Something as universal as wearing shoes could lead to a lucrative business for you. According to the American Podiatric Medical Association “nearly eight in 10 (78%) Americans have experienced foot problems as a result of wearing uncomfortable or ill-fitting shoes. Sixty-eight percent of those whose shoes have hurt their feet have gotten blisters, and nearly six in 10 (58%) have suffered heel pain.” A foot nurse would help a person care for their feet through massage, cleansing and natural and medical treatments.

Things You Will Need

  • Nursing license

  • Business license

  • Vehicle

Complete a foot and nail care program. The Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB) offers a certification program for foot and nail care. Learn how to care for your patients’ feet. Take the 90-minute, 90-question examination. Attend a podiatry school or take nursing classes at a community college.

Get a professional license as a podiatrist or a nurse in your state. Submit to the state the certification records from the learning institution or the accreditation program you have attended.

Get business license. Pick up an application at your city hall or download an application from the local government website. Submit the application and licensing fee.

Organize the business. Detail your vision for the business in the form of a business plan. Sao Lan “Jennifer” Leong RN, BSN, writes in “Clinical Nurse Specialist Entrepreneurship” that nursing entrepreneurs must plan for “Start-up costs for the practice, cash-flow and financing an ongoing practice, accounting practices, billing, and collection of receipts, general and malpractice insurance for the practice and individual providers, hiring, training, and retraining competent, enthusiastic personnel.”

Find a business insurance specialist to create an insurance policy to protect your business from lawsuits.

Get a reliable vehicle to help keep your clients off their feet. Apply for an automobile under the company’s name to help establish a credit history for the business.

Market to baby boomers and diabetics, both of which are a major demographic that need foot care. Contact AARP and discuss rates for including advertisements into their regular mailings.

Advertise in trade journals read by diabetics and local publications produced for the elderly in your area.