The Coaching Tribune

The business of coaching, examined

The numbers behind the practice.

Rates, clients, capacity and the profession itself. Every dispatch names its sources and separates measured findings from estimates.

The lead · PricingWho actually buys corporate coaching?The person receiving coaching often does not approve the budget. That changes the evidence, language and buying path a coach needs to prepare.No. 020 · 25 Sept 2026 · 5 min read

Latest dispatches

Running the practiceA full calendar is not a full practice5 min read

PricingMore than half of coaching is paid for by employers9 min read

PricingThe hourly rate is the wrong unit10 min read

The rankingsWhat actually raises a coaching rate?A different question from simply asking what coaches charge.Explore the evidence →

Start here

Pricing · 10 min readThe hourly rate is the wrong unitCoaches who sell packages earn 40 to 60% more than hourly coaches for the same hours worked. The difference is not effort. It is what the buyer is comparing you against.

Getting clients · 9 min readEveryone’s best channel is the one nobody runsReferrals produce 60 to 80% of early-stage clients, close at 40 to 70%, and cost almost nothing. Most coaches have no referral process at all.

The industry · 9 min readWhat a credential is actually buyingICF PCC holders average $78,000 against an uncredentialed baseline, a 50% premium. Most of what the certificate buys is a procurement gate, not a skill.

Evidence, ordered

The rankings

All 10 rankings →

Each list states its criterion before the order. Change the criterion and the order may change with it.

The biggest findings in coaching8By how much the finding changes what a coach should do on monday1Most coaching clients are employer-sponsored

What actually raises a coaching rate7By documented effect on income, largest first1Sell to employers instead of individuals

Best decisions a coach can make6By effect on income relative to effort required1Decide who signs the cheque

All dispatches

20 stories · 5 subjects

Explore by subject

4 dispatchesPricingWhat to charge, how to package it, and why the hourly rate is the wrong unit.

4 dispatchesGetting clientsWhere clients actually come from, what each channel costs, and how long it takes.

2 dispatchesChoosing a nicheWhere to compete, what each seam pays, and what it costs to enter.

5 dispatchesRunning the practiceCapacity, retention, admin, and the hours nobody bills for.

5 dispatchesThe industryHow the profession is changing, and what the published data does and does not show.