I think I'm breaking some news here. The coaching industry is experiencing an all-time low—an all-time low of revenue right now. I wanted to tell you what I’m seeing on the ground so that you can prepare yourself and maybe also understand what you’re seeing in your own business.

Hi, my name is Ina Coveney. I am a marketing strategist and business coach, and this is the *Superhumans* podcast, where I interview the top success stories out there so you feel like you’re sitting in a living room with them, asking them all the questions to learn from their failures and successes, and get more ideas for your life and business so that you can become a superhuman yourself.

Today, I’m coming to you urgently to talk about a trend I’ve noticed. This is about the drop in revenue that people are experiencing across the board inside the coaching industry and the online marketing industry. It seems like everybody is feeling this right now, and I want to deconstruct the reasons why this could be happening so you’ll know how to survive this wave.

Every business goes through ups and downs, and every industry experiences highs and lows. The coaching industry, in particular, had a huge boom five years ago. From 2017 to 2020, the industry was thriving. In fact, 2020 was the pinnacle for coaching, despite the economic slowdown during the pandemic when people were keeping their money close. Even though jobs were being lost, the gig economy suffered, and people weren't working as much, many business coaches still thrived.

Why? Because business coaches focus on teaching people how to make money outside of their nine-to-five jobs, outside the corporate world. Many new millionaires emerged during the pandemic, and a lot of entrepreneurs, especially those creating courses for a living, found themselves stuck at home with nothing else to do but create content. That led to the rise of many TikTok entrepreneurs in 2020 and contributed to a massive boom in coaching.

Fast forward to 2024, and we’re starting to see that boom normalize, resulting in lower revenues across the board.

Now, I want to share with you how I came to notice this trend. It wasn’t just because my own revenue went down—although it did—but because I kept hearing the same thing from my entrepreneur friends. For the first time, many of them were saying their income was lower than their expenses. They were making money and still getting clients, but their revenue wasn’t where it used to be.

I started noticing this pattern more and more. Friends were scrambling to figure out how to reinvent themselves and innovate to get their revenue back up. Then I saw a social media post from someone I admire—someone whose courses I’ve purchased—saying that she wasn’t going to meet her revenue goals for the month. Just a few months earlier, she had said she wanted to double her income, and now her income was down. That was a red flag.

I realized I needed to talk to my podcast audience about this because if I’m seeing it and my friends are seeing it, you might be experiencing it too. You’re not alone.

Before jumping to conclusions, I wanted to make sure this trend wasn’t just anecdotal. I wanted to find solid data. So, I turned to an entrepreneur who publishes their monthly revenue reports—John Lee Dumas from *Entrepreneurs on Fire*. He sells podcasting courses and coaching, and his income reports have been available for many years.

I checked his income statements from 2024, and while his business still looked great—he's still making six figures a month—I noticed that some months were down compared to the same period last year. January, for example, was lower than January the year before. His revenue fluctuated: some months were higher, some lower, but on average, it seemed to level out. That wasn’t enough proof for me.

So, I went back another year. I compared 2024 to 2023 and then to 2022. That’s when I saw it. In 2022, he was consistently making over $200,000 per month. In 2023, every single month was lower than the one before, and the pattern continued into 2024. Some months in 2024 were better than 2023, but overall, they were still much lower than 2022.

I haven’t listened to his podcast lately, so I don’t know if he’s explained the changes in his business. I’m just looking at the numbers, and they support my theory: coaching and courses are starting to normalize, and revenues are falling.

So, why is this happening? I have a few ideas.

First, coaching and courses are no longer novelties. When people first encountered these services, they were amazed. But now, the novelty has worn off. Most people who are buying courses today have bought courses before. They’ve experienced what’s out there, and they have more to compare against. They’ve become more discerning.

Second, there’s growing skepticism. If you’ve bought a course before, I bet at some point you were disappointed. Maybe it didn’t deliver on its promises, and that experience made you hesitant to buy another one. Now, buyers are more cautious. They want proof that a course will actually help them before they invest.

Third, there are too many options. I coach people to believe that the market isn’t saturated, and I still believe that, but there are definitely more choices than ever. People are more aware that you’re not the only coach out there. When coaching was new, it felt revolutionary, but now people know they have options.

Lastly, smart entrepreneurs are already adapting to this shift. They’re creating new offers and pivoting their strategies. But innovation takes time. When you're in creation mode—developing new courses, freebies, and offers—you’re not in selling mode. The time spent innovating means you're not making money right away.

Take Amy Porterfield, for example. After nearly a decade of offering just three courses, she revamped one into the *Digital Course Academy* and added a membership option. Even top entrepreneurs like her are adapting because they’ve noticed that people aren’t buying the way they used to.

So, what should you do to survive in this climate?

You need to accept that these lower revenues are the new normal. The only people who will thrive in this environment are those who stand out. The market is going to drown anyone who is generic or copying others. You have to be different. That’s why I’ve started recording my podcast episodes in person, so my reels stand out.

I’ve also decided to change how I create courses. Instead of spending months developing one $2,000 course, I’m creating smaller, bite-sized courses that are easier to sell. This way, I can stay nimble and quickly respond to market changes without spending half a year on one big project.

Gone are the days of just focusing on mindset and hoping clients will come. You need to act fast, innovate, and stay flexible.

I don’t know where all these changes will take me, and you won’t know either. But if you find yourself hesitating, wondering if this is worth your time, you’re already on the wrong track. The ones who succeed will be those who move quickly, test new ideas, fail fast, and try again.

This is a time for quick action and experimentation. If you can adapt, you’ll stay afloat.

So, what are you going to do about it?

Some of you may feel discouraged, thinking you’ve missed the window for guaranteed success. Maybe you’ve got a $5,000 course that’s not selling, and you’re wondering what to do next. Others of you will see this as an opportunity—a chance to create the one thing you’ve always dreamed of.

The bottom line is this: if you’re just treading water, it’s time to make a change. Go all in on your big idea.

I’ve seen people succeed with high-ticket courses, but I’ve also seen others struggle with $15,000 offers. The key is staying nimble. That’s my prediction: the ones who can pivot quickly and innovate will thrive.

The ground we’re standing on is shaky, and the life raft is your ability to adapt.

Are you ready for that?

If you’ve listened all the way through, congratulations. You now have a competitive advantage. Send me a DM on Instagram at @InaKovani and tell me how you’re feeling. On a scale from 1 to 10, how scared are you? A 1 means you’re cool as a cucumber and ready to tackle this challenge. A 10 means you’re freaking out and don’t know where your next client will come from.

I want to see lots of 1s in my DMs! But if you’re a 10, tell me your biggest concern, and I might address it in a future episode.

We’re all in this together, and my goal is to make sure we rise and succeed.

Thank you for being here. Don’t forget to subscribe or follow so you don’t miss another episode of the *Superhumans* podcast.