Business Coaching Industry Rant: And What That Means for YOUR Business

Originally aired on This Rad Life Unfiltered podcast - listen to the full episode below or keep reading!

I had a conversation with a bunch of coaches earlier today that got me absolutely fired up. We're friends from a mastermind we've been in for about a year, and something came up that I just can't shake. Whether you're in the coaching industry or not, if you've ever considered hiring a business coach or worked with one before, this is for you.

Here's my big, bold statement: I will never stop offering one-on-one coaching, even if it's not "scalable."

The Scalability Trap

Let me be clear about what I mean. If you're in any service-based industry—acupuncturist, massage therapist, tattoo artist, website designer—you're trading your time for dollars. These one-to-one business models aren't scalable because you're only one person with limited hours. Your only options in a one-to-one model are to raise prices or work more hours, and who wants an 80-hour work week?

I have a very European viewpoint about work: you should have the skillset to turn your ideas into income so you can afford to live, not live for work. So that model doesn’t totally work for me…

But here's where the coaching industry gets it wrong. Everyone's obsessed with scaling to "one-to-many" models. Group coaching, masterminds, courses—anything to serve more people at once. And sure, there's a time and place for that. But let me tell you what I think you really deserve.

You Deserve Better Than a Group Zoom Confessional

Maybe you've been there. You're on a Zoom call with hundreds of people. You can't even see who else is there—just the facilitator. You raise your hand, cross your fingers, and hope you'll get called on for support.

If this sounds familiar, here's my hot take: transformative coaching isn’t happening in groups.

The real reason your business isn't changing might be because it's so easy to phone it in when you're in these group environments. It's wildly uncomfortable to bare your soul in front of strangers—to show your messy spreadsheets, your profit/loss statements, or how little engagement your Instagram is getting. And so you aren’t raising your hand to get the help you need now.

And, there’s another problem…

The "Compare and Despair" Problem

I've spent upwards of $100,000 over the last 10 years on group coaching. I was in programs to become coach-certified, business masterminds, social media growth groups, you name it. And here's what I learned: there’s a season where you’ll need less noise from generic advice and too many cooks in the kitchen.

A lot of group coaching feels broad and therefore generic. They have methods and frameworks designed to apply to many people, which is fine if that works for your business. But for those of us with unconventional businesses—the ones with no blueprint—it becomes a burden to figure out how to make broad advice apply to your specific situation.

Then you see other people in the group crushing it with the generic advice and you start to feel like, “There must be something wrong with me.” I call this "compare and despair." You might only be five minutes behind someone else's success so you start comparing yourself to them, then despairing because you haven’t figured out the magic key yet.

When One-on-One Makes All the Difference

There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s that you might need a more tailored approach to business coaching.

Let me share some real examples. Two of my clients, Darin and Alison, created an arts education space almost 10 years ago. Classes sold out, teachers loved working there, the community was thriving. But they hadn't been able to pay themselves, even though the business looked successful.

In our very first session—a deep dive where I look at everything from numbers to marketing to their calendar—something shifted. I got in my car after our meeting and immediately received a text from Alison: "I cannot tell you how much better I feel about the direction of our business just from this one session alone."

4 months later, they’d added $25,000 in new revenue and finally started to pay themselves. That's the power of having someone get in there with you, understand the ins and outs of your specific business, and help you leverage what's already working without adding more to your plate. You become a more stable and profitable business, faster.

The Messy Middle Problem

Alison & Darin would have had a much different experience in a group coaching or mastermind experience. It would have been so easy for them to phone it in, skip the group calls, and not raise their hands because their to-do list was a million miles long and always felt more urgent. And because of that they could have stayed trapped in what I call the "messy middle"—you've got some traction and success, but you're at a bottleneck. From personal experience, at that stage group coaching often delays the results you need. You know where you want to go, but the "how to get there" feels overwhelming, confusing, or murky, and groups often add to that, not clear it up.

Maybe you know your team needs work, your marketing feels like shouting into the void, or you're terrified that fixing things means working more hours. That's where one-on-one coaching becomes essential into figuring out your tailored game plan.

Another client, Emma, is a writer and brand strategist who was feeling stuck in life and seeing it impact her work. She was overworking, taking on challenging clients who didn't pay well, and reinforcing negative patterns. Despite trying different group programs and community-based apps, she couldn't break out of feeling stuck.

Working together for almost a year, she gained clarity that allowed her to make bold moves—moving back to her favorite city, manifesting an amazing apartment deal, and creating another $50K in annual revenue on top of her existing $200K business.

Why the "Affordable" Option Costs More

Here's what I've learned: the more affordable group option often delays you making the moves you need to make. Which delays your profit potential.

When you can't articulate what you need clearly, when you're recognized in your business community and sharing feels risky, when your challenges are too specific for generic frameworks—that's when you need someone to roll up their sleeves and get in there with you, asap.

The Invitation

Right now, I'm looking for three entrepreneurs in that messy middle. You know where you are, you know where you want to be, but you're not sure how to get there. You want more ease, creativity, and enjoyment from this thing you've created.

If you're nodding along thinking, "Yes, I don't want to be another number in a mastermind," then let's talk. I treat consultation calls like strategy sessions—we'll do some of that detective work together to see if we're a good fit.

Trust me, I've seen it all and created it all myself. I've built multiple six-figure businesses with an art degree. I get the mess, and I'm really good at pinpointing exactly what to clean up, when, and how to do it.

Because sometimes, the most "scalable" thing you can do is get the individual attention you actually need.

I'm taking 3 new clients who are done waiting and ready for real change.

This post is adapted from This Rad Life Unfiltered podcast. Subscribe to the weekly This Rad Life newsletter for more unfiltered business insights.