The Business of High-Ticket Coaching

Piqued Consulting
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Business
  • Weekly

The business of coaching is a different game from the craft of coaching — and most successful coaches had to figure it out on their own. Each week, Richard Hickman sits down with high-ticket coaches who've built real businesses — $150K, $500K, $1M+ in annual revenue — and pulls back the curtain on how they did it. Offers, pricing, acquisition, team, mistakes, the systems that replaced the hustle. A tactical show for coaches serious about scaling. Apply to be a guest: apply.piqued.consulting

Episodes

  1. Oct 18

    I Set My Rates to Scare Most People Away - Russell Van Brocklen - #6

    A Wall Street equity partner asked Russell Van Brocklen why he charges for prep time when nobody else in his industry does. Russell answered with a question: do you charge for yours?Russell is severely dyslexic. In the late ’90s he showed up to a New York State Assembly internship reading and writing at a first-grade level. The Assembly accommodated him, and his university’s political science department flunked him on all 15 credits anyway. He went to law school to learn to read and write. Then he went back to Albany and pitched the State Senate on solving dyslexia for highly motivated students. They funded it. In one class period over one school year, dyslexic juniors and seniors went from middle-school writing to roughly entering-graduate level, at under $900 per student. He’s the founder of Dyslexia Classes and creator of The Writing Method, and he has been a guest on 285 podcasts with 255 five-star reviews. This episode is about pricing premium one-on-one work, and about building the lower-priced product that runs without you.Why he charges $497 an hour plus prep time, and how he answered the partner who questioned itWhy he prices against a $75,000-a-year private school and Landmark College, not other tutorsThe two free weeks he offers high-end families, and why it isn’t really giving anything awayInside one custom lesson: 2–2.5 hours of prep, three AI editing passes, $1,000–$1,500 to the parentsSetting rates high enough to scare most people away, then sending the waitlist to a $147/month courseWhy he priced the course at $147 when the alternative is a $600/month tutor: “I want them for years”His accountant’s “a third, a third, a third” rule for running the businessThe math: 1,000 members puts about $500K to him, 2,000 about $1M a yearHiring offshore through Fiverr, why every hire has a master’s degree, and how his top assistant runs the teamWhy he won’t delegate premium client work, even when people tell him he shouldGetting members: a 20% commission for podcasters, then influencers, then paid adsPaid speaking: $1,500 a talk now, $10K–$15K laterHow 285 podcasts and “just Google me” close high-end familiesGetting 10x output from AI while still taking afternoons offAdvice for new coaches: get good enough to be worth paying for, pick a niche, and get 101 solid reviews before you worry about episode countIf you sell one-on-one work and give your prep time away for free, start here.SEE HOW AI DESCRIBES YOUR COACHING BUSINESS Run the free AEO audit. It shows you exactly what ChatGPT, Claude, and Google's AI answers say about you when a buyer asks for a coach in your niche. https://audit.piqued.consulting/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=episode_description&utm_campaign=spotify&utm_content=boc_ep_006WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW We interview coaches doing $150K+ a year with $3K+ offers. https://apply.piqued.consulting/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=episode_description&utm_campaign=spotify&utm_content=boc_ep_006CONNECT WITH RUSSELL VAN BROCKLENWebsite: https://dyslexiaclasses.comFree guide: https://mailchi.mp/dcacd9a6f9ae/3-reasons-ebookDyslexia Classes community: https://www.skool.com/dyslexia-classes-2483YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_cqwfxn9FqFx1Idl0YbeHgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/dyslexiaclassesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dyslexiaclassesus/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-van-brocklen-2007ab87/ABOUT THE SHOW The Business of High-Ticket Coaching is hosted by Richard Hickman, founder of Piqued Consulting. Every episode takes apart the business behind a coaching business: how they get clients, what they charge, how the offer is built, who does the work, and what they would do differently. Not the craft of coaching. The machine underneath it.New episodes weekly. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one.

