Self Employment Idea - Health and fitness (Complimentary Therapist)

I was at my physiotherapist's waiting room this morning and went over the newly-installed notice board . There were a variety of advertisements on health-related activities (seniors walking club, yoga classes), services (physiotherapy, sports massage, plus something new to me - doula services) and training opportunities.

With an ageing population growing steadily and people living longer and wanting to live better, it's a good idea to look into this field for self-employment. Our culture of work and related stress has also given rise to back pain, repetitive strain injury, obesity, insomnia etc. It is accepted nowadays that complimentary and alternative therapies can provide care more holistically and preventively than conventional healthcare.

Two of my friends are getting into health and fitness as a path to self-employment. A friend, who works for as an estate agent (realtor) is starting his training this month to become a yoga teacher and another, a solicitor, is training to be a nutritionist.

The potential - A growing focus on body and mind and the greater acceptance of complimentary and alternative healing has seen reflexology, aromatherapy, Alexander technique etc gain popularity. Complimentary treatments are also gaining in credibility and slowly being recommended by the medical profession as additional treatment to conventional healthcare.

The value - At the same time, there has never been more emphasis on becoming fit. More people (including myself) are finding that with the right training and nutrition, we are able to reach fitness targets unattainable even in our early twenties. The value attached to training and health advice is high and people are willing to pay for it. Can you put a price ceiling on feeling good? In addition, people are increasingly feeling guilty about not eating properly or exercising and feel they need help in this aspect.

The gateway- The good news is you don't have to invest 4-10 years training and qualifying to become a healthcare professional to gain self-employment in health and fitness. Look into qualifying and self-employment in complimentary healthcare. Reputable courses will take around 1-2 years and there are part-time options.

It is predicted that a significant part of 30-50's disposable incomes will be spent on health and fitness, especially the affluent market segment. This is a growing industry and many complimentary therapy providers are self-employed sole practitioners, and this business model works well. If you enjoy working with people, have good interpersonal skills and get satisfaction from seeing your work show in their improved health and fitness, this could be the low start-up, easy-to-moderate entry level self-employment idea for you. The hourly rate for fitness instructors and complimentary therapists is between £20-£50 (USD33-80) per hour in London, which is on par with an architect with 1-3 year's experience.

The best thing is there are many complimentary therapies you can choose for self-employment in$, and subcategories to specialize in, depending on your interest and local demand. Get researching!