Want to turn your unique experience and people skills into a robust passive income stream? Coaching is the side hustle you’ve been searching for.
Read on to learn about the top 20 types of coaches, including what they do and how much they earn. Plus we’ll share real-world case studies and key learnings to help you start a profitable coaching business, including:
- Choose your coaching niche
- Win your first coaching client
- Scaling your revenue
(Bear in mind many of these learnings apply to multiple coaching niches – so even if you’re dead set on one specific niche, we’d recommend checking out the others, too, for the best chance of building a successful coaching business.)
Online coaching vs in-person coaching: Which is best for you?
Online coaching offers the chance to earn more, on the whole, than you would in-person. When you’re not tied to a specific location, you have the potential for global reach. With no physical premises to factor into costs, there’ll be lower overheads, and you’re not tied to working at a specific time.
This also means you can fit your work around your life, taking your laptop – and your clients – with you wherever you go. That could mean the ease of not having to leave home to earn money, or having the freedom to travel with your work. It also allows you to easily fit coaching into your schedule as a side hustle.
Top 20 different types of coaches
1. Mental health coach
Want to support people with their wellbeing and help them overcome personal obstacles? A mental health coach career could be for you.
This role provides clients with a safe forum to talk through their issues and gain new perspectives.
You’ll offer empathic listening to people encountering challenges – like problem stress, conditions such as anxiety or depression, difficult current life events, past trauma, and more – while passing on practical solutions for moving forward with greater resilience.
Earning potential
The average hourly pay for a Mental Health Coach in the US is $23.46 an hour. But some charge significantly more; I’ve seen rates of $150 – $200 per hour for self-employed coaches across the health niche as a whole.
Case study: Joe Roe
Before choosing any type of coach, you need to trust that they’ve got the necessary skills – and this is arguably an even bigger deal with something as serious as mental health.
Mental health coach Joe Roe clearly understands this. That’s why she’s packed her website with trust signals, like accreditations…
…and testimonials from coaching clients:
All of which reassures potential clients that she’s the right fit for their needs.
2. Business coach
Like the idea of helping business owners thrive? Business coaches do just that, supporting both personal performance and business goals.
If you have experience running a business, you can guide entrepreneurs in developing their skills to achieve professional and financial objectives.
You’ll create personalized strategies based on individual consultations, understanding the unique needs of each client, company and sector. Plus you’ll provide founders and company leaders with the skills to maximize their productivity, enhance company efficiency and drive long-term success.
Earning potential
Business coaches earn an average of $84,190 annually, with rates usually starting at around $40 per hour. If you have more experience in running your own business, or you have a range of client success stories, you can earn significantly more.
Case study: Courtney Sanders
Business and life coach Courtney Sanders built a six-figure online coaching business in her spare time – and social media played a key role. She has 180,000+ followers across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
But how does she turn those followers into paying clients? Simple: with lead magnets. For example, Courtney uses her YouTube channel to steer visitors toward a free worksheet.
To download it, you need to hand over your name and email address, allowing Courtney to send promotional content and offers straight to your inbox.
3. Relationship and dating coach
A relationship and dating coach helps individuals, couples, and families build more productive connections with others.
You may help clients to work through unhelpful patterns and enjoy healthier relationships in their personal or professional lives, or support couples in addressing issues, improving communication and intimacy.
A relationship coach teaches interpersonal skills that can help overcome limiting thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. This could include practical advice around communication with others and emotional understanding.
Earning potential
Relationship coaches enjoy average total yearly earnings of $138,210, with an average salary of $81,576. If you work for yourself, you can set your own prices according to whether you support individuals, couples, or groups.
Case study: Radhika Mohta
Radhika Mohta helps marriage-minded singles get into the right headspace for a serious relationship and attract the partner they'd like to spend their life with.
This is another niche in which trust is super important – and Radhika demonstrates her credentials by using her website homepage to showcase all the high-profile publications who’ve featured her work:
You can do this yourself by searching platforms like TikTok and X/Twitter for the following hashtags:
- #journorequest
- #HARO (Help A Reporter Out)
When you find a relevant request, just answer their question:
If they like what you say, they’ll feature you in their article – and you can add their publication to your own “As seen in” list.
