If you are like me, learning all about Reiki practice was a fascinating adventure. Setting up my own wellness business, however, proved to be a tad more challenging! Maybe that’s why I enjoyed Deborah Flanagan’s book Building a Powerful Practice so much. It transformed the drudgery and the fears of setting up a business turning it into a path of discovery. It also gave me—in an easy to relate to and apply way—all sorts of wonderful tips to make the path smoother.
Deborah painstakingly took the care to interview a number of successful practitioners with very different styles, which added a well-rounded, all inclusive approach to the book.
In Spanish we say, “Nadie aprende en cabeza ajena,” or: no one learns from what happens to others. I don’t believe this is always true. I’m grateful to this little jewel of a book for several eye-opening ideas and suggestions that have changed the way I conduct business for the better:
1. Define your niche
One of the advantages of Reiki is that it helps with almost any kind of issue or challenge, be it physical or emotional, but this doesn’t always work in favor of building a strong Reiki business. According to Deborah, “aiming too broadly actually defuses your ability to attract clients.”
Focusing on an area of expertise that resonates strongly with you will help you avoid offering a generic sales pitch and, in the long term, result in a more sustainable, fulfilling practice. The book includes tips on how to figure out your niche in a simple way. It seems obvious, but if you are like me, you may have some trouble letting go of clients that don’t fit your niche.
I gave it a try though, and defined my niche by picking one that is very close to my heart: over- worked and stressed people who work in big corporations, especially advertising, production and finance. I can relate to their struggles and stress because I came from this work environment!
I may have lost a few new clients when I honed in on the kind of clients I wanted to specialize in helping, but guess what? My repeat business increased by 300%. Not only did I benefit in the business sense, I enjoyed the sessions more.
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2. Take the pressure off
To be able to really focus on your practice, you need to solve any financial issues. Deborah recommends easing gradually from your current job into your professional practice, and maybe even considering keeping a part-time job over the long term.
“This was really important for me, because I knew I would worry if I didn’t have enough clients in a particular week, and I didn’t want to worry at the expense of focusing on the work I was doing to help my existing clients,” she explains.
I wish I had read this before I jumped into full-time practice. I felt that it should be all or nothing, that I had to fully commit to my new venture or it would not happen. I forgot one little thing, a wellness practice is intrinsically tied to the well-being of the practitioner, and as I started to panic about the amount of sessions in relations to my bills… the fewer sessions I booked. Now I freelance every so often as a copywriter to take the pressure off my practice and as a result, clients are booking sessions again. And when I don’t book as many sessions as I would like, I don’t freak out, I organize workshops and meditation sessions, an activity that may not contribute a lot towards my bills but that I thoroughly enjoy and can be a way to find new clients.
3. Take care of yourself
When we own our own business, it can take over our lives, which may result in burnout. Deborah shares ideas of how other practitioners take care of themselves to avoid being drained—from taking full days off to disconnecting from the internet/phone/TV an hour before bed.
She also recommends getting sessions from other healers to recharge. After all, Reiki is all about taking care of ourselves first in order to help others. Don’t have a lot of money to get sessions from other practitioners? Deborah gives you a tips on how to get some pampering in creative ways. In my case, I’ve discovered very affordable activities that boost my energy: swing dancing classes and meditation/chanting meetups.
4. Heart-centered marketing
I worked in advertising for years and yet I dreaded marketing my Reiki business. In my mind, those were two separate worlds and I didn’t want one to contaminate the other. But Deborah’s approach to marketing changed my mind: “Before I started my practice, I thought I hated anything to do with marketing. I was surprised to realize as I went along that marketing is simply connecting in a focused way with people who need what you offer.”
The best part: she lists a wide range of marketing approaches, telling what has worked for her and what hasn’t. For example, I was obsessed with writing a piece for a big wellness blog. I thought that this would make all the difference. Deborah dispelled that myth. This allowed me to focus on the tool that has worked best for me: talking to people and offering mini trial sessions.
5. How to deal with the drudgery of admin work
I didn’t suspect administrative work—building data bases, balancing financial records, paying taxes, etc.—would take so much time. The book offers you great tips on how to balance it with your practice. Plus you can download her free business starter kit, which rocks—especially if you are spread-sheet challenged like I am. To be honest, I’m still working on this one. My admin work is still very spotty: throwing receipts into a box for accounting and adding people to mailing lists when I remember. I am, however, an expert at creating impossibly long to-do lists, so there is hope for me still!
No matter at where you are in building your Reiki practice, this book will provide you with some serious wisdom and how-to advice. But if you’re in the planning phase and just starting out, it will save you even more headaches.
You can find Deborah Flanagan’s book Building a Powerful Practice on Amazon.com.
Article by Nathalie Jaspar
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Nathalie Jaspar
Nathalie Jaspar is a Reiki master with over 15 years of practice. Her mission is to deepen the understanding of Reiki practice in the world. She is a graduate teacher from the International House of Reiki, also trained with the Center for True Health, and the International Center for Reiki. To gain an even deeper understanding of Reiki practice, Nathalie went to Japan to practice Zen Buddhism at the Chokai-san International Zendo. Nathalie is the author of Reiki as a Spiritual Practice: an Illustrated Guide, and the Reiki Healing Handbook. She is the host of the Dive Into Reiki podcast and has been invited to demonstrate Reiki practice at venues such as Soho House, the New York Jet’s Athletic Center, and Fashion Week.
You can reach her via www.diveintoreiki.com, or https://www.facebook.com/Dive-Into-Reiki/
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