Do you want to start a massage business? Many people who pursue a massage career want to work for themselves. That's one of the appeals of working in the massage industry.
Many massage therapists own their own businesses. When I first started attending massage school, that's something I looked forward to. I wanted the freedom that comes with working for myself.
Working for yourself has many benefits, but some people get so caught up in the dream of working for themselves that they forget to do the research and planning setting up your own business requires.
Many new businesses fail within the first year. You don't want your business to fall into that category so you need to make sure you're prepared. Just like you studied to become a massage therapist you need to study to start a business. You should research starting a business. You might want to take a class about starting your own business. Many communities offer business classes. Try checking your local Chamber of Commerce for resources. You might also want to find a mentor. Mentors can help you with the ins and outs of starting a business.
Before you start a massage business you must consider where you'll get your clients. When I started working, I rented space in an acupuncturist's office. That didn't go too well, because I started with no business plan at all. I had no idea where to get clients. Because of my lack of preparation, my business failed and I had to start working in a massage clinic. This was a good situation because even though I was technically working for someone else I got a lot of flexibility. As a new therapist in the clinic, new clients were assigned to me. As I worked on people they started coming back to see me. This is how I got regular clients. This is a good way to get regular customers. Once you build up a regular clientele you can open your own office.
A successful massage therapist friend of mine used a different method to attract clients to her new business. She purchased a mailing list and sent out post cards offering a grand opening special. This method helped her get a lot of initial clients. Her excellent technique and friendly nature turned those new clients into returning clients.
These days many people use the internet to locate local businesses. Building a website that is at the top of local searches for massage therapists will help you get a lot of new clients. It is one of the best ways to get your services found.
I used a service called Site Build It (SBI) to start this website. I like the service because they provide you with the tools and training you need to build a great site that can organically climb to the top of the search engines. It's not like free hosting services that allow you to host a domain name, but give you no guidance to stop your site from getting buried beneath the millions of sites online. SBI helps you build a business that can be successful. It's helped me a ton.
I used Site Build It! to make this website. SBI can be used to promote your own massage therapy business. Here's about a massage therapist using SBI to promote her business.
Some Books You Might Be Interested In
Business Mastery : A Guide for Creating a Fulfilling, Thriving Business and Keeping It Successful (I used this book when I was started out and thought it was very useful.)
The Enviable Lifestyle: Creating a Successful Massage Therapy Business
Massage Therapy Success
Bootstrap Your Massage Business - Marketing For Practically Pennies
