How to Build Your Consulting Business: Health Coaches and Nutrition Professionals PDF Free Download
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How to Build Your
Consulting Business
Health Coaches and Nutrition Professionals
Table of Contents
Introduction ...............................................................................3
Education & Certification .........................................................6
Getting Started ..........................................................................9
Goal-Setting & Planning ............................................................. 12
Communications & Branding .....................................................18
Marketing ...................................................................................22
Operations .................................................................................31
Scaling ........................................................................................34
Additional Resources ..................................................................38
2HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
In today’s economy, careers in independent health consulting are increasingly
desirable. The process of starting your own practice is becoming simpler—most
people already have all the technology they need to run a consulting practice
right at their fingertips. Through video conferencing, social media, online teaching
platforms, and a variety of other technologies, independent consulting presents
opportunities to work from anywhere and set your own hours. Whether you’d
like to work from an office, while traveling, or if you’d like to stay at home while
working with clients from around the world, this career offers extreme flexibility
for where and how you spend your time.
Specifically, it’s an excellent time to begin an independent practice as a health
coach or a nutrition consultant. The health and wellness industry experienced
a 12.8 percent spike between 2016–2018 and is showing no signs of slowing
down. Out of the $4.2 trillion industry, the healthy eating, nutrition, and weight
management landscape makes up $702.1 billion. It’s a trend that’s easy to
Introduction
33HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
- Harvey Slater, AFPA Holistic Nutritionist
INTRODUCTION
see for yourself—even a quick scroll through social media will likely feature
advertisements or influencers showcasing fitness routines, healthy recipes, dietary
supplements, or exercise equipment.
There are several reasons why the wellness industry is taking off and why more
people are seeking specialized support from health coaches and nutritionists—
one reason being that general practitioners are falling short to provide quality
one-on-one care that fits the unique needs of each patient. On average, patients
only have about 11 seconds to explain the reason for their visit before being
interrupted by their doctors. Additionally, doctors do not receive the training
that prepares them to address the lifestyle changes that could mitigate disease
development or progression. Coaches, on the other hand, have been proven to
improve clients’ quality of life, raise their spirits, help them see and feel physical
health improvements, increase their emotional well-being, and feel less stressed.
Coaches take time to get to know their clients on a personal level, make them feel
heard, and adjust their solutions to meet each client’s unique needs. Coaches also
ensure that their clients will be well equipped to make these improvements last
for the long-term.
Not only is health coaching effective for clients, but it is extremely rewarding as a
career. In addition to the flexible schedule and other perks of self-employment,
running an independent practice presents the opportunity to connect with clients
4HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
INTRODUCTION
on a personal level. Creating great relationships with clients allows coaches
to provide emotional support, encouragement, affirmation, and confidence-
boosting that the clients need in order to be successful in sustaining new healthy
habits. Coaches are able to help clients improve their lives in a tangible way that
makes a difference every single day, from their overall strength to their digestion
health to their energy levels. Watching the progress your clients make and seeing
the improvements in their health is an extremely rewarding process—and one that
will likely make you feel both proud and appreciated for your work.
We hope you find this eBook helpful as you continue on your journey to starting
an independent consultant business as a health coach or nutrition professional.
If you’re still considering whether or not this career path is right for you, you
may find it helpful to hear some first-hand insights from other certified health
and wellness professionals who are running an independent consulting business.
Check out their stories here.
Pro tip:
Make sure you do your homework and understand what to expect!
While there are many perks to independent consulting as a career,
there are also many challenges and lifestyle adjustments you may need
to make in order to start and sustain your own business.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the team at AFPA! We’d love to
support you.
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HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
Before you can begin your consulting business, the first step is to make sure
you have the knowledge, skills, and qualifications to allow you to legally advise
clients on their health. While there are various programs out there that provide
education about health coaching and nutrition, not all programs are created
equal. It’s important that you set yourself up for success by selecting the right
program for you.
There are multiple factors to consider when selecting your educational pathway.
Among the most important is whether program graduates receive a certificate of
completion or a certification.
