Being a successful online dietitian coach and owning a dietitian business isn’t just about what you know, it’s about the actions that you do, day in and day out.
Every coach has their own definition of success.
Maybe it’s gaining 3 new clients each month.
Or it could be getting to the point where you have to hire another team member just so you can keep up with your growing business.
Possibly it’s hitting six figures in income.
Or, maybe it’s just knowing that you’re impacting another person’s life.
Whatever your definition is, I’m sure it involves some measure of happiness.
We’ve all seen those entrepreneurs who just seem to have everything figured out. They have a long list of people who are lined up, waiting to be coached. They’re making great money WHILE getting to do what they love. Successful entrepreneurs seem to have it all together, and they make it look easy. These dietitian business owners have everything that YOU want.
But what makes them different? What are they doing that you’re not?
Is it their background or their commitment to becoming the best? Passion for their work? Or is there a secret ingredient that they know and you don’t?
How about all of the above.
ELITE dietitian business owners have the knowledge, execute it, and set a variety of practices that they work on every single day. Below are TEN things that ELITE dietitian business owners do day in and day out.
1. Connect with others
I’ve said it so many times, but the key to success is starting conversations. When becoming a dietitian business owner, it’s so important to talk to others and build connections. Find people that you know you can serve and approach the conversation with the mindset of “What can I help solve in your life, what connection can I make, what resources can I provide?”
When you do get clients, it’s also important to speak to them in a way that promotes real-life connection. By asking questions and truly trying to understand our clients and their feelings/behaviors, you will be able to guide them through their problems and find a solution.
When a client is dealing with something deeper than nutrition, it’s crucial to ask necessary questions to dig deeper than the surface. Therefore, asking open-ended questions will help your client to begin to trust you and explore the possibilities of the root cause.
Once you ask questions, really listen to their response and LEARN from what they’re saying. This brings us to practice two.
2. Practice a dietitian business routine
Everyone has their own way of doing things, but the most successful people in business have a routine and stick with it.
First, each evening I set out my clothes for the next day, leave a glass of water at the bedside for first thing in the morning, and create a to-do list with my most important tasks first. Doing all of these things before the next workday arrives helps to set me up for success and I can wake up and get after it!
Having this schedule in place leaves less time for thinking and more time for doing. Unfortunately, you can’t make more minutes in the day, but you can increase your overall energy and productivity. HIGHLY successful people get up at the same time every single day, follow a specific schedule that they set for themselves, and pre-plan for the upcoming day/week.
Dietitian Tool: After my glass of water in the morning, I love to practice journaling before focusing on my dietitian business. Journaling is a great dietitian tool that can be utilized to jot down ideas, emotions, and express your visions for the future. Once things are written down, they become more and more real. You can use the power of pen and paper to create anything you want, in business and in life.
Try it and email or DM me and let me know your thoughts!
3. Focus on one thing at a time
Those who are ultra-productive during the day know what their most important task is, and work on it first thing in the morning WITHOUT added interruptions. Ask yourself, what task will have the biggest impact on your business and your goals? This is the task that you should dedicate yourself to every single morning.
Once your most important task is accomplished, move on to the next task. Try to finish one thing at a time before moving to the next. This creates fewer distractions and actually ends up saving you time in the long run!
4. Unplug from your dietitian business and social media
Taking time away from social media and the digital world is so important, even as online nutrition coaches. Not only is it good to take a social media detox for productivity, but also for your overall sanity.
Take a walk WITHOUT your phone. I know, walking without listening to music or scrolling through Instagram, crazy right?! This is just one of the dietitian tools that will help to lead you to success.
5. Practice imperfection
Ever heard the saying “the road to success is paved with failure”? Well my friends, it’s absolutely true. Success comes to those who most likely try, fail, and then try again in a different way. When we practice imperfection and learn from our mistakes, success starts to come our way.
Yes, you can fail your way to success. However, this CANNOT be done by making the same mistakes over and over again. As entrepreneurs, it’s important to make mistakes but LEARN from them so we don’t make them over and over again. Failure is part of the process of making it to the top, but learning growing as a person and a business professional makes those mistakes useful.
As type A dietitians, we have high standards and expectations. We try to fine-tune our habits, our routines, and how we present ourselves every day. TOO often, we are trying to be that perfect version of ourselves or a perfect healthy eating coach.
Sure, it’s great that we’re ambitious, proactive, and rigidly organized people, but becoming so fixated on perfection causes pressure. Too much pressure can lead to mistakes.
For instance, ever choked during a game or during a test? Even though you KNOW you could outrun the competition, or you KNEW the material to the test, you still seem to fall short and end up disappointed? This probably happened because you placed too much pressure on yourself to be perfect, which hindered your ability to perform.
This is why it’s so important to strive for excellence and not perfection 100% of the time. Practice imperfection and learn.
I always say, imperfect action beats standing still. When owning a dietitian business, you CANNOT be afraid to make mistakes, because that’s how we grow and eventually thrive.
6. Take risks as a dietitian business owner
You cannot grow by staying inside your comfort zone. I feel like so many people get very comfortable (sometimes too comfortable) inside their little bubble. Even though taking risks could be intimidating, the payoff can be immaculate.
In this client spotlight, RD to be and Level 1 Dietitian Nutrition Coaching Certification student Olivia Kitz discusses how taking the risk of investing in HERSELF has had a huge overall impact on her own business.
Want to learn more about how you can make a MASSIVE impact as a Dietitian Nutrition Coach?
7. Learn from other dietitian business owners
There’s no one single road to success- each elite entrepreneur has their own pathway that gets them there. With that being said, successful entrepreneurs learn from other successful entrepreneurs.
Study those around you and those who are already where you want to be. You can start this by researching people within your field. Take notes, ask questions, and watch what they do/HOW they do it.
In the Dietitian Nutrition Coaching Certification, my students learn the ins and outs of starting their own business, all while learning from my past mistakes.
8. You Are Who You Hang Out With
Happy, successful people surround themselves with ambitious and positive individuals. Surrounding yourself with those who pick others up and have an optimistic outlook on life will help you to adopt the same viewpoint.
It can be easy to let negativity affect you, but it’s also important to remember that negativity usually comes from unhappy people. Invest in those who will add to your life, not subtract. Focusing on the negatives in life will only hold you back, which is why you should surround yourself with positivity. Life is too short.
9. Don’t Know? Ask other dietitian business owners for help
Sometimes when we’re laser-focused on being perfect all the time, we tend to want to act like we have it all figured out, even if we don’t. Successful business owners know they don’t have all the answers and are willing to seek help when they need it.
When going through the process of change, being vulnerable, and understanding that someone else’s help can guide you is crucial. The most successful people have had mentors and sought out coaching to guide them.
The Dietitian Nutrition Coaching Certification provides mentorship to those who are passionate about making a greater impact on others’ lives.
10. Visualize success
The most successful people in the world practice visualization every single day. They envision the exact feeling of what it would be like to accomplish their goals.
Ever played in a championship game? In the days leading up to it, what did it look like? Did you ever close your eyes and visualize what it would feel like putting on your uniform, stepping onto the field, what the scoreboard would read with 5 minutes left in the match, and the sound of the buzzard when your team wins? Then what happened? Did you win?
The same goes for owning a business.
By having the ability to visualize your goals and actually achieving them, an inner motivation is sparked and your brain recognizes what it takes to get there.
Questions? Email me at tony@tonystephandietitian.com to chat!
