Portrait Talk
My Coaching Story
From a multinational leadership career to the calling of coaching – about self-awareness and vision.
Interview with Majchrics Csaba
Csaba: How did you start out in the coaching market? What was your first strategy?
Miklós: Honestly, I thought it would be much easier. With more than ten years of leadership experience and twenty years in multinational companies, I jumped in and built a professional, premium-looking website. I thought that from then on, clients would simply come. I even imagined so many would sign up that I might not even be able to keep up with the pace. But reality was very different: it took months before I had my first pro bono client, and even more months before I had a paying one.
The real challenge was daring to name the amount I’d actually be happy to work for. That in itself was a serious self-awareness exercise. Back then, many people told me that it takes three to five years before you can make a living from coaching. I didn’t want to believe it. I thought that whatever I did, I’d become successful quickly. Then I had to realize that success is much more nuanced.
Csaba: What did success mean to you at the beginning, and how has that changed today?
Miklós: For me, success has always been a series of milestones. The first client, the first paying client, the first team coaching, the first higher-fee process, the first corporate offer, the first referral—when I no longer had to look for clients because someone else recommended me—all of these were individual successes. A very memorable milestone was also my first English-speaking client.
If I look at it in terms of money, coaching will never match a multinational salary. From that perspective, it seems more like a hobby. But in reality, every small step forward is a success, and those need to be celebrated because they are what keep me going.
Csaba: Do you regret starting this journey?
Miklós: Not at all. If I had regretted it, I wouldn’t be here today. My situation was unique: my wife got an expat position in Qatar, and because of that, I changed careers. I call this a career transition. I had already been training as a coach earlier, but more as a form of inner rebellion. I felt that sooner or later I would end my corporate career. I burned out several times, though I only realized this afterward.
When I enrolled in the training, I had many self-awareness breakthroughs. At first, I thought the two paths—the corporate job and coaching—would run in parallel for a while and then it would be decided which way it would go. But when it turned out we were moving to Qatar, I felt like in The Mandalorian: “this is the way.” That’s when it became clear that this was my path.
Csaba: How did you try to differentiate yourself in the market?
Miklós: At first, through my website. But I quickly realized that in Hungary there are so many coaches that “if you throw a stone in any direction, you’ll hit one.” So, I needed something extra. That’s where the ACC certification came in. The METU training gave me a good theoretical foundation, but in practice I felt I wasn’t strong enough. I would sit down with a client and lead the conversation intuitively, but the framework was missing. The ACC gave me that skeleton on which I could build my own style. It gave me security, and from then on it was no longer just a conversation—it was real coaching.
Csaba: Did you have any specific strategy for entering the market?
Miklós: At the beginning, my strategy was that the website and Facebook page would solve everything. I thought it was enough if I positioned myself as premium: targeting managers and executives, and that my background and expertise would automatically carry me forward. I started writing posts on Facebook, searching for my voice, trying to be witty, interesting, even humorous. I also received a lot of positive feedback on my website—people said it looked nice and professional. But that alone didn’t bring clients.
When you face the reality of no phone calls, the inner monologue starts: what else should I do? Be more present? Try LinkedIn? And yes, LinkedIn turned out to be a good idea and brought new connections. There were times when I even went to a coach myself to gain the courage to take the next steps. I revamped my website, tried to make it more creative. That’s how the name Business Coach FM was born. It seemed catchy—my initials were in it, and the “frequency modulation” reference. I thought that would really make things take off.
But in the end, I always arrived at the same point: nothing really matters except connection. Whether online or face-to-face, work comes when I sit down with someone, have a conversation, and the spark appears. Every conversation creates something.
Csaba: When you changed your positioning, how quickly did you see clients respond positively?
Miklós: Honestly, I still don’t have the exact recipe. There were times when I put enormous energy into it: producing posts, being everywhere, looking for clients, doing sales. And nothing happened. Other times, I just let go of it all, left it to fate or the stars—and suddenly clients started to appear. For me, that’s the biggest mystery.
Csaba: What do you think is behind this?
Miklós: A lot of luck and a lot of connection. In the beginning, for example, I tried approaching acquaintances by saying, “hey, let me coach you.” But this often backfired—some even pulled away because of it. On the other hand, when I was simply curious about them and talked without any hidden agenda, much more happened. Client acquisition can’t be forced: if you cling to it desperately, it doesn’t work; if you let go, it does.
Csaba: How did it happen that the market started identifying you as a so-called “dad coach”?
Miklós: That was an interesting twist. For a long time, I pushed this role away, wanting to stick to the “business” side. Then last year I was invited to a panel discussion at the House of Music during the Mental Liget Festival. I wasn’t invited as an ex-manager or career changer, but specifically to show that it’s possible to live differently—as a caring man, father, and coach. People started to get interested in how I became “just a coach,” why I left corporate life, what it’s like to be “just a dad,” and what it means to live in Hungary without being the breadwinner. That’s when the label “the new dad coach living in Qatar” stuck with me.
Csaba: What did the move to Qatar mean for you in this regard?
