Live Instruction or Self-Paced Learning
Small Business Coaching Foundations
Learn to Coach Small Business Owners –
Start Your Business Coach Certification Today.
Earn 30 ICF Continuing Coaching Education Credits for this training program
What You’ll Learn:
Imagine transforming your passion into a powerful force for change, offering much needed support to vulnerable small business owners. Our courses are grounded in both neuroscience and sound business principles, tailored to meet the unique needs of small business owners and their teams.
Here’s what you’ll gain from our comprehensive course modules:
Stop guessing what your client is thinking. Learn the “Client Decoder” framework to instantly understand their motivations, fears, and decision making style so you can connect from the very first minute.
Shift from informal chats to a professional coaching relationship. Learn how to set up the coaching partnership from day one, and help clients turn ideas into meaningful goals, priorities, and written commitments.
Bring structure to strategic planning conversations. Learn how to coach clients to define their direction, set priorities, and translate strategy into a practical plan.
Coach the person behind the numbers. Learn how to recognize money patterns, beliefs, and avoidance that can block progress, then use clear diagnostic questions to pinpoint cash pressure and guide smarter decisions.
Turn team stress into team structure. Learn how to coach owners through hiring, leadership expectations, and culture building, so the team performs and the owner can breathe again.
Help your clients stop wasting money on “hope marketing.” You will learn how to guide them to identify their best customers and focus their budget where it counts.
Turning your skills into a career. We walk you through the business side of coaching, how to find your first clients, how to price your services, and how to build a practice that sustains you.
Become a catalyst for change in the world of small business coaching and embark on a journey towards enriching lives and businesses. Join us and acquire the knowledge and skills to make a lasting impact on your clients’ entrepreneurial ventures
This Course Includes:
Live Online Coach Training
Eight 90-minute online interactive small business coach training classes over 8 weeks
Coach practice
Peer coaching sessions to build your coaching hours
Coaching tools
Practical small business coaching tools you can use right away with your own coaching practice.
Digital course access
Full online course to follow along and review between classes
Class forum
Private class forum for assignments, questions, and deeper connection
Class recordings
Session recordings posted within 24 hours
Extra resources
Additional reading materials, journal articles, and tools to enhance your learning
ICF CCEU certificate
On successful completion, download your ICF CCE certificate (20.5 Core, 9.5 Resource)
Who should take the Small Business Coaching Foundations Course ?
Coaches
You are a coach, with or without ICF credentials, ready to expand your practice to coach small business owners. Earn 30 ICF CCEUs for renewal or to begin your ACC Level 1 or PCC Level 2 pathway.
Career changers and aspiring small business coaches
You want to become a small business coach. You may be leaving a corporate role, navigating a layoff, or retiring from a successful career. You bring real business experience and want a credible, practical path to your next chapter.
Helping professionals without coaching skills
You are a business consultant, economic development officer, marketing agency owner, business bank manager, bookkeeper, or accountant. You already serve small business clients and see their struggles. You want a better way to help.
Economic development agencies
As the central go-to economic development agency in your community for small business owners, you are looking for ways to provide even greater value and better outcomes to the small business owners you serve.
Complete Foundations on Your Own Schedule
Fast-tracking to Certified Systems Business Coach® certification
You already have business experience and want to move quickly through the Small Business Coaching Foundations content as part of your path toward becoming a Certified Systems Business Coach®. This self-paced format lets you build the required understanding, language, and context efficiently, while keeping your schedule flexible.
Curious about coaching small business owners
You are genuinely curious about what it takes to coach small business owners well. You want the inside view of how owners think, what they need, and where business coaching conversations go, without the expectations of a scheduled class.
Professionals who want the learning without the calendar
You want the full value of the Small Business Coaching Foundations curriculum, and prefer to learn independently.
This on-demand course gives you the flexibility to move through rich content at your own pace, revisit lessons, and apply what you are learning in real time.
Participant Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
Systems Business Coach® offers one of the only ICF-accredited coach training programs in the world dedicated exclusively to coaching small business owners.
Unlike generic leadership or executive coaching programs, our training is built for helping professionals who work with entrepreneurs and business owners of companies with fewer than 100 employees, the segment that makes up 95% of all businesses globally.
Learn how to coach, earn your ICF credential, and support business owners where it matters most: leadership, finance, operations, team, and marketing.
What do small business coaches do?
Small business coaches are coaching professionals who help small business owners run their businesses with greater clarity and stability, enabling them to think more clearly and make better decisions.
Small business coaches:
- Ask powerful questions that build the owner’s own judgment and confidence, rather than giving advice.
- Support small business owners while looking at the whole business across five core areas: Leadership, Operations, Finance, Team, and Marketing.
- Provide a safe, confidential space where owners can say what they are worried about, admit what they do not know, and work through complexity without feeling overwhelmed.
Ultimately, a small business coach builds accountability and systems that reduce chaos, so the business stops running the owner and the owner starts leading the business.
Why enrol in Small Business Coaching Foundations?
Small Business Coaching Foundations is the ideal starting point for anyone considering a career in small business coaching. It’s affordable, packed with deep and practical learning, and earns you 30 ICF CCEs. You’ll gain valuable skills you can apply immediately, whether you decide to pursue full certification or not.
Do I need previous business or coaching experience to take Small Business Coaching Foundations?
Previous business or coaching experience is helpful, although not required.
In Small Business Coaching Foundations, we start with building practical competence through live practice and feedback.
Does completing Small Business Foundations count toward becoming a Certified Systems Business Coach®?
Yes. Small Business Coaching Foundations is the first section of the Systems Business Coach® certification program.
After completing Small Business Coaching Foundations, you’ll have clear next steps to continue training and licensure.
What else do I need beyond Small Business Coaching Foundations to achieve ICF Level 1 (ACC)?
We offer two ICF Level 1 Programs, both including Small Business Coaching Foundations:
- ICF ACC (Level 1) Credential Only: The Effective Small Business Coach Training
- Dual Certification, ICF ACC (Level 1) Credential & Systems Business Coach® Certification: The Advanced Certificate in Small Business Coaching
All students must pass the Level 1 ICF coaching performance exam included with the course and log 100 coaching hours, plus pass the ICF knowledge exam offered only by the ICF when you submit your graduation from one of our programs.
Book a call with one of our program advisors to discuss your unique learning goals.
Does Small Business Coaching Foundations include licensed Systems Business Coach® coaching tools?
Small Business Coaching Foundations provides an overview of our method; it’s designed to help you understand the principles and structure of effective business coaching.
However, this introductory course does not include access to Systems Business Coach® tools, templates, processes, or licensing rights. Throughout the course, you can trial our resources.
To gain access to our full suite of proprietary coaching materials and resources, you’ll continue on to become a Certified Systems Business Coach®. Certification includes licensed use of our complete toolkit of systems, guides, and tools, giving you everything you need to support any small business owner challenge with confidence and professionalism.
How do I know if Small Business Coaching Foundations is the right course for me?
If you’re unsure where to start or want to know how your unique experience and situation fit into a professional coaching career, schedule a free call with us.
We’ll walk you through what it takes to become a small business coach and help you decide if training with Systems Business Coach® is right for you.
Help Small Business Owners Build Their Dream Business, while You Build Yours
Our Foundations course is designed to help you deeply understand small business dynamics and learn to effectively coach small business owners towards success.
Get the skills to build trust, establish rapport, challenge business owners, and implement foundational strategies for small business success.
