Three months. Four website redesigns. Zero paying clients.

That’s how my coaching business looked in early 2023.

I picked fonts. I rewrote the About page. I tweaked the hero image until my eyes glazed over. I told myself this was the work.

It wasn’t. The work was answering three questions — the three questions every coaching business has to answer. I couldn’t answer any of them. So I redesigned my website instead.

If you can’t answer all three clearly, you don’t have a business model. You have a pile of activities.

1. WHO am I serving?

Not “people who want personal growth.” Not “high-achieving women.” Those are demographic shrugs, not target clients.

My 2023 mistake: I told people I “helped humans navigate transitions.” A perfectly fine sentence that meant nothing to anyone.

The clarity test: Can you name one specific person — a real human — who exactly fits your audience? If not, your “who” is too vague.

2. WHAT am I selling?

Not “coaching.” Not “1:1 support.” A specific transformation, in a specific format, at a specific price.

My 2023 mistake: I had “discovery calls” and a vague “package” and no one bought.

The clarity test: Can you describe your offer in one sentence that a stranger could accurately repeat back to you?

3. HOW does money come in?

Not “people will pay me.” A real path: someone hears about you → engages → considers → buys. With specifics for each step.

My 2023 mistake: I assumed posting on Instagram would somehow generate clients. (Spoiler: it didn’t.)

The clarity test: Can you trace the actual path from “stranger” to “paying client” for at least two of your existing or past clients?

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Here’s why this matters: the reason coaches stall isn’t lack of effort. It’s that one unclear answer here blocks everything downstream.

Unclear “who” means a vague website. Unclear “what” means hesitant sales conversations. Unclear “how” means an empty pipeline and a confused content strategy.

I spent months working hard on the symptoms. The fix was upstream.

An invitation

I’m offering free, 30-minute business model consultations for coaches who are stuck on one of these questions. No pitch, no sales — just a focused conversation to help you get one of the three answers clearer than it was when you walked in.

If you’d like one, book time with me here.

Questions for reflection

– Which of the three questions is the murkiest in your business right now?

– What activity have you been busy with that’s secretly avoiding answering it?

– If you could only get clear on ONE of the three this month, which would unblock the most downstream work?