Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/640605
BUSINESS SIDE 10. GROUND RULES Add 3 points if you have a cancelation policy; 0 points if you have a sign that says, "PLEASE TIP ME." LS: One of my favorite recollections of my kids' formative years was watching them play "unorganized" sports—like a different game at the end of soccer practice or pickup hoops on the driveway. Around ages 8–12, they seemed to spend 70 percent of that time arguing/negotiating about what the rules should be. It always amused me to think about how important it was to them to understand what the rules were and how things would work. I guess they got that from us. We all live under ground rules, guidelines that help us not only maintain society, but also operate businesses and relationships. Your practice is no different—you need to set boundaries for your own health and safety, but to also establish a successful business and set expectations for your loyal and future clients. That includes ground rules for tardiness, cancellations, and tipping (will you or won't you accept?). HOW DID YOU DO? 35–50+ points: Congrats! You're a practice-management superstar. E. D. Hirsch would be proud (and so are we). 20–34 points: You're getting there, but there are a few cracks in your practice's foundation that need attention. 0–19 points: Thanks for reading this; now, put these ideas to work for you! Les Sweeney is ABMP's president. Contact him at les@abmp.com and read his blog Expect More, With Les, on www.abmp.com. Kristin Coverly, kristin@abmp.com, is the manager of professional development at ABMP and creates resources and teaches workshops for therapists across the country. Both are massage therapists with business degrees who care about you and your practice. people. Where are your clients, or future clients? On the web? Certainly. Facebook? Likely. Twitter? Maybe not as much. My brother-in-law owns a restaurant, and he regularly posts pictures of sumptuous meals on Facebook and Instagram. It doesn't help me much, since I'm in Colorado and he's in North Carolina, but I'm sure he has created and enhanced a client base through his posts. Here's one of my pet peeves—I go online to do some research or look up a business, and there is no web presence. My reaction? "How serious are these people?" Every business should have a web presence—in my view it should have its own website (ABMP members get one for free, but even a Facebook page is better than nothing). 9. HAVE A SURVIVAL PLAN Add 5 points if you have a solid practice survival plan; 0 points if you're yelling, "S.O.S.!" KC: Just like boats have life preservers and rafts, you need to have a self-preservation plan to get you through the ups and downs of being a small-business owner. Not sure how much income you're going to make this week? Step one: keep breathing! Step two: plan in advance for the dips by carefully forecasting and controlling your expenses and saving excess revenue when you can. Step three: do all of the other things we talk about in this article to build a full practice. Anticipate challenges in advance and create plans to overcome or deal with each of these hurdles one by one. This applies to more than just your business's financials; how will you keep yourself motivated on the days you're dragging or when troubles and worries from your nonmassage life start to infringe on your massage world? The question is: What are your practice's life preservers, and are they ready to be used in case of emergency?