So, you love health and wellness, and you’ve also always wanted to be your own boss. Wouldn’t it be great to work in an industry that you love – every day?
Unfortunately, being passionate about wellness isn’t enough to earn you a healthy income! You’ll need to turn your passion into a business, and in this article, we’ll cover 32 types of wellness businesses.
There are many types of wellness business that suit different people. It really depends on your interests and skills, but also your desired lifestyle:
Knowing YOUR interests is the first step to choosing the best health and wellness business for YOU to start.
On The Wellpreneur Podcast, I’ve interviewed over 100 wellness entrepreneurs about how they’ve built successful businesses.
These wellpreneurs range from health coaches to personal trainers to yoga teachers to authors to retreat planners to natural skincare brands.
There are so many ways that you can create a job you love in the wellness industry.
Starting a Health and Wellness Business in 2024
2024 is the year that we need to start thinking more outside of the box about wellness. It is time to take a more serious approach to alternatives available in the healthcare industry while finding new ways to serve our communities. Creating a personal wellness business in 2024 is also a great way for many to find fulfillment in their lives as they continue to grow.
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A Few Tips
If you are here, then you are already interested in starting a business in the health and wellness industry, so here are a few tips to get you going before we get into our top 32 ideas for 2024.
Find Your Focus
This is going to be the first step. The focus is on what helps determine what kind of service or product you are going to provide. In the health and wellness industry, there are several ways to go, including something more clinically focused or spa focused, for example.
Determine Startup Costs
This is going to be the amount of money you need to get started. Consider the initial and monthly costs of the rent for any office space you may need to secure along with the costs of materials for any business cards, letterheads, flyers, or brochures you need. Also, factor in the costs of building a website, obtaining a web host, and securing a domain.
In addition, you should also take into consideration any costs there may be for owning your business. For example, are there additional taxes you have to pay? Do you have the income to continue to live comfortably while building your business?
Identify a Target Audience
When you have a clear focus, it will be much easier to identify your target audience. When identifying your target audience, make sure to pinpoint what is also going to set you apart from your competition.
Obtain Proper Licenses
You want to familiarize yourself with the laws and licensing requirements in your state. You need to make sure that your business and any contractors you hire are fully licensed by the state you are in.
Naming Your Business
Finally, when it comes time to establish a name for your health and wellness business, first make sure that the name is available through your state's Secretary of State directory and then develop your logo and website to promote your new business. To help you with your name, you can also use a business name generator to help you come up with ideas.
Check the Competition
Always research other businesses in the area that are offering the same products and services as you. Check their website, their pricing, and research who their ideal customer is. Having all this information will help you grow and scale your own business and establish your own health and wellness career.
Here are 32 ideas to get you started, categorized by type of business.
Health and Wellness Business Idea: Personal Services
Health and Wellness Coach (or Holistic Health Counselor)
A health or wellness coach helps their clients to make sustainable, healthy changes in their life, based on that client’s personal goals and lifestyle.
Health Coaching is a really popular wellness business because it can easily complement other modalities or products.
For example, many wellpreneurs are yoga teachers AND health coaches. Or personal trainers AND health coaches. Or you could be a health coach who also sells essential oils or other products that support a healthy lifestyle.
Another benefit of the health coaching business is that it’s quite flexible. You can work in-person or online, 1:1 or in group coaching programs, or package up your programs into online courses or books.
Plus, many wellpreneurs say that going through health coach training helps them and their families live a healthier life too! You can try a sample class from health coach training here.
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Corporate Wellness Coach / Trainer / Consultant
Corporate wellness is a booming niche market.
This is an especially good option for aspiring wellpreneurs who are transitioning from a corporate day-job into entrepreneurship. Companies realize that improving the health of their employees is good for business (fewer sick days, lower stress, happier employees, etc) – and they’re ready to invest in workshops, programs, and coaching.
You can train as a health coach to do corporate wellness, or get connected with an existing corporate wellness company. Here’s an interview I did with one health coach who started providing wellness services within his current company.
Yoga Teacher
If you’re a passionate yogi, who wants to teach others how to do yoga safely and regularly, you could consider training as a yoga teacher. Most yoga teachers work with students in person, via 1:1 or group classes. However, there is a growing trend in teaching yoga online. Here’s an interview about teaching yoga online.
