Working with 1-on-1 coaching clients is a great way to start your coaching business. 

But there comes a time when you might start looking for a more scalable business model. Group coaching offers a way to leverage your time and experience and build a truly scalable business.

When you decide to transition to a Group Coaching Model it might feel intimidating or a little overwhelming.  If this sounds like you then let’s take a look at the steps to make your transition easier. 

The secret to making this transition easier is this:

Start by creating a one-on-one coaching program. 

Instead of thinking of this as “jumping into group coaching” right away, see it as creating a coaching program for your private clients first. Then make the transition to delivering it to a group.

Here are the 4 steps to do that.

4 Steps for an Effective Group Coaching Transition:

Step 1: Narrow your niche, pick a “slice”, and develop your coaching program.

This, perhaps, is one of the most challenging things to do for a coach who has been helping all kinds of clients solve all kinds of problems. But once you decide on a topic for your program, all things will start falling into place with much more ease.

You have a vast amount of expertise and experience. That’s why I like to think of a niche as a “slice” of your expertise. A specific issue or topic you work with your clients the most on.

Ask yourself these two questions:

• “What is the most common topic you work on with your clients?”
• “What is the first thing you work on with your clients?”

Once you determine your specific topic,  you can then build a step-by-step program to help people succeed with it.

The next steps are simple.

Step 2: Test the program and coach one on one. 

Deliver this program to your 1-on-1 clients first. Invite existing clients or offer it to potential clients as you meet new people. This gives you an opportunity to actually build and deliver your coaching program without worrying about filling a group.

Step 3: Get feedback and enhance the program.

Keep track of your clients’ questions and challenges along the way, and use them to improve your program. You might find yourself creating additional tools or modules to support your clients in achieving better results. Of course, remember to ask for testimonials so you can market your program when you’re ready to coach a group.

Step 4: Expand Your Program to Small Group Coaching

Next, test your program with a small coaching group. Your target audience is already clearly identified by your niche slice.  During coaching, you’ll discover the nuances that the group presents, get feedback, and be able to further enhance your program.  Your program gets better each time you practice its delivery and understand what your clients need.  You remain agile and continue to adjust your program.  The end result will be a program that appeals to the larger client base.

I noticed that some coaches like to call their program a “pilot” if this is their first time delivering it, and you can certainly do that. But also keep in mind that you are an expert on your topic, you have already coached your clients through this program, and there is no reason to just go ahead and treat it like a real coaching program (and charge accordingly).

The Transition

Coaching larger groups can be intimidating but there’s a way to prepare for a smoother transition. A few small steps in the right direction helps you create the best content, build your confidence, and transition your business to the next level. Get started by using the Group Coaching Genie platform, a group coaching software that makes it a lot easier to create your coaching programs.  Group Coaching Genie’s framework supports you as you scale your business from 1-on-1 coaching to group coaching making the transition much easier. You can build and deliver your program, ask clients to submit their homework inside their journals, share coaching exercises, send email reminders, post call replays, and more. 

The goal is to prepare yourself and your program for larger group coaching – whether you decide to have bigger groups or simply more small groups.

Get started with your transition today and gain the experience you need to navigate through the waters of coaching larger groups.  

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