35 Business Coach Success Stories
Are you thinking of starting a career as a business coach?
Becoming a business coach can be a great way to help aspiring entrepreneurs while earning a healthy income. You may want to consider becoming a coach if you have skills in specialized business fields such as marketing, e-commerce, stress management, or leadership.
Many small-business owners are finding it hard to get started, grow, and succeed. As a business coach, your job will be to help entrepreneurs identify new opportunities and take advantage of the ones they already have.
Here are some real life success stories of starting a business coach:
1. E-commerce Mentoring ($1.2M/year)
Kamil Sattar, an entrepreneur with a passion for high-quality fashion, started his drop shipping business after realizing he needed a way to accumulate funds to afford the clothes he loved. He discovered Shopify and drop shipping in 2017 and used his knowledge and techniques to create successful six and seven-figure stores. Now, he specializes in helping others create their own drop ship companies.
How much they make: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 6
Entrepreneur Kamil Sattar has developed multiple six-figure drop shipping businesses, and his company, e-commerce mentoring, specializes in helping others create their own successful companies, with favorite platforms including using Shopify and apps such as Loox reviews and SMSBump.
2. eBiz Facts ($50.4K/year)
Niall Doherty started eBiz Facts after being inspired by a friend who built his own affiliate website to $40,000 per month. Niall saw the opportunity to provide honest and transparent information in the "make money online" niche and decided to create a website dedicated to helping people make money online, focusing on in-depth reviews and helpful content. His dedication to his readers' best interests has led to steady growth in his business and trust from his audience.
How much they make: $50.4K/year
Current team size: 0
This case study is about a website called eBizFacts.com, which helps people make money online through in-depth reviews of products and services related to building an online business. The business earns $4,000 per month consistently through affiliate marketing and has 4,731 email subscribers. The founder focuses on providing accurate information rather than maximizing profit and aims to make his site the ultimate gateway for anyone looking to build an online business.
So... can you actually make money with a business coach?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
3. The Mindset Society ($186K/year)
Claire Osborne, founder of The Mindset Society, came up with the idea for her business during the UK coronavirus lockdown when she realized that many employers were struggling to help their employees with stress and anxiety. She saw an opportunity to provide coaching to startups and scale-ups, helping founders make decisive actions and supporting teams to navigate the challenges of the pandemic. Since launching, the company has averaged over $15k in revenue per month.
How much they make: $186K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 0
How one founder launched a coaching business during lockdown, bringing in an average of over $15k revenue a month through coaching startups and scale-ups, and has plans to scale up by adding complementary services and creating cross-company support networks.
4. Thrivette ($120K/year)
Stacey Haynes, the founder of Thrivette, came up with the idea for her business after realizing that many people settle for an unfulfilling Monday-Friday work week and put off their dreams due to a lack of motivation and money. She and her husband, Jason, used their skills in design and customer experience to start small businesses and fund their bigger dreams, eventually earning over $165,000 through Kickstarter. Thrivette now offers consulting and free resources to help others achieve their goals and make their dreams a reality.
How much they make: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
Current team size: 2
This case study follows the story of Stacey Haynes, founder of Thrivette, a business consulting and resource community that helps people start and grow their businesses, and how she and her husband have made over $10k per month through consulting and merchandise sales on platforms like Amazon, Etsy, and Shopify.
So... can you actually make money with a business coach?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
5. The Uncaged Life ($816K/year)
Rebecca Tracey started The Uncaged Life in 2011 after simplifying her initial business ideas and niching down to helping new coaches. With just a small team of 3 part-time contractors, she is on track to hit $1M in revenue this year and has helped hundreds of people start their own businesses.
How much they make: $816K/year
How much did it cost to start: $250
Current team size: 1
The Uncaged Life, a business that helps coaches and solopreneurs get their first paying clients, has reached nearly $1M in revenue annually with just a small team of three part-time contractors, by niching down to one specialty and building a community through Facebook, email, and blogging.
