There is something mesmerizing and mysterious about tarot readers - admit it, when you first hear tarot you probably have these visions of a gypsy woman with dangly earrings and a crystal ball. Not true 90% of the time, but it is the vision most people conjure up. And admit it, if you are a geek like me the title of this post makes PERFECT sense to you. If not, that's ok too. Keep reading for more on starting your journey as a professional tarot reader.

Have you thought about becoming a professional tarot reader but are at a loss where to start? Here are some basics to get you headed in the right direction.

• Are you ready?

This one seems pretty basic, but one that a lot of aspiring readers seem to skip. While there are those readers out there that seem to be able to just pick up a deck and BAM offer mindblowing readings, the harsh reality is that the tarot can mean a LOT of work for you to become good. You should be past the point of having to consult a book for meanings, done lots of practice readings and put in the work before you even consider charging someone.

• Don't forget the small business aspect of things

Again, basic, but often overlooked. If you are looking to set up a tarot reading business you need to remember first and foremost that it will be a business. Look into if it is even legal in your state, county, etc... Nothing worse then being ready to go only to find out that you can't legally operate where you live. Look into if you need a business license, get set up with a tax id number, webhosting, etc.... We'll cover some more of this in depth next week when we talk about starting a business with no money!

• Know what your audience and policies are going to be BEFORE you ever open your doors

Are you looking to help primarily with relationships? past lives? Are you looking to have a revolving door of clients, or are you hoping to have a lot of repeat business? Knowing who you want to work with will help you really dial in when it comes to marketing and advertising. Once you know who you want to read for it is important to set your policies. Are you going to offer refunds for unhappy clients? Will you charge for missed appointments? These are important to have in place, and once in place you should really try not to deviate from them, it will create an uncomfortable precedent.

• Speaking of policies, make sure that you have set hours

There are two reasons why this is important. First, your clients know when they can reach you. Not having set hours makes it more likey that you will get a call at 2am from a client having relationship issues. Yep, honestly there are people out there that will do that!  It also cuts down on those people who assume that you have no life outside the shop. Second, it helps you to treat this like a business. Having set hours allows you to commit to work and clients for a set amount of time each day - this is especially vital if you are doing phone and email readings as opposed to in person readings. As someone who works from home 80% of the time trust me it is so easy to get distracted - and then next thing you know you are looking at cat videos online!

• MARKET YOURSELF

The old adage goes "If you build it they will come". Not quite how it works! You need to make sure that people can find you. Business cards, flyers on bulletin boards, even something as simple as getting listed in the phone book are all vital. Also, have an identity set for yourself. I once went to a reader that was so down to earth, dressed casually and was amazing. The next time I went back to her she was dressed like a gypsy with the incense and candles... I was like what happened here ??? She explained that was what clients had come to expect - the whole experience. There is nothing wrong with being that way, but do it from the start if you are going to. There is nothing worse then making a connection with a reader only to find that it is like dealing with multiple personalities! 

Did you get the reference in the title? Drop us a comment below and tell us what your thoughts are about our pop culture reference. Have questions about anything we covered? Ask it below and we will give you the answers you seek!