Why most coaching business fail (and how to make sure yours is not one of them)

It’s a widely cited statistic: over 80% of coaching businesses ultimately fail.

While this might sound discouraging, ignoring the truth won’t help. As coaches, we know that recognising the reality of a situation—the “R” in the GROW model—is the first step toward achieving the outcomes we desire. 

Once we’ve accepted that most coaching businesses fail, we can begin to understand why. The most commonly cited reasons include a lack of business knowledge, marketing focus, and professional support. But here’s the catch: even when you have the knowledge, focus, and support, fear can still be your biggest roadblock.

Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear of judgment. You name it—fear can sabotage your knowledge, derail your focus, and give you endless excuses to play it safe.

That’s why ReciproCoach has teamed up with Dermot Butterly for the third year running to bring you Overcoming Fears in Business Peer Coaching. After years of teaching the Art and Science of Business Building for Coaches, Dermot recognized that fear was often the hidden factor holding coaches back. This inspired him to create Club Fearless for Coaches and identify the 6 biggest fears that stop coaches in their tracks. To address these, Dermot developed a Mini Business Building Course specifically for coaches.

To kick off the New Year, Overcoming Fears in Business (2025/1) combines Dermot’s video course with a powerful reciprocal peer coaching process. Through this program, you’ll:

• Be coached to overcome your fears.
• Coach another coach to overcome theirs.
• Stretch yourself in ways that could be a game-changer for your business success.

Thanks to this combined video and peer coaching approach, this program has proven valuable for both new and experienced coaches alike.

You can find more information here about what the video course covers and read testimonials from past participants. Or, if you’re ready to make 2025 the year you move past your fears and step into success, register here before Sunday, January 19.

(Registrations close Sunday, January 19)

As someone who’s worked with countless coaches over several decades, it breaks my heart to see good coaches give up—not for lack of coaching skills, but because the challenges of building a coaching business feel insurmountable.

Don’t let your fears you back. This world needs good coaches.

Supporting coaches to survive and thrive in business,

Kerryn Griffiths, PhD, PCC

Global ReciproCoach Coordinator