The difference between the two is important, yet simple: A certificate of
completion is not an academic credential, but a certification is. If your course
offers only a certificate of completion, this does not mean you are certified to
operate as a professional in any related field of work when you complete the
course. You do not need to receive passing grades or meet any state requirements
Education &
Certification
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HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
- Harvey Slater, AFPA Holistic Nutritionist
EDUCATION & CERTIFICATION
in order to earn a certificate of completion—you can earn one simply for
completing the course content. Earning a certificate is not the same as becoming
certified.
A certification is an official academic credential that attests to a status or level
of achievement. Becoming certified opens many more doors for you to grow in
your career. Here are a few ways that earning a certification can expand your
opportunities as an independent consultant:
■Certifications are recognized by third-party insurance companies. To run a
health coaching or nutrition consulting practice, you’re going to need to have
professional liability insurance. Insurance companies won’t insure anyone who
is unqualified to perform the services they are providing, so it’s important you
are properly certified and insured.
■It increases your credibility. Having a certification will show that you are
qualified to be advising your clients and makes marketing your new business
much easier.
■It helps you build trust with your clients. Because of the deeply personal
nature of the work that health coaches and nutrition professionals provide, it’s
important to build trust with your prospective clients so they are confident in
hiring you. Being a qualified and reliable resource with accredited credentials
will help you build the trust you need to book clients and to best serve them.
7HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
- Harvey Slater, AFPA Holistic Nutritionist
EDUCATION & CERTIFICATION
Many health coaches and nutritionists choose to take their certification one step
further and seek an additional board certification to enhance their marketability.
Do some research into different board certification options to see if that’s a good
fit for you.
Once you narrow down your choices to the programs that offer the credentials
you’re looking for, it’s also important to be realistic about how much time you
will be able to dedicate to your program. Consider what will work best for you
as you look into details such as whether the curriculum is on a strict timeline or
if it’s flexible and self-paced. Also, consider if it’s online or in-person and what
tools you will need to complete the course. This guide on how to choose the right
program for you could be helpful in providing more insights on how to identify
your passion, research programs, and make a selection.
Pro tip:
■Get professional liability insurance.
■Check out the latest guidelines in your state to get an understanding
of the rules and requirements for providing nutrition advice to clients.
(They change from time to time, so make sure you stay up-to-date
with the latest info!)
Even once you become certified, there are a couple of steps you need
to take before you can start working with clients. Make sure that you…
8HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
Choose a Business Name
It’s important to select a name for your business that is unique, reflects who you
are or your values in a positive way, and is easy to remember. This name should be
connected to your goals for how you want to develop your brand. If you want to
create a personal brand and promote yourself as a trusted service provider, using
your own name may be a suitable fit as a business name. If you plan to introduce
additional team members or products to your business down the road, selecting
a name that gives the business its own identity may be a better fit—that part is up
to you and your goals! Keep in mind that there are a few limitations in selecting a
name for your business—you need to make sure it’s available to use. You should
also check if there are any trademarks already in place on your desired name.
Getting Started
Once you are certified as a coach or consultant and you’re ready to start your
business, there are several ways you can plan for success from the very beginning.
Here are some important steps to setting up your business that you won’t want to
skip!
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GETTING STARTED
Another consideration when selecting a business name is the availability of a
website domain that reflects your business. Do a quick search on any domain
purchasing website to see what is available before committing to any names.
As social media is an important marketing tool these days, check a variety of
platforms to see what handles are available as well!
Pro tip:
When you find a domain name or social media handle that you like,
even if you’re not sold on it, grab it! With the high volume of users, you
never know how quickly someone else may register a new profile with
that handle or buy that domain you’ve had your eye on. You can always
change it later!
Register & Apply for a Business License
When you’re ready to register your business and apply for a license, you’ll need to
check federal, state, city, and county requirements. Where and how you register
will depend on how you decide to set up your business, what you decide to offer,
and where you’re located.
There are several ways you can register your business—as a Sole Proprietor, a
Limited Liability Corporation, Limited Liability Partnership, and others. If you’re
not sure which type of business is the best fit for you, ask a lawyer. It may also be
of benefit to speak with a tax professional to better understand the differences
and implications of each one on your business.
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GETTING STARTED
Get Legally Protected
It’s important to be proactive about your legal protection as an independent
consultant. It’s much easier and much more effective to create contracts that set
terms and conditions up front than it is to get entangled in a lawsuit later. Make
sure you do some research on small business lawyers in your area to get a sense
of what services they offer and what they charge so you know what to expect.