4. Life coach
Life coaching may interest you if you’re all about looking at the bigger picture. This line of work involves helping people to clarify and achieve their vision for the future.
You’ll help those who are seeking more life satisfaction to become the person they want to be. A life coach helps people follow these dreams and aspirations by sharing specific, proven techniques and ways of thinking, plus practical tools for achieving personal goals.
Earning potential
The average life coach charges around $50 per hour. If you have plenty of experience and can market your business well, it’s not unusual to progress to hourly rates of $200+.
Case study: Nikki Taub
Life coach Nikki Taub uses Google Ads to bring in a stream of qualified coaching leads:
This is a viable option for would-be life coaches, with Google Ads data showing that the keyword “online life coach”:
- Receives 1,000 – 10,000 searches per month…
- At an average cost per click of $3.65 – $13.75
So do the math: 100 clicks could cost you as little as $365. If you can convert 10% of them into clients who buy a single $50-per-hour session, you’ve already turned a tidy profit – plus they’ll hopefully stick with you for multiple sessions.
5. Career coach
For anyone who enjoys helping people navigate their professional journey, career coaching is a natural path to follow.
A career coach helps both job-seekers and employed professionals find success. You’ll provide professional advice on career decisions and help clients identify their most suitable career options based on their unique strengths and ambitions. And you’ll use professional strategies to help people excel in their current role.
Earning potential
Career coaches can charge around $75 to $150 per hour, with rates increasing the more experienced and successful you are. It’s not uncommon to see rates of $250 – $500+ per hour.
Case study: The SDR Whisperer
When someone engages a career coach they often are looking for a very hands-on approach to get results fast. That's exactly what The SDR Whisperer offers, with the 'Inner Circle' membership offering access to 1:1 coaches through 5 45-minute calls a week, and guaranteed sales opportunities after graduation.
For those who want more of a light-touch, The SDR Whisperer also offers a more budget-friendly alternative that comes with group coaching calls rather than 1:1 calls.
6. Executive coach
Who coaches the top managers? That’s where executive coaches come in. They provide high-level professionals with the skills and knowledge to develop as leaders.
Your clients could include CEOs, directors, business owners, and team leaders. You’ll support them to develop resilience and a productive mindset, reach business objectives, and drive commercial success.
As well as passing on skills for their own professional growth, you might help clients navigate business challenges, make top-level decisions, assist with employee development, and more.
Earning potential
Executive coaches earn an average of $98,264 per year. You could work for clients on a retainer or charge by the hour.
Case study: Lynda Hoffman
Prospective clients want to feel confident that you’re the right fit for them. It’s up to you to convince them. Executive coach Lynda Hoffman does this by clearly spelling out:
- What you’ll learn from working with her
- What support you’ll receive
So take the time to consider what your target audience would look for in a coach – then explain how you check those boxes.
7. Performance coach
Performance coaching is all about helping people or teams reach their full potential and meet benchmarks of success. It’s more results-oriented than other types of coaching, focusing on specific short-term goals rather than longer-term strategies and skills development.
A performance coach’s client base typically consists of athletes, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and sales teams. They help people overcome obstacles, boost productivity, and test their own abilities.
Earning potential
Performance coaches make an average of $59,782 – $64,671 annually. With experience, you could earn up to around $90,000 per year.
Case study: The Sassy Shrink
Let’s be honest: whatever coaching niche you choose, you’ll be competing with a bunch of other coaches.
So it pays to learn from The Sassy Shrink (AKA Jacyln Borgia), who has found a niche within a niche. Rather than being a generalist performance coach, she specifically offers performance coaching for women.
That way, she can better tailor her messaging to her target audience, rather than speaking to everyone who might be interested in working with a performance coach.
8. Self-development coach
Self-development coaches specialize in personal growth. While other types of coaching also focus on areas like careers and relationships, this field is more about self-discovery. In this role, you help people identify and work on the specific qualities they want to develop. You’ll support clients to work on techniques for improving attributes such as self-esteem, confidence, and communication skills.