  2. Sep 29

    Therapy vs. Coaching: Where the Line Actual Is - Jonathan Sherman - #5

    Jonathan Sherman has been a licensed marriage and family therapist for more than 30 years. For the last 15, his practice has run almost entirely on referrals. In this episode he explains where therapy ends and coaching begins, and what coaches can learn from someone who does both: The real difference between therapy and coaching (it isn't past vs. future)His triage → therapy → coaching model, and why clients who understand it stay longerWhy clients quit after three or four sessions, and how to win the first oneHow coaches can build referral partnerships with therapistsHow he built a practice from free library workshops, and what he earns per copy by self-publishingThen the business side: Hormozi's Rule of 100, becoming rejection-proof, the hourly-value exercise for deciding what to outsource, and how Jonathan answers "What's your fee?" SEE HOW AI DESCRIBES YOUR COACHING BUSINESS Run the free AEO audit. It shows you exactly what ChatGPT, Claude, and Google's AI answers say about you when a buyer asks for a coach in your niche. https://audit.piqued.consulting/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=episode_description&utm_campaign=spotify_videos&utm_content=boc_ep_005WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW We interview coaches doing $150K+ a year with $3K+ offers. https://apply.piqued.consulting/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=episode_description&utm_campaign=spotify_videos&utm_content=boc_ep_005CONNECT WITH JONATHAN SHERMAN, LMFTWebsite: https://relategreat.netBook + Building Strong Families Masterclass: https://relategreat.net/strongfamPaperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1VZF9L1RelateGREAT! Podcast: https://relategreat.net/podcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-sherman-lmft-21017612/CHAPTERS 0:37 Intro and the "German Shepherd" origin story6:53 The "therapy is the past, coaching is the future" myth8:49 Therapy vs. coaching: licensure, regulation, and the 70% line15:50 Triage, therapy, coaching: the model that keeps clients longer20:30 Win the first session (and why bad therapists are his best marketing)26:59 Referral-only for 15 years, and how he built it from zero32:11 Why he coaches clients in 30 countries34:16 How coaches can build referral partnerships with therapists38:10 The book, self-publishing math, and landing speaking gigs50:00 Advice for new entrepreneurs: vision, balance, and a supportive partner54:55 The Rule of 100, rejection, and the email list you're not using1:01:30 Letting go: the hourly-value exercise1:04:10 You're already in sales, and how he answers "What's your fee?"1:10:23 Where to find JonathanABOUT THE SHOW The Business of High-Ticket Coaching is hosted by Richard Hickman, founder of Piqued Consulting. Every episode takes apart the business behind a coaching business: how they get clients, what they charge, how the offer is built, who does the work, and what they would do differently. Not the craft of coaching. The machine underneath it.New episodes weekly. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one.

  3. Sep 24

    How to run your first webinar without losing money - Kati Peterman - #4

    Kati Peterman started in high-ticket sales in the live-event industry, moved to the operations side, and now runs FRX, a firm that places fractional executives inside growing businesses. She's seen where event money gets made and where it gets burned. In this episode she lays out the playbook for a coach's first webinar and first live event:The 6–8 week timelineWhy only about 10% of free tickets show up, and why she still recommends freeThe price ceiling if you're not a household nameThe daily multi-channel sequence that gets registrants into the roomThe eight hours of education buyers need before a high-ticket closeThen live events: the coffee line item that wrecks F&B budgets, why a client event can't become a pitch fest, why a celebrity headliner won't convert your room, how to pitch sponsors honestly, and why the owner probably shouldn't be the one making the offer.SEE HOW AI DESCRIBES YOUR COACHING BUSINESS Run the free AEO audit. It shows you exactly what ChatGPT, Claude, and Google's AI answers say about you when a buyer asks for a coach in your niche. https://audit.piqued.consulting/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=episode_description&utm_campaign=youtube_videos&utm_content=boc_ep_002WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW We interview coaches doing $150K+ a year with $3K+ offers. https://apply.piqued.consulting/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=episode_description&utm_campaign=youtube_videos&utm_content=boc_ep_004CONNECT WITH KATI PETERMANFRX (book a discovery call): https://yourfrx.comWebsite: https://katipeterman.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katipeterman/CHAPTERS 0:00 — Cold open0:33 — From the sales floor to event operations2:31 — What sales and ops get wrong about each other6:20 — Your first virtual event: timeline and free vs. paid8:25 — What to charge when you're not a household name10:30 — Getting registrants to actually show up11:45 — The eight-hours-of-education rule15:45 — The punch list before you book a webinar19:36 — Going live: the budget mistake that sinks first events24:25 — F&B minimums and hotel room blocks26:28 — Fulfillment events: don't run a pitch fest32:05 — Sales events: why the celebrity headliner won't convert34:55 — How to land sponsors for your first event38:41 — Why the owner shouldn't be the one pitchingABOUT THE SHOW The Business of High-Ticket Coaching is hosted by Richard Hickman, founder of Piqued Consulting. Every episode takes apart the business behind a coaching business: how they get clients, what they charge, how the offer is built, who does the work, and what they would do differently. Not the craft of coaching. The machine underneath it.New episodes weekly. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one.

