Maybe you’re already working in the wellness field and want to grow your business by adding in wellness coaching. Or perhaps you’re stuck in a job that doesn’t feed your soul and you’re ready to change others’ lives as a wellness coach.
Either way, congratulations! You’re headed down the path to a very satisfying career of doing meaningful work. One great way to start on your path is to begin learning about what you’ll need to create your health and wellness coaching business.
But before you rush out to plunk down your hard-earned cash on a website, logo, and business license, there are a few things you should do first. While starting your own business isn’t a super hard thing to do, it does require strategy and a few skills. If you’ve already started your business, these tips can help you grow what you’ve created.
It can be really frustrating to set up shop and then cross your fingers that the clients will just come walking through the door. Rarely does business work like that, which is why you’ll want to brush up on our business tips. They’ll help you start off with a successful bang.
Ready to find out what you need to know to get started or grow? We’ve put together the top five things you should know before you start your wellness coaching business. Read on to learn more!
Must-Know Tips for Your Wellness Coaching Business
1. Make sure you have a personal wellness practice.
This one seems obvious, but it’s a really important one to always work on. You can’t help others with their personal development, unless it’s something you are already working on yourself.
Let’s face it, humans have a hard time with consistency, even when it brings them health and happiness. We all struggle with eating the right foods, exercising every day, and working on our stress levels.
But when you sign up to be a wellness coach, you become an example for your clients. Whatever you tell them to do must also be something you already do for yourself. At the same time, you don’t have to be perfect to be a Holistic Wellness Coach! Simply being willing to work on yourself and willing to stay on the journey shows your commitment to living a life of wellness.
So, if you haven’t yet figured out a consistent wellness practice for yourself, now’s a great time to make it happen. You could even use your experience as a foundation for how you build out the coaching program you’ll use with your clients.
2. Find your unique niche.
Everyone has a wellness problem that they wish someone would help them solve. But it’s not the same thing for each person. Figure out what aspect of wellness you’re most passionate about and the types of people you really want to help.
Why? Two reasons. When you work with your dream clients, you’ll love every moment of your job and you will immediately connect with clients who are already looking for someone exactly like you!
It might seem a little counterintuitive to not market to everyone with a pulse and a wallet, but it’s actually the best way to get booked solid as a coach.
Just imagine you’re looking for a wellness coach. Would you want someone who doesn’t really understand you, your specific issues, or your goals? Or would you prefer to work with someone who you immediately click with, intuitively understands you, and has gone on a similar path?
By working with your ideal clients, you’ll also get rave reviews and referrals!
What kinds of niche can you choose? Anything under the sun. Think of some of your own wellness struggles. What were or are your biggest pain points and how can you weave that into a compelling story?
Maybe you’d love to work with busy new moms who are frustrated by their low energy and excess weight. Or perhaps you’d really enjoy working with busy corporate people who need to lower their stress and create more balance. Find your people and you’ll find yourself with a coaching practice full of your ideal clients.
3. Design your signature offer.
People will come to you because they want a transformation. They expect you to be the expert and help them overcome their wellness struggles. If you are wishy-washy about how you can help, you won’t make them feel confident about your ability to solve their problem.
That’s why you want to start off your coaching with a signature offer (if you want to learn more about how to design it, we cover this process in the IAWP Holistic Wellness Coach Certification program).
You can design a program that will guide them through the process of transforming their lives. Use what worked for you or discover what will work for your ideal client. If you truly understand your niche, then you can do some brainstorming about where they are struggling the most.
Design a step-by-step program so they know what to do and you know specifically how to help. Make sure to bake in flexibility to fit unique people and circumstances. The stability of your offer will help show your value to clients right away, which will help you grow your clientele and business.
4. You’ll need to put yourself out there to attract clients.
Once you’ve had your logo and website designed, printed out your business cards, and framed your certification, you might be tempted to just wait for the clients to show up. But that’s not quite how business works. In order to get clients, you have to put yourself out into your community. If people don’t know about you, they can’t hire you.
Wondering what that might look like? Here are a few ideas.
- Teach free classes at your local health food store
- Start a blog with helpful wellness tips your ideal client needs – then share widely!
- Create a Youtube channel and post videos that will help your clients get healthy
- Write an article for your local health magazine
- Get active on social media and make sure to engage with others
- Create a free lead magnet (informational wellness guide) for your website and start collecting email addresses
- Attend local health and wellness fairs
- Network with local health professionals (especially the ones that might recommend you)
- Check in with current or past clients and ask for referrals
By deciding now how you will get involved in your community, you’ll set yourself up for success from the first day you start your business.
5. Make goals and apply consistent action.
If you’re not sure where your business is headed, it might not go anywhere. Start off with a solid wellness coaching business plan. It doesn’t need to be elaborate, but it does need to be organized and clear.
It’s also important to set goals for yourself when you’re running a business. These goals can be about any aspect of your business, but it’s a good idea to create useful and crystal clear goals. Decide how much you’d like to make in profit each month, then work backward to figure out how to create that income. How many clients will you need to work with? Does your signature offer command a high enough fee so you’ll be able to work smart and hit your financial goals? When you set goals, you’ll be able to see what you could be doing better.
Once you’ve got some goals that you know will grow your business, be disciplined about being consistent. As they say, consistent action creates consistent results. If your marketing strategy is all over the place, you only occasionally show up for events, and you often forget to respond to inquiry emails, prospective clients won’t feel like they can trust you.
Plan now how you will grow your business, set achievable goals, and decide how you will be accountable so you can be consistent. You’ll be proud of your achievements, you’ll feel more confident in your business, and your clients will know how trustworthy and caring you really are.
Want to learn more about coaching business skills? Now would be a good time to connect with one of our Admissions Advisors. All our Advisors are IAWP Graduates and they can share first hand what it’s like to train with the IAWP and launch a successful career as a Holistic Wellness Coach.
Just click here to schedule your complimentary Wellness Coach Career Session. Your session is all about helping you find your path and exploring the amazing options as a Holistic Wellness Coach.
