You're a self-employed Business Coaching professional. How can you build a powerful personal brand?

This is a simple concept. Yet, that's where I see 95% of new coaches get it wrong. "Business coach" is not a niche. "Health coach" isn't one. To properly niche down, follow the rule of one: one client, one problem, one solution. This requires you to get uncomfortably specific about who you help, what problem you help them solve or your goal to achieve, and how specifically you are doing it. Unless you do this step, building a brand will be 10x harder and longer.

Identifying the problem/pain you want to attend to and your specific solution to that problem is the key. The challenge especially when starting out in coaching is the thinking that the wider you go the more people you can capture, but in order to stand out, there is a need to go deeper and be more specific in approach to be seen as a subject authority and be more relevant

You are your niche. Your energy, passions, traits, and mission will define who you are and who you attract. The same things determine where your focus and attention go and, eventually, what grows. Defining a niche in the equilibrium of who you are, what you are good at, what you love, and what change you want to be a part of is a good starting point.

Recognize your authenticity and how it differentiates you from other Business Coaches. Define your unique value proposition—what sets you apart? Leverage social media to showcase your expertise through content and client testimonials. Network actively to build meaningful connections. Consistency is key; ensure your messaging and visuals are uniform across platforms. Invest in personal development to stay ahead. Engage authentically, offering genuine value and building trust. Your brand is your promise to your clients—make it impactful. These things take time to recognize so don’t be in a rush. Gain the clarity you need to begin the branding promise then build on it and learn as you go. Seek an experienced mentor to help you.

Being authentic means sharing your story. To gain trust and appeal directly to clients, be vulnerable and share why you became a coach, what motivated you, and what drives you to help others succeed. Clients want to feel connected to their coaches rather than simply looking at their success rates.

There is always the temptation to want to duplicate the success of those we see as successful or have gone ahead of us, while this maybe so, authentic replication and not duplication is key. There is a need to give authentic expression to coaching, especially as a coach, to create transparency, relatability and trust for the clients. While coaches should always be learning as a way for more effectiveness in personal story telling, communication of their passion, principles and purpose, there is a need to be true to who they are as they can only maintain a grow a business they they themselves can relate with.

Authenticity is honesty. It means showing you, your business, and your life how they truly are instead of what they look like.

Consistency creates trust and familiarity, which turn into results and connections. Define your own meaning for consistency that you can uphold even when you’re at your worst. Build your brand, business, and life on top of sustainable energy and actions.

I have found that potential clients find it easier to relate with people's testimonials or feedback of past clients. This helps to give them an indication of what is possible and experiences that could be have. Testimonials serve therefore as one of the strongest marketing tools for businesses, especially coaching.

If you aren't maintaining proper self-care, your ability to serve clients will be impaired. Energy reserves will be down, your ability to listen, focus, and problem-solve will be decreased, and even body language will communicate fatigue and disinterest. Clients can sense when a coach is fully present and engaged in a session, just as we are aware of the amount of effort clients are putting in.

Invest in proximity. As a coach, I can see the catalytic power of being coached and mentored. One of the best pieces of advice is to invest in your learning, building new skills and learning the layers of yourself. Invest in access and proximity to people who have done what you do, and are where you want to be.