I joined Clare Garner on Raw & Real, her podcast for women who are doing the damn thing, to talk about outgrowing your business and the life you once loved.
I’ve done it more than once. I trained and worked as a professional ballerina. After dance, I built a whole new career as a massage therapist and spent 21 years in private practice. Now I’m a business coach for therapists, and I still treat clients every week.
Have a listen below. It’s 25 minutes, so it’ll fit nicely between clients. You can also listen on Apple Podcasts.
What we talked about in the episode
- Reinvention and changing direction in midlife
- Life after professional dance
- Building a business that grows with you
- How perfectionism keeps you stuck
- The difference between looking successful and feeling fulfilled
- Spotting the moment your business needs to change
- Trusting yourself through big transitions
What outgrowing your business feels like
Lots of the therapists I work with are doing well on paper. The diary’s full and clients keep coming back. But the work that once lit them up now leaves them tired, and their income has a ceiling because there are only so many hours in a week.
It rarely arrives as one big moment. It builds slowly. You feel flat on a Monday morning, or you notice you get more excited about other people’s businesses than your own.
Feeling this way is a normal part of growing as a practitioner. You’re allowed to change your mind about what you want from your business. Staying where it’s comfortable feels safe, and it can also keep you in the same place for years.
4 signs you’re outgrowing your business
1. You’re fully booked, but your income hasn’t grown
If your diary’s been full for a year or more and your income has stayed the same, you’ve hit the ceiling of 1:1 work. Working more hours won’t fix it, because you’re already giving everything you’ve got.
2. You dread the busy weeks
A packed week used to feel exciting. Now it makes your shoulders drop before Monday even starts. Your energy is a useful signal, so take notice when the work you love starts to drain you.
3. You keep waiting for an idea to feel perfect
Perfectionism came up a lot in my chat with Clare. So many brilliant therapists sit on a course, a workshop or a new service for years because it doesn’t feel ready. My first online product was a £5 self massage video, sent as a YouTube link in a WhatsApp message during the first lockdown. It wasn’t perfect, and it started everything.
4. You know more than your treatments can hold
You’ve got years of knowledge that clients would happily pay to learn, like stretches, self-care routines, stress management or how to stay pain-free between sessions. When that knowledge only reaches the one person on your couch, lots of people who could benefit never get it.
How to change direction one small step at a time
Outgrowing your business doesn’t mean you have to walk away from your clients. Most of the therapists I coach keep their practice and add something alongside it, like an online course, a membership or a workshop. That way your income can grow without adding more hours to your week.
Start small. Pick one idea, test it with the clients you already have and learn from what happens. You can build from there, and you don’t need to have it all figured out on day one.
Where to start if you’re ready for a change
If you’re outgrowing your business and want to build income beyond 1:1, my free masterclass, Beyond Fully Booked, shows you how to turn your expertise into a course. It’s recorded, so you can watch it whenever suits you, and you’ll get instant access to two bonus courses too.
If you’d like support and a community around you while you make the change, have a look at The Thrive Community.
A big thank you to Clare for having me on. Her show is full of honest conversations with women building businesses and lives on their own terms, so do have a listen to the rest. 💛
