At Integrative Nutrition, many of our students and graduates are entrepreneurial at heart - even if they don’t know it!  If you get excited about the idea of being your own boss, setting your own schedule, helping others get healthier, and making a difference in the lives of those you love – starting your own business as a Health Coach might just be for you!

It’s not really as scary as it sounds, being an entrepreneur simply means you are in charge of your own future and you create your own destiny.

But you may be wondering… how will I actually make money as a Health Coach?

At Integrative Nutrition, we provide you with all the tools you need to start your very own health coaching practice and earn a great income. But it’s up to you to decide what services you’ll provide – the possibilities are endless!

Below are just a few examples of the services you can offer your clients. Mix and match as your business needs dictate to craft a health coaching practice that is uniquely you and matches your income goals!

Private Coaching
Coach your clients one-on-one. At Integrative Nutrition, you’ll learn how to guide your clients through a 6-month program: twelve 45-minute coaching sessions where you will hold your clients accountable and guide them on their journey towards total wellness. Six months is the ideal length of time to work with a client to ensure they have enough time break bad habits and create good ones!

 Health Coaches charge varying amounts for individual coaching sessions based on their location and experience. Typically, coaches will charge $50 - $75 per session when they are just starting out but will increase their rates to $100 - $250 per session once they are more experienced. The benefit of offering a 6-month program rather than individual sessions ala carte is that you’ll get a stronger commitment from your client and they’ll see better results. 

Pantry Make-over
Visiting your client at home and helping them get rid of the junk and re-stock with healthy stuff is a great service you can add to your general coaching services or offer as a simple service for those who want to start on the right path but aren’t sure if they’re ready to commit to a full 6-month program. Depending on the scope of the make-over you can either charge a flat rate or by-the-hour.

Health Food Store Tours
When you first started exploring healthy eating did you ever feel completely overwhelmed by the aisles and aisles of new, strange, and exotic foods available to you? Your clients feel the same way! Be their guide and take time to walk them through the grocery store and show them how to pick the most perfectly ripe melon, how to find the brand of peanut butter that isn’t laden with sugar, and explain the differences between all the different types of leafy greens. They’ll walk away from the store knowing how to shop for healthy foods while saving time and money. This service can be offered one-on-one or even in a group setting and is a huge benefit to your clients.

Group Coaching
This is similar to one-on-one coaching programs in that you will offer a 6-month program and meet with your group every other week. But since you’re offering your services to more people at once, you can charge less per person making your services more affordable to individuals while earning more per hour (while also saving time).

Group Workshops or Webinars
Many Health Coaches teach live classes and seminars on different nutrition subjects. At Integrative Nutrition, we support you to get started offering classes by providing you with hand-outs and talking points for workshops on topics from sugar blues, to women’s health, to eating for energy. These classes can be held in a variety of settings like yoga studios, gyms, doctors' offices, libraries, and office buildings. Or, you may teach classes online through webinars, live streaming, even skype! Payments are unique to the coach based on the class taught, location and number of students in attendance.

Online Programs
As a Health Coach, you aren’t limited to working with clients in person. You can support your clients from virtually anywhere! Build an online community through Facebook, Instagram, and blogging. Coach clients online through skype or google hangouts. Or, create online group programs like guided cleansed and detox programs. The possibilities are limitless! 

Still not sure owning your own business as a Health Coach is right for you? Here are a few other ways you can use your training as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach:

• Become an author of books on nutrition, general health and wellness, cookbooks, etc.)
• Corporate wellness coaching
• Consult at gyms, fitness studios, and spas
• Develop health products (food and beverage, skincare, etc.)
• Work as a natural foods chef
• Become a nutritional supplement retailer
• Get involved with school food and public policy
• Work in health advocacy
• Become a public/motivational speaker
• Become a fitness instructor
• Open a health-focused restaurant or health food store
• Become a school/college health advisor
• Leading wellness workshops
• Running retreats
• Providing health food store tours
• Teaching healthy cooking classes
• Starting a juice bar, cafe, or restaurant
• Partner up with other practitioners like doctors or chiropractors, or combine this work with your current professions

In addition, we’ve compiled 4 ways you can start building your part-time health coaching practice: 

1. Take every opportunity to share what you’re up to.

When starting a business, even if it’s part time, it’s important to tell the world what you’re doing! About halfway through the program at Integrative Nutrition when you get the green light to begin working with clients, share this news with friends, family, colleagues, local groups, and of course on social media. The more you talk about your practice in everyday conversation like at the grocery store or at a dinner party, the easier it becomes to build a list of potential clients to work with. After all, word of mouth is one of the best marketing tools out there!

2. Start with just one client.

As a student of Integrative Nutrition, you’ll have a chance to practice health coaching with fellow students so you’re familiar with the basics before working with your first client. As a start, take on just one client and figure out just how much time you’ll need to set aside in your schedule and what priorities may need to shift. It’s important to start slowly to ensure you won’t stretch yourself too thin.

3. Set clear goals and make a checklist.

What are your top business goals for the next three months? How many clients can you reasonably fit into your schedule? What is the income goal you’d like to meet through health coaching? Start with attainable goals that will build your confidence and give you flexibility rather than setting overly ambitious goals that may burn you out. As your practice evolves, you can adjust the goals, but setting short-term, realistic and attainable goals will help you stay on track as you grow your business.

4. Schedule like a boss and follow that schedule like an employee. 

Maintaining a schedule is crucial when you’re multi-tasking, or “multi-working.” The more organized you are the more efficient you’ll be. Here are a few simple ways to get organized that will make running your practice on the side a breeze:

• Set specific blocks of time aside for client calls or responding to client questions. An organized calendar makes carving out time for all priorities without feeling overwhelmed.
• Create clearly labeled folders for each client, containing all relevant documents like client agreement, health history form, and session notes.
• Create an easily re-printed packet of your favorite handouts or guides, a collection of recipes, and other resources you like to use with clients and always have a few on hand when meeting with potential new clients.

Integrative Nutrition offers a certificate program so that you can begin your career in the wellness industry. Discover what you would like to focus on in your health and wellness coaching to get started in the process. 

 What services are you interested in providing for your Health Coaching practice? Share in the comments below!