Executive Career & Advancement Coach

Coach executives and senior leaders on career advancement and strategic moves

Startup Cost
$6,000-$20,000
Difficulty
Advanced
Time to Profit
10-18 months
Profit Potential
$15,000-$71,000/month

Overview

Executive career coaches charge $250-$650 per hour or $3,000-$12,000 for packages.

Coaching 8-15 executives generates $180,000-$850,000 annually with 85-90% margins.

In 2025, executives navigating senior leadership moves, board opportunities, or C-suite advancement seek specialized career coaches.

Services include executive career strategy and planning, C-suite positioning and branding, board opportunity identification, executive resume and LinkedIn, executive search and networking, compensation and negotiation strategy, evaluating opportunities and offers, and navigating office politics.

Successful executive career coaches understand C-suite and board dynamics, have executive recruiting or senior HR experience, maintain discretion and confidentiality, provide strategic career guidance, and have strong networks.

Many specialize by level (VP, C-suite) or industry (tech, finance, healthcare).

Work on retainer through search process or project-based for specific transitions.

Premium pricing for executive level.

Virtual delivery common.

Marketing through LinkedIn executive presence, speaking at leadership conferences, and referrals from executive recruiters and networks.

Required Skills

  • Executive Recruiting Knowledge
  • C-Suite Dynamics
  • Executive Branding
  • Compensation Strategy
  • Confidentiality
  • Strategic Networking

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Very high rates for executive-level work
  • Sophisticated engaged clients
  • Strong ROI for executives (salary increases)
  • Can leverage executive networks
  • Less price sensitivity than mid-career coaching

Cons

  • Need significant executive experience or recruiting background
  • Limited market of executive-level clients
  • Long relationship building for credibility
  • Executives expect very high-level strategic guidance
  • Competition from executive recruiting firms

How to Get Started

  1. Build executive recruiting or senior HR experience
  2. Develop deep understanding of C-suite market
  3. Get executive coaching certification
  4. Create executive career strategy methodology
  5. Build LinkedIn presence targeting executives
  6. Network with executive recruiters and HR leaders
  7. Market through executive communities and referrals

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