[00:00:00] Welcome to the Dietitian Boss podcast. I'm Libby Rothschild, creator of Dietitian Boss. After almost four years of sitting in my dimly lit windowless clinical office, I had enough. I wanted to feel like my work mattered, so I did something about it. I created a program that empowers dietitians and nutritionists to create their own private practice from scratch, following my proprietary system.
[00:00:27] Before I did this, I had a private practice of my own while working a full time job, and I learned a lot about building relationships, marketing, and sales, and I'm so excited to be able to share my proprietary framework with you.
[00:00:46] Hello, and welcome to today's episode of offer creation for dietitians, how to build a profitable business. I am honored to be here today with coach Heather, and she is a big part of team dietitian boss, coaching and supporting you through your [00:01:00] journey in private practice. So welcome to today's episode, Heather.
[00:01:04] Thanks for having me. Oh, honored to have you here. And if you could just explain a little bit of your background for folks that might not know who you are yet, or they've only heard you once or twice. Yeah, absolutely. So some people call me Dr. Heather, Dr. Heather Paulson. I am a retired naturopathic physician and had a brick and mortar clinic in Arizona, where I was a primary care physician focusing on, oncology care and natural solutions for cancer and I got to retire because of this knowledge that I gained with running an online business with My Brick and Mortar and doing some of the things that we teach in the library and other Dietitian Boss programs. I honored and excited to be living a laptop lifestyle.
[00:01:51] And now I get to live in Peru or actually anywhere in the world. I'm actually in the Netherlands in this moment and[00:02:00] continue to grow a business that's a retreat center in Peru and also help y'all define what you want to do in. Person or online or both and help you achieve that freedom of time and space and.
[00:02:18] And, and you do, and we're so happy to have you. You're a great addition here at, at Dietitian Boss. And so we're super grateful. And you've been here now for over a couple of years, which is really exciting. We have to celebrate your actual birthday and you bring so much knowledge and really role model, the courage that it takes to take your business virtual.
[00:02:38] And to really achieve that flexibility through caring about your clients and developing a great product or service, which you've done. So thank you so much for, for being a role model. And today we're going to talk about offer creation and why it's so important. And as we know, as the listeners know, it can be competitive as a registered dietitian to [00:03:00] think about what to sell and what to package and how to stand out, right?
[00:03:03] A lot of times we talk about how to stand out. And when you do think about packaging your product or service, meaning the thing you're selling to people to make money, to create a profit in your business, you want to think about something unique and valuable, but also something that's tailored to the needs of your target market.
[00:03:21] Right. So not an offer that would serve everybody, but an offer that would serve the particular needs of the people that you help. And so that's where thinking about what's called offer creation comes into play. So in today's episode, Dr. Coach Heather and I are going to come up with a few tips and share some stories about how our clients are able to prosper by thinking about their offer strategically to give a great experience to their clients.
[00:03:46] So if you could start with step number one, that would be great. Absolutely. So the first step, and this can be a stumbling block when you try to do this on your own, but we love supporting you in [00:04:00] this first step, is to define your niche. So defining your niche means really focusing in on that space.
[00:04:07] Special problem that you can solve for people and it positions you as an expert in that particular problem. And when you're an expert in a particular problem, then instead of you having to go out and find people, people seek you. They find you because they're putting into a search bar diabetes, fertility Weight loss, whatever it might be that you specialize in, they are looking for you.
[00:04:38] So you want to identify a niche where you have a special skill set, a passion, you really love working with those particular people. And you also want to pair that with demand, right? So we don't want to go into something that we're super passionate about, but maybe nobody is looking for. Or what happens sometimes in defining a niche [00:05:00] is that we use words that are not common vernacular for a lay person.
[00:05:07] So sometimes we help you simplify the words that you're using to describe your niche so that you are more searchable. Yeah, and that all goes under nutrition communication. I would say that happens more often than not. So I've created a checklist as part of our proprietary system for when you're starting to create content and the first 2 items on the checklist would be, is your content created or written in a way that they can actually understand so meaning free of jargon because oftentimes the words that we understand are not the words that are Our ideal audience or customer or niche understands, and we only learn that by talking to them.
