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8 Things You Need To know Before Launching A Tarot Business

Taking the first steps towards launching a tarot business can be scary, overwhelming and confusing! Trust me, it doesn’t have to be. Yes, there are many options available to you and a lot to think about but I’ve put together a list of 8 things that you should know before launching a tarot business.

The aim of this post is to help you channel your inner Fool and take the leap. What do you have to lose?

How much will it cost?

Contrary to what many people believe, launching a tarot business does not need to be an expensive exercise. In fact, I would say that you could get yourself up and running for as little as $100-200!

Once you start getting some money coming in you can reinvest in your business to take you to the next level. This is called bootstrapping. Keep your expenses to a minimum but commit to putting a certain %age back into your business so you can grow.

Start Small

Overwhelm is one of the main reasons that people don’t take action. My belief is that you can start small and just take things in bite-sized chunks then you can always expand your business further down the track.

I’ve included a free resource guide which lists all the tools that I have used to launch and grow my online tarot business. You can download your copy here….

Here is my list of 8 things to consider before launching a tarot business….

Choosing a Name

This is one of the most fun and creative parts. Think about what you want to call your business. I remember having a walk in the park with my friend and we were brainstorming for a long time before we chose Tarot Avenue. I always wanted something that was linked to nature and I was keen to have something that could represent growth.

Before finalising your name do a bit of research to see if the name is already taken. When you grow you will want to look at trademarks and copyright and it would be a shame to have to change your name because you couldn’t get approval. Is there anything similar to what you have chosen? Have a look at both Google as well as Facebook groups and pages. You want to be sure to have something unique that stands out.

The name can be literal and represent your service or you can have something totally random. It’s a very personal choice.

Know Your Customer

This for me is one of the most important things to consider. We all start thinking that our customer is just everybody but you have to be really careful. If you try to appeal to too many people you will end up appealing to nobody.

Imagine that you are an elite ballet dancer who requires specialist pointe shoes for you to be able to dance to your full ability. If you are looking for your next pair of shoes would you head to the specialist store who only sells ballet shoes or would you head to a store that sells running shoes, sandals, beach shoes as well as a selection of dance shoes? I bet you would head to the specialist dance store, even if you were going to pay more.

Think about who you want to serve as a tarot reader. What do you specialise in? Do you have a niche?

Your niche doesn’t have to be too small but perhaps it’s related to something you have been through in your life. My corporate job is in HR and recruitment so a natural choice for me would be so set up a tarot business that helps people find their dream job or calling.

Perhaps you also are an energy healer so you can offer services that are linked to tarot and healing. Maybe you have been through a particularly traumatic experience in your life and have come out the other end. Tarot could be the tool that enables you to help others navigate a similar experience such a divorce etc.

One of the main reasons that it’s useful to have an ideal customer in mind is that you need to be able to find these people. When it comes to advertising online you will have to think about – what sites will these people be looking at, what other brands would they be attracted to, what can I offer them that will take them closer to achieving their goals?

You can have more than one ideal customer but just be sure that you have a profile in mind as this will help you when you are writing content for your website and blog.

Building Your Website

This is one of the things that terrifies most people and leaves them paralysed with fear. It really doesn’t have to be super complicated and it can be very very reasonably priced.

My recommendation would be to build your website on WordPress.org You will notice that there is WordPress.com but .org offers you a lot more flexibility to customise your site, which is essential as you start to grow your business.

There are plenty of free themes (which is basically a website template) or you can pay a bit extra to get one that really suits your needs.

WordPress is not the only platform to use. You can also use Wix or Squarespace. I’ve seen websites built on both of these and they can be very good.

You will need to buy a domain name and set up hosting. Ok….I know this is sounding complicated but, trust me, it’s not as bad as you think. The domain name is www.xxxxxxxx.com This will be the name of your business. You can do this through sites such as Go Daddy but there are plenty more. Just google ‘buy a domain name’ and you will find lots of options.

With regards to hosting, you won’t need this for wordpress.com and I don’t think you need it for Wix and Squarespace but you do need it for wordpress.org. Think of the hosting as the place that all the information on your website is stored. I use Inmotion, who I have found good, but I’ve also heard about Blue Host along with many others.

If you are feeling overwhelmed you might want to check out this company – http://www.wpbeginner.com/start-a-wordpress-blog/

These guys helped me set up my website at the beginning and they were great. They offer a free set up service, as long as you buy your hosting via them as they get a small commission from the hosting company for recommending you as a customer.

Creating Content

You will read about many ‘tricks’ to get people to your site but one of the most valuable ways to get eyeballs on your website is to create great content.

Content can be anything on your website – blog posts, videos, infographics, photos of tarot spreads etc.

I would highly recommend that you start writing a blog as this helps Google push people in your direction and the content you produce will also help potential customers get to know, like and trust you – which is essential.

