So many coaches dream of creating an online course or group programme. It gives you more freedom, more impact, more income. But scaling too early can actually slow your progress instead of speeding it up. In this episode, Jo shares the real truth about when you’re ready to scale and what to focus on first if you’re not there yet.

Timestamps

[00:00] The Temptation to Scale

[01:00] The Hidden Cost of Scaling Too Soon

[03:00] Jo's Own Early Mistake

[05:00] The Five Readiness Checkpoints

[08:00] The Hard Truth About Selling Courses

[13:00] Sell First, Then Create

[16:00] What to Focus on if You’re Not Ready Yet

This episode is for coaches who feel the pull to scale but aren’t sure if now is the right time. It will help you avoid costly mistakes, gain clarity on your next best step, and build a business that grows with integrity and ease.

Every stage has its purpose, and once you master this one, scaling becomes not just possible but inevitable.

Useful Links

Learn about The Business of Coaching programme

Signature Solution Course

Download the Free Digital version of Coaches' Planner (edition 2026)

Grow Your Business Without the Tech Overwhelm - One Stop Coach Shop

Free Essential AI Toolkit – 2 Must-Have Prompts for Coaches

How to secure more coaching clients' free training

Download the 12 ways to get clients now

Connect with Jo on LinkedIn

Rate and Review the Podcast

If you found this episode of Women in the Coaching Arena helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

If you’re kind enough to leave a review, please do let Jo know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: joanna@joannalottcoaching.com

Enjoyed This Episode?

Don’t Miss the Next One! Hit subscribe on your favourite podcast app to be notified each time a new episode of Women in the Coaching Arena.

You know that feeling when you see another

coach launch, maybe a group program

2

or an online course, and you think,

oh wow, maybe I should do that next.

3

Sometimes you've been coaching for a while

and it feels like that natural next step.

4

Or other times you've just started

and you see people doing it so

5

confidently and it looks so easy

that you think, that looks amazing.

6

If I do the same, then I will have exactly

what they have got and it makes sense.

7

You want to reach more people,

create more freedom, move away from

8

trading time for money, and it really

sounds like the obvious next move.

9

And this has been amazing for me.

10

But what I see time and time again

is so many brilliant coaches start

11

building online courses and group

programs before they have any audience

12

in place to sell those things to.

13

And I completely

understand why it happens.

14

The desire to help more people

and create freedom is so strong,

15

and I have been there myself.

16

It's really heartbreaking to watch.

17

Because they have spent thousands of

pounds and not just thousands of pounds.

18

But hours in wasted time in their business

recording a course that's probably

19

never gonna see the light of day 'cause

they're not at the stage of business to

20

be able to consistently sell that thing.

21

It doesn't mean that you

shouldn't do these things.

22

It just means that you should be prepared

to learn the lesson, lose the money, lose

23

the time until the time is right for you.

24

I did exactly that at

the start of my business.

25

Saw other people launching one to many

offers, group programs, memberships,

26

online courses, all the things, and like

most people had no idea what it takes

27

to really get those off the ground.

28

But years on from purchasing that

course, I have made a lot of money from

29

my online course and group program.

30

So whilst it wasn't the right time

for me at that stage of my business,

31

years on, I can be grateful that

I did continue and persevere.

32

And eventually it was

the right time for me.

33

But really it probably delayed me six

to 12 months of my journey, the income

34

I could have been creating in that time,

the clarity I could have been getting

35

at that time, the audience growth I

could have been building at that time.

36

So now it genuinely breaks my heart when

I see people naively go into this route

37

without realizing the backend systems

that you need in place to make this work.

38

So in this episode, I would love

to help you work out if you are

39

ready to create a course or a group.

40

And if not, where to focus

your time and energy first.

41

There's so much noise about

scaling in the industry.

42

Everybody talks about courses,

memberships, passive income,

43

but nearly every single time.

44

It isn't a shortcut.

45

It multiplies what is already in place.

46

If you already have clarity,

clients, systems, a proven

47

process, then that's great.

