Building a Wellness Brand: “Stick with your idea but be prepared to switch gears,” with Omar Cumberbatch

Omar Cumberbatch is a Health Coach and the host of This Podcast Burns Fat! and The Health Coach Academy. He received his credentials from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), where he was trained in more than one hundred dietary theories and studied a variety of practical lifestyle coaching methods.  His podcasts provide a forum for experts in multiple disciplines to offer strategies and healing modalities to better serve and coach his clients.  For more information, please visit https://www.omarcumberbatch.com/.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I am a Health Coach and Podcast Host who received my training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN). I am certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Purchase College.

As a child of the ’80s, I saw firsthand how our diet and lifestyles had significant consequences on our health and wellness when we follow the accepted norms of the time.  My passion is to help people confront this struggle by educating and motivating individuals to take on a holistic lifestyle approach.

What inspired you to start your business?

Once I conquered my own weight issues after years of struggling to figure it out, I was so excited to share my story and assist others who were going through the same issues. I understood the pain of chasing diets and exercise routines in the hopes of achieving weight loss goals only to be frustrated in the end. I started this business to help people avoid the years of unnecessary struggle.

Where is your business based?

Home base is New York, but I have clients around the world.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I started my business by word of mouth initially. My personal weight loss was visibly dramatic, and many people naturally asked the question about my secret. I saw an opportunity based on the misinformation and the abundance of conflicting dietary theories that pervades the health space. I then felt compelled to share the knowledge I acquired to help people interested in improving their health. I then launched my website and eventually launched my podcast thereafter.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

My podcasts have been an excellent way to raise awareness for my business. On This Podcast Burns Fat and The Health Coach Academy, I’ve been able to interview leading experts in the health and coaching industry which has enhanced my credibility in that space. This translated into business opportunities across the entire health and wellness industry.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

My biggest obstacle has been realizing that an online business is very different from a typical brick-and-mortar business. It was a big assumption of mine initially that all I had to do was be online and all of a sudden, I’d have an online business. It has been an eye-opener seeing and understanding how many layers there are to the business. I’ve been able to overcome these challenges by seeking the right mentors who had reached success in my focus area, and with their help, I was able to successfully tweak my strategy. Taking a number of relevant courses related to marketing and branding also allowed me to better understand the ins and outs of the online space and make changes that were relevant to my own needs and the needs of my audience and clients.

How do you stay focused?

I wake up between 5:00 am and 5:30 am. I intentionally take a tech break for those waking hours. I don’t scroll through the phone at all for the first two hours and just focus on working on the business and tackling the most important tasks of the day.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

What I feel is unique about my business is that it is designed to address two issues through coaching services and providing resources through the podcasting platform. There are two specific tracks. One addresses the obesity issue that has impacted our country so profoundly. This track allows me to have coaching opportunities. The other track provides a resource for health coaches to build their practices by working on their business rather than in their business. This dual-track allows me to collaborate with experts in both the health and business space.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Cross promoting with my podcast guest has been an excellent way to grow my business.  This strategy has allowed me to be introduced to new audiences regularly in markets that are similar to mine.

What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Stick with it but be prepared to switch gears.  This doesn’t mean that you abandon your vision. We all have an idea of what we want and expect our business to look like, but our customers might love for us to deliver or present it in a different way.  It’s always about the customer, so be open to that feedback and shift if you need to.

What’s your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app is Twitter, purely for the entertainment it provides.  My favorite blog is James Clear’s blog.  It is an awesome resource to stay motivated around creating solid daily habits as well as staying focus on your bigger goals. My favorite book right now is T. Harv Eker’s “Secret of the Millionaire Mind”. I’ve read similar books about this topic, but for whatever reason, something truly clicked when I read it and has helped my mindset tremendously.

What’s your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

The podcast hosting platform Libsyn.com.  It is super easy to use and allows all of my podcast episodes to appear on all of the major podcast platforms.  It also allows me to create customizable links for each episode that I can add to my website which in turn, compliments the design of my website.  It also provides statistics for my show episodes so I can have data to see what works and what isn’t working.

Who is your business role model? Why?                                                              

Sean Croxton, hands down. Sean was able to make a hugely successful business by using his hit podcast as a platform in which he leveraged into creating sponsorships, affiliate commissions, and his coaching service.  At the end of the day, he read awesome books, brought the authors on the show to question them about the books, and got paid. For me, that’s a dream job.

How do you balance work and life?

Currently? Balance is one area I am looking to improve upon most. At this stage in my business, I expect to be a bit off in this department, but anticipate it evening out much better in the near future. I feel like I will accomplish more balance once I start to outsource my projects a bit more.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

I really enjoy walking outdoors and listening to audiobooks during that time. I’m also a huge sports fan and enjoy watching my teams play. As of late, I haven’t had the time to watch as much, but when I do have the time, it really is an escape for me.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Now that I wrapped up my first cookbook, I’m working on my second book that will be focused on untapped opportunities for health coaches to explore when diversifying their businesses. I also plan to continue to grow the listenership for both podcasts by becoming more active on social media.

How can our readers connect with you?

My website www.omarcumberbatch.com is the best way to get in touch with me, I can be messaged there, and all my social media handles are centrally located there as well.