So you’ve got your feng shui certification—now what? When you’re new to the design industry, finding your first job (and your second job, and the job after that) can seem intimidating.
You might not have the experience, portfolio, or professional connections of someone who’s been in the business for years, but everyone has to start somewhere! Here are our top tips for finding that first feng shui job to get your business going.
1. Find a mentor
Now that you’ve completed your feng shui certification, you’re ready to start practicing. However, even after your feng shui course, you may find it helpful to get some guided hands-on experience before looking for feng shui jobs on your own.
Look for a mentor who’s been practicing feng shui professionally for several years and has established a reputable business. Read through the information they provide on their site to find someone whose feng shui practices are compatible with your own. Then, reach out to them and ask if they’d be willing to mentor you. Simple!
Typically, you’ll want to propose an arrangement where you help your mentor free of charge for a certain amount of time. In exchange, you’ll get to observe their practice. In addition to learning from the way they practice feng shui, you’ll also want to pay attention to the way they run their business. How do they interact with their clients? How do they promote their services? How do they use elements of feng shui in their business practices?
Don’t be disheartened if someone you contact turns you down. Mentoring isn’t for everyone, so just keep looking!
2. Pick your ideal client
Settling on a target client base is essential to successfully marketing your feng shui business. As you gain experience, your business and your business goals may change. To start out, though, you need an idea of where you want to focus your work.
Do you want to work with residential clients in their homes? Are you interested in bringing feng shui to corporate office spaces? Or would you rather get really involved in the design process by taking on feng shui jobs with architects, landscapers, and other design professionals?
Figuring this out will help you narrow down your search for feng shui jobs to areas and clients that actually interest you.
3. Offer online services
Not every client wants to commit to a full-scale feng shui consultation. Instead, some clients may be interested in conducting a consultation online or via telephone. Offering online services also allows you to attract clients living in different cities, states, or even countries. Maybe long-distance clients are attracted to something about your business specifically; maybe they just don’t have any expert feng shui consultants in their own area. Either way, your online business can help you land more feng shui jobs.
Obviously, a long-distance consultation will be a little different from an in-person one. Before scheduling the consultation, you’ll need to receive some information from your client, such as:
- A detailed, drawn-to-scale floorplan
- Birth dates of those sharing the space
- Dates for construction and any renovations of the building
- Snapshots of their space
- Details of a client’s goals, challenges, and circumstances
- Element test
- Compass degree reading
Decide what’s important to your own personal feng shui practice and set up a system for getting that information from long-distance clients beforehand. You’ll also need to figure out how you want to receive payment from long-distance clients. Then, set up the phone call or video call and start consulting!
4. List your business in a feng shui directory
Listing your business in an online or print feng shui directory can help boost your business’s reach. Most directories will require a payment, often made annually, but membership can have lots of benefits. Instead of relying purely on your website and social media pages to attract new clients, you’ll also be able to reach clients through a respected directory.
Some listings will also provide services for clients who don’t have computer access. For instance, if a potential client finds a print listing, they can call the directory. The directory will provide contact information for practitioners who fit the client’s requirements—and that could include you!
As well as boosting your reach, joining a directory might get you access to member discounts and workshops. Try starting with directories like the International Feng Shui Guild or the Feng Shui Directory.
5. Start a blog
Your feng shui certification isn’t always enough to convince hardened skeptics. Many people have misconceptions about what feng shui is or isn’t. A good way to set them right? Start a blog, of course!
Sharing your perspective and talking about your experience can be the best way to help convince people that feng shui can actually benefit them. Tell your readers what feng shui means to you and why you decided to become a feng shui professional. Explain the benefits of feng shui. Give tips and tricks your readers can use in their own homes. You can even share details about your own life—sometimes reading about someone relatable can be all it takes to convince a prospective client.
If you’ve decided to follow tip #4 and start providing your services long-distance, a blog is the perfect tool for boosting your online reach. Plus, sometimes a successful blog can start making money on its own!
6. Work for family and friends
Never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth referrals. When you specialize in in-house consultations with your clients, a personal referral can make all the difference!
Of course, to get a referral you first need to impress a client with your feng shui skills. If you haven’t worked with many (or any) clients yet, a good way to get started is to do some feng shui work for friends or family. You may or may not decide to charge them, depending on their level of interest in your work. Even if you’re working for free, though, a friend or family member who’s happy with your work is likely to tell their own friends about you.