48

A course we'll multiply your success,

but if you haven't got a clear niche,

49

you are figuring out what to offer,

you aren't great at marketing yet, you

50

aren't gaining consistent sales, then

scaling too early or trying to scale

51

too early just multiplies that chaos.

52

Niching is even more

important in group programs.

53

So it's not a way to

escape the niche drama.

54

A group needs to be even more niche.

55

My first group that I joined when

I started out in business was kind

56

of disappointing now I look back.

57

Because it was filled with

multiple different business owners

58

at multiple different stages.

59

So there were people 10 years in business.

60

Doing product-based businesses.

61

There were people that hadn't got any

idea about what their business would be.

62

There were people like me that were

a few years in still finding their

63

way, and in reality it was really

hard for that group to gel because

64

we weren't on the same journey.

65

We didn't have a shared goal.

66

So if you are going to create a group.

67

Make it as niche as possible.

68

Same with the course, make it as

niche and specific as possible.

69

So let me walk through five readiness

checkpoints so you know if it's the

70

right time for you to go down this route.

71

Number one, you have a proven offer.

72

You've worked with several

clients one-on-one.

73

You've refined your

process through experience.

74

You have seen results and can

clearly describe the transformation

75

that you help clients achieve.

76

If you haven't had that yet, then

the next step is really simple.

77

Get out there.

78

Get people in that space,

even if it's for free.

79

As much as you can do to test

your process, gather feedback,

80

refine your approach, until you

can confidently say, this works.

81

That may even be getting people into

your group on a beta offer, so you can

82

test it, but just know that it's usually

not as simple as putting out a post

83

saying, would you like to join my group?

84

And it's low cost.

85

Because another thing I've seen is people

think if I create something cheap because

86

people keep saying they can't afford

my one-on-one, then maybe they will

87

buy it, but usually they won't buy it.

88

My cheapest online course gains

the least sales of everything I do,

89

despite it being an amazing course,

even if I do say so myself, because

90

people don't always want cheap.

91

They want huge support.

92

They want utter clarity, and they want

your offer that has the top results,

93

so I can easily sell my 4K program.

94

What I can less easily sell

is my low cost digital course.

95

So don't think if I make it cheaper,

it will make it easier to sell

96

because that's not always the case.

97

Even if people in discovery calls

tell you that it's too expensive,

98

that's not always the real reason.

99

It's often that they don't see the

value in what you are offering,

100

so you need to refine that niche,

that offer, and that message you

101

are putting out there even further,

102

Leading me perfectly into step

two, which is you have clear

103

messaging and positioning.

104

You know who you help.

105

You know what they're struggling

with and how you can help them.

106

You talk about it in a way that

makes sense and people really get.

107

When your niche and offer is super

clear, people will start coming to

108

you because they understand what

you do and what you can do for them.

109

Step three, you have

consistent leads and sales.

110

This is the really hard part, but

before you scale, you need a steady

111

way that clients can find you.

112

If you are struggling to get one client

in the door, then sadly creating a

113

group or a course where you need to get

multiple clients in the door at the same

114

time is not usually your next best move.

115

I remember working with one of my very

early clients and she really wanted to

116

do this, so I supported her as best I

could, even though I warned her that it

117

could be really difficult considering

she hadn't had any one-on-one clients

118

at this point, but she wanted to do

it and I completely get it 'cause

119

I was the same and I launched all

of this well before I was ready.

120

But it pains my heart to this

day because she completely burnt

121

out with utter exhaustion and

disappointment that her launch didn't

122

lead to the result that she wanted.

123

So that is why I'm super passionate about

sharing the real truth behind launching

124

courses and group programs because

they are often really hard to sell.

125

And I say that from someone who has

sold a lot of groups and online courses.

126

So I will talk more about the

benefits, which are huge depending

127

on your stage of business.

128

Step four is you have

systems and capacity.

129

Scaling means more people,

more logistics, more admin.