6. Rockstar Mind ($936K/year)
Steve Mastroianni, a professional musician, started Rockstar Mind Inc. as a way to make money while caring for his father, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Colon Cancer. What began as a guitar coaching website has grown into a six-figure business, offering private coaching and interactive workshops for musicians. Mastroianni has also expanded his business to include business coaching and has plans to grow it into a seven-figure business in the coming years.
How much they make: $936K/year
How much did it cost to start: $600
Current team size: 3
Rockstar Mind Inc. is an online coaching platform that generates six figures per year serving hundreds of customers per month and is run by owner Steve Mastroianni and his team of three virtual assistants, providing an array of coaching products to musicians from private coaching to interactive workshops.
So... can you actually make money with a business coach?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
7. Freelance Cake ($240K/year)
In 2009, Austin L. Church started his freelance writing business after getting laid off. Over the years, he developed various creative services and eventually launched an online course called Freelance Cake, which aims to help freelancers and consultants make more money. The course launched in December and Austin plans to scale up sales from $1,000 to $3,000 per month.
How much they make: $240K/year
Current team size: 1
Learn how writer and brand strategist Austin L. Church accidentally started his own freelance writing business, and eventually launched his $1K/month business growth course, Freelance Cake, distilling a decade's worth of hard-earned insights on how to thrive as a freelancer or consultant.
8. Catalyst Growth Advisors ($240K/year)
Bill Flynn, a serial entrepreneur and former VP and GM of a division of a $100MM IT services company, came up with the idea for his business coaching venture after successfully leading a turnaround during the 2008 financial crisis. He realized his passion for teaching and guiding others to achieve growth and impact, leading him to start Catalyst Growth Advisors. With his revenue doubling every year and a book published, Flynn has positioned himself as an expert in helping business owners predict and plan for the future.
How much they make: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
Current team size: 1
Bill Flynn's coaching business, Catalyst Growth Advisors, has doubled its revenue every year since starting (until COVID), with Flynn earning $250k last year and set to reach a seven-figure practice within three years through his focus on being exceptional and providing like-minded, thoughtful content.
9. Cain Consulting, Inc. ($180K/year)
Dave, the founder of Cain Consulting, Inc., came up with the idea for his leadership coaching business after realizing the lack of formal training and education in leadership. With over 30 years of leadership experience in various industries, he saw the impact that coaching had on his own development and wanted to help others become effective leaders. Since starting in 2010, the business has been profitable and Dave is adapting to the changing landscape by offering virtual coaching through platforms like Zoom and MS Teams.
How much they make: $180K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2.5K
Current team size: 1
This case study details how a veteran-owned leadership consulting company was started with one main coaching offer, which has now expanded to include video series, corporate training modules, and custom requests from clients, generating a profit and aiming to make leadership a more diverse and inclusive practice worldwide.
10. Ascend Marketing, Inc ($180K/year)
Jim Ackerman, the founder of Ascend Marketing, came up with the idea for his business after realizing that many small businesses struggled with marketing and advertising. He developed a highly prescriptive coaching program that included weekly one-on-one meetings, specific assignments, and personalized feedback and accountability. The program has been successful, with over 600 businesses completing it and only one refund requested.
How much they make: $180K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size: 2
Ascend Marketing founder Jim Ackerman developed a six-month 1-on-1 coaching programme to help small business owners improve their marketing, advertising, and sales systems, resulting in over 600 businesses enrolled with a unique 200% ROI guarantee and a $15k monthly profit selling 2 dozen programs yearly, and now the company provides a business opportunity for marketing professionals seeking to become marketing coaches.
11. JVI Mobile Marketing (Now JourneyBuilder.io) ($444K/year)
Jay Vics, the founder of JVI Mobile Marketing, came up with the idea for his business when he attended a business growth workshop and heard someone express the need for someone to teach them how to use their smartphone. Recognizing that small business owners could benefit from learning how to utilize technology to market their businesses, Jay started offering services as a side hustle, eventually expanding into a full-service digital marketing agency. Through networking and word-of-mouth referrals, Jay has been able to attract and retain clients, and he continues to focus on building relationships and providing a good return on investment for his clients. Currently, the business brings in around $7,500 a month in revenue, with the goal of reaching $17,000 a month in the future.
