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How To Get Your First Executive Function Coaching Client (Part 1)

Updated: Dec 17, 2025

Updated: December, 2025


This article is brought to you by the Special Educator's 10-Minute Transition Toolkit.


Smiling man in black shirt against brick wall. Text about a toolkit for teachers transitioning from special education coaching.

Find your niche, run your first session, set your price, and grab a ready-to-use coaching contract. Designed for special educators exploring executive function coaching.


Are you struggling to get your first executive function coaching client?


In this post, you will learn how a value proposition helps bring in clients and 3 simple steps to get yours set up so you lay the foundation to get your first paying client.


Table of Contents:



I recently got this question from a member of the EFCA community:


I have been doing coursework for several of the courses, but I don't know what my first step is to begin. I want to take my first paying client and grow a practice. I need help, please!

In this 2 part series, I am going to walk you through each step you need to take until you have your first client.


This first part guides you through crafting your value proposition so people know exactly what you are offering and can then choose to utilize your services.


And to take it a step further, you can join my 90-day Get Your First Paid Client Challenge for daily 10 minute actions that guarantee a paying client at the end of 90 days (or you stay in the community for free until you do).


Review by Ella Smoot with 5 stars. Text praises a client challenge for helping with consistency. Date: November 13, 2025. Blue background.

Now, let's get into why setting up your value proposition is a crucial first step.👇


Why Does A Value Proposition Bring in Clients?

Parents are not sitting around hoping to decode your services.


They are overwhelmed, juggling school emails, missing assignments, and a kid who melts down the second homework gets mentioned.


When they land on your website or hear you describe what you do, they are silently asking three questions:


  1. Is this for someone like my kid?

  2. Will this actually help with our problems?

  3. Can I trust you to get us results without adding more chaos?


A clear value proposition answers those questions fast.


It tells people:


  • who you help

  • what you help them overcome

  • what life looks like on the other side


It also filters out the wrong fits so you spend less time on calls with people who want therapy, tutoring, or a miracle.


And to top it off, it makes outreach and referrals way easier.


When a school counselor, therapist, or another parent tries to recommend you, they need one sentence that lands.


If your message is fuzzy, they either do not refer you at all or they refer you as “some kind of coach” and you lose the lead before you even know it existed.


If you prefer a video on this topic, check out my YouTube video on how to get booked solid👇



Common Mistakes EF Coaches Make When Trying to Land Their First Client


Mistake 1: They try to help everyone, so nobody feels called out

If your message is broad, it feels generic. Generic feels risky.


Parents need to feel like you get their specific situation, not like you are running a one size fits all program for “kids who struggle.”


For example, a coach says they work with “students who need better organization.”


A tighter niche like “middle schoolers with ADHD who are stuck in nightly homework battles” makes the right people stop scrolling.


Mistake 2: They market a service instead of a result

New EF coaches often describe what they do instead of what changes for the client.


“Executive function coaching” sounds nice, but it is vague.


Parents and students buy relief and momentum, not a label.


For example, a coach posts “Now accepting new EF coaching clients” and gets crickets.


When they switch to “I help overwhelmed high school students stop missing assignments and finish the week with a clear plan” they start getting replies because people can actually picture the win.


Mistake 3: They hide behind prep work instead of doing simple outreach

Building a website, tweaking a logo, and rewriting a bio feels productive, but it is mostly avoidance.


Your first client usually comes from conversations and follow up, not from perfect branding.


User profile post about a 3-line DM strategy for executive function coaches. Message text includes a call invite. Tone is professional.

Most of the work is outreach: message five school counselors, two therapists, and three parent community organizers with your clear one sentence value proposition and a simple ask to refer families. We'll go over this more in part 2.


3 Steps to Create Your Value Proposition So You Can Get Your First Paying Client


Step 1: Interview a few parents in your target audience

The best way to write an attractive value proposition is to interview a few parents about their struggles and hopes and use their language to write out your value proposition.


