Mastering the Business Side of Being a Coach
This interview features Kristina Kennedy, founder of Kristina Kennedy Coaching.
Kristina Kennedy is a transformative executive coach and UKCP psychotherapist specialising in leadership development, conflict resolution, and compassionate team dynamics. With a direct yet intuitive approach, she helps entrepreneurs, public figures, and C-suite leaders overcome limiting beliefs, build confidence and achieve lasting transformation.
Key Insights
The Realities of Running a Coaching Business
Being great at coaching isn’t enough to set up and keep your business successful —you also need a business strategy.
There is so much strength and power in outsourcing the work you dislike: recognising that hiring support ultimately saves time and money is the smartest thing you can do, as well as hiring an accountant early on.
Scheduling and planing as far in advance as you can will help to prevent burnout and ensure you continuously meet key business requirements like supervision hours and taxes.
Kristina advises new coaches to specialise and find their niche rather than try be to master everything.
The Interview
To start, I want to know a little bit more about you and how you became a coach.
I started off running my own business, which I ran for 14 years. I’ve always loved working with people, being curious about how we think and feel. That led me to train as a psychotherapist. The academic in me never stops, and as I learned more about human behaviour and psychology, coaching made perfect sense. Once you've worked through mental health blocks, coaching helps take people forward. It felt like a great balance between psychology, leadership, and coaching.
Was that business for 14 years in therapy, and now you've transitioned into coaching?
No, my first business was actually a relocation business. I managed companies moving employees from all over the world to the UK, setting up everything for family life. It involved navigating the needs of both corporations and individuals. In my spare time, I pursued a psychotherapy degree, knowing I wanted to do both. I’ve now had my practice for about 11 or 12 years.
When it comes to running your own business, what has surprised you the most?
In coaching, I found it fascinating how different it is from psychotherapy, especially in terms of client referrals and marketing. In psychotherapy, we’re accredited and listed in professional directories where people can find us easily.
Coaching, however, requires much more effort in marketing and building credibility. You start off on your own, and even with strong skills, it’s not easy to get clients initially.
What’s been one of your biggest challenges?
The most challenging part, especially in the beginning, was realising that having credentials like a PCC level from the ICF wasn’t enough to get clients. Unless you have corporate connections or an HR background, it takes time to build a client base. Imposter syndrome is also something I see often in new coaches—they feel it should be easier, but in reality, you need to trust the process and keep going. Once things start rolling, opportunities come.
What’s the easiest part of running your business?
The easiest thing is that I love it. Coaching is such a gift—if you're curious about people and invested in transformation, it doesn’t feel like a job. It’s fulfilling to help people see what’s holding them back and guide them through their journey.
What top tips would you give to a new coach starting their own business?
First, it’s not easy in the beginning—don’t expect to be a Marshall Goldsmith or Simon Sinek in the first month. Belonging to a professional coaching body or networking group helps.
Second, niching down is crucial. At first, I thought I could coach in everything, but having a niche makes things so much easier. My focus is on imposter syndrome, performance anxiety, and confidence. When you follow what you're truly passionate about, the right clients will find you.
Lastly, get a good accountant early—coaches and therapists are great with people but often terrible at admin. Don't DIY your finances—do it properly from the start.
If you could give your novice self some advice, what would it be?
Don’t try to be the jack of all trades. Get organised and be kind to yourself—this work takes time. Explore, experiment, and have fun with it instead of stressing over not having clients immediately. Now that I know what I know, I can confidently say that success comes with patience.
What’s one thing you enjoy the most, and the least about running your business?
I find it very rewarding to see the results of my work. But I dislike the admin that comes with it.
I’ve learned the value of investing in support. Many coaches try to save money by doing everything themselves, but the hours wasted on frustration cost even more.
I now outsource admin tasks and use digital tools like Calendly, Zoom, and Canva to keep things streamlined.
What does an average work week look like for you?
Mondays are my online workday. Tuesdays are for psychotherapy, Wednesdays for coaching, Thursdays a mix of both plus admin, and Fridays I keep free for workshops and talks. This balance helps me avoid burnout.
Many first-time coaches struggle with delegating tasks. How did you overcome that?
It’s common to feel that briefing someone takes longer than doing it yourself, but that’s a false belief. Proper delegation saves hours in the long run. As coaches, we guide clients through transformation, so we should apply the same mindset to our own business—delegating isn’t about losing control, it’s about optimising time.
Any final tips for coaches starting out?
Don’t feel like you need to know everything about your clients’ industries—that’s not your job. Lead with compassion and humor. Coaching is serious work, but bringing lightness to it helps people open up and grow.
And finally, what tools do you use to run your business?
I use Calendly for scheduling, Zoom and Teams for meetings, and Canva for design. I have Instagram and LinkedIn, but they’re more personal than professional. My main tool is my brain and my heart—coaching doesn’t require much beyond that.
