Need to Know
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Who is this course for?Students of the Community Herbalist online program -
Course length (start & watch when you want)1.5 hours of video content -
ExtrasLifetime access · Certificate of completion
This course is only available with the following program:
Meet your course instructor
Seraphina Capranos | Herbalist, Classical Homeopath
Seraphina’s European grandparents first introduced her to the healing power of natural medicine. While seasonally gathering herbs in rural Ontario, Canada they lovingly taught her about the traditional wisdom of herbs and plant lore. After suffering an injury to her spine as a teenager, Seraphina was declared by the conventional medical system to lead a life of suffering in chronic pain. Determined to heal herself, she returned to her roots and began a professional study of natural medicine at Emerson College of Herbology leading her to study with renowned herbalist Susun S. Weed at The Wise Woman Center in NY and then healers in the desert of New Mexico. She attended the University of Toronto while working with an inspiring MD who practiced homeopathy, revealing to her the brilliance of this unique and deep system of medicine. The combination and expertise of her two passions of herbal medicine and homeopathic medicine make Seraphina a gifted holistic practitioner. She brings the balance of university education in science and the magic of what wildlands and mystics have taught her to each of her classes and clients. She lives on Salt Spring Island where’s she’s had a clinical practice since 2005. She teaches herbal medicine, homeopathy & earth-based magic internationally. As an educator, she is passionate about offering empowering, heart-centered classes that are rooted in spirit. She gives thanks to all her teachers, namely Michael Vertolli (Emerson College 1998) Susun Weed, Aviva Romm, Murray Feldman, Susan Gimbel, Laurie Dack, Lianne South, Louis Klein, and the old authors of homeopathic texts from the 1800s, and the women who kept recipes alive in the stillroom books.
Course description
The world of herbalism is vast and expansive with so many business possibilities, as diverse as the plant world itself. Imagine being surrounded by the beauty of botanicals everyday, and turning your passion for plants into a livelihood. For many, this is a dream come true! Whether you want to be a self-employed entrepreneur or employed by a plant-loving company, this course goes through the step by step process of how to build a solid foundation for a successful career!
First, we begin with some inner exploration: what calls you to this path? Knowing your why, beyond financial rewards, will breathe life into your dream, filling it with your soul’s passion and heart’s fire. What calls you and inspires you to embark on this path, and how can you combine your natural talents and skills into a viable business? Perhaps it is one-to-one consulting, being a herbal writer or blogger, or operating a product line. This course helps you explore those questions and zero in on the sweet spot where your talents and interests meet the needs of the community you choose to serve. This is the secret sauce to creating a business that is filled with a magnetism and vitality that can’t help but garner lots of attraction!
Deciding what shape your business should take in structure and form is the critical next step. Will it be solely online? Only brick and mortar? Or a combination of both? Understanding possible revenue streams and then narrowing to the ones that will maximize profitability while also keeping to your mandate is crucial. We explore market research, what it really means, and why it’s necessary before setting out on your path. What’s your mission? What do you stand for? And how can this be combined with your natural talents (and take into account your weaknesses) to serve your community? And who is the community or demographic you want to serve? We look at the legalities of making a herbal product and what to avoid (and include) in labeling and advertising.
Wholesaling vs. Retailing makes a big difference in terms of profit margins and organizing your business. Getting a handle on this before you set out on making a product line is vital to avoiding high costs. We talk about money: pricing, profit margins, mark-ups, start-up costs, and knowing what to charge, all while making sure you pay yourself. Will you be working with products that have a short shelf life (food items) or one’s that don’t have any at all (botanical art and textiles!). Brand identity, building a website, and social media are all discussed in terms of making your mark on the world and creating your ‘voice’ in a sea of digital noise.
Upon completion of this course, you will have the ability to:
- Come up with your unique business plan or plan of action
- Feel confident with information about creating, marketing, and selling your own herbal products or service
- Understand your why, what you have to uniquely offer your demographic, and how to streamline your ideas into a profitable business
- Grasp the concept of pricing, whether wholesale, retail, and understand the legalities and why they are important
- Create a business that stands out and develop a presence online that generates organic traffic