130

So you would want to be super sharp

with your tech, your onboarding,

131

scheduling, communications.

132

You would want to understand

how to do those things.

133

You also want to feel excited

enough to hold those group calls.

134

But in all honesty, those

things are often simple.

135

The main warning here is actually

filling the group versus running the

136

group, because as practitioners we

find those things super easy most of

137

the time, even though often we are

quietly petrified, we usually can do

138

it deep down and the delivery is not

really the problem in my experience.

139

Step five.

140

You want to help more

people experience your work.

141

Most coaches I speak to aren't

trying to escape coaching.

142

You often love what you do.

143

You want more people to experience

it, and this is the best reason

144

to create a course or group.

145

I always had ambitions

to help a lot of people.

146

I don't know why that is, but I know

when I first did my vision, it was

147

about making a million people happier.

148

Just slightly ambitious and very vague,

but I was just starting out in business,

149

so I have always had that bug to get

to more people and to help more people.

150

So whenever you are ready, it's an

amazing way of helping more people with

151

your work and sharing that in a way

that helps people more efficiently.

152

A quick reality check now that you

can't skip the very boring fundamentals

153

of business, which is knowing who you

help, knowing how you help them, and

154

telling as many people as possible.

155

Those things all need to happen.

156

You can't just jump to scaling.

157

And I think back to when I first

launched my group program, the

158

Business of Coaching, which has

been running over four years now.

159

The one program every single month

for four years, which is crazy.

160

But I think back to those early

discovery calls and the people that

161

I used to talk to, and they'd say,

actually, I'm gonna go with this other

162

coach because they teach scaling, and I

want to scale, and I used to think you

163

can't scale a non-existent business.

164

Now I know it is even more

true because guess what?

165

None of them succeeded in scaling

and also because luckily, the online

166

industry is a bit better than it was

a few years ago when I first started

167

my group program, when everybody had

really, really high promises, hyped up

168

things about scaling in no time at all.

169

And now most of those people are

targeting people who are already

170

making 10 K months, for example.

171

So they have learned their lesson and they

aren't trying to usually teach scaling

172

to people who are not in a position

to scale, but really do be careful

173

because many people do sell groups and

online courses to anyone and everyone,

174

and it's absolutely fine to build it.

175

I wanted to build it.

176

Everyone wants to build

it, but just know that.

177

You might not just sell loads

of spaces right out of the gate.

178

It might be years further into

your business when you finally

179

make the most of that online

course or group that you created.

180

Other calls I used to have

were with people saying.

181

Everything is good to go.

182

We've got all the worksheets, we've

got all the videos, everything's done.

183

We've spent years doing this.

184

Now we just need to sell it.

185

And I used to think, oh my

goodness, if only that was the

186

easy part of just needing to sell

it because here is the real bit.

187

Creating a course is the easy part.

188

Staying behind the scenes, designing

workbooks, filming videos, it really

189

feels productive and safe, and

despite the fact that the time, it

190

can feel hard and it can take ages.

191

It's actually very easy in

comparison to selling it.

192

So if you think that part is hard,

try step two, which is actually

193

putting out there, reaching people,

launching something, showing up

194

online, talking about it every day.

195

Those things are often so much

harder than just the creation.

196

So let this be your reminder.

197

Sell it first and then build it.

198

I sold the business of coaching program

before I even had one video recorded.

199

No workbooks, no portal, no tech in place.

200

Sold it live in a five day challenge

based on what I knew my clients needed,

201

and then created it week on week.

202

I luckily launched it saying that

to reduce overwhelm, a module per

203

week would release, and it used

to release every single Sunday.

204

So every Saturday night I was

creating the module for the next week.

205

And it's the best way to

build because then guess what?

206

Your course is done in 12 weeks, for

example, or however many modules you have

207

versus how long it can take you when you

have no accountability in place and you

208

don't need to get those modules done.

