# Essential Tools for Managing Your Online Coaching Business
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Chapter 1: Introduction to My Coaching Journey
When the pandemic struck, prompting everyone to stay indoors, I began exploring various income-generating strategies and delving into countless podcasts. This exploration opened up numerous opportunities, leading me to become both a writer and a chess coach. As I mentioned in a prior post, I find great joy in sharing my experiences and innovative business concepts.
Over the past few years, I've experimented with various tools and subscriptions to effectively manage my coaching business. Currently, there are three essential tools that significantly reduce the time I spend on administrative tasks. Let’s take a closer look at these!
Section 1.1: Calendly – My Scheduling Solution
Calendly serves as my go-to appointment scheduling platform. As a chess coach, manually coordinating schedules can be quite challenging, especially when working with students from different countries. Scheduling tools like Calendly allow you to set up various meeting types and accept payments seamlessly, making the process easier for both the client and coach.
Initially, I used TidyCal, which was an excellent investment at only $29 for a lifetime subscription. However, I transitioned to Calendly as it’s widely regarded as the premier scheduling tool. It offers a user-friendly experience and a higher level of trust for payment transactions compared to its competitors. My annual investment in Calendly amounts to $120. Alternative options include TidyCal, Cal(dot)com, Acuity Scheduling, and Zoho Scheduling.
The first video titled "Tools I (Actually) Use to Run my Online Coaching Business" elaborates on the essential tools for coaching professionals, providing insights that complement my experience with Calendly.
Section 1.2: Zoom – The Teaching Platform
Once I secure bookings via Calendly, the next question is where to conduct the lessons. That’s where Zoom comes into play. It’s the ideal platform that meets all my teaching needs. Zoom not only allows me to conduct live classes but also automatically saves class recordings to the cloud for my students.
I pay approximately $55 per year for Zoom (around $5 monthly), and despite trying out other platforms, I find Zoom to be at least twice as effective.
Chapter 2: Website Hosting with Hostinger
The second video, "11 Business Tools For New Coaches (To Simplify Your Business!)" provides additional insights on tools that can streamline operations for new coaches, further enhancing my recommendations.
Section 2.1: Why You Need a Website
Having a website is essential for anyone involved in online business; this is an undeniable fact. I built a basic website using WordPress and currently use Hostinger for hosting. My Hostinger Premium plan allows me to host up to 100 websites, and I've successfully hosted several. Their customer support is outstanding, and their prices are very reasonable.
For those looking to create visually appealing websites, Webflow is a fantastic alternative. My annual hosting fee is $60, which covers my site and a few additional ones.
Section 2.2: Integrating the Tools
To kickstart your journey as a coach or consultant, the first step is to create a fundamental website that includes a Home Page, Contact Page, and About Page. Once your website is set up, create accounts with both your chosen scheduling tool and Zoom. Integrate the scheduling tool with Zoom and connect it to PayPal.
After everything is configured, embed your booking pages into your website, and you’re all set to begin! The next step is marketing to attract new clients to your coaching business.
Total Cost and Conclusion
The total expenditure for running my online coaching business is roughly $20 per month ($10 for Calendly, $5 for Zoom, and $5 for hosting). Investing in these tools is undeniably worthwhile as they save me at least 10–15 hours of time each month while ensuring that clients enjoy a top-notch experience.
That wraps up this article! I’m currently engaged in a 30-day challenge to publish 30 articles by September 30th. Feel free to cheer me on in the comments!