“How much should I be charging for my life coaching?”
That question typically gets raised at some point after embracing the challenge of becoming a certified life coach. It’s usually a healthy conversation, often with a little friction, between two general purpose-driven responses: Some lean into certification to add some legitimacy with sharpened personal skills in helping people lead more fruitful lives through ministry. Others see the opportunity to maximize personal assets in building a viable business and opening a new income stream in the marketplace.
The ideal way to determine your fee is discovered in the sweet spot of balancing that spectrum in becoming a successful entrepreneur who LOVES helping people! The ideal goal of a person who is drawn to the coaching field is to give yourself wholeheartedly to the calling of improving lives while ALSO creating income to finance that life mission.
Here comes the sage advice from a guy who’s invested most of his life coming to terms with the fact that life is all about transitions: Your personal assessment of “self-WORTH” is going to ebb and flow, so be super flexible when establishing your VALUE for your services.
Give yourself a lot of grace when learning a new skill. If you’re unsure of yourself after receiving your newly minted certification credential, it may take you a while to get your footing in the marketplace. If you think too little of yourself, you may find yourself struggling to prove your worth. Charging too little may reinforce a limiting belief that you’re “not worth very much.”
If you think TOO highly of yourself, you may be over-pricing and end up striving when you’re struggling to become known in the marketplace.
Paul, the great apostle-mentor of New Testament fame, said this about people struggling to find their place of value: “God has given me the grace to speak a warning about pride. I would ask each of you to be emptied of self-promotion and not create a false image of your importance. Instead, honestly assess your worth by using your God-given faith as the standard of measurement, and then you will see your true value with an appropriate self-esteem.” (Romans 12:3 TPT)
If we are wrestling with our identity during a transition season, we may tend to strive and push ourselves into the marketplace to drive in our stake. Over-charging in an attempt to prove yourself is just as tenuous as under-charging, leaving room for limiting beliefs to stifle creativity and expression.
So, what’s the answer?
Paul’s advice is to ask, what do you have FAITH for? What solutions can you create, and what problems can you solve? Since we’re all interconnected parts of one body vitally joined to one another, we each need to bring our own unique value and energy for the good of everyone else. Another good question would be, what do you LOVE to do?
Paul discovered that “God’s marvelous grace imparts to each one of us varying gifts and ministries that are uniquely ours.” What are you going to do with YOUR gift? How will you develop it so you can bless the world? The more value you bring, the more you will be paid; it’s that simple. The objective, according to Paul, was so we would “Live happily together in a spirit of harmony and be as mindful of another’s worth as you are your own.”
So, I am often asked, how do I establish MY coaching fees? I’m a heart-first kind of person – it has to feel right for me. When I am in a good place in my life, my rates tend to go up. As Paul said, “Be enthusiastic about serving the Lord, keeping your passion toward him boiling hot! Radiate with the glow of the Holy Spirit and let him fill you with excitement as you serve him.” People are drawn to fired-up people and willing to invest money in being coached by them.
If I’m in an in-between place of transition, I may question how much I should charge. Transitions are places where you’re being tested. In transitions, your identity is getting upgraded, so don’t buy into your perceived value too early, or you may set your fees too low. Stay flexible and be willing to raise your rates when you discover new levels of awesomeness.
So to sum up, don’t get too caught up in comparisons and guessing what you should charge. Grow your faith in that gift within you. Be filled with the Spirit of God until you “radiate with His glow” and sharpen your God-given gifts and talents. The world is hurting, and billions of people are searching for solutions. Many will pay very good money to skilled people who will help them find their way.
On a practical note, I want to refer you to some of these bloggers that I like who can give you more perspective:
https://www.lifecoachingprofessionally.com/life-coaching-fees.html
