Anna Bomber graduated from UW-Green Bay’s SEPP program in 2022. She obtained her CMPC and is now the SEPP program’s practicum coordinator and owner of Bomber Performance Consulting, LLC. In her private practice, she specializes in working with performing artists, specifically dancers and singers.
Lexi Ahrens graduated from UW-Green Bay’s SEPP program in 2022. Lexi is now currently pursuing her CMPC and owns UpLIFT Mental Performance, LLC. Lexi specializes in working with exercisers and athletes.
Many early career professionals may be interested in starting their own business but have very little idea of where to start. We went through these same struggles when we first opened our own mental performance consulting businesses. While we may focus on different performance clientele in our businesses, we followed similar steps to get to where we are currently. Here we share our personal journeys as business owners in the sport and performance psychology space. We talk about strategies we used to market our services, the value of building strong professional connections, and how we’ve managed to keep our passion at the heart of our work.
Anna’s Experience
It’s important to remember that when starting a business, it can be as big or small as you want, and you can invest as much, or as little, time and energy into it as you are able. The options are endless. Before starting out, you may wonder if you will make enough money doing what you enjoy, or if you will ramp up enough of a client load to make ends meet. This is where I think it’s important to be flexible. If balancing a full or part-time job and opening your business with only one client is manageable, then it’s okay to start with that. It’s not necessary to have a full client load right away, or honestly, ever, if that’s not your jam. For example, I carry 1-3 clients at a time, so the time spent on my business is typically less than ten hours a week, which allows me to seek other opportunities for income and build my resume in other ways while I am starting out. I’ve also noticed that I do my best work when I am not in a client-facing role for eight hours a day, so part-time consulting may be what is best for me, personally, and I encourage others to consider how they can be creative and make consulting work with their lifestyle, personality, and other interests.
Lexi’s Experience
When Anna and I started our own businesses, we had very different experiences. Both feelings were completely valid. Anna felt excited about launching her business and was eager to see what the future would bring. I, on the other hand, was nervous and scared. I actually waited nearly two years after graduation before forming my LLC. Most of that hesitation came from fear of the unknown. I had to talk myself into just going for it. In the end, I reminded myself that the worst-case scenario was investing a little money in something that might not work out. And honestly, starting an LLC is fairly inexpensive. Once I got things up and running, everything started to fall into place. My biggest piece of advice for anyone starting their own LLC is to focus on networking and marketing consistently during the first year. For instance, I created an Instagram account and posted on it nearly every day for an entire year. I also introduced myself at local gyms and connected with people in that community. Before long, I had opportunities to lead free workshops, which helped me gain my first clients.
Strategies for building a consulting practice
Strategy #1: Marketing
Marketing yourself is essential, especially in the field of sport and performance psychology. Many people don’t fully understand what “mental performance consulting” actually means, which is why education and awareness are critical to building your presence. Often, clients don’t realize that mental blocks are what’s holding them back until they’re introduced to this kind of support. They may think their challenges stem from a lack of confidence, something they believe can’t be changed and that it’s just how they are.
That’s why consistent marketing is so important, particularly on social media. It’s a powerful, free tool that can significantly expand your reach if used intentionally. Make the most of it while you can. Equally important is your website. It should clearly communicate what you do, what services you offer, and who you are. People aren’t just buying your services, they’re buying you.
Think about your own decision-making process as a consumer. Often, you’re first drawn to how a product looks, not necessarily how it functions. You may have even purchased something based purely on great marketing. The same applies when someone is looking for a consultant. They’re often choosing someone they feel a connection with.
Let your social media and website reflect who you truly are. When your branding feels authentic and personal, you’ll naturally attract the clients who are the right fit for you.
As we’ve experienced the end of consulting relationships, we’ve made it a point to ask for testimonials from clients. We admit this can be awkward to do, but when a client shows as much appreciation for our services as they do, it seems like they would be happy to provide it – which they usually are! Of course, in line with ethics, we work to make these testimonials anonymous before putting it on our websites and we are sure to summarize a few lines so that confidentiality is kept. Our hope is that future performers and athletes will glance at these testimonials and see that mental performance is important, and necessary in some cases, to get athletes, dancers, and exercisers back to where they need to be to shine in their performance domain.
