Herbal Business Program
Learn every thing you need to start your business, step-by-step.
You've had a lot of herbal study and now you're ready to embark on a business, but you're realizing: building a business requires a whole different set of skills!
Join the Holistic Business Program and we'll go through every step of the process of building your business - together!
Our students have launched their own private practices, they've built herb gardening, farming, and CSA businesses, they're starting herbal and outdoor-focused schools for children, they've built herbal product companies and one even went on to create Herbstalk, Boston's own very successful annual herbal conference and winter market!
You can too!
The purpose of this business program is to ACTUALLY BUILD your business.
This is not a workshop where we'll talk about theory or things you maybe could do someday...
This course literally breaks down every single task you need to do for every single aspect of your business, and then provides very specific instructions about exactly how to do it.
😬 Are you intimidated by GMP?
⭐️ Not anymore! Every step you need to take is clearly laid out, with pictures!
🤯 Do you have a "complicated relationship" with technology?
⭐️ Don't worry! With very specific, step-by-step instructions (with pictures and video!), you can be confident enough to do your own tech!
😰 Does the idea of marketing make you sweat?
⭐️ We've got you! Not only do we break all the options down (including marketing you can do for free!), but we even have strategies to hate marketing less - you can turn your marketing into a public service so that you're helping people WHILE you're selling your herby goodness!
😖 Are you confused about taxes, budgets, and insurance?
⭐️ No problem! Not only do we break down everything you have to do - there are even budget templates premade for you so that all you have to do is plug in the dollars you spend and make!
You don't have to have any previous business experience, all you need is your herbal skills and a good idea - read on for the full details!
You can start this Herbal Business Program anytime - if you know your goal is to start a business, you might want to have this early on in your herbal education, so that you have a clear picture of what your goals are.
When you're ready to use this course to ACTUALLY BUILD your business, this is what you'll need:
If you want to launch a products business, you will need:
Don't worry about labels, packaging, your website, marketing, GMP - we'll do all of that and more together in the Herbal Business Program!
If you want to launch a clinical practice, you will need:
Don't worry about technology, insurance, office space, your website, finding clients, etc - we'll do all that and more together in the Herbal Business Program!
If you want to open an herb shop, you will need:
Don't worry about a location, a website, accounting, online sales, inventory, or marketing - we'll do all that and more together in the Herbal Business Program!
Do you need more herbal education before you start your business? We can help!
You can find our educational recommendations for starting a product business or opening your own herb shop here.
You can find our educational recommendations for clinical practice here.
Do you have a different idea?
Just let us know and we will help make sure you have the herbal education you need to make it happen!
This is a hands-on interactive program. Together, we are going to build your business!
YES! Let's build your business plan together!
YES! Let's get your website built!
YES! Let's market your business together!
YES! Let's make sure you have all of your GMP compliance set up if you're making products!
YES! Let's make sure you have insurance set up if you need it!
YES! Let's take all of the steps needed to get you up and running!
Click on "Free Preview to see more information about each module
Introduction to the Herbal Business Program
FREE PREVIEWLive Q&A sessions twice a week!
How this course works
FREE PREVIEWHow to ask questions and get help
Our Code of Conduct
Code of Conduct
FREE PREVIEWThe Herbal Business Community Space
How to use the Discussions feature
Strategies for Success
Every Body is Different
Some meditations before you get started
homework 1: Getting started
homework 2: How do you organize your thoughts?
homework 3: Where are your challenges?
homework 4: Make Some Space
journal prompt
ACTION ITEMS: Introduction
What will i need to get started?
Some really excellent business advice
Coming soon...
Setting your big picture
FREE PREVIEWVision & Mission Statements
Manifestos & Value Statements
Word Clouds: they're a bonus!
What about a Motto?
homework 1: the What/Who/Why Worksheet
homework 2: More exercises to help you start writing
homework 3: Just Do It!
journal prompt
⭐️ Find someone who inspires you
ACTION ITEMS: Mission & Vision
From idea to reality
FREE PREVIEWOne, Three, and Five Year Goals
The goals we're working on in this course
A note for non-profits & charitable donations
An example of clear, focused goals
An example of unfocused goals
homework 1: setting your goals
Prioritizing goals example
homework 2: prioritizing your goals
Breaking down your first year goals example 1
Breaking down your first year goals example 2
homework 3: breaking down the first year goals
journal prompt
ACTION ITEMS: 1-3-5 Year Goals
What do you need to do what you do?
FREE PREVIEWTiming these tasks
Commercial Kitchen vs. Community Kitchens vs. Certifying your Kitchen
Clinical workspace
Some other kind of space
homework 1: make your list
homework 2: add it to your plan!
journal prompt: it doesn't have to be perfect
ACTION ITEMS: Your Workspace
Technical Tools
It's getting real around here...
FREE PREVIEWNarrowing your focus
hoemwork: narrow your focus
Estimating Task Time
homework 3: estimating task time
Your Goals on a Calendar
NeuYear calendars
homework 4: your goals on the calendar
Using Trello to hold all the details
Getting Started with Trello
13-Week Planning: Introduction
Supplies for 13-Week Planning
Some journals you might like: get one now!
