Coach inspires healthier weight
Sharie Hope shows women, even those facing illness, how to look and feel better
In her forties, Sharie Hope radiates vibrant health. Her face and eyes practically glow as she describes running on Marin County trails, pushing her yoga practice, riding her mountain bike, even her motorcycle. She has a wild, spunky spirit, perfect for an entrepreneur. Hope exudes the essence of her business—to coach other women how to shed pounds, reclaim their strength and flexibility, and ease age-related illness.
Hope, who aims to build a coaching practice in health care, is taking a Women's Initiative class on how to write a business plan. She earned a bachelor's degree in health education and certificates as a personal trainer and in nutritional guidance.
Her business is called Healthy Steps to Success. This isn't her first entrepreneurial venture. A flame worker, she makes and sells delicate glass necklaces. For a few months she directed the Adventure Chicks Tahoe camp in Truckee.
"You need to calculate break-even point in your business," Hope says. "Figure out your direct costs. At what point are you going to make money? Who is your competition? What do you have that your competition does not have? How are you going to market yourself?"
Even a service business such as hers can cost plenty before profits offset costs. Preparation can take months.
"My competition includes nutritionists, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, personal trainers." She works in collaboration with doctors, who may recommend that their patients trim pounds or change diets in order to manage a chronic illness, for example.
"I learn what their barriers were in the past," Hope says. "What has stopped them from reaching goals? Many women who try to lose weight follow someone else's diet. You need to create change for yourself." She guides clients toward a diet and exercise program, typically with exercise done at home. She coaches body alignment and strength-building. Each program usually lasts three months, at $140 per 90-minute session.
Often clients have emotional issues that block their progress. Without dipping into psychotherapy, Hope aims to acknowledge these struggles in steering clients back to health. "Some people hide behind their weight," she says. If they lose weight, for instance, they may fear that others will expect them to perform at a higher level.
"This is how I live my life," Hope says. "I maintain my own health. I am lean from yoga. I take care of myself. My passion is to help people. I know how it feels to feel good and to feel good about how you look."
Money will not necessarily appear if you do what you love. "I have done quite a few things that did not work out."
Money will not necessarily appear if you do what you love. "I have done quite a few things that did not work out," Hope says. She tried selling glass necklaces at art festivals but felt trapped in the booth. Instead, she wanted to walk around.
"It doesn't matter what product or service you have," Hope says. "If you don't market it correctly, it's not going to go anywhere. You can have the worst product or service, and if you market it right, it will be successful."
A potential customer might need to see you or your product about seven times before they decide to buy. "You need to become annoying," Hope says, laughing.
Every entrepreneur ought to consider how much time she wants to work, Hope suggests. She books client sessions mostly Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. "Do you want a job that is nine-to-five? Do you want part-time?" Health care can offer flexibility in scheduling.
—James Dunn
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