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NEW, YOUNG, and inexperienced, Please help!
Hello fellow therapists. My story starts with being fresh out of high school and going straight to massage therapy school in the fall for 9 months. I graduated and started studying for the NCBTMB right away. I finally passed on the 3rd try and for the last 2 yearsI have been working odd jobs. So 2 years later So I have the Certification, License, Insurance, and no experience at all. I'm doing a lot of research and reading up on all of the books I've obtained from school for business and general but I'm young and have nothing to go off of. Please help me.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on
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Hi Lauren! I have a couple of suggestions, and I hope others have more or better ones!
One is to offer free massages to friends and family members. You can do a certain number of massages each or a time window of your choice (for example, a month). That will keep them from becoming permanent freeloaders but give you some hands-on time with people you are hopefully more comfortable with. They should be able to give you some valuable feedback.
Another idea is to find a local massage therapist and offer a couple of free massages in exchange for constructive feedback.
Also, and this is a big one IMO, if you are working for yourself you should set up an LLC (Limited Liability Corporation). If you have an accountant friend they can help you. I did it myself though and it's annoying but not difficult. It does involve getting an EIN (Employer Identification Number) from the IRS; I wholeheartedly recommend calling them rather than doing it by mail. It takes minutes versus weeks. Even though you have insurance, you still want a shield between you and everything you have and the rest of the world. We are massage therapists and we tend to see the good in people but don't set yourself up to lose everything!!
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Permalink Reply by Lucianna Johnston on
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Hi Lauren! First of all, hang in there...being a massage therapist is awesome but it does take a little time to become established. First, make sure you are up to standard on professionalism..I recommend Meagan Holub's (sp?) books/articles...she cover's it all.......her book is Magic of Touch. Also, getting yourself involved in community events is a great idea. Donate gift certificates to local chamber of commerce and/or rotary events and take your chair or table to the local relay for life or other fundraiser's to offer massages. Have your cards handy and offer a first time client discount. You have to be involved in your community. Let people see you, know you and get a good impression of you. The best form of advertising in massage is word of mouth so make sure you know your stuff and that means practice practice practice. Exchange with other therapists, massage friends and family...anything to keep massaging and learning new things. Stay fresh and stay inspired. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Lauren Erickson LMT on
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Thanks for the friendly advice but I really need to know where to find all of the tax information and all of the money handling issues.
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The current issue of Different Strokes published by ABMP has some tax information in it. It's also possible that ABMP has some really good tax info; I don't need it so I haven't looked. If you aren't a member, it's not expensive to join and the liability insurance is excellent!
It's also a really good idea to find an accountant, especially if you can find one through word-of-mouth. Their job is to make sure you follow the rules and don't over- or under-pay taxes. If you find a good CPA they also may be able to help you set up a functional business model. So that would cover your concerns about taxes and money handling issues with one person. There are rules about what to do about paying yourself a salary, what you can and can't spend your income on, etc and they will know about that.
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You need to be paying quarterly taxes. Schedule a meeting with an accountant and they can give you the formula so you can determine what to pay quarterly. At the end of the year when you have to file it won't be so bad if you keep up with your quarterlies. I live in California so depending on where you are it could be different. If I were you I would schedule an appt with a CPA that can tell you what you need to do.
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Permalink Reply by Jimswife on
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Hello. I have a couple questions. Where are you located? And what kind of odd jobs have you had over the last 2 yrs? Were you working as a massage therapist? Are you struggling to find a job or are you trying to start your own practice?
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Permalink Reply by Misty Van Staaveren on
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Nike said it best! Think about what you'd like to accomplish with your certification. Do you want to open up your own practice, work somewhere, etc? Once you decide what you want to do, then you can work at the steps necessary to get there. It won't happen overnight, but it will. Patience and dedication will definitely pay off!
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Permalink Reply by Kimberly Campbell on
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Small Business/ Self Employed Tax Workshop is a free online course offered by the IRS, I'm finding it very helpful myself! Best of luck!
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I live in Marengo, Illinois. Very small town and I have only worked previous jobs irrelevant to massage therapy. (Food service/video game retail) I would even love to move to Europe and get a job there. I don't mind working for someone at all because I don't have the life/job experiences I need to start my own business.
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Where did you go to school? Have you worked as a LMT yet? You seem to be fairly close to some bigger towns/cities. Have you considered taking a job at someplace like Massage Envy for a short time?
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Permalink Reply by Stacy DeJong Barnes on
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The best advice I can give you is the same advice my instructors gave me almost 16 years ago. BE CREATIVE! You know the techniques, now play with them. Each client is unique, treat them as such. They may complain about the same thing, but they won't carry the tension the same.
The other thing is remember your clients. Write down body complaints but also remember them and the personal stuff they share with you. Massage therapy is sometimes like being a hairstylist. You get told a lot of personal stuff. And when you remember it and ask them questions the next time you see them, it makes them feel important to you and they will keep coming back!
Good luck. You'll do great!
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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on
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Your best bet(in my opinion) would be to find a job in a Spa or Day Spa that has built in clientele and a reputation for massage... Get some experience and a reference for the future.. My first job as a massage therapist was in The Float Away Relaxation Center... Three therapists worked there already.. With me there was four.. The place was established..advertizing was taken care of...and I built up from there ..In the beginning, its bests to be around other busy therapists.. Not on your own.
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