Taking the leap from the corporate world to acupuncture
If the last year has taught us anything it’s that time is precious and if an opportunity comes along to grab it with both hands. That’s exactly what NCA graduate Kate Morris-Bates did, she made the life changing decision to leave behind her successful career in the corporate world to study acupuncture.
So why did she do it? And what tips and advice has she got for anyone starting out in business for the first time?….
Hi, Nice to Meet You…
Hi, I’m Kate, I am the founder and CEO of InsideOut Wellness; a business which centres on evidence-based alternative medicine practices to support clients with their health and wellbeing needs, ranging from stress, pain, and women’s health to natural interventions for skin health. I started this business in the Summer break between first and second year of my course at the Northern College of Acupuncture by opening a little clinic space in North East Wales. I graduated in 2020 with a PGDip in Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture.
I’m a former corporate executive who turned to alternative medicine to aid with my fertility journey. I subsequently retrained as an Acupuncturist and Holistic Wellness & Mindfulness based Coach; and am now a best-selling Author & Wellness Writer featured in a wide range of books, radio programmes and publications including Forbes, Authority, Woman & Home, Metro, Cheshire Life, and the Daily Show. I am a passionate advocate for empowering women to understand the unique balance and power of their bodies to manage their approach to personal health and wellbeing. I’ve recently had a feature published about me in The Successful Founder Magazine, so I’d like to share some of my learnings and top tips for anyone starting out in business for the first time.
Why I Became an Acupuncturist
I became an Acupuncturist because I had enough of the corporate world, and I wanted to open my mind to new ways of thinking. And being. The catalyst for this change came in the form of the DJ Chris Evans when he was doing his BBC Radio2 Breakfast Show; I was listening to him on my commute to work talking to a GP about Acupuncture and how marvellous it is, and I was transported back to my time on my Acupuncturist’s couch hoping and praying for a baby. That was the moment I decided aged 42 with a toddler at home and all the responsibilities of adult life to retrain as a mature student. A week or so later I was enrolled at the college. A full time Masters’ level student turning my back on my previous career and forging an entirely new identity for myself.
No salary, no pension, no bonus, no company car, no paid holidays, no sick pay. And no guarantees. But, I was not making a random bet on a horse, I was taking a chance on myself and I have never looked back!
My Biggest Mistake Since Starting Out
The importance of boundaries was the biggest lesson I have learnt since starting my business.
It was a huge turning point for me in my learnings about the boundary choices (or lack of) I made with friends and business acquaintances. After receiving a few metaphorical slaps to my face by people I’d invested my time, friendship and loyalty in (not to mention the cost investment of unpaid advice, training and intellectual capital), I realised I had to step up to the plate and acknowledge it was me who had made the poor choices, which, in part, had enabled this to happen, because, I had made the choice to over-give and over-share with zero boundaries in place. It was me to who made the choice to give so much without setting out what I expected in return.
Over-helping and over-giving is very rarely rewarded with an equal response when the other person does not have equal skin in the game. Particularly when you have not given the other person a choice in the matter. And people without equal skin in the game rarely appreciate what they have been given on a silver platter, because they did not choose to ask for or receive it.
Choosing your boundaries make everything in business and in friendships so much easier, including our ability to say no with grace and humility.
Be Grateful to Those Who Sacrifice for You to Learn & Grow
It is important to be aware of the impact your studying has on those around you. And be appreciative of their support whilst you are on your study path, otherwise relationships can fray at a time because of the pressure of balancing study, college, work and homelife. I am most grateful to my husband. I chose to turn my back on an established career at a time when we had a toddler (and a new bouncy puppy) and some serious health concerns over close family members, who passed away in my second year. As I became a full-time student and started a brand-new business, he became the sole earner, a single parent on the weekends I was in college, the family chef and main domestic caregiver as the demands of my business and studying escalated.
Connect With Your Passion
I started InsideOut Wellness with a clear vision – to empower people of all ages to access credible alternative medicine support; to aid their overall wellbeing, and their future self by providing these in a beautiful wellness space or a safe space online. Whilst I have niched into the area of primarily supporting women, the underlying principles remain true to this vision.
My personal passion is empowering women because of my own experiences. I have experienced healthcare prejudice, financial prejudice, and age prejudice because of my gender. From their thirties, the pay gap between men and women gets wider and wider, with men earning on average 15.5% more in hourly earnings than their female counterparts. There are so many aspects to this huge issue but the one which I focus on is what this might mean for women’s health.
Being connected with your passion will enable you to have clear messaging to the clients you want to attract. It will also see you through the ups and downs of the reality of starting a business.
My “Top 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started”
I provided this response to Authority, an online global Magazine have a watch for my Top 5 Tips for every budding Entrepreneur!
How I Grew My Business
I started my business after my first full year as a mature student. I could see that there was potential to capitalise on everything we had been taught particularly in our bodywork lectures, so I secured my Therapeutic Massage qualification, and then was able to use this to train quickly in other holistic therapies, with appropriate insurance. These formed the basis for my tiny part-time business, which I literally started from scratch with an empty Facebook page and zero clients but a whole heap of previous business acumen.
The 2 years of my business was all about learning, covering costs, reinvestment and building up a client base whilst I studied. I rented my little clinic space out to other Therapists and was able to cover my running costs this way. After 12 months whilst in my final year of my degree I had outgrown that clinic space and moved to a bigger premises in the centre of town.
I was like a Magpie, picking up tips and techniques on Social Media, Websites, Advertising, Marketing from everywhere. I made a lot of mistakes as I went along and wasted money, but I don’t regret it – it was part of my learning journey – one which I am still on.
I believe strongly in investing in your business if you want to see it grow and my strategy of continual investment in both my own skillset and my business operation has not let me down.
PR & Media
I am receiving a lot of Media interest because of (commercially confidential) steps I took in 2020. I don’t do it because I want to be “famous” – I do it because I want to raise the profile of our profession and how we can support people with their health and wellbeing. And, naturally, I use it to grow my business and reach my target audience so I can support them through my writing or through clinical practice.
Money
I remember as an apprehensive first year, one of then 3rd years saying to me, I would be lucky to earn £20k/year out of being an Acupuncturist and it is a job we do for passion not money. I disagree, we can do it for both. And both are laudable reasons. In my first year of business – whilst I was a student and only fee earning a day or two per week – I broke even and made a tiny profit and by the end of my third year as a student I started paying myself a wage from my business.
Business growth is not easy and there is no one size fits all. But with the right mindset, business skills, investment choices and professional support your business will grow.
Ongoing Support
I believe in the power of getting the right people around you to help you grow. I had in my corporate career and I have it now.
Fortunately, I am now in a position to pay this forward and I support other wellness entrepreneurs starting out on their business journey. I have 3 spaces available at a discounted rate for NCA students of £500 for 3 x 90 minute sessions – available during April 2021. We can do a deep dive into your thinking for your business, and I will share my insight and top tips to get you started. Email me on kate@katemorrisbates.com if you want in!
Thank you for reading.
Kate x
MSc, PGDip, PGCert, BA (Joint Hons), MBAcC, ACC
Follow Kate:
Instagram : @katemorrisbates_wellness
Facebook: @insideoutwellnessuk
LinkedIn: @katemorris-bates-wellness-expert