[00:05:46] So keeping things really simple and basic at first, unless if you're targeting another allied healthcare practitioner or a PhD or academic person for the late person, we want to keep our language something that they do understand. Very [00:06:00] simplified. And then the other checklist or item on the checklist when you're just getting started would be to show some vulnerability, whether you're using So you're either showing a vulnerable language and emoji, or you're actually showing imagery of a human being so that you can connect with people, which is why we always promote showing your face.
[00:06:16] Not that you have to every time, but there has to be some type of connection so that your content doesn't seem overly academic. Right. You want to be able to connect with somebody. So humanizing that by using words such as guilt or you know, again, showing your face, or even a simple emoji is a great way to add some context to what you're creating in your niche, not only for your offer, but when you're creating content to attract people to learn about you to then apply for or buy your offer.
[00:06:44] So is there any situation, Heather, where. You can create an offer without a niche with success. Is that something that you want to share? Or would you like me to share a story about that for our clients? I think you can create an offer with, [00:07:00] well, there's different ways to niche and it's just not always based on a problem.
[00:07:04] Sometimes it's based on a specific person, but it's hard to create an offer without knowing who you're talking to. But if you have an example of creating an offer without a niche, please share. Absolutely. So I want to say that it is ideal to have your niche clearly defined to really make your offer compelling, right?
[00:07:23] Because this episode is about creating a profitable business. If you're just getting started, and you're able to, through scope of practice where you live, offer consultation or coaching if you're offering simple sessions or bundles just to get started and make your first 500 or 1000 dollars, you might not need a niche.
[00:07:42] Right, because you're offering just straight consulting, you're changing time for money as you evolve, though, and look at marketing effectively and creating consistent leads, meaning people who are interested or getting enough referrals that are consistent at that point. You will need to develop a niche.
[00:07:58] So if you're not [00:08:00] offering a group program. Or digital products like eBooks or anything a course or membership, and you're just offering a one off consultation or a small bundle. You can get away with not having a clear niche, but not forever. It's a temporary solution until you have to find yourself saying, I'm going to need a new way to get consistent.
[00:08:22] Clientele, I will say, if you take insurance, that's another area where you might not need an inch because insurance is really nutrition for all mostly. And there are situations where you can be niched for insurance, and you can get a lot of referrals for, let's say, or some type of chronic condition that that is the case.
[00:08:40] But if you do work with insurance panels, which is not something that we teach, but we do have guests come in and share with you inside of our programs. If you're interested. If you have a referral system and you get consistent leads, you might be able to see a variety of different clients, but that would be limited to what the insurance panels are able to pay out.
[00:08:58] And that wouldn't give you a chance [00:09:00] with your offer to expand like you would in a cash pay. So, unless if you're offering both insurance and let's say cash pay offer, such as a package where they pay out of pocket. Or you're offering a membership or a course or a group program. So there are situations where you can get away with not having a niche, but they might either have less freedom, or there might be some limitations.
[00:09:22] Anything to add to that, Heather? Well, I think, too, what happens when you start working with people is a niche will. Naturally evolve and like I said, it doesn't have to be problem defined, but like, some of my colleagues that are general practitioners, right? That happens and they're really good at that.
[00:09:45] They have a particular solution that they offer. So people are attracted to that particular solution, whether they're an adult, or a child, or a teenager, or they have IBS, or they have glucose issues, they [00:10:00] want to work with that particular solution, like food freedom fits in that, right? Food freedom can be used for teenagers, it can be used for adults, it can be used for weight loss, it can be used for diabetes, it can be used for fertility, like we see it addressing a lot of different problems.
[00:10:16] It But it's one particular solution, or you might notice like a particular demographic naturally emerges for the kind of person that's attracted to working with you or that's referred to you. So that might be someone who's post menopausal, or that might be someone who's a busy mom. You, you can allow some of these trends to naturally emerge and then start.
[00:10:45] Speaking specifically to those people, once you see that trend happen. Absolutely. And so the emphasis what I'm hearing from what you're saying, Heather is to get started. Right? Yes, episode is how to build a profitable [00:11:00] business. So I believe here, a dietitian boss, we're pro niche for a profitable business to create reoccurring revenues and create a profit.
[00:11:09] You will need to have a specialization down the line. Can you get away with not having a specialization at 1st? Absolutely. But to create sustainable business practices after you've gotten started. It will absolutely help you to have some framework to work with. And that's what we help you with here through our coaching programs and through our library or affordable membership.
