This came in through my Ask Me Anything form:
“I have a friend who actively does integrity-based intuitive work out of a shop and via local shows. They run small classes, and occasionally give a talk on the work. They are having difficulty progressing the business side of their practice. What next steps would you recommend to grow their business?” – Josh
I love hearing about people operating spiritually-based businesses. The more integrity based intuitives in practice, the better it is for the entire industry.
Here are some of my recommendations for building a successful spiritual business.
Start with Free
To build a brand new business and find clientele, start by offering readings or classes for free (or for a donation) so you can practice your skill, hone your craft, and get feedback from these clients.
One caveat to this is not to service skeptics. No matter how great you are or how much value you provide, you won’t be able to convince a hard-core skeptic of anything.
Choose people who are interested in the type of service you have to offer as they will give you the most valuable feedback.
Get Testimonials
When you offer a service or class for free, let people know that you would appreciate a testimonial if they found your reading or information helpful. Most people will be glad to help out someone who has helped them.
When I was starting out, I asked for testimonials from many of my clients and added them to my website as I went. It didn’t take long before I had more than 100 testimonials posted.
Social proof is an important tool to build clientele.
Get Contact Information
Ask your clients and/or students to opt-in to a newsletter so they can find out when you’re offering another class or to learn about a new reading option. Stay in touch with your clients so they remember you. The most valuable thing you can get from a client is permission to reach out to them.
I’ve had some people signed up to my weekly newsletter since 2006!
Advertise
Sometimes advertising works and sometimes it doesn’t, but you won’t know until you try.
I had one advertisement on Facebook that cost me $30 and earned me $3,000 in less than a month. Once you’ve found a good response rate, bump up the advertising budget and see if you get the same return on your investment.
I have found in my travels that print advertising doesn’t work so well in the age of technology. People can’t click on an ad in a magazine, so I would recommend sticking to online advertisements when possible.
Partner with Other Businesses
I had a friend who was also a professional intuitive and she offered to do a class at a holistic center. This was a win/win situation for both businesses. The intuitive obtained access to clients she didn’t have before, and the holistic center was able to offer a class they didn’t have to teach.
Find other businesses where partnering up for an event or a series of classes allows both of you to benefit.
Expand Your Offerings
When I first started my business, I only did phone readings and in person readings. Over time I added email readings and past life readings. Other intuitives I know offer Reiki or long-distance healing, astrology charts, mediumship, and more.
Always be learning so you can help your clients in ways other than what you started with.
Pay Attention to Finances
A lot of new entrepreneurs forget that they are running a business and it needs to be profitable. Make sure you are charging a fair price and earning enough money to support yourself, otherwise your business dies and you go find a day job you’ll probably hate just to make ends meet.
Ramp up slowly if necessary, keeping some regular, stable income going, and when the new venture is financially stable, quit the day job and do your spiritual business full time.
When I first started my intuitive practice I was still a web developer, I owned an online magazine, and I was publishing books. Once my blog and psychic readings took off I released the other three businesses and focused only on being a professional intuitive.
Don’t forget to save money to pay your taxes!
Only Do What You Enjoy
Be careful about offering a service that is going to drain you or that you won’t enjoy.
When I first started out I was offering 30-minute and 60-minute phone readings. But I’m a really focused intuitive who doesn’t fluff around, and I found that after 40-minutes my clients had literally run out of things to ask me. Sometimes we were down to “What should I eat for dinner?” or “What color cat should I get?”
The one hour readings were taking up a lot of my energy and I would end up with a headache at the end of the day after sometimes doing 8-12 readings. So I changed my offerings and shortened the reading time (and was able to lower the price!) to make it more enjoyable for me and still give my clients everything they wanted for less money.
Plus, because I wasn’t only doing readings all day long, I was able to work on products, courses, and books which made working more enjoyable for me as well and allowed me to expand my offerings.
Elevate your spiritual business with insights from Erin Pavlina! Purchase a reading now for expert guidance!
Be Patient but Drive Hard
You have to be patient when you are starting a new business. Sometimes things start a little slow and then suddenly ramp up. Work on your business in some way, shape, or form every day. Whether that’s providing a service directly to a client, learning a new intuitive methodology, working on the back end of the business, doing your accounting, making your website better, etc.
I like to make a to do list at night so that when I get to work in the morning I know exactly what I want to accomplish that day. It helps me stay focused on important matters and not get sucked into meandering my way through the day.
I sincerely applaud anyone who is out there doing intuitive work, teaching classes, helping people with their spirituality, and rewriting the narrative that psychics are frauds and charlatans. We need more ethically-based intuitives and spiritual mentors out in the field.