  4. Sep 16

    A Million A Year As A Solo Coach - Chip Scholz - #3

    Chip Scholz gave a speech at a Rotary Club in Charlotte. A man walked up afterward and told him he should speak at his industry's convention. That one conversation turned into thirty years of business.Chip is the founder of Scholz & Associates and has spent nearly three decades coaching executives, most of them owners of family-run logistics companies. At the peak he had 45 one-on-one clients and was billing over a million dollars a year — as a solo coach, with no other coaches on the roster and no team beyond his daughter, who has run his back office for sixteen years. He hasn't marketed the business in fifteen years. Every client arrives by referral.This conversation is about the mechanics of that, and about the decision not to make it bigger.- The three-hour driving radius he set when he started, and why breaking it was the best decision he ever made- Doing free assessments for an association's executive director search — and how every person in that boardroom eventually became a client- Why he only works with family businesses: they pay well, they pay inside 30 days, and you're talking to the owner instead of a committee- The "dirty little secret" of coaching — that almost nobody makes all their money from coaching, including him- Eight years on an industry board, four mastermind groups, twenty regional speaking slots a year: what a referral engine actually costs to run- His 12-session package, billed up front, and the three-option question at session twelve that converts in the 90s- Why he never opens with "so where does it hurt?" — and how he builds trust through a third object instead- The client who paid in full, flew him out for a weekend in Ohio, then vanished and never asked for the money back- What he quotes a difficult client who wants to come back: double, sometimes triple- The one time he tried to build an organization, why it failed, and why he never tried again- The stroke fourteen years ago that accidentally tested whether he had a business or a job- Why none of his clients has ever asked whether he's certified — and who does ask- Four books, seventy-five podcast interviews in six months, and an audiobook narrated by an AI trained on twenty minutes of his voiceIf you're a coach who's been told the only path forward is a funnel, a team, and a bigger number, this is the other argument.SEE HOW AI DESCRIBES YOUR COACHING BUSINESS Run the free AEO audit. It shows you exactly what ChatGPT, Claude, and Google's AI answers say about you when a buyer asks for a coach in your niche. https://audit.piqued.consulting/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=episode_description&utm_campaign=spotify&utm_content=boc_ep_003CONNECT WITH CHIP SCHOLZWebsite: https://scholzandassociates.comChip's books: https://scholzandassociates.com/chips-books/What's Chip Reading (140+ reviews): https://scholzandassociates.com/whats-chip-readingSmall Decisions, Big Shifts: https://www.amazon.com/Small-Decisions-Big-Shifts-Navigating/dp/1612063624LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chipscholz/CHAPTERS 0:00 — Introduction0:53 — Thirty years in, and the model he started with2:37 — The dirty little secret about coaching income5:14 — The three-hour rule, and the Rotary speech that broke it8:09 — The free assessment that turned a boardroom into clients13:15 — Fifteen years without marketing15:43 — Why he only works with family businesses17:13 — Choosing a lifestyle business over an empire19:08 — Sixteen years with his daughter, and the stroke21:38 — The one time he tried to build an organization26:08 — The 12-session package and the question at session twelve30:53 — Getting yourself into a target-rich environment35:13 — "Only other coaches ask if I'm certified"43:52 — Seventy-five podcasts in six months

