EP 271 — How to Start a Coaching Business for Women After 50 (You're Not Too Late!)
Women over 50 - it is not too late to start your online coaching business! In this video, you'll learn why 50+ is actually the perfect time to start a coaching business, and how your life experience and wisdom are exactly what your future clients need most. Whether you want to start a coaching business after 50, or simply create a flexible online coaching business that feels meaningful, this video is for you!
In this video, you’ll learn:
Why starting a coaching business after 50 is an advantage, not a setback
The truth about confidence, tech fears, and visibility at any age
How women over 50 are growing coaching businesses without fancy reels or funnels
What it really means to coach from experience — not a script
Why your story is your superpower (and why people want to hear it)
... and much more!
Coaching is not just for women in their 20s and 30s - you have years of expertise, and now is the time to share it!
If you’re ready to take your next step in your coaching business, let’s chat!
👉🏻 Book a free call with me here: https://debbieshadid.com/schedule
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a review and forward this to a coach who is building and growing their coaching business. CLICK HERE TO LEAVE A REVIEW
Don’t forget to connect with me on social media: Instagram | Facebook
Transcript
Are you starting a coaching business at 50 60 or even 70? Can I tell you a secret? You may think this is a disadvantage, and what I know is that your age is a superpower. My name's Debbie Shadid. I have helped over 10,000 coaches build and grow profitable coaching businesses, and today I wanna talk about you growing your coaching business.
Even if you're over 50. So you may think that the coaching industry is telling you that it's a crazy idea to start your coaching business at this age and that it won't work. I bet you've looked around at the younger people on Instagram and you see their flashy reels and you think, okay, I can't do this.
And they've made claims over their six figure businesses and you're wondering, how could I ever do this? Do I even belong? You might even be thinking, I don't know, technology. I'm terrible at technology. I don't wanna be on social media all day long, and I don't even know where to start. I hear this all the time today.
I wanna set the record straight What you may not realize as a woman over 50, you have wisdom, experience, knowledge, training. You have strengths that younger coaches don't even know that they are missing.
Today I wanna talk about why starting your coaching business over 50 will give you the unfair advantage. And when you recognize this, let me tell you my dear, everything will start to shift.
Let me tell you what I have seen after working with thousands of coaches and many, I'm talking about hundreds and hundreds over 50. Something truly magical happens when you reach that age, and if you're there, you know it happens.
There is this quiet moment, or maybe it's a loud moment, somewhere around your birthday where all of a sudden, on a regular Tuesday you realize. You know what? I'm not waiting anymore. I'm not apologizing anymore. I'm ready to do what I wanna do. I have set a new goal. I have a new vision for my life, and I want to do something new.
And I'm gonna bet if you're listening to this. Being a coach is what you want to do. You've had this full life. You've navigated relationships. You've raised your kids. You know you've taken care of aging parents. You have survived setbacks, you've built careers, changed careers, managed households, supported everyone else.
This is your chance to now shape the world and all the people around you in a different way. You bring a different perspective even to the next generation. Now it's your turn. You get to decide what will this next part of your life look like and how will having a coaching business make a difference in the world, and how can it make your life more magical?
It really is the icing on the cake. At this point, I'm gonna tell you what, to create a business where you have time. And financial freedom. Now, I know you hear that all the time, but I'm talking about setting your own schedule. I'm talking about taking vacations when you want to. This is an incredible opportunity.
No more will you have to say to your boss like, I need to take care of my mother or my grandmother. I remember that moment where I was like, no more am I gonna ask or tell somebody. I need to be off for that. I'm gonna take charge of my schedule and that's what I wanna invite you to do. So my friend, you're in the right place as a coach.
Over 50. And as someone who supports women over 50, I can tell you it is more thrilling than you can ever imagine. And more rewarding when you finally get your business going, helping people, making a difference, and doing something that is meaningful for the rest of your life. Oh my goodness, I don't know what gets better than that.
I don't even see for myself retirement. I'm sure you guys feel the same way if you get a career that you love and coaching is amazing, and when you know how to be in business. You can love it. I can tell you that for sure. When you do that, why would you retire? When you can create your own schedule, when you can work when you want.
When you know you're making a difference, why would you retire? That's why I'm like, there's no retirement in sight for me.
Let's talk about the unfair advantages that you have as a woman over 50 that you bring to your coaching. Number one. This is often overlooked, but it is your secret weapon perspective. You have perspective, you have seen so much. You have observed what works.
You've observed what doesn't work in relationships, in parenting in your business with your health. This gives you something that no certification can teach, and that is insight. It makes your coaching deeper, more grounded, more real. You've got decades, of experience where you can see patterns that are built in people's lives and you know how to help people overcome 'em before you're ever even trained as a coach.
The second advantage that you have is resilience. Yeah. At this point in your life, you've done hard things, you have been knocked down, you've gotten back up, you've faced disappointments, and you still kept showing up. So starting a business, yes, it's uncomfortable. Yes, you have to learn how to do some things, but you already know that discomfort is not permanent.