You can also check out services such as LegalZoom, RocketLawer, or LegalShield
to learn more about what your business may need and connect to affordable
solutions.
Notably, for independent consultants, it is critical to have a Client Services
Agreement that protects yourself and your clients. These agreements
outline things such as payment terms, refund policies, cancellation policies,
consequences for late payments, and more. You should also talk to a lawyer about
any website legal notices you may need and anything else they advise that would
be helpful to your business.
Additionally, if you’re creating and selling original content or any original products,
you may want to consider protecting them with trademarks, copyrights, or in some
cases, patents. You may even want to consider protecting your business name with
a trademark or copyright, depending on your goals.
Pro tip:
If you’re brand-new to all of this and would love some advice from an
expert, check out SCORE to connect with a mentor near you.
11HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
Whether you’re starting an independent consulting practice to live out a lifelong
dream or as a way to make a little extra cash on the side, it’s important to set goals
and develop a plan for your business as a whole. As an independent consultant,
you have the opportunity to ask yourself these important questions that will shape
your business:
■Who do I want to work with?
■How many hours do I want to work?
■How much money do I want to make?
■Why is this work important to me?
Your answers will help you determine a lot of things, from the structure of your
business to your branding.
Defining a niche for your business is going to help you stand out among a specific
audience. There are several criteria for deciding what niche is right for your
business. Namely, you’ll want to define who you want your business to help.
Goal-Setting & Planning
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GOAL-SETTING & PLANNING
Factors such as age, gender, budget, or even your clients’ specific needs can help
you narrow down the description of your niche audience.
Your niche can also be defined by your skill set and interests—what do you want to
help your clients achieve? What are you particularly good at that you’d like to offer
as an independent consultant?
Defining a mission and company values will also serve to connect with your
audience and build trust and relatability. Consider these questions as you work to
define your company mission and values:
■Why are you passionate about helping your niche client base?
■Why are you passionate about your area of work?
■What values guide how you work and interact with your clients?
You’re also going to want to define what exactly you’re going to offer to your
clients. As a consultant, it’s important to consider if you want to work on an
hourly rate or create programs or packages clients can purchase at a set price. In
addition to classic one-on-one consulting sessions, it’s increasingly common for
independent consultants to offer group sessions, eBooks, eCourses, workshops,
keynote speaking, or even memberships. The opportunities are boundless! Feel
free to get creative with how you want to deliver value to your clients, but be
careful not to pick too many things at once when you’re getting started—it’s good
to start out with just a few offers. You can always add more, make adjustments, or
take away offers as you learn and grow.
Once you know what you want to offer, you’ll need to figure out what tools you’re
going to need to make it all work. For example, if you want to host virtual sessions,
you’ll need to do some research into the best video conferencing software that
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GOAL-SETTING & PLANNING
works for you and your clients. If you want to host in-person sessions, you’ll need
to research meeting or event spaces that fit your budget and are accessible and
comfortable for you and your clients. Some other tools you may need include
project management software, bookkeeping or administrative software, cloud
storage, eCourse hosting, etc.
Another important step is setting your pricing. Finding the perfect rate that isn’t
too low or too high for your target audience is a challenge for most. There are
several factors to keep in mind to help you determine what pricing works best for
you:
■Overhead costs. This includes the various expenses you accrue for your
general business operations, such as rent/mortgage, utilities, payroll,
insurance, taxes, advertising, debt services, professional services, phone bills,
office supplies, account subscriptions, and more.
■Desired income. How much do you want to be bringing home every month to
support your desired lifestyle? This would be either your salary after taxes or
your business’s net profit.
■Capacity. It’s important to be realistic about how much time you can
reasonably spend with clients. While an average person works 40 hours a week,
as an independent consultant, not all hours you spend working are billable
hours. For example, if you work with clients in their homes, your travel time
will not be billable. You’ll also need to spend time on things such as marketing,
business development, customer service, and administrative tasks—all things
that aren’t billable either. It’s important to set your pricing in a way that
accommodates these non-billable hours as well.
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HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
- Harvey Slater, AFPA Holistic Nutritionist
GOAL-SETTING & PLANNING
With all those factors in mind, here’s how to calculate your hourly rate:
■Add up your total monthly overhead costs. (Don’t forget to factor in anything
that’s billed annually or bi-annually.)
