The 7 Truths Behind Running A Successful Massage Business
Discover the 7 Truths behind running a truly Successful Massage Business.
Being a massage therapist means working with your hands, being excellent at creating relationships quickly, and helping people on a path to better health. In short, being a Health Leader.
But the skills that make you great as a therapist dont necessarily make you good at growing your business to have maximum impact in your community.
Watch to discover the 7 Truths and the #1 antidote to overcome the challenges so you can step into your true role as a health leader.
PS: Whenever you’re ready… here are 4 ways I can help you grow your massage business:
1. Join our free Massage Business Support NetworkIt’s our free Facebook community where therapists get support and learn to grow their business for more impact, income, and independence
2. Read our transformative book“Fully Booked Without Burnout” is Australia’s first business book specifically for massage therapists to build a 6 figure business with fun, freedom, and passion
3. Download pre-done Social Media Content for only $1Pre-made social media images, articles, and adverts to make daily posts on your social media really fast & easy, so you can gain and retain more clients
Register Your Massage Business
You must register your company with your local Secretary of State before you can begin operating. There are four different types of business structures to choose from: sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company , or corporation.
A limited liability company is an ideal choice for massage businesses. An LLC protects your personal assets in case your business comes under financial distress or legal action. For example, if a client sues your company for injuries, your personal assets are completely separate from your business assets.
An LLC also allows for pass-through taxation, which means your business income will only be taxed once. Other business entities, like corporations, undergo double taxation, which means youll be taxed at the business level and on your personal tax return.
Check the Small Business Administration websitefor more information about registering your business.
Develop A Sales & Marketing Strategy
Initially, youll need a considerable amount of capital to bring awareness to the spa-goers marketplace, but steadily it becomes more economical once your business picked an excellent pace. Since the market is highly competitive, your strategic sales and marketing plan will help you step ahead of your rivals. Create attractive and meaningful marketing products from platform like Designhill. It is a leading freelance graphic design destination both for designers and clients.
So far sales plan is concerned, find out how the spa is going to be sold. What are the critical messages that your team will communicate to the prospective clients in expecting to bring them to your spa? Make sure your sales team is well trained to convince the potential customers about the services your spa offers. You can conduct a training session for them each time you include a new service. Also, determine who all your target customers will be. Will they be the residents or the corporate business?
Marketing is the most vital aspect of any business. Your marketing strategy must comprise the production of both physical marketing collaterals such as business card design, brochure, etc. and digital marketing content such as website, social media, etc. Other things that you can do are PR and strategic alliances to promote your business.
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Ask For Reviews From Your Clients
Youve created a great intuitive and easy to navigate website, and you post riveting content on your various social media outlets. Now, dont be shy to ask your clients for reviews and ratings. Once you start having repeating clients, you know they like what you do so ask them for reviews. Your online ranking will increase and youll become more attractive to potential customers. As a matter of fact, people will pick a place with a 4.5/5 that has 500 ratings over a place with a 4.9/5 with only 8 ratings. In a Forbes article, they explained that having hundreds of honest reviews will have a positive effect on your conversion rate and make people trust your business more. Similarly, according to a study conducted by PowerReviews and the Northwestern University, having 20+ reviews is the optimal number for small businesses. Potential clients will be convinced that your massage therapy business is worth a try.
The 7 Principles Of Massage Therapy Business Success
When you run a massage therapy business, its vital that you master two different skill sets: massage therapy and running a business. Both are equally important. However, even with these skills mastered many massage therapists are struggling to make a profit. If we want to build our business to its fullest potential, make more money, and help people, we need to follow the example of experts who know how to balance working in and on their massage therapy business.
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C Mobile Massage Therapy
Another possible option that you could consider is offering mobile therapy services solely or as an addition to your home or clinic model, to those who arent able to visit your facility. Offering mobile therapy services gives you a unique advantage over competitors as not many massage clinics might offer these privileges.
Its all about doing what works for you and your niche target audience. Dont hesitate to experiment with these trends as these trials are whats gonna make your business at the end of the day.
B Put Yourself Out There
The internet is the best and most sophisticated marketing tool at your disposal. Use it, to its fullest capacity. List yourself on online business directories, such as Google My Business, Yelp, Bing, etc. Make sure that people are able to click on your business and access your contact details. You can even add your booking link or Book Now button to directly get appointments from these channels.