[00:11:29] So we definitely invite you to check out our membership and, or our coaching program, if you're interested in getting support, codifying your niche, but I don't want you to think you can't get started if you don't have one, because it's almost like that chicken before the egg situation. So I want to go on to the second tip, which is something that we get a lot of resistance with, and it has to do with classifying, clarifying your niche, and that would be market research.
[00:11:54] So you might be wondering, what is market research? That sounds stuffy and There's, it [00:12:00] doesn't have to be as formal as if you Google it and see what the textbook definition of market research is, it's really just studying your market and competitors to gain some insights about what's already available in the industry and then researching this that can help you identify any gaps.
[00:12:16] Right? So, when I first got started, for example, I saw that there was no, there wasn't any dietitians that were teaching business skills specifically with social media. This is 5 years ago. I didn't see anybody doing it. I saw people teaching you know, food bloggers how to use social media, but I didn't see anybody teaching business skills for multiple streams of income through using social media and online marketing, online marketing specific to social media.
[00:12:40] So I saw that there was an opportunity. There was a demand for dietitians that wanted to be seen and heard. They wanted to create freedom and flexibility. They wanted to make money. They were feeling inadequate or a lack of flexibility in their nine to five jobs. Of course, they were feeling like they weren't paid enough.
[00:12:56] But there was just not knowledge out there and that's where I came in and [00:13:00] was able to help fill that gap. So that's an example of what I did. I observed things. I had conversations. I looked up statistics and learn from the academy nutrition and dietetics that 6 to 8 percent of dietitians own a business, which is a really small percentage, especially compared to, let's say, our therapists, which I believe 40 percent on a private practice.
[00:13:21] So what that tells me from the research I've done, this is from stats from. Established bodies like the Academy Nutrition Dietetics and Therapy Organizations and Associations. What I learned is that we really have a need for business skills. And so I came in and filled that gap. And so I want you to think about that as well.
[00:13:39] Conducting market research can be a little bit more broad. Like I mentioned, statistics, let's say how many people struggle with fertility or how many people struggle with diabetes, et cetera. And it can be a little bit more poignant. So if you want to tactically go online, go on YouTube and search diabetes, diabetes dietician.
[00:13:55] Go on TikTok and search keywords. Go on Instagram, search related [00:14:00] accounts. These are all going to help you see what's out there and then even further, you want to have conversations with people that, let's say, are diabetic, if that's the area you think you want to go down, and what they're struggling with to achieve the outcome that they want.
[00:14:13] As somebody who's struggling with diabetes, so that's a process and you can tabulate that and use your analytical skills, but that is going to help you clarify your niche and we support you and help you with going through that process, but you will find that you will get such great feedback and learn a lot about people and perhaps collect some clients on the way in the journey of conducting market research.
[00:14:34] Anything to add to that for each other. Absolutely. So with this conducting market research, especially if you're looking at people who are in a solving a similar problem to you, sometimes the mindset that pops up is comparison. Oh, I'm not good enough. I owe somebody is already saying this. Why am I going to say this?
[00:14:55] We hear that a lot in our dietician boss communities. And so [00:15:00] as you Approach this market research instead of approaching it from the space of comparison or not enoughness, which is really common for all of us, especially if you have perfectionistic tendencies, it's to approach it with curiosity. Oh, I wonder what that person is saying about this.
[00:15:18] Do I agree with that? Do I have a different stance on that? Would I say that a little differently? Because it's those little nuances that each one of us brings to the table that. Creates a compelling message to people. So even if you're saying a similar thing, you're not going to say it exactly the same as the other people you're looking at in market research.
[00:15:43] And if you are saying it exactly the same, then you're. Practicing plagiarism, which we wouldn't recommend, right? But the chances of you saying something exactly the same way and being compared exactly to that same person is very, very low because you are a unique [00:16:00] individual. So if you can approach it from a space of curiosity and let go of some of the comparison and not enoughness, that will Make market research even easier.
[00:16:11] Absolutely. Thank you for sharing that, especially from the mindset frame framework, because I think that's a really important thing to add for the listeners. So we want to be really honest about what you can expect. I mean, creating your offer and creating a profitable business as a dietitian is extremely rewarding.
[00:16:27] And there will be some setbacks along the way, right? Some moments where you're doubting yourself and some moments where you're uncomfortable. And so we want to, we want to be really Honest and helpful in your ability to look within and overcome your fears because it's worth it. And it'll feel really good to know that you're helping people and you're doing a service for others.