Earning potential
Personal development coaches earn an average salary of $60,790. Starting out, you might expect around $32,000, while top earners bring in up to $113,000 a year.
Case study: The Self Development Coach
Scaling any type of coaching business can be challenging. But Johnny Lawrence at The Self Development Coach has found the perfect solution – selling on-demand coaching content.
Think about it: there are only so many hours in the day, so you can’t offer face-to-face coaching all the time. But you can sell literally infinite on-demand classes with zero extra input.
9. Parent coach
Parent coaches help parents and guardians figure out how to handle the ups and downs of raising kids. They provide support and strategies in areas such as child development, behavior, and family communication.
This type of coaching helps clients understand their parenting style, offering support tailored to the unique needs of each child and parent. It provides a safe forum for parents to discuss and work through their challenges, rather than feeling overwhelmed by going it alone. Parent coaches can help both parents and children overcome damaging emotional and behavioral patterns, and form deeper connections as a family.
Earning potential
Parenting coaches have an average salary of $78,255, while top earners bring in $105,820 a year.
Case study: Meghan Leahy
Parents might have any number of questions before they’re ready to start working with a coach. So it makes sense to answer them through content, just like parent coach Meghan Leahy, who’s written a dedicated FAQ resource covering questions like:
- How does parent coaching work?
- What is the difference between a coach and a therapist?
- Does the parent coach meet my children?
This approach helps to demonstrate that you know your stuff – plus you don’t have to answer all those questions manually each time a new client comes along.
10. Health and wellness coach
Health and wellness coaching helps people make lifestyle changes to improve their overall wellbeing. This can include physical, mental, and emotional health. Coaches give advice and support to clients in areas like diet, physical movement, sleep habits, and managing stress.
As a health and wellness coach, you’ll consult with people to understand their current state of health and overall goals. You can then collaborate on creating personalized health plans that address their specific objectives and needs. You’ll offer guidance along the way as they implement these new habits into their lives.
Earning potential
Health coaches charge average hourly rates of between $60 and $80. For more experienced professionals, or those working with high-level clients, rates could be even higher.
Case study: Nurture Health Coaching
I’ve already talked a lot about the importance of building trust with your target audience to attract new coaching clients. Health and wellness coaching community Nurture Health Coaching does this by sharing exactly what you will get when you join their coaching community:
Use your website or membership site to clearly outline what clients get if they choose you as their wellness coach.
11. Sales coach
Sales coaching helps clients to boost their skills, work on professional targets, and achieve business goals. Coaches pinpoint gaps in sales teams’ capabilities, creating tailored action plans to strengthen their performance.
In this profession, you would focus on areas from enhancing sales tactics to improving communication with clients and colleagues, and developing business strategies. Coaching sessions often involve role play to help professionals refine their selling skills.
Earning potential
Sales coaches receive an average salary of $69,906, with upper earnings of around $130,460.
Case study: Ian Koniak
Chances are, your coaching services could appeal to lots of different audiences. So it makes sense to create specific offerings for each of those audiences. For instance, sales coach Ian Koniak offers dedicated training for individual salespeople and entire sales teams:
Creating these targeted offerings allows Ian to customize his approach and messaging based on the likely needs of those different audiences, which helps him close more deals.
12. Fitness coach
Want to help people achieve their health and fitness goals? Fitness coaches support clients to get in shape and feel better inside and out, with personalized workout plans and long-term lifestyle changes.
Whether client goals are centered around weight management, improved appearance, or overall health, fitness coaches help people set goals that work for them, building healthy habits around exercise and improving overall fitness levels. Coaches are valuable sources of motivation, monitoring progress and keeping clients accountable.
Earning potential
Fitness coaches can earn an average hourly rate of around $20.07 when starting out. Annual income ranges from $24,000 and $62,000.
Case study: Lucy Chewins
Working with a fitness coach for the first time can be intimidating, especially for would-be clients who aren’t long-term gym-goers.
Fitness coach Lucy Chewins eases those fears by sharing her own fitness story, including her battles with low self-esteem and self-confidence:
Break down barriers with potential clients by explaining your own fitness journey, including details like:
- Why you got started
- What fitness means to you
- Struggles you’ve had to overcome
It’ll make you seem more relatable, which should help you win more clients.