■Add your desired income or profit to the total overhead costs.
■Divide the new total by the number of billable hours you have in a month.
(monthly overhead costs + desired income) ÷ number of monthly
billable hours = baseline hourly rate
15HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
GOAL-SETTING & PLANNING
This will equal the baseline hourly rate you can use to guide your pricing. If your
baseline hourly rate is at or under the going rate in your market, then you’re in
good shape! This will likely be the case if you’re working from home, working
part-time, and have low overhead costs. However, keep in mind that underpricing
yourself may be perceived by your clients as though you’re not providing as much
value as your higher-priced competitors—so don’t forget to do your market
research to see what the industry averages look like.
If this hourly rate is overpriced for your market, you have a few options. First, look
for ways to reduce your overhead costs wherever you can. You can also revisit
your desired income and consider lowering it if you can. It’s also possible to seek
supplemental income opportunities that can allow you to reduce your hourly rate
and build up your client roster while still meeting your income requirements. While
you don’t want to overprice yourself, if you’re able to clearly communicate your
value, justify your higher rates, and find higher-budget clients that are willing to
pay your prices, it’s possible to find success while charging above-market rates.
There are a variety of pricing models that you can choose from outside of charging
by the hour or by the session. You can create package offerings where the clients
purchase a variety of sessions up front or commit to working with you for several
months at a time. Having a variety of packages that range in price will help appeal
to clients with varying budgets. A lower-priced package may be designed to help
someone get started with a couple of check-ins, while a higher-priced package
may be more hands-on with more frequent sessions included.
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GOAL-SETTING & PLANNING
Pro tip:
■Most coaches offer sessions in the time ranges from 45–60 minutes.
■New coaches that are just starting out charge around $50–$75 per
session.
■More experienced coaches charge $100–$200 per session.
■There are also coaches that charge by the package ($1,200–$2,400), so
there is quite a range.
■The more niche your market is, and the more specific your solutions
are, the more you can charge.
As you work on developing your packages and pricing, keep the
following in mind:
17HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
Communications &
Branding
Your brand is your business’s personality, and it shows up in several places. From
your website to your logo to your social media accounts, it’s a combination of
visual elements and the tone of voice you use when you’re writing or speaking
to your clients. Whether you’re planning to DIY your brand design with a graphic
design tool, such as Canva, or you’re investing in professionals to help you, the
first step is to develop a vision for how you want your brand to represent your
business. Some considerations to help you are:
■How do you want your audience to feel when they come to your website or
read one of your social media posts (e.g., inspired, motivated, energized)?
■What tone of voice do you want to use when you speak with your clients (e.g.,
professional, conversational, humorous)?
■What topics might you cover if you started a blog?
■What are some of your favorite brands? What do you like about them?
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COMMUNICATIONS & BRANDING
It can also be helpful to seek inspiration by looking up color pallets, font pairings,
logo designs, stock imagery, and overall aesthetic on Pinterest or stock photo sites,
such as Unsplash. You’ll also need to consider your brand copywriting needs, such
as a tagline, company description, and service and product descriptions. These
elements will all work together to form your brand identity.
With so many user-friendly tools today, it’s completely possible to DIY your
branding, even if you’re not a web designer or a graphic designer. There are even
resources that can support you on how to write your website copy. However, if you
don’t have a clear vision for how you want your brand to look and feel, investing in
professionals to help you create that vision and build everything for you can end
up saving you a lot of time and can help you start attracting clients faster.
Your website will be the home base of your brand. Once you have the visual
components and you know what you want your website to say, it’s time to get your
website built! You’ll want to do some research to decide which platform is going
to be the best one for you to build and host your website through. Take note of
factors such as the platform’s capabilities, good and bad reviews, pricing, and
how user-friendly it is. Some common platforms you can look into to begin your
research include:
■Squarespace
■Wordpress
■Wix
■Weebly
■Shopify
■Kajabi
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COMMUNICATIONS & BRANDING
Beyond being aesthetically pleasing, your website should be functional, easy to
navigate, informative, and engaging. You may want to consider hiring the following
professionals to help you develop your brand and website:
■Brand copywriter
■SEO copywriter
■Graphic designer
■Web designer and/or developer
■Photographer
As you prepare to begin marketing, you’ll want to create or update social media
profiles to reflect your branding, new credentials, and services. Keep in mind that
different social media platforms serve different purposes and appeal to different
audiences. Do some research to see which platforms your competitors and your
role models are utilizing to help you decide which ones are best suited to help you
grow your brand.
20HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
COMMUNICATIONS & BRANDING
If you’re not sure how to find professionals to help you succeed in branding
and marketing, try reading out to your network! Ask those who have brands you
admire who they worked with, or use social media to browse different branding
professionals to get a sense for various styles. Additionally, if you want to learn how
to do a lot of this yourself, you can find free courses for just about anything from
brand strategy to digital marketing on platforms like EdX and Coursera.
Pro tip:
Go ahead and set up as many profiles on various platforms as you think
you may want to use one day, but don’t worry about using them all at
once! It’s better to pick one or two platforms to focus on as you begin
marketing.
21HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
It can be overwhelming to think about all the possibilities for marketing and
deciding which tools and tactics are right for you. Your marketing strategies
should be ever-evolving, as things change quickly with emerging technologies
and platforms (while others grow outdated). You should be prepared for your
marketing efforts to be trial and error. Test the waters, give each method a
few months of lead time to see what works, track your analytics to assess your
success, and then try again. Here are some ideas and tricks to help get you
started. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box!
Social media is a dynamic and effective marketing tool. With so many platforms
to choose from, many of them free, there are countless opportunities to reach
your target audience and share high-quality content to generate client leads. It’s
important to do your research to see which platforms your target audience is
using and consider what type of content they may care about most!
Marketing
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MARKETING
As you’re getting started, pick only a couple of platforms to focus on so you don’t
spread yourself too thin—social media can be a time-consuming task when you’re
using it effectively. Here are some of the common social media platforms that you
may find effective as a holistic health coach or a nutritionist:
■Facebook
■Instagram
■Twitter
■LinkedIn
■YouTube
■Pinterest
23HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
MARKETING
Make sure to consider things such as user demographics and the type of content
that is shared for each of these platforms as you select which ones to try for your
business.
No matter which platforms you decide to use, just having an account isn’t going
to help you get clients—you need to start sharing content! It’s important to learn
how to utilize your platform of choice and its features so you can effectively grab
the attention of and connect with your target audience. These tricks can help you
make the most of any platform:
■Set goals. For your accounts as a whole and for each individual post, it’s
important to have realistic, clear, and specific goals to help you monitor the
success of your marketing efforts.
■Be consistent. Whether you post once a week, every other day, or every single
day, make sure you stick to a posting schedule. Posting consistently will help
show your prospective clients that you are current and reliable.
■Create original, high-quality content. This means that your content should:
■Represent your (or your business’s) knowledge and/or perspective
■Be relevant to your business or your mission
■Provide value to your target audience
■If you decide to share the work of others, be sure to ask permission before
sharing it and tag the original creator of the content. Additionally, it’s
always more engaging to include your own perspective on that content,
such as why it inspired you or what ideas it sparked.
■Engage with people. The fastest way to grow your reach on social media is to
engage with other users through the platform. Follow other accounts, “like”
their content, leave comments, send private messages, and reply to comments
left on your content. Of course, be kind and respectful!
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MARKETING
Since so many brands are utilizing social media for marketing, there are now a
variety of tools that can help you manage your accounts across various platforms
and make things easier and more efficient. It can save you a lot of time to create a
bunch of content in one sitting and then utilize a social media management tool to
schedule them to be posted on your selected platforms at a later time.
Blogging is another excellent marketing tool, especially for small businesses. A
lot of people give blogs their time and attention—to be specific, over 409 million
people per month! Having a blog linked to your website can dramatically help with
SEO—meaning that your business will show up higher on the search ranking when
prospective clients search for various keywords, which can draw more traffic to
your website. Blogging is also a great tool to help strengthen your brand voice,
build trust with prospective clients, and create value. There are various platforms
you can utilize for blogging, such as:
■Wordpress
■Squarespace
■Medium
■Wix
■Weebly
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MARKETING
These are just a few of the popular platforms you can use to start blogging. Having
a blog on your website will help you with SEO, will help draw more traffic to your
website, and strengthen your brand voice.
