Game Change: Business Of Massage Therapy

You can develop an effective marketing strategy during the holidays. There’s no need to compete with the marketing gimmicks and promotions that others use. You can stand out by simply focusing on your own products and services. Show Notes Prepare in advance. It’s important to be ahead in planning and strategizing Have special loyalty offers for the holidays Initial promotion can be done through social media using free promotions You can also use Facebook ads and Google ads Use in-store or in-shop promotions as another method Use gift certificates or gift cards and sell to customers as their holiday gifts to family and friends Decide if you will maintain your business hours and announce it on the shop, on your website, and on your social media accounts. This will help your customers plan their visits Promote your gift certificates to your clients after their therapy session, not during the session Update your website with your holiday promos and gift certificates and holiday hours Have your GCs readily availa

Maya Holihan went from quitting her job at a major bridal salon to owning it in a matter of months. Since then, she has opened a couple of shops and acquired 5 existing bridal salons. Last year, she won the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from ACHI Magazine and was recognized as one of Inside Business’s Top 15 Women in Business.  She was named the “Entrepreneur of the Week” on 2 episodes of the TV show Hampton Roads Business Weekly.  She has been featured in magazines, bridal shows, and television. She is the Editor of House of Maya Presents the Wedding Planner of Hampton Roads, is a business consultant, public speaker, and a recognized wedding expert. She lives with husband Bobby and their 3 children. They are her inspiration for her continued success. With a commitment to her employees, her clients, and her community, coupled with her passion for the wedding industry, Maya has changed the way bridal salons operate in Hampton Roads, by providing the very best in service and products. Show Notes How did she

In the previous episode, Elise talked about the ways to expand your business and each of these ways requires resources. An alternative to expansion is simply just growing your business, which, similarly, still needs financing if you want to grow fast.  Financing has an important role in making your business grow.  The strategic use of financial instruments, such as loans and grants, is the key to success of every business. In this episode, Elise Walton gives you another game- changing strategy for your business. Show notes: Ways to finance your business 1. Get a bank loan. Banks have funds for small business lending. 2. Use your credit card. This method is risky though so it needs to be used sparingly and wisely. 3. Crowdfunding.  This facilitates the asking for and giving of support for projects.  Usually, project creators offer incentives for the one pledging support.   4. Angel investor or group of investors. Angel investors prefer to fund companies with experienced and credible management team. 5. Tappi

You’ve set up your business and you’re now excitedly watching it pick up momentum day after day. Your current business is under effective control. You start thinking of growing and expanding it because you feel that’s the next best thing to do. Elise discusses several ways to grow your business. Choosing one, two, or more of these methods of expansion will depend on a lot of things - your type of business, available capital, time, and other resources you are willing to invest. Here are your choices: Opening another location. Spread your business to another location or city. This is the most popular approach among business owners – opening a new office or store in another place.   Franchising. If you have a highly successful business, people will be interested in buying out a franchise of your business. Franchise out not only to gain more capital and exposure but also to expand your business without requiring you to manage the new franchise. Before doing that, you’ll need to hire a lawyer to draft the franc

Danijel Velicki, , a motivational speaker, educator, author, and entrepreneur owns 3 successful businesses in Virginia. He had transformed a difficult childhood in war-ravaged Croatia into his very own version of  “American dream.”  His unique strategies for financial education and family planning have equipped his clients with the knowledge base and skill set to excel professionally and personally, turning their own dreams into profitable and fulfilled realities. He is happy to share his story to inspire you and game-change your business. Show Notes:  Danijel's inspiration for creating his business Worst entrepreneurial moment What was it that held him back from being an entrepreneur What was his Ahah moment What he suggests to people to become a successful entrepreneur He is a member of EO https://www.eonetwork.org/ the world's most influential community of entrepreneurs. Advice for those who want to become entrepreneurs Quotable quote: Successful people want others to become successful too. They became

Elise is  happy and excited to  introduce this week’s guest, Steph Nissen, a Social Media strategist and CEO of Nissen Media,  a  successful digital marketing agency based in Missouri. Steph, a single mom with 2  kids, is a web developer turned social media manager. She launched her company in September 2014 and  since then has been covering all digital marketing needs of entrepreneurs in most parts of Missouri.   What you’ll hear from this episode: The first step the entrepreneur must take to launch business How networking helps your business She talked to a lot of people Elise met Steph at an event Steph’s worst entrepreneurial moment Did anything hold her back from pursuing entrepreneurship? If yes, what was it? What was Steph’s Ahah moment? Advice for those new in the field and those who want to be in the same business What she did aside from social media marketing to promote her business? She also did offline marketing because not everyone is in social media Best advice she received was from her dad. Q

