We’ll break down how you DO NOT need to quit your full time coaching job and still build a business you love (and how AI agents and simply paying yourself first accelerates this)

Most coaches believe more hours = more income. That’s why so many end up burnt out, running from session to session with no ceiling on the stress and a very clear ceiling on the earnings. A side empire flips that logic. Instead of selling hours, you sell systems — products and programmes that don’t require you to be in the room every time.

Here’s how you can start today. Pick your best coaching asset and an area that excites you — maybe a 6-week speed block, a summer strength camp, or even your standard warm-up progressions. Write it down step by step. Film the key drills on your phone. Package it into a PDF + video bundle.

The cost? Close to zero. You can film on your phone, design the PDF in Canva (free), and deliver it via Google Drive or Dropbox. The time investment is maybe 2–3 hours to pull it all together. The upside is you now own an asset you can sell again and again, in person or online.

👉 First action today: write down one 6-week programme you’ve delivered more than once. That’s your first side empire product.

Business Idea

A UK-centric, peer-to-peer marketplace where strength and conditioning coaches buy, sell, and share ready-to-use programmes and drills via monthly membership.

The concept targets practising and aspiring S&C coaches who want to save preparation time, apply proven methods, and stand out in a competitive job market. The verdict is to proceed: demand is niche but real, competition in this exact format is thin, and a lean operator can reach profitability if quality content and community take hold early.

AI isn’t here to replace coaches — it’s here to replace the admin you hate. Think about all the time you spend rewriting messages, formatting check-in sheets, or chasing enquiries. That’s dead time. ChatGPT can automate most of it, even if you’re not techy.

Where AI agents are different is they can complete tasks on top of the deep research they complete. Imagine you don’t have an AMS. A great example of this working for you would be taking athlete data from multiple sources and pulling it all in to a simple presentation with graphs, charts, and breakdowns.

It’s not just about the time saved, it’s about the value of that time.

All of this only works if you pay yourself first, from the start.

The fastest way to kill your business is to treat money like an afterthought. Most coaches let income flow in and out with no system, which means you never know if you’re truly earning or just surviving. The fix is to pay yourself first — always

Here’s the playbook. Open two extra bank accounts (most online banks like Monzo or Starling let you do this free in 10 minutes). Every time money lands, split it: 50% to personal pay, 30% to business costs, 20% to tax/savings. If £1,000 comes in, you instantly move £500 into your personal account, £300 into your business expenses, and £200 into your tax pot. That’s discipline built into your banking.

The cost? Zero. The benefit? Huge. In six months you’ll have a consistent wage you can live on, a buffer for business expenses, and a tax fund so April doesn’t wipe you out. Coaches who follow this system report less stress and more freedom — because money is finally working for them, not against them.

👉 First action today: open a second bank account and move 20% of your last payment into it. That’s your first tax fund. You’ll thank yourself later.

Looking for deeper insights?

From business ideas with the insight data to execute, to step by step growth strategies