Email marketing is a great way to stay in contact with those who have interacted
with your brand. Whether they are a previous client or they sent you an inquiry,
having engaging email content to encourage mailing list sign-ups is key. Whether
you send out emails daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly will be up to you and
your capacity to create content, but it’s important to be consistent with your
communication. You can use email to communicate things such as special
discounts or offers, new services, new blog posts, business updates, and more!
Including video clips of you answering questions, giving tips or advice, talking about
a new service, or other relevant topics can be an engaging way to help people
get to know you, build trust with you, and keep opening your emails. Additionally,
having a clear call to action in each email will help guide your prospective clients
to further engage with you beyond their inbox.
Many coaches and consultants use “lead magnets” to help them build up their
mailing list. This is, essentially, a free offer or resource that your audience can
access by opting into your mailing list. This can take the form of a downloadable
PDF full of wisdom, tips, or tricks, or it could be a series of emails that distribute
a daily tip or trick (e.g., “5-Day Healthy Eating Challenge!”). You can get really
creative with lead magnets, and they can serve as a sample of the value you
provide to your clients.
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MARKETING
Other ways to build up your mailing list include:
■An email opt-in on your website contact forms
■A popup banner on your website
■An email list sign-up form on your home page
■Market your lead magnets or email content on social media
Email marketing campaigns have been made simple through a variety of
management tools, such as MailChimp and Constant Contact. Some CRM
tools, such as Healthie, Hubspot, Dubsado, and Agile, also include mailing list
functionalities, where you can segment your leads, take notes, record your
correspondence, and more.
Email marketing is a dynamic tool with a lot of opportunities to capture leads and
convert sales when used effectively.
27HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
MARKETING
Advertising is a type of marketing that can take many different forms. Many
common social media platforms offer advertising, such as Facebook and
Instagram. You can also purchase advertisements in the forms of banner ads,
popup ads, search engine ads, print ads, and more. There are truly so many
options! You can research the different types of advertisements and the various
advertising platforms yourself, or you can hire an advertising agency that can help
you with targeting, maximizing your reach, monitoring your success metrics, and
more.
To help you get started, look into some of these platforms to consider if they may
be right for you to help you reach your goals.
■Google AdWords
■Bing Ads
■Reddit Advertising
■AdRoll
■AdColony
■AdMob
Just like with social media marketing, it’s important to set clear goals for your
advertisements so you know how to determine whether or not your campaign was
a success and what areas you need to work on to continue moving toward your
goals. Additionally, you want to make sure your advertisement has a clear call to
action. Whether you want to sell a specific program or build your following on
social media, your ad should be specific about what you want the person looking
at it to do.
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HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
MARKETING
Event-based marketing as an independent consultant or small business owner is
a great way to make high-quality connections that support your business’s growth.
Personal connections help you build trust, gain recognition, and spread the word
about your business. Whether you’re attending or hosting, there are a lot of ways
you can utilize events to get the word out about your new business. A few ideas
are:
■Host a launch party for your new business
■Attend Meetups and networking events
■Co-host an event with a partner organization
■Start and host a new Meetup group
■Host talks or workshops
■Set up a table at a conference or tradeshow relevant to your industry
■Use online tools such as Facebook or Instagram Live or Zoom video
conferencing to host an interactive virtual event
If you’re planning to host your own event, make sure you do your research on
how to make it successful. Different types of events will require different levels
of planning, preparation, and investment. Regardless of the size or structure of
the event, it’s important to be prepared and thoughtful about every detail so that
things run smoothly. When logistical things fail to run smoothly during an event, it
can be distracting from the event’s purpose and the value of its content. Consider
hiring an event planner or, at the very least, talk through the game plan for the
event from setup to clean up, step-by-step. Bonus points for picking a detail-
oriented friend or colleague with event planning experience to talk through the
plan with! Consider things such as timing, food and drinks, seating, tables, dish and
drinkware, A/V needs, decor, supplies, and more.
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HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
MARKETING
Be sure to follow up with everyone you have an interesting conversation with
each event you host or attend to help them remember you! The more respected
professionals that have you on their radar, the more quality referrals you’re likely
to receive. Pass out your business cards to people you meet, and, if you’re the
event host, don’t forget to collect email addresses of each attendee!
