Kat & Curtis Knecht - The 4 Stages of a Coaching Business

In this kickoff to the fall “Harvest Time” series, Kat teams up with her husband and business partner, Curtis, to unpack the Four Stages of a Coaching Business. Using a personal health journey as a powerful analogy, Kat illustrates why an accurate “diagnosis” of your business stage is critical to growth. Without it, you risk wasting time, energy, and resources on activities that don’t match where you truly are.

Kat walks listeners through each stage — from Coach in Training to Legacy — explaining the focus, goals, and common pitfalls of each. Curtis offers valuable insights on aligning your efforts with your current stage to build confidence, avoid burnout, and grow a sustainable coaching business. Whether you’re just starting out or ready to scale, this episode will help you pinpoint your stage and retool your activities for maximum impact.

Key Takeaways

Why September–November is a prime time for attracting coaching clients.
The importance of accurately identifying your current stage of business.
Kat’s personal health story as an analogy for business misdiagnosis.
The Four Stages of a Coaching Business:
- Coach in Training – Mastering skills, exploring niche, and building credibility.
- Startup – Focusing on business development, marketing, and sales foundations.
- Sustainable Success – Scaling, refining systems, and creating dependable income.
- Legacy – Expanding influence, building authority, and long-term impact.
Common mistakes: Skipping the startup phase or overinvesting in more training instead of business building.
How misaligned activities (like launching a podcast too soon) can slow growth.
The role of marketing, sales calls, and freebies in each stage.
Why sustainable success requires delegation, support, and continual evolution.
The “80/20” focus rule — 80% of activities should align with your current stage, 20% can be creative or future-focused.