Most people will take up a career for a combination of reasons.
But the first hurdle to pass over is often the simplest one – do I like the subject matter?
So many of the students at our school of holistic nutrition already had an interest in food or medicine.
However, to start up your own practice, you need more than just knowledge about nutrition – you also need business knowledge, and all the things that go along with that.
Here are a few of the things you’ll need to know to start your business as a holistic nutritionist.
1. First Off, Your Accreditation
You can’t go anywhere as a holistic nutritionist without the learning first, so make sure you start by choosing a good program from a good school with a good reputation.
The better your alma mater, the more respect you will earn as a holistic nutritionist, and that can have a direct impact on your business’ success.
However, while you’re in school there might also be a good opportunity to work with another practitioner, perhaps as an office assistant, so you can see how they run their business.
You can learn a lot by being imbedded in the work, so pay close attention to how their operations are run.
It may even be a good time to start building a business plan – you can add to it as you gain experience, so that you’ve got a plan for when it’s your turn to hit the ground running.
2. Decide On Your Focus
Do you want to be a general nutritionist or do you want to specialize in one aspect of health and make a name for yourself there?
Consider what area of holistic nutrition you’re most interested in; alternately, is there a ‘problem’ that you feel strongly about solving?
One example is helping couples get pregnant – if your heart pulls you to focus here, then listen, and build your name in that niche.
Having a niche market is a good business strategy; it allows you to focus your time, energy, and marketing dollars on a very specific group of people.
Although that might seem counter-intuitive to you at first – limiting yourself – what it actually allows is for you to really hone in on one type of client.
By focusing on one problem or client type, it means you can learn everything about them and who they are, where you can find them, what specialized information you need to provide that service, and then you can also charge for that specialty knowledge.
3. Put Together A Marketing Plan
It’s not enough to just declare your specialty – you need to market yourself, your business, and your expertise to those clients.
Having a specific niche within holistic nutrition allows you to focus your marketing spend on just one client profile, which actually makes your marketing dollars go further.
But how?
This is where a marketing plan comes into play; in it, you determine what you’re going to do to attract clients, and then you stick to that plan.
A marketing plan involves a few steps, but remember that there are consultants to help you, if you feel like you are out of your depth.
Start by building a profile of your ideal client; picture them in your head and then create them on paper.
Include name, age, occupation, hobbies and living arrangements; but also think about what they read, what they like to eat, their salary range, and their daily habits.
The more information you assemble about them, the better.
This helps you to target your marketing, so that when you lay out your plan, you have a frame of reference for every choice you make.
4. Learn How To Network
Networking is crucial for success in business, but it doesn’t have to be complicated.
You’d be surprised — the opportunities that you’re presented with on a daily basis – but you have to commit to taking advantage of them.
If you’re at the gym, the grocery store, a baseball game or the movies, chatting with people you encounter can lead to converting them into a client.
However, to get serious about networking, look out for events – whether in person or online – where you might find your perfect client (hint: use your client profile).
For instance, if your ideal client likes fitness, you may want to sign up as a holistic nutrition speaker at a fitness conference, so you can meet your clients where they are.
5. Don’t Get Discouraged
Starting your own business is rarely an easy endeavour, but it will be a thrilling adventure.
Be ready to learn a lot, over and above what you know as a registered holistic nutritionist.
There will be times where you may feel like you’re not getting anywhere, or you’re not getting enough clients.
It’s a famous saying for a reason: Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Good planning helps prevent getting discouraged — following your plan will help to keep you moving forward.
Contact Edison Institute of Nutrition
When you study at Edison Institute Of Nutrition, you get more than just training as a holistic nutritionist.
As part of our continuing education program, we offer the Business Of Wellness Consulting course.
Taught by Alisa Herriman, an RHN herself as well as the owner of a direct sales business, you’ll learn everything you need to know to run a successful practice.
Beyond that, though, we have many staff who have been in practice for years, and so even the instructors you interact with will be experienced in exactly what you are interested in.
Launching your own holistic nutritionist practice is a big undertaking, but it is a rewarding career.
Take the first step now and call us to learn more.