You have likely reinvented yourself before, and that means you can do it again. Alright? The third advantage is. That you have a desire for purpose. I hear this so often, women over 50, they're like, I don't want the fluff anymore. I don't wanna play entrepreneur. I don't wanna post these cute things. I crave this deep sense of satisfaction that will come from knowing that I am making a difference, Where your time and your effort matter and where you know you're making a lasting impact. This is where I talk about the trickle down effect. If you help one woman or one man or one child, whoever you coach, if you help that person, it affects everybody else around them in a really positive way. So what an incredible impact you can make.
So the fourth advantage is time, wisdom. Yeah. This one might surprise you, but women over 50, they value their time. In a way, younger women don't. You don't wanna waste your spinning your wheels or proving your worth. You wanna do it right? And this is what I find out about the women that I work with.
They're like, I want to get my business built right. I wanna enjoy my life and I wanna enjoy having a business that I'm proud of. That awareness. Is really key. It really gets people going in their business so much faster. So you have an awareness of time, you know how precious it is. You also are smart enough to know that, look, I can get some help and I can get this thing taken care of instead of spinning around and in decision.
So you can stay focused, you can work in your business with fewer distractions and you know how to build something real faster. Yeah, you do. Here's some common doubts and I wanna talk about how you can shift 'em. And again, if you'll subscribe, the next four episodes, I'm really gonna go deep into some of the doubts and concerns that women over 50 have.
I know what you might be thinking. You might be sitting here thinking like, okay, but what if nobody hires me? And will people think I'm too old? And what if this thing that I wanna do doesn't work? Look, all of those things are perfectly normal and you know the truth. I. Those are just thoughts. This is the stories that your brain shares up.
It's offering you these thoughts as a natural response to you wanting to try something new and you know better because this has happened to you before. You wanted to do something and you stepped back from that thing that you knew you were wanting to do. Don't do it this time. Okay. You can overcome doubt and you can put the nonsense that your brain is serving up to behind you.
I really wanna challenge you to do that. So when you start thinking, okay, I'm too old. How about this? How about if you say, I'm finally ready? Instead of saying, what if I fail? How about what if it really works? Because I believe it really can work. The one thing I know about you is you don't quit. Yeah. You have a track record that proves you're not a quitter.
Instead of saying, what if it's too late? What if you say it's a perfect time, I wanna encourage you. I have so many coaches who are over 70. If you're 50 and you're thinking, I don't know, can I do it? Listen, I got coaches over 70 that are doing it, okay? So these are powerful shifts that you can have, and the more you practice them, the more confident you become.
Now I wanna tell you about my own moment where I had like crickets. I too thought that when I went online. In 2017, uh, to give you a quick backstory, I had been coaching women and consulting 'em in their businesses since 2000. So for 17 years, very successfully doing this. When I went online, I thought, wow, I'm gonna be like a star, right?
Because that's what we hear about online businesses. And you know what? I got crickets too. But here's the thing. I didn't actually know how to have an online business. Even though I'd had an online business to some degree, like a website and a social media presence. Since 2002, I really didn't know what it took to market my business online.
In reality, there is something different about marketing your business online. Once I figured that skill out and I perfected it. I was like, okay, I got this. I know how to do this. And I can tell you the same thing goes for my clients. They come to me. Typically they've been trying to grow their business and maybe you can relate to this, and they're like, nothing has happened.
My friends told me I'd be so great at this. My friends never hire me. My family said, you should do this. And they didn't refer me. Nobody jumped in to help me. And I've posted on social media and nothing is working. And here's what I've learned. The people who love you are not necessarily the best. Fit for your clients anyway, so let's forget about them.
And just because they're quiet at first doesn't mean that you're doing it wrong. I just had to keep going. I had to keep going until I figured it out. I learned how to communicate and build that marketing message that worked. I learned how to navigate social media. I learned how to do. All of the free marketing that I could do to really maximize my exposure.
And then I learned how to talk to people from all over the world that I had never met before about my coaching. This is about building, no, I can trust in a way that you've never done it before, but what I can tell you is that once I figured it out, within just a few months, I had coached over 80 women, and today I've helped 10,000 plus coaches build and grow profitable coaching businesses. This gives them the time freedom, the financial freedom, and oh my goodness, it gives you fulfillment. I'm so grateful that I didn't give up when I heard crickets, when I heard nothing, and I don't want you to give up either. Let me talk to you about belief work just a little bit because.
The one thing I want you to know is you're not starting from scratch. Let me remind you. You're starting from experience, right? A lot of these other coaches who are younger than you, they don't have that same experience. You're starting from a place of already knowing yourself. You have this strength that so many other people don't have.
