A-Plan Coaching, LLC

A-Plan Coaching is making workplace coaching affordable and scalable.

It’s created a mobile platform that enables all employees — not just high-level executives — to take advantage of one-on-one coaching.

Traditional professional coaches can charge between $250 to $1,000 per hour. As a result, this resource has only been available to high earners and top employees.

A-Plan, in contrast, charges companies a monthly fee between $500 and $1,000. This enables companies to extend coaching resources to more employees.

Recently, the coaching industry has experienced 2,500% growth. In 1999, there were approximately 2,100 personal coaches. By 2017, that number reached 53,000.

This surge is due to an increase in workers who are frustrated with their professional situation. Research suggests that 83% of U.S. workers suffer from work-related stress.

A-Plan has a three-step approach:

• The first is “vision.” This involves identifying personal short- and long-term goals in all areas of life and work.

• The second is “map.” This involves brainstorming a Multiple Action Plan (MAP, for short). This plan consists of innovative ways to achieve each of these goals.

• The third is “act.” This involves committing to new behaviors and habits for improved effectiveness and fulfillment.

To implement this three-step approach, A-Plan relies on its mobile platform. This app provides resources including video conferencing, text chat, time stamped session notes, and personal notifications.

Whereas traditional coaching platforms offer monthly sessions by phone or video, A-Plan offers daily engagement with coaches, and weekly sessions. This increased communication translates to better results.

A-Plan enables coaches to track and measure the effectiveness of their efforts. This is important, as coaches need to know if they're having an impact.

A-Plan launched in 2018. Since then, it’s signed up 25 coaches. These coaches are working with 200 users.

The company has 6 corporate clients, including the City of San Francisco, MetLife, Nike, and Google.

Based on early results, 94% of clients said they were able to identify important goals and increase fulfillment. 76% noted increased motivation, and 71% achieved significant progress toward their goals. Perhaps most importantly, 100% of clients said they’d recommend A-Plan to a friend or colleague.

A-Plan charges a monthly fee of $500 to $1,000 per client. 50% of this revenue is paid to coaches.

The company is currently on a $720,000 annual run rate, but is aiming to end the year with $2.3 million in revenue.

It expects to be profitable this year.

Team Background

Lawrence Ellis - Head of Business Development

Lawrence brings 25 years of experience as an executive and leadership coach to A-Plan.

Most recently, he worked for the Silicon Valley chapter of the American Leadership Forum, a network of leaders including corporate executives, elected officials, and religious leaders.

Before that, he was an executive coach at the Center for Creative Leadership. This 50-year-old company is one of the oldest and largest global providers of executive coaching and leadership development services. The Financial Times has rated this company in its Top 10 Executive Development Programs for 17 straight years.

Lawrence earned a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of North Carolina and was a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford.

Sara Ellis Conant - Co-Founder & CEO

Sara has 20 years of coaching experience.

She began her career by starting her own business, Ellis Group. This company offered strategy consulting and executive coaching to clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to social-purpose entrepreneurs.

From there, she worked for Deloitte Consulting, where she was part of a leadership team that launched the company’s U.S. client services for sustainability efforts. Specifically, she focused on strategic planning, project management, and training. Her efforts helped this division reach $150 million in annual revenue.

More recently, Sara was a co-founder of Young Women Social Entrepreneurs, an organization providing training and development to more than 7,000 women across the world. She then ran another coaching and consulting business before launching A-Plan.

She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Economics, and an MBA from Stanford University.

Dave Ellis - Coach Training

Dave is a master coach, teacher, and best-selling author.

He wrote “Becoming a Master Student,” a top-selling college textbook in the U.S. for more than 20 years. He also wrote “Life Coaching: A Manual for Helping Professionals” that is used in many coach training programs.

Dave started one of the first international fully accredited coach training programs.

Molly Rodau - Head of Operations

Molly has been with A-Plan since January 2020.

In addition to her current role, she is a coach for M/R Coaching and Consulting.

Prior to that, she worked at the Coro New York Leadership Center, an organization building a leadership community in New York City. While there, she served as Assistant Director and then Director of Training and Consulting.

Molly earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from Suffolk University and a Master’s in Social Work from Hunter College.

Michael Counts - Co-Founder

Michael is a serial entrepreneur with experience in mobile technology and live entertainment.

For 19 years, he ran his own performing arts business, Counts Projects. Through this business, he worked on projects and events with notable clients including Michael Kors, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and Blue Man Group.

He studied Theater and Economics at Skidmore College.

Co-Investors