If you have or are thinking about starting a coaching business, you may be wondering what coach templates you’ll need.
You’ll need to create some standard systems and processes that templates can help you with, but the most important template will be a coaching agreement.
From legal protection for your coaching program to creating templates for your practice to grow a profitable business, we’ll dive into the different needs of a coach starting a coaching business.
Whether you’re a life coach, health coach, business coach, or some other type of coach, you want to have the right legal coaching templates so your coaching practice is legally protected.
You’ll also want to have a few other templates on hand to make your sessions and programs run smoother for you.
Table of Contents
Top Coaching Templates You Need
Here are a few of the top coach templates to save you time and keep you legally protected.
- Coaching agreement – A coaching agreement is the first thing you need. It’s the most important. Having a coaching agreement template written by a lawyer that you can fill in will protect you and your clients. As a business lawyer, I’ve seen many coaches get into legal trouble, so make sure you are protected.
- Packages and Pricing – If you don’t yet have a website to host a detailed sales page with pricing, you’ll want to create a document that you can send to potential clients so they can see your rates.
- Proposal template – A great way to get new clients is to offer variations of services when you first get going. Not all of your coaching clients will fit into your set packages and pricing. In the beginning, you’ll likely offer customized pricing and services to meet the needs of your clients. Having a proposal template will help you put a proposal together quickly.
- Onboarding process documents – When onboarding a new client, you’ll want to send them information and ask them questions. Having an intake form template to ask questions and a welcome packet template that gives them all of your information can help you get through the process quickly.
- Workbooks and/or handouts – If you would like a workbook for your clients to work through or if you have a great handout that provides useful information, having these templates ready to go is much easier than creating them each time.
Before creating these documents and searching for, or creating templates, you need to have a solid understanding of your coaching business and what you’re offering.
If you’re just getting going in your business, it may help to see a checklist of everything you need to start a coaching business and a good review of what contracts you need.
We’ll go over a few big-picture items here.
Come up with a coaching plan
It may help to think through your coaching plan so you can create coach templates around it. To do this, you’ll first need to know what type of coaching service you offer.
Step 1: Determine your client base.
Are you a business coach? Wellness coach? Spiritual coach? You want to define a clear area where you’re able to help your clients. This will create focus during coaching and a way to measure results. It will also help you determine your ideal client.
Step 2: Will you be offering one-off coaching sessions or a full coaching program?
Potential clients will want to know what they’re signing up to receive and the cost of what you’re offering.
Step 3: Determine what will happen in each session.
What will your first session look like? What will your last session look like? Come up with the framework of how you will help your clients.
Step 4: What is your client’s transformation?
You’ll use this transformation to market your business. It will also guide you during coaching sessions so you can set SMART goals with your clients and track their progress.
Will they 10x their revenue? For life coaches, a transformation can look like starting a new career (as one example). Wellness coaches may work on a growth mindset with clients to help them get through difficult situations.
Start by writing your coaching plan from a high level – addressing what a client’s problem is and the transformation they can expect.
Then start listing the steps you’ll take to work towards and achieve the transformation.
Use this AI writing tool to come up with some good ideas.
Watch this video below to learn how to avoid 5 mistakes new coaches make:
Knowing the 4 Main Coaching Models
Knowing the 4 main coaching models can help you determine your style of coaching and may help you craft your coaching format.
These aren’t the only coaching models, and it doesn’t mean to be successful, you must follow these, but they are a good starting point when planning your coaching techniques.
Each coaching business will be different, but here are the 4 common coaching models.
Choose one that will help your client get the best results.
- G.R.O.W – This acronym stands for Goal, Reality, Options, and Will. It’s about setting a goal, taking your client’s reality into account when coming up with options to achieve the goal and keeping your client motivated along the way.
- O.S.K.A.R – This acronym stands for Outcome, Scaling, Knowledge Action and Review. This method focuses on solutions to business problems rather than looking at the problem.
- C.L.E.A.R– This acronym stands for Contract, Listen, Explore, Action and Review. This model is similar to the GROW model, but is a place to start when you may not have a specific goal in mind. You’ll be asking questions to determine what your client’s action steps will be.
