One of the best things about our industry is that we have so many options in terms of how we set up and operate our businesses. There are naturopaths running large multi-modality clinics, there are naturopaths doing it solo with a full-time, fully booked business, and there are naturopaths running online courses, selling ebooks and operating 100% online. Your business can shift and evolve as you do and can adapt to suit your lifestyle too. You can increase your work hours, choose to work fewer hours, work during the day or the evenings or on weekends. When you set up your own business, there really is so much freedom and flexibility in our industry.

Along with all that freedom and flexibility comes a lot of choices and decision-making, and so I’ve dedicated the final part of this five-part series to helping you navigate those big decisions along your business journey. After over six years in the industry, my #1 piece of advice to you is this: Follow your own path, and do what works for you.

You will undoubtedly come across a plethora of business coaches, SEO specialists, marketing gurus and financial strategists who tell you that there is only one way to be successful in business. You will be sold courses and programs and e-books that tell you how to run your business. You will be told over and over again that you need a 1:1 coach or mentor to succeed, and you will be told that ‘success’ is a fully-booked business making six figures or more.

And here’s where my advice to you comes into play. Not every coach and mentor is the right one for you — don’t fall for marketing tactics or buy a program from a place of fear. Don’t fall into the trap of over-spending on courses and programs before you have the income to do that. With any advice that you come across, take what works for you and ignore the rest. There is absolutely no one-size-fits-all approach to business, and no one else understands you and your business like you do.

Finding a coach or mentor is a fantastic idea. I have had a few great coaches who have really helped accelerate my business to where I wanted it to be. But always start by asking yourself this question: What does success look like, and feel like, for me? And find a coach who can help you achieve that vision.

If you want to work 2 days per week and spend the rest of the week with your family, create a plan to make that happen. If you want to work full time and earn multiple six figures, create a plan and make it happen! Just don’t fall for the ‘hype’ of the business world that tells you success has to look a certain way for everyone.

Follow your own path. Do business in a way that works for you and your lifestyle, in whatever chapter of life you’re in right now. Create the kind of success that you desire, not what someone else tells you to aim for. Drown out the outside noise, and be very particular about who you follow online and who you trust when it comes to business advice.

But remember to celebrate every little stepping stone along the way. Your business journey is just that — a journey! And no one achieves their big long-term dreams overnight. I’ve learnt the hard way, as have many others before me, that the constant pushing and striving for someone else’s idea of success only leads to frustration and burnout. Get really clear on what it is that you want from your business, and stop to celebrate the smallest of achievements along the way to your big goals and dreams.

Lastly, don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s. You are on your own path, and that’s what matters. As long as you are focused on doing it your way, and creating your own unique version of success — you’ll get there.

Interested in Natural Health?

Set the pace towards a happier, healthier you. Discover Endeavour's range of evidence-based and practical Natural Health Courses.