How it is used in a coaching business
A founder who does everything personally does not need SOPs. The moment a second person touches a client, the business needs them, and that moment usually arrives around 40 to 60 clients. Without SOPs, every new coach or team member replicates their own version of the founder's energy, and the client notices the difference.
- Onboarding: every step from payment received to first call attended, with owners and timings.
- Check-ins: the questions, the day, what to do with a non-response.
- Drop-off response: what happens at one missed call, two, three.
- Refunds and disputes: who decides, how fast, what the client hears.
- Renewals: when the conversation starts, who has it, what is offered.
An SOP is a checklist with a reason attached, not a manual. Keep each one on a single page, name an owner, and change it the moment the process changes. A folder of outdated SOPs is worse than none, because the team stops trusting them.
