Rocking Your Herbal Business.pptx

12/5/12%
+
Rocking Your Herbal Business … To the Max
© Aviva Romm
December 5, 2012
+
Humble Beginnings…
1%
12/5/12%
+
Anything is Possible…
+
But You’ve Gotta’ Know What You
Want…
 
Vision
 
Goals (with openness)
 
Focus
 
Passion
 
Service
 
Success (as you define it!)
2%
12/5/12%
+
And BELIEVE!
[Somebody’s
Already
Published It…]
Lessons in Intention
+
Visioning Minute
 
What do you want to be doing in 5 years?
 
What do you REALLY want?
 
What do you REALLY REALLY want?
 
If you were given $5 million today, would you still want this?
(If yes, go forward, if not, rethink because this ain’t what you
really want!)
 
What are your needs and goals (be specific, i.e. I need to
make $200k/year, hire xyz staff, and know how to xyz –
practice women’s herbal medicine, do acupuncture, write
well, teach more effectively, go for a GMP manufacturing setup)
 
How are you going to start?
3%
12/5/12%
+ You can really use your imagination to create
the herbal life you envision!
+
But what are you willing to do?
4%
12/5/12%
+
What can you do as an herbalist?
 
Be a living example of a
healthy person!
 
Be an entrepreneur
 
Make shift happen
Botanical consulting practice
 
Write/publish in herbal magazines,
books
 
Teach at herbal events, conferences,
and schools/ run an herb school
 
Work as a research assistant
 
Make/ sell herbal products
 
 
Work for an herbal medicine
company
Run organizations (ie, AHG,
UpS)
 
Start any number of herballyrelated businesses
 
+
 
Consult for industry in formula
development
Obstacles to Success
 
Poverty consciousness
 
Fear: failure, loss of money,
what others think
 
Unfamiliarity with hard work
 
Competing demands
5%
12/5/12%
+
LET’S BREAK IT DOWN
+
Be a living example of
a healthy person!
Be an entrepreneur
Make shift happen
6%
12/5/12%
+
Be a living example
of a healthy person!
Be an entrepreneur
Make shift happen
+
 
Vision
 
Optimism
 
Self-confidence
 
Resilience
 
Self-motivation, drive and persistence
 
Initiative
 
Organization
 
Risk tolerance
 
Time management
 
Marketing
 
Social media
 
Finance
 
People-skills
How much education do you need?
And what type?
 
Most currently practicing herbalists are self-trained
 
How much education you need partly depends on your goals
 
There are herbalists working in universities, conventional
clinics, writing books, and running product companies, to name
a few, who have NO formal academic training
 
Generally, however, to break into the academic circuit, some
training is required.
 
For clinical practice this also depends on your goals, location,
and the scope you plan to have for practice.
 
Remember, there are no credentials for clinical herbalism, but
Basty and Tai Sophia do have programs that train you for
consulting and industry.
7%
12/5/12%
+
Botanical consulting
practice
Write/publish in herbal
magazines, books
Teach at herbal events,
conferences, and schools
Run an herb school
Work as a research assistant
Botanical consulting practice
+
Determine type of practice you want (solo, shi shi private, community, free
clinic)
Independent or consult in another practitioner’s practice
Client population
Credentials: do they matter? (there are no LEGIT CLNICAL HERBAL
CREDENTIALS
How to get clinical training/apprenticeships and how much do you need before
you see clients?
Scope of practice
Legal issues of herbal practice: practicing med w/o a license, “watch your
language”, have networks and support systems, keep careful records, know
your limitations, know your laws
Insurance
Fees (flat, sliding scale, credit cards or cash, collections)
8%
12/5/12%
+
+
Clinical Practice, cont’d
 
Appointment length and structure, follow-up
 
Boundaries (parties, friends, phone, email)
 
Billing
 
Referrals
 
Labs
 
Apothecary: pros, cons, conflict of interest issues: records, labels, track
batches! You are accountable
 
Costs: overhead, assistant or secretary, marketing, apothecary
 
Blending midwifery with clinical practice: the challenge of time and
births
Malpractice insurance:
Pros, Cons, Contact
 
Cameron Mummery
 
1851 East 1st Street
 
Ste 1161
 
Santa Ana, CA 92705
 
Special Programs Manager
 
American Acupuncture Council
 
800.838.0383
 
714.571.1855
 
PROS
 
Sense of protection
 
CON
 
More likely to be sued!
9%
12/5/12%
+
Write/publish in herbal
magazines, books
Create a niche
Write about what you know and do
Get published
Blog for other sites to establish your cred
Be a regular for a couple of publications
– get a column
Practice your craft
KISS
Work as a research assistant
to an herbalist/author
+
Teach at herbal events,
conferences, and schools
Run an herbal training
program
10%
12/5/12%
+
Make/ sell herbal products
Run an herb shop or
apothecary
Work for an herbal
medicine company
Consult for industry in
formula development
Eleuthero
Green Tea
Seabuckthorn
Pomegranate
Ginger
Lemon Balm
Hibiscus
Lemon
+
Make/ sell herbal products
Run an herb shop or
apothecary
WHAT’S UR NICHE?
Unique issues around:
•  GMPs
•  Interstate sales
•  Product liability
•  Batch accountability (ie whatcha
gonna’ do in a recall?)
•  Where to invest in terms of product
•  Dg and tx on site
•  Where will you market/sell; product
placement in stores, internet direct.
•  Will you self-mfctr or private label?
11%
12/5/12%
+
A little product help…
LABELS
 
7Song recommends a Dymo Label Maker (http://
sites.dymo.com/Pages/home.aspx)
 
Apparently this is a free, online label program -- http://www.scribus.net/canvas/Scribus
 
Avery labels and Avery software for a variety of
sizes for boston round bottles for tinctures, salve
jars, etc. Staples has Avery-standard size labels.
 
Richo Cech outlines a good record keeping
labeling method in Making Plant Medicin
PACKAGING
 
Specialty Bottle (http://
www.specialtybottle.com/)
 
SKS Bottle & Packaging (http://
www.sks-bottle.com/)
 
Freund Container & Supply (http://
www.freundcontainer.com/)
 
Industrial Container & Supply
Company (http://
www.industrialcontainer.com/)
 
Container & Packaging Supply (http://
www.containerandpackaging.com/)
 
Sunburst Bottle (http://
www.sunburstbottle.com/ )
+
Run organizations (ie, AHG,
UpS)
Start any number of
herbally-related businesses
Run a free clinic (or work in
one)
Make documentary films,
preserve culture and
tradition of herbalism
12%
12/5/12%
+
If Herbal Medicine for
Women is your thing…
PLEASE COME VISIT ME AND JOIN THE
COMMUNITY!
www.avivaromm.com
+
If you found this helpful…
 
Please sign up at my website
for more free seminars and
announcements of upcoming
courses
 
Keep an eye out on my FB
page and website for access to
the recording and powerpoint
slides
 
Let me hear from you with
what you want to know more
about and I’ll be sure to create
classes and articles!
 
www.avivaromm.com
13%