From Side Hustle to Full-Time Coach in 12 Months with Shannon Hanson

Michelle Leotta:
Welcome to the Health Coach Power Community Podcast. I'm Michelle Leotta, ex-corporate girl turned certified health coach with over 15 years of experience growing a successful online practice. I started out with no idea what I was getting into and learned a lot of lessons along the way that have given me the freedom to do the work I love and raised two boys as a single mom.

I created a health coach power community over a decade ago to make it easier for health coaches to build a career they love and make the world a better place.

How long does it really take to go full-time as a health coach? Today, we're gonna hear from one coach who built her business from scratch to a full-time salary in just 12 months. Now, full transparency for me, it took about four years to figure out this business and earn what I would consider a real salary.

But remember, I started in 2009, and there was far less support available back then. So, I spent every day reinventing the wheel, and in some cases, inventing the wheel for the very first time. I was one of the first coaches to offer online courses, for example. There was nobody to teach me this stuff, but today with the right actions and with the right support, I've seen coaches do it so much faster in this episode.

You're going to hear how one coach did it just 12 months after getting certified as a health coach, and the energy is contagious. I'm excited for this one. It's the same energy that's buzzing inside. Empowered right now. Empowered is my brand new small group mastermind, by the way, with coaches who are serious going full-time.

It's wild. How quickly they're building momentum and signing new clients, some after months or years of stagnation, the freedom that they're creating for themselves with their time, with their income, with their whole lives. It reminds me why I started this work in the first place. When I think back, it's like if I stayed in my corporate career, I would've missed my kids growing up.

My income would've hit a ceiling years ago. I wouldn't be in the best shape of my life at 46, and I'd be one of those stressed-out people taking three or four pharmaceuticals just like most women my age. Coaching has given me my dream life, the financial freedom, the time freedom, to take care of myself and the people around me.

You want this, too? Email the word full-time to michelle@healthcoachpower.com. If you're wondering, well, how long is it gonna take me? Here's one answer. Let's dive in.

All right. Hello there, health coaches. We have a bonus episode for you this week, and I'm really, really excited about it. Shannon Hansen is joining me to talk about how she recently made the leap from her, you know, Joby job, the JOB to health coaching full-time. Shannon, thank you for joining me.

Shannon Hanson:
Hi Michelle. Thanks for having me.

Michelle Leotta:
This is so cool. I mean, I remember when I left my corporate job for health coaching, but. I got laid off, like I didn't know how I was ever gonna actually walk away, and they kind of did it for me. So it was very, very scary. What you've done, I think, is so courageous.

I can't wait to hear your story, and I know everyone is like, this is the dream. This is the dream. Do you feel like you're living the dream?

Shannon Hanson:
I do every day. I am like, I can't believe this is my life. I really can't. My husband always says like, you built this from nothing. Like you built a business outta nothing. You really did it. I'm like..

Michelle Leotta:
You have someone? I've had that same comment that people have said to me. You really just made this from scratch. It's not like you bought a franchise or you're following some like exact blueprint or whatever. You really, and you, I think you'll talk more about that, how it evolves over time.

Yeah. Scary. Yeah. Alright, so let's start in, in the beginning, 'cause everyone's gonna wanna know like, how does this happen and how long did it take?

Shannon Hanson:
So I, one, it was the one-year course I went through IAN. And if you don't know with IAN, you can, they recommend that you start practicing dipping your toe in around six months.

So, of course, that's what I did. I was like, Hey, everyone, I'm a health coach now, buy my thing. You know? And how'd that go? Not well. I mean, it was awkward and weird, and I had a lot of people like, well, what's a health coach? Do I need a health coach? I'm not sure. And I'm like, well, they, you know, I help you get healthy and live your best life.

And of course, as you know, that if you speak to everyone you're speaking to, no one. So, learning to niche down was a big part of getting clients. So a fellow student from IAN, we had kept in touch, and so we were chatting, and she's like, Oh, have you heard of Michelle Leotta? And I'm like, no. Oh, check her out.