Personal Trainer
Becoming a personal trainer is another hugely popular avenue to entrepreneurship for wellness entrepreneurs. While many people believe you have to work in-person as a personal trainer, that’s not the case.
Similar to yoga, there’s a trend of personal trainers either creating online courses or working with a client via video call to deliver training no matter where they live! Don’t miss this interview with Betty Rocker about how she runs a successful fitness and wellness business online.
Nutritionists and Nutritional Therapists
Although it takes a bit more schooling, becoming a nutritionist is a well-proven path to working in health and wellness. Nutritionists are in-demand at hospitals, wellness centers, gyms, spas, corporations, and more. It’s a well-known profession that allows you to work as an employee or entrepreneur.
Herbalist
Herbalists help their patients improve their health using medicinal herbs and foods. This career also requires extensive schooling, but if you’re passionate about plants and health, it is a great option. Typically, herbalists would work in person with their patients, but it’s also possible to create online courses or write books. Have a listen to this interview about how to take your herbal medicine practice online.
Acupuncturist
Acupuncture is a holistic therapy that comes from Traditional Chinese Medicine, where you stimulate specific points on the body using very thin needles. You’ll need extensive training to do this safely, and it can also be complementary to other therapies or modalities such as health coaching, massage, or aromatherapy. In this interview, we learn how an acupuncturist complements her in-person practice with online wellness programs.
Weight Loss Coach
Weight Loss is the main motivation for many people to get serious about their health fitness and wellness, so working with clients to lose weight never goes out of style! There are many certifications you could do to help with weight loss, from personal training to health coaching to nutrition and more. Here’s a case study about how one weight loss coach enrolled 70 students in her first group program!
Personal Chef
A personal chef either teaches their clients how to prepare healthy meals, teaches cooking classes, or even prepares daily or weekly meals directly for their clients. You might not realize that you can expand your personal chef business to teaching online classes, as well. In this interview, we learn how this personal chef made the transition to online business.
Massage Therapist
Massage therapy is a hugely popular route into the wellness industry. Many people first become interested in massage because it feels so good, but then realize that it’s a viable business option as well. Massage therapy complements many other modalities, such as aromatherapy or health coaching.
Services Related to Aging and Senior Health
The percentage of elderly people is growing in many western countries, and that means that products and services which support healthy aging are in demand! You could focus on delivering any of the above services specifically to target aging concerns, or even become a wellness provider within a retirement community or other wellness center focused on healthy aging.
Wellness Retreats
Running health and wellness retreats is a huge trend this year – and growing! At a retreat, you invite a group of people for a multi-day experience, which often includes their housing, delicious healthy meals, classes, workshops, treatments, tours, experiences, and more.
As a retreat leader, you can choose to run your wellness retreats at centers around the world, giving you the opportunity to travel while you’re working. In this interview, I speak with a wellpreneur who runs luxury wellness vacations.
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Health and Wellness Business Ideas: Physical Wellness Products
Essential Oils
Essential Oils are hugely popular to support natural health. You can join a popular essential oil company and sell these oils either as your full business or as a complement to your other health and wellness work. Selling essential oils is especially popular for health and wellness coaches and massage therapists.
Dietary Supplements
If there’s a dietary supplement that has personally helped you to achieve your health and wellness goals, you might be able to sell it to others as well. Each company has its own way of handling this, from a multi-level marketing approach to being a reseller or distributor. You could also partner with a company or scientist to create your own supplement brand.
Specialize in a Type of Workout CLOTHING (yoga, cross-fit, cycling, etc.)
Workout enthusiasts always need new clothing to support their practice – and you could provide it! You can either partner with an existing brand to sell their products, or you could manufacture your own products and sell them.
Specialize in a Type of Workout GEAR (yoga, cross-fit, cycling, etc.)
Similar to workout clothing above, there’s always a need for more specialized or better quality gear to support our health and fitness habits. You could choose to sell an existing brand’s product, or you could manufacture and sell your own workout gear.
Healthy Food Products
From breakfast bars to shakes, chia seeds to teas, wellness enthusiasts are always looking for new healthy food products! You could either sell an existing product or manufacture your own! Here’s an interview about a wellpreneur who started selling avocado ice cream.
Natural Beauty Products
Once you’ve read an ingredient label and realized how much chemical junk goes into our beauty products, you’ll want to go natural – and your clients will too! You can either sell existing natural beauty products or manufacture your own. In this interview, we learn how this wellpreneur created her own natural skincare brand.
