Sorry for the UK centric post today but this weekend we get a bank holiday. A wonderful three day weekend instead of the usual two days. Now I know for the rest of the population who are not self employed this is generally a chance to kick back, relax and enjoy time with friends and family. But what about those of us who are self employed? How does the bank holiday impact you, your income and your hypnotherapy marketing?
Well in terms of income a bank holiday isn’t always a positive especially for a self employed therapist who isn’t earning a great income. Suddenly they find themselves losing a day where they would normally earn an income. This will be especially noticeable at times such as Easter or Christmas when they may be faced with up to two weeks of little or no business. When your earnings can be haphazard at the best of times this can be enough to make you run back to your day job. The skill with good hypnotherapy marketing is to:
- Have enough income the rest of the year to cover these lean periods.
- Earning a passive income so it means that you are always earning money.
- Advertising yourself so that you actually work on the holiday and earn more income.
- Always having a full practice so that a bank holiday is a mere blip on your radar.
So what does a bank holiday mean to you?
Saving Income
While it is tempting to consider money in through the door as instantly yours it is important that you begin to save some of that income not only for tax but to cover you for weeks where you might not be earning quite so much. Christmas which I mentioned earlier is generally a time of year when certainly the UK shuts up shop for almost two weeks. If you are not earning income during that period suddenly the festivities are not going to be quite so much fun especially when you are having to pay out for presents and expensive food and drink.
Learning to manage your income is a crucial step in building your hypnotherapy practice. Understanding that business ebbs and flows is important for any business. When you plan for these fluctuations in income then you don’t get any nasty surprises.
Earning a Passive Income
Learning how to create an income even when you are not seeing clients is the real key to success. Creating products which can be bought by anyone in the world at any time of the day and night means that you can create extra income whilst you are sleeping. In reality creating this form of income should be started almost as soon as you begin your new profession. Creating products takes time which means that the sooner you start the more you have earning you pennies here there and everywhere. Making this a part of your hypnotherapy marketing plan is crucial if you want to really start earning a great income. This means that it really does not matter if your clients ebb and flow. You will always be earning additional money to cover any short falls. Do it well and this could become even bigger than the income you get from clients.
Working the Holidays
Now here is an idea. Why not actually market yourself as a therapist you actually works those bank holidays and unsocial hours. Many people now lead extremely busy lives which means that getting to see a therapist can be very difficult when they don’t finish work until 7 or 8pm in the evening. I personally choose not to work at this time although I do get asked. Provide a service at these unusual times and then charge significantly more. Don’t make the mistake that I see many people making which is charging exactly the same as they would for a day time appointment. Evenings, weekends, bank holidays are all unsocial hours which means premium prices. People pay for convenience so use that to your advantage.
Always Being in Demand
When you learn to really create great hypnotherapy marketing strategies you should find that the bank holidays hold no fear for you whatsoever. At the beginning of my career I would take clients at all times of the day and on any day where they would see me. Now I am so busy that I use the bank holidays to either rest or work on my business. When you really learn to market yourself well you may even find that you turn some clients away because you simply don’t have time to see everyone. Or alternatively you pick and choose the cases that you want to work with.
What am I doing this Bank Holiday?
So if I am so busy I am going to tell you stories of how this weekend I am lying by a pool somewhere sipping on cocktails and counting my money? Well actually no. I am actually going to spend a good proportion of my weekend working on other aspects of my business. I love marketing and creating products so that helps but I also know that sitting on my laurels is not going to make things happen. Money does not mysteriously float into your bank account. The law of attraction principle can make people lazy. Thinking about having money does not make it happen. Taking an action towards earning money does.
So on that point have a great Bank Holiday. Find time to enjoy yourself but also think about what you are going to do to drive your business forward. Hypnotherapy marketing does not stop at weekends and entrepreneurs are always working on their business. Remember that principle and you will get the income you deserve.