Our in-house, WU retreat expert Tamara Golden, the owner of Journeywork Retreats, a full-service destination retreat planning company, shares how to make money hosting wellness retreats:
Most of us who feel called to lead our tribe off on destination retreats are in it for the deep connection and powerful healing and transformation that these experiences evoke.
As a facilitator, you create a sacred space free from the distractions of everyday life where your participants can safely open their hearts and minds to the deeper work you and they both desire. The experience is pure nirvana.
But let’s face it, at the end of the day, healers are people. We may have one foot in the spiritual realm, but the other is rooted here in the real world where there are real-world demands to be met, including putting food on the table and paying the mortgage or rent.
So, yes, the healing, connection, and other outcomes of a retreat are important (see my previous article), but we have to ensure hosting a retreat will increase your revenue stream, both immediately and over time.
How do we do this? Easy. We build profit in as we plan.
For starters, we not only ensure all your personal retreat-related expenses are covered (travel, accommodations, etc.), but we also take a hard look at your anticipated costs in running the event and pad some amount of profit into what you are charging your participants. This means you incur no added personal expenses in hosting the retreat AND you generate income from your participants’ registration fees.
Next, depending on your situation, there are any number of ways you can supplement the income you make leading up to, during, and following the retreat. Do you have books or tangible products you can sell during the retreat? Can you easily create a higher-priced VIP experience? Can you solicit sponsorships for products related to the service you provide? Or can you perhaps offer personal healing sessions on-site for an added cost?
Last, but definitely not least, it’s important to ensure your retreat is NOT the end game in your client funnel. You should offer those participating in your retreat a chance to continue the good work they’ve started with you. Enroll them in a coaching package, sign them up for a day-long VIP session, invite them to join your mastermind, or offer them a reduced-price on your next retreat. Regardless of the form it takes, there should be a natural next step for them to go even deeper or farther with you. And this next step should be at an even higher price point than the retreat they just attended.
Now, all these strategies point to how to directly generate profit from your retreats.
Let me remind you, however, of the deeper financial impact that hosting retreats can make on your business. A well-designed, impactful, value-rich retreat will transform your clients into a tight-knit tribe. These are the people who will become your advocates, your ambassadors, and your lifelong raving fans. These will be clients who generate not only repeat revenue but that all-important referral revenue as well.
So, offer retreats because they are a powerful platform for manifesting healing and creating community. But be open to receive, because hosting retreats can boost your business financially as well!
– Tamara
Whether you’re just starting out in your wellness business, or you’re looking to up-level, Journeywork Retreats supports heart-centered entrepreneurs like you in making your dream of hosting retreats come true. From our Get Retreat Ready tutorial to our Ultimate Retreat Roadmap course, through to the planning and implementation of your dream retreat, we’re here to help ensure your retreats are a logistical, financial and experiential success. Interested? Take our Retreat Ready Assessment!
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Tamara Golden is the founder and owner of Journeywork Retreats which supports coaches, healers, artists, and transformation leaders in creating custom retreats across the US and worldwide. Through this work, Tamara’s mission is to create a meaningful platform for heart-centered entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, distinguish themselves from the competition, and foster powerful transformation in their clients.
