About the Series
BDS is all about helping you grow your coaching business. New coaches? We’ll help you tell your coaching story and kickstart your business. For more experienced coaches, BDS takes your established business further with advanced strategies like new product design and business model optimization.
Key Benefits
BDS is designed exclusively for coaches, addressing the unique challenges and opportunities of the coaching profession. Packed with practical, actionable insights from industry leaders, this series is your roadmap to business growth. In fact, renowned brand expert and CEO of Reach Personal Branding, William Arruda, personally guides you every step of the way.
The series includes a comprehensive workbook and other tools to help you capture your learning and build a personalized action plan.
What else can you expect? Our dynamic program delivers:
- Learning from coaching industry experts.
- Ready-to-use tools and strategies.
- Networking with other coaches.
- Continued professional development.
- A “level up” for your business planning and strategy.
2 Paths to Success: Core and Advanced
Core
Perfect for newer coaches, Core focuses on the essentials of business development, including building your brand and attracting clients. Learn how to market your services and build a solid foundation for your business. Plus, explore ways to use AI throughout the branding process.
Advanced
Tailored for seasoned coaches, Advanced is your gateway to business expansion. Get ready to dive into elevated strategies for maximizing your reach, defining your intellectual property, and leveraging cutting-edge tools like generative AI.
The Core Course: Business Foundations for Newer Coaches
Are you a newer coach ready to take the first steps in building your business? A coaching education student wondering how to navigate the business side of things? Or a coach wanting to solidify your brand and grow your client base?
BDS Core is designed for you! Gain the essential tools to confidently market yourself and create a successful coaching business.
With Core, you will learn how to:
- Build your brand by defining your coaching niche, articulating your unique value proposition, and crafting a strategic marketing plan.
- Attract your ideal clients through compelling messaging that tells your story.
- Implement strategies to grow your business.
- And much more!
Plus, you can gain Continuing Coach Education (CCE) credit: BDS Core offers 9 CCE units in Resource Development.
Learn at Your Own Pace With Flexible Self-Study Format
The Core Self-Study course is designed to fit seamlessly into your busy schedule. With the freedom to learn when and where it’s most convenient for you, you can fully embrace the flexibility you need while gaining powerful tools and insights to grow your coaching business. Achieve your goals on your terms!
Unlock Additional Perks
The Core Self-Study course is your key for unlocking additional business development resources to grow your business success. These include opportunities to:
Get Your Questions Answered: Participate in interactive “Ask Me Anything” sessions with William Arruda. Keep an eye on your email inbox throughout the year for invitations to these exclusive sessions.
Engage with Peers: Build meaningful connections with fellow BDS peers in our vibrant BDS community on ICF Engage. This is your space to exchange ideas, ask questions, and gain the support you need to achieve your goals. Tap into the power of shared knowledge, encouragement, and accountability to elevate your business to new heights!
Pricing and Registration for BDS Core
The Core 2025 Self-Study course is $400 USD for ICF members and $475 USD for non-members.
The Advanced Course: Business Growth Insights for More Experienced Coaches
Advanced will help you scale your established practice and pivot into new areas of specialty for heightened success as a more experienced coach. Learn the intricacies of defining and refining your intellectual property and creating a growth strategy using the innovative four-box model. Identify new products, delivery models, and audiences, all while exploring growth activities that amplify your thought leadership. Plus, learn about generative AI and how it can revolutionize your marketing, broaden your offerings, boost efficiency, and future-proof your practice.
You will learn how to:
- Design new coaching products.
- Optimize your business model.
- Stand out with video communications.
- And much more!
Pricing and Registration for BDS Advanced
We’re currently planning an Advanced offering for 2025 that will supercharge your coaching practice for lasting success. Check back soon for updates.
Essential Coaching Business Topics
With BDS, you’ll gain everything you need to establish and nurture a thriving coaching business. From defining your niche to amplifying your impact, BDS will guide you to understand the heart of what you do, and how your unique offerings can help you stand out.
You’ll gain tools and strategies for essential coaching business topics like:
- Marketing and branding.
- Client acquisition and retention.
- Sales techniques.
- Business development, management, and expansion, including how to leverage technology, niching, and other related services.
- Thought leadership and brand authority.
Past ICF Business Development Series Events
Maximize your education investment with past ICF Business Development Series offerings.
Whether you're a budding coach shaping your practice or a seasoned professional poised for expansion, BDS 2024 is your catalyst for business transformation. With two course levels to choose from, you can gain exclusive insights, strategic approaches, and practical tools to meet your needs and elevate your coaching business.
The Core course is designed for coaches who are establishing their practice. The Advanced course is for seasoned coaches who have an established practice and are looking to grow their business in new areas or pivot their practice entirely.
You can earn 9 Continuing Coach Education (CCE) units in Resource Development for each course.
Testimonials from
Past Attendees
“Just wanted to reiterate how very valuable the BDS Core 2024 course was for me. It validated that I have been doing most of the right things so far and highlighted where I need to do more thinking and outreach. The pace was awesome! …And I never grew bored or tired, as William Arruda, you kept us moving along and on our feet! And the way you circled back to answer questions was phenomenal! I can’t put into words how much this course has helped me! See you in Advanced!”
Julie Noonan, ACC
“This three-day virtual event was focused on business development. Not only did I get insightful tips that I could implement right away, but I also had the opportunity to meet fellow top-performing coaches from all around the world. It reminded me why this is truly the international Coach Federation!”
Ryan Mayer, ACC
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