How to Launch Your Vegan Coaching Business Without Losing Your Mind
The only 3 things you need to focus on so that you can replace your 9–5.
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” — Mahatma Gandhi
While some health and wellness coaches decide to coach clients individually, others like myself, use their health coaching certificate as a jumping-off point for publishing books, teaching, starting wellness-centered brands, and online businesses.
But becoming a vegan health coach was a pivotal moment for me and the catalyst for starting my business.
Like many people who find themselves on the vegan path, I developed a deep desire to do more than “be the change” I wished to see in the world.
And at the same time, I was craving freedom. The kind of freedom that would allow me to quit my job and become my own free agent.
Although I no longer coach clients individually, after 5 years of experience and a black belt in online entrepreneurship, the knowledge I’ve learned continues to bring me new perspectives.
Fun fact: I earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do from the toughest school in Orlando when I was 14!
Even funner fact: that was wayyy easier than becoming an entrepreneur!
Whether you decided to become a vegan coach to learn how to improve your own health and positively impact others in your life, or you want to go full-time as a coach and grow a wellness-centered business, here are some tips to guide you on your journey.
From hobby, to side hustle, to full-time coach
It’s time to pump the breaks a bit on the vegangelizing and develop an entrepreneur mindset. For most coaches, this is a foreign concept.
Most “business gurus” say that in order to start getting clients you need a brand, website, logo, blog, a ton of social media followers, email campaign, Facebook ads, and other time-encompassing (and expensive) marketing tactics.
It’s enough to make you want to hunker down under your (literal) security blanket with a Costco-sized bag of kettle corn and binge-watch shows on Netflix all day.
There’s good news though! whew.
That mess couldn’t be further from the truth. You don’t need any of those things to get started.
All you need to focus on are these 3 things:
1 — Positioning: you need to position yourself as an expert.
Now, don’t hyperventilate when I use the term “expert.” I can feel your cheeks flush from imposter syndrome radiating from my laptop screen…and I get it. I’ve totally been there.
But, in the eyes of your ideal client, you are an expert if you’ve demonstrated to them that you’ve gotten the result that they want for yourself or someone else.
The best way to showcase this expertise is NOT by flashing all the courses you’ve taken and the credentials you’ve collected. It’s by inviting them to review a case study you put together, and then invite them on a call with you to discuss how you can help them. Simple as that.
2 — Program: you need an outcome-driven program.
You know that result you’ve gotten for yourself or for someone else? Break down what you did and turn that into your program.
While many coaches tend to offer different coaching packages as they are just starting out, I don’t recommend it. Those coaches tend to stay overworked and underpaid.
The prosperous coaches and entrepreneurs I’ve had the pleasure of working with focus on helping their clients solve the one main common problem they all have. Not only does this release you of the burden to have all the answers, you’ll gain so much insight for your marketing that will have you standing out from the noisy online space in no time.
Here’s the beautiful thing…a plant-based diet is a tool for solving a lot of different problems.
Choose a single problem you’ve solved on your journey that led you to become a coach (did you lose weight? Reverse a chronic illness? Get shredded? Run farther? Get your kids to eat vegetables? Save your marriage?) and break it down into 6–12 simple steps.
Then, find a couple of test clients, get their feedback (and their testimonials!), tweak your program, and then you’ll be ready to charge for the transformation you provide (rather than hourly for your time) — and be confident to put yourself out there.
THIS is the secret to your escape from your job so that you can go full-time as a coach.
3 — Plan: you need a plan in place for prospecting, enrolling, onboarding, and delivering your coaching program.
Many new coaches spin their wheels about marketing before they even have a real plan for the rest of their business.
Having a system mapped out and in place is the best antidote to the stress and overwhelm most coaches experience as they roll into entrepreneurship.
Earlier I mentioned that you should put together a case study to demonstrate your expertise as a coach. In my experience, this is the best lead magnet to attract your ideal clients and open up a conversation with them.
To free up your time, this should be set up in a funnel to kick off a series of automatic events that guides your prospects to book a strategy call with you — and not forget to show up for it (hey, everyone’s busy).
While many entrepreneurs refer to this as a sales call, I prefer the term enrollment call. You’re not selling them anything. You’re guiding your prospect to a decision — whether it’s to work with you (if you’re both a fit), or to stay stuck in the problem.
Once they become a client (and you celebrate your ass off because how cool is that!), you move them through the onboarding and delivery process.
This is where you give them their next steps to take (sign their agreement, book their kickoff call, etc.), which can also be automated if you set a trigger for it. And finally, deliver your life-changing 6–12 week program. Rinse and repeat.
Going from hobby to side hustle to full-time coach/entrepreneur can seem like a daunting task when you’re searching everywhere for how to begin. My hope is that this gives you clarity on your next steps ahead so that you don’t get bogged down with endless random to-do’s — or make the same expensive and time-consuming mistakes I did in the beginning.
As advocates of plant-based living, we answered a calling to be the change we wish to see in the world — to inspire others through health, to end animal exploitation, and to save our planet.
Now, it’s our time to lead the change.
To your wild success,
Stephanie
P.S. If you’re vibing on this message, join your tribe! Click here to join us in the Vegan and Plant-Based Coaches Business Support group on Facebook!
P.S.S. Follow me on Instagram @coachinglikeyougiveadamn