She's on Facebook. So, I started following you, and I instantly was like, Oh my gosh, this is my person. I loved your vibe. I loved everything you were saying. You were a health coach. You had experience. And not just that, but the marketing, and I was just resonating with everything you said. So I had taken a couple of your free master classes or courses that you were offering up until then.

I remember one of your bonuses was if you were the first, I don't know, five or 10 people to sign up, you got three one-on-one sessions with Michelle, and I was like, I have to get these. And it launched at 6:00 AM, I remember. And I was like up and ready to hit the buy button right at 6:00 AM, and I did. And I got him, and I was like, I get what happens with Michelle.

A little fan girly, which I was so fun to hear, hear about. So was that scary for you? Yes, definitely taking action is a big thing. So you know, you can sit around and learn and download more podcasts and read more books and take more courses, but if you don't take action, none of that is any good.

You know? So, like we were talking before, I learned that. Taking imperfect action is a key to this. You know, done is better than perfect. So I took your courses, I watched the videos, I watched them again and again, and I just immersed myself in the material, and I just committed to doing whatever you said I was gonna do.

I'm gonna do this no matter what. And so one of the things was niching down, which is scary. You don't wanna niche down because you don't wanna miss out on anyone. So I was considering niching down to women over 40, and I thought, well, what about men? I'm gonna miss out on coaching. Maybe I, maybe I wanna work with men.

And then what about younger women? You know, I'm gonna miss them, but if you are speaking to everyone, you end up speaking to no one. So that learning, that key messaging to target. Exactly who you want it. It resonates with someone, you know, if you don't have those key keywords, then nobody's gonna hear them.

So I noticed once I started doing that, people were like, Oh, I'm a woman over 40. What do you have to say? Oh, I wanna do what you're doing. You look like you're having a good time. You know? So that started working for me, and I was like, okay, I'm, I'm just gonna go with this. So I followed your steps. It was laid out for me.

It was very simple. But scary. And I did it anyways, and I got nine clients from my first five-day challenge. And that's when I was like, okay, Michelle, whatever you say I'm gonna do., 'cause you obviously know what you're talking about.

Michelle Leotta:
Wow. So the step, that's a huge jump from, I think you had one prior to one. That's awesome, but I gotta say nine clients isn't enough to actually quit your job because it was about a year later that you decided, I'm done. Yes. What, what was your other job for? Just let everybody know.

Shannon Hanson:
I was managing a restaurant, Valla Beach. Beautiful. And I loved it. I loved it, loved the people there. I've been there for eight years and made great money. So that was the hard part. It was like, whoa, am I really gonna leave all this money? And so I knew. I mean, it wasn't filling my, wasn't filling my soul at all, you know, but I knew this is health coaching is what I wanted to do. And I had just read Amy Porterfield's book Two Weeks Notice, and she recommended picking a date.

Anytime in the future, pick a date, write it on a sticky note, and put it on your bathroom mirror. And I, this was in May, and I picked November 1st. I said, this is it. I'm gonna be done. Because I knew I would. It would be hard to leave that money, you know? So I put it on the mirror, and November 1st came, and I was gone.

That was my last day. That is so exciting.

Michelle Leotta:
Yeah, I mean, we have coaches who've been kind of dabbling and never quite getting enough clients and never really able to make that leap for years, decades sometimes, and you're able to do it so quickly. I think it's a real testament to your character that you're able to say, Okay, I am gonna do this thing.

I'm gonna follow the steps even if I'm scared, even if I don't totally understand, like the why or the how, like let me just lean on someone who's been there. I think it is really tremendous. So in that year's time, what I saw you do, even just like watching you on social media here and there, I could see that what you were doing was getting very, very visible to your audience of women over 40.

You were offering stuff for free very consistently, so I knew you were gathering all their names for your mailing list, and that's such a mainstay to building, you know a business that can thrive. And then what kind of offers were you making on the end? Like you selling a six-month health coaching package?

Shannon Hanson: So at first, when I got those nine clients, that's what I was offering because that's what IN suggested with six months. And I was charging $900, which I was like, oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm asking that much. But people were paying it. Sometimes they needed to make payments, and they were people I knew.

