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New Ways to Make Money in the Massage Field
Ok I've been a therapist for about 12 years. I've worked in 5 star hotels, with elderly clients, with an NBA team for 5 seasons and now I have a really successful business. I work at an organization in downtown DC with the potential to have thousands of clients. Of course there is only me. I work business hours and a little past. 10:30 7:30. I schedule 30 minute and hour massages mostly and I average anywhere from 5 to 8 clients a day. I've gotten so busy, I've hired someone to work for me one day a week and to cover the days I'm out.
So on the weekend, I have another office at a spa where I'm the only therapist. I usually have a couple of clients there each Saturday and then I do outcalls at hotels and have a few clients I see in their home.
I am beyond blessed in terms of doing what I love and having phenomenal clients. The problem is that there is only one me. The therapist who works for me sometimes has a hard time filling her schedule but I am easily booking 2 weeks out. My regulars months in advance.
I don't want to burn out but I also want some type of income that I can get without using my body but in the massage world.
Eventually I would like to teach but I want to be able to work a couple of days doing something with my brain that I can get in some decent money.
My husband and I also want to start a family soon so I really want something I can train or do and get going asap. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
So on the weekend, I have another office at a spa where I'm the only therapist. I usually have a couple of clients there each Saturday and then I do outcalls at hotels and have a few clients I see in their home.
I am beyond blessed in terms of doing what I love and having phenomenal clients. The problem is that there is only one me. The therapist who works for me sometimes has a hard time filling her schedule but I am easily booking 2 weeks out. My regulars months in advance.
I don't want to burn out but I also want some type of income that I can get without using my body but in the massage world.
Eventually I would like to teach but I want to be able to work a couple of days doing something with my brain that I can get in some decent money.
My husband and I also want to start a family soon so I really want something I can train or do and get going asap. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alex J. Garabrant on
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Having other people do the work is great, as long as you can trust your clients will be happy with their techniques too. I've thought about doing this at a later date when I get busy, I'm just starting out now. I also thought about having students come in and as long as it was o.k. with the clients, they could earn and learn, let me know how you work out having other therapists work for you, is it a lot of paperwork, extra insurance?, thanks.
Alex
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Permalink Reply by Vivian on
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If you are indispensable, you will never get promoted.
When you are self employed, this means you must eventually begin outsourcing the work or you will never progress beyond what you are doing now.
If you are that busy, you must be good. And from what you have mentioned about yourself you probably have some interesting stories to tell and some very useful insights.
Maybe you can begin outsourcing more of the massage work and learn how to start a blog and begin earning income that way?
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Permalink Reply by Hope on
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Zelda, I am sorry I don't have any tips for you- but as a new therapist I would love to hear how you built such a successful practice!! :)
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Permalink Reply by JB Harding, III LMT A.A.S. on
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Me as well... I have been pondering this myself.. Writing a book or blog on how you got to the point you have could be a great sourse of income and it would help to inform fairly new therapist like myself...
Heidi Hurd said:Zelda, I am sorry I don't have any tips for you- but as a new therapist I would love to hear how you built such a successful practice!! :)
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Hiring people who can fill in for you, and each takes a percentage is one answer. But... Can you find honest, dependible, skillful people? Employees can be a major headache, even if you find someone relatively honest and hard working, which is not easy.
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Permalink Reply by Zelda Wafer-Alonge on
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Right now I have a therapist who is great but we have different personalities. Some of my clients will go to her but others would prefer to wait. The hard part is finding really good reliable therapists with good work ethic. Some of my colleagues have therapists to work for them and I've heard many horror stories... from therapists not showing up to them not being trustworthy. I have to do something to be able to grow. I'm waiting patiently...
Alex J. Garabrant said:Having other people do the work is great, as long as you can trust your clients will be happy with their techniques too. I've thought about doing this at a later date when I get busy, I'm just starting out now. I also thought about having students come in and as long as it was o.k. with the clients, they could earn and learn, let me know how you work out having other therapists work for you, is it a lot of paperwork, extra insurance?, thanks.
Alex
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I've actually started to blog but for other reasons. I would definitely like to for massage but I haven't researched it enough to know how to get an income from it. I am busy which I hope means good. But since I can't massage myself I have no idea :)
Vivian said:If you are indispensable, you will never get promoted.
When you are self employed, this means you must eventually begin outsourcing the work or you will never progress beyond what you are doing now.
If you are that busy, you must be good. And from what you have mentioned about yourself you probably have some interesting stories to tell and some very useful insights.
Maybe you can begin outsourcing more of the massage work and learn how to start a blog and begin earning income that way?
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Teaching is definitely on the radar, but right now my business is way too busy (I'm fully booked for the next 3 weeks!) But I'm definitely thinking of teaching at some point part-time. I don't know how I'll deal with corporate again. Keeping my fingers crossed!
Luciana Borba Johnston said:Teach. You can get a job at a corporate business college that has a massage therapy program and get insurance benefits and a maternity leave. I did both for a long time and it was great....had a baby, took my maternity leave and then went back to being self employed...didn't necessarily plan it that way but that's how it worked out. Sounds like you have a strong foundation and have lots of great experiences to draw from - congratulations!
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Never thought about the instructional videos. I do believe that whatever it is I do comes through in my energy and I don't know that it would carry over to film. Plus I look horrible on film! :)
Luciana Borba Johnston said:Also, have you thought about doing any instructional videos?
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thank you - mentoring is definitely something I want to do - not sure if I could get money from it but you never know. Products - I've thought about it but I would really need to believe in it and I don't want to push things on people. Your ideas are great!
Samantha J. Bennett said:Sounds like the business side of you is pretty strong, as others said...CEU classes or instructional videos, teach if possible, or develop a mentoring program for newbies to the field, look towards the more alternative side of things with taking classes on nutrition or become an herbalist! Selling products such as herbs or with aromatherpy products, fitness trainer, ....
hmm.. what else...I don't know- listen to your clients what to they wish they had more of or seem to need more help with! Learn from them and grow yourself to help your clients more and more! Even if it's just to grow your modalities experience in ones that would be easier on your body- such as with reflexology, facial treatments, etc.
Congrats on your success...to many more years! you'll figure it out! :) gl
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I have always been ope to sharing everything I've gone through and believe me it is a lot. I will say a lot of it is luck or just being in a good area but definitely patience in the field - I've been doing this for a while but any questions you have I am more than willing to help! And I've been told to write a book a few times and the blog thing is on my radar.
JB Harding, III LMT A.A.S. said:Me as well... I have been pondering this myself.. Writing a book or blog on how you got to the point you have could be a great sourse of income and it would help to inform fairly new therapist like myself...
Heidi Hurd said:Zelda, I am sorry I don't have any tips for you- but as a new therapist I would love to hear how you built such a successful practice!! :)
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This is for sure the hard part finding honest, dependable people. I have one therapist now but hopefully I can expand later!
William vogel said:Hiring people who can fill in for you, and each takes a percentage is one answer. But... Can you find honest, dependible, skillful people? Employees can be a major headache, even if you find someone relatively honest and hard working, which is not easy.
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