Short answer: if I was starting my business again, I'd make visibility my number one priority, by building relationships, borrowing other people's audiences through guest speaking and summits, and adding small ads as soon as money came in. I'd send all that attention to one valuable free resource to grow an email list (not a Facebook group), nurture with a private podcast, sell a low priced offer, get on video from day one, document my journey, and time block every week so it all fits around real life.

"What would you do if you were starting all over again?" It's the question I get asked most, so here's my honest answer: what I did when I started in 2020, what I'd keep, what I'd do differently, and the exact 90 day plan I'd follow if I had to start from zero tomorrow.

This is part of my ultimate guide to getting coaching clients from zero, which covers every way to get your first clients in full.

What did I actually do when I started?

I'd been learning about the online coaching industry in 2019 while I was still in a full-time job, spending every spare minute working out how people were actually making money. In January 2020 I officially launched. A couple of weeks later I found out I was pregnant, and then COVID hit.

I'll be honest about my head start: my whole career had been in marketing and sales. I have 15 years of experience in it. So I knew I had to get known, and I knew how. Here's what I did:

• I went all in on visibility. I wanted to be so visible that if I walked into a room, people would know who I was.
• I grew a Facebook group by engaging and posting in other people's groups. One of my first offers was teaching people how to grow a Facebook group, and I got clients from it.
• I answered questions in communities, like a software platform's community where people asked about funnels and sales. Helpful answers led people back to my profile.
• I found guest speaking opportunities to get in front of other people's audiences.
• I built relationships. I joined a mastermind in my first year. The relationships turned into clients and referrals that more than paid for it.
• I ran no ads until my second year. Everything was organic.

That took me to nearly $200,000 in my first year as a new mum, and my first six figure month 18 months after launching.

What would I keep?

• Visibility first, above everything. If nobody knows who you are, you have nobody to sell to. Credibility equals trust, and trust equals sales. And it matters more now: it's not about being the best anymore, it's about being the best known.
• Borrowing other people's audiences. Guest speaking, podcasts, summits and collaborations. I call it trust by association.
• Relationships. Your network is your net worth. Relationships open doors to clients, referrals, guest spots and affiliates.

What would I do differently?

1. Build an email list, not a Facebook group. Groups are hard work: as soon as people stop engaging, the reach drops. I'd send all my visibility to one valuable free resource that grows my email list, which is where a huge amount of my sales come from.
2. Nurture with a private podcast. My audience is busy. They listen on the school run, on dog walks and at the gym, far more than they sit down to watch a video.
3. Get on video from day one. In a world where anyone can create 100 posts in an hour with AI, people want to connect with a real person.
4. Pick a platform that reaches new people. Facebook mostly shows your posts to people who already know you. I'd lean into TikTok and Instagram trial reels, which go out to non-followers first.
5. Document the journey, the good, the bad and the ugly. It's proof that what you teach works. It's exactly what I'm doing now with my software business.
6. Add small ads earlier. As soon as money was coming in, engagement ads from around $5 a day.
7. Take on case study clients at a lower rate to get results and testimonials quickly.

The 90 day plan I'd follow from zero

Step 1 (week 1): Decide the one offer and the number

Guessing and hoping isn't a strategy. Pick one offer, one ideal client and one goal. Then do the maths: goal divided by price equals sales; sales divided by 0.03 (a 3% average) equals leads.

If maths isn't your happy place, the Strategist inside Ascendia OS does this part with you: it learns your business, sets the goal and maps what to sell, when, and how many sales you need.

Time: 2 hours. Done when: you can say "I need X sales, which means about Y leads" without looking it up.

Step 2 (week 1 to 2): Build one free resource and an opt-in page

A short masterclass or guide that solves one problem on the way to the result your offer delivers. Aim for 40% or more of visitors to opt in. Put a low priced offer, around $27, on the thank you page, and aim for 8 to 10% of opt-ins to buy it.

This is the bit that eats most people's first fortnight. The Funnel Builder in Ascendia OS builds the opt-in page, thank you page and checkout inside your account, order bump included, so you can get back to being visible.

Time: 1 to 2 weeks. Done when: someone can opt in, get the resource and see your $27 offer without you touching anything.

Step 3 (week 2): Record a 3 to 5 episode private podcast

This is the nurture. Every new opt-in gets it automatically. Keep episodes 10 to 15 minutes.

Time: One recording morning. Done when: the episodes are recorded and sent automatically after opt-in.

