The Best Business Coach Certification Programs

Last updated on July 30, 2024

The business coaching industry is booming, reaching a staggering worth of over $15 billion. As interest in this field continues to grow, setting yourself apart from competitors becomes crucial. Whether you’re an experienced business coach looking to boost your credentials or a newcomer ready to kickstart your coaching career, a business coaching certification program can give you a competitive edge and increase the value of your services.

To help you navigate the vast certification options, we’ve compiled a list of the best business coach certification programs. Each course is unique and valuable, so you can find the one that best aligns with your expertise and preferences.

• Mindvalley – Best for Business Coaching and Business Consulting
• iPEC – Best for Executive Business Coaching
• Center for Executive Coaching – Best for Business Coaching Across All Levels
• Worldwide Association of Business Coaches – Best for Professional Development
• Transformation Academy – Best Budget Option
• Udemy –  Best for Beginners

What Is a Business Coach?

A business coach helps business owners and managers reach their desired goals and overcome obstacles to foster future growth. Unlike other forms of business support, coaching focuses on inner awareness and supporting clients in building a mindset for making informed decisions, setting achievable goals, implementing strategies for success, and improving business relationships. 

Typical business coaching clients include small businesses, entrepreneurs, companies, and managers facing challenges such as low productivity, financial constraints, time management issues, and employee output concerns.

How To Become a Certified Business Coach

Business coaching certification isn’t a prerequisite for building a coaching practice, but it does come with many benefits. As the industry rapidly expands, certification becomes a key factor in staying competitive. This credential can showcase your commitment to your career through specialized training. 

Business coach training programs will also equip you with practical skills to improve your coaching sessions and successfully guide clients toward achieving their objectives. Moreover, certification boosts your credibility when potential clients seek a coach, and certified coaches tend to charge three times more than non-certified ones. 

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Business Coaching Certification

With the vast variety of business coaching certification programs online, choosing the one that fits your needs and expectations can be challenging. What can help you narrow down your options is taking into account the following factors.

Program Cost

The cost of business coaching certification varies based on factors like the issuing academy, accreditation, program hours, mentorship, whether it’s an online program or in-person, and more. On average, courses range from $100 to $15,000 or even more. The variance in pricing allows you to pick the course that best suits your budget. 

Course Length

The format of classes and the course’s timeframe are two important factors to consider when looking into training programs. When it comes to duration, courses can last a couple of days or over a year—so you can choose how much time you’ll invest. Some programs have real-time lessons, which can be a problem for those with strict schedules. In such a case, the solution lies in self-paced courses that allow you to learn on your own time. 

Accreditation

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is the most well-known accrediting body in the coaching industry, so an ICF accreditation can help you build credibility and legitimacy with your clients. This also applies to accreditation from other reputable entities like Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Standards Agency. 

Best Business Coaching Certification Programs

Business Coaching and Consulting Option: Mindvalley

The Mindvalley Certified Business Coach program dives into business coaching and business consulting, which makes it a perfect option for mastering both coaching and consulting skillset. If you aim for the title of ICF-certified business coach, it’s good to know that the program is accredited by the ICF and EMCC, the world’s leading business coaching organizations.

You’ll be guided through Mindvalley’s top-notch coaching certification system that combines immersive online lessons with hands-on experiences. The training encompasses the Mindvalley business coaching method, mastering your core coaching competencies, and building business consulting mastery, for a well-rounded education in business coaching and consulting. 

• Course Length: 16 weeks 
• Program Cost: $5,999 ($200 application deposit + $5,799 program fee)
• Accreditation: ICF; EMCC
• Mode of Delivery: Online

Executive Business Coaching Option: iPEC

IPEC’s Executive Coaching Certification is a valuable credential if you want to build expertise for working with executives and developing leaders. This highly sought-after coaching course will provide you with the qualifications and knowledge to support them in their business pursuits. Upon completion, you’ll become a Certified Professional Coach (CPC).

iPEC’s Coach Training Program consists of two phases. In phase one, you’ll learn their signature Core Energy Coaching™ methodology and become certified to use the Energy Leadership™ Index (ELI) assessment. Phrase two centers around niche-specific training and earns you the Executive Coach Certification.

As an iPEC-trained COR.E Leadership Dynamics™ Specialist (CLDS), you’ll learn how to assist leaders at all levels in creating more collaborative and innovative teams. Additionally, you’ll strengthen your capacity to identify and overcome common stress factors, energy drains, and challenges in both others and yourself.

Learn more about iPEC in our comprehensive review. 

• Course Length: 7–8 months (Phase One) + 3–4 months (Phase Two)
• Program Cost: $13,995
• Accreditation: ICF
• Mode of Delivery: Online

Coaching Businesses of All Levels Option: Center of Executive Coaching 

From the Center of Executive Coaching comes this certification for individuals who aim to succeed as coaches for businesses, executives, managers, and leaders. Their primary focus is on coaching methods and processes that deliver concrete results for clients in specific situations. 

The curriculum covers coaching methods tailored for small to mid-sized business owners, as well as coaching executives, so it’s an ideal choice if you’re looking to specialize in business coaching across all levels. 