[00:16:48] And that will require that you, you face your fears on along the journey, but you don't have to do it alone. Right? Cause it can feel really awkward and uncomfortable when you're doing it alone. So that third step. Oh, we've got four [00:17:00] steps total. The third step would be to craft compelling offers, right? And this is where you're thinking about your core offer, meaning like the main offer that you are selling in your business, and that could be a group coaching, or for some of you, it might be private coaching for others.
[00:17:14] It's online course or a membership for some of you, it is an ebook. Like your, your main thing is that you want to sell an ebook, or you might want to primarily focus on it, on brand sponsorships, you get to choose what your offer is. But having a primary core offer is going to be a great way for you to then think about how you can create a profit and reverse engineer your content marketing plan, meaning how are you going to get people to know that you exist and actually get people to buy the offer that you're selling.
[00:17:43] So I want you to consider packaging your services in a way that supports your goals and that supports the goals of the market research that you've conducted for your clients. So, if you're selling something that is going to be, let's say, cheaper, like a meal plan, or you're selling an ebook, that is, [00:18:00] you're going to have to sell a lot more units.
[00:18:02] To make the same amount of revenue that you would if you're selling something like a group coaching program or private coaching, so not all offers are equal. Something like private coaching takes the most amount of time and energy. Although it's very rewarding. Most of our clients don't like to primarily offer that because they like to have the flexibility.
[00:18:20] That's why group coaching. It can be a leveraged option where you can serve many people at 1 time. And so our clients really enjoy that. So just understanding what each offer requires. Yes. And how, what the benefits are for each type of offer when you're crafting your primary offer can be a really helpful way for you to think about how you are laying down those foundations for your business.
[00:18:40] Can it change? Of course you can change your mind. But this is all goes into the strategy of creating a really sustainable business that will help you reach your goals of flexibility and really create value as a practitioner. Anything to add to that, Heather? Yeah, when it comes to a profitable business, [00:19:00] one thing that really helps improve profit margins is to have that one core offer and really build it well.
[00:19:08] Sometimes what we see in Dietitian Boss is That there can be this overwhelm of like, Oh, my gosh, I need to make a course and an ebook and this group coaching program and one on one coaching. And we create too many offers at once, or we think we need to build all of these things at the same time. And what I would encourage you to.
[00:19:32] think about for profitability is, and that's something that we talk about in the Dietitian Boss method, is to number one, rank which one of those activities is going to create the best profit for your business. And number two, allow some of those things to naturally evolve. So like in one of our Dietitian Boss programs, we focus on group coaching because that is a model of Increased profitability.[00:20:00]
[00:20:00] And then from that group coaching, maybe a ebook naturally evolves because when you're coaching people, you're giving certain handouts, or you're learning exactly what they need, or part of your group coaching, or one on one coaching practice is a meal plan. And then, oh, look, you have a stack of four weeks worth of meal plans.
[00:20:21] You can make that into an ebook. So when you take these Activities one at a time and focus on the most profitable one first. These other core offers can naturally evolve. Yeah, that was really helpful for adding that and it's, it's a whole podcast episode that we could dedicate just to this topic because it is quite a dense topic, but we don't want to overwhelm you.
[00:20:46] We want to comfort you in knowing that there are options and you have the ability as your own boss to choose what you want to do. And to change your mind in different phases of your life. Like we helped one of our clients Julie, [00:21:00] who offered a group coaching program. And then when she closer to delivering her child, she decided she wanted to switch to a course.
[00:21:08] And then after delivering a child, go back to the group coaching on her terms. And that's fine too. So you really have the power to choose. what you want and make it work for your lifestyle. And I don't know of any nine to five job that will allow you the flexibility and the profitability options that a business will given that same set of circumstances.
[00:21:28] So it can feel really rewarding to learn how each model has its pros and cons and things to consider, but it also can feel a little complicating. So I want to invite you to join the library, which is our monthly membership, where we can help. Help support you in choosing which offer you want to focus on and how you can create a profitable offer.
[00:21:46] And if you want more support, more intense support, we do offer coaching. So feel free to reach out to us and head over to dietitianboss. com to learn about your options. Now, the last strategy I want to mention when it comes to creating a profitable business [00:22:00] In context of your offer would be thinking about a pricing strategy.
