Start a Firewalking Business
So, you want to start a Firewalking Business?
One of the Core Competencies required by Firewalking International for Professional Firewalk Instructor Certification is creating Collaborative Client Relationships. Doing this consistently is key to building a successful Firewalking Business.
It’s how you get clients, meet and exceed their needs, and keep those clients. With that in mind, we thought we would share a few tips that will help you build an independent Firewalking Business.
Getting clients for your Firewalking Business
A common concern for someone starting their Firewalking Business is: “How do I get clients?” The answer is simpler than you might think. SHOW UP. And that doesn’t have to be in person. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Ask clients and colleagues for references.
- Be sure to ask them for referrals too! You never know who they know!
- Attend professional development meetings and seminars, such as the Firewalk Gatherings.
- Join LinkedIn, Facebook groups etc. Have a voice and take part in the conversations.
- Offer free or low-cost trainings, information sessions and webinars.
- Learn how to use Social Media properly and make use of it.
- Photographs and video are crucial for online marketing.
- Start a mastermind group.
- Keep in touch, on a regular basis, with past and potential clients.
- Join a Networking Group and attend meetings on a very regular basis.
Keeping clients for your Firewalking Business
It is easier to keep existing clients than find new ones. Here are 6 easy ways:
- Thank them for their business and ask for feedback
- Leave your business card with more than one person in the organisation
- With their permission, add them to your newsletter list
- Out of the blue, send them a gift (not a branded gift, but an actual gift!) Read Giftology for advice on this.
- Keep in regular contact with them, not just through your newsletter.
- Most importantly, do a great job each time. Learn what they need and help them get it. Go the extra mile and give them more than they expect. Remember, you are only as good as your last job!
You will also need to consider what you are able to offer your clients. If your strength lies in delivering amazing Firewalks, a company may not want to do a Firewalk year after year, especially if they have the same staff. What can you do that is different? How can you take them to the next level?
“Average Firewalk Instructors raise the bar on themselves; good Firewalk Instructors raise the bar for others; great Firewalk Instructors inspire others to raise their own bar.”
Pricing your Firewalking Business
Ask colleagues what they are charging hourly and by-the-job. The current rates (2018) in the UK are between £100 and £250 an hour, or about £1500 – £2500 for a Firewalk of up to 50 people.
The higher rates tend to be charged by people who have been in the market 10-15 years, are known and respected, and have some unique market edge.
Some charge based on their value e.g. “how much is your help worth to the client?” Some can charge a lot more using this approach.
Others charge based on their Speaking background. These Firewalk Instructors are well known for their public speaking and motivational skills. They often attract much higher rates based on their experience, skills and fame.
Ultimately, you need to develop a business plan based around how much money you need to live on. From there you can establish how many clients you need per month and how much each client needs to be paying.
Continuous Professional and Personal Development
Continuous Professional and Personal Development is crucial for your Firewalking Business to flourish. Every year, go to at least one conference that sparks your interest and will complement your skills. If you aren’t sure what to attend, ask colleagues for recommendations.
As someone just starting out you will have recently completed your Firewalk Instructor Training Course. You will have lots of new wisdom and learning. It is crucial that this continues. Look for something new that you can attend in the next 6 months. Some conferences and courses that we highly recommend are:
- Wisdom Together
- TedX Events
- Happiness and it’s Causes
- NLP Training
- Breathwork Training
- Meditation
Of course, we also recommend checking out the courses that we offer through The Business of Firewalking.
Look after yourself
Ask anyone that has been in the industry a while and they will confirm, running a Firewalking Business can be exciting, lonely, overwhelming, and extremely satisfying. Self-care is a huge industry these days and there is a lot of information online to help. Here are four ways that you can help look after yourself as well as your business:
- Make sure you have two to three friends or family members as your confidants.
- Share the workload. Running a Firewalk Business often means there are jobs and tasks you don’t like doing for whatever reason. Can you subcontract these to someone else?
- Seek professional advice when you are not sure. You can email or call us any time.
- Take the time to do things that you enjoy, walking, mediation, dancing, listening to music, reading, etc. Whatever gives you joy and calm.
If you are a current Firewalk Instructor or Master Firewalk Instructor we would love to hear anything you would add to this. And, if you are new to the Firewalking Industry, we wish you every success on your journey and are happy to support in any way we can. We have a range of tools and resources available for Firewalk Instructors that train with us as well as our Global Partners and Licensees.