How much they make: $444K/year
Current team size: 2
How a side-hustle turned into a full-service digital marketing fulfillment agency that is currently bringing in around $7,500 a month in revenue, with big goals for the future, by focusing on human-to-human connections and continually evolving to meet their clients' needs.
12. Screw The Cubicle ($120K/year)
Lydia Lee started Screw The Cubicle as a blog to document her own transition from employee to entrepreneur. After receiving a message from a reader asking about coaching services, she decided to explore coaching as a way to help others navigate career transitions. Through beta testing and refining her coaching process, Lydia was able to create self-guided courses and build a successful business, generating approximately $10,000 per month in revenue.
How much they make: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 1
Screw The Cubicle's Lydia Lee started a location-independent coaching business that generates an average monthly revenue of $10,000, helping corporate professionals transition to independent careers by offering self-guided courses and personalized coaching programs.
13. A Lit Up Life ($996K/year)
How much they make: $996K/year
Current team size:
Female business mentor and success coach helped clients scale their businesses to multiple six figures in less than 16 months with a consulting business hitting $100k mark 10 months after starting.
14. M. Shannon Hernandez ($120K/year)
How much they make: $120K/year
Current team size:
Learn from a former teacher turned business strategist who helps coaches and consultants grow their business quickly without overworking by providing them with effective business strategies and guidance.
15. Luisa Zhou ($1M/year)
How much they make: $1M/year
Current team size:
Learn from Luisa Zhou, who built a $1 million coaching business in just seven months, and taught thousands of students to start online businesses generating up to six-figure revenues, while working at a full-time job.
16. Simply Hudson ($84K/year)
based on Simply Hudson's core values and vision. By offering strategic advising and process design services, along with additional public speaking packages and online business development courses, Simply Hudson attracts and retains customers by providing tangible and effective solutions for their businesses. The company's focus on simplicity, effectiveness, sustainability, integrity, and trust resonates with clients, leading to meaningful and impactful results.
How much they make: $84K/year
How much did it cost to start: $16K
Current team size: 0
Simply Hudson, a process design and strategic advising company, has saved over 800 manual work hours and $80,000 in annual overhead costs through designing streamlined, semi-automated processes for their fully remote, globally distributed team.
17. Ya Girl Steph Perez ($1.2M/year)
How much they make: $1.2M/year
Current team size:
This case study highlights how a female founder made over $26k in just one week through her digital business training company, inspiring indie entrepreneurs to turn their passions into six-figure bank deposits.
18. Flea Market Flipper ($99.6K/year)
How much they make: $99.6K/year
Current team size:
This case study showcases the success story of a couple who make over $100,000 a year through flea market flipping, and how they help others start their own profitable reselling businesses.
19. BrainSpace Optimized ($240K/year)
How much they make: $240K/year
Current team size: 3
This case study highlights the journey of a corporate worker turned entrepreneur offering business strategy and mindset coaching to first-generation entrepreneurs through an ongoing program called "One Year From Now."
20. Coach Carson ($498K/year)
How much they make: $498K/year
Current team size:
Real estate investor and business coach Chad Carson has built a successful real estate business in South Carolina, offers online coaching to aspiring investors, and has authored a bestseller book on retiring early with real estate.
21. Public Lab ($42K/year)
Kevon Cheung, the founder of Public Lab, came up with the idea for his business after leaving his CEO role at a funded SaaS company and feeling lost about his next step. He wanted to build a presence and voice online to create a sustainable business while also having more time and flexibility for his family. He started documenting his journey and sharing his learnings on Twitter and stumbled upon the concept of "Building in Public," which resonated with him. Realizing there weren't many resources to help entrepreneurs who wanted to build in public, he decided to fill that gap and began writing a guide in public, eventually launching the Building in Public Guide to great success.
