Staying in Business as a Massage Therapist.

One would think at first glance, that being a massage therapist is a great way to do wonderful things for people and make a good living. Massages are priced at anywhere from $70 to $100 an hour. And besides a massage table for a few hundred dollars, sheets and oils, there is not much more that needs to be purchased - or is there? Does that not translate into a substantial amount of money in your pocket? So let's sign up for massage school!

Well, the financial and physical reality of a daily practice is often quite different, than what prospective students imagine when they consider this profession, and if you are thinking of making massage therapy your career, or wondering what happened to your dreams since you graduated and entered the massage market, there are some things you need to know.

Having been a massage therapist and teacher for many years I am connected with the reality of massage therapy through my own practice as well as vicariously through my colleagues and students. This has not only helped me understand the dynamics, but also aided me in developing my own practice when needed. Some of those insights I would like to share here.

One of the more disturbing issues is that many therapists are only active for a few years in the profession, that is if they can even get their feet on the ground to generate an enough income.

More often than not massage is a second career. Frustrated with a corporate job or anonymous position, many seek spiritual and social fulfillment by becoming a massage therapist. Statistics show that an equal amount leave the field after a few years and the most common reason is that they cannot meet their financial obligations. Often massage therapists return to just that profession they left working in a bank, in real estate or administration. Of course re-entering a profession after a few years not only has its challenges but also has a bitter taste, being the initial reason to search for something more meaningful.

So what seems to be the problem?

As a therapist you are either employed or quasi-employed (in most cases even if your employer categorizes you as an "independent contractor") or self-employed (or maybe you are like many colleagues a combination of both). Even if you are employed at a spa facility, gym, chiropractor or other health and wellness operation, chances are you will have private clients outside of your job and juggle a few different venues which puts you in a position of managing your own supplies, transportation, taxes and so on. The first mistake that many therapists make, is that they neglect to see themselves as a business.

Many small (and larger) businesses make the exact same mistake when they launch their venture: They fail to plan their business before the first dollar is spent and fail at their business. They attracted by the meaningfulness of their new vocation and expect others to feel equally attracted. Their philosophy is often care for others. This expresses itself in sliding scales, over-giving and undercharging. Don't get me wrong, being socially engaged is wonderful and giving to those who need it is great but there is a place for that and it is within your means and limited to what you actually can give away.

Most of your expenses will not be characterized by a sliding scale. If you don't pay your rent, you lose your lease. If you don't have money to buy groceries, you won't have any.

Step One: View yourself as a business.

Being in business does not just mean being able to perform basic accounting and make a flyer. It is a mindset that has to inform every decision you make on what you do and how you do it. You have to be pro-active and interested in selling yourself. You have to work on your product and observe what your competition is doing, excel in what you do and talk about it, distinguish the common problems your clients have and offer them better solutions better than anyone else.

I hate to tell you this, but if you want to be successful as a massage therapist you have to adopt a "for profit" attitude and in the end you might feel that your new profession has become much like the job you left with the added burden that now you carry full financial responsibility.

But if you manage to be your best sales-person, you can still do what you set out to do, make people feel better - in fact you will be able to do this more effectively if you are not held back by financial worries.

Step Two: Write a business plan.

What this means is that you need to balance your income with your expenses and write a business plan for yourself. In order to stay afloat your income must match your expenditures that include every single expense from supplies, to the amount of money you need to have at your disposal to pay the rent, your car, your clothes and your pet food as well as resources for the future.

When you start writing your business plan and ask yourself the question: How many sessions can I do every day, you might discover some interesting facts about your business. You may find one of the reasons why therapists have a hard time making ends meet and ultimately leave the field: You can physically only do a certain number of sessions in any given time period due to the sheer physical and emotional challenges of this work. Right now you might not think so but and still experience a rush doing 4 or 5 sessions a day. But imagine doing this day in, day out for years. Not really an option, is it?

What this means is your income from massage work is restricted by the number of sessions you can offer. Finding this out in the planning phase is a huge advantage because it means you can prepare for the reality of only doing a few sessions a day.

If you wait until you are active in your practice, one of two things might happen: You will either perform too many sessions because you need the money and sooner or later burn out or you will leave the profession to find another job.

Part of your realization might also be that you will have to charge more than you anticipated for a massage. And you should charge what you need to. As a business you cannot afford to subsidize your livelihood.

The second issue that many therapists face is that they perceive a contradiction between the type of work they do and selling their services. I discuss this at length in my book: The Successful Therapist, but one of realizations I had is that I cannot be of service if I cannot sustain myself through the work. And looking at it from this point of view was very helpful.

Step Three: Develop a massage marketing plan

Clients do not just walk through the door. You have to attract them and then retain them. There are many ways to advertise your services and as many ways to spend a lot of money with no results. Before you pay out any money, spend some time thinking what kind of client you want to work with and what solution you offer to a problem that they specifically have.

Then spend some time formulating that solution as a headline. I spent some time in Australia and worked out of a small bookstore in a crowded pedestrian area. My sign on the street said: "Relieve your headache in 15 minutes" and it worked. There were enough people with headaches mulling around and not enjoying their shopping experience. The reality is that no one cares about you. They care about what you can do for them.

Once you know what solutions you offer it will be much easier to target those people directly and efficiently. Visit your local hotel and talk with the concierge about referring clients to you. Visit senior citizens homes and assisted living for seniors' massage and offer the people who work there a reward. Talk to the HR department of a large company to offer an introduction to in-house chair massage. Go to pre-natal yoga classes with flyers to offer pregnancy massage. Etc.

Step Four: Plan for additional revenue streams.

Even though you might be doing all the massages you can and want to do, you will definitely want to have additional income resources in place to utilize the client contact you have through your massage traffic and marketing activities.

There are many ways to do this for example retail related products. But there is also one idea that I want to suggest here: Offering spa treatments. Spa treatments not only capture a clientele that might not want a massage, but they also add to your reputation, are much less taxing on the body and offer a very nice way to promote products you can sell after the treatment.

You can reach Nicolay at www.spa-college.com and/or contact her directly at: nicolay@sp-college.com