A New Year often means a focus on our intentions for the next year. Although many New Year resolutions get broken in the first few weeks of the year, the start of a New Year is an ideal time to assess the goals for your business – and figure out how to achieve those goals. Here are five quick tips to kick start your aromatherapy business for the following year!
#1 Educate Yourself
There is no greater investment you can make in yourself than education. Education is the key to establishing your credibility in your field – and understanding your subject. In aromatherapy, it is important to understand what essential oils are – and safe ways to use them. Continuing education is just as important too.
Educate yourself by taking a course (from a qualified aromatherapist with experience in the area) – or start out by reading a book, such as Authentic Aromatherapy!
#2 Research Essential Oil Suppliers
Once you have a basic understanding of what an essential oil is – and how it looks like, smells like, and acts like – you will have some good information to source quality essential oils from reputable suppliers. Not all essential oil suppliers are created equal, so do your homework before investing your hard earned cash in supplies. If you want to offer quality blends and products to your own customers, you need to invest in quality supplies.
#3 Source Quality Ingredients for Skin Care Products
Essential oils are just one component of an aromatherapy skin care product. If you have your own product making business, and make products from scratch, you will need to invest in all sorts of other ingredients; these include cocoa butter, shea butter, and carrier oils. Make sure you obtain cold pressed carrier oils for aromatherapy use (hot pressed carrier oils do not possess the same therapeutic properties). You also might want to source organic and fair trade butters.
Your customers will see that you’ve taken the time to source quality ingredients – and provide a quality product.
#4 Get Social (Media)
Social media is time consuming and sometimes overwhelming. However, if you want to do business these days, it is a given that you have a presence on popular social media outlets – such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more. Having a presence is not enough – you need to interact with your followers and post quality information, time and time again. Quality, over quantity, gets more results – no one likes to be ignored, so take the time to respond to followers who take the time to respond to you.
#5 Customer Care Follow Up
Just as social media etiquette is important, so is actual customer care. People who have invested time and money in your product or service deserve quality customer care. Take the time to have personal interaction (where its called for) and remember to thank your customers for their business. If a problem arises, deal with it efficiently and as fairly as possible. Sometimes it may not be your fault, but a goodwill gesture goes a long way to “keeping the peace” – and keeping customers.
There are various ways to kick start your business – the above are just a few suggestions which I have found useful in my time as a small business owner. Make this year the year your business gets noticed!
