Earned your internationally-recognized Feng Shui certification through QC Design School? Congrats! Now it’s time to take your training and turn it into a successful career!
Not sure how to do this? QC tutor and renowned designer, Ivy Ellerby, is here to help!
The founder of Eastern Design and Home Staging, Ivy is an Accredited Staging Professional and Advanced Feng Shui Design Professional. As a renowned industry expert, she uses her knowledge to help consumers increase profits on home sales and implement new design ideas into their living spaces.
So, you’ve finished your Feng Shui certification. Now, it’s time to figure out how to build off your training and actually begin working as a successful consultant. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place! I’ve put together a handful of my top tips to get you started on the right path.
Let’s take a look at them together, shall we?
1. Apply your knowledge and begin practicing in your own space!
You probably already started working in your own home and/or offices while working on your Feng Shui certification training. However, it never hurts to go back and adjust your space with a fresh set of eyes!
After you’ve completed QC’s program, you’re guaranteed to have an even better understanding of Feng Shui concepts. Thus, continuing your practice within your own home is a great way to not only reinforce what you learned as a student – but to also help you to refine ways of explaining it to a client. After all, the people who seek out your expertise will often have limited knowledge about Feng Shui.
Remember: it may take months – or even years – to be able to figure out the practical applications of what you’ve learned. In many ways, your Feng Shui practice is much like a medical practice. The more situations you encounter, the better you’ll be at diagnosing the energy problem!
2. Draw on your Feng Shui certification training to find suppliers!
Know EXACTLY where you can obtain the supplies you need for your clients. If you completed the optional (but strongly recommended) business unit in your Feng Shui certification course, you’ll notice that we asked you to locate suppliers as part of your assignments.
Here’s another thing you can do: make a list for each Gua. Then write down examples of items you can recommend to clients that will help enhance each of the 5 elements. After this, make another list of the items you can purchase to control an abundance of the same 5 elements.
The next step will be to create a checklist and add it to your consultation binder. This way, you can simply flip a page and see examples of items to recommend to your clients. You’re likely not going to remember every detail of your training when working with your first few clients. This is why checklists are a great way to help you remember the important details during a consultation!
3. Join a professional organization!
There are countless design communities full of like-minded professionals. Becoming a part of such a community is an invaluable resource for your professional career!
In my opinion, one of the BEST organizations to join after completing your Feng Shui certification course is the International Feng Shui Guild. This is a virtual chapter that connects through a Facebook group. While a paid membership service is required, don’t worry – it’s inexpensive! Plus, payment plans are also offered, too.
The IFSG consists of consultants from all over the world, who subscribe to every school of Feng Shui. Moreover, this group of professionals are supportive of each other in many ways! Within this community, you’ll find training opportunities, resources, and even support with difficult floorplans and approaches.
Fun Fact: If you mention that I recommended you to this community, joining the IFSG will be an even smoother and easier process!
4. Seek advanced or specialized Feng Shui training!
Just like with any other profession, making sure that you keep your Feng Shui certification up-to-date is paramount. At least once a year, attend a workshop or gain additional training. This will help ensure that you remain an expert in your field.
It’s always important to keep in mind that the art of Feng Shui is thousands of years old. Therefore, you can never learn all there is to learn in only one course! So, do some research. Figure out which school of thought resonates with you most, and then make that a starting point for your next level of training.
5. Offer friends and family free Feng Shui consultations!
In order to get your design career off the ground, you’re going to need to gain experience in the field and add to your professional portfolio. So, why not offer friends and family members a complimentary Feng Shui consultation?
A large part of the consultation process is considering a clients’ feelings, needs, and history. By working with people you know, you get a chance to practice as much as possible to develop your personal approach or specialty. As a result, you’ll be fully prepared and have your business etiquette completely polished by the time you book your first paying client!
6. Ask for a designer discount!
Many home decor and furnishing retailers offer a discount program for professional designers. As soon as you obtain your Feng Shui certification, make a list of different stores that have items you can use your projects.
