7 Essentials Every Business Coach Must Have in Their Business Coaching Terms and Conditions

Are you a business coach? I’m telling you precisely what essentials to include in your business coaching terms and conditions to set boundaries and expectations and avoid the most common issues.

Helping others succeed in their businesses as a business coach is so exciting, but if you’re anything like me, you want to ensure you have all the protections in place for your boundaries and protect your energy and money. As a lawyer myself who drafts business coaching terms and conditions for coaches like you, I am giving you all the essentials you need in your coaching terms and conditions template.

You will learn about the must-haves every business coach needs in their business coaching terms and conditions, which you should have in your business coaching contract or online coaching terms and conditions.

After learning all about the crucial terms you need in your business coaching terms and conditions, you will know about all the protections you need and avoid wasting your energy on (costly) misunderstandings and claims!

This post is all about the must-haves for your business coaching terms and conditions to protect yourself as a business coach.

Ultimate Business Coaching Terms and Conditions

Online coaching terms and conditions

1. Scope

The scope of services outlines what coaching services you provide to your client. 

This is the most important part when it comes to your boundaries. This is the part where you clearly state what your services include, but also what your services do not include, so it’s crystal clear to your client what they may expect from you.

Especially as a business coach, you want to be very clear about who you will be coaching. Do you do one-on-one coaching sessions and/or group coaching sessions? For example, if you only do one-on-one coaching sessions, clearly state that no other ‘personnel’ may join those sessions (or else you require your client to pay an extra fee). If you do group coaching sessions, specify how many persons may join and who may join.

Do your clients get access to resources and tools? If so, how, on which platform, for how long, etc.? 

It’s important for your client to understand exactly what services are included in your business coaching contract to avoid any confusion and even disputes later on.

2. Communication

Also, you want to be very clear about your boundaries when it comes to communication. Clear communication is essential for any coaching relationship to be successful. Ensure your business coaching terms and conditions include details on how and when you will communicate with your client. 

Your method of communication may include scheduled coaching sessions, email support, or other forms of communication. Think about what is practical for you and be as specific as possible. Does your communication include only email or also text messages, phone calls and video calls? If you do video calls, will that be through Google Meet, Zoom or Microsoft Teams?

Do you want your clients to contact you on your Instagram or LinkedIn? Probably not, so ensure you also specify the forms of communication that are not permitted during the coaching relationship.

Once you have specified the methods of communication, you also want to specify during what days/times you will communicate with your clients and what your response times are. You want to clearly state that you are not in breach of your business coaching contract if you do not respond (on time). 

Also, make sure to include that any communication is only restricted to matters under the coaching agreement, thus, their businesses, not their personal lives or fitness journey.

Speaking of communication, you can only coach your clients in their businesses if they are willing to put in the work. But your clients may need some guidance on that. Therefore, you want to have a way to evaluate the process and progress your clients make and have your clients provide feedback to you. This may include regular check-ins through scheduled coaching calls, surveys, or other methods. 

Also, this is a great way to get some great reviews for your coaching business that you can use as testimonials! Ensure you have the proper wording in your business coaching terms and conditions to be able to share those reviews publicly.

3. Coaching Process

Not only the scope and communication sections but also the coaching process terms are critical terms in business coaching terms and conditions. You need to clearly outline your coaching process and the goals of the coaching relationship in your coaching terms and conditions template. 

You should clearly state the coaching process, like when the session occurs and how, including the methods and tools you will use.

4. Eliminate expectations of results

Your client will certainly envision certain results for their businesses. That is why they hired them to help them reach those results.

However, as a business coach, you are not responsible for their businesses. You are not the business owner; they are. You are just giving them the strategies, methods and tools to reach their goals, but it’s ultimately up to your clients to implement them in their own business and achieve those goals. 

This must be clearly stated in your business coaching terms and conditions in the form of specific disclaimers relevant to clients that are business owners. These disclaimers for your clients are crucial to avoid claims from clients when they do not reach the results they had envisioned because they did not do the work (or maybe they have unrealistic expectations). You can not control them, but you can control what they can do to you.

5. Prevent unprofessional behaviour

Your clients are professional business owners, so they should act like it. Your business coaching terms and conditions must have the proper wording so your clients agree to abide by a sort of “code of ethics” that outlines ethical guidelines of behaviour your clients should live by. The code of ethics should cover areas such as professional conduct, conflicts of interest, and prohibitions of inappropriate behaviours.

And if your client does not abide by these rules, then you have the right to terminate the business coaching contract.

6. Confidentiality

One of the most crucial elements in business coaching terms and conditions is confidentiality. Confidentiality means that any information shared between you and your client during the coaching relationship is strictly confidential or secret. Confidential information includes all personal information, business information, and any other information that you or your client may disclose during the coaching sessions.

It’s a two-way street. Confidentiality is crucial for your client because it creates a safe space for them to discuss their goals, challenges, and concerns openly. This only enhances your business relationship with your client as you build trust, which is critical for a successful coaching relationship.

For you, as a business owner, it is also essential for your business. You do not want your clients to take the information, techniques, tools, and materials that are unique to your coaching strategy and method and share them with others. 

7. Intellectual property

Speaking of copycats, this is why you need to also include in your business coaching terms and conditions your ownership of your strategies, methods, any materials or resources provided by you, as well as any new ideas or strategies developed during the coaching process. 

You are the creator of your own coaching process, and you should protect that from being stolen. 

Not only do you not want your clients to share your information with others, but you also don’t want your clients to use the methods, strategies and materials you have provided for their own commercial purposes.

Especially since you are dealing with clients who have an entrepreneurial mindset, you don’t want them to suddenly have the idea to start coaching by copying your exact strategy and methods.

In conclusion, understanding the terms and conditions of your business coaching agreement is essential for a successful coaching relationship. With the right business coaching contract in place, you will have peace of mind, knowing that your boundaries, energy and money are protected.

ICF coaching agreement

As a business coach, you may have seen the ICF coaching agreement of the International Coach Federation. You may believe the ICF coaching agreement contains all the protection you need as a coach.

However, when it comes to terms and conditions for coaching services, there is no one-size-fits-all for every type of coach. You know that you, as a business coach, provide completely different coaching services than, say, a life coach. Just like you need a specific coaching terms and conditions template for business coaching, a life coach needs a life coaching terms and conditions template. A proper business coaching contract should have wording and protections specific to a business coach.

The ICF coaching agreement contains some basic terms that can be used for your business coaching terms and conditions, but you definitely need to add some essential terms for your business coaching services.

Coaching terms and conditions template

Do you take your coaching business seriously? Do you want to ensure your business coaching terms and conditions contain all the essentials that specifically a business coach needs? And the proper wording to be fully protected?

Then you need my business coaching terms and conditions, which are tailored to you as a business coach!

This post was all about the most important terms every business coach must have in their business coaching terms and conditions.

Get your business coaching terms and conditions that include all the protections you need (and more) on this page of my contract shop!