Quality vs Quantity: Defining Your Entrepreneurial Path as a Practitioner

In life and in business, you eventually reach a point where you have to make a choice: do you want to be a bespoke provider who offers high-quality, personalised services, or do you want to focus on quantity, offering more affordable services to a larger number of clients? The reality is, it’s incredibly difficult to maintain both. When you think about big companies that focus on affordability, the quality often takes a hit. It’s rare to find a business that manages to be both low-cost and high-quality at the same time. So why should we expect that it’s any different when we’re working with people?

As a holistic counsellor or coach, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you’re not selling a product. After all, you’re providing a service—your time, your expertise—and that can feel less tangible than selling a physical item. But here’s the truth: your time and knowledge are just as valuable, if not more so. And you need to start valuing them accordingly.

The Choice Between Bespoke and Quantity

You have a decision to make. Do you want to position yourself as someone who offers lower-priced services and, therefore, requires a larger volume of clients to make a living? Or do you want to become a bespoke provider who delivers a high-quality, personalised experience that commands a higher price?

Think about brands like Porsche, Rolex, or high-end fashion houses. They’ve chosen to focus on being bespoke providers, and their customers are willing to pay a premium for that unique, high-quality experience. On the other hand, there are countless brands that excel by being affordable, accessible, and appealing to a wider audience. Neither approach is wrong; they’re just different paths to success.

Valuing Your One-on-One Work

If you choose the bespoke path, you need to be able to charge for your time and expertise. You’ll provide greater value to your one-on-one clients, allowing you to create a truly personalised experience that aligns with the high-quality service you’re offering. This path requires understanding your worth and having the courage to set your prices accordingly.

If you choose to focus on quantity, you’ll need to structure your services in a way that allows you to work with more clients. This might mean offering group sessions, workshops, or support programmes that can accommodate more people at once, ensuring a sustainable income while maintaining accessibility.

Who Are You Serving?

One of the most crucial factors to consider is your target audience. If you’re working with clients in a lower income bracket, focusing on quantity might be the most viable way to earn a decent income. This could involve creating group coaching sessions, online courses, or programmes where you can reach multiple clients simultaneously.

However, if your clients are more financially stable, you have the opportunity to develop a bespoke, high-quality offering that allows you to work more intensively with fewer people, providing an exceptional level of service.

There’s No Wrong Choice

At the end of the day, there’s no right or wrong path. It’s about the choice you make and how you want to build your business. Some coaches and counsellors thrive as bespoke providers, offering high-end, personalised experiences. Others find fulfilment in serving more people with an affordable, accessible model.

What’s important is to be intentional about your choice and build your business accordingly. Understand who you want to serve, what kind of experience you want to provide, and how you can structure your services to reflect that vision.

So, where do you see yourself on this spectrum? Are you clear about who you want to serve and how you want to structure your business to align with your goals?

And if you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed with all these decisions or need guidance to take your business to the next level, you know where to find me.

Madelaine Vallin – CEO & ASHC Founder

This post was originally posted at: Quality vs Quantity: Defining Your Entrepreneurial Path as a Practitioner – | Untangle Your Mind – Unlock Your Creative Potential | (madelainevallin.com)