Perhaps the idea of becoming a health coach is appealing to you, but you’d like to take it one step further and open your own business. If obtaining schooling as a health coach and then using that training to apply for a corporate or medical job is not something you are interested in, and if you’d like to have more independence and autonomy in your career, consider opening your own personal health coaching business.
As a private health coach, you become an entrepreneur in the field. Here are some of the things to consider when starting your own small business as a health coach.
Experience: Do you have business experience? If not, research your local resources. You may find free small business seminars are available through your local government. Alternatively, you could enroll in small business classes through your local community college.
Websites and Social Media: You’ll need a website to get your health coaching business on the scene. You can build your own site through a platform such as Wordpress, or you could hire someone to do the design and development for you. Social media is a great way to then spread the word about your new services.
Free Internet Tools: If you have a computer software background, you can take advantage of free Internet tools such as Blogger and Google to build your website or blog! But, if you have the finances, it's better to pay a service provider so that you own your site.
Office Space: Do you want or need office space right away? If you’re just starting up your health coaching business, you may want to hold off on obtaining an office space immediately. Many times, you can coach clients over the phone, over the internet with a resource such as Skype, or even meet locally. Sometimes clients come to a coach’s home office for sessions. It depends on your comfort level. In any case, an office can be a necessary expense at some point in terms of professionalism.
Community and Connections: Your local community can be a great resource for you when starting up a health coaching business. Seek out like-minded business owners, such as at health food stores, yoga studios, chiropractic offices, acupuncturists, sports medicine, nutritionists and the like. You’ll know which is best based on your own niche and interests. Establishing rapport within your community leads to networking and your first clients.
Advertising: You’ll need to get your name and your services out there to the public to get your first clients. Until health coaching becomes more standard and commonplace and is covered under health insurance, you’ll have to do some leg work to build up your client list. You should research your local newspaper listings, community flyers, or even Google Ads or Facebook Ads.
Your Elevator Speech: Do you have an elevator speech? You need to be able to tell people you meet casually what it is that you actually do as a health coach! Since this is still a new field, many people’s first reaction when you tell them you’re a health coach is: "What does a health coach do?” Be prepared with a succinct version of the services you provide for people. Just make sure you can present yourself well and confidently, and you just may be gaining a new client.
Preparation: With your own health coaching business, everything you choose to do will be your own responsibility. You’ll need to obtain your own forms and record-keeping procedures, order your own materials and establish your own procedures for operating. Gather materials that will comprise a welcome packet, assessment tools and procedural based agreements. Stay organized!
Owning your own health coaching business can be extremely rewarding. You can choose the hours and locations where you work. You can adjust your services to accommodate your particular niche and community. You can add on to your services with features such as workshops and retreats. The sky is the limit when you work for yourself. However, you should prepare yourself fully for the task ahead. There is a lot of work involved in getting your name out there, becoming recognized and gaining clients. Affecting the lives of individuals in a positive way is a very rewarding experience, no matter which career path you take as a health coach.