Rookie mistakes I made so you don’t have to

Right. Strap in. Time for some tough love with a side of “been there, sobbed about it, powered through.”

Here are three classic rookie moves that quietly sabotage your practice from within. How do I know? Because I did all three. Simultaneously. Like some kind of business kamikaze.

Mistake 1: Block-booking a treatment room

Ah yes. The ol’ “I’ll rent a room for 3 days a week and the clients will just… come.” Spoiler: They didn’t. So instead of a thriving clinic, I had a very expensive, very quiet meditation cave. Which I occasionally used for sobbing into herbal tea and vodka, and wondering where it all went wrong.

👉 Don’t do it. Go PAYG. Or treat from home. Save your cash for actual necessities, like snacks and heat packs.

Mistake 2: Offering discount promotions

“I’ll do a 50% off deal! That’ll get people in!” It did. They came. They disrespected me. They vanished. One even asked if I validated parking tickets from 2009. Discount clients don’t become loyal clients. They become ghosts who tell their bargain-hunting mates you’re “cheap” and conveniently forget to mention “brilliant.”

👉 You trained. You’re skilled. You’re not a packet of mince on a yellow sticker. Charge like it.

Mistake 3: Relying on word-of-mouth

Look, word-of-mouth is lovely. But unless you’ve got 500 aunties on WhatsApp or you’re an ex-member of Girls Aloud, it won’t fill your diary. (Also, fun fact, most practitioners who “only used word-of-mouth” either:

a) have forgotten the painful start

b) are lying

c) are in witness protection and can’t advertise)

👉 Marketing first. Referrals second. That’s the game.

If you’re doing any of these - stop. No shame. I love you. I am you. But seriously: stop. And you’re not bad at business. You’ve just been trying to win the Great British Bake Off with no oven, no flour, and a whisk made of spaghetti.

But the good news? You can fix all this. And you’ll look back and laugh. Eventually. Until then, let’s not rent any more meditation caves, yeah?

Until next time,
Sarah
Founder, Sole Trader Courses