So here's my invitation to you. Sit down today and write a list of all of the reasons why you're perfect for this, and I'm gonna help you here. I wanna help you overcome the nonsense that comes up, that lets the doubt derail where your progress. I'm gonna help you. I wanna help you overcome the doubt that's derailing your progress.
So make this list of the experiences that you have that really prove to you, I call this building your evidence bank, that you are actually prepared to be a coach. Let's talk about the things in your life, whether you're 56 or 70, all the things that you have overcome. If you happen to be a mother, you've brought a child into the world, you've raised a child.
If you have happened to have been married in a long-term relationship. Congratulations. You've done well at that too, right? If you have taken care of sick parents, and if you've been in a career and you've, been scrutinized at work, maybe even not treated well at work, you've overcome that too.
You've navigated friendships, you've navigated jealous girlfriends. You have navigated school teachers. All of it, and you've done it well. This is an unfair advantage. This is why writing down that list is an incredible way to prove to yourself that you're prepared. How many books have you read? If your niche is what you love, then I know it is an unlimited amount of things that you've been studying, because I know what happens when you have an area of interest.
You're thinking about it all the time. Any spare time you have. You're like Googling, you're searching social media. You're in Barnes and Noble looking for books. You're listening to podcasts. You're having conversations with people about that very thing that you're most interested in, and many of you have already invested a lot of money in education.
You've been certified, you've had training, you have taken courses and classes. So I know that you are well equipped to do this and making that list. Is just the thing that you need to continue to prove to yourself day in and day out, that you're ready for this. This is the foundation of the coaching work that you want to do.
And if you've already been coaching, listen my friend, you are ready for this. Chances are even not as a coach, I've got air quotes here. You've been coaching your whole life because this is again, what people tell me. So For a moment, I just want you to pause.
if you can think for a moment seriously about what I'm talking about, I want you to think about what if your age isn't the thing that's holding you back. What if that is actually the thing that really makes you magnetic? It really is, even though I coach women over 50, the amount of young women that I have worked with that come to me because of my wisdom, because of the experience that I have.
I have so many of 'em, so just because I'm older doesn't mean I don't attract younger people too. Now my heart is for you guys over 50 because I really do understand the struggles that you have. I understand the simplicity of technology, and I also get why you're getting tangled up with it. I can teach you how to do it.
Very simple ways to grow your business. So I know that this next chapter. Could be more exciting than anything you've ever done. Not because you have to work harder, but because you are smarter, because you'll be doing something that you're more aligned with and because you will feel free, honestly, when you're doing something at this point in your life, and I'm speaking from experience and I'm telling you the story of hundreds of women that I've coached, the amount of, I don't know.
Inspiration and satisfaction that they have for the work that they're doing. It's immeasurable. So you have that, but it all starts with belief. so here's my challenge for you today. Again, make that list of why you're better equipped now than anyone. Include everything in it and then read it every single day because I want you to believe in yourself.
And when you don't quit. On this coaching business, you know who wins you. So here's my final words for you. It's not too late. You're not behind, you're not too old. You are ready. And the truth is the women who don't quit, they win. Yeah. They win.
It is so funny. What happens in our coaching, the women that I work with, they come, they get their business built, they finally have answers to the questions. They've overcome the doubt about social media, about wherever they're marketing their business,
They've answered questions about offers and pricing and tech and all of that. And then one day they get their first paying client or their next paying client, or they launch a group program and they're like, you're never gonna believe this. And I'm like, no, I believe it. I believe it. I knew you could do it.
There was just these few hurdles that you needed to take some time and get the right kind of support where you could get past those. So I believe in you. It's time for you to believe in yourself, so make sure you subscribe. I don't want you to miss those next episodes where I will dive into the common questions that women who are coaches over 50 have.
If this message resonated with you, and if you're like, yes, this is for me. First of all, will you share it with a friend? Will you send this episode to a friend? And I wanna invite you to. Comment the word masterclass or look for the link in the comments because I've got an incredible masterclass where I'm actually gonna show you the framework.
I wanna give you a bird's eye view of what it's really gonna take to grow your coaching business. And you guys, it is so much easier than you think. All of the stuff that you've heard online about doing it is so much more complex than what you need. I will bring it down to something that's.
Very basic and simple. It's a four part framework that I'm gonna share in this masterclass. So again, comment the word masterclass, click the link in the comments. I cannot wait to hear from you guys, and I'll see you in those next four episodes. Be sure to subscribe. Have a beautiful week. Let's go do this.
You guys. I got your back. You can do anything because you've already done it.
All right my friend. That is it. I hope I have inspired you to take massive action to not quit, to step fully into the dream that you have for yourself about this business, because I know that your age is your unfair advantage, and I want you to go make a difference in the world. So I have so much love for you.
I just wanna tell you, you've got this, this is what you're meant to do, and I cannot hardly wait to find out. What you're gonna do, and then make sure you connect with me on social media because I wanna follow you, engage with you, and encourage you. All right, have a beautiful week. Bye-bye.
