[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/edisoninst.com\/how-to-start-your-own-clinic-as-a-holistic-nutritionist\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/edisoninst.com\/how-to-start-your-own-clinic-as-a-holistic-nutritionist\/","headline":"How To Start Your Own Nutrition Clinic","name":"How To Start Your Own Nutrition Clinic","description":"How to start your own holistic nutrition clinic as a new nutritionist. So it\u2019s finally official \u2013 you\u2019ve got your Diploma in Holistic Nutrition from Edison Institute of Nutrition. Now what?...","datePublished":"2021-02-25","dateModified":"2026-01-29","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/edisoninst.com\/author\/ein_marlene\/#Person","name":"Marlene","url":"https:\/\/edisoninst.com\/author\/ein_marlene\/","identifier":4,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/669d68837c50949b8a978b90d77c2c97da62be0c9a8fee8912abb01c7e0947a8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/669d68837c50949b8a978b90d77c2c97da62be0c9a8fee8912abb01c7e0947a8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Edison Institute of Nutrition","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/edisoninst.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Edison-Institute-of-Nutrition-logo-color.svg","url":"https:\/\/edisoninst.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Edison-Institute-of-Nutrition-logo-color.svg","width":0,"height":0}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/edisoninst.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/how-to-start-your-own-clinic-as-a-holistic-nutritionist.jpg","url":"https:\/\/edisoninst.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/how-to-start-your-own-clinic-as-a-holistic-nutritionist.jpg","height":630,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/edisoninst.com\/how-to-start-your-own-clinic-as-a-holistic-nutritionist\/","about":["Articles","Courses","Holistic Nutrition"],"wordCount":3441,"articleBody":"How to start your own holistic nutrition clinic as a new nutritionist.So it\u2019s finally official \u2013 you\u2019ve got your Diploma in Holistic Nutrition from Edison Institute of Nutrition.Now what? Let\u2019s explore how to start your own nutrition clinic as a Holistic Nutritionist.There are many options for holistic nutritionists to build their careers, but the most common is to go into private practice.In many cases, your goal in private practice might be to build your own nutrition clinic, but the steps to get there can seem overwhelming.But we\u2019re here to help.Today, we\u2019re speaking with Seung-Ho Jung, VP of sales & business development with Symbiosis, a medical co-working space that helps healthcare practitioners build their own private practices.He\u2019ll share with us some insights on what it takes to build your own nutrition clinic and how to make sure you don\u2019t miss any of the important points.Before You Start Your Holistic Nutrition Clinic Consider The Following:\u201cOne of the most important things you can do,\u201d says Jung, \u201cis to talk to other practitioners who operate their own clinics. Get an idea of what they did to get to where they are, and see if there are any strategies that overlap with what you\u2019re doing. Don\u2019t be afraid to ask questions.\u201dObviously, every clinic will be different, and older practitioners may have gotten to where they are by using strategies that are out of date.So if they suggest buying a full page ad in the Yellow Pages, take that with, ahem, a grain of salt.It might be a good idea to speak to a practitioner who started their clinic at some point within the last decade or so to get some more relevant strategies.But what happens if they\u2019re worried you might horn in on their territory?\u201cIn that case,\u201d says Jung, \u201cyou might want to speak to somebody a couple towns over \u2013 still in your locality, but far enough away that they wouldn\u2019t be competition.\u201dYou can also reach out to our faculty members here at Edison.Getting Financing To Build Your Own Holistic Nutrition ClinicIf your goal is to build your own holistic nutrition clinic, your first step is going to be to take a look at the finances you\u2019ll need to get the job done.If you\u2019re fortunate enough to come from a wealthy family or have recently won the lottery, you can skip this section.But for the rest of us, you\u2019ll have to consider the types of investors you\u2019ll have access to.Broadly speaking, there are three different types of investors to look at.1. Investors You Know\u201cThe first,\u201d says Jung, \u201cis the type you have a personal connection with. Family members, close friends, and other people you already know.\u201cYour arrangement with them tends to be more informal and can take the form of a private loan or an equity investment \u2013 talk to them and see what they need from you.\u201d2. Bank Loans\u201cNext, you have banks. They used to leap at folks with professional diplomas and degrees, but these days they consider your value based on an algorithm.\u201dAnd what\u2019s the best way to beat the algorithm?\u201cYou\u2019re going to have to write a holistic nutritionist business plan\u2009\u2014\u2009the more detail-oriented it is, the more you can prove to the bank that you\u2019re prepared for dealing with hidden costs in starting your holistic nutrition clinic. You can always hire a business plan writer to help you with this process as well.