The Business Coach
Client Intake System

Business type is the first routing variable. Coaches who work with solopreneurs, small teams, and multi-location operations apply different frameworks, different cadences, and different success metrics. Your answer determines which coaching methodology is most applicable — and whether your situation is a fit for this practice.

Revenue stage determines the nature of the challenges you're facing. Pre-revenue clients need validation and launch structure. $100K–$500K clients typically have a sales and systems problem. Over $1M, the challenge almost always shifts from execution to leadership and delegation. Knowing where you are tells us whether our work together addresses a real constraint or a premature one.

Decision-making authority is the most underscreened variable in coaching intake. Working with someone who needs sign-off from a partner, investor, or spouse before committing to a program creates a fundamentally different dynamic — and a longer, more fragile sales process. This question tells us how to structure the initial conversation and what level of commitment is actually available to you right now.

Prior coaching experience shapes how we structure the first conversation and what level of work is appropriate from day one. Experienced coaching clients can often move faster — they understand the process, they know how to use a coach, and they come in with clearer expectations. First-time clients often need more onboarding and structure. Neither is better; they just require different starting points.

The stated challenge is the entry point — not necessarily the whole picture. But it tells us which area of your business is creating the most friction right now. Coaches who try to solve everything solve nothing. Your answer helps us determine whether your primary constraint is revenue, team, systems, or clarity — and whether that maps to this practice's core work.

Coaches who skip this question end up with clients who can't define a win — and can't give a testimonial. Clients who can articulate a specific outcome are the ones who get results, refer others, and renew. This question tells us whether you're outcome-oriented or process-oriented, and whether the work we'd do together can produce something you can actually measure and point to.

Timeline signals how acute the problem is. Business owners who need to start immediately have a current burning constraint — they're in pain and they're motivated. Owners exploring for Q3 are still in research mode. Neither is wrong, but they require a completely different first conversation. Your answer determines how we prioritize this intake and what kind of follow-up makes sense for your situation.

Capacity is the most honest predictor of coaching ROI — and the one most prospects overestimate on a sales call. A business owner in the middle of a product launch, a family crisis, or a team upheaval cannot absorb and implement coaching at the same rate as someone in a stable quarter with clear bandwidth. This question tells us whether this is the right time — or whether starting now sets both parties up for disappointment.

Investment capacity is not about budget — it's about alignment between the value of solving the problem and what you're prepared to commit. Business owners who are genuinely constrained by a $500/month ceiling are not the same prospect as those who have invested in coaching before and know what it returns. Your honest answer here ensures the conversation stays productive for both sides — no surprises at the end.

Referral source is the final piece of the profile. It tells us about your context, your expectations, and how you arrived here. Prospects who were referred by current or past clients typically arrive with higher trust and faster decision cycles. Cold search prospects need more nurturing. Neither path is disqualifying — but they require a different opening conversation.