As a coach, you are first a business owner before you are a "coach".

Once you understand this, It will be pretty easy to run your business as an actual consultant and be able to do what the consultants do.

One of which is having a Coaching or Mentoring Agreement.

There are many advantages to having a coaching Agreement,

It helps you to set clear boundaries and ground rules for the coaching program.

It helps you limit your liability as a coach thereby protecting you.

Understand that the coach is not a magician and cannot guarantee that you will get the desired results if you don't execute or put in the work.

Having a comprehensive and thoroughly drafted Coaching Agreement will absorb the coach of any liabilities in the event that the coachee or client refuses to put in the work thereby not achieving the coaching objective.

A coaching agreement should cover the entire relationship from clearly stating the description of the program to the coaching objectives, to the expected output of the program.

There are other key terms that you cannot overlook in a standard coaching Agreement.

Here are seven (7) must-have terms to include in a coaching Agreement.

1. Term of the program.

The coaching relationship is a time-bound relationship, so the agreement must clearly state how long the program would last for

2. Clear Boundaries

The agreement should define the relationship from the word go.

The coach and the client are not business partners and the fact that they are working together on a project does not create a partnership relationship between them so the Agreement should clearly state any limits if any.

3. Mutual Obligation

The Coaching Agreement should set out the obligations of both parties.

Don't assume that you both know what is expected of each other. Clearly state each party's obligation in the Agreement.

4. Confidentiality Clause.

This is a very important clause that you can't miss out for both parties.

During the period of the coaching program, the parties will be exchanging some confidential information with each other.

As a client or a coach, you want to be reassured that your secrets are safe with the Coach.

As a coach who will probably be sharing exclusive paid-for content with the client, you also want to be sure that the coachee or client will not run off to distribute for free or sell for far less than what the program is worth, such content.

So a confidentiality clause in a coaching Agreement will help protect both parties.

5. Cancellation and Refund Policy.

What happens if the client misses a session or two or totally decides not to continue with the program again?

The Agreement should contain a provision for refund and the right to charge for every canceled scheduled session or for the termination of the Agreement.

The policy can also be that there will be no refund if the termination is at the instance of the Client or coachee

For a Nonrefund clause, there can be some exceptions of course but the Agreement should spell out what those exceptions are from the beginning.

This clause will ensure that only serious-minded people actually join your coaching program.

6. Payment Clause

unless it is a free coaching program, the fees must be agreed upon before starting the coaching relationship and must be included in the Agreement, including payment plans if any.

7. Termination Clause.

Because nothing in life is a do-or-die affair, The coaching Agreement should contain a provision for the termination of the coaching program by both parties.

However, termination cannot be arbitrary, the Agreement must contain terms that can warrant termination of the Agreement. 

Please note, there are other terms to be included in a coaching Agreement but the seven (7) that I just mentioned are very fundamental you can't miss them.

Also, note that whether it is a one-on-one coaching program or a group coaching program the Agreement can be structured and modified to serve both purposes.

P.S. This Agreement can also work for a mentoring relationship as the terms are similar if not the same.

I hope you got value from this.

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