With a passion for all things health I have absolutely no doubt that it’s crossed your mind on more than one occasion to jack in your 9-5 and retrain in the area of wellness you’re excited by.

It looks like the dream doesn’t it? Watching your yoga teacher pack out classes and do what they love, seeing an inspiring speaker on stage sharing their knowledge on great healthy recipes or following a wellness advocate living their dream life on social media, thanks to their job. You want in!

But making wellness your job is often not a simple decision.

Changing career and starting up a business of your own has lots of considerations: the financial implications, the time it will take, the training you need to do, the business building that will need to happen….

So if you’re wondering ‘should I become a wellness coach?’ Here are some answers to think about before you jump in:

Yes if… You’re in it for the long-game

It might feel like a great idea now, but how is becoming a wellness coach going to fit in with your plans over the next few years?

Building up your own client base, doing your own marketing and making wellness coaching an income generator takes time. There aren’t short-cuts and you’ll always be learning more and growing, both as a coach and a business owner.

If you think this is going to be a quick fix for a financial situation you might be in, think again. This is a career move for people who still want to be helping people with their health in years to come. If that’s definitely you, it could be a great step.

Yes if… You’re ready and willing to invest in yourself

In order to be a great wellness coach that gets booked out and truly gets results for your customers and clients, you want to be really good at what you do.

Which means you need to be prepared to get yourself a good qualification or certification to get you the skills you need and to invest in coaches, mentors and support to make your business a reality.

Of course there is lots you can do right now based on your own experience and in the self-taught arena too, with plenty of resources and tutorials online when it comes to growing a business.

But to be truly credible and make an impact, as well as harness the power of connection with other experts in the field, you will need to invest.

That can feel really scary when money feels short. But again, if you’re in this for the long-game and you’re really backing yourself, you’re going to make that money back and more when you turn this into a career.

Yes if….You’re okay with ‘failure’ and things changing 

Having a really clear goal about your future life as a wellness coach is a fantastic place to start and work towards.

But a big part of starting your own business or doing something new is that things don’t always go to plan, and that’s okay!

If you’re going to train in something totally new, you’ve got to be prepared to get it wrong and be bad at things before you can get good and sometimes find new paths, collaborations, opportunities and ideas along the way.

Training to be a wellness coach will take time and energy and it might just be that the way you think it’s going to pan out isn’t what actually happens.

If you’re open and excited about the path it’s going to take you on the person you’ll become just be starting the journey, your head’s in a great space for success.

No if…. You’re not prepared to get good at business

Training to become a wellness coach is only one part of the puzzle.

Whilst that in itself will take time and brain power from you, it’s only once you’re out the other side of qualifying that you’ll quickly realise that there is a whole other skill-set you need to master if you want to promote yourself effectively and actually book clients.

That means getting good at things like marketing and selling, which might make you squirm initially!

The trouble is, you could be the most qualified wellness coach in the world, but if you don’t know how to promote yourself and convert browsers into buyers, your training will go totally unused. Are you prepared to be visible and learn these new skills too?

No if…. You’re afraid of judgment from others

One of the biggest problems I see when I help people start and grow their wellness businesses is their fear of judgement.

Often when we take a new career path, look to up-level ourselves or push out of our comfort zone and do something brave and new, we trigger negative feelings in other people around us. Sometimes that comes out as jealousy or comments from them that belittle or undermine our excitement and energy for what we’re doing and make us doubt ourselves.

Those who know us might be afraid for us and want to keep us safe, which comes from a place of love and protection. Or perhaps our actions to train as a wellness coach might remind them of the missed opportunities they didn’t take themselves to follow their own passions, which means they reflect that onto us in their doubts and negative comments.

If you’re going to let yourself be held back by what your boss, work colleagues, cousin, aunt or school friends will think of you, wellness coaching isn’t the right move for you. You can’t let fear of judgement stop you going for it 100%.

No if… You’re only in it for yourself

Ultimately with any solo business adventure or entrepreneurial ambition, your ability to make an income and live sustainably relies on you helping other people.

Any great brand that stands the test of time creates products and services that answer problems and offers solutions for their ideal customers.

If you want to become a wellness coach simply because you want extra money in your pocket, to be seen on stage and get sent freebies, this isn’t the right path for you.

To have true influence and make an impact on people’s health you need to put your audience and ideal customers first. Absolutely a career as a wellness coach can give you a fantastic, flexible lifestyle. But you have to start by putting your customers front and centre of what you do.

Think it’s the right path for you? Download my 10 step checklist to starting your own wellness business and Just Start Now: https://www.subscribepage.com/vickyshilling-juststartnow

Vicky Shilling is The Wellness Entrepreneur Coach, helping you start and grow a wellness business. Her clients include Nutritionists, Yoga teachers, personal trainers, athletic therapists, health coaches and anyone looking to create a career from their passion for wellness. Based in Dublin she works with clients through one-to-one coaching, online masterclasses and a thriving membership of health-based business owners.

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