Strategy #2: Connections
As you may have heard, connections are huge when you decide to create your own business. We simply would not be where we are today if it wasn’t for the colleagues, advisors, supervisors, and instructors that we’ve met along the way. In staying in contact with them, we’ve been able to receive referrals for our clients, and opportunities to present workshops through our LLCs. Since performance encapsulates such a wide range of people, employees, performers, and athletes, connections can be formed just about anywhere, so it’s always important to show up professionally and ready for those connections to be made. You never know who may reach out later in life.
Strategy #3: Keeping Passion in the Profession
As we mentioned above, we both have different interests in which performance domains we serve. Anna tends to focus on performing artists, while Lexi tends to lean towards clients who want to build on their exercise, business, and sport performance. While there may be a lot of overlap in what we teach these athletes and performers, we have both made it a point to stick to our roots and put our time and energy into the performance types that brought us into the field to begin with.
Anna’s Experience
Even though I gravitate towards the arts, I have also been flexible in who I serve. From golfers to swimmers, to singers and dancers, I think it was important that when I started out, I was open to working with whichever referrals came my way. Even though my heart isn’t always 100% tied into some sports, I was still able to identify with different aspects that spoke to me. For example, golf is an individual sport, as is dance in many aspects, so I ran with that and found ways to connect to it. On the other hand, I decided to put my energy outside of my LLC into other organizations and experiences that could give me what I loved. I made it a point to seek out volunteer opportunities with musicians so that I could still fill my cup with something I truly had a passion for. Even though this wasn’t a paid opportunity, it gave me a chance to advertise my services and provide materials to the community of Appleton, WI. I’ve also found my way into the Performing Arts Special Interest Group (SIG) through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). Again, this is volunteer work but gives me a chance to present annual material at the AASP conference and grow the SIG as a coordinator so we can make an impact in the field in a way that I’m so fond of.
Lexi’s Experience
Opening yourself up to working with a wide range of clients is valuable in many ways. It provides hands-on experience and challenges you to do the research needed to truly support each individual. That said, there is something powerful about narrowing your focus to a specific population. While expanding your reach can be a great way to grow, honing in on a niche can offer even greater long-term benefits.
Personally, I would never turn away a client unless I felt completely unqualified in that area. However, focusing on a specific group has allowed me to grow in meaningful ways. When you choose a population, you are passionate about, it shows. I have always been drawn to working with the exercise community, whether it’s marathon runners, CrossFit athletes, or Hyrox competitors, and those clients have quickly become my favorite to work with.
Focusing on a group you care about deeply can help prevent burnout. It also makes it much easier to market yourself. As mentioned earlier, many people are unfamiliar with what mental performance consulting actually is. When you can clearly explain who you help and how, it’s much easier to gain interest and start conversations. Saying you can work with “anyone” can be too vague for the general public to understand or connect with. Being specific gives clarity, direction, and credibility.
This targeted approach also makes outreach more effective. Walking into a gym or studio and introducing your services feels more natural when your niche aligns with their environment. Of course, there are pros and cons to both approaches, and your path depends on your goals. Still, I believe it is worth putting in the extra effort to market what you are truly passionate about, even if it takes more time upfront.
One thing Anna and I share is the challenge of working in performance areas outside of sport that have limited research available. That often means we need to take existing research and adapt it to our unique populations. It can be more demanding to work through this challenge when first starting out, , but it’s incredibly rewarding in the long run to be able to translate that literature into something that can help those who we are passionate about working with.
Stay true to what excites you most. When you do, everything else will begin to fall into place. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions – we are happy to chat more!
Written by:
Lexi Ahrens, MS; UpLIFT Mental Performance, LLC; Upliftmpc@gmail.com
Anna Bomber, MS, CMPC; Bomber Performance Consulting, LLC; Bomberperformance@outlook.com