\u201dA business plan is a great idea even if you\u2019re not going after financing \u2013 it can make the difference between a thriving practice and a struggling one.But is it always a good idea to go to the banks first?\u201cBanks often tend to be easier,\u201d says Jung, \u201cbecause they have more of a set path. You can get a straight yes or no answer in a set amount of time. It\u2019s more of a formulaic process.\u201d3. Private InvestorsAfter the banks, there\u2019s a third option as well \u2013 private investors.\u201cThese are what you often call angel investors or equity investors,\u201d says Jung. \u201cThey might be acquaintances, they might be complete strangers. Take a look at the angel investor groups in your area to see who might be investing in businesses similar to yours.\u201d To learn more about angel investors check out Investopedia.com website and look for article called: :Angel Investor: Definition and How It Works\u201d; this website is packed full of great information.In general, these investors will exchange their capital for a portion of your business \u2013 if you\u2019ve ever watched a show like Shark Tank or Dragon\u2019s Den, it\u2019s a similar idea.What are the benefits of private investors?\u201cOne of the big benefits is that it tends to be less risky. With a bank loan you have to pay it back with interest and in some cases even if your business fails, but that\u2019s not true with an equity investor. On the other hand, they\u2019ll usually end up with part ownership of your business, which can be frustrating. They also tend to need business plans that are much more detailed and the process is not as straightforward. They want to know how they will profit from investment in your practice, and you need to make that clear to them.\u201d4. Government LoansThere is, however, one other source of financing for your business.\u201cMost countries offer commercial loans for small businesses. Here in the United States where Symbiosis is, it\u2019s a very detailed, but once you get the loan it tends to be very low interest.\u201dWhich Option Is Best For You?At the end of the day, each option has its own benefits and drawbacks.Weigh them, and consider what works best for you.\u201cMoney now is always better than money later,\u201d says Jung, \u201cbut you have to consider the consequences as well.\u201d2. Choosing A Location For Your Nutrition ClinicWhen choosing your clinic location, you have to consider your area.A major city is going to be different than a small town, obviously.If You\u2019re Starting Your Holistic Nutrition Clinic In A Major City\u201cIf you\u2019re in a major city,\u201d says Jung, \u201cbe as close to public transit as you can. Even if you offer a service that\u2019s generally preferred by middle class folks, you\u2019d be surprised at how much of a difference this can make.\u201dIt\u2019s also important to consider your target market.\u201cThink about what other industries there are around,\u201d says Jung. \u201cIf your target market is professionals who have access to employee health benefits, you might be able to run a stronger practice in a downtown setting even if the rent is a little higher. On the other hand, if you\u2019re after younger, health conscious people, it might be a good idea to set up near a fitness centre or a health food store.\u201dIf You\u2019re Starting Your Holistic Nutrition Clinic In The SuburbsIn general, suburban areas don\u2019t have as robust public transit.\u201cIn that case, have good parking,\u201d says Jung. \u201cEasily accessible, close to your building, and preferably free.\u201dIf You\u2019re Starting Your Holistic Nutrition Clinic In A Rural AreaAnd what about practitioners who set up in a rural area?\u201cLook at where people congregate. It\u2019s true that rural areas are more spread out, but there still tend to be town centres. Whether that\u2019s near a grocery store, a church, a community centre, etc, being near these locations will make it more convenient for folks to access your services.\u201dTry To Be Near Other Healthcare PractitionersRegardless of where you set up, though, it\u2019s always a good idea to be near another practice.\u201cDon\u2019t think of other practitioners as your competition. If there\u2019s a place available next door to an acupuncturist or a massage therapist, this can actually be perfect for you.\u201cYou can build your practice through referrals to each other. It\u2019s not the only source of new business, but it can be a strong and reliable one.\u201d3. Approaching A Lease For Your Nutrition ClinicNegotiating a lease is one of the most time-consuming parts of setting up a clinic, and it can be the most expensive one as well.Seeking A Commercial Lease For Your Holistic Nutrition Clinic\u201cA commercial lease will lock you in for several years, and can be tremendously expensive,\u201d says Jung. \u201cThey tend ask for a minimum of five years, and in most cases you\u2019ll have to do renovations yourself which can be costly in both time and money.\u201cThis is often doable for a well-established practice, but if you\u2019re just starting out it\u2019s a big risk that might not pay off.\u201dSeeking A Commercial Sublease For Your Holistic Nutrition Clinic\u201cFor a practitioner just starting out,\u201d says Jung, \u201cit might be a good idea to consider subleasing a space from a complementary practitioner.