So I was like, okay, that's fine. And I was just winging it, you know? And it evolved over time. Just, I was like, you know, that didn't quite work. Well, what if I did it more like this? And so I did probably three or four different iterations of what my program would look like until I got it to where it is now.

And most of my clients are now virtual, 'cause I also got my personal training certificate, so I could coach them with. Fitness and nutrition. So that's kind of how I do it now, is mostly online.

Michelle Leotta:
I am still stuck on the part where you said I was winging it because anyone who thinks that anyone in business knows exactly what they're doing, everything is 100% perfect before they move forward.

That's a lie. That is just like one bad, big fat lie, and to just like put that out there and normalize that, we're all winging it. Can you think of anything that you did during that time that? Failed miserably. Or that you were like, oh, that was just a terrible idea.

Shannon Hanson:
Yes. So I wanted to do a beta course to see if I can do a group coaching program, and I offered it for $200, and it was six month,s and yeah, and I had all these PDF,s and I recorded all these video lessons and that was just way too much of a commitment for way too little of a cost, because what I found is if people don't pay, they don't pay attention.

I have given my services away for free to people who I was like, oh, they can't afford it. They don't do anything with it. They're like, yeah, I'm just gonna do my own thing, and they're end up just wasting your time and their time, and it's very frustrating. So, you know, you're not doing anyone any favors by undercharging them.

Michelle Leotta:
I remember saying to you, Hey, if you just signed like nine clients right away. Guess what, Shannon? It's time to raise your price. And you were like, what? Yes. Oh my gosh. I'm glad that you've learned, though, that there is a certain amount at which you're like, this didn't make sense.

This isn't worth it to me or to the client. It's really in everybody's best interest to charge a number that makes them commit. That gets great results because then you get those great success stories in your business. And speaking of that, tell us about like one or two client success stories. Like, how does it feel to be changing lives the way you are now?

Shannon Hanson:
Oh my gosh, it is so great. I love it so much. Like I said, pinch me every day. I can't believe it. I let my clients text me anytime they need to, which luckily, nobody's really taken too much advantage of that yet. But I say, tell me your wins. Tell me your struggles. You know, and I have a, I have a group board where they can all post them there too, so that's cool.

Like I have women who are. One woman has a small child. She's been putting on weight for years and years and years, and like just by changing how she eats and working out, she's not killing herself, you know, in the gym, but she's just doing regular workouts. She lost 20 pounds in a month and a half, and she's just like, don't believe I'm, you know, and I'm, I just feel so blessed to get to witness this, you know, so it is an amazing feeling to be part of somebody's success.

You're changing people's lives, and then that is gonna, in turn, change her daughter's life. Her daughter seeing her exercise and take care of herself that is going to change her life. So, it's a ripple effect.

Michelle Leotta:
It's, and it is. And that's how I've always felt like on my own and my own health coaching practice, I would be able to reach, you know, this client and that client, and you know, many clients through the years, and it was amazing. And now I get to reach all of you, and then your reach, it's just an exponential number of clients.

The only thing is I don't get to talk to them directly. So I really appreciate you sharing stories like that because, you know, in this. Small way. I'm like, yes, this is how we ripple it out. Marketing really is at the heart of it, because if you can't reach clients, then you can't help clients, and then your health coach certification just kind of goes to waste because you're not connecting with anyone and not changing lives.

Shannon Hanson: Yes, absolutely. I have. I have had clients who were not ready. They thought they were ready, you know, and that's another thing that. I think can be kind of a trap in the beginning. As you meet with someone and you know, you come up with a plan, like, okay, they say, yes, I'm gonna do this this week. I'm gonna go for a walk.

I'm gonna drink my water. And then you meet with them again. And they're like, did you do the things? And they're like, no. And as a health coach, that's brand new. You start to go, oh my gosh, I, I'm horrible at this. I, I'm, I'm not good. Nobody's gonna come see me 'cause I can't make change happen. You know? And I would say to that, you just, that's not the right client.

You know? They weren't ready. They may have thought they were ready, but maybe they're not ready.

Michelle Leotta:
That happens. It happens all. And you've had a lot of clients now, a lot of different experiences. And I think some health coaches are like, heck yes. I wanna get more clients, and I wanna leave my job, or I wanna, whatever it is that goal is, and other clients are like.

