How To Get Your Complementary Therapy Business Off To A Flying Start
ell done! You've passed cycle!) wheels are out of balance
the exams, received the - you get a rough ride. It's even
certificate, taken out rougher when your Wheel of Life
your insurance and you're ready is out of balance.
to open the doors in your new
complementary therapy business. The second common trap is that,
You are your own boss, possibly being passionate about your
for the first time - and here's therapy, sometimes it's easy to
where the learning starts all focus solely on the therapeutic
over again. skills you have learned,
forgetting the business side of
There are two common traps that self-employment. If you are a
newly qualified practitioners sole-trader, this is even more
fall into - the first is likely.
neglecting the rest of your life.
Family, your own health, An objective outsider,
finances, relaxation and leisure experienced in setting up a
are the main ones, but other micro-business in the
areas include personal complementary therapy field will
development and contribution to understand the problems you face
society in general. And you will and how others have overcome
probably have your own specifics. them. Typical challenges are:
* You are highly qualified in
Coaching can help you through your therapy and love what you
this transition period. A coach do, but didn't expect it would be
will work with you to define your this hard to run your own
own "Wheel of Life" and ensure business - beset by problems such
that it's in balance. You know as:
what happens when your car (or
* Cash flow * How to keep focused on one main
thing, without getting
* Lack of funding side-tracked by your many ideas
* Lack of clients * Nervous about leaving the
security of a full-time job
* You don't understand how to
build or run a business * Coming from a background of
employment where you had lots of
* Lacking solid procedures for resources at your finger-tip
making business decisions (e.g. access to IT technical
support) you may sub-consciously
* Difficulty in setting realistic expect the same in their small
goals and meeting them business
* Do you prefer working alone or * Time-management problems - What
in a small team with other to "do", "dump" or "delegate"
therapists?
* Need to quickly recoup the
* You have no natural aptitude or costs of your training
interest in marketing or sales
and feel uncomfortable with the * Starting in business after the
sales role camaraderie of college, you may
feel isolated - fellow students
* You may even feel uncomfortable have suddenly become competitors
talking about fees to clients for your clients!
* Need to expand your comfort A coach can help you, not only in
zone the above business areas, but
also in the rest of your Wheel of
Life. Complementary therapists coach works with you to help you
are often sole-traders, new to discover the questions AND their
running their own business. answers, not just in your
Caught up in the excitement of a business, but in the rest of your
new qualification it's easy to life.
lose sight of other areas of life
that need nurturing. It's typical Effective coaching doesn't
for all small business require that the coach has
proprietors to need help working specific experience of a client's
on areas outside the business occupation - often the very
e.g. absence of this adds to the
effectiveness of the coaching
* Lack of time and feeling procedure, as the coach will
overwhelmed with the number of stand apart and "see the wood
jobs you have to do from the trees".
* Work-life balance - there IS a However, although a coach will
life outside your business take a holistic approach to
working with you, it can be
How does coaching differ from beneficial if the coach comes
mentoring? A mentor will from a similar background to
generally guide someone and yourself, as they will more
support them in a specific task, readily understand your problems.
or in this case therapy. This is
a very valuable service, but With a background in nutritional
coaching can offer a more therapy I originally studied
holistic approach. coaching as an add-on, to support
and motivate weight loss clients.
A mentor knows the answers to My training required me to work
specific problems, whereas a with a wide variety of clients
and I found that I particularly were setting up their businesses.
enjoyed working with recently This is now a focal point in my
qualified practitioners, as they client development programme.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com
Joy Healey is a qualified life-coach, conducting telephone or face-to-face sessions. To learn more about coaching visit her website www.life-coaching-london.co.uk ">for a free monthly newsletter to help you in various areas of your life.
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