Research online spa finding tools and try to get your business there as well. The motive behind these steps is to use the algorithm of the web to make sure you are visible when someone searches for your service.
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Launching Your Massage Therapy Business
If youre considering opening your own practice, first answer three important questions you need to ask yourself in order to be successful.
For some people, the best way to relieve stress is to get a massage. For others, its to give one. Rhonda Henry is one of the latter. In another life, she had a stable career in government IT. She liked it, but she didnt love it. What loomed largest in her mind, therefore, werent the things that her job provided hera healthy and reliable income, for instancebut rather the one thing that it didnt: fulfillment.
I worked mostly in government financial systems. There were parts of it I enjoyed, but overall I did not find it satisfying, says Henry, a massage therapist in Bainbridge Island, Washington. I was looking for more meaningful work, and after some experimentation, I ended up working as a caregiver and companion for the elderly and chronically ill.That work changed my life and led me directly to massage as a career choice: One of my clients suggested it to me after receiving a lot of hand and foot rubs from meand she was right.
When she started her massage career in 1998, Henry could have sought a job in someone elses practice. Instead, she decided to start her own.
Her innate business sense served Henry well.
Where Will You Operate
This is an extremely important consideration. Will you be opening up a physical clinic where clients can uptake your massage services? Will you be centered upon home visitation? Alternatively, you may prefer to create a space at home and invite clients there instead.
All options have potential benefits and drawbacks and you must decide on what suits your style and works best monetarily.
Obviously, the home and mobile services will come with much lower overheads and rid yourself of burdens such as leasing and clinic fit out. But on the other hand, professionalism and growth can be achieved with a massage clinic that is kitted out and fit for purpose.
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Secret #: People Are Your Biggest Challenge
Owners of successful multi-therapist massage practices agree that most of your most important challenges will be people-related.
As business owners, we need to build relationships with people business partners, associates and suppliers, employees and customers. In the case of a multi-therapist practice, there are that many more personalities and potential problems to deal with.
My greatest piece of advice for owners of multi-therapist practices is to regard their relationships as partnerships, said Catheryn Schoenfarber, owner of a multi-therapist practice as well as Spirit Wellness Institute massage school in Salem, Massachusetts. Our employees and clients are the heartbeat of our business, and their well being is essential to its success.
As such, Schoenfarber said, Treat them all with respect and be accountable to them in all of your decision making and you will thrive together.
Assembling a quality team might be your biggest challenge. Helena Hughes of Pax Massage in Ipswich, Massachusetts, told me, When you have many therapists working for you, its a crock pot of personalities, with dierent levels of experiences, dierent ages, and dierent expectations.
Add the reception sta into the mix, and oftentimes, they get frustrated with each other, Hughes said.
And its not just the employees. Over the years, I have come to realize that the client is not always right adds Hughes.
Choose A Concept And Stick To It
Have a theme and stick to it. You dont want to be all over the place. You cant be a boho-chic Bali massage parlour mixed with minimalist and refined Swedish massage parlour. Choose one. This concept should be inspired by your own taste and the vibe you give off. As long as your business is clean and tidy, you pretty much have carte blanche for your concept.
Moreover, the name of your massage business should fit with your concept. You can be very conventional and have a name like Jane Smith Massage Therapist or you can choose something a little bit more original like Ananda Massages . Whatever you choose, make sure it represents you well and that you love it!
Furthermore, when you’ve chosen your concept, make a list of all the equipment you need: Massage tables and chairs, massage oils, lotions and creams , towels and bathrobes, relaxing music, candles, incense, etc. You can’t give massages if you don’t have all the proper equipment ready.
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Start From A Financially Stable Place
Molly CoelingOwner and Lead Therapist, Molly Coeling
Start from a financially stable place, from a place of ‘I have enough’ rather than a place of lack. For me that meant being debt free with a comfortable amount of savings in the bank, as well as a steady client base before I quit my other job. This allowed me to approach potential clients with a focus on what I had to offer them, rather than projecting an air of desperation, of me needing them.
Step : Get Business Insurance
Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your companys financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.
