Is Reiki Enough in Your Reiki Business?

Christian Stone | Standing Stones Healing Co.

I just quit my job to start my Reiki business, but am getting a little concerned because I learned that what I want to offer, Usui Reiki, no one wants. I keep seeing so many other practitioners offering cord cutting, calling in deities, angels, and healing people, but this is not Reiki. Do I need to be offering these things too? Is Reiki not enough?

Thank you for your question, and the truth is that Reiki all by itself is enough. Your concern that offering only Reiki isn't enough for a stable business is very common, especially when first starting out. In the first couple of years of a Reiki business, as practitioners are challenged to find clients, grow, and make their business sustainable, they begin to believe that the problem is with what they're offering and that they aren't offering enough. It seems to them that Reiki alone isn't enough. They believe that their challenges with building a client base must be that no one wants only Reiki and the problem is that they need to learn more, be more, offer more in order to make their business work. Compounding this worry is that it seems like everyone else is offering so much more and doing so much better in their business.

But it's actually not about Reiki...the feeling of not being "enough" with "just" Reiki is a very common feeling because, if you're challenged to find clients, it must be because you're only offering Reiki, right? No, it's so much more often about how we're marketing ourselves, Reiki, and our business than it is about needing to offer "more." Newer Reiki business owners struggling to grow believe the problem is that they aren't offering the "right" thing, rather than that the challenge is with their marketing, the way they do (or don't) talk about Reiki, how they do (or don't) talk to potential or returning clients, or anything else that might be the real issue.

It's also important to note that certainly there's a lot of peer pressure to add more services because it seems like everyone else does so much more. When we see others offering all kinds of options, like cord cutting, hypnosis, shamanic work, card reading, sound healing, NLP, past life regression (and the list goes on and on), we can feel inadequate or like an imposter or that we're not as good as other Reiki business owners. We can feel that pressure to learn more, be more, and do more. I talk more about this pressure in my Should I Get More Training Before Starting My Reiki Business article.

I personally do offer services other than Reiki in my Reiki business, including card reading, coaching, and courses. But I started out offering only Reiki and had plenty of clients, referrals, and interest. I added services because I had been a card reader and coach even before I became a Reiki practitioner and it felt natural to begin including them. And I know plenty of Reiki business owners who have offered only Reiki for years and are doing quite well with their Reiki business.

You're at a challenging point right now with getting started, especially having just quit your job, so please be gentle on yourself and know that it will take time to grow your business. Please feel free to reach out with questions anytime. I have A LOT of resources. As far as the challenge of talking about Reiki, this Build Your Reiki Business podcast episode on Talking about Reiki might also help. And of course feel free to grab the free Reiki Biz Kit for lots more Reiki business information. Sending blessings to your business!