Anti-Aging Products
Anti-aging products are always popular. Whether it’s food, beauty, supplements, or workouts – if your product can help people to feel better longer, it could fall into the anti-aging category. You can manufacture your own product to sell, or possibly resell existing products in this category.
Weight Loss Products
Like Anti-Aging, there is always a need for weight loss products! Many people get interested in health and wellness solely to lose weight, so they are always looking for products to support their weight loss. You could manufacture your own product or sell an existing one to a new market.
Healthy Cooking Kitchen Products
People who love to cook often also love healthy cooking gadgets and food products. Do you have a product that can make preparing healthy meals easier, quicker, or cheaper? You could sell an existing product or manufacture one of your own! Check out this interview with a pair of wellpreneurs who also sell physical products through their website.
Health and Wellness Business Ideas: Physical Locations
Wellness Center, Studio or Clinic
Many wellpreneurs dream of creating a wellness center. You might create a large, professional clinic with numerous professionals, or a cozy natural wellness center with an organic cafe and yoga studio. When you set up a center, studio, or clinic, you have the opportunity to bring in other wellpreneurs to work with you (or to give classes or services in your center.)
Spa
The spa industry is well-established and popular. You could create a spa that provided hydrotherapy as well as treatment rooms where other practitioners can provide their wellness services.
Retreat Center
Retreats are becoming more and more popular! If you create a retreat center in a location that you love, you can invite other wellpreneurs to run their own retreats at your center.
Juice Bar
Juice bars have gone mainstream, although that means there’s more competition for them as well. You could set up a juice bar in a physical location or consider franchising with an existing brand.
Healthy Restaurant or Cafe
Starting a healthy restaurant is a continually popular idea for wellpreneurs. Of course, having experience in the restaurant industry will help here, plus you’ll need money up-front to rent your space, fit it out, and get all the food and equipment needed for a restaurant!
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Health and Wellness Business Ideas: Technology + Media
Mobile Wellness and Health Tracking Apps
If you’re into technology, why not partner with a developer to create an app that supports health and wellness? You could create an app for nutrition, fitness, healthy habits, quantified-self, buying guides, corporate wellness, connection with other health-minded people, and more.
Books (Print + Digital)
If you love to write and have the expertise to share, you can write and publish your own book. While a single book probably won’t be enough to replace your full-time income, you can write a series of books, or use your book as a lead generation tool to book speaking engagements or 1:1 clients! In this podcast episode, I share the process I used to write my first book.
Software to Support Wellpreneurs
As the wellness industry grows, so do the needs of wellness practitioners. Consider creating a software product to support wellpreneurs in growing their businesses – for example, software for working with coaching clients, managing an email list, or creating amazing meal plans are just a few ideas.
Health + Wellness Blog
Yes, there are lots of health and wellness blogs – but when done well, your health blog can generate revenue and could even replace your full-time income if your site became popular enough.
But you need to understand that simply writing a blog doesn’t generate income. The key is to build your audience.
Once you have a big enough audience, and you’re a trusted, credible blog, you can then generate revenue through advertising, selling affiliate products, or even creating your own online products and courses.
If you’d like to get started blogging, I have a free 5-day blogging challenge here, just for wellness entrepreneurs!
Health + Wellness Podcast
If you love to interview people and don’t mind the sound of your own voice, consider starting a health and wellness podcast. While the podcast alone doesn’t generate revenue, once you have an established audience, you can sell sponsorships or advertising, recommend affiliate products, or even sell your own products and services through your podcast. You can check out my wellness business podcast here.
Media Hub for Wellness
You could create a media site that becomes the ultimate source for a specific type of health information. With a media site, you might work with other experts as guest writers to create authoritative content for your site.
Like the other online business ideas above, your revenue potential starts when you’ve built a big enough audience for your site. Then you can sell advertising or affiliate products, run online courses, workshops, or seminars, or branch out into books and other products to expand your online brand.
Of course, having a great idea for your wellness business is just the first step.
Next, you’ll want to connect with some people already running that type of business and talk with them about their experience. Listening to interviews with successful wellpreneurs can also be really helpful (if you want to become a health coach, definitely check out our Health Coach Decision Kit here!)
What’s the most important factor for you in deciding what type of wellness business to start? Tell us in the comments!