  5. Sep 15

    Why Coaching Businesses Are Shrinking In 2026 - Chris Miles - #2

    Chris Miles was a financial advisor until his brother-in-law asked him a question he couldn't answer. He left, built enough passive income to retire at 28, then watched the 2008 crash take the house, the Mercedes, and the retirement — and leave him on food stamps with over a million dollars in debt.What he built after that is the reason he's on the show.Chris is the founder of Money Ripples and the host of the Money Ripples Podcast. He's been running a high-ticket coaching business for over a decade — through a firing, a non-compete, a divorce that gutted his best year, and a 2025 that forced him to rebuild his entire team. He's never run the business on paid ads.This conversation is about the operating decisions, not the philosophy:- Why he took his top 20% of clients and cut it to the top 4% — and what those clients had in common- The year revenue only doubled but profit went up 8x, and what he stopped doing to get there- The event where he invited four people instead of forty, rented a $200 hotel room, and closed $30,000- Why his first hire was a commission-only closer instead of a VA- How a mishandled email blast took his open rate from 30% to under 10% and knocked out his organic search traffic for two months- Replacing a full-time CMO with three fractional specialists for the same monthly spend- Why his podcast still outperforms paid ads — including clients who followed him for three years before they ever booked a call- What he thinks is actually killing coaching businesses right now, and why "guide, not guru" is the positioning that's workingIf you're a coach who's built something real and is now hitting the ceiling of your own capacity, this one is worth the hour.SEE HOW AI DESCRIBES YOUR COACHING BUSINESS Run the free AEO audit. It shows you exactly what ChatGPT, Claude, and Google's AI answers say about you when a buyer asks for a coach in your niche. https://audit.piqued.consulting/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=episode_description&utm_campaign=spotify_videos&utm_content=boc_ep_002WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW We interview coaches doing $150K+ a year with $3K+ offers. https://apply.piqued.consulting/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=episode_description&utm_campaign=spotify_videos&utm_content=boc_ep_002CONNECT WITH CHRIS MILESWebsite: https://moneyripples.comMoney Ripples Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@moneyrippleswithchrismilesCHAPTERS 0:00 — Introduction0:44 — The anti-financial advisor: retiring at 287:02 — From financially free to food stamps8:04 — The pivot that led to a $5M coaching year11:15 — Fired from the business he built: $1,000 and a non-compete13:06 — Rebuilding from zero: lunches instead of pitches24:33 — Why his first hire was a closer, not a VA28:18 — Cutting the client list down to the top 4%32:27 — Revenue doubled, profit went up 8x38:25 — Why live speaking works again and gurus don't45:16 — The leadership reset: firing family, going fractional48:51 — The email blast that destroyed deliverability51:06 — Why organic still beats paid59:22 — For coaches who never wanted to run a businessABOUT THE SHOW The Business of High-Ticket Coaching is hosted by Richard Hickman, founder of Piqued Consulting. Every episode takes apart the business behind a coaching business: how they get clients, what they charge, how the offer is built, who does the work, and what they would do differently. Not the craft of coaching. The machine underneath it.New episodes weekly. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one.