13. Financial coach
If you want to help overcome fear around money, a career in financial coaching could be your calling. This role helps people improve their mindset, skills, and knowledge around money. Coaches give valuable advice in key areas such as budgeting, saving, and debt management.
This type of coaching helps build solid financial foundations. You’ll help clients change how they think, feel and act around money by empowering them to better understand their spending habits and what drives their desire for wealth. You can help to create plans, set goals, and develop strategies for improving financial health.
Earning potential
Financial coaches earn an average income of around $62,365. This could go up to around $114,433, particularly as you gain client testimonials and grow your own financial knowledge.
Case study: Christine Teh
Christine Teh of Teh Financial Coaching uses review platforms like Google Business and Yelp to demonstrate her credentials:
You should definitely do the same, because reviews have a major impact on customers’ buying decisions.
Remember to ask new clients for a review after your first coaching session – and send them a link to your profile page on your chosen review platform. You could even give them some prompts to inform their review content, like:
- What made you choose me as your financial coach?
- What financial challenges did we discuss?
- What financial goals are you hoping to achieve?
14. Nutrition coach
A nutrition coach helps people build better eating habits and improve their health from the inside. This profession is suited to anyone who loves supporting people on their health journey, empowering them to make better choices.
Responsibilities center around giving personalized advice, teaching about different food groups, and keeping clients on track with their dietary goals. You can work with clients one-on-one or run group sessions to share tips and strategies. You might also create online content such as resources and videos for additional passive income.
Earning potential
Nutrition coaches can charge hourly rates of between $50 and $150. Your rates can grow with your business as you develop your offerings and increase your client base.
Case study: Maeve Lifts
Success stories are a key conversion-driving tool in any coaching niche.
But with health and fitness-related niches like nutrition, it’s better to show, not tell. Nutrition coach Maeve does this by not only saying what she eats but showing how she looks as a result of her diet:
In niches like this, a picture really is worth 1,000 words, so encourage your clients to share their own before-and-after images with you once they start following your program. Again, consider offering them something in return – like a discounted rate or a free coaching session.
15. Marketing coach
Marketing coaching helps people target their desired audience, grow their own brand, and contribute to wider business success. You’ll work with clients to set goals and create actionable plans to achieve them. You might also support clients with gaining the confidence to launch and sell their offerings to the world.
Earning potential
Marketing coaches earn an average base salary of $72,454 per year including bonuses and commissions, with an average salary of $65,892.
Case study: Claire Jarrett
Businesses don’t do marketing for fun – they do it to make money. They need to know that you have the skills and knowledge to help them get it right.
Marketing coach Claire Jarrett seeks to persuade would-be business clients by discussing the real results she’s generated in her time as a pro marketer:
Backing up your words with meaningful data makes your messaging a whole lot more persuasive.
16. Fertility coach
Fertility coaching is designed to support clients who are experiencing difficulties getting pregnant. Areas of focus include health education, lifestyle advice, relationship mentoring, and practical support.
Coaches can help people optimize their health and maximize their chances of getting pregnant. They also assist with the stress of infertility, which can involve emotional guidance and providing a space for empathic listening.
Earning potential
Fertility coaches can earn around $19.70 per hour on average, although this can vary greatly according to your location, experience, and fertility coaching niche.
Case study: Becky Ackerman
Fertility is an emotive issue, and potential clients want to know that you understand the challenges they’re facing. Get it right by speaking directly to common audience pain points, just like fertility coach Becky Ackerman at Lily & Bee Fertility does here:
This sort of content is super reassuring because it shows would-be parents that you get it.
17. Public speaking coach
Let’s be honest: lots of us are scared about public speaking. However, for anyone looking to level-up their career, it’s a vital skill to hone. Public speaking coaches help people get more confident talking in front of audiences, whether they’re junior professionals, senior managers, or entrepreneurs.
You’ll support clients in improving presentation abilities for workplace meetings, preparing killer notes for keynote speeches, and more. In any case, you’ll teach them to communicate clearly, connect with their crowd and stay on-track with their desired message.
