I Got “Scammed” by a Business Coach–But I Learned These 5 Game-Changing Numbers
I once got scammed by a business coaching program… Yes, true story of me still making mistakes and learning. But hey, I at least walked away with something valuable: a better understanding of business numbers.
Okay, maybe “scammed” is a little dramatic. But, I definitely got sold the dream… a flashy promise of turning a $46K business into a $281K powerhouse. After three sessions, I quickly realized it wasn’t the right fit for me. The value didn’t match the cost, the corporate take didn’t match my vibe, and I fell for a pitch rather than what I actually needed.
Still, I took away some legit pointers: five business numbers I had never seriously tracked before. And I learned strategies to leverage those numbers and directly impact the future finances of my business. Kind of a game-changer. So, that’s the lesson I want to pass on to you.
“If you don’t know where you’re going, you could end up anywhere.” - Yogi Berra
Let’s make sure you know exactly where you are… And more importantly, where you want to go.
In this article, I’ll walk you through five numbers every dietitian business owner should know to directly boost their practice’s profitability. If you want to go deeper by calculating your current numbers, setting new target goals, and forecasting your future profits, then join me in June’s Sales & Profitability Masterclass (details here!).
1. Leads
A lead is a potential client who’s shown interest but hasn’t purchased anything from you yet. Think: someone who booked a discovery call, signed up for your e-mail newsletter, or got referred to you by their doctor.
You might be generating leads from:
Paid ads (Google, Facebook, Instagram)
Marketing strategies (posting in niche Facebook groups)
Networking (with doctors, therapists, or other healthcare providers)
PR (TV interviews, speaking events, or podcasts)
Want more leads? If you’ve read this far, I bet you do! First, identify where your current leads are coming from, and then what strategy is working best.
Mini Homework: Write down ALL the ways you currently generate client leads. Then, time-block 15-30 minutes per day (or 1-2 hours a week) to double down on the most effective lead-generating strategy. Bonus points if you can delegate this to someone on your team. 🙂
2. Conversions
A conversion is when someone actually becomes a paying client, like when a discovery call turns into a booked session or a newsletter subscriber buys a product.
Common conversion points are:
Discovery calls (what you ask and how you run them)
Your unique selling point (aka: your personality and brand positioning)
SOPs (your standard operating procedure of your step-by-step guide, when talking to a client)
Want more conversions? To improve your conversion rate, you need to audit the full onboarding experience. Where are people getting stuck or dropping off? Or when do people stop and think, “I have to work with this person!”
Mini Homework: Pretend you’re a client. Go through your intake form, sign up for your newsletter, and browse your website. Identify friction points and fix them. Again, bonus points for my dietitian group practice owners who can delegate this! 🙂
3. Number of transactions
This refers to how many total purchases are happening, aka the number of nutrition counseling sessions booked or products sold.
You can increase your number of transactions by:
Lengthening sessions
Increasing visit frequency
Getting more clients in the door
Improving retention rates
Increasing your newsletter subscribers
Want to improve your number of nutrition counseling sessions booked or products sold at your practice? The real key is mastering your retention and networking strategy.
Mini Homework: Set a 2-minute timer and jot down every single way you could increase session length, frequency, or total clients.
4. Average sale
Your average sale is the amount you earn per transaction. For many dietitians in nutrition private practice, this equates to your average hourly reimbursement rate, what you charge per hour on average, or the average cost of all your products sold.
If you accept insurance, this number might feel fixed, but you can still boost it by adding self-pay offerings, like:
Meal plans
Recipe or cookbooks
Supplements or affiliate links
Passive income products
If you’re already self-pay? You can likely raise your rate by 5-10%. (Yes, really. And, yes, do it if you haven’t in the past year OR if you’re almost booked out.)
👉 In the June masterclass, we’ll explore ways to increase your average sale without feeling salesy or gross. Come hang with me, friend.
5. Margins
Your margin is the percentage of profit you keep after covering your costs. In a nutrition private practice, this might mean the difference between what you charge and what you pay your RDs (plus overhead like rent, admin support, etc.).
Healthy margins usually fall between 40-70%, depending on your business model.
Margins can be tricky to fix, but there are strategies that work. For example, strategies like increasing prices, reducing discounts, setting budgets, adding team incentives, removing low ROI activities, and auditing your overall process.
Future forecasting
These five numbers- leads, conversions, transactions, average sale, and margins- are often overlooked by dietitian business owners (my past self included!!). But they directly impact your revenue and profit.
So, instead of guessing and flying by the seat of our pants… let’s strategically grow together, friend.
🚨 In my June Sales & Profitability Masterclass, we’ll:
Use the custom calculator to plug in your business numbers
Brainstorm personalized strategies to grow each one
Set realistic growth goals (% increase targets)
Forecast your profitability for the next year
Your business growth doesn’t need to be a mystery (or surprise), and you don’t need another vague course with no ROI… You need strategy, numbers, and a solid plan.
Less Guessing, More Growing: 5 Numbers Every Dietitian Business Owner Should Know
90-minutes
Virtual (Live / Replay Available)
$35 or FREE for first-time guests using code #FIRSTTIMER and Dietitian Business Network members
You'll leave with a clear roadmap on how to increase your practice's revenue and actionable steps for improving lead generation, conversion rates, number of transactions, average value spend, and profit margins. It's practical, it's simple, it's enlightening, and it's designed for dietitian business owners like you. Once you see these numbers, you won’t look at your numbers the same way again. So, come join us for this interactive workshop to set yourself up for Q3 growth <3