  6. Sep 14

    The Coaching Bubble Has Already Popped - January Donovan - #1

    January Donovan grew The Woman School from zero to 40+ countries in under three years. Then she told me the coaching bubble has already popped.January is the founder of The Woman School and The Wholeness Coaching School, a #1 bestselling author, and a mother of eight who runs the entire company alongside her husband, Ryan. Most interviews with her are about her message. This one is about her machine.We take apart the licensing model that turns her own students into her paid coaches, the exact math one of them used to make $6,000 in her first month and $15,000 three months later, why paid ads have been the least successful channel they have ever run, and why one of her top coaches has signed nearly 300 women without a single social media post.If you are a coach watching the industry get harder to sell into, this is the conversation about what still works.WHAT WE COVER- Why "agreeable" content stopped converting, and what replaced it- The course + community + coaching model, and why all three are required- How a licensed coach earns from an 8-month curriculum she did not have to build- The real client-acquisition path: one-to-one, then B2B, then paid leverage- Why cold traffic is their weakest channel and what they run instead- When a book is worth writing, and what it is actually for- Why the influencer play is finished and what replaces it- The long-form-first content strategy, and why she would start on YouTube today- Building a company with your spouse without burning down either oneSEE HOW AI DESCRIBES YOUR COACHING BUSINESS Run the free AEO audit. It shows you exactly what ChatGPT, Claude, and Google's AI answers say about you when a buyer asks for a coach in your niche. https://audit.piqued.consulting/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=episode_description&utm_campaign=spotify_videos&utm_content=boc_ep_001WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW We interview coaches doing $150K+ a year with $3K+ offers. https://apply.piqued.consulting/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=episode_description&utm_campaign=spotify_videos&utm_content=boc_ep_001CONNECT WITH JANUARY DONOVAN The Woman School: https://thewomanschool.com January Donovan / Feminine Revival: https://januarydonovan.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/january.donovan_ Book — Redefine Success For Women: https://www.amazon.com/Redefine-Success-Women-Blueprint-Fulfilling/dp/B0BSNXP853CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction0:29 Who January Donovan is and what The Woman School actually does1:27 The coaching bubble popped: why "agreeable" content stopped working3:36 Zero to 40+ countries: the licensed coach model behind the growth9:40 Fifteen years coaching for free, and running a company with eight kids13:11 $6,000 in month one, $15,000 by month four14:42 Getting your first ten clients with zero social media17:58 Scaling past 100: B2B outreach and why cold ads fail20:41 AI, the gold rush, and why coaches have to polarize23:21 Books, lead magnets, and the end of the influencer play29:09 Start on YouTube: long form, consistency, and the shakeout31:35 Building a business with your spouseABOUT THE SHOW The Business of High-Ticket Coaching is hosted by Richard Hickman, founder of Piqued Consulting. Every episode takes apart the business behind a coaching business: how they get clients, what they charge, how the offer is built, who does the work, and what they would do differently. Not the craft of coaching. The machine underneath it.New episodes weekly. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one.

  7. Apr 21

    0 - The Business of High-Ticket Coaching

    Welcome to The Business of High-Ticket Coaching — a Piqued Consulting podcast. In this short intro episode, host Richard Hickman shares who he is, why he started the show, and what to expect from future episodes. Richard is the founder of Piqued Consulting, a marketing agency serving high-ticket coaches. Before coaching, he ran a cybersecurity and digital forensics firm, which he successfully exited before shifting into marketing and CRM work. The pivot came after becoming a husband to Marianne Hickman — an international speaker and speaker coach — and a dad to six kids, a life that didn't mesh well with being on-call for hacked clients at 2 a.m. Today, Richard works with coaches of every kind — business coaches, mindset coaches, life coaches, financial advisor coaches — helping them install the marketing and CRM systems that let them grow without burning out. Why this show exists: Most high-ticket coaches have to figure out the business side on their own. There's no shortage of podcasts teaching coaching as a craft, but very few that break down the business of coaching — the offers, the pricing, the client acquisition, the systems that separate a sustainable business from a hustle. That's the gap this show fills. What to expect: Every week, Richard sits down with coaches who've built real businesses — $150K, $500K, $1M+ in annual revenue, consistently delivering $5,000+ offers as their primary income — and pulls back the curtain on exactly how they did it. This is a tactical show. No mindset fluff. No "just hustle harder." Real conversations about: — How guests built and priced their signature offers— Where they found clients after tapping their referral networks— What they did to scale past their own capacity— When they made their first hires (VAs, OBMs, sales reps) and what they'd do differently— The mistakes that cost them six figures to learn Whether you're an established coach trying to break through your next revenue ceiling, or you're earlier in the journey figuring out the fundamentals, this show is your tactical playbook. New episodes every week. Want to be a guest? Apply at apply.piqued.consulting

  • 7 Episodes

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

The business of coaching is a different game from the craft of coaching — and most successful coaches had to figure it out on their own. Each week, Richard Hickman sits down with high-ticket coaches who've built real businesses — $150K, $500K, $1M+ in annual revenue — and pulls back the curtain on how they did it. Offers, pricing, acquisition, team, mistakes, the systems that replaced the hustle. A tactical show for coaches serious about scaling. Apply to be a guest: apply.piqued.consulting

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