There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If youre unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so its a great place to start for your business.
Learn more about General Liability Insurance.
Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, its a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers’ Compensation Coverage.
Recommended: Learn what business insurance for your Massage Therapy Business will cost.
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Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Business
Sean RiehlPresident, RealBodywork
The most important thing a beginning massage therapist can do is to ask the client to reschedule before leaving the session. Some therapists are too shy to ask the client to reschedule, but if you dont ask, the clients wont always offer. When I started doing this, it made a huge difference in my practice, and I went from a sporadic clientele, to solid regular bookings.
Get A Federal Tax Id Number
Immediately after registering your business, request an Employer Identification Number from the Internal Revenue Service website. An EIN is necessary for paying taxes, opening business bank accounts, and paying employees.
You can get an EIN free of charge within minutes. Simply provide your name, Social Security number, address, and business name.
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Create A Marketing Plan:
Writing your plan down will ensure growing and marketing your business will be a whole lot easier! Know your target audience and how you will communicate what you have to say to them. These three points will make up your marketing plan. Understanding your strengths, weaknesses, and community environment will help too.
Get An Impressive Logo
Your day spa business will draw the attention of the potential customers easily if it has a unique logo. The importance of a business logo is catching the attention of a company and its business. But more than that, the spa logo design becomes the brand identity of a business.
So, hire a freelance graphic designer to create your logo that can represent your business values. The logo must be attractive and has a modern design to impress your audience. The logo will appear on all of your marketing materials such as advertisements, website, stationery, etc.
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Network With Other Local Businesses And Health Care Providers
Networking is one of the most important aspects of a growing business the more people you speak to and get to know, the more the word will get out about you and your practice. Chiropractors, physical therapists, acupuncturists, to name a few, would be great people to build a relationship with, as their clients are very likely to be looking for a massage therapist. Marketing yourself and your business to the community is an excellent way to let people know you are there!
From The Bottom To The Top: Building A Corporate Massage Business
A clients employees enjoy a little R& R during their company wellness event
When Amelia Wilcox was young, she suffered from chronic headaches. She went to a chiropractor and various doctors to try to solve the problem, but the doctors merely told her to stop putting her hair in a ponytail.
She thought there had to be a better solution.
It was only when she got a massage that she finally had relief from her headaches.
I felt good and it helped my headaches, she said. I decided thats what I wanted to do.
So, in 2003, Wilcox graduated from the Utah College of Massage Therapy in Salt Lake City and started her journey into the field of massage. When she started out in the massage field, she said she knew that she wanted to help other people with massage.
However, instead of going in the direction of working for a massage company or going into private practice, she started her own business, Incorporate Massage, which markets massage to corporations and businesses. Two of the companies the business has worked with are Clearlink, a call center in multiple states, and Entrata, a software company in Utah and Texas.
The company is now doing business in 49 cities in the U.S. as well as in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It employs around 500 massage therapists. Wilcox said her company has grown quickly in the area of corporate massage and consistently hires new massage therapists.
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Secret #: Its All About Your Brand
The business of massage has evolved in recent years. Technology and social media have changed the way we market ourselves. And like other service-oriented businesses, we have become more specialized. We used to try to be all things to all people, but now its all about your brand.
While it may be dicult to grow your massage business, it is much easier to grow your pain relief massage practice or your Zen relaxation massage practice. By promoting your brand, you will find the perfect target market you are searching for and more importantly, it will help the market that is searching for what you oer, find you.
Once you have determined your brand, it is easy to figure out who your target market is. And when you know who your target market is, it will be more obvious how and where to market yourself to them.
About the Author:
After a long career training athletes and dancers, Nick Repoli transitioned to massage, graduating from Palmer Institute of Massage & Bodywork in 1999. He currently teaches massage at Spirit Wellness Institute, and is the author of How To Grow Your Massage Practice With Repeat Business And Referrals.
Step : Create Your Business Website
After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.
While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that its out of their reach because they dont have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.
Here are the main reasons why you shouldnt delay building your website:
- All legitimate businesses have websites – full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
- Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
- Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You dont need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.
Using our website building guides, the process will be simple and painless and shouldnt take you any longer than 2-3 hours to complete.
Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.
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