I'm not sure, or like, I don't know. I feel weird charging money for health coaching. And what can you say about like, is it selfish to want to make money? Is it greedy to like, say, I need more clients? Like, how is that manifesting in your life in terms of this new financial stability that you found?

Shannon Hanson:
I think it, maybe, it did feel, definitely feel like that in the beginning, but as I've gone on, like I said, you are doing them a disservice by not making them invest. Because if they're not investing, they're not, there's no buy-in, there's no skin in the game, you know? So it's like, why should I try? I don't have anything invested. But if they are charged a premium, they're gonna be, I'm all ears, tell me what to do. I'm gonna do it. And that's exactly what I found is happening to the tea.

Michelle Leotta:
See, now you are a psychologist, right? Like we just gotta learn about human behavior. Because if you don't take our advice, and you know, for everyone listening, we just go ahead and learn on your own. You're gonna come back to this on your own.
You're gonna say, Oh yeah, just like Shannon said, if there's no skin in the game, they just don't show up. It just doesn't happen. You're right. So it is in the best service of both your business. And the people out there that need your help, that you offer your services, that you learn how to market yourself, because they're not like knocking on your door most likely.

You gotta put yourself out there, be visible so that they go, oh. I want what she has. Oh, I like that. I know you do a lot of recipes. You do a lot of great stuff. Why don't you tell all of our health coaches where to find you in case they wanna, everyone likes to look and see what the other health coaches are doing.

Shannon Hanson:
Yes. Please follow me. My Instagram handle is @HansonShannon. It's one word, and Hanson is H-A-N-S-O-N. And I'm also on Facebook, but not as much though. Most of my stuff is on Instagram.

Michelle Leotta:
All right, so Instagram is the best place to find you, and that just reminds me one time I was looking for your website. You got a website up?

Shannon Hanson:
I do have a website. It is myvitalcoach.com. And has that always been up? How long have you had that website? Um, I remember that's one of the things Michelle says in the beginning. She's like, you don't need a website. Because of course when you first start, you're like, I need a business card.

I need a website. And you do all these things. Do you? I don't even use my website. I really do not. I have my, I have a recipe book that's for sale, and I do have that there, um, on my website. But other than that, I don't, I haven't gotten any leads from it. I'm, I don't really direct any traffic there. Most of where I direct people for my coaching is one of the suggestions you made.

It's for, um, a just simple Google form that is a client application for three 30-minute consultations. And I have that in my link tree, just linked up there. And so if anyone is interested, I just direct 'em to that. And if they don't fill, wanna take the time to fill out the form, they're probably not gonna be a client anyway. So, but anyone who's interested, they're like, oh, let me go find the form.

Michelle Leotta:
So, do you need a website to get started? No. You do not need a website to get started. All you have to do is start learning how to market yourself like you've done. Shannon, thank you so much for sharing your story with us today.

Shannon Hanson:
Thank you for having me. I'm so grateful to be here.

Michelle Leotta:
So how long does it really take? You just heard one coach's answer, and I hope it sparked something for you. Shannon didn't wait to feel read,y and she didn't spend years researching or getting set up. She just took action, imperfect action, and working together.

She made the leap in just 12 months. Amazing. When you've got the right plan and the right mindset, and the people in your corner who've done it before. It's gold. I'm seeing coaches inside empowered, making moves that used to take years in just a few weeks, and it matters because a health coaching career for you, it's not just about helping other people, it's a lot about helping other people, but it's also about the person that you become in the process.

Think about that. It's being available for your family. It's about having the time and the space to truly take care of yourself. No one's gonna do that for you. It's about building a life of freedom. If you're ready to do what it takes to make that happen, just email me the words full-time and we'll talk about your next step.

You don't have to do this alone, and it doesn't have to take forever. Email full-time to michelle@healthcoachpower.com.

Thank you so much for listening to the Health Coach Power Community podcast. Please take a moment, leave a written review on Apple Podcasts. It helps us reach more coaches and allows me to bring you this free content every week to join us live. Ask your questions and have a direct line to me. Join our free Facebook group at HealthCoachPowerCommunity.com.