Coaching and Mentorship
The short answer: Employed educational, guidance and career counselors and advisors, the occupation closest to coaching and mentorship, earned a median $64,330 a year in May 2025, per the BLS. The catch with coaching is getting clients: Mari of Moms Make Money says podcast downloads do not automatically turn into clients. (BLS OEWS; Moms Make Money) One talent strategist with a full-time HR job runs a coaching side hustle, so it can sit beside a day job. (Side Hustle Hero)
| Median pay of employed educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors | $30.93/hr ($64,330/yr) BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employee pay, not side-hustle income |
|---|---|
| Projected job growth, educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors | +2.9% BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 |
| One creator's reported earnings | $60–$250/hr 2 reports by Chris Koerner, Aug 2026–Oct 2026 |
| One creator's reported startup cost | $0 Reported by Chris Koerner, Oct 2026 |
| One creator's reported time to first dollar | 2 days Reported by Side Hustle Hero, Jul 2026 |
From 9 quotes by 3 creators and BLS data. A creator figure is one person's account.
Go deeper: all the coaching and mentorship evidence
How much do coaches and mentors make?
Coaching and consulting rates vary: Chris Koerner cites 250 bucks an hour in one video, and priced 5-minute calls at $5, or $60 an hour. Per the BLS, employed educational, guidance and career counselors earned $45,020 a year at the 10th percentile and $104,770 at the 90th in May 2025. (Chris Koerner; BLS OEWS)
Adrienne Wheeler, a call center manager with a business-strategy side hustle, advises pricing by value, not time. (Side Hustle Hero)
| Related occupation | Median pay | Middle 80% |
|---|---|---|
| Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors | $30.93/hr ($64,330/yr), BLS OEWS, May 2025 | $45,020–$104,770/yr |
| Counselors, All Other | $24.45/hr ($50,860/yr), BLS OEWS, May 2025 | $36,240–$91,940/yr |
Median annual pay of employed counselors, all other: $50,860 nationally; highest and lowest states below (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Highest-paying states | Median | Lowest-paying states | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $93,720/yr | Montana | $39,260/yr |
| Utah | $93,530/yr | Puerto Rico | $38,400/yr |
| Georgia | $79,490/yr | Michigan | $37,390/yr |
What do people doing coaching and mentorship say?
“So, I'm offering 5 minutes of consulting for only $5. Now, that doesn't sound like but that's a dollar a minute, aka $60 an hour”
“250 bucks an hour.”
“that's about $120,000 a year of pure profit, because I have no costs on this business. I'm just selling my time.”
“Normally, Flourishing Freelancer is $600 a month”
What does it cost to start coaching and mentorship?
Coaching and mentorship can start without costs: Chris Koerner says of his consulting-call business, "I have no costs on this business. I'm just selling my time." Freelance to Freedom's Flourishing Freelancer program is normally $600 a month. (Chris Koerner; Freelance to Freedom)
- List everyday skills others would pay for, as Adrienne Wheeler suggests. (Side Hustle Hero)
- Package them as do-it-yourself, with-you or for-you offers.
- Set up a TidyCal booking page with Stripe payments. (Chris Koerner)
- Join contractor pools at consulting and executive search firms. (Side Hustle Hero)
How much time does a coaching side hustle take?
A coaching offer can start fast: a Side Hustle Hero episode on turning skills into paid offers says it takes "maybe two days" to get going. Chris Koerner puts his own time at 10 hours or so a week. (Side Hustle Hero; Chris Koerner)
Who is coaching and mentorship a good fit for?
Coaching and mentorship can fit around full-time work: the HR talent strategist on Side Hustle Hero coaches first thing in the morning, over lunch or in the evening. Mari argues that coaches who are parents can sell without sales calls and fit work around family time. (Side Hustle Hero; Moms Make Money)
Which platforms do people use for coaching and mentorship?
Platforms people doing coaching and mentorship use: Qooper.
Is coaching and mentorship worth it?
Pros
- Chris Koerner argues that anyone with knowledge can sell consulting. (Chris Koerner)
- The BLS projects employment of educational, guidance and career counselors and advisors to grow 2.9% over 2025-35. (BLS Employment Projections)
Cons
- Chris's email to about 1,000 people offering $5 calls produced 16 bookings and $80. (Chris Koerner)
- He argues $5 pricing signals junk.
What are the risks of a coaching side hustle?
Coaching and mentorship through partner firms risks misrepresenting clients, so the Side Hustle Hero coach lists "companies I've worked with before" because "the client is the client of the consulting firm." She also agreed an outside-employment contract with her employer. (Side Hustle Hero)
What are the alternatives to coaching and mentorship?
- Content Creator side hustle: Often covered together (2 shared videos).
- Brand Deals & UGC as a side hustle: Often covered together (1 shared video).
What else do people ask about coaching and mentorship?
What matters most when selling coaching calls?
Chris Koerner says following up matters most. (Chris Koerner)
How do coaches move people toward high-ticket offers?
On Double Your Freelancing, Zach coaches Maia on nurturing community members toward high-ticket offers. (Double Your Freelancing Podcast)
Sources and method
Quotes are verbatim and linked to the moment they were said. A figure from one report is not confirmed by a second source. BLS figures describe employees in the closest related occupation. Every quote, the pay in each state and the full source list are on the all the coaching and mentorship evidence.
- Moms Make Money, podcast, 17 Apr 2026.
- Side Hustle Hero, podcast, 17 Feb 2026.
- Chris Koerner, YouTube, 17 Aug 2026.
- Side Hustle Hero, podcast, 14 Jul 2026.
- Chris Koerner, YouTube, 2 Oct 2026.
- Freelance to Freedom, podcast, 25 Aug 2026.
- Moms Make Money, podcast, 15 Apr 2026.
- Double Your Freelancing Podcast, podcast, 17 Apr 2024.
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35.
Other data behind this page (6)
| Fact | Value | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demand trend | growing | Accepted | BLS Employment Projections |
| Fit by life phase (employed_moonlighter) | 0.80 score 0–1 | Accepted | Side Hustle Hero |
| Schedule control | own schedule | Accepted | Chris Koerner; Side Hustle Hero |
| Typical hours per week | 10 hours/week | One report | Chris Koerner |
| Common pitfalls | presenting a partner firm's clients as your own clients | One report | Side Hustle Hero |
| Projected employment change, 10 years: counselors, all other | 5.9% | Official statistic | BLS Employment Projections |