Resources For Building A Successful Practice
I get asked quite often what tools I use. I decided to put together this list of what I consider the best resources for starting, building, and running a successful massage practice. These are products that I use for my businesses. It has taken many years of trial and error to find what I consider to be the most helpful tools and I hope that some of these will assist you on your road to success.
Some of the resources listed below contain affiliate links. This means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This commission will come at no additional cost to you. I have worked with these companies and they come highly recommended as helpful for your massage business. However, please do not spend your money on any of these products unless you feel they will be helpful to you. Thank you for your support.
Some of the resources listed below contain affiliate links. This means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This commission will come at no additional cost to you. I have worked with these companies and they come highly recommended as helpful for your massage business. However, please do not spend your money on any of these products unless you feel they will be helpful to you. Thank you for your support.
Website Tools
These are the tools that we recommend if you need to register your business domain, host your website, or create a beautiful home for your business online.
Siteground: I use Siteground for the hosting of all my websites because they have amazing customer service and they are inexpensive ($3.95/month) compared to many other top tier hosting companies. This is your starting point if you want a great looking website for your business and you want it to be fast and secure. They are optimized for WordPress which gives you blazing load-times and 1-click installation. You also get a free SSL certificate for every website. Do your research and you’ll find that Siteground is the best hosting choice for Worpress users.
WordPress: In our opinion WordPress is the best website platform out there. We have used many others over the years, but once we started using WordPress, we were blown away on what it could do. It is a free website builder that allows you to customize your site with themes and plugins. If you are looking for the best with amazing flexibility, WordPress is it.
Elegant Themes: Most of you know that WordPress is by far the best platform for business websites. After using many WP themes over the years, we now only use the Elegant Themes Divi Theme for all of our websites. It is way above all the rest in terms of flexibility, ease of use, and sheer beauty. We highly recommend the Elegant Themes Divi Theme for your website. The MyMassageBiz.com website you are visiting now was built by us using the Divi theme.
Set up your business email using your domain name.
G Suite: Have you ever wondered how businesses get their domain name into their email address? For example our email is support@MyMassageBiz.com. G Suite is one way you can do it , and it is the only way to do it if you want it to be a gmail account. In addition, you will have access to all of Google’s great tools for business such as drive, docs, sheets, slides, calendar and much more.
Practice Management
Running your practice efficiently means growing it faster, making more money and having less headaches. The tools in this section are amazing for doing just that.
Massagebook: We consider this tool to be the best resource on this list for managing and growing your massage business. After using many different scheduling programs over the years, we were blown away by Massagebook. Use it and you will become a raving fan like we are.
Click here to check out Massagebook. Their basic plan is free and if you decide to upgrade to their premium plans, they are much less expensive than most. If you are an ABMP member you will get even more free options and discounts on their premium versions.
Trello: You can’t have a successful practice if you don’t start it. Also, it won’t grow into what you want unless you stay on track and do the things that are necessary for it to be successful. That’s where Trello comes in. This free software program is an easy and fun way to set goals, create deadlines, organize your information and stay on that road to success.
Graphic Design
Whether it’s having a great looking logo, getting your business cards or creating amazing looking graphics for your social media pages, the tools in this section are what you need.
99designs: What if you could hire 10 graphic artists to give you multiple ideas for your new logo? The beauty of this company is that’s exactly what happens. When you submit a request, you get multiple designers competing for your business. This gives you the ability look at many renditions and choose the best. We have used many graphic design companies over the years, and we love 99designs.
Canva: So, you don’t have the budget to hire a graphic designer to create that great looking Facebook cover image for your business. Or maybe you don’t have the time to learn how to use Photoshop. No problem: Canva is a free online program that makes it easy to create professional images yourself in minutes.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is the most important tool in your business toolbox for building a successful practice. Staying engaged with your clients and providing them with great value are the two essential keys for growing your business and creating raving fans. Below are the best tools for doing just that.
ConvertKit: If you are serious about growing your business, ConvertKit is the most powerful tool to get you there. It’s way more than the best email marketing software out there. It combines elements of the best business marketing programs that cost hundreds of dollars a month. Opt-in forms, full email automation, drip marketing and client analytics are just a few of its many features.
Click here to check out ConvertKit.
Legal & Accounting
Whether you are just starting your business or you have had it for a while, it’s important that you keep it safe from legal and financial problems that might arise in the future. For many of us, this can be a daunting and costly endeavor that we avoid until there is a problem. Check out the programs below to get your business set up right and avoid any pitfalls in the future. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, and it doesn’t take a lot of your time, so set it up now and know that your future is secure.
LegalZoom: While having a lawyer to advise you is always the best option, LegalZoom gives you the ability to save money on some of the things that are essential when you are setting up your business. For example, forming your business as an LLC can protect you personally from future lawsuits. Legalzoom can walk you through the process at a fraction of the cost that a lawyer would charge you.
Click here to check out LegalZoom.
MileIQ: This free smartphone app makes it easy to capture all the trips you take for your massage business. Say goodbye to the headache of manually logging each mile. MileIQ automatically logs every single trip you take with all the information you need to provide your accountant for saving big money on your taxes.
