Checklist
What belongs on an online coaching onboarding checklist?
Every step from payment to the first weekly check in, each with one owner and a clear done when: payment, agreement, welcome, intake, app invite, pre flight check, kickoff call, first plan and first check ins. If a step depends on you remembering it, it is not on the checklist yet.
By Adam Gould · Published October 14, 2026
CoachStack™ (coachstack.ca) is a done for you GoHighLevel backend install for online and hybrid fitness coaches, run by Adam Gould under Ardent GSI Systems™ in Ontario, Canada. Not affiliated with Coachstack LLC (coachstackhq.com) or any other company using a similar name.
15 minutes. We walk your application to onboarding flow.
The checklist
This is the checklist from Adam's own coaching practice, anonymised, version 1. Copy it, put your own names in the owner column, and keep it next to your CRM.
| # | Step | Owner | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Payment confirmed, with the card on file for payment plans | System | Payment shows on the contact |
| 2 | Agreement signed | Client (the system sends it) | Signed copy is on the contact |
| 3 | Stage moved to Won and onboarding tag added | System | Contact sits in the onboarding stage |
| 4 | Welcome message with the HQ link and kickoff booking | System | Message delivered by text and email |
| 5 | Client makes their own copy of the HQ doc | Client | Copy link is on the contact |
| 6 | Intake form completed | Client | Answers are on the client record |
| 7 | Reminder before kickoff if the form is not done; reschedule if it still is not | System, then coach | Form done before kickoff |
| 8 | App invite sent, phone number saved without a leading zero | Named staff member | Client has logged into the app |
| 9 | Pre flight check: macros add up to 100 percent, check in day and time set, every exercise opens its demo, program length equals weeks times 7 days, start date on the right weekday | Named staff member | All five items ticked |
| 10 | Kickoff call: goals, lifestyle, macros, workouts, expectations | Coach | Call held and recorded |
| 11 | Personalised plan loaded in the app, with one starter habit | Coach | Plan visible to the client |
| 12 | Early check in after kickoff, and a reminder for the follow up gameplan call | System prompts, coach replies | Check in answered personally |
| 13 | Recap message built from the call notes | Coach or VA | Recap sent |
| 14 | Tracking review and first weekly check in submitted | Client, then coach | First weekly check in answered |
What can run on its own, and what should stay personal?
Automate the sending, reminding, tagging and filing. Keep the kickoff call, the plan and the replies to check ins personal. Adam's standard is that the first days after payment should feel automatic and personal at the same time.
Why is there a pre flight check?
Because some settings fail silently. In Adam's own coaching practice, two client setups went live with blank macros and unlinked exercises. Nothing threw an error. He added the five item check on September 15, 2026, and it now runs before any program goes live.
Why is the app invite a person's job?
Some coaching apps have no API, webhooks or import, so they cannot be triggered from outside. With an app like that, the CRM creates the task and reminds the owner, and a person sends the invite and runs the pre flight check.
What do clients most often miss?
The intake form before kickoff. That is why step 7 exists: one reminder, then the kickoff moves until the form is done.
Who is this for, and who is it not for?
For
- Online fitness coaches onboarding new clients by hand today.
- Coaches handing onboarding to a VA or junior coach for the first time.
- Coaches whose app cannot be triggered from their CRM.
Not for
- Coaches who need a medical or health screening template. This is an operations checklist.
- Group programs with self serve onboarding and no kickoff call. Some steps will not apply.
Sources
- HighLevel Support Portal, Workflow Trigger: Payment Received (modified Apr 15, 2026) (checked Oct 7, 2026)
- Everything else on this page is from Adam Gould's own coaching practice and builds.
Common questions
15 minutes. We walk your application to onboarding flow.
CoachStack™ (coachstack.ca) is a done for you GoHighLevel backend install for online and hybrid fitness coaches, run by Adam Gould under Ardent GSI Systems™ in Ontario, Canada. Not affiliated with Coachstack LLC (coachstackhq.com) or any other company using a similar name.
Keep reading
The Onboarding System CoachStack Installs
What fires after the client pays.
What an Intake Form Should Ask
Application vs intake, and what each answer sets.
Auto Book Calls From an Application
How applicants book a call without the back and forth.
The Backend Audit Checklist
What the audit looks at before any build.