Pro tip:
If you see an opportunity to work with someone you meet or if you
want to learn from them, invite them to coffee when you follow up to
continue building the relationship! Don’t forget to ask how you can help
them.
30HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
Even with your brand, website, and marketing campaigns off the ground, getting
your first clients can be a challenge. You’ll want to start building up your client
roster right away and working on building great connections.
If you’re new to health coaching, a common trick that service providers use is
offering a couple of free sessions in exchange for testimonials. This is a great
way to gain experience working with clients, to uncover your strengths and
weaknesses, and to try out different coaching methods to see what works best for
you and your clients. Having a few testimonials to put on your website is a great
way to communicate your value and build trust for prospective clients!
It’s important that you capture the names and contact information for each
one of your leads. After each conversation you have with a lead, take notes on
what they’re looking for and how serious you think they are about booking with
you—this can help you prioritize follow-ups and remember the details of your
conversations so your clients feel heard and understood by you. You may want to
consider using a CRM or project management tool to help you keep track of your
Operations
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HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
OPERATIONS
ongoing clients and projects. Check out tools such as Salesforce, Hubspot, or
Insightly to keep track of your leads and stay on top of client communications.
As you’re just getting started, it’s important to collect feedback from clients.
Testimonials are fantastic, however, you may also want to include a private
questionnaire where they can answer more specific questions about their
experience working with you to give you a better idea for where you can continue
to improve. It can also be helpful to send a feedback survey to prospective clients
who decide to go in a different direction—what was the deciding factor for them
as to why they went with a different coach? Politely and respectfully asking for
insights to help you improve your practice is a great way to get the constructive
criticism you need for growth.
Once you begin getting clients on a consistent basis, an entirely new set of
challenges will emerge as you learn how to manage business operations. There are
a lot of logistics involved with running a business, managing client projects, and
working toward growth goals. As you try new tools to help you manage it all, you
may find that it takes some trial and error to get everything running smoothly and
efficiently.
As an independent consultant, a lot of your work is going to be centered around
meeting with your clients. You’ll need to consider what type of meeting space
you’re going to need to host successful sessions that are easy for clients to
access. Whether it’s a virtual communications tool or a physical space, it needs
to be reliable and easy to access and make clients feel comfortable and secure.
Additionally, it should work to support the lifestyle you want—whether you want a
consistent place to go to work each day, a mobile tool to take on the go with you,
or a work from home setup. You’ll want to consider things such as price, features
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HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
OPERATIONS
and amenities, location, user-friendliness, etc. Here are some ideas to help you
get started on your research in finding the right meeting space for you:
■Virtual video conferencing:
■Zoom
■Google Hangouts
■Skype
■GoToMeeting
■Lifesize
■In-person meeting space:
■Traditional office
■Co-working space
■Home office
■Library
■Coffee shop
As an independent consultant, you’re going to have to learn what works best for
you and your business as you go.
Finally, everyone has different methods for getting organized, getting into a
routine, and staying productive and motivated. Make sure that in the midst of
all the stress of getting your consulting practice off the ground, you don’t forget
to take care of yourself! You’ll only be able to provide the best level of service
to your clients if you yourself are staying well-rested, hydrated, getting enough
exercise, eating healthy, and feeling a balance between work and your personal
life.
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HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
When you begin to see a steadier flow of clients come your way, that’s when it’s
time to start thinking about the next steps for your practice. You’ll need to assess
what your capacity is for taking on multiple clients at once—how many is too
many? How can you generate more income without stretching yourself too thin or
compromising the quality of your services? Here are some ideas for how you can
grow as a business.
Partnerships are a great way to grow your audience and expand your service
offerings without needing to hire anyone. There are several ways you can utilize
partnerships to help you grow. It’s really important that you choose your partners
wisely—who you associate yourself with can be a strong reflection on you and your
business. Seek partners that:
■Are not competitors
■Have the same target audience as you
■Have something you lack, such as skills or resources
■Are trustworthy, reliable, and qualified
■You are comfortable being represented by
Scaling
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HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
SCALING
There are endless possibilities for how you can work with partners to grow both of
your businesses. Here are a few ideas to help you get brainstorming:
■Perk partnerships: Give discounts to your partner’s clients and vice versa (10
percent off your next purchase with ABC company when you book with me!)