\u201cTalk to homeopaths, acupuncturists, naturopathic doctors, or other complementary practitioners in your area to see what your options are.\u201dWhy is a sublease more desirable than a full commercial lease?\u201cCommercial leases tend to be longer term,\u201d says Jung. \u201cYou might be locked in for several years, even up to a decade depending on the deal. In most cases, it means you\u2019ll have to renovate the space as well.\u201cWith a sublease, you don\u2019t usually have to worry about that. You\u2019re still beholden to the landlord through your sublease agreement though.\u201dDirect Space Licensing \u2013 A Medical Co-working Space For Holistic NutritionistsA third option is direct space licensing, which is what Jung offers through Symbiosis.\u201cWith direct space licensing, it works like a co-working space for healthcare providers\u201cYou license space directly from us, which is much more flexible. You\u2019re not beholden to a landlord at all.\u201cThis is great for practices that are just starting up, since it means you face less liability. Licensing space from a medical co-working space also means the space will take care of most of the maintenance, upkeep, staffing, insurance, etc. so you can focus more on actually practicing.\u201dWhich Should You Choose?So with these three options, which is best for you?\u201cTo choose, ask yourself these simple questions: how much money do you want to spend, and how certain are you that your practice is going to succeed? If you\u2019re building a brand new practice, it can be riskier than starting off on your own after you\u2019ve built up a clientele, so a direct space licensing or a sublease might be a better idea at first.\u201dYou are at an advantage compared to other practitioners though.\u201cAs a holistic nutritionist,\u201d says Jung, \u201cyou have the benefit of not having to worry about a lot of bulky equipment like, say, a dentist might. You can get away with a smaller space and lower rent.\u201dSpeak to a local commercial real estate agent to get to know some of the common mistakes when signing a commercial lease.4. Managing Your Billing System in your Nutrition Clinic\u201cPractitioners often underestimate billing,\u201d says Jung. \u201cBut it\u2019s arguably the most important part of your practice. After all, without billing, you\u2019re not going to make any money.\u201dMost practitioners know that, at least intuitively, clients = revenue.But it\u2019s a lot more complicated than that.The Traditional Approach To Healthcare Billing\u201cMany people think they know how to handle billing on their own,\u201d says Jung. \u201cAnd if you\u2019re only seeing a few patients a week that might work, but if you want to see it as a business you need to address the fact that there are limitations to what one person can do for billing.\u201dThe traditional approach is to hire an office manager, but if that\u2019s unattainable for you right now, what are your options?Research Healthcare Billing Software\u201cAt this point, most people start looking into software. But you REALLY have to do your research on it. Some might work great for certain health practitioners but be terrible for others. You have to invest time and money into learning these software options. Take their demo versions for a spin if they offer them.\u201dWhat are some red flags to watch for when you\u2019re doing your billing software research?\u201cLook into the software\u2019s reviews and confront the company about them,\u201d says Jung. \u201cA bad review isn\u2019t necessarily a bad thing, since billing mistakes do happen. But the company\u2019s response to it will be a big indicator. If they\u2019re honest about what happened and what they did to solve the situation, that\u2019s okay, but if they try to minimize what happened, that\u2019s a problem.\u201dJung also warns to watch out for billing software that markets itself as \u201cpowerful\u201d.\u201cYou might think \u2018powerful\u2019 software will help in simplifying your practice\u2019s finances, but in most cases\u2018 powerful\u2019 just means more complicated and harder to learn.\u201dIt\u2019s important to remember that with software, it\u2019s only as powerful as the person using it.\u201cThe information you put into your computer is a lot like your diet,\u201d says Jung. \u201cGarbage in, garbage out. If you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing as far as putting information into your computer, the output will always be terrible.\u201dWhat About Point Of Sale Systems?\u201cPOS systems also tend to be complicated and cost prohibitive for start-ups,\u201d says Jung. \u201cThere are simpler options like Square that have popped up on the market, but they charge high fees, sometimes up to 5% of each transaction. That may not sound like a lot, but it adds up.\u201d\u201cThat\u2019s another place where Symbiosis helps,\u201d says Jung. \u201cWe\u2019ve worked with a wide variety of different healthcare practitioners so we know what software and what point of sale systems will work best for your specific practice.\u201dAuditing Your Holistic Nutrition Practice\u2019s Finances\u201cI can\u2019t stress this enough,\u201d insists Jung, \u201cyou have to have a reliable way to audit your monthly financial performance. That means knowing how much money is coming in, and how much is going out.\u201dOn top of this, it\u2019s important to understand your revenue cycle as well.