When you are just getting started, reorganizing your business, or you do not have a program and process that YOU are known for... 'C' is the stage to start. The “Choose” Stage of the COACH Model is where every coaching business begins. The moment you decide to step out of uncertainty and consciously choose who you are as a coach, who you serve, and what you stand for. It’s the foundation stage, focused on clarity, alignment, and direction.

Here, you’re not yet scaling or automating, you’re defining. You’re laying the energetic and strategic groundwork that will make everything else possible. This is where passion meets purpose, and where an idea transforms into a real business identity. It’s about learning to drive before getting on the highway. Getting clear on what kind of coach you want to be, what transformation you facilitate, and why it matters.

You know you’re in the “Choose” stage if you’re still exploring your niche, uncertain about your offers, or struggling to clearly explain what you do and for who. You might have lots of ideas but no cohesive structure, or you’re working with anyone who will hire you because you haven’t yet defined your ideal client. You may feel inspired but scattered. You're busy learning everything yet not sure what to actually implement. That’s not failure; it’s the natural beginning of every conscious business. This is the “root” phase of the tree; invisible to the outside world, but vital for long-term growth.

Until you’ve chosen your position, your promise, and your person, moving forward will only multiply confusion. The key focus at this stage is alignment and definition. You must focus on defining your niche and ideal client, identifying the core problem you solve, and articulating the transformation you help clients achieve. You’ll also need to clarify your message... what you stand for, what your story is, and what makes your coaching approach unique. These elements form your “magnetic field,” attracting the right clients.

Avoid focusing yet on funnels, automation, or scaling strategies. Those belong in later stages. For now, your energy should go toward choosing with integrity the foundation you’ll build upon: a message, a method, and a market that genuinely align with your values and genius.

These areas matter because clarity is currency in the coaching world. Without it, every action you take will pull in a different direction, making marketing exhausting and results inconsistent. When you’re clear about your niche and aligned with your message, everything simplifies: your content feels natural, your conversations resonate, and your confidence grows.

This stage is about choosing what you’ll do, and what you won’t. Setting boundaries around your focus and offers. Learning at this stage means discovering your business archetype, defining your transformation process, and learning the basics of client attraction through authentic connection rather than formal marketing.

Before moving to the next stage “O”, complete several key milestones:

Clearly define your niche and ideal client; write a one-sentence statement of the transformation you provide; create your signature process or framework (even a simple version); design your first offer or package; and build basic online presence assets like a bio, profile, and simple landing page where people can learn about you and schedule.

These are the tangible outcomes of the “Choose” stage. Once these are in place, and you've taken a few people through your process, you’ll have the clarity and direction needed to move into “Optimize” — where you begin refining your systems, visibility, and offers for consistent results.

The stronger your choices now, the easier every future step in your coaching business will become.