Creating a business around what you love is life-changing!

Sarah was never able to find a career path as an employee. Her job in sales and account administration wasn’t stimulating and she felt sure that there must be more to life than that.

– After having been successfully treated with reflexology, I knew that I had discovered a path for myself. I realized that I could work with something that had meaning for me and for others.

Sarah started training to become a reflexologist and shortly after took on EFT. To find clients, she put an ad in a local newspaper and started a reflexology group. Her business started to take off.

– Getting 30 therapists together to support each other, promote the therapy, or receive training or mentotoring really helped my business forward. I can recommend it to anybody: there are other people out there and it’s better to collaborate than to compete!

Sarah soon discovered that many of her clients consulted her about fertility problems – a journey Sarah went through herself when she started to try for a baby.

– Using EFT really helped me through all the tests and treatments: I could feel hopeful and in control throughout the journey. When I finally had my baby, I decided to specialize in infertility and EFT since this is really where my heart is!

Sarah used her maternity leave to write her book Overcoming Infertility with EFT. But this is just one of many ways in which she has built her business.

– I try to offer something for everyone: I give individual sessions, I run an online support program and I have a video blog where I show how EFT works. I also organize the Fertility Focus Telesummit where fertility experts contribute with their knowledge.

Offering a form of therapy that is still largely unknown was a bit scary in the beginning.

– EFT is new and often sounds too good to be true. I remember being very skeptical myself, but after having dissolved my life-long phobia of public speaking in 20 minutes, I was quickly converted! So I knew that I wanted to work with EFT and get more people to benefi t from it.

The flexibility that comes with running a business is great – but it can be a double-edged sword.

– While I can take a day off when I want to, there’s no paid holiday, no sick pay and I don’t have the structure of being employed. You have to find ways around it. For example, I started saving money when I decided to try to get pregnant, since I knew that the maternity pay wouldn’t be enough.

– Knowing that it’s all down to me can be a bit stressful – I can never forget about my responsibilities. But this is usually in a good way because I enjoy it so much. It's not just a job, it's part of my life!

Managing the fluctuations of a business is a challenge.

– There are times when I'm busier than others and selling time by the hour is tough. That's why I've structured my business differently now. Offering new types of products means I don't have to be there all the time.

Sarah has learned how to set realistic – and profitable prices.

– In my early special offers, I cut my prices so much so that I didn’t make a profit. But that’s no way to grow your business! You’ll only get customers who don’t want to pay and who won’t value what they’re getting.

– I don’t want to over-charge, but I do need to put my business first and “count backwards” how much money I need to charge per session.

Continuously working with sales and marketing is vital.

– Since EFT works so efficiently, I only see my clients for a short time. So I can’t sit back and relax, but need to constantly keep up with marketing and promotion. Even if this week looks good, I can’t think it’s going to stay that way.

– Therapists might feel bad about marketing, but it’s actually even more important in helping professions: if I don’t tell people about my offer, they’ll never know and they’re not going to get the benefits.

Being self-motivated and willing to learn is key for any business owner.

– No one else will take care of your business, so you need to step outside of your comfort zone, be willing to take risks and have fun with it!

Getting help when you need it makes life as an entrepreneur a little easier.

– I’m not the best with time-management or keeping myself motivated. My virtual assistant makes it so much easier – she takes care of my admin, she helps me keep myself on track and get through my to-do-list.

Otherwise, doing it alone is not a problem for Sarah.

– Sure, running your own business can be lonely. But I don’t mind it most of the time. I never liked the nasty side of working with others, like office politics and gossip. I like having my own environment, working with my clients and in networks.

Having the support of friends and family is really useful.

– If you’re honest with them and a bit responsible, you’ll get their respect for your business. My Mom watches all my videos and reads all my newsletters – that support is really valuable.

Making a difference is what makes it all worthwhile for Sarah.

– It makes me proud every day I receive e-mails from people telling me how much therapy has helped them. They feel better, or they might even have had their babies.

– The feedback I get all the time makes my days worthwhile and I’ve never looked back. Now I’m in a job that I can see myself in forever and I’ve realized that I can take my business as far as I want to!

Sarah's advice to the business owner

• Realize that you don’t need to know everything before you start your business – but be willing to learn as you go along.

• Remember that there are people who need what you have to offer, so don’t be afraid to go out there!

• Set a realistic price level: realize what you’re worth and how much you need to make.

• Listen to what people need and make sure that your offer is constantly evolving.

• Always keep believing in yourself and why you’re doing what you’re doing.

• Let people know that your business is important to you and that you’d appreciate their interest in what you do.

• Have a space to work in that’s just yours – that makes it easier to turn work on and off.

• Go out there, do the research, have a go and see what will happen!

About Fertile Mindset

Sarah Holland at Fertile Mindset helps women deal with the challenges of infertility by using Emotional Freedom Technique.

Learn more at www.fertilemindset.com and at www.fertilemindset.tv. For advice from leading fertility experts, go to www.fertilityfocustelesummit.com.