #businessowners

Partner @ CAS | 🗡️ Lawyer for fast-growing tech companies / Photographer / Biking enthusiast / Dad

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