Certification
Become a Certified Professional Business Coach
Certified Professional Business Coach (CPBC) training takes place over 4 days with our instructors, offered virtually or in-person, and culminates in an exam.
Upcoming classes
Choose a CPBC course date
PBCA CPBC Certification Course October 2026
Oct 12, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT – Oct 15, 2026, 5:00 PM EDTYour timezone: America/New York
Apply for this class →PBCA CPBC Certification Course December 2026
Dec 14, 2026, 10:00 AM EST – Dec 17, 2026, 5:00 PM ESTYour timezone: America/New York
Apply for this class →
Certification is the First Step in Membership
The PBCA is for business coaches only. We’re expanding our membership with current business coaches and experienced professionals wanting to become business coaches, and the certification course is how you join the alliance.
Certification Benefits
Adopt Best Practices
See what has made others like you successful and adopt those best practices.
Learn Proven Skills
Learn new skills in business development and the delivery of coaching services.
Experienced Instructors
Engage with our instructors with vast business experience.
Collaborative Learning
Work with other business coaches throughout our training.
Who Should Get Certified as a Professional Business Coach?
Business coach certification from the PBCA is for current business coaches and advisors, and for experienced professionals wanting to become business coaches. New-to-coaching members must have significant business experience. For existing business coaches and advisors, we offer an accelerated certification process.
We offer premier certifications in business, executive, and small business coaching, supplying proven methods and tools for veteran coaches as well as simplifying the path to becoming a coach. The PBCA is for business coaches only.
Why a Professional Business Coach Certification Matters
Whether you are currently a business coach or looking to become one, our certification equips individuals for coaching excellence.
To ensure that all PBCA coaches continue to represent the professionalism and experience the PBCA brand represents, we thoroughly vet the experience of each new member. A PBCA Certified Business Coach meets strict qualifications before they can join, with intensive business coach training before they ever get to you.
Inside the CPBC Certification Course
Certified Professional Business Coach (CPBC) training takes place over 4 days with our instructors, offered virtually or in-person. The training covers the foundations of business coaching, the mechanics of running coaching engagements, the marketing and pricing of a coaching practice, and the integration of coaching alongside other advisory services, including live role-play coaching with after-coaching reviews and a tour of the PBCA member site: calendar of events, forum, and library of tools.
The course culminates in an exam. Successful completion earns you the designation Certified Professional Business Coach (CPBC) and makes you eligible to join the PBCA as a member-coach.
By the end of the training you will:
- Understand why business owners and executives hire business coaches.
- Understand what business coaching is, what it is not, and how coaching services work alongside other business advisory services.
- Learn the deliverables and the fundamentals of business coaching.
- Have your first experiences using professional business coaching fundamentals.
- Learn effective ways to onboard new clients and kick off new coaching relationships.
- Learn how to most effectively schedule your coaching sessions and other service offerings.
- Learn how to use seminars and presentations as an effective way to earn clients.
- Pull it all together with a sequential review of everything the course covered.
- Be recognized as a Certified Professional Business Coach in the Professional Business Coaches Alliance.
Certification Is Only the Beginning
Continue your education through additional PBCA curriculum built around the mastery and tools of business coaching:
- PBCA Member Community — Monthly peer group calls, professionally facilitated mastermind sessions where you get the help you need, while also providing your peers any help you can offer.
- BEE and LEE Certification — Proven evaluation tools for coaching advancement with clients.
- Master Coach Certification
- PBCA BOS Certification — PBCA’s proprietary Business Operating System, for business coaches, by business coaches.
- Annual Conference & Master Coach Retreat — The Annual Conference is a 2½-day live conference of workshops, seminars and roundtables. The Master Coach Retreat is for business coaches billing more than $150,000 per year; its content and notes are shared afterward with the entire membership.
Frequently Asked Questions About PBCA Certification
How long does the CPBC certification course take?
Certified Professional Business Coach (CPBC) training takes place over 4 days with our instructors, offered virtually or in-person, and the course culminates in an exam. Successful completion earns the designation Certified Professional Business Coach (CPBC).
Do I need prior coaching experience to apply?
No. The CPBC is designed both for veteran business coaches who want proven methods and tools, and for experienced professionals — executives, consultants, and advisors — entering business coaching for the first time. New-to-coaching members must have significant business experience.
What credential do I earn?
On successful completion you earn the designation Certified Professional Business Coach (CPBC), and you become eligible to join the PBCA as a member-coach.
Who is the CPBC certification designed for?
The CPBC is for current business coaches and for experienced professionals wanting to become business coaches. The PBCA is for business coaches only.
What's included in the 4-day training?
The course covers why business owners and executives hire coaches, what business coaching is and is not, professional coaching fundamentals, client onboarding and engagement structuring, using seminars and presentations to acquire clients, scheduling and delivering coaching sessions, and the deliverables and fundamentals of business coaching.
What happens after I'm certified?
Certification is only the beginning. PBCA member-coaches continue their education through monthly peer group calls, BEE and LEE Certification, Master Coach Certification, PBCA BOS Certification, and the Annual Conference.
How does the PBCA decide who to certify?
We thoroughly vet the experience of each new member. New-to-coaching members must have significant business experience and demonstrate mastery of coaching techniques through our certification process. For existing business coaches and advisors, we look for a combination of previous business and coaching or advisory experience, and offer an accelerated certification process.
Ready to Become a Certified Professional Business Coach?
Apply now to start your path to the CPBC credential and the PBCA member network of certified business coaches across the United States and Canada.