Ideas for supplemental Income during business startup & beyond

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Whether you are just starting your practice or have an established holistic business, it's beneficial to create some supplemental income streams.

I LOVE being a holistic practitioner! In 1996 I opened my first healing practice — a Reiki center in the basement of my parents house. Since then I have started 8 practices including 2 wellness centers. I know this is a lot, but in my earlier years I loved the nomadic lifestyle and I was a seeker, always looking for my perfect community and beautiful spot in the world. I would open a practice, live in a place for 6 months to a year and then decide it was time to move on.

I started these businesses, in the Philly area ( a few times), Charlottesville, Maryland ( a couple times), California, and even Taos, NM alongside an Earthship building internship. So, as you can imagine, with all this practice of opening practices, I got really experienced at business startup. I made tons of mistakes and pretty much learned the hard way. I call it my real world crash course MBA. =)

It was only when my wife was pregnant with our daughter Luna in 2009, that I decided to ‘settle down’. Thats when I opened my current practice, now known as Village Wellness. 

Here I am 10 years later, learning about growing even deeper roots and developing the skills it takes to maintain a thriving wellness center and balanced practice.

Now, I want to make a few things clear — I did not start these businesses having a large savings account, trust fund, nor did I take out a loan. 

I started them and let them grow organically. I always had another job on the side to support my basics needs. My go-to job was a barista at coffee shops, because I formed relationships with my customers, many of whom eventually became my patients. I also taught yoga, baby/house/dog sat, helped build Earthships, created websites for folks, and even sold yo-yos on Venice Beach (a story for another time). Only when I had built the practice to a point that I was making at least the same amount of income from my ‘regular job', did I jump in to the healing practice full time.

Later on in my business, I realized a problem with being in private practice. I only got paid when I was doing a treatment. That meant if I wanted to take a vacation, I would have to save enough for both the vacation expenses along with my regular life expenses. This made me realize that it was time for another side-gig, but this time I didn’t want to get another job, I was to have ‘passive income’ or a way to make money when I was not in the treatment room.

I still remember the first time I took time off from the treatment room and continued to earn money... I felt completely liberated!!

So, all this to say, I highly recommend creating a source of supplemental income so you can free yourself up from only earning income while you are seeing patients. There’s no reason why you can’t start right away!

The how-to:

These days we live in a new world of almost endless income generating potential. These are the days of picking up a shift on Lyft, renting a room on airbnb, teaching an online course. We can even learn pretty much ANYTHING we want for free online. We can even work for another practice while ours is building, which is a sign of not only how popular holistic medicine has become, but how much it’s needed.

The key is focusing on your passions (besides your practice of course).

If you are interested in earning supplemental income while building or maintaining your practice, grab your journal and set aside 60 minutes to answer the following questions:

  • What are the top 3 areas or topics I am most passionate about?

  • What are my favorite hobbies?

  • What are 3 ways I love spending my time?

  • What are my top 3 strengths?

  • What are my top 3 skills?

  • What are 3 skills I am looking forward to developing?

Once you have narrowed down your passions:

  • What kind of job or field fulfills my passions, strengths, and skills that I already have?

  • Looking at my top passions is there a way for me to monetize these interests?

Once you have narrowed down your job or field:

  • Do I want to do this work locally, virtually, or both?

  • How much time do I have to dedicate to this work?

  • Can I do this job while also putting in the required hours to build or maintain my practice?

  • Is it lucrative enough? If not, how can I make it more lucrative?

Bonus question:

  • How can I use this side gig to help build my practice? Example: work in a coffee shop or teach a class to build potential patient relationships.

Are you still stuck?

Here is a list of example of side gigs:

  • Rideshare/Delivery

  • Rent a room/house

    • airbnb

    • rent your office space out

  • Helper/care taker

    • house cleaner

    • personal assistant

    • virtual assistant

    • babysitter

    • mothers helper

    • pet sitter

    • house sitter

    • personal chef

    • handyperson

    • Travel Planning

    • Photographer

  • Creative gigs

    • fiverr

    • web designer

    • graphic designer (newsletters, brochures, logos, business cards)

    • social media maintenance

    • sell creative work on Etsy.com

    • write a book

  • Tutoring and coaching

    • Education (SAT prep, language, math, etc.)

    • Teacher - Yoga, personal training, martial arts, art, dance, music, etc.

    • Online courses

  • Financial

    • Accounting

    • Bookkeeper

Conclusion

Creating a source of supplemental income, when you are starting out can help you begin your practice in an organic way without debt. It can also be an opportunity that supports you in the building of your practice at the same time. For those who have an established practice, a side-business that frees you up from the “making money only while I’m seeing patients” model can give you much more flexibility in your life.

If you would like some further support, I am happy to go through this process with you to help identify your specific needs and then hold your hand as you create a solid system.

To a happy and abundant life,

Lance

acupucnturist business mentor

I am a seasoned Acupuncturist and Energy Healer who has launched 9 successful practices since I started on the healing path in 1996 and it turns out, I know a thing or two about it! 

Over the years I have seen so many gifted practitioners struggle with things outside of their scope of practice – namely business development and marketing.

It’s hard to balance the world of finance with the paradigm of healing if you don’t also love business. I happen to love business just as much as I love Acupuncture, Healing, and Yoga (to name a few). 

Since 2015 I have stepped more formally into the role of business coach & mentor and I absolutely love it. 

My mission as an acupuncturist has been to bring people to life more fully. Now with Evolving Your Practice I can take that to another level by working with people who are ready to take the next step in their practice.

My hope is that you dive into this workbook and take the time to answer every question. If you do, I have no doubt that you will have the clarity to create a thriving business!

I am here for you every step of the way! Please feel free to reach out at www.EvolvingYourPractice.com

Lots of love,

Lance