From there, go onto their websites and see if they offer a designer discount program or an affiliate program. Now, they may call it an “Interior Design Discount”. However, the discount program will oftentimes extend to Home Stagers, as well as other specialty designers (such as a Feng Shui Consultant).
7. Market yourself to your target clientele!
It’s easy to find clients in places that already understand what you do. For example, yoga studios, Integrative Medical offices, metaphysical shops, and holistic and wellness offices are all great places to leave your business cards and/or brochures!
Another suggestion is to make regular posts on your business’s social media channels. Use hashtags that relate to keywords that would interest your potential new clients, such as:
- #chi
- #energy
- #thefiveelements
- #buddha
- #spirituality
This group of followers already know the benefits of your services. But they may not know that you’re located in their local vicinity. Your Feng Shui certification is rare in most areas – and many potential clients have no idea they can find a Feng Shui consultant so easily. So, use this to your advantage by showcasing all that you and your business have to offer!
8. Offer a referral program!
The BEST marketing you can have is a satisfied past client! If a customer is happy with the services you’ve provided them, they’ll eagerly recommend you to all the people they know!
As such, after you complete your Feng Shui certification, one really good way to get your name recognizable in your area is to ask your clients to write a review for you on Facebook or Google. In it, you can ask them to touch on how insightful and enjoyable the process of working with you was for them.
If you want to take it one step further, you can even offer a discount on your service, as a special “Thank You” credit. Alternately, your referral program can include an additional assessment (e.g. include a landscape reading during a ‘1st floor only’ assessment). Or you can gift an item that supports the energy in their home/office that they may have mentioned wanting or needing in the near future.
A referral program doesn’t have to be expensive! Rather, little tokens of appreciation are known to go a long way. Plus, it certainly helps to gather a bunch of positive reviews for your business in the beginning of your career. You’ll be amazed at just how much they’ll contribute to your success!
9. Use your Feng Shui certification to network!
Many professional circles overlap. As such, you MUST get comfortable with making sure that your specialized Feng Shui certification is known in many different groups of design professionals. For example: real estate agents and brokers in your area meet thousands of potential customers each month. So, make sure that they know your business offers Feng Shui services!
Additionally, event planners often look for ways to make special events – such as wedding receptions and milestone birthday parties – promote good energy. You can also contact interior designers and let them know that you’re a part of their local community. Who knows – they may have a client who’s interested in Eastern philosophy! As a result, that designer may want to hire you as a consultant on their project, in order to make themselves look even better.
My point is, don’t ever limit the possibilities your Feng Shui certification provides! Everyone wants to be the best in their industry, and you can market yourself as “a secret weapon” to make spaces feel as good as they look!
Final Thoughts
Take your time building your brand. Make sure that each client you work with understands that your expertise will provide a solution to their issues. Every new project is an opportunity to practice your approach and hone your skills. At the end of the day, it’ll only make you an even better Feng Shui expert.
You’ll continuously discover new ways of shifting energy and visually enhancing both commercial and residential properties alike. You’ve taken the valuable first step in completing your Feng Shui certification. Now it’s time to make a name for yourself. So, show the world what you have learned!
It’s hard to know where to start sometimes but this is a great consolidated list of steps to take! Thank you Ivy!
There are no words for how much we appreciate Ivy and her amazing industry insights! We’re very happy to hear that her tips for turning a Feng Shui certification into a successful design career resonated with you, Daniella! Which piece of advice was your favorite? 🙂
All the best,
The QC Team
Wonderful article! Thank you for all of the great tips 🙂
I really like this subject! I loved the Top 9 tips and I also believe that I have a good referral strategy, build a winning portfolio and take constant updating courses.
Congratulations on the article! Very well written!
Thanks so much for reading and commenting, Fernanda! We’re happy to hear that Ivy’s 9 tips for turning a Feng Shui certification into a thriving design career resonated with you the way they did. 🙂 We’d love to learn more about the solid referral strategy you currently have in place. What’s your secret? 💕
All the best,
The QC Team
This is a great article full of really helpful tips!
Thanks so much for commenting, Alexa! Which tip would you say stood out to you most? 😀
All the best,
The QC Team