Instructor’s Manual Abstracts
Vol. 3, Issue 1 IM Abstract: SeeShell Consulting and the International Coach Coalition: An Entrepreneur’s Expansion Dilemma in the Gig Economy
William R. Holmes
Case Overview
In 2022, Shelley Langille launched the International Coach Coalition (ICC) website to serve as a platform for connecting executive coaches and clients. The ICC value proposition for ICC clients focused on providing them with access to the profiles of vetted and qualified executive coaches with a broad range of specializations and credentials to choose from to meet their needs. The ICC coaches gained a source of contract work through the platform and could determine their own fees. Langille received a percentage of the coaching fee in exchange for the marketing, promotion, client introductions, and invoicing services provided by her company, SeeShell Consulting.
Langille recognized the opportunity for growth of the ICC platform. Building an online presence by developing a platform that would match a curated selection of executive coaches with potential clients provided an opportunity to expand her business, increase the profile of executive coaching in Canada, and generate significant new revenue streams. In her view, the biggest challenges requiring her complete attention would be developing a brand, a profile, and marketing the business. An important part of this strategy would be deciding what social media strategies might work best to help expand her ICC startup in this executive coaching ‘gig’ industry.
Learning Objectives
By working through this case, students should be able to
- To analyze the challenges of an entrepreneurial journey in the gig economy focusing on executive coaching as a profession, describing the role of executive coaches, the competitive environment, the potential target market(s), and the customers for executive coaching services.
- To describe the executive coaching industry and the role it plays in the changing world of work.
- To evaluate the benefits and challenges of marketing and social media strategy alternatives to promote a sole proprietorship in the gig economy.
- To develop useful and actionable recommendations, with justification and a high-level implementation plan, to the entrepreneur regarding the marketing and promotion of their sole proprietorship in the gig economy.
Course Suitability
This case is suitable for senior undergraduate and graduate courses in marketing and entrepreneurship.
Recommended Reading
Burns, P. (2022). Entrepreneurship and small business. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Ferrell, O. C., Hartline, M. D., & Hochstein, B. W. (2022). Marketing strategy: Text and cases. Cengage Learning, Inc.
- Chapter 5 – Customers, Segmentation and Target Marketing
- Chapter 7 – Branding and Positioning
Hirsch, P.B. (2021). The great discontent. Journal of Business Strategy, 42(6), 439–442. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS-08-2021-0141.
Kietzmann, J. H., Hermkens, K., McCarthy, I. P., & Silvestre, B. S. (2011). Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media. Business Horizons, 54(3), 241–251
Kuhn, K. M., & Galloway, T. L. (2019). Expanding perspectives on gig work and gig workers. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 34(4), 186–191. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-05-2019-507
Nicolau, A. G., Constantin, T., van Gool, P. J. R., & Kleingeld, A. (2024). Can I improve my personal goal level through executive coaching over time? A randomised control trial study. Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice, 18(1), 62–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/17521882.2024.2397380
Ray, K., & Thomas, T. A. (2019). Online outsourcing and the future of work. Journal of Global Responsibility, 10(3), 226–238. https://doi.org/10.1108/JGR-10-2018-0039
Sarasvathy, S.D. (2022). Effectuation: elements of entrepreneurial expertise (2nd ed.). Edward Elgar.
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