8 Coaches Share When They Knew It Was Time To Go Full-Time

Knowing when it’s time to make the leap into becoming a full-time coach can be a tough call. You may be anxious about the possibilities that come with making the switch to full-time coaching before you’re actually ready to do so. But how do you know?

Do you wait until you get a certain amount of clients? Or until you have enough money saved up? Is it just a gut feeling that you trust and move forward with? The options can be overwhelming!

In this blog post, we’ll talk to real coaches and get their advice on how they were able to tell when it was the right time to go full time. They share real stories about how they made the leap when they made it, and what has happened since they went all-in on their coaching businesses.

Let’s dive right in!

8 Coaches Share When They Knew It Was Time To Go Full-Time

Here are our top picks for inspiring stories on coaches who went full-time with their businesses.

1. When you’ve exceeded the income you make at your full-time job.

“I knew it was time to go full-time with my first coaching business, a digital advertising coaching business when I had more than doubled my income.

At the time, I was a manager at a tech company and earned a cushy 6-figure salary. I knew I needed to top that so that I would continue to be able to pay my bills and live the life I was living.

After four months, I had made over six figures and that’s when I knew it was time to quit my day job.”

– Luisa Zhou, LuisaZhou.com

2. When you have a full roster of happy clients.

“It was when I had three clients simultaneously, and one of them expressed an interest to continue with me for an even longer period after completion of my coaching program, that I knew I wanted to be a full-time coach.

This was within three months of me venturing into coaching. To be sure, I was prepared for the long-haul, having kept the financial cushion while enrolling for my coaching certification, but wasn’t sure whether clients will find me good enough at what I considered to be my passion.

The point when I was spending more than 4-5 hours a week coaching satisfied clients made me confident to call myself a full-time coach. I haven’t looked back since and my roster has only grown.”

– Smita D Jain, Empower Yourself

3. When your day job just isn’t the right fit for you anymore.

I knew it was time to make the leap when every Sunday night without fail, I’d get so much anxiety just thinking about going to work the next day. Add the hour-long commute on the train each way and I was fried at the end of the day.

Four years later, I have virtual multiple six-figure businesses and I’m working with soul mate clients who pay me what I’m worth.”

– Rebecca Thompson, Rebecca Thompson International

4. When you decide you’re worthy of giving it a shot.

“I felt in my soul when it was time to go all-in on my business. I had grown weary of context switching between working for myself and someone else.

When the stress of keeping my job started impacting my happiness and the potential for success in my coaching business, I knew it was time to move on.

Going full-time with my business was a powerful choice because it was me showing up for myself and saying ‘You deserve to do this full time. You are worthy of giving it a shot.’

This has been true for my clients as well. When they’ve felt the call to go full-time, and they’ve honored the desires of their heart, they step into their power as entrepreneurs and it’s beautiful to see.”

– Allison Krawiec-Thayer, PoppyLead

5. When you find yourself at a crossroads.

“After having a coaching business as a side gig for over 10 years, my full-time position was eliminated. At that moment I had a choice – take another full-time position somewhere else or go out on my own.

I decided to give myself 6 months to see if I could make it work as a full-time coach – and I just took the leap!

It was definitely scary at first, but as the 6 months went on, my business grew and I made the choice to stick with it full-time. Now I have been a full-time coach for almost 3 years.”

– Colleen DelVecchio, Maxady

6. When you fully trust that more clients are coming.

“Make going full-time an easy decision. Go full-time when you have built demand. If you are literally turning away clients because you have no more spots, it’s time.

But before you make this decision, work on your belief that clients are out there, clients are created, and more clients are coming.

Holding these beliefs ahead of time will help you continue to create the results that match your beliefs.

Add in bridging thoughts if necessary, for example, it is possible I am in charge of creating clients and I am figuring out how to create clients.

With full belief in yourself, your tools, and your clients, going full time will be a no-brainer decision. Work on your beliefs first, and you will be a full-time coach faster than you think possible.”

– Shelly Bortolotto, Life Coach

7. When you have the freedom & finances to go for it.

“I was working a 4-day per week job in advertising and using my Fridays to coach and consult for people with small businesses. I knew I enjoyed it and found it disproportionately more fulfilling than my advertising job.

I had been saving for a career change for about a year, and my contract was coming to an end, so I decided to take the leap and use my savings to do a 4 month professional ICF coaching course and take time off.

During the course, I used my spare time to create my brand, make a communication strategy, and build my website.

By the time the course ended, I was ready to properly launch and make it work full time. I couldn’t have done it if I hadn’t saved up, but having no job whilst I was in this transition gave me the headspace to focus and make it happen!”

– Hannah Ray, TAKE Coaching

8. When you’ve healed your financial insecurities.

“If you’re worried about paying your utility bill, you’ll act from a place of neediness and nothing is less attractive or less client-centered. I would certainly not advise anyone to become a full-time coach if they have financial insecurities.

I spent the past 20 years building a side-hustle that pays passive income so that I could focus on growing my coaching and training practice in a metered and focused manner.

I didn’t rush into this by any stretch because I wanted to be incredibly intentional with the clients I was building and with the work I was doing.”

– Jen Nash, Jen Nash Shift

Final Thoughts

Now that you’ve heard from real coaches, you can choose any of the stories above as inspiration to guide your decision-making ongoing full-time. You have everything you need to make the right call at the right time!

As you saw in the post, going full-time as a coach is a life-changing decision, and it can lead you to a fulfilling career path where you get to help others while doing what you love. 

This isn’t a decision to take lightly. When you don’t have a sense of direction on when to go full time, you could end up feeling stuck in spaces you’ve outgrown or struggling to make ends meet if you jump in too soon.

But, before you get started, please make sure you leave a quick comment and let me know which tip was your favorite and how you made the leap into full-time coaching, or how you plan to!