The 5 Biggest Mistakes Spiritual Business Owners Make When Scaling Their Business
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If you’ve been in your business for a while and you’re ready for that next level of growth – but for whatever reason, it’s just not quite happening the way you thought it would – this one’s for you.
You’re showing up, doing the things, getting visible, putting yourself out there… but it just doesn’t seem to be working. You’re not seeing the results you really want.
So today I want to walk you through the five biggest mistakes I see spiritual business owners make when scaling – and they’re probably not what you think.
I’m not here to tell you to just post more content or sell harder (although yes, if you’re not selling… get selling!).
What I am here to do is shine a light on the strategic mistakes that are keeping incredible spiritual space holders stuck. These are the things I see all the time in the industry, and they’re the exact things that – when addressed – create real, sustainable growth.
Scaling Mistake 1. You’re Not Diagnosing the Real Problem
This is probably one of the biggest mistakes I see – and in this day and age, with every man and their dog trying to sell you their way of doing things online, it’s easy to see how this happens.
Maybe you’re not getting the sales or the momentum you want right now, but instead of hitting pause, looking at what the data is telling you, identifying where the gaps are in your business and where the best opportunities lie… you make an assumption.
You assume the problem must be your content, or your branding, or your website – because of something you saw online or heard in a podcast.
But the truth is – you don’t actually know what the real problem is. So you’re just throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks. And that’s not a solid strategy for scaling.
You can’t skip the diagnosis phase.
One of my favourite exercises to do with clients is where we go through each of their offers and look at their pricing, their capacity, and how much they could feasibly earn per month within their current business model. And it immediately highlights both the gaps and the opportunities that exist within their business as it currently stands.
It’s such an eye-opener – and what I love most is how often clients realise that the gap between where they are now and where they want to be isn’t actually as big as they thought. It shows you what’s really possible – with the right strategy and solution.
Because that’s the thing – if you don’t know what the actual problem is, how do you know that what you’re doing is going to address it?
So before you take action, take a step back and ask:
What’s really going on here?
What is the data telling us about where there are gaps?
Where are the opportunities?
And where is your business not set up to support the results you want?
That clarity – that diagnosis – is what allows you to choose the right strategy and solution for where you are right now and where you want to go.
Scaling Mistake 2. You’ve Chosen the Wrong Business Model
This usually shows up when someone’s making the move from 1:1 work into a more scalable 1:many model – which is amazing and something I love supporting my clients to do – but the mistake is that people often go straight for something low-ticket, like a $20/month membership or a low-cost self-paced course.
Now, those offers can work – but they rely on volume. You need a big audience, a solid marketing and visibility strategy, and strong systems to back it up.
And most people don’t have that when they’re making this transition. So what ends up happening is you get 12 people in your membership and suddenly you’re doing all this work for $200 a month – and it feels really hard and unsustainable.
What’s often underneath this is the belief that lower-cost offers are easier to sell – and therefore easier to scale. But in reality, they’re not necessarily easier to sell and they’re harder to sustain without the right infrastructure in place.
The other common business model mistake is that it’s also not usually just one offer they try to scale – it’s five. A course, a membership, a group program, 1:1, maybe a retreat… and in that case, your energy is being pulled in five different directions, none of the offers are getting enough traction, and you’re not growing. It’s unnecessarily complicated and unsustainable.
The key is to be intentional. Choose a business model and offers that make sense for your income goals, your audience size, your energy, and how you like to work – and build from there.
Scaling Mistake 3. You Don’t Have a Clear Marketing Strategy
This one can be sneaky because on the surface, it can look like you’re doing all the right things. You’re showing up, you’re posting, you’re launching. You’re doing stuff – but you’re not necessarily doing it strategically.
Your messaging might be unclear. You might not have a solid funnel to take people from awareness to conversion.
You’re doing things, but they’re not leading anywhere. You don’t know what’s working, what’s not working – and the worst part is it feels like you’re doing so much, but you’re not seeing the results.
What you need is a clear, intentional marketing strategy that supports your growth.
So before you keep charging ahead, ask yourself:
What’s the goal of your marketing right now?
Who are you speaking to?
What’s your message?
What are you selling?
How are you generating leads and bringing new people into your world?
It’s time to get strategic – not just visible.
Scaling Mistake 4. You Don’t Have the Systems & Processes to Scale
I can literally hear spiritual business owners’ brains switch off when we start talking about systems and processes. But hear me out, because this stuff matters.
You can have the most incredible offer, the best strategy, the most engaged community – but if your systems suck, it will hold you back from scaling.
I’ve seen this so many times. You’re manually sending invoices, onboarding clients one by one, sending individual emails for every booking – and it just eats up your time.
Which is fine when you’ve only got a few clients – but when you’re trying to grow? That’s when it becomes a problem.
The definition of scaling is to increase revenue without a proportional increase in costs or resources. And your most finite resource as a solo spiritual business owner is time.
You need to work smarter, not harder – and the way you do that is by putting systems in place that save you time and help you grow.
Here’s a little reframe for you: systems = spaciousness.
Systems become wayyyy sexier when you see how much freedom and ease they can create. Good systems allow you to hold more clients, make more money, and scale sustainably – without burning out.
So as you’re thinking about scaling, ask yourself:
Where are you doing things manually right now?
Where are you being the bottleneck?
And what could you automate or delegate to free up your time for the stuff that really matters?
Scaling Mistake 5. You’re Not Maximising Your Client Value
This one’s not always on the radar – but it should be.
So often when we think about making more sales or growing our income, our first instinct is to focus on getting new clients. And while bringing new people into your world is definitely important – there’s also a huge opportunity that exists with the people who are already in your world.
Your current and past clients – the people who’ve already bought from you, already know you, already trust you – are the ones most likely to buy from you again.
And yet, so many spiritual business owners aren’t focusing on client retention – and they’re leaving money on the table.
This isn’t about squeezing every last drop out of your people – that’s not the vibe. It’s about being of service, deepening the transformation, building long-term relationships, and creating a business that doesn’t require you to constantly be chasing new clients.
So if you’re not currently thinking about what it looks like to work with clients in this way, ask yourself:
What happens when a client finishes a container with you?
Is there a natural next step they could take?
Could you continue to support them in a deeper way?
When you focus on maximising your client value, you’re growing your impact, being of greater service and making it easier to grow – because you’re not constantly starting from scratch.
The Biggest Takeaway: Be Intentional
If I had to choose one theme from everything I’ve shared today, it’s this: intentionality.
Being intentional with your business model. With your marketing strategy. With the way you set your business up to scale.
No more throwing spaghetti at the wall. It’s time to get clear, focused and strategic about the way you grow.
So take a moment now and check in – what practical actions or next steps landed for you today? What insights are you going to take and implement into your business?
Because this only works, if you work it – and I want to see you succeed.
Join Now: Spiritual Business Scale Workshop
If you’re ready to scale with intention (not guesswork), I would love to invite you to join me for my upcoming live workshop – Spiritual Business Scale.
Let’s build your roadmap to scale and create a clear strategy to actually bring it to life.
In this live 2-hour workshop, we’ll map out your personalised scale plan for the next 6-12 months. You’ll know exactly what’s working, what’s not, and where your biggest opportunities are right now so you can get moving straight away on bringing your next-level business vision to life.
Tuesday 3 June
12–2pm AEST
Sign up here for $49