Author: Elizabeth Jackson

Let’s take the example of coaching alternative healers or spiritual healers. In Western society, our ‘healers’ largely work in allopathic (mainstream) medicine. Alternative medicine is not an option used by most people.

Demand is low, supply is high. It’s mainly a cottage industry with a few big players, but no-one really speaks out about how the alternative healing, or let’s say the metaphysical market in general, is a hard nut to crack.

This is because there are certain marketing mindsets specific to the metaphysical market that many are scared to speak out against for fear of backlash. Here are some:

• Law of attraction marketing
• The importance of investing in yourself so that others will invest in you.
• Avoiding a scarcity mindset at all costs
• Raising your fees because the universe will meet you there.

It’s not uncommon for business coaches to sell hourly consulting sessions for $500, or morning masterminds for $2500. To my mind, these prices are exorbitant unless you already have a thriving practice and a monthly 5-figure income. And yes, there is value in reading people’s testimonials to see whether they are actually ‘value for money’, but in the same way that people sometimes have a post-healing ‘high’, the same often happens in the post-coaching session, when the client is left feeling happy at new ‘possibilities’ and wants to continue the dialogue a little longer with the coach and does so, also offering a testimonial, which, in turn, perhaps gets them some media exposure by proxy.

What I don’t see a lot of is people saying publicly how they feel they’ve over-invested and spent far too much money on coaching programs. Let’s face it, that might just scupper your reputation going forwards in new projects.

Imagine you’re raring to launch an online alternative healing business, and are really drawn in by a coaching program; it’s something that really ‘speaks’ to you and the testimonials are amazing. Yes, it’s a bit on the expensive side, but, as they say, you’ve got to invest money to make money, and if you don’t invest in yourself, who will?

By the way, who made up the whole thing about investing in yourself? Not the same person who made up with rags to riches heroes journey that’s for sure. Perhaps someone wanting to sell something? I’ve never heard this quote outside of the self-development or personal growth sector.

I know I know…..it’s really important to keep up on the latest marketing techniques in marketing. But this information is available free or at a low cost from many sources if you take time to search.

And social media? Yay…let’s all go global on social media with Facebook ads….and how are we going to do that exactly? I spent ages researching social media and all the different lead-gen techniques and really bought into it for a while. But, after years of study and research I saw people spend exorbitant amounts building their lists via Facebook ads to generate…..a bit fat ZERO return on their investment.

And I never hear of anyone who got a refund from their coach or marketing guru for the thousands that they spent on their fees to get this advice.

In fact, I see lots of businesses that start small and grow organically by word of mouth or…shock horror…offline. If I were a healer wanting to start up and had $7k (which is what I could easily invest in some kind of spiritual entrepreneurs’ boot-camp to get high-ticket clients) what could I do with this money in an offline scenario? Hmmm, well I could probably get more real clients who weren’t friends (or a friend of a friend) and receiving pro-bono work in exchange for a testimonial. And I could definitely afford basic marketing materials and pay for a couple of stands at local or regional Mind Body Spirit fairs. Well hey, let’s go all the way out, you could even get a website done for you from a lovely supplier via Upwork.com.

That’s investing in myself, right? Just smart investing (again, to my mind).

Here’s the thing people…..I’ve said it over and over again….to be a spiritual entrepreneur, you need entrepreneurial spirit and a good dose of spirit and gumption. Oftentimes when people go through some kind of spiritual awakening process they want to share the message as wide and far as possible through setting up a spiritual business and finding their “tribe”. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a beautiful thing. But there’s absolutely no guarantee that you’re going to make money with your new project. Perhaps it’s actually more of a passion project than anything else.

Tribe: that’s another good one….tribe. I’ve found that the most successful spiritual entrepreneurs I know actually appeal to a wide range of people. It’s THEM being THEMSELVES that attracts the people, not THEM TRYING TO BE WHAT EXACTLY WHAT SOME NICHE OR OTHER WANTS that really draws people in.

Moreover, did you ever notice that some really successful people have quite outdated websites, or completely random social media? Why is that? Well I would take a good guess that they’re really brilliant at what they do; they put themselves out there; they’re not scared to show up as they are and they’re not waiting for other people to tell them how it’s done.

Bottom line is this: there’s lots of people BSing online about how they made a whole ton of money from being a spiritual entrepreneur (ahem coach) online. And this makes other people want to do the same. So….sadly what happens is that often coaches coach others in how to be coaches and the net output is……whatever the ‘coachee’ has the spirit and gumption to put into action.

I’ve also seen another scenario: coaches really going for the ‘low-hanging fruit’. So let’s say that someone has a health problem that is keeping them back and they need to be consistent about improving it through diet, rehabilitation or perhaps decluttering their lives. Where’s the magic in that? And why is that worth $500 an hour? We generally know what our weak points are reaching out directly to local professionals offline to help us is a much cheaper and more effective option. Or you could hire an accountability coach online via Upwork.com.

This week I had an ongoing conversation with a gentleman who I have no idea whether he will work with me or not, but I know for a FACT that I’ve given him more food for thought and even a basic outline upon which to restructure his business going forward thought in a 40-min phone call and 5 emails. These were ideas that came to me spontaneously and which I shared quite willingly. It was fascinating and very interesting for me.

Did I mention I once got brashly ‘called out’ for being a VA and not a coach. Not sure what that was about because I don’t see how coaches can actually advise people on what to do if they don’t know the ins and outs of it themselves. And how do you learn that? By doing it….constantly, since tech is always changing.

I also once got told that I was ‘giving everything away’ in the first consultation call. That is something I’ll never forget because if I can see and easy solution to a problem, I’ll tell someone. I don’t want the energy of an idea unsaid hanging around me, and I certainly don’t want to clutter up my mind with strategic thoughts of ,“Ooh when should I advise my client on ABC to maximise my income and keep them coming back as much as possible.” I’m just more of a NEEEXT kinda gal.

So what’s my message here? What’s my call to action? It’s for spiritual entrepreneurs to stop playing follow the leader and draining their life savings in the hope that someone who is the real deal with finally show them how it’s done.

My message is to go out there, be yourself, grow and do your own thing. Keep the costs down. Ignore social media if needs be. Go with your gut and don’t wait for someone else to tell you that you’re ready and that you are now ‘healed and ready to go’.

So why am I saying this now? Because people I have taken my own advice and gone out into the world and got a day job and I’m loving it. I’m not dependent on Projects Angel for an income despite being very much at the top of my game. And quite frankly these are IMHO my well-researched opinions and I believe that sharing them will HELP many people (free of charge).

Over and out angels xoxo

P.S. And yes….I know….I have an abundance block. I’m also resistant to manifestation (pull the other one, it’s got bells on it) and also suffering from a fear or persecution complex and that I’ve carried through from a past life. Oh, and I’m definitely the unhealed healer. Seriously, I don’t know how I get out of bed each morning.

P.P.S If this resonates with you and you’d like to chat over some ideas for growth, pop me a line at projects.angel.elizabeth@gmail.com. I’d love to hear about your project.

How much is the net worth of your spiritual business?

I think of how spiritual entrepreneurs work on so many levels: healing others, healing themselves,  healing the planet, being beacons of light for others…the list goes on.

So if you’re frustrated about not ‘making 6 figures’, or having getting that book deal, or being invited to participate in lots of big teleseminars, I’d invite you to think about the total impact of your work ON ALL LEVELS. And, when you do, it’s mind-blowing.

If you feel like it’s time to take your business to the next level, then please feel free to book a strategy session with me.