Scaling secrets from six-figure coaches

If you're a coach trying to scale your income without burning out, these are the patterns that keep showing up — across niches, platforms, and business models.

But I want to do more than recap advice. I’ll also share what I’ve seen behind the scenes, and how I’ve built tools to support this kind of growth sustainably.

Let’s dive in 👇

Tip #1 - Niche down & go deep

Stefanie Gass (Podcast Coach)

Stefanie credits her rapid growth to choosing a super-specific micro-niche and serving it with consistent long-form content. By targeting one audience (for her, Christian women growing online businesses) and addressing one core problem, she built trust faster. She says short social posts can’t compare to deeper connections via podcasts or videos – “the micro-niche is the secret to a multiple six-figure business”. ¹

👉 My take: I’m not a coach, but as someone actively trying to find a marketing coach who specializes in indie entrepreneurs pursuing ICF accreditation… let me tell you, it’s nearly impossible. There’s a serious gap in the market. Coaches who niche intentionally and speak clearly to a defined audience win. Period.

Tip #2 - Use 1-on-1 coaching as a launchpad for courses

Luisa Zhou (Online Business Mentor)

Luisa hit six figures in just 4 months by starting with one-on-one coaching before expanding into courses. She recommends new coaches work with a few clients first – make some sales, learn your clients’ needs, get testimonials – then leverage those insights to create scalable offers (group programs or online courses). ²

Tip #3 - Diversify beyond 1:1 services

Caren Magill (ADHD Coach)

Caren realized that while one-on-one coaching is ideal to start, it wasn’t sustainable long-term as her sole income stream. There’s a revenue ceiling on trading hours for dollars. To break past it, she began adding digital products and occasional group programs (she even launched templates for fellow entrepreneurs). It was challenging to juggle client calls and create new offerings at first, but “in order to scale my revenue, I had to build other streams of income” – a move that paid off as her business surpassed six figures. ³

👉 My take: That’s exactly why I created CoachTable as an alternative to my 1-1 custom automation services.
It’s a semi-passive digital product that gives coaches an easy upgrade from messy spreadsheets to an organized, automated system — without the high-ticket tech setup.

Tip #4 - Pre-sell your offers

Penelope Jane Smith (Finance Freedom Mentor) – Penelope grew from $0 to six figures in a year by selling programs before she built them. She pre-sold a course and a workshop (neither existed yet), delivered those, then pre-sold a 90-day and even a year-long program in advance. Her advice: Don’t wait to perfect your product – outline the value, sell it, then deliver with excellence.

By pre-selling, Penelope created accountability for herself to deliver what was promised, get cash flow to fund the creation of the program, and found out if her audience actually want it before investing energy into it. ⁴

Tip #5 - Break the “rules” to stay authentic; you’ll find “your people”

Caren Magill (ADHD Coach)

As a neurodivergent entrepreneur, Caren advocates ditching the herd mentality in favor of what works for you. She found that being authentic and unconventional beat forcing herself into the typical “consistency” mold. In her words, breaking away from cookie-cutter business advice was key to her six-figure success. Yes, you can look at what other’s are doing, but instead of following their process step-by-step, really reflect on what you admire about them and why you admire that. The lesson: Trust your unique approach – you don’t have to do what every other coach is doing if it doesn’t feel right. ⁵

Tip #6 - You don’t need millions of followers, focus on quality + pricing

Jessica Yarbrough (B2B Marketing Coach)

Don’t obsess over vanity metrics. Jessica has seen entrepreneurs with 500,000+ followers struggling under $200k revenue, while coaches with <1,000 followers were earning high six figures. The difference? The latter group leveraged referrals and higher-priced, high-value services instead of chasing volume. Her advice: Focus on quality over quantity – a small, engaged audience and premium packages can get you to 6 or 7 figures without a massive social media presence. ⁶

Tip#7 - Focus on high impact tasks; leverage systems & automation.

Karen Cappello (Executive Coach)

According to Karen, the secret to growing without working 60+ hour weeks is ruthless prioritization. Tackle revenue-generating activities first. Instead of getting lost in busywork, she blocked out time each morning for client outreach and content creation – the tasks that directly lead to clients and income. For everything else, automate the routine, repetitive tasks to free up your time – for example, she set up automated email sequences to nurture leads and follow up with prospects without manual effort. New coaches can use scheduling tools, email templates, and client management apps to save hours. The more you streamline and delegate to technology, the more clients you can serve (and the more energy you have for coaching itself)The takeaway: Identify what moves the needle (networking, sales calls, marketing) and do that first. Everything else can fit in later, or not at all. ⁷

👉 What I’ve seen: One of my automation clients — a coach with a very unique workflow — saved a full day each week after we built a system using Airtable and Make.com that wove together her scheduling, onboarding, and follow-ups. That’s the kind of behind-the-scenes support that lets coaches scale with ease (and keep their evenings).

Take This With You:

Scaling doesn’t mean working more. It means working differently — focusing on what drives results, building systems that support you, and staying deeply connected to your audience.

If you’re a new coach who wants to spend less time on spreadsheet admin and more time serving clients (or building scalable offers), check out CoachTable.

And if you're a bit further along and need help building custom automations around your workflow?
I can help!

Further reading

Special thanks to the coaches & content publishers for the sources behind this article.

¹ Stephanie Gass — How I Built a Multi Six-Figure Coaching Business

² Louisa Zhou — Coaching took my business to 6-figures in 4 months

³ Caren Magill — How My ADHD Coaching Strategy is going in 2024

⁴ Thrive Academy — How a Coach Went from $0 to Six Figures with Pre-Selling | Penelope Jane Smith — Penelope's website

⁵ Caren Magill — I built a 6-figure business by breaking ALL THE RULES

⁶ Jessica Yarbrough — How To Make Seven Figures As A Coach Or Consultant, Even With A Small Audience

⁷ Karen Cappello — How I built a six-figure coaching business without working 60+ hour weeks