Writing a Coaching Business Plan: One-Page Template for Private Coaches

Most coaches don’t fail because they can’t coach.

They fail because the “business stuff” hits them all at once: scheduling, late payments, parents texting at 10pm, field rentals, cancellations, taxes… and suddenly your fun side hustle feels like a mess.

A simple coaching business plan fixes that. Not a 30-page document. Just a one-page plan you can actually use every week.

This article gives you a one-page coaching business plan template (copy/paste style), plus real examples and numbers so you can stop guessing and start building something steady. And if you want to skip a lot of the admin pain, platforms like AthleteCollective handle your scheduling, payments, and client management so you can focus on what you do best — coaching.

What a coaching business plan really is (and why you need one)

A business plan for a coaching business is just a clear answer to five questions:

Who do I help?
What do I help them do?
How do people find me and book me?
How do I get paid (and keep it organized)?
What numbers do I need to hit each month?

That’s it.

A good plan is also a coaching action plan—meaning it turns your ideas into weekly steps. Because “I want more clients” isn’t a plan. “I will talk to 3 local teams this week and run a free clinic next Saturday” is a plan.

Coaching business plan vs fitness business plan (what’s different?)

A fitness business plan for a trainer in a gym often assumes:

The gym provides the space
The gym brings foot traffic
The gym handles some rules/paperwork

A private youth coach (or independent trainer) usually has to handle:

Finding/renting space (field, court, cage, gym)
Parent communication (not just adult clients)
Working with minors (waivers, background checks, safety rules)
Weather plans, cancellations, and seasonal demand

So your plan needs to include operations and protection—not just marketing.

For a deeper “start from scratch” path, check our step-by-step guide to becoming a private sports trainer.

The one-page coaching business plan template (copy/paste)

Grab a note on your phone or a Google Doc and fill this in. Keep it to one page on purpose.

Coaching business plan template: Vision + offer

Who I help (niche):
Example: “Middle school basketball players who want better ball handling and confidence.”

Main result I deliver (promise):
Example: “In 8 weeks, you’ll dribble under pressure and attack off the catch.”

My core offers (pick 1–3):

1-on-1 private training (60 min)
Small group training (3–6 athletes)
Team clinic (90 min)
Online program (optional)

Where I coach:
Example: “Local rec center court + outdoor park court (weather backup).”

What makes me different (simple):
Example: “Short homework plan after each session + parent updates every 2 weeks.”

Coaching business plan template: Pricing + simple math

Price points:

Private: $___ / session
Small group: $___ per athlete / session
Package: 8 sessions for $___ (paid upfront)

Monthly income goal: $___

Monthly fixed costs (rough):

Insurance: $___
Facility rental: $___
Equipment replacement: $___
Software/admin: $___
Marketing: $___

My “break-even” number (sessions needed):
Break-even = fixed costs ÷ profit per session

If you want help setting rates, use our pricing guide by sport and our guide on setting coaching rates with confidence.

Coaching business plan template: Marketing + lead flow

Where clients come from (top 3):

Local teams and coaches
Parent referrals
Instagram/TikTok
School flyers
Google Business Profile

My weekly lead actions (non-negotiables):

Ask 2 parents for a referral each week
Post 2 short training clips each week
Message 1 local coach each week
Run 1 free mini-clinic per month

Want a simple marketing path? Start with our no-BS digital marketing guide for coaches and 15 proven ways to get more clients.

Coaching business plan template: Operations + rules

Scheduling system:
Example: “Online booking only. No DMs for scheduling.”

Payment system:
Example: “Card on file. Packages paid upfront.”

Cancellation policy:
Example: “24-hour notice or session is charged.”

(Use our private training cancellation policy template so you don’t have to write it from scratch.)

Client communication rules:
Example: “Parents text 8am–8pm. I respond within 24 hours.”

This is where tools matter. Instead of juggling Venmo, texts, and spreadsheets, AthleteCollective lets parents book and pay online while you manage everything from one dashboard. That one change alone can clean up your week fast.

Coaching business plan template: Safety + protection (don’t skip this)

If you coach minors, you need to think like a pro even if you’re part-time.

Basics to have:

Liability insurance
Waiver + informed consent
Background check (often expected, sometimes required)
Clear supervision rules (drop-off/pick-up, bathrooms, photos)

Start here:

If you’re unsure what’s normal in your state, check your state’s consumer guidance via the FTC small business resources and talk to a local attorney for your specific setup.

Real example: part-time basketball skills coach (numbers you can steal)

Let’s say you’re coaching after work.

Coach Sam (part-time):

Offers: 1-on-1 + small groups
Facility: $25/hour court rental
Insurance: $35/month (varies by coach/sport)
Goal: $1,500/month profit (extra income, not full-time)

Sam’s pricing

Private 60 min: $70
Small group (4 athletes): $30 per athlete ($120 total)

Sam’s simple monthly plan

Sam coaches 3 days/week, 2 hours/day = ~24 hours/month.

Option A: All private

Revenue: 24 sessions × $70 = $1,680
Facility cost: 24 × $25 = $600
Insurance + misc: ~$50
Rough profit (before taxes): $1,680 - $650 = $1,030

Option B: Mix in small groups

12 private sessions × $70 = $840
12 group hours × $120 = $1,440
Total revenue = $2,280
Facility cost = 24 × $25 = $600
Insurance + misc = ~$50
Rough profit (before taxes) = $2,280 - $650 = $1,630

Same time. Better plan. Better profit.