209

And you know your actually producing

something for real paying clients, which

210

helps you really figure out what do they

need in this moment versus when you are in

211

creation mode and you can just think, oh,

it would be so lovely for this to happen,

212

whereas when you have those clients

waiting for this week's module, it really

213

helps you refine your thinking into what

the actually need urgently because more

214

modules doesn't always mean more success.

215

So here is my lesson.

216

Sell first and then create.

217

If you are listening thinking, I'm

not ready yet, then that's actually

218

great news because now you know

exactly what to focus on next.

219

Start by refining your business so

that might include who you're helping,

220

how you're gonna help them, and how

you are gonna market that offer.

221

Because those things don't change.

222

You will just be building all of the

assets you need to create and sell

223

an amazing course or group program.

224

One mistake I see often is people

think they are too advanced for my

225

program, the business of coaching.

226

If you aren't bringing in consistent

sales of three to 5K months, then the

227

business of coaching will give you

an amazing offer, amazing marketing,

228

knowing how to grow your audience,

amplify your reach, amplify your

229

influence, create great case studies.

230

It will ultimately leave you in the

best place to be able to launch that

231

group or online course that you want to.

232

If you are nodding along, thinking, yes,

that's me, then you are probably ready

233

to launch your group or online course.

234

You've proven your process.

235

You know your message,

you have an audience.

236

You have clients coming in, and you

are craving a way to expand your reach

237

without taking more of your time.

238

This is when a course or group

is really, really achievable.

239

Yes.

240

It takes a lot of hard work to

launch and create that launch plan.

241

It takes knowing how to do a masterclass

or live series of some sort to help

242

you to get those people in your world

excited about what you're gonna offer.

243

But it really is possible.

244

With work, you can create this

and get the life that you desire.

245

When you have put in that groundwork,

you can achieve anything you want.

246

Saying this.

247

I also want to say that your group can

grow like mine grew from two people

248

to now hundreds of people that have

been through my program, and when I

249

launched it, I just had two people.

250

So please don't be scared to try.

251

But don't be disappointed if

your online course or group

252

program doesn't make sales.

253

I just want you to know that that's

completely normal and it's no easier

254

to sell than one-on-one coaching.

255

So the question isn't, should

I create a course or a group?

256

It's really what stage am I at right now?

257

What do I need to focus on now?

258

When you focus on the right thing

at the right time, then you will

259

make so much faster progress.

260

Every stage has a purpose, and once

you master this one, scaling becomes

261

not just possible, but inevitable.

262

If this episode resonated, I

would love to hear your thoughts.

263

Please drop me a line on LinkedIn as

Joanna with an A and Lott with two T's.

264

I would love to hear from you.

265

If you want support in, getting

your business to the point where

266

scaling and creating these programs

feels like the next obvious step.

267

You'll find all the details to the

business of coaching in the show notes.

268

And I'm behind the scenes working

on a program to help you create

269

a course or a group program.

270

So if you are feeling like that is

what you need, and really, really

271

want to do this, then do drop me an

email, joanna@joannalottcoaching.com,

272

mentioning course wait list and I will let

you know as soon as I have that in place.

273

I just wanted to be super

transparent about who's gonna get

274

the best results from this program.

275

Because I know most people don't

share the behind the scenes because

276

they are mainly interested in making

sales, and I want the right people

277

to come forward so I can help them to

get that success that they are after.

278

Thank you for listening today.

279

I hope it was helpful and like I

always say, trust yourself, believe

280

in yourself, and be the wise gardener

who keeps on watering the seed.

281

Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone):

Thank you so much for listening to this

282

episode of Women in the Coaching Arena.

283

I have a mess of free resources on

my website joannalottcoaching.com.

284

That's Joanna with an A

and Lott with two T's.

285

joannalottcoaching.com.

286

And I'll also put links in the show notes.

287

Let me know if you found

this episode useful.

288

Share it with a friend and

leave me a review, and I will

289

personally thank you for that.

290

Remember to trust yourself, believe

in yourself and be the wise Gardner

291

who keeps on watering the seed.

292

Get into the arena dare, greatly and try.