I don’t know about you but I struggled getting my business started.
I struggled A LOT.
I kept making what I thought were ‘mistakes’, because honestly, they made me feel BAD. My website has been on 3 different platforms. I’ve used numerous themes and email service providers.
I’ve had several different domains, products, and services…
Fam, it was HARD narrowing down what the right process and tools were for my business. I did a lot of trial and error.
I felt a lot like Goldilocks. Some tools were great, but just missing *one* feature I really wanted. Some would have been perfect but I wasn’t willing to invest until I was already making money (umm… can we talk about how backwards that thinking is??)
I didn’t want to outsource because it was MY business… until I realized I could still be the face (and brains!) of my own operation, but it didn’t mean I had to create all my own content, or handle all the menial tasks I really hated doing!
And with each “mistake”, which made me feel like a “loser”, I brushed myself off, and got back to work.
It took me a minute (or 2 LOL) to figure out exactly where I was supposed to be and what my business should look like so that it was something I would wake up WANTING to do each day. (and really y’all, I wake up now excited about getting to work – I truly love what I do!)
So I think I”m a winner now… but only because I was a 10-time loser who tried ONE MORE TIME.
Ace fam, I started my health coaching business 2 years ago and made allll the mistakes. If having the ‘get your business’ started checklist helps just 1 person figure what they need to do to get up and running, my work here is done
The newly rewritten *Health Coach Getting Started Checklist*:
**Disclaimer – I am not an attorney or an accountant and I highly recommend you consult both before making legal and financial business decisions.
1. Get Professional Liability Insurance – Check with your certifying body’s recommendation.
2. Find out your state, city, and local requirements for operating a business. Most states require that you acquire a business license. You can find out your requirements by Googling “Obtain a business license <your city/town>”
3. Familiarize yourself with the scope of your health coaching/fitness practice with regard to nutrition advice. Check here to find out what the laws are where you live.
4. Determine what your niche is – meaning, what problem you want to help people with? Weight loss? Auto-immune support? Holistic wellness? Stress management? Think about your area of expertise or what topic you’re passionate about helping people with.
5. Start thinking about the format of your business – how you want it to look? Do you want to work with individual clients or run group programs? Online or in-person?
6. Set up your social media profiles (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc) and start posting tips to build an audience
6. Create your Facebook business page using just your name as your business name for now if you don’t have a business name already.
7. Set up a business PayPal or Stripe account in order to receive payments.
8. Set up an email management system. (I use and highly recommend Kartra as it integrates email, payment, product delivery and a membership site that makes delivering my program content to clients so easy.)
9. Create an opt-in to offer potential clients in exchange for their email to build a subscriber list.
I recommend a checklist, a cheatsheet, or a recipe book. Use a Canva template to quickly create an attractive, branded freebie.
Don’t forget to follow up with new subscribers and offer them a spot in your coaching program!
1. I asked my ICA what they wanted.
They might have been asking for meal plans and workouts but it turns out they had no idea what they actually needed. So I did 3 iterations of my program before I landed in my actual niche and realized what I want my program to look like. At the time I thought I was making mistakes but it turns out I was learning valuable lessons that I could not have learned otherwise.
2. I gave my program away for free.
When there’s no energy exchange (and yes, money is energy!) people tend not to value your content or your time. Charge something, even for your beta, and even to your friends, so they will pay attention.
3. I stayed invisible in my business out of fear.
I didn’t want my face or my name on my website. I didn’t want to tell people what I did. I didn’t want to hold workshops in my community because I was sure no one would show up or people would laugh at me. If you got in this business to help people then don’t make your decisions about YOU and how YOU feel and get out there and start helping people! 
Don’t be afraid of crickets. Sometimes fb lives get zero views or likes. You will screw something up and that’s ok. The worst thing you can do is hide behind your computer and pretend you’re busy.
4. I did busy-work, and pretended it was important.
Very little of it actually made me any money and a lot of it helped me maintain an expensive hobby. LOSE/LOSE. The best thing you can do is get out there, get visible, and run your programs with the intention of SERVICE.
5. I bought DFY program after DFY program because (like weight loss) I believed there was A MAGIC DFY program that I would set up and money would start pouring in. Every DFY needs some kind of implementation, installation, marketing, etc and you still need to get out there and sell it.