Why do some people have extremely successful hypnotherapy businesses, seeing up to 20 clients a week, and other struggle to see one or two clients a month? It doesn't mean you're not a good or caring hypnotherapist (and I was one of those practitioners who struggled to get past one or two clients a week for a long time!). What it does mean is that there's a block somewhere to developing your business, and thinking about creating a strategy that focuses on mindset, skills and business strategy can help remove anything that's standing between you and the business you deserbe.

Here's what you need to focus on:

Mindset

Developing a healthy mindset is often the starting point to shaping a successful business. You can have all the skills in the world, and I coach some very well-educated and skilful hypnotherapists, but if you don’t believe in yourself you’re unlikely to attract clients.

You need to believe that you deserve to be in the hypnotherapy space – and you do. There might be some people who’ve been working longer than you. They might have more experience or training. But you’ve got a reason for being here, whether that’s because you’ve got something important to share from your own experience, or whether working as a hypnotherapist is an important part of your self-growth.

Repeat to yourself “I have something unique and valuable to offer others, and I deserve to be here”. Take a moment to see how that feels in your body. If there are any points of resistance, explore what they mean and offer yourself self-compassion – and a commitment to work through those points of resistance.

Skills

Foundational level hypnotherapy training – the HPD or GHSC accredited level courses, for instance – are wonderful starting points. You’ll learn the basic and have an understanding of how to work with clients. It’s likely you’ll understand skills such as CBT-hypnosis, some NLP, solution focused approaches and others.

But these courses should only be considered a starting point. Think about what you love doing. Think about some areas that are challenging for you. Think about what your clients are looking for and how you can focus on building skills that can make you stand out from other therapists.

Business strategy

Most of us tend to “let the business take care of itself’. Unfortunately, seeing how it goes, when it comes to running a hypnotherapy practice, doesn’t tend to lead to success. It often means we’re running a game of catch-up, always on the back foot and always scrambling around to think what we can do next.

Many hypnotherapists don’t even think about their business until they’ve been practicing for years.

You need to have a clear idea of where you want to be in six months, a year and five years’ time.

What practical measures are you going to put into your business to reach those goals?

What training or skills do you need to develop?

How’s your website, your social media, your local marketing coming along?

When you bring these three elements together, and give equal time to each, you can start running a successful hypnotherapy practice in a way that fits with your values, needs and desires.

Running a successful hypnotherapy practice: the 3 core elements

Mindset

Developing a healthy mindset is often the starting point to shaping a successful business. You can have all the skills in the world, and I coach some very well-educated and skilful hypnotherapists, but if you don’t believe in yourself you’re unlikely to attract clients.

You need to believe that you deserve to be in the hypnotherapy space – and you do. There might be some people who’ve been working longer than you. They might have more experience or training. But you’ve got a reason for being here, whether that’s because you’ve got something important to share from your own experience, or whether working as a hypnotherapist is an important part of your self-growth.

Repeat to yourself “I have something unique and valuable to offer others, and I deserve to be here”. Take a moment to see how that feels in your body. If there are any points of resistance, explore what they mean and offer yourself self-compassion – and a commitment to work through those points of resistance.

Skills

Foundational level hypnotherapy training – the HPD or GHSC accredited level courses, for instance – are wonderful starting points. You’ll learn the basic and have an understanding of how to work with clients. It’s likely you’ll understand skills such as CBT-hypnosis, some NLP, solution focused approaches and others.

But these courses should only be considered a starting point. Think about what you love doing. Think about some areas that are challenging for you. Think about what your clients are looking for and how you can focus on building skills that can make you stand out from other therapists.

Business strategy

Most of us tend to “let the business take care of itself’. Unfortunately, seeing how it goes, when it comes to running a hypnotherapy practice, doesn’t tend to lead to success. It often means we’re running a game of catch-up, always on the back foot and always scrambling around to think what we can do next.

Many hypnotherapists don’t even think about their business until they’ve been practicing for years.

You need to have a clear idea of where you want to be in six months, a year and five years’ time.

What practical measures are you going to put into your business to reach those goals?

What training or skills do you need to develop?

How’s your website, your social media, your local marketing coming along?

When you bring these three elements together, and give equal time to each, you can start running a successful hypnotherapy practice in a way that fits with your values, needs and desires.

Running a Successful Hypnotherapy Practice Q&A

Do I need a lot of money to have a successful hypnotherapy practice?

No, creativity and effort count for far more than money. That said, some investment – in training, in a decent website, in making your client onboarding process as easy as possible through paid booking sites – is likely to be needed.

Do I need a business background to be successful as a hypnotherapist?

Having a business background would be helpful, but it’s not something that most of us have. You can learn enough about marketing and running a business to create a very successful practice, even if that’s not your primary background.

How can I work on my confidence levels?

Identify where it is you’re lacking confidence and focus on those areas, either by yourself or with the help of a therapist. Know that most people setting up businesses lack confidence in their abilities and that if you’re experiencing imposter syndrome you’re not alone.

How do I know which skills to gain?

Let your interests and passion be a starting point. Specialise in what you care about and always keep working towards becoming a more ethical, knowledgeable hypnotherapists by reading books and reflecting on your practice.