I will start with this: you are probably running a Practice disguised as a Business, and that distinction is significant.

There is a shift within S&C that a lot of coaches are wanting to break away and do their own thing. Part of this is the fear of uncertainty with your current job. The other part is the lost motivation to do the job due to the never ending hurdles to jump over and hoops to jump through. Two things: buy How to Become a Strength Coach before buying Thought Leaders Practice, second buy E Myth before buying Thought Leaders Practice. You will need to understand how to start and run a business before opening a Practice.

What do S&C coaches really want when they step away from the team setting? My opinion is freedom and autonomy. The entrepreneurial spirit is built around this concept of I am what I make myself to be. This should resonate with you as a Strength Coach. You are effectively creating that for your clients and athletes daily. Put in the work and good things will come from it.

What you will find out quickly is that you are in a worse situation than you were in before because you have messy things like overhead, operating budget, profit and loss, business vs personal expenses, paying yourself or paying others, or having a business that has a lot of people that pay a little versus a business with a little amount of people that pay a lot. The list of things you need to consider as a business owner is literally endless. Depending on your headspace, this could be more than you are bargaining for, and you should consider how much that freedom and autonomy really cost.

On the other hand, if you are saying I don’t really want to open a business but do public speaking, mentor other coaches, write articles and books, and take courses, you are effectively starting a Practice. The difference between a business and a practice is that you are creating systems to remove yourself from a business, but in a practice you are creating a universe in which you are the central aspect. Practrices run through you, where businesses run because of you.

I mean this, you should read my latest book How to Become Strength. You have to first understand what you want from S&C before you can realize what you can be. Too often we make the mistake of associating S&C with something it is not. It is a great job where you can make a huge difference, but it is not supposed to make you happy. You have a skill and knowledge in a profession that a lot of people are interested in. Most of the things are relatively simple. The association with your knowledge, skill, and value is not often understood. My advice is to evaluate your why and what before making a rash decision.

When the time comes to make a change, look into starting a practice or opening a business. But establish yourself first. Find out who you are and why people like what you do. Then you can leverage either a practice or a business to its fullest potential.