The Center for Executive Coaching offers four training options:

• Option 1: Distance Learning/Core Program – Certification as a Certified Executive Coach
• Option 2: Full International Coaching Federation (ICF) Training – Distance Learning/Core Program + Full ICF Level 1 AND Level 2 Training
• Option 3: Intensive Executive Coaching Certification Seminar – Entire Distance Learning/Core Program in 3 days
• Option 4: All Of The Above

The course is grounded in applied theory and best practices from psychology, emotional intelligence, leadership research, and neuroscience. Through the program, you’ll receive personal mentoring, learn about proven coaching methods and tools, and adopt practical toolkits for immediate use with clients. 

• Course Length: 2-4 months–Option 1; 5-6 months–Option 2; 3 days–Option 3; 7-10 months–Option 4
• Program Cost: $4,900–Option 1; $7,350–Options 2 and 3; $9,800–Option 4
• Accreditation: ICF
• Mode of Delivery: Online

Professional Development Option: Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC)

The Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC) is a globally recognized membership organization. Their WABC CBC Certification is for experienced business coaches who want to achieve a higher level of professional development and become a member of this reputable organization.

To be eligible for this program, you need to have a minimum of 7 years of business and organizational experience. During the initial screening interview, the WABC Accredited program provider will assess your eligibility and recommend the most suitable program option for you.

The WABC Certified Business Coach (CBC) program offers a comprehensive and respected pathway for individuals looking to establish themselves as accomplished business coaches at an international level. The program’s curriculum focuses on specific coaching competencies and best practices and emphasizes real-world applications.

As part of maintaining their certification, CBC coaches are required to participate in ongoing professional development activities to stay current with the latest coaching practices and industry trends.

• Course Length: 6-9 months
• Program Cost: Available upon request
• Accreditation: ICF
• Mode of Delivery: Online

Budget Option: Transformation Academy

The Entrepreneurship and Business Life Coach Certification from Transformation Academy is a super-affordable, CPD-accredited program that will set you up with a proven entrepreneurship system. You’ll get a complete entrepreneurship blueprint—including life coaching activities and tools—to create your own coaching program. 

You’ll learn to help clients gain clarity about their business goals, launch a start-up, navigate roadblocks, identify their target market, write effective marketing copy, establish short and long-term goals, and coach them to master their mindset. 

For more details about Transformation Academy, head to our review. 

• Course Length: Self-paced
• Program Cost: $197
• Accreditation: CPD
• Mode of Delivery: Online

Special Offer: Get 50% off all certification programs at Transformation Academy by clicking our link or entering code LIFECOACHMAG at checkout.

Beginners Option: Udemy

If you want to garner the fundamental skills in business coaching, you might find a perfect fit in Udemy’s Business Coaching Certification. The course is created by Fearless Entrepreneur Academy and it addresses business coaching fundamentals which makes it ideal for aspiring coaches (plus it’s budget-friendly). 

The program includes 19 hours of step-by-step video training and over 260 downloadable resources. You’ll master two proprietary business coaching systems and receive ready-to-use materials to start coaching immediately. These models will allow you to hold sessions for groups or individuals, both online and in-person, at every phase of their business development.

• Course Length: Self-paced
• Program Cost: $109.99
• Accreditation: None
• Mode of Delivery: Online

Alternatives (non-niche)

Most business coaching programs cover coaching techniques and practices, but they don’t go in as much depth as life coaching certification programs. If you’d like to earn the credential of certified life and business coach, you can enroll in a life coaching program in addition to business coach training.

There are numerous programs for life coaching, but our top selection is the comprehensive and ICF-accredited Coach Training Alliance. This program can give you the opportunity to attain ICF accreditation in case you opt for a non-ICF-accredited business coaching program. If you’d like to know more about CTA, be sure to read our review. 

FAQs

• How much does a business coach make?

According to recent research, business coaches’ salaries range from $62,500 to $245,000 per year.

• Do you need a certification to be a business coach?

Certification isn’t mandatory, but it offers instant credibility and increased visibility in this growing industry.

• How much does a business coach certification cost?

The cost depends on multiple factors and varies from $100 to over $15,000.

• Does accreditation matter in a business coach certification program?

Accreditation can be important in terms of adding credibility and providing you peace of mind that the program meets industry standards. However, there are reputable certification programs that aren’t accredited, mostly because they have a unique approach to coaching that can’t follow the strict guidelines set by accrediting bodies.

• What is the most recognized coaching certification? 

Accreditation carries significant recognition value beyond the certification itself. Reputable bodies in the coaching industry like ICF and CPD contribute to certification recognition among clients and coaches more than the certification name itself.

Conclusion

As a certified professional business coach, you’ll gain a significant edge over coaches without certification. In such a competitive industry, every advantage matters when building your reputation.

With an amazing variety of courses—from the affordable Transformation Academy to the robust and reputable iPEC certification—you’ll be able to enroll in a program that benefits your coaching career. And if you decide to hone your life coaching skills as well, our list of the best life coaching programs can introduce you to some excellent options.

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