Well thank you everyone for your support and encouragement! It is hopeful to hear that I am on the right track with this.
I'm not sure how things work in the UK, but one way health practitioners in Canada would get clients would be to work part-time in a health food store.
I know some practitioners who give a talk once a month at a health food store. They aren't working there, but the fact that they are there on a regular basis makes it so that a lot of people interested in getting supplements (and their health together) participate.
Joe said:
Maybe a variation on this would be to use health food stores to advertise your talks. I like the idea of you giving public talks. So advertising the HF stores seems like a good idea, lots of people there obviously interested in nutrition.
This is something I am in the process of doing. I have a talk next week at a local supplement/aromatherapy centre to people with fibromyalgia. The establishment runs treatment/education days regularly for different conditions, and holds free massage, reflexology, drop-in sessions, and educational talks for people with that illness. I introduced myself a few weeks ago, and the manage asked me to come and give a lecture to the people with fibromyalgia on what they can do about their condition. I think this could be a very fruitful avenue, because this centre has quite a lot of connections with people who are interested in alternative health in the local area. So if the talk goes well, I may have some clients and also am hoping to establish a relationship with the owner of the shop/center.
Maybe then I could organise "treatment days" for other conditions which I am interested in such as metabolic dysfunction, autism, diabetes, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Hopefully I can educate people on ancestral nutrition and ketogenic application.
The lady also sells supplements, although doesn't have much knowledge in this area. I think that if I can gain her trust and build a relationship with her, she may welcome some advice about supplements and could potentially stock some of the higher-professional quality brands which I typically would recommend to clients. This would cut out the middle man (the websites I tell my clients to buy from), and would benefit her business by providing profit.
luc said:
FWIW, in Germany, when you're unemployed and are entitled to benefits, there are some funds you can apply for to start your own business. That's how we did it when we started out - 6 months of our basic expenses were covered so we could focus on getting clients and the like. Maybe there are similar programs in the UK, either from government agencies or private programs? Just an idea.
From what I have found so far, there doesn't seem to be much support in this regard. I will seek advice from local agencies though just to make sure.
luc said:
If your goal is to make a living as soon as possible, then I think you need "multipliers", i.e. institutions and individuals who are sending you a constant stream of referrals. Doing presentations and the like seems like an excellent way. I wouldn't worry about offering your services directly too much at such events, it's enough if people get that they can book you, but I guess that's part of your bio/introduction at such presentations anyway. What I found to be hugely important with business networking is the social aspect - little small talks over the phone or in person, hanging around a little after a presentation to talk to some people (and listen to them!) etc. When they are comfortable with/around you, they are much more likely to recommend you, regardless even of the quality of your work!
Thanks for this advice. This is certainly something to keep in mind whilst giving the talks. I designed the presentation so that it was not based on my services
per se, but rather on basic recommendation that anyone can apply to their life. I will briefly drop in the option of functional medicine and testing for complex cases, but will not make my service the sole focus. I also have allocated 10-15 minutes at the end of the talk for questions and answers, where I can hopefully clear up any confusion or answer questions directly relating to each specific case. Then sticking around after to properly introduce myself should help as well.
luc said:
Another idea would be to start a youtube channel and do a short presentation/introduction or something - in the long run, I think having some great video content could help with raising your profile, it seems video is where it's at these days. In the short term, having at least one video somewhere might help with securing presentations. If you thought about inviting someone for a presentation, what would be the first thing you would do? Right, check youtube to see what the guy is like and whether it's a good idea to invite him... FWIW.
Gaby said:
If people prefer talks, perhaps some of them can be filmed and you can later upload them on youtube. You'll know if youtube videos are more viable for potential clients than posts fairly quickly. I think people like how you explain things. I know I do, it's like listening to a most interesting documentary with the accent of David Attenborough ;) Just an idea!
Interestingly enough, my dad also recommended doing this. I actually just purchased a projector and a screen, so this is something I could think about putting together. The only issue is sound quality and video quality, which would probably be quite poor.
I do really enjoy giving talks and lecturing. In fact, I think I enjoy being the centre of attention and hearing the sound of my own voice a little
too much. The thought of doing video lectures was something that I considered before, but then wondered whether this would further reinforce the above tendencies, and perhaps fall under the category of "wiseacreing".
Thanks Keyhole for sharing your updates with us! It's good to hear things are going well in your end, the idea of the lectures IMO is excellent, cause people will be able to have better understandings about nutrition and the other topics you cover. I think it's great cause the word will spread out and then you will be able to get more clients.
Thanks, Marina. It is amazing how easy it is to forget that most people know practically nothing about these topics. Reading it everyday in books, online, on SOTT, on FB, in nutritional circles, and on the forum, it just becomes normalised. Yet, when I get the chance to educate people on it, it is brand new information for them. What is even more surprising is that I am the
only person in my area who does what I do.
I think it ties in with the C's quote about not missing the gems between the cracks in the pavement. Take stock of where you are and what you've achieved. The 'worst' that could happen?: That you'll always remain at the level you're at in terms of clients and activities, doing talks, promoting yourself. And that'd be great, right? Because you do all this because it's what you love and it's what's in you to do: "pursuing what is meaningful".
It sounds to me like you're going about everything just right, and if you keep doing what you're doing, working hard towards an aim but remembering you've got yourself to this wonderful new reality that you built and moved into, and appreciating that at the same time, you can't go wrong.
Well, from what I can see the worst that could happen is that I become stagnant financially and I don't bring in any money and can't contribute fully towards the rent and bills. This is causing me some angst right now, because it is a very real possibility in the next 4 weeks if I do not bring in any clients. I naively did not plan for the potential scenario where I would not be bringing in clients, and just assumed that I would "walk-in" to a place where I would start work immediately. This means that I may need to get a part-time or full-time job, which I have not even considered fully until now. I am currently doing some part-time work which will help to cover some expenses, although it is not sufficient to last for long.
But overall, I
think I see where you are coming from. I need to keep up the momentum, and at the same time acknowledge that all previous efforts led to this point - which is GOOD. It is certainly in a better place than I was 4 years ago, and almost like a different reality. It reminds me of this quote from Laura at the start of the thread:
Laura said:
I would strongly encourage you to do what you feel is good for you AND the future. Giving up and giving in is not what we are about and if you have watched the Knowledge and Being videos, you'll know that you might end up in a different reality not only by taking certain steps, but where those steps lead to a different reality in and of themselves (if that makes sense).
I'm really glad your hard work and studying has paid off and you're fully qualified now. I'm also glad to see you're interested in continuously expanding your knoweldge in this area - it certainly is for your benefit as much as ours! 
and help to share the videos.