- F.U.E.L– This acronym stands for Frame, Understand, Explore, and Layout. This model is used to analyze a situation and come up with a goal and plan, then provide accountability to the client to achieve the goal.
Create Your Coaching Format
Once you have your coaching plan, the next step is to come up with your coaching format.
This will be your client experience and will help you when you have a set of steps to follow for each coaching package.
You can set up the basic format of each session for each package. Once you have a basic idea, you can create a template and adjust with each session once you receive their intake form.
How to Create Coaching Templates
Rather than starting from scratch, I prefer to start with templates someone has already taken the time to create.
You can find many great free coaching templates for things like your intake forms, handouts and even pricing and package templates.
I do not recommend using free templates for a coaching agreement though. Those should be written by a lawyer and cover legal provisions so you’re protected.
This is because I have seen many coaches face legal troubles for not using a proper coaching contract with their clients.
I go over some of those legal issues in my video below:
Creating A Coaching Agreement
When creating an agreement, make sure at minimum, it covers the following items:
- Define the relationship – Define what the relation is between you and your client.
- Payment policy – How you will get paid and when your client will pay you.
- Define refund policy – It needs to be clear whether or not you offer refunds so there’s no confusion.
- Late payment clause – When and how much of a fee you will charge if payment is late.
- Coaching disclaimer – You want a disclaimer to limit legal liability and reiterate expectations.
- Non disparagement clause – You want a disparagement clause that states that neither party can make negative remarks publicly about the other party.
- Confidentiality – A confidentiality clause will state how information is or is not to be shared.
- Termination clause – You’ll need to define what the parties need to do if either of you don’t want to continue the coaching.
Best Coaching Templates for Small Businesses
I’m a business lawyer and coach, and I created coaching templates that I use to help you stay protected.
They include legal clauses and 25 legal provisions to keep you protected.
Check out my legal bundle made for coaches (in any niche) to keep your business protected at all times.
It includes all the essential details for your coaching services.
OR if you simply want a coaching agreement then you can grab that single template from my store as well.
Creating Coach Templates to Use in Your Practice
A great place to find free templates is Canva. You can start with their free templates and give them your modern design or create your own templates from scratch.
I think Canva is the best way for small business owners to create beautiful graphics for their businesses. This will be important when creating materials you’ll give to your clients.
For internal coaching templates, like your coaching process, there’s no need to get stuck making them look visually appealing.
Just create a simple Google Doc or whatever document or system can hold your detailed information.
As you build your coaching business online, make sure to protect your website legally as well.
Our VIP legal bundle is a perfect choice to protect your new website and coaching business (it includes the coaching agreement template you’ll need along with many other business contracts and website templates).
Final Thoughts on Coach Templates
Templates can help you grow, scale, and run your coaching business more efficiently than creating everything on demand.
Having a coaching agreement template written by a lawyer is the most important template. It will set clear expectations and legal provisions between you and your clients so you’re protected.
Using free templates is only a great idea for simple things like pricing, proposals, and intake forms. Canva is an easy, intuitive program with tons of free templates to help you create those documents.
But when it comes to protecting your coaching business legally, you cannot trust the free coaching contract templates out there to fully protect you or give you peace of mind!
You would want to use a template created by a lawyer that has all the important provisions to keep you protected.
RELATED BLOG POSTS TO COACH TEMPLATES
My legal tips page has blog posts and other valuable legal tips for entrepreneurs. Also, you may also be interested in these articles and other online resources too:
13 Best Contracts for Creatives (Plus Templates)
18 Critical Questions to Ask a Lawyer When Starting a Business
Why 50+ Entrepreneurs Don’t Trust Free Legal Templates to Protect Their Business
Should I Form an LLC for a Blog? (Lawyer Tips)
Lawyer’s Guide to ADA Website Compliance + WCAG Checklist
Blog Disclosures and Blog Disclaimers: Examples and Template You Need
16 DIY Legal Document Templates for All Entrepreneurs
15 Freelance Contract Template Essentials From a Lawyer to Get Paid On Time
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