13-Week Planning: Goal Pages
How do i pick my three goals for each 13-week quarter?
13-Week Planning: Stats & Milestones
13-Week Planning: Weekly Pages
13 Week Journal templates
13-Week Planning: Daily Pages
13-Week Planning: Weekly Wrap-up
Enormous to Manageable
Indistractable
Need more time & project planning methods?
journal prompt
ACTION ITEMS: Project Planning
What's in a name?
FREE PREVIEWNaming your business
Getting a URL
CBD Complications
Transferring an existing domain name to a new provider
How to register your business
Branding your business
Branding Guide Sheets
Questions a Designer will ask
How to find a designer
Making your own logo
DIY Logo resolution & sizing information
Web-Safe Fonts
journal prompt
ACTION ITEMS: Name & Branding
Insurance, taxes, and budgets - oh my!
FREE PREVIEWInsurance
Budgeting
Budget Template
Doing your taxes
How to collect, file, and pay sales tax
journal prompt
ACTION ITEMS: Administrivia
This is not the practice of medicine
FREE PREVIEWDon't be a Doctor
What is the practice of medicine?
Safe Harbor Laws (and not)
Should you be a Registered Herbalist?
What about other "credentials"?
Disclaimer & Intake forms
ACTION ITEMS: Legal Clinical Practice
Do you have to do GMP in clinical practice?
FREE PREVIEWGMP for Clinical Herbalists
Recovering your calendar when you get off track
FREE PREVIEWPlanning Revisited
The next two months
journal prompt: eat the frog.
ACTION ITEMS: Planning Revisited
Let's tell the world!
FREE PREVIEWDomain Registry, CBD complications, and more.
Writing for an audience: identifying your customers
Customer Demographic Worksheet
Customer Demographic Worksheet - explained
You need words on your website
Words to avoid on you website
Do you hate writing?
What is SEO and why do you care?
People will forget what you say, but they will remember how you make them FEEL.
You need pictures on your website
journal prompt
ACTION ITEMS: Website Planning
It's not hard, it's just detailed
FREE PREVIEWGMP rules are subject to change
Product labels & website product descriptions
Do i need a "Supplement Facts" box on my label?
What is "Structure and Function"?
How to describe your product without making claims
Really.
Other GMP labeling law resources
AHPA report on Common Allergen Labeling guidance
AHPA Herbal Supplement Labeling Guidance
Product Label Checklist
ACTION ITEMS: GMP part 1
Wrapping it up
FREE PREVIEWLabeling legal nitty-gritty
Good label design
Printing labels
Packaging choices
ACTION ITEMS: Packaging & Labeling
Just do it!
FREE PREVIEWYou should do it yourself, and, It's all a game
Always keep a spare...
Does your SquareSpace say "expired"?
Understanding the SquareSpace menu
Pages: it's like a table of contents
Design: making it look great
What if i want to change templates?
Commerce: adding products
Commerce: taking payments
Commerce: shipping options
Marketing tab options
Settings options
There are other options...
Editing Pages
Don't forget to play!
Setting up your professional email account
ACTION ITEMS: Website Execution
Making it a habit
FREE PREVIEWA detailed process
The Actual Documents
What's the point of GMP?
10 Reasons to LOVE GMP
The parts of GMP
More on Marketing + GMP
GMP Documents List
GMP Documentation List [printable]
Documenting your Plant ID
AHPA report on Common Allergen Labeling guidance
AHPA Herbal Supplement Labeling Guidance
How to report an adverse event
Understanding GMP documentation
Complying with GMP guidelines
Important: The Actual Guidelines & Continuing Education
An example warning letter
A GMP glitch
Alternative approaches
What if you get inspected?
What can you learn from other people getting inspected?
ACTION ITEMS: GMP part 2
Reflection is how you improve
FREE PREVIEWMidpoint Assessment - and Cake!
ACTION ITEMS: Midpoint Assessment
Negative Self Talk
The work beside the work
Money can be Uncomfortable!
What is "fair"?
Sliding Scale and Low Cost work
What do you think?
Keep in touch
FREE PREVIEWWe love newsletters!
Convertkit overview
Getting your mailing list started
Targeting your audience
Sending emails
Write it now, send it later
Give your emails a second chance
Connecting ConvertKit to your website
Connecting ConvertKit and Squarespace
What will you write about?
ACTION ITEMS: Newsletters
Marketing and GMP
Why does the FDA regulate marketing?
Read all the FDA citations
Learning from FDA warning letters
Be Conservative: some examples to avoid
How can we educate about our products?
But there are seventeen studies that say...
More GMP Marketing Resources
It's better than a billboard?
FREE PREVIEWLearning to Love Marketing
Learning how to use Social Media
Why Social Media?
Don't hire a service
Helpful Habits
Digital tools that you might like
4 Golden Rules
Choosing Platforms
How to name your social media accounts
But everyone has already posted everything...