\u201cRevenue cycle management means where your money is coming from. Where are you getting your new clients? Is it through marketing efforts or referrals? If it\u2019s referrals, where are they coming from?\u201cIt also means why are they coming in? Do they just want a one-time consult, or are they looking for ongoing care?\u201dLearning A Second Specialty You Can Offer In Your New Nutrition Clinic\u201cMachines have made it easier to keep track of your finances,\u201d says Jung, but it still takes time. If you decide to do all your accounting yourself, you\u2019ll not only have to put in the effort to learn how to do it \u2013 something people spend years doing \u2013 you\u2019ll have to spend time every day keeping track of it.\u201dAnd that\u2019s time you could be using to work with clients.\u201cIf you\u2019re working with clients for six hours a day, and giving your accounting the time it needs, you might end up working 12 hour days every day. That might be possible in the short term, but it\u2019s not sustainable.\u201dHolistic Nutritionist in meeting with clients in his Nutrition Clinic5. Marketing Your Holistic Nutrition ClinicThere are so many different ways to market your private nutrition clinic.And naturally, with the digital world encroaching more and more into our lives, you might be thinking about online marketing first.But even there, there are so many different options.What\u2019s the best to choose?Search Engine Optimization To Support A Nutrition ClinicAs far as Jung is concerned, it\u2019s SEO.\u201cSEO stands for search engine optimization,\u201d says Jung. \u201cIt\u2019s the process of getting your website to the top of Google. The key is to get your name out there in the easiest and most cost-effective manner, and that\u2019s still SEO.\u201cWhenever anyone is looking for anything, they use Google, and statistics show that about 95% of people don\u2019t go past the front page.\u201dBut how does one get their website to the top of Google?\u201cThere are hundreds of different factors,\u201d says Jung. \u201cI\u2019m not an SEO specialist, so I\u2019d strongly advise talking with a professional. They can offer you introductory SEO audit packages \u2013 that\u2019s a great place to start.\u201dWhat About Social Media For Marketing A Holistic Nutrition Practice Online?Of course, there are plenty of other options out there for you to explore when you set up your nutrition practice. Set up one social media platform at a time and master it, then move to the next. If you do too many at once it can easily become overwhelming and frustrating for your new nutrition clinic and no one wants that.\u201cMany new healthcare providers opt to start social media pages to try and build their following that way. It doesn\u2019t hurt to have an Instagram or a Facebook page \u2013 they are free, after all \u2013 but unless you\u2019re willing to spend some money on paid advertising on these platforms, you\u2019re unlikely to be able to use it to grow your practice.\u201dWhat About Google Ads For Marketing A Holistic Nutrition Clinic Online?\u201cGoogle ads are great,\u201d says Jung, \u201cbut they have their limitations.\u201dThe first is the fact that plenty of people won\u2019t see them.\u201cMany people have ad blockers on their browsers, so you have that barrier to deal with. Younger people are more likely to have an adblocker, so if that\u2019s your demographic it\u2019s even more important.\u201dNext is the trust factor.\u201cPeople tend to trust Google\u2019s organic searches \u2013 SEO \u2013 more than they do ads. They click on them more often.6. Managing Your Expectations for you Nutrition ClinicIf you\u2019ve just graduated, you\u2019re probably getting ready to hit the ground running.Hold on to that energy \u2013 but recognize that setbacks happen \u2013 whether in building your clinic, dealing with difficult clients, or dealing with clients that don\u2019t follow recommendations.\u201cDisappointments and frustrations are going to come,\u201d says Jung, \u201cbut don\u2019t let them drag you down. Failure is a part of life, and you have to be realistic. Adopt an attitude of being able to pick yourself up and start again. It doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re a failure.\u201dAt the same time, it\u2019s important to understand how to shift your strategy.\u201cKnow when to keep at it and when to pivot,\u201d says Jung. \u201cIf something is underperforming, you need to know when to keep pushing and when to move on.\u201dBut there\u2019s a difference between pivoting and completely changing your plan.\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid of your own vision of your clinic. If you have a clear picture of your goals, don\u2019t lose faith. Your dream of owning your own wellness business is possible, but it might not look exactly like your dream. But if it\u2019s 3\u20444 of the way there, that\u2019s still a success.\u201dBuilding your own clinic can be stressful, but as a newly minted registered holistic nutritionist, you have tools to be able to ease your anxiety.Contact Edison Institute Of NutritionAre you thinking of becoming a holistic nutritionist?If so, contact Edison Institute of Nutrition today.We\u2019ll work with you to start you off in a successful new career in holistic nutrition."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"How To Start Your Own Nutrition Clinic","item":"https:\/\/edisoninst.com\/how-to-start-your-own-clinic-as-a-holistic-nutritionist\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]