How much they make: $42K/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
Current team size: 0
Public Lab founder Kevon Cheung shares his journey of starting his online business with no niche, network, or followers, and how he utilized the "Building in Public" framework to grow his business to a mid-5-figure revenue and establish a trustworthy brand by focusing on honesty, transparency, and helpfulness.
22. Jennifer Dawn Coaching ($1.2M/year)
Jennifer Dawn, the founder of Jennifer Dawn Coaching, came up with the idea for her business after being burned by marketing companies in her own business and seeing it happen to her clients as well. She decided to vet out quality and reliable marketing professionals who know what they are doing and do the work. This led her to start her own coaching practice, digital marketing agency, and create the Best Planner Ever to support business owners in their growth journey.
How much they make: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
Current team size: 10
Jennifer Dawn, founder of Jennifer Dawn Coaching, grew her business from $50k to seven figures by expanding her offering to include a digital marketing agency, coaching academy and Best Planner Ever product, with a focus on customer retention through the use of digital marketing and a personalised service.
23. Peak Prosper ($312K/year)
How much they make: $312K/year
Current team size:
Peak Prosper helps coaching and consulting businesses achieve scalable growth by offering mindset coaching courses to entrepreneurs, enabling them to build a successful business that works with their active lifestyle while also assisting them in getting rid of obstacles and boosting their revenue.
24. Calendly ($25.7M/year)
How much they make: $25.7M/year
Current team size:
Tope Awotona cashed in his 401k and went into debt to build Calendly, now a scheduling service expected to make about $60 million this year, after struggling with failed e-commerce businesses.
25. Graham Cochrane ($1.92M/year)
How much they make: $1.92M/year
Current team size:
This case study showcases a young entrepreneur who went from losing his nine-to-five job to earning $120,000 per month in passive income in just six months by teaching people how to generate money from their hobbies through online courses and coaching programs.
26. 2X ($420K/year)
How much they make: $420K/year
Current team size: 15
Learn how Founder and CEO Austin Netzley's coaching programs have helped clients generate more than $172 million in less than two years by providing training, accountability, and hands-on coaching to reach full business potential and drive greater impact and income.
27. Master Passive Income ($5.16M/year)
How much they make: $5.16M/year
Current team size: 26
Learn how Dustin Heiner retired at 37 by buying 26 rental properties within 9 years, and discover Master Passive Income's tips for building an automated business through real estate investing.
28. The Birth of a Brand ($111M/year)
How much they make: $111M/year
Current team size: 1
Learn how Brian Smith, founder of the UGG brand, identified a market gap and eventually built the company into a global icon by gaining endorsements from the surf community and navigating growth challenges through perseverance and authenticity.
29. Fearless Business ($300K/year)
How much they make: $300K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
Current team size: 0
This case study article is about Robin, a business coach and founder of Fearless Business, a business coaching accelerator for coaches, consultants, and freelancers. Through the accelerator, Robin helps one-person businesses productize their offers, raise prices, and improve sales processes, with clients typically seeing results within the first three months, including pitching their new products to 10-20 prospective clients and achieving their financial goals.
30. Natasha Zoryk ($1.34M/year)
How much they make: $1.34M/year
How much did it cost to start: $119
Current team size: 9
Learn about the journey of Natasha Zoryk, a 3x founder and business mentor who currently generates close to $2 million per year and over 6 figures in cash per month, as she shares her entrepreneurial story and tips for building a successful business.
31. Project 9 Life ($480K/year)
How much they make: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $40K
Current team size: 1
This case study is about Todd, a former athlete who transformed his own life by becoming active and losing weight, inspiring him to start Project9LIFE, an 8-week group coaching program that focuses on mindset and helping professionals aged 35-55 make progress in their lives, currently making about $40k/m on his way to $500k/m+.
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