YouTube
TikTok
Other platforms
ACTION ITEMS: Social Media
There's no such thing as a free...
FREE PREVIEWWord of Mouth in the 21st century
Interacting efficiently on social media
Social media give-aways to get followers
(Automated Email Sequences)
Social media give-aways to get email addresses
Your newsletter as a marketing tool
Social media & newsletter signups in person
Writing as marketing
Free Workshops
Facebook Live
Instagram Live
YouTube Live
Uploading pre-recorded videos
Tricks for keeping "free" from taking over your business
ACTION ITEMS: Free & Organic Marketing
Before there was Facebook, there was...
FREE PREVIEWSlow media & Local media
Slow media, long distance
Action Items: Slow Media
Everyone wants dollars
FREE PREVIEWWhere should you pay for marketing?
Getting the best bang for your bucks
More Bang for your Buck - checklist
Setting up an ad in Facebook/Instagram
Creating ads within Instagram
Tips for making the video/photo part of your ads [examples inside!]
Writing your ad copy (the text part)
"It's all about them" - that can be difficult!
Avoiding ad rejection
Keep Data!!
Ad tracking spreadsheet [downloadable]
Action Items: Paid Marketing
Practice, Practice, Practice
FREE PREVIEWHow to make better Creative - with PHOTO examples!
How to make better Creative - with VIDEO examples!
Targeting with your Creative
Targeting with your Copy
What are Funnels and why are they Good?
What do you need in order to implement Funnels?
The Technical Details
An example Funnel i ran over the past month - including my creative and targeting!
Setting up the Facebook Pixel
Using the Ads Manager
This is a skill.
Action Items: Refining Your Marketing
Every Friday!
Oh by the way, you're in business!
FREE PREVIEWPlanning your next year
Year-end worksheet
Assessing your foundations
You can choose 9 payments of $150
or one payment of $1200 - saves you $150!
Either way, you get full access to all of the material FOR LIFE, and all updates are automatically added to your account!
Your business expenses are not covered: you should plan funding to cover the cost of your materials (ie, herbs, containers, labels, etc) and other fees (ie, rent for your office space or the cost of your insurance). Keeping things simple, your starting business expenses might range from a couple hundred dollars to about a thousand dollars, depending on what you're building. You don't need to have it all at once, we'll be working on each startup task one at a time.
Our philosophy is that if you don't need a business loan and you grow at a pace you can afford, you're always ahead of the game: so we teach strategies to keep your costs down!
This course does not guarantee that your business will succeed, and it's important to point out that being self-employed is a lot of work. But you won't ever know what you can do until you try - and you don't have to try alone!
You can be more successful if you have the right support!
Every single thing you need to start your business is laid out, step-by-step, in this course, and you can ask questions any time!
But sometimes the best way to work is with someone sitting right beside you from start to finish.
No problem! If you want even more mentorship, you can join the Live Business Mentorship program that starts every January.
We meet for two hours every other week, in small groups, to blow through your roadblocks, creatively solve problems, and work with accountability so that literally nothing can stop you!
You are welcome to work on the material in this course between now and January!
Teaching isn't just about conveying information - there's also an aspect of being someone's "cup of tea".
So we want you to take the first 14 days to really decide if you love it or not. If for any reason you feel like this program isn’t right for you - if we're just not your cup of tea - we’ll give you a full refund. You don't even need a reason - just please let us know within 14 days of purchase.
This mentorship is not intended as a thorough guide through the legal issues surrounding Cannabis/CBD products.
Many of our students have incorporated Cannabis products into their businesses, and we are happy to help you plan your way through navigating the specific legal requirements in your state/for online sales, but we want to be clear that CBD legalities are not the primary focus of this mentorship.
Here are businesses that some of our students have built
Steph studied for two years with us and then created Herbstalk, Boston's own local herb conference. It's grown to a twice-a-year event that provides high-quality herbal education as well as a popular herbal marketplace!
Kinsey studied with us in 2015 and then opened CroseNest Apothecary with a brick & mortar store here in MA and a beautiful online shop too!
Emma O'Brien of Lavandoula is a very talented Doula and Herbalist. She trained with us from her very first herb courses and now is offering her own training to the Birth-worker community.
Cara had just started selling herbal products at her local farmer's market when she took the Herbal Business Program, and now Bear Wallow Herbs supports her and her young son - and she is home to pick him up from school every day!
Brooke was already an herbalist and needed help navigating the starting-a-business part of the process. During the Herbal Business Program, she and her partner transformed Sovereignty Herbs from an idea with occasional workshops to a full clinical practice and herbal learning program.
Brighid took the Herbal Business Program in 2019 to transition from helping her friends and doing some local workshops to launching an Solidago Herb School, an herbal educational center with everything from online programs to herbal escapes.
Ray at Sovereign Birch Herbal took the Family, Community, and Clinical Herbalist programs with us, and completed the Clinical Mentorship and Herbal Business Program in 2019. They are a talented clinical herbalist with a practice here in Boston!
Heather studied with us in 2015 and started Plant Soak to share herbal bath teas for folks who don't love to drink tea.