Are you running a business or just coaching?

Being a great coach isn't enough to build a sustainable business. What needs to change?

Author

Michelle Sera
July 01, 2025 • You can read this in:6 minutes

Welcome to The Find Coaching Clients Newsletter for learning where to focus your energy, so you can find plenty of clients.

You can be amazing at coaching and still feel like your business just… isn’t working.

When your desire to help people (coach-only mode) is the only thing guiding your business decisions, you’ll always hesitate to promote yourself, because promotion feels self-serving, not service-based.

And spoiler: coach-only mode doesn’t grow a business.

Let me explain...

Most coaches I meet are natural givers, helpers, guides. You’re coaching your heart out… but feeling stuck, invisible, or inconsistent.

Why?

Because you’re trying to build a business using only your coaching heart.

Which means the hard calls like visibility, planning, promotion, revenue strategy get buried in avoidance, confusion, or burnout.

Ugh.

But once you shift into what I call Owner Energy… things start to change.

You stop scrambling.

You start stacking results.

And your coaching becomes a business that moves with you.

Here’s what Owner Energy actually looks like, and how to start shifting into it.

Start your first system right now.

Instead of just talking about what Owner Energy is, let’s actually step into it and build your first system.

Start with Strategic Planning (one of 4 core operational areas in your business) because this is the one that gets you out of “I’m doing all the things” mode and into real direction.

Here’s your 5-minute version:

Step 1: Pick one LEVEL area to focus on this month. (Just one. Not all five. Not even two.)

List Growth

Email

Visibility

Energy (mind + focus)

Lead to Sales

Step 2: Ask yourself:

What would a win in this area look like 30 days from now? Say it simply. Like:

“List Growth = 50 new subscribers from a bundle giveaway.”

“Visibility = I pitched myself to 3 podcasts.”

“Lead to Sales = I actually talked about my offer 3 times.”

Step 3: Choose ONE thing you’ll do to support that.

That’s it. One goal. One action. You’ve got a system now. Not a scramble. This is how we shift from reacting to leading, coach-only mode to owner energy. From dabbling to stacking real results.

If you’ve been stuck in Coach Mode but know you’re ready to lead your business differently…

Then it’s time for systems that actually work for the Truly Solo Coach.

(We’re in an era where the one-person business is a reality, so own it.)

Inside Coach Growth Lab, we’ll build together. And we’ll:

  • Shift into Owner Energy

  • Build simple systems that don’t require a team

  • Get consistent, visible, and profitable, your way

More details are on the way. Doors open in late July.

Get on the waitlist now and you’ll get 50% off when we launch.

Coach Growth Lab is where solo coaches learn what works, get consistent, and build a business that finally starts working. Get on the waitlist.

You’ve just been trying to coach your way to business results.

I actually hear this a lot: “I’m bad at the business side of things”. (My own inner critic included. Until I shifted things.)

But coaching energy alone won’t carry a business forward.

Here’s what I know: You don’t need to be more strategic, organized, or confident.

You just need to start treating your business like something you own and run.

If you aren’t thinking of how your business will generate revenue (doesn’t have to be profitable yet, but that is the goal), and you’re struggling to promote yourself, then you’ve got to shift to owner energy.

That energy shift? It makes all the difference. Because when you run your business with intention, focus, and clarity… Clients feel it. And results stack. 

You can be both the coach and the business owner.

So many aspects of business today are moving at incredible speeds. AI is a blur. Marketing is changing daily. It can feel overwhelming. But the aim is not to keep up with it all, just find the pieces that move you and your business forward (maybe even faster). I think this will help: Listen to this episode on The Solo Coach Podcast: 7 Growth Drivers Every Coach Needs. Enjoy.

In the latest video on Coach Diaries, I talk about 5 ways I use AI in my coaching business. There’s a lot to unpack and I know you’ll find it helpful. Go watch it now.

Plus you can hear the latest on my super ambitious goal to grow my email list by 4,000 subscribers in 2025 without any paid ads or complicated strategies.

Much love.

Content and offerings from ElevatedMind® and Michelle Sera are for educational and informational purposes only and do not replace professional medical, legal, financial, or psychological advice. You are responsible for your own decisions, actions, and results. From time to time, I may use affiliate links in this newsletter.