Miklós: It was a huge turning point. In Hungary and Poland, I had always lived as a leader and breadwinner. In Qatar, however, my wife’s career came to the forefront, and I had to take on a “new role.” At first it was strange, because the social expectation is that the man builds the career. But I had to learn to find my place as a father, husband, and coach. It was a challenge at first, but then I realized it was a huge resource. That’s how I became the “dad coach.”
Csaba: This strongly connects to what you wrote in your thesis, right?
Miklós: Exactly. The title of my thesis was “Supporting Caring Masculinity in Coaching.” I never imagined I had tapped into such an undiscovered topic. It gave my whole career a new direction and helped me specialize. My own life also unfolded this way: I was the one with the kids, I ran the household, I wasn’t the one building a career. I basically attracted what I wrote about. But this still comes with many internal struggles. I can’t say it’s an easy path or the best choice. It requires a lot of self-awareness to identify with it. Vulnerability is a resource.
Csaba: Did publishing on this topic support your professional credibility?
Miklós: Yes. When an excerpt from my thesis was published with my name in Coaching Review, it gave the story a professional foundation. That’s how caring masculinity became more visible—not just through my own life, but in a professional context as well.
Csaba: Did you ever consciously seek mentors, for example through the ICF?
Miklós: I wasn’t that intentional. It happened more spontaneously. For example, one of my trainers from the program worked much more abroad than in Hungary. When she once liked one of my posts, I reached out. I told her I needed coaching, and a process started. I learned a lot from it—not only about myself but also about how to do coaching at a higher level. That was a huge experience.
Csaba: So you believe coaches also need coaches?
Miklós: Absolutely. You’re only a credible coach if you are coached yourself. It’s an investment, but indispensable. Talking with professionals is how you absorb knowledge. Many of my blind spots only surfaced this way. And at the end of the process, I often got feedback about what I was doing well and what I could do differently. These helped me build a lot.
Csaba: How do you experience the self-awareness journey you’re on?
Miklós: I see it as continuous learning. Looking at where I want to get to, I’m still very far away. But it’s already a success that we’re sitting here and you asked me for this interview. Every small stop is a success: the first client, the first referral, a good post that people connect to. In self-awareness development, the most important thing is to see every moment as a success.
Csaba: And what about the international market? How easy was it to enter?
Miklós: Honestly? Not easy. I thought fluent English and an ACC credential would be enough. I registered on several platforms, but it quickly became clear that often PCC was the baseline there. The whole market is very crowded—everyone has similar intros, quotes, and catchy offers. And here too, the same thing works: you need to connect. A sympathetic meeting, an online conversation is worth much more than any marketing material.
Csaba: How did your brand evolve during this time?
Miklós: I had to rethink it many times. Business Coach FM was a clever idea, but eventually my own name became stronger. Everyone says: “Miklós Fiáth, coach.” That’s more personal, more credible. And in the meantime, Karriertudatosság also emerged, which brought another new direction. Often the market defines my path more than my own plans.
Csaba: How do you imagine your future as a coach?
Miklós: Through several self-awareness exercises, I created a vision for myself. I saw myself over seventy, still working as a coach. I had an image of sitting by the reeds with a laptop, simply coaching. That’s when I felt that no matter what happens, I’ll do this. Not wealthy, but happy. I also saw myself as a trainer, standing in front of people, sharing and teaching. These images drove me forward.
Of course, I had more concrete visions too: for example, I set a goal of earning as much as my last corporate salary within a year and a half as a coach. That was a SMART goal, but I learned through coaching processes that rigid goals like this often lead to disappointment. The “R” part, reality, is crucial. If your goals aren’t realistic, they just frustrate you and drain your motivation. That’s why I prefer to think in visions: not numbers and deadlines, but feelings and directions.
Csaba: And what about return on investment? After all this learning and development, when does it pay back?
Miklós: That’s a very tough question. You need to put in enormous amounts of energy, money, and time. For a while, every new training is just an investment. At some point, though, the dilemma arises: when does it stop being just investment, and when can I expect returns? There’s no exact formula. I can only say that eventually the results arrive. It could be a new client, a referral, or being invited to give a talk.
Csaba: What is the market like today?
Miklós: Very saturated. In Hungary, it’s like if you throw a stone, you’ll definitely hit a coach. The profession has been eroded: everyone takes on everything—life, business, team coaching—because there are so few private clients able to pay. This creates chaos, and sometimes even ethics are compromised, as some coaches take on clients who would be better off in therapy.
There’s also a natural ceiling: a coach can handle a maximum of 4–5 clients a day. That limits income potential. After taxes, the math shows quickly it’s not sustainable. That’s why many turn to workshops and trainings—because in the same time you can collect your hourly rate from several people at once. But this has lowered the quality of workshops, and more and more questionable offers appear, further damaging the profession’s reputation.
Csaba: If you see all this, what still keeps you going?
Miklós: That for me, coaching is not a job but a way of life. I’d do it even if I had fewer clients or if I wasn’t paid as much as I’d like. My vision is to work with men, fathers, and (female)leaders, because I feel that’s where market needs and my own experience meet. And I want to do this happily, not necessarily wealthily. I believe that what we do with passion will eventually also bring money.