That’s why your coaching business plan should include at least one group option if it fits your sport. If you want help structuring it, read how to run group training and charge more per hour and pricing group training vs private (with profit math).

Second scenario: full-time strength coach building a “fitness business plan” that survives slow seasons

Now let’s look at a different situation: you’re trying to go full-time.

Coach Maya (full-time S&C for youth athletes):

Works with middle and high school athletes
Busy in summer, slower in winter (or vice versa depending on your area)
Needs consistent income to pay bills

Maya’s problem: seasonal income swings

If Maya only sells single sessions, her calendar will look like this:

Summer: packed
In-season: cancellations, travel, school events
Holidays: chaos

So Maya builds a fitness business plan with a monthly membership option (simple recurring plan).

Maya’s offers (built for stability)

Assessment + program build: $149 one-time
Semi-private training membership: $199/month (2 sessions/week)
Add-on private session: $85

Maya’s target numbers

Goal: $6,000/month revenue

If Maya gets 25 athletes on $199/month:

25 × $199 = $4,975/month

Then she sells:

10 private sessions/week × $85 × 4 weeks = $3,400/month

Total revenue: $8,375/month

Now back out rough monthly expenses:

Facility rent or split: $1,200
Insurance: $60
Software + processing fees: $200
Equipment fund: $150
Marketing: $250

Expenses: ~$1,860

Rough profit (before taxes): $8,375 - $1,860 = $6,515

That’s not a promise. It’s just clean math. And clean math is what a good business plan for a coaching business gives you.

If you want to build packages like this, see how to create session packages that sell and packages vs per-session vs monthly retainers.

Common coaching business plan mistakes (that cost you money)

Trying to do everything for everyone

If your plan says you coach:

6-year-olds and college athletes
speed, strength, nutrition, recruiting, mindset
every sport

…it’s not a plan. It’s a wish list.

Pick one main lane first. You can expand later.

Pricing based on what feels “nice”

A lot of good coaches undercharge because they don’t want to seem greedy.

But if you can’t pay for:

insurance
facility time
replacing balls/bands/cones
your own taxes

…you don’t have a business. You have a favor.

No cancellation policy (or you don’t enforce it)

If you let families cancel last minute for free, your income will always be shaky.

Use a clear policy, put it in writing, and stick to it.

Tracking nothing

If you don’t track:

sessions coached
revenue collected
who owes you money
where leads came from

You can’t improve.

This is one reason coaches move to a system early. When your booking, payments, and session tracking are all in one place, you stop leaking time and money. That’s exactly what AthleteCollective is built for.

Skipping the “adult stuff” (insurance, waivers, background checks)

Working with minors is different. Parents expect you to be legit.

Even if you’re amazing on the court, one messy situation can end your business fast.

How to turn your coaching business plan into a weekly coaching action plan

A plan that sits in a folder doesn’t help you. Here’s how to make it real.

Set one 12-week goal

Examples:

“Add 10 new athletes.”
“Hit $3,000/month revenue.”
“Book 2 team clinics.”

Pick one.

Choose 3 weekly actions that drive that goal

Keep them small and repeatable.

Example weekly coaching action plan:

Send 5 follow-up texts to leads every Monday
Post 2 videos (one drill, one coaching tip)
Ask 3 parents for a referral after sessions

Block your “money hours” first

Before you fill your week with random stuff, block:

coaching sessions
admin time (1–2 blocks/week)
marketing time (2–3 blocks/week)

If you don’t block it, it won’t happen.

Build your basic systems once

You need four simple systems:

Booking
Payments
Communication
Policies

This is where an all-in-one platform can save you. If you set up on AthleteCollective from day one, you’re not rebuilding your business later when you’re already busy.

If you want to DIY it, start with our guides on setting up a booking and scheduling system and collecting payments beyond Venmo and cash.

Review your numbers every month (15 minutes)

Once a month, check:

Total sessions coached
Revenue collected (not “promised”)
New leads
New clients
Best referral source

Then adjust your plan.

Quick “fill-in” examples for different coaches (steal these)

Example: soccer skills coach (rec + travel)

Offer: 60-min private ($65), small group of 5 ($25 each)
Goal: $2,000/month
Plan: 8 private sessions + 8 group sessions/month
- Private: 8 × $65 = $520
- Group: 8 × (5×$25=$125) = $1,000
- Total: $1,520
- Add one weekend clinic: 12 kids × $30 = $360
- Total: $1,880 (close)
- Raise private to $70 or add one more clinic to clear $2,000

Example: baseball hitting instructor (facility rental)

Cage rental: $40/hour
Charge: $90/hour private
Profit per session before taxes: $50
Break-even on $600/month fixed costs: 600 ÷ 50 = 12 sessions/month That’s only 3 sessions/week. Now you know what “good enough” looks like.

Example: trainer going online for winter

Offer: $49/month remote program + 1 form check per week
Goal: keep 30 athletes through winter
Revenue: 30 × $49 = $1,470/month This won’t replace full-time income, but it can smooth out slow seasons.

(If you go this route, read our guide to delivering effective virtual coaching sessions.)

Bottom Line: Key takeaways for a one-page coaching business plan

A coaching business plan should fit on one page and get used weekly.
Your plan needs clear offers, pricing, and simple math (so you’re not guessing).
Build at least one “stability” offer (packages, small groups, or memberships).
Protect yourself: insurance, waivers, and youth safety rules aren’t optional.
Turn the plan into a coaching action plan with 3 weekly actions and a monthly review.
If admin is slowing you down, set up simple systems early—tools like AthleteCollective can handle booking, payments, messaging, and tracking in one place.