[00:22:03] So I know we alluded at this earlier. We're going through some of the other tips, but when it comes to pricing your offer, you're going to have to consider where you add in your journey if you're brand new, and these are your first few sales, or if you're further along and you have a lot of demand for your service, thinking about the value that you provide is indicated by your testimonials and the results that you've gotten your clients and market rates.
[00:22:29] Next. Right. What makes sense for, for what you're offering, right? Because I can tell you that a group program, unless if you have a really, really high demand, which is ideal, we all want that a group program is usually priced lower than a private coaching service because you're offering more of your time in a private relationship.
[00:22:48] So these are all things you want to factor in and you want to be realistic. Because you don't want to trick your customers. You want to be reasonable with what you're selling, but you also have to consider that you are in [00:23:00] business to make a profit. So you have to juggle all of these variables in order to be fair to your client, but also make sure that you're able to keep your business afloat.
[00:23:08] So there's a lot of strategy. I will say when it comes to offering a service like group coaching that Heather mentioned or private coaching, there are ways that you can increase your price as you have more folks enroll and you have more value to provide and more results. That you've gotten with more demand, but I don't want to let that trip you up because the first, if you're starting out and you're listening to this and envisioning a profitable business, the first step would be charging, making sure that you're not offering any free work and you are charging something and you're making those offers and you're attempting to make sales and finding folks who are interested, that would be good fits.
[00:23:43] That's really the first step, but then you don't want to stay at the same low price forever. You do want to increase with time. And so that's going to be another strategy. Depending on where you're at in your journey, building your profitable business. Anything you want to add when it comes to pricing strategy, Heather?
[00:23:59] [00:24:00] The most common mindset block we see with pricing has to do with underpricing and undervaluing our expertise and what we bring to the table to help people. You know, as a dietitian, you have spent time getting a master's degree. You've spent time doing internships. You've developed a lot of expertise, even if it's your first day out of school.
[00:24:27] So even while you're in school, you're more of an expert in nutrition than somebody else offering nutritional advice. So what I would encourage you to do from a mindset perspective is to really value the amount of time you've spent studying nutrition and appropriately charging for that. And It's sometimes uncomfortable for us to accept our own Value and to charge appropriately, but if you feel uncomfortable [00:25:00] about that, then it's important to surround yourself with other people who have already worked through that.
[00:25:07] Maybe, you know, a dietitian that's already open a private practice, and they can say, oh, yeah, I remember feeling that way, too. But when my 1st client paid me 250, it felt so amazing. But that's 1 of the reasons why we love working within community is because we can help. Support each other through these challenges and then celebrate.
[00:25:28] each other when we have breakthroughs and we have sales. And that really can help with not only increasing profitability, but increasing self confidence in what you're offering too. Absolutely. Especially because only 68 percent of dieticians own a business. And in owning a business, you have to maintain a profit to stay in business.
[00:25:48] So having a community where people are working towards something that most dietitians aren't considering the statistics of those in business, it's a really helpful way for you to stay on track, right? Because as Heather [00:26:00] said, I've never once in five years of this business met a dietitian who's overpriced.
[00:26:06] Not once. Okay. And I know it's, it's similar for therapists and other healthcare practitioners, like we're not the only ones, you know, we're selfless. We really want to help our clients, but we also have to be reasonable and look at all the variables and we have to create a profit for ourselves too. So, it's, it's something that will take some time and you don't have to do it alone as Heather is saying, but I want you to know that if you're fearing increasing your price or charging anything, you're not alone because that's what we see time and time again.
[00:26:34] So I hope that those tips were helpful for you listening. And if you're looking for support, I do invite you to join the library. It's a monthly membership where you get access to coach Heather. And I, we do live calls Q and a, we're incorporating some bonus hot seat opportunities to help you and spotlight you in your journey.
[00:26:49] And we do help you grow. And if you're at the stage where you're looking to start. We have content to support you on your journey as well. You have access to templates, frameworks, guest interviews, and a [00:27:00] community of practitioners, dieticians, just like you who are looking to build a profitable business by creating an offer that rocks.
[00:27:07] Thank you so much for listening and we'll see you next time. If you're looking for support to start, grow and scale your dietitian private practice, I want to invite you to work with me and my team. We have a few different options. Head over to dietitianboss. com and apply to have a conversation with somebody from our sales team to discuss your options for your budget and stage of business.
[00:27:33] Head over to dietitianboss. com and we look forward to connecting.
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