Earning potential
Public speaking coaches can earn an average annual income of $53,296. If you build a good reputation or work with high-end clients, you can earn even more.
Case study: Jennifer Hennings
Generating leads is a key element of growing a coaching business. But lead volume isn’t the most important factor – what really matters is lead quality. Because you don’t want to spend your valuable time following up with people who were never the right fit.
Public speaking coach Jennifer Hennings recognizes this. She uses her contact form to qualify leads by listing her prices:
Sure, this limits the volume of leads Jennifer can generate – but it means that anyone who does get in touch is likely very interested in buying her services.
18. Writing coach
Writing coaches work with writers to refine their skills, work towards specific goals, and learn new creative techniques. With this type of coaching, you’ll need to be confident in teaching the art of the written word and passionate about helping people harness their talents.
Responsibilities revolve around advising writers on how to develop their work. That could involve practical support like proofreading and editing, or giving guidance on writing conventions for different genres. You could also share practical advice around how to get published.
Earning potential
Writing coaches earn an average annual income of $46,678. This increases to around $51,000 per year with more experience, while top earners can command around $61,000.
Case study: Geraldine Walsh
As a coach, you have limited time for each client. If you consistently exceed this amount, you’ll never be able to build a sustainable, scalable business.
That’s why it makes sense to break down the specific “deliverables” you offer. This is particularly important for writing coaches – the last thing you want is to get stuck in an endless cycle of back-and-forth manuscript revisions for multiple clients.
Writing coach Geraldine Walsh gets it right here:
It’s all about setting expectations upfront. That way, if a client demands more of your time, you can push back and/or charge them more.
19. Weight loss coach
Weight loss coaches help people learn proven techniques for shedding pounds healthily. This coaching aims to provide accountability, professional advice, and motivational support along the way.
You might advise people on nutrition, making lifestyle changes, and educating them on the best kinds of foods for their own needs. Weight loss coaches will collaborate on creating exercise plans, too. You could also incorporate emotional wellbeing principles, helping people gain a deeper understanding of what causes them to gain weight in the first place.
Earning potential
Weight loss coaches earn an average yearly income of $78,700, which works out to an average rate of $37.84 per hour.
Case study: Rosie Moore
Looking for more ways to build trust with potential coaching clients? Take a leaf out of weight loss coach Rosie Moore’s book by listing your academic and professional qualifications and accreditations:
This is especially important around “YMYL” (your money or your life) topics like personal finance or anything health-related.
20. Mindset coach
As the name suggests, a mindset coach helps people shift the way they think. This type of coaching hones in on the mental blocks that hold people back. It gets to the core of unhelpful beliefs, habits, and negative thought patterns to create a more positive, productive outlook.
You might use tools like neuro-linguistic programming, cognitive behavioral therapy, and emotional freedom techniques to help clients reach their personal or business goals. The ultimate benefit of mindset coaching is to create lasting change, for the best chance of long-term success.
Earning potential
Mindset coaches bring in average annual earnings of $77,934, which can increase to $108,023 for top earners. If you’ve undergone high-caliber training and gathered experience, you could set even higher rates.
Case study: Sim
Even if you have a ton of experience and qualifications, coaching can be a tough sell. Especially if you’re asking people to book multiple sessions upfront.
If you’re struggling to convert leads into paying customers, consider starting with a free session, just like mindset coach Sim does here:
Not only does this give you an opportunity to close the deal face to face, but it also makes it easier to say “no” to clients who don’t feel like a good match.
Start your online coaching journey with Whop
Finding your ideal coaching niche is only one part of the battle. Next, you need to discover a way to reach and convert your ideal coaching clients.
That’s where Whop comes in.
Whichever niche you choose, you can create a customizable hub – we call it a “whop” – to showcase your coaching services and build a community through forums, chat rooms, events, video calls, courses, and more.
You get total control over pricing your online coaching packages, whether you want to offer freebies, one-off coaching, or annual memberships. And because everything happens in one place, it’s super simple for you and your clients.
On average, creators on Whop earn $7,300+ a month. So what are you waiting for? Come and join them!
