#1: Describe your ideal client. You can include anything such as a specific industry, age, gender, workstyle, communication style, etc.  

My ideal client would be a beginning runner, either man or woman, any age, good work ethic and open to following suggestions.  I prefer communications by text, email, but would be willing to talk on the phone once a week.  

#2: What type of work do you most want to do? For example, you could say that you want to ghostwriter content, or that you only want to write content that has your byline. You might want to do retainer work, or prefer one-off projects.  

I would like to be a running coach to those who might be intimidated by having an elite runner as a coach.  My passion is helping people learn that they can do.  I would like to work with a few local clients, maybe 2 or 3 and a few online.  I would like to work on all aspects to be a better runner, mindset, cross-training, injury prevention and running.

#3: What type of clients do you want to avoid? For instance, if you want to work from home, you’d want to avoid clients that require you to work in their office. If you are an introvert you might want to avoid client that require a lot of face-to-face meetings and phone calls.  

I would want to avoid a needy client, one that wants to talk on the phone much or one that would require more than one face to face meeting a week.  I'm an introvert and I like fewer personal interactions.  
I would also want to avoid clients who have an excuse to not do the work, or those that ask me how to be a better runner, but then won't do the work, or has an excuse.  Example:  I had a friend ask me how to get better at being physically strong in the second half of a marathon.  I made suggestions, he said he wouldn't do those, I made reading, listening by podcast and watching by You Tube suggestions, he told me he wasn't interested in those.  He then again asked me how he could make the second half of his marathon better.  I told him he couldn't because he wasn't willing to learn.  I would not want this guy as a client, though he makes a good friend.  

#4: What types of work do you want to avoid? Include any type of work here that may be common in your industry but that either you’re not good at, or don’t enjoy. 

I want to avoid record keeping, I want the client to do this.  I would want to avoid too much travel. Many coaches travel to their clients races. While this would be enjoyable for a few I don't want the expansive client base that would make that an affordable part of my program.

#5: How can you position yourself to fire a client? Remember that the main ways to do this are to have multiple streams of income (e.g. multiple clients, or things like royalties), build up a savings account, and grow a waiting list. 

I can have a trial period of month to month.  I can then expand to a training cycle for a goal race for those runners who make a good fit.  I can build up a waiting list.  I can grow my program at the pace of my income to never get in debt, get an emergency fund, then multiple clients.  

I still have much research to do.  This coaching idea is in the early stages.  I'm glad I found this class to help me get prepared early so I don't have to remake a relationship game plan when I start building customer relationships.