Have a think about choosing, let’s say, a real estate agent to sell your house. The first thing I would do is look for a recommendation. Maybe they would have testimonials on their website (content). bite-sized could also have videos (content) on their website explaining what makes them different. Perhaps they are in the niche that I am and have experience selling beachfront homes in my area??? I would also be looking at their blog posts and website to ensure that I had confidence in their ability and knowledge of the market.

You now see how important it is to take good care of your website and produce great work?

Again, I don’t want you to be scared off by this as everybody has to start somewhere. Your website can be and should be super simple and clean. Over time you can add valuable content that will help attract and convert your ideal customers.

Social Media

Like it or loathe it, social media is crucial in this day and age and is here to stay. You are going to have to get your head around it and some point so why not start now?

When it comes to social media the list is huge and is growing very rapidly – Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, What’s App…..

What appeals to you the most? My advice would be, don’t try to be everywhere at once as you just won’t manage that at the beginning.

If you are somebody who really likes taking pictures and has a visual eye then why not start with Instagram. Maybe building a community and interacting with your tribe is something that appeals. If so, then maybe you should think about Facebook or a Facebook group. If you like short sharp and regular news then maybe you try Twitter.

These channels are all great but I would say that you should start with one or 2 and do a great job with them before going any further.

Have a think about what you are going to post on your sites (content). It can be good to be spontaneous but I think you should also have some regular ‘pillars’ that you post. On my Facebook and Instagram, I post a 2 card pairing every day, which is my thought for the day. I also post whenever I have a new blog post and post some pictures of new tarot spreads that I have created.

Think what value you can add to your customers, followers, tribe and be sure to stick to your schedule.

Collecting Email Subscribers

One of the rookie errors that I see all the time is that people set up a business but don’t collect email subscribers. Your email list is going to be probably the most important asset in your business as you start to grow.

Here is a situation that can and has arisen! You have been in business for 2 years. You get hundreds or thousands of visitors to your website every day. Business is booming and you are reaching your goals. You wake up in the morning and notice that nobody has been looking at your website. It’s been hacked!!! This can take a long time to get back up and running and all during that time there is no way of anybody contacting you. It sounds very dramatic but I’ve heard of this happening.

If you had been collecting email addresses, and regularly contacting your email list, you can still reach them and tell them where they can find you or get in touch with you.

When you build an email list they can become your most loyal customers and more importantly community. However, you do have to deliver regular and relevant content to build that trust and to get the engagement. I email my subscribers every week with blog updates, tarotscopes and a readings for the week.

There are different ways of collecting email addresses. I use a system called ConvertKit, which I find to be brilliant. Most people start with MailChimp as it is free. You are a bit limited with what you can do but it’s a good starting point and you can always transfer to another platform when you are making more money.

There are many different ways to get somebody to give you their email address but that’s a whole course in itself! One of the best ways is to have a free giveaway, in exchange for an email address. You can also have a pop up on your site or a sign-up bar on the side of your website.

How are you going to make money?

So we have our website and we are all ready to go with our content creation but wait a minute……what are we selling? Being a heart led business, money often comes at the bottom of the pile, however, you need to be able to sustain your business if you want to truly be able to help your customers.

Don’t undervalue yourself! This is one of the easiest things for tarot readers to do. You will be tempted to look at other sites and charge lower than them. Trust me, somebody will always be charging less than you!

Before thinking about what prices you are going to charge you should think about your products. Are you purely selling tarot readings? If so are there different levels or readings? Do you have any digital or physical products that you can sell – ebooks, crystals, candles, courses etc.

Don’t be afraid to test the market. It will take a little bit of time for you to get it right but I can pretty much guarantee that you should be adding a bit to the figure that you have in mind.

Instead of just offering ‘tarot reading’. Think about the change you can bring to somebody’s life. What value would you put on helping somebody find their dream job and calling? How much do you think a person would be willing to pay to help them reach their full potential in life or meet the partner of their dreams? Don’t underestimate the powerful change that tarot can make.

Use Tarot to Help

Before we get bogged down in all the pentacle and business side of things we should remember that we are tarot readers! Use the cards to help you plan what gifts and services you can offer. You can also use your cards to help guide you when it comes to pricing or ideal customer.

Perhaps you want to check out my business planning spread – http://tarotavenue.com/business-planning/

Get creative and use your skills to help you reach your potential in business.

You definitely have enough to be getting on with! Go for it and remember that you don’t have to do everything at once. Instead of letting fear take hold, think of this as a truly positive experience and a chance for you to learn new skills.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed setting up and growing my business and I hope to see more tarot readers entering the world and spreading the magic to the masses.

Don’t forget that you can get instant access to my free resource guide with links to all the tools I have used to grow my online tarot business.

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