■Cross-promotional: You can promote your partners in a variety of ways. It
can be a more casual relationship where you recommend one another to your
clients and friends, or you can co-create and co-brand offerings that you both
work together to market in order to grow your reach. Here are some cross-
promotion ideas:
■Co-host an event or a series of events with a non-competitor who
reaches the same audience (e.g., a yoga instructor and a yoga mat
distributor)
■Share each other’s posts on social media or collaborate on content
■Promote each other’s events and special offers
■Refer one another
Referral networks are another great way to scale your business. Essentially,
this means that you have a network of individuals or organizations that help you
spread the word about your business and recommend your business to others.
Past and present clients are going to play a critical role in developing your referral
network; if they have an excellent experience working with you, then they’re likely
to recommend you to their friends, family, and colleagues. You can encourage
clients to take an active role in your referral network by offering perks or benefits
to those who bring new clients your way. For example, if they refer three friends,
you could offer 50 percent off their next session. The key to building a strong
referral network is having spectacular customer service that leaves each customer
raving about their experience with you—don’t forget to follow up with your clients
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HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
SCALING
to ask them for a testimonial or to leave a public review for you! Additionally, if you
send out regular email marketing, you could offer perks to those who invite their
friends to subscribe to your mailing list.
Another way to scale your business is to continue developing your service
offerings in order to attract repeat customers. For example, someone who went
through an introductory wellness program may be interested in a group program
meant for those who already know the basics and are looking for accountability
to keep up their good work. Regardless, it is important to stay in touch with your
past clients. Follow up every now and then to see how they’re doing. If they’ve
been able to continue on the trajectory you created with them, ask what their
challenges have been, and make sure they know that you care and are there for
them. This keeps you on their radar for booking with you again in the future and
for making referrals for you.
Plan for passive income. There are only so many hours in a day, so as you
increase your workload with clients, you’ll likely find yourself running out of
capacity. If you’re wanting to continue to grow, consider creating some products
or services that can generate revenue without you needing to spend too much
time per customer. For example, recording an online course or writing an eBook
may require an investment of time and resources up front, but once it’s done,
it can be a great revenue generator without needing to spend much time per
customer.
36HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
SCALING
One thing to keep in mind about scaling is that there are many different ways to
measure growth. It’s important to keep track of your metrics to gauge how you’re
progressing toward your goals and see how your business is performing overall.
Depending on your goals and communication platforms, some of the metrics you
may want to watch include:
■Website traffic
■Website traffic sources
■Popular website content
■Website traffic demographics
■Social media followers
■Social media post reach
■Social media post engagement
■Social media conversions (how many people click the link in your bio)
■Ad conversions (how many people click on the link in your advertisement)
■Sales revenue
■Sales growth
■Customer loyalty/retention
■Number of monthly inquiries/leads
■And more!
Finally, your business can’t grow if you’re not growing. It’s important to keep
learning, stay informed about what’s going on in the market, stay up-to-date on
your certifications, and research emerging marketing tactics and tools. It’s also
important to invest time in personal and professional development so you can
continue to grow in your role as an entrepreneur. Read a lot; practice self-care;
and follow along with newsletters, blogs, and social media accounts of people and
organizations who inspire you!
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HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
Thank you for downloading our How to Build Your Consulting Business guide! We
hope you found it helpful as you work to build your independent health coaching
or nutrition consulting business.
For 25 years, AFPA has been providing world-class education to over 110,000
health and fitness professionals across 124 countries. Our 27 fully accredited, self-
paced, and affordable certification programs are designed to help you become
the next leader in the health, nutrition, and fitness industry.
We believe in the importance of having a job you love and that you feel good
about doing. (Since you downloaded this guide, we’re guessing you do, too!) No
matter where you are in your journey to a career in the health, nutrition, and
fitness industry, we hope you will consider AFPA a helpful resource for you.
Feel free to explore more of our resources, and don’t hesitate to reach out to our
team of industry-leading experts and education specialists with any questions.
Wishing you all the best,
Amy + Mark
AFPA Founders
Additional Resources
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HOW TO BUILD YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS: HEALTH COACHES AND NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS
