In my article The Top 5 Reasons Why Massage Therapists Fail, I list the 5 reasons as:

1. You don’t even start.
2. You get overwhelmed.
3. You lose the faith.
4. You get derailed.
5. Fear

These are the most common psychological roadblocks that keep most entrepreneurs from reaching their goals. Overcoming these obstacles can be difficult even for the most seasoned business owners. However, one thing that successful entrepreneurs have in common is their ability to fight through these and continue moving forward even when things don’t go according to plan. They don’t accept failure and they don’t give up.

Looking for some inspiration?

Check out the biographies of famous entrepreneurs and read how they overcame great obstacles to achieve success.

Most of us know what is appealing about being your own boss. By eliminating the middleman – your employer,  you not only can double or triple your income but also have the freedom of a flexible schedule. However, there is more to consider when you are making the decisions about what this will actually look like for you.

What do you want?

How much money do you need or want to make? How many hours do you want to work? Do you want a part-time out-call business or a spa with 30 employees? Whatever you decide, think of what will be required and if you will be happy in this future reality. Is money or spending time with your family your highest priority ? These are the things that you should consider. What does success look like for you?

The power of a well thought-out brand should not be underestimated. New potential customers are especially affected by your brand and will pick you over your competition based on what they see. One essential way of getting a potential customer to choose you for their next massage is by creating trust and is accomplished by projecting professionalism.

There are initial steps that are important for you to complete to lay the foundation for building your brand and include:

Correctly naming your business: Your business name is the first thing a customer sees and can have a big effect on how you are perceived.

Creating a professional logo: A well thought-out and professional looking logo can instill instant trust in your business and give you an advantage over your competitors.

Establishing your brand identity: The colors, images, layout, and message contained in your marketing is also a big part of your brand and can impact customer trust.

The following is a list of some of the top marketing elements that can be used to build your business:

• Networking: It is time intensive but can be very productive. It requires a well thought-out strategy, commitment, and, of course, a professional looking business card.
• Social Media: It requires the correct set-up of sites and consistent engagement. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest are a few of the most productive. A strategy of focusing on one or two works best.
• Online Search: It requires the set-up a professional website with basic SEO and the use of tools such as ‘Google My Business”. Getting yourself ranking high in organic results can be life-changing.
• Email Marketing: This is my favorite and, if done correctly, it can be extremely effective. I use ConvertKit for my business.
• Online Booking Program: Using an exceptional online scheduling program, like Massagebook, can be a great addition to your marketing portfolio.

Putting effort into setting up a good financial framework can make a big difference in how much money you put in your pocket. Here is a list of some of the things you should consider:

• Setting Your Optimal Pricing: Many therapists tend to set their prices too low. There is a system I have developed for setting your pricing that can be helpful. Check out this website for this information.
• Understand Discounting: Giving price breaks on your services can be a tool for building your practice. However, if not done right, it can severely damage the value of your business.
• Make It Easy for Your Clients to Pay: Setting up this system correctly can have a big effect on client satisfaction and your bottom line.
• Keeping Good Financial Records: This is important for the health of your business and in keeping the IRS happy. Tracking your expenses will also save you lots of money on your taxes.
• Keeping Your Business and Personal Finances Separate: Open up a separate business bank account.

These are just a few of the steps you should consider for the financial well-being of your business. For more information read my article: 10 Hazardous Mistakes Massage Therapists Make with Money.

Malpractice Insurance

Most of you know that malpractice insurance is a necessity whether you are working for someone else or for yourself. Many employers require you to have it in place before you even start work. If you have your own business, it’s even more important to have malpractice insurance before you start . If you don’t, you are playing with fire.

Form an LLC

One additional layer of protection that I highly recommend is to set up your business as an LLC. There are many benefits to forming an LLC, but the most important one is that it puts up a firewall between your business and your personal finances. Even though the odds of a someone suing your business is low, it only takes one lawsuit to potentially wipe you out. Running your business as an LLC keeps your personal assets protected from a judgement against your business.

Note: Full disclosure – The above information is given based on my own experience and should not be confused with actual legal advice. Consult a business lawyer or an accountant for more information.

One of the biggest mistakes i see massage therapists make is feeling like they have to compete with every price they see out there no matter how low it is. Your price should be based on how much money you need to make after you have paid your expenses. Your competitors’ prices should be the last thing you look at when setting your prices. Once you’ve set your prices, then the next step is look at the value you can give your clients to justify those prices.

What is value? Value can come in many forms that includes the massage that you give.

• The length of the treatment
• The quality of the treatment (your training and experience)
• Any extras that you provide, like hot towels, heating pads, aromatherapy, etc.
• The environment that the treatment takes place (table comfort, music, etc.)

The value you provide can also include these important things:

• How you interact with your client. Are you professional, attentive, timely, and responsive to their needs?
• Is their booking experience easy and professional?
• Is the way they pay effortless and include all options?
• Do you provide them with information and exercises that will help them between treatments?

This is only a partial list of how you can provide value to your clients, but you can see the more you provide, the more devoted your clients will be to you.

Before I get into the nuts and bolts of the ‘rules of engagement’ regarding contacting your clients, I’d like to make one important point. Providing value should always be your first choice. If you are perceived as a giver and not a taker, you will build trust with your clients and nothing will build your business faster.

A brief overview of the ways to contact your customers:

Phone: Answering and returning calls in a professional and prompt manner is very important. Cold calls to your clients trying to get them to book is a really bad idea unless you have a long-term relationship with them.

Text: Same rules as calling your clients. It is a very bad practice to text ‘deals’ as this can damage the value of your services, not to mention being a source of aggravation. One exception is to text when you have a cancellation to let your clients know there is an opening. Be careful that you don’t do this very often.

Social Media: This is a great way to give your clients value. Tweeting or posting each day with health tips and information about massage is a great way to stay visible and remind your clients that they need a massage.

Email Marketing: By far this is the best way to stay in contact with your clients and build your base of customers. There is no better way to provide value to your clients and remind them that it’s time for a massage. I use ConvertKit for all my email marketing, and they are by far the best.

One Last Note: It is very tempting to use deals and discounts to get clients to re-book with you. While there are aspects of this that can work, you run the risk of damaging the value of your services. It’s a much better idea to stay connected to your clients passively by giving them additional value. If you do this effectively, they will be calling you to schedule.

Many massage entrepreneurs try to compete directly with the corporate franchise massage businesses that dominate our industry. This is a big mistake and almost impossible to accomplish.

What are your competitors’ strengths?

• Price: They can offer lower pricing because of the volume of business they do.
• Convenience: The ability to book a massage at the last minute is a big advantage.
• Marketing Resources: They have the money to dominate the marketplace.

What are your competitors’ weaknesses?

• Consistent Quality: It’s more difficult for them to give consistent quality massages because of the number of therapists they manage.
• Personalized Experience: More of a cookie-cutter approach with less ability to concentrate on the individual need of the customer.

What does this mean for you?

You have a great advantage. You have the ability to focus totally on your clients’ needs. You can also control every aspect of their experience from start to finish, so when you complete their service, their reaction will be “Wow!”

Having other massage entrepreneurs around you, whether you are in a mastermind group or an online community, can be the support you need to reach your goals.

What can a support structure do for you?

• Find out what is working.
• Find out what is not working.
• Members help you stay accountable to get things done.
• Get your questions answered.
• Get tips on the tools everyone is using.
• Celebrate each other’s successes!

Once you join a support community, you will probably ask yourself, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”  It can be a life-changing step.