3 Ways an Aromatherapist Can Make Money

Did you know that the Aromatherapy and Essential Oil market is growing exponentially? By 2028 it’s expected to be worth close to 3.7 Billion.

This means that there are more and more opportunities to create impactful and thriving businesses that feature essential oils and plant-based ingredients for skincare.  Are you ready to jump in?

Perhaps you’ve already earned your certificate as a Professional Aromatherapist, or maybe you are in the middle of your studies – wherever you might be on your journey, you started because you want to help people, and share your passion for aromatherapy and botanical remedies.  

But now that you’ve earned the right credentials, or on your way to – what’s next?

Here are 3 ways a Certified Aromatherapist can make money and create an impactful and profitable business.

Solo Practitioner

Starting a business as a solo practitioner means starting your own Aromatherapy Practice and seeing clients one-on-one.  

To do this, you have a few different options: 

1. You could rent, or share, an office and schedule clients throughout the day and get paid for your services. (more professional option).
2. You could see clients out of your home office, not incur the overhead of additional rent, and charge for your services. (less professional option).
3. You could join an existing wellness practice, like a yoga studio, acupuncture office, pilates gym, spa or chiropractor, etc. Payment for your services would go through the wellness center, and you would either earn a salary, or get paid a commission through their company.

Each of the above options have many pros and cons, and you’d have to figure out which option works best for your lifestyle.  

But don’t forget –   before you can even get started, you’d need to first properly set up your business to accept payments, cover liability, create a sustainable budget, and find ways to market your services.

Solo Practitioner Business Starter Checklist

✅ Set up your business entity and open a business banking account to be able to accept payments

✅ Purchase liability insurance

✅ Budget your direct costs and indirect costs

✅ Create a marketing plan

✅ Determine your fees by understanding your market and client, and analyzing your costs

Educator

Establishing yourself as an Aromatherapy Educator, or Certified Aromatherapy Teacher, means that you will earn income from selling and teaching classes.  

Becoming an Aromatherapy Teacher is a fast growing sector within the Aromatherapy market as more and more people are using essential oils and need qualified instructors to show them the safe and effective ways to use aromatherapy.  

To do this, you have a few different pathways to explore;  

1. You can start your own aromatherapy school, either in-person or online, and offer classes that educate others about using essential oils and aromatherapy, 
2. You can teach aromatherapy classes at already established wellness centers, or schools, like yoga studios, gyms, spas. 
3. You can teach aromatherapy classes in the corporate setting and provide wellness trainings to help companies support the health and wellbeing of their employees  
4. You can train specific groups who could benefit from understanding how to incorporate aromatherapy into their work, like doulas, psychotherapists, school teachers, massage therapists, etc.

Aromatherapy Educator Business Starter Checklist

Set up your business entity to be able to accept payments

✅ Purchase liability insurance

✅ Budget your direct costs and indirect costs

✅ Create a marketing plan

✅ Determine your fees by understanding your market and client, and analyzing your costs

Consumer Goods

Consumer goods means selling products – and Essential Oils, aromatherapy products, plant-based skincare, and diffusers are currently some of the biggest wellness trends. 

As a Certified Aromatherapist you have legitimate skills and knowledge to be able to sell essential oils, aromatherapy tools, like diffusers, containers, blending tools, and aromatherapy books.  These credentials well position you to be able to successfully market your own aromatherapy recipes and botanical body care products that feature essential oils, under your own brand.

To do this, you would need to:

1. Decide your business model:  e-commerce, brick and mortar, wholesale, direct to consumer
2. Are you selling your own recipes and formulations, or are you private labeling?

Product Based Business Checklist

✅ Set up your business entity and open a business banking account to be able to accept payments

✅ Purchase general business liability, and product liability insurance

✅ Budget your direct costs and indirect costs running the business

✅ Analyze your COGS (Cost of Goods)

✅ Create a marketing plan

✅ Complete a thorough competitive market analysis

✅ Research and secure your ingredient suppliers.

No matter what pathway you decide to take to make money as an Aromatherapist, you’ll first have to figure out the basics.  Like:  Who are you selling to?  And what makes what you do so unique, and special, that others would be interested in purchasing from you?

Starting a business is not for everyone.  It takes a blend of grit, resilience, fearlessness and perseverance.  Entrepreneurship comes with courage.  But once you take the leap, it’s hard to go back!

Need some guidance?  Check out my Aromatherapy Business Online Course