This episode will provide tips on how to manage your finances in 6 ways: 1) Annual review of your Credit status; 2) Obtaining new money for investment or getting lower interest rates on your loans; 3) Managing your personal finances, as well as your business finances; 4) Saving for the rainy day or investing in business; 5) Paying the right taxes and ways of refunding any overpayment, and 6) Finances and your Retirement. Elise has a background in finance and accounting and has years of experience in the field.       Here is the summary of Elise’s advice:   Credit reports can impact a lot of things in your life -- how much money can be loaned to you, as well as interest rates on your loans.  Make sure you have the highest possible credit score. Check your free credit report on an annual basis and read up on that report to see what you can do to improve your score.   Debt. Obtaining new money, a better loan or rate, for the advantage of being able to streamline or refinance your loan may depend on your credi

In marketing your products or services on the social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, or Google Plus, here’s one powerful tool to keep in mind. You can market your gift certificates, aromatherapy products, or your massage therapy business without spending a lot of money. Elise talks about PRISM. Show notes: P is for In order to be successful, build your audience on a daily basis. This should be the right audience. Social Media apps have analytical tools identifying the type of audience  that you can target R is for Relationship. If you have a good relationship with your audience, they are more likely to take action that you desire such as opting in, subscribing, sharing, or purchasing. Build rapport with your audience by providing valuable content and by connecting with influencers. Listen to the full podcast to learn about influencers. I is for Inbound traffic. You can attract traffic and build an audience by sharing valuable evergreen content. What is an evergreen content?

In this episode, Elise interviews Carl Tuinstra, the CEO of Gift Card Café  (GCC) which he founded in May 2007. The GCC is both a virtual/instant and physical gift certificate that can serve as a complimentary gift, discount feature, special deal certificate, or a promo code. It can be integrated with your Paypal merchant account.  GCC helps your business  get more sales by adding an instant Gift Certificate and Special Daily Deal to  your website. Show notes: How Karl developed the GCC concept How GCC boosts your sales What you need to join the GCC What was Carl’s worst entrepreneurial moment? What were his Ahah moments Biggest strength of Karl What does Carl consider his biggest weakness What Carl does to promote the GCC business Which of these had helped increase his sales: trade shows, postcards,  salon, mailed out  postcards,  PR firm,  or word of mouth referral   Book recommendation How the GCC payment button is added to your website GCC online security issues Resources www.TheGiftCardCafe.com Gift Ca

In this episode, Elise shares  simple but best tips on how to promote your massage therapy business now that you already have a website. Show notes: You can tap your existing clientele. Ask them to tell their friends and family that you are accepting new clients. Reassure your clients that they won’t lose their time slot even if new clients come in. Let them know that they are entitled to a discount for referring new clients to you. Show them your appreciation for helping you grow your customer base. Have an automated tracking system. So nobody gets left out in your incentive system, keep a tracking system. Type in the name of the referrer and the name of the new client he/she referred. Record their client visits. This will help you remember who to give discounts to and when. Have lots of business cards on hand. Distribute to these cards to your existing clients and ask them to give them out to their friends or family who need massage therapy service. Be ready to give out your card to prospects. So they can

Elise talks about the importance of a website for any business, but especially for the massage therapist who has a mobile or brick-and-mortar business.  As people no longer use yellow pages, a business without web presence is missing out on one of the most powerful marketing tools available in this technological age. People search online, via Google, to find anything they need. They research products, companies and providers before they make a purchase. Elise tells the story of how many websites she made before she finally settled on a domain name registrar and hosting company for her current website. Listen to the details she provides on the following: How the internet has improved her business Her very first website was Yahoo How she used Wix website to set up her own website in a couple of hours How her website captures her target audience How to help your clients find you through your website People use Google to search for the most convenient method of purchase They Google to find out the closest store,

Have you ever wondered before what type of client you want to have-- your so-called “avatar”? Is it just the ones who come to the door? Or is it the perfect client? We business owners know that there’s a good client and there’s a bad client. And then there’s your perfect client. Yes, there is. He’s your dream client. This type of client for the massage therapy business is the one 1) who needs the massage therapy service 2) can afford to pay for it;  3) the business survives and thrives because of his patronage, 4) He is easy to work with, 5)He doesn’t make unreasonable demands, 6) He brings in the most money because of his regular visits, and 7) Is the best fit for your business from the outset. Elise talks about the “perfect client” for the massage therapy business in this episode. Get the details of the following from the podcast: Defining your perfect client/avatar/dream client Knowing your specialties: Are you offering Swedish, Shiatsu, Deep Tissue, Hot Stone, Reflexology, Thai, Sports massage, Manual Ly

  Meeting customer needs and expectations is critical to business success.  Bad customer service can ruin your business. Customer-staff interactions or moments accrue leading to customer experience which should generally be great. They do have varied needs and priorities such as service quality, comfort, relaxation, (even entertainment☺), trust, and most importantly, affordability. These may change from time to time just as their moods and behavior change. Their expectations may also be heightened depending on the situation or stimuli.  A customer may be very clear in telling you what his exact preferences are but others may not be as vocal. You could run the risk of assuming what his needs are. To avoid this, standard procedures and processes should be in place. Other clients book online so the first client-staff interaction really starts at the front desk. Make sure you have a full understanding of customer service and your personnel are fully trained. Elise talks about setting client expectations in this e