Step 4 (every day): 30 minutes of visibility plus one piece of content

Engage with ideal clients, post value in communities and answer questions. Then post one video a day (talking head, whiteboard or B roll with a voiceover), batched on one content day a month. Every few posts, add a "comment WORD for my free [resource]" call to action.

Time: 30 minutes plus your posting time, daily. Done when: you can tick off 5 days of visibility every week.

Step 5 (every week): One guest spot or podcast

Borrow trust. Ask people you have a relationship with, post that you're open to speaking, and search groups for hosts looking for guests. The full process is in guest speaking: how to use other people's audiences.

Time: 1 hour a week. Done when: one guest spot delivered or booked every week.

Step 6 (from month 2): Have conversations and take on case study clients

Message everyone who opts in or comments. Ask where they are now compared to where they want to be. Offer 3 to 5 people a case study place at a lower rate in return for results you can share. Evidence based content is key when nobody knows you yet.

Time: 20 minutes a day. Done when: every new lead has had a personal message.

Step 7 (month 3): Add $5 a day ads and run your first launch

Once money is coming in, run engagement ads from around $5 a day: valuable talking head videos with strong hooks to a cold audience, then your free resource to the people who watched. Then run a simple launch, like a free masterclass. Your first launch might flop. Mine did. Look at what worked, fix what didn't and go again. That's how 15 sales becomes 25, then 50, then 75.

Time: A few hours to set up. Done when: ads are live and your first launch is in the diary.

How would I fit it all in?

The same way I did then: structure. In my first year I worked around naps. I worked out the goal, broke down what had to happen to hit it, and time blocked it. I got done in about 15 hours a week what takes a lot of people 40.

• Every day: 30 minutes of visibility and one piece of content.
• Every week: one guest spot or podcast, and follow up with every lead.
• Every month: one content day to plan and record, and one event or collaboration.

Worked example: the first-year maths

Example: starting from zero with a $997 programme and a goal of $100,000 in year one.

• $100,000 divided by $997 is about 100 sales. At 3%, that's around 3,350 leads in the year, about 280 a month.
• If 40% of visitors opt in, that's around 700 opt-in page visitors a month from visibility, guest spots and, later, ads.
• With a $27 offer on the thank you page and 8% of 280 opt-ins buying, that's around 22 buyers a month, money to reinvest in $5 a day ads.
• Months one and two will be lower while you build. That's normal. The plan above is how the numbers climb.

Common mistakes (and the fix)

• Jumping between conflicting advice. It all works. Fix: pick a strategy that covers attract, nurture and convert and stick with it long enough to improve it.
• Relying on posting content. Fix: posting nurtures your current audience. Do something every day to reach new people.
• Building a complicated funnel first. Fix: one free resource, one $27 offer, one nurture sequence.
• Driving everyone into a Facebook group. Fix: build the email list.
• Quitting after one launch. Fix: review, tweak, go again.

Your action plan

Today

• Work out your number: sales and leads needed.
• Block 30 minutes of visibility into every weekday.

This week

• Outline your free resource and $27 thank you page offer.
• Send 3 guest spot asks to people you already know.
• Post your first video.

Next 30 days

• Launch the free resource and promote it at least 3 times a week.
• Record your private podcast series.
• Deliver at least 2 guest spots and message every new lead.

For the full version, read the ultimate guide to getting coaching clients from zero, and for the visibility plan in detail, visibility without ads. The free resource, $27 offer, nurture and DM system in Steps 2 to 6 is exactly what I teach in Content To Clients®.

Frequently asked questions

What's the first thing to do when starting a coaching business?

Get visible. Find where your ideal clients spend time and get in front of them, especially through other people's audiences, then send that attention to a free resource that grows your email list.

Should I start a Facebook group for my business?

I wouldn't make it your main hub now. Groups take a lot of work to keep engaged. An email list built from a valuable free resource is easier to grow and sell to.

Do I need paid ads to start?

No. I didn't run any until my second year. Build and borrow first, then add small ads once money is coming in.

How did you grow a business with a baby?

Structure and time blocking. I worked in focused blocks, often during naps, and put visibility in the diary every day so it actually happened.

Laurie Burrows is a UK-based marketing and sales strategist who has built a business that's generated multi-seven figures in sales through social media and digital marketing. Today, Laurie helps business owners use social media, content and digital marketing to get seen, attract more clients and make more sales. She's also the founder of Ascendia OS.