For those of you who are thinking about opening a business, hypnotherapy or otherwise, the most important thing is location, location, location. For some, the general area may be determined by a spouse who may be locked to a specific city or perhaps we have other family commitments. For others, they have significantly more freedom to decide where to work.
Since I am always asked why I am currently in Augusta, I figure now would be a good time to discuss factors which are important to consider when setting up your business.
Unmet Demand – One of the most important things is to set yourself up in a location where there is unmet demand for your service. Otherwise you may have a difficult time obtaining clients or keeping your business open.
I am reminded of the various medical provider crises which are caused by physicians flocking to areas such as very nice expensive cities which may be oversaturated physician wise while ignoring the smaller towns that are more rural who are in more desperate need of the others. For others, it might be a bad idea to start a small business in an area where there is a significant amount of competition.
I am also reminded of a small town in North Georgia, Blairsville specifically (town is approximately 650 people). When my grandmother bought her property up there there was one small grocery store near the circle (Foodland) and a few things in Alexanders. I do not believe the Ingles appeared for another few years and now there is a Walmart there. A search on google says there are a dozen grocery stores. There are still only 650 people. I would suggest that the area likely does not need another grocery store nor does it need another restaurant as there are 52 of them in Blairsville (there were over 65 per trip adviser when I was living there a few years ago).
Due to the large amount of hypnotists in Atlanta, Atlanta is not a main location for me just due to the competition. I would have a significant amount of hypnotists, mostly lay hypnotists to compete with who are established. As they say “Old Age and Treachery will always defeat youth and skill.” In Augusta however, there are not that many and I was able to survive a rather vicious onslaught from another one in the area. I can and do still serve the Atlanta area although I would rather invest my time in building up a reputation which would allow me to move easier closer to a bigger town and not have to pay Google for the privilege of being well ranked. I am able to be in Augusta because it is also less expensive. I also can serve that small town in Blairsville because I have a family home there so the cost to me is minimal and there are no other hypnotists. I can serve Cary NC because my husband lives there and I can use a room in his house which he specifically converted into an office for me to use so any hypnosis competition is potentially minimal.
Know yourself and your (ideal) clients – You may also need to consider the fit your business has with the area’s local culture, demographics, or your needs.
As a hypnotherapist, I can assure you that the south is not the best location for me. Most of the area is very religious and very conservative. This can be a problem especially since I am LGBT as well as Jewish and I am doing a job which is not particularly well received by many conservatives. Additionally, there are very few Jews in Augusta and even fewer in Blairsville so as far as a personal fit, it is not particularly good.
However, as a medical hypnotherapist, it is hard to beat the Augusta area for the medical district. I’ve had several referrals from one of the hospital systems even though I cannot take insurance and because I am one of the few in the area, I am able to see rarer cases than I would likely be able to do in a larger town unless I become world famous. Nearly all of my specialties are medical (which since I moved here for medical school that makes sense) and this is a hotbed of very well known hospital systems so in that regard it is wonderful. Since I am still trying to get connected into Atlanta’s medical system, which could happen if I go to the medical psychology program at Mercer, this is likely one of the better places to be for this. Since I am a sports improvement specialist, this being the home of the Masters helps get my name out there for golfing.
Demographically, Augusta (as well as Blairsville) is of itself quite poor and hypnotherapists at my level may not take insurance. It would be better if I moved about 40 minutes away to the Evans area which is a little more well-to-do as well as safer but still not as good as if I moved to Atlanta as it would be easier to get cash for my services.
Accessibility – How easy is it to get to you? Is that even important?
For this you may need to consider your clients. Are your clients likely to be dependent on a bus or a car? Do you have decent parking for your clients? Are you on a bus route? Are your clients likely to need wheelchair accessibility?
In Augusta, I am not far from a bus stop although due to the costs of my services, I am sure most of my clients have owned cars. So parking was a bigger issue. As I have a circular drive, I can hold a few cars plus there is street parking. In Blairsville, parking and transportation is difficult. There is barely enough room for my car up the mountain and there is no public transportation. That is why I generally end up with house calls in Blairsville.
Since my office (neither of them to be honest) does not have a wheelchair ramp and in fact I was able to obtain the property because an old lady could no longer manage to get around, I do not have full ADA compliance although I have a virtual service which will allow me to still see the individuals. For other businesses, you might need the ADA compliance more than I do.
Those are at least a few factors one must consider when they are trying to find a location to build a practice. If you have any other suggestions, feel free to send them to me and they may be featured in another blog post.
Melvin S. Marsh is a certified life coach and hypnotherapist with practice locations throughout Georgia. He performs hypnotherapy and life coaching appointments both in person and worldwide virtually. He can be reached at www.afterhourshypnotherapy.com .
