Go.Set.Ready. {Welcome to 2026}

Welcome to 2026, coaches. Time to flip everything you know about building a coaching business upside down.

Start your coaching business with imperfect action.

That phrase we learned as kids? Ready, Set, Go? It’s keeping you stuck.

Here’s what Ready, Set, Go actually looks like in coaching:

• Getting another certification before you feel ready to launch. You tell yourself, “Once I finish this training, then I’ll be qualified.” Then you finish it and think, “Maybe one more.”
• Tweaking your website for the millionth time. Changing the copy. Switching photos. Editing your about page. Going back to your brand colors because they don’t feel quite right.
• Perfecting your program framework. Reorganizing modules. Adding more content. Pulling puzzle pieces together. Trying to get it “complete” before you sell it.
• Editing your lead magnet again. Changing the email sequence. Redesigning the PDF. Testing different opt-in language.

You’re stuck in an endless loop of preparation.

Meanwhile, months pass. Years pass. You still don’t have clients. You haven’t made money. You’re exhausted from preparing but you haven’t actually started.

By the time you get to “go,” three things have happened:

You’ve spent so much time and money that you’re burnt out before you even launch.

You’re so in your head about what you think people want that you haven’t tested anything with real humans. You’re operating on assumptions, not evidence.

The story has deepened that you’re not qualified enough. You’re stuck in this spiral that keeps you preparing forever.

What if the order was actually Go, Set, Ready?

Go = take imperfect action immediately. Have conversations. Make offers. Learn by doing.

Set = build based on reality. Once you’re in motion, set up systems around what’s actually working.

Ready = refine and optimize. When you have clients and revenue, make everything better.

This works because you’re building based on real-time feedback, not assumptions.

How to Start a Coaching Business with Imperfect Action

Step 1: Start Your Coaching Business Now—Take Imperfect Action

Catch yourself when that old brain pattern creeps in. “I need to edit this one more time.” “I need to change this before I share it.”

Stop. The older you want to prep. The new you is going to go.

Website Not Perfect? Have Conversations Instead

Your website can be working in the background. News flash: people aren’t flooding to your website by the thousands anyway. They’re finding you through conversations, referrals, and relationships.

Go have coffee with 5 people this week. Tell them what you do. Ask about their challenges. Make an offer if it’s a fit.

Don’t have your full program built? Sell it anyway.

Sell your first client or two. Build the program as you coach them. Be one step ahead. After session one, create session two. After they hit a roadblock, create the tool that solves it.

This is how you build something people actually need instead of something you think they need.

Lead Magnet Not Perfect? Give It Away and Get Feedback

Host a free workshop next week. Don’t wait till the slides are perfect. Teach what you know. See what resonates. Ask what questions people have.

Or send that lead magnet to 10 people and say, “I’m testing this. What’s working? What’s missing?”

Feeling “Not Ready”? Make an Offer Today

Send a DM. Have a conversation. Say, “I help [who] get [result]. Are you interested?”

The Go actions are revenue-generating. The Ready actions keep you stuck in passive mode.

Here’s the truth you need to hear: You’ll never feel ready because ready is a feeling that comes only after you do the thing, not before.

You’re literally waiting for something that can’t show up until after you take action. If you never take action, you’ll never feel ready. That’s the trap.

Step 2: Build Your Coaching Business Systems

Once you’re in motion, you’re set. Getting started is the hardest part. Once you’ve gone, you’ve created inertia.

Now you build systems around what’s actually working.

• After 3-5 Client Conversations

Set up your sales process. Not before. After you’ve actually had the conversations and know what questions people ask, what objections come up, and what makes them say yes.

Create your booking link. Write your consultation call email. Document your sales process. But only after you’ve done it a few times and know what works.

• After You’ve Sold Your First Few Clients

Look at your onboarding. What information do you actually need from them? What would make their first session better? What’s confusing them?

Create your own onboarding email sequence. Build your intake form. Set up your scheduling system. But base it on real client feedback, not what you think they need.

• After You’ve Delivered Your Program Once

Now set up the systems to get better results. What modules do they actually need? What order makes sense? What tools would help them implement faster?

Build your curriculum. Create your worksheets. Record your training videos. But build based on where real clients got stuck, not where you imagined they would.

• After You’ve Posted on Social

What content actually got engagement? What did people DM you about? What led to sales conversations?

Now set up your content systems around what works. Create templates for the post types that resonate. Build a content calendar. But only after you know what your people actually respond to.

This is how I started the FBI. This is how I started the BDC. This is how I do everything.

Set based on reality, not imagination.

Step 3: Optimize Your Coaching Business for Growth

You can’t optimize what doesn’t exist. You can’t scale what isn’t working.

After you’ve served 10-20 clients, refine your process. After you’ve filled your offers consistently, scale. After you’ve closed 20+ sales conversations, tighten up your sales process.

This ready comes from evidence, not assumption. You’re optimizing what’s already working.

Why Imperfect Action Builds Better Coaching Businesses

When you go first, you learn faster. You get real-time feedback. You make money while you’re building, not months or years later.

You build what people actually want, not what you think they want. You avoid burnout because revenue funds the optimization. You’re energized by results, not exhausted before you start.

Your Challenge: Start Before You’re Ready

The fastest way to know if something’s working is to put it out there.

Last year, I issued a challenge: How fast can you fail? How quickly can you get 100 no’s? How fast can you put out a workshop that nobody signs up for?

If I get 100 nos, there’s clarity on what’s missing. If nobody signs up for a workshop, it’s clear the topic isn’t of interest. The faster I get that information, the quicker I can confirm what’s right for my clients.

Your challenge: Start your week with Go, Set, Ready. What’s the one thing you’ve told yourself you need to do before you do the thing that actually moves the needle? Flip-flop them.

Every time you catch yourself thinking “I need to get ready first,” reframe it. What if I just went?

You have permission to start before it’s perfect.

Fill Your Client Roster in 2026

I created a step-by-step tutorial of exactly what I would do to fill my entire client roster in 2026. No gatekeeping. Behind-the-scenes tutorial.

Grab it at amanda-walker.com/growyourroster

If this episode speaks to you, send it to another coach. Say, “Let’s do this together. Let’s Go before we Ready.”

If you’re ready to go all in and want to learn about ways to work with me in 2026, grab a spot on my calendar at amanda-walker.com/letschat.

Your Next Steps

This week: Identify one thing you’ve been “getting ready” to do and just go do it. Imperfectly.

This month: Deliver your coaching to real clients and gather real feedback.

This quarter: Serve clients, refine your process based on their results, and optimize what’s actually working.

Free Resources:

• Fill Your Client Roster Tutorial: https://amanda-walker.com/growyourroster
• “How To Get Clients” Limited Series: https://amanda-walker.com/limitedseries
• 10 Powerful Questions Every Coach Should Know: https://amanda-walker.com/questions
• Book a consultation call: https://amanda-walker.com/letschat
• Instagram: @awalkmyway (https://www.instagram.com/awalkmyway/)