Rich Overnight? A Critical Review of Online Business Coaching in Germany

On platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, offers promising straightforward strategies for rapid wealth for aspiring entrepreneurs are ubiquitous. More and more self-proclaimed sales gurus and business coaches are marketing seminars and workshops on social media, some with significant price tags. What exactly are the coaching services these providers offer and what marketing strategies do they use? Are their business coachings as questionable as several media reports suggest, and is it possible to discern from the outside whether a provider is credible? This study examines select coaching services in Germany, focusing on their program offers and advertising tactics, their testimonials and customer reviews, and their website and social media data. The paper discusses what traditional and established training providers can learn from the rapidly emerging coaching firms and which aspects of online business coaching require exploration in future research.