Growing a Business as a Sleep Consultant: How to Scale

Starting a business can feel like a big leap of faith. There isn’t a safety net you can fall back on like you would be able to if you took a corporate job. In addition, there are all of the questions of doubt in the back of your mind wondering “What if”. However, growing a business as a sleep consultant can be easier than you think.

Some sleep consultants make a minimal salary each month. The average annual salary in the United States for a sleep consultant is currently $65,952. However, there are consultants who make well over $10k per month. The best part is that many sleep consultants work part-time and make a salary that is beyond what their full-time salary would be at a corporate job.

If you are ready for a change in your life (and income), now is the time to learn about business growth opportunities that you can implement in a sleep consulting business. Growing a business doesn’t have to be difficult. Follow the ideas below and scale your business.

What is a Sleep Consultant?

Pediatric sleep consultants are also known as sleep coaches or sleep trainers. As a sleep consultant, your job will consist of helping families get quality sleep and establish healthy sleep patterns. Many parents struggle with sleep deprivation following the birth of their child. It is important to help these families make positive changes sooner than later so that they can establish sleep routines that are healthy for everyone in their family.

Sleep consultant qualifications include being patient and communicative. Parents are in a situation where they need help and will need your patience as they begin implementing new sleep strategies. In addition, your ability to communicate with them respectfully and effectively will increase their confidence in themselves to make the necessary changes for better sleep.

How to Become a Sleep Consultant

The following steps will guide you to learn how to become a sleep consultant. The best way to scale a business is to build a solid foundation first.

1. Become a Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant

In order to build a business, you need to become a certified pediatric sleep consultant. This certification shows potential clients that you are an expert in the industry and you are committed to your business. Participating in a certification program is the best way to ensure you know how to start your business.

At Center for Pediatric Sleep Management (CPSM), we are dedicated to helping aspiring sleep consultants build a business from the ground up. We not only offer a comprehensive course that will help you understand pediatric sleep, but you will also obtain support in actually starting your own business. This is something most other certification courses don’t offer. CPSM covers points A to Z so that you don’t have to do the footwork yourself.

2. Advertise Your Business

Once you’ve received your certification, you can start taking on clients. Advertise your business as much as possible. Use social media to spread the word. Incorporate an email list to send out notices and reminders about openings you might have to take on clients. 

In addition, you can open your own free Facebook group that parents can join to learn more about creating healthy sleep habits. In the group, your objective is to turn those parents into clients by creating relationships with them.

You can also get business cards and brochures made that you can pass out to advertise your business. There is no limit to how much you can advertise.

3. Request Testimonials

The best way to increase your chances of clients securing your services is to request testimonials from previous clients. When potential clients see how well you helped others, they will be more willing to work with you to get those same results.

A parent in need of sleep is a parent who is willing to try nearly anything to fix the problem. You have the solution they need. Showcase your services through testimonials. Place them on your website, on your social media accounts, and in your brochures.

4. Network

Network with other businesses that are involved with families of young children. Participate in collaborations with them so that you can gain access to their audience as well. In addition, you can pass out business cards and brochures to pediatrician offices and pediatric dental offices. These places can help parents see that there is someone who can help them with their child’s sleep challenges.

How to Scale Your Business as a Sleep Consultant

After you have become a sleep consultant and established your business, it’s time for business growth. Use the following ideas to scale your business as a sleep consultant.

Open Your Schedule

Taking on more clients is the number one idea for growing your business as a sleep consultant. More clients equal more revenue. And more revenue means you can use that money for your own income as well as growing your business. Invest in opportunities to expand your marketing, develop a team, and build a legacy business.

Do some research on the best times parents need your services and open your schedule around those times. The more you are available during peak hours, the better your chances are of increasing your clientele. Sleep consultants who accept more clients will make more money versus consultants who accept fewer.

Increase Your Rates

As your experience and confidence grow, you can give yourself a raise. Consider raising your rates every so often to coincide with the expertise you are gaining by working with many families. Your knowledge and experience are worth more to each client. Therefore, your rates should reflect that. Increasing your rates means scaling your business.

Offer Your Services Worldwide

Growing a business often means stepping outside of your comfort zone. This includes offering your services worldwide. You don’t have to keep to the confines of the country in which you reside. As an accessible worldwide sleep consultant, you can explore other cultures, serve military families stationed overseas, or develop relationships with others.

What’s more, is that you don’t have to decrease your rates just because you offer services worldwide. Therefore, you will continue to make the same amount of money no matter who you are serving.

Create an Online Course

Creating an online course is sometimes the better option for parents. While your personalized expertise is the best option, some parents desire a more DIY approach. In that case, having an online course that they can purchase from you would be the best option.

Create a generic course that gives information parents would want to know about, such as wake windows based on age, safe sleep, and the different sleep strategies they might want to use. Selling takes little effort on your part. Once you have created it and listed it for sale, parents can buy it at any time without you needing to be present to make the sale. This is a great option for business growth.

Host Paid Events

As a sleep consultant, you can host virtual events that parents have to pay to attend. In these events, you can focus on giving helpful information about creating healthy sleep habits. At the end of the event, you have the opportunity to pitch your services to the people in attendance so that they can choose to work with you on a personalized level.

The paid events are a stepping stone in growing a business as a sleep consultant. The more exposure you can get for your business, the more money you can potentially earn.

Growing a Business Doesn’t Have to be Hard

Growing a business as a sleep consultant doesn’t have to be hard. Like anything else in life, it will take time and dedication. However, it will be worth it. To have a business to call your own that gives you time and financial freedom is worth every ounce of effort you put into it.

If you are interested in becoming a sleep consultant so that you can learn about growing a business, come join our free Facebook group. Inside the group, you will get access to a community and training opportunities that teach what it takes to become a certified sleep consultant. In addition, get access to a plethora of guest experts who join live on our podcast. Each podcast episode gives you insight into growing a business as a sleep consultant.

Sleep consultants change lives every day with their services. Families need sleep consultants and the rate at which this industry is growing only makes sense to become a sleep consultant now. Change lives and live a life that is more in your control versus leaving it in the hands of a corporate boss.