Ask them the following questions while taking detailed notes (or recording the conversation if they give you permission):


1. What do you struggle with most when it comes to supporting your child with executive function challenges?


2. Can you tell me more about this issue? How is this problem getting in the way of your life? How does it make you feel?


3. What have you tried so far to support your child with improving their executive function skills? How well did it work?


4. Why is it important to foster improved executive function skills right now? Why now?


5. If you hired an executive function coach, what would you like to be different in your life after working with them?


Step 2: Turn those interviews into raw ingredients

Then, using their actual phrasing, craft your value proposition by answering the following questions:


  1. What is the transformation/outcome most desired by your ideal audience? What do they want? (Client desires)


  2. What are the roadblocks holding your ideal audience back from reaching their desired transformation? (Problems)


  3. Based on your expertise, what solutions would you recommend to solve the roadblocks above? (Solutions)


This will give you the raw information to then convert your answers into a beautiful value proposition.


Step 3: Write your value proposition in one clean sentence

Fill in this format and keep it simple enough that a tired parent can understand it in three seconds:


At (the name of your business), we help (specific audience) overcome (roadblocks) by teaching them (solutions) so they can (desired transformation).


Broken down, you simply need to fill each off these in:


  • At (the name of your business)

  • We help (specific audience)

  • Overcome (roadblocks/struggles)

  • By teaching them (solutions)

  • So they can (desired transformation)


Here is mine -- feel free to borrow as much or as little as you'd like:


At EF Specialists, we help middle, high school and college students overcome procrastination, disorganization and education anxiety by teaching them time management, prioritization and communication skills so they can enjoy school and lead happier lives!

In part 2, we discuss how to share your value proposition with people who will refer you.


For more tips on how to get more clients, watch this👇



The Bottom Line

If you want your first client faster, stop trying to sound impressive and start making it painfully clear who you help and how you help.


Here's a recap of the 3 steps to create your value proposition that will help bring in your first client:


  1. Interview a few parents in your target audience

  2. Turn those interviews into raw ingredients

  3. Write your value proposition in one clean sentence


Hope this helps! 🤙🏻


FAQs

What if I am not sure who my ideal client is yet?

Start with the group you understand best and write a clear first draft value proposition for them.


You can refine it after five real conversations once you hear what people actually want and what they will pay for.

Do I need a website before I try to land my first client?

No. You need a clear one sentence value proposition, a simple way to book a call, and a short message you can send to real humans.

How many parent interviews should I do before I finalize my value proposition?

Three to five is enough to spot patterns in language, pain points, and desired outcomes.


The goal is not perfect research, it is getting accurate wording that makes people say “yes, that is us.”





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Want support in getting your first executive function coaching client?


Consider joining hundreds of educators and professionals who have completed our executive function coaching certification and are building profitable executive function coaching practices using their teaching experience.


You'll gain all the tools, templates, and techniques you'll need as a coach, plus you'll make new friends and have a community you can rely on to grow and learn. Learn more. 


Here is one of our favorite reviews. You can read all recent reviews on this page. 



About Me

A white man in a cream sweater and jeans sits smiling against a brick wall, giving a relaxed and content vibe in an outdoor setting.

Hey! I'm Sean 👋


I'm a former public school special education teacher who realized that executive function skills are more important than knowing when George Washington crossed the Potomac.


Since then, I've made it my mission to teach anyone who will listen about how to develop these key life skills.


In 2020, I founded Executive Function Specialists to ensure all students with ADHD and Autism have access to high-quality online executive function coaching services. We offer online EF coaching and courses to help students and families.


Realizing I could only reach so many people through coaching, in 2021 I started the Executive Function Coaching Academy which trains schools, educators, and individuals to learn the key strategies to improve executive function skills for students.


In 2023, I co-founded of UpSkill Specialists, to provide neurodivergent adults with high-quality executive function coaching services.


When not pursuing my passions through work, I love spending time with my family, getting exercise, and expanding my brain through reading. You can connect with me on LinkedIn.

 
 
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