Here are practical suggestions to help the business owner build a team of engaged and happy (even inspired) employees. These management practices can put your employees in a productive mindset and also help you gain more loyal customers because efficient staff will attract and retain more customers. Listen to the podcast to get the details of the following highlights.  Show notes: Selecting and training support staff Hiring employees or independent contractors or both Setting goals and making action plans for employee development Providing training and retraining for all staff – the front desk staff and service staff Importance of continuing education – providing for employee training Appointing staff to coach and supervise new employees Regularly update everyone’s knowledge of the office protocol, procedures, and processes Building strategies on employee development Setting expectations Building a work environment that promotes productivity Designing economic incentives for your employees How to inspire you

This episode is packed with the most valuable tips for the small business owner especially for the massage therapy business. Elise covers each management aspect for the entrepreneur. The strategies include: setting achievable goals, financial planning and budgeting, mapping out an action plan, efficient and cost-effective management actions, strategies for multiple business locations, increasing client base, increasing income base, and many other valuable pointers. Get the following details about: Small business strategies Efficiency and effectiveness Comparison between efficiency and effectiveness Pursuing effectiveness while maintaining efficiency Setting achievable goals Comparison between goals and objectives Financial strategy Cost -effective management actions Managing multiple business locations Maximizing productivity and minimizing costs Managing time and all other resources effectively Increasing client base Increasing revenue Measuring performance and goal attainment Measuring effectiveness of eve

Is your business successful? We would all want to answer YES! Take a closer look: is your business THRIVING? We might not be so quick to answer. The truth is that we need a foundation and we have to be prepared for the challenges that inevitably come. The cold, hard fact is that 80% of businesses fail. Let’s talk about the reasons why they fail and how we can avoid the failure! Five Reasons Why Businesses Fail: Lack of financial, business, or strategic management plans Failing to plan sets you up to fail Where do you see your business in 1, 2, and 5 years? Lack of marketing strategies Check competitors’ services and prices The goal is to “stand out” in your community Insufficient cash flow Have a budget forecast Know your expenses! Failure to market online Your business MUST be visible Make the most of SEO and social media potential Failure to listen to your customers Ask customers for feedback (use surveys) Show customers that you care Pay attention to details I hope these reasons are helpfu

Do you often feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to do what you HAVE to do? Are you always “short on time”? Do you feel like this is your story EVERY SINGLE DAY? I have some practical tips to help you GET MORE out of the time you have each day. Today’s topic is Time Management, an area in which we all can improve. You may not have ultimate control over every minute of every day, but we will talk about how to control what you can.  Time management tips I’ve found that WORK: Make and use lists to stay organized Limit meetings and have boundaries for them Block your time Pre-plan and prioritize Learn to say NO Look for patterns that waste time Schedule time for interruptions Use a “Do Not Disturb” sign when necessary Have specific times during the day for specific tasks Check off the items on your list throughout the day: Feel accomplished! Helpful Resources: “How to Manage Time with Ten Tips That Work” by Joe Matthews, Don Debolt, and Deb Percival (article at www.entrepreneur.com) www.gygb.com (See

Welcome back to Game Change Business of Massage Therapy! Today’s episode is a continuation from my Youtube video on the basics of how to set a massage room on a budget. I am going to share with you some suggestions how to set up your space and why it is important to stage your space just right. Show Notes: Why is it important to have a unique space? What should you consider when picking a location for your office? What are some suggestions for the waiting area for setting the “tone”? What are the important items to consider in your massage room? Sketch it out! What is a roomstyler?  Resources: roomstyler.com youtube.com

Elise shares her unforgettable story about carrying her old 32-pound massage table to her clients’ preferred massage area, the top floor of a 3-storey house using a spiral  staircase!  The client preferred the 3rd floor because of the panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean.  She saw the importance of buying portable equipment, e.g. massage table,  if the therapist has no  massage office or shop. She did some research and provides helpful tips on: What to carry to a client call Saving for  your  business needs Investing in the right equipment Basic guidelines for purchasing massage equipment Suppliers /sellers of massage equipment Choosing what suits your budget and purpose Purchasing your massage table, desk, side table, chair, cabinet, lamps,  wash sink, water glass, water cooler, etc. Purchasing and organizing your massage supplies: oils, lotions, Purchasing your linen, kits, etc. Best and affordable portable massage table   Best practices in  setting up a massage therapy room Sharing expenses with a fello

Business owners should have goals that are written down to guide them and their employees and even providers and contractors.  The acronym SMART Goals can have slightly different variations in meaning but the letters stand for: S  stands for specific. Goals must be specific rather than general.  A specific goal has a greater chance of being achieved.  A general goal could be: Grow my customer base. Your specific goal will be:  Increase the number of my customers from 30 to 60 within one month. M means Measurable. It could also stand for meaningful and motivational. The direction and success of your goal must be measurable so that you will know how to gauge your progress and also be able to modify your goal. Establish a concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. A stands for Achievable, or attainable. Your training, knowledge, and skills should match your goals which should be achievable. R stands for Realistic or Results. Your goals if they are achievable are realisti