Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1358392
84 m a s s a g e & b o d y wo r k m ay/ j u n e 2 0 2 1 I believe every therapist deserves to have a deeply rewarding business. Massage is important, and we want the industry to flourish so communities can be healthier around the globe. And for large-scale flourishing to happen, individual therapists and business owners need to able to create businesses that support them. SOURCE, SERVE, AND SCALE Three concepts that drive massage business success and allow for longevity in the industry are source, serve, and scale. Source The source of your business is you, the owner, and it is the most important concept of the three. After all, you are the inspiration behind everything, and you are at the center of creating this amazing business. You need to look after yourself so everything around you continues to flourish. You may notice your source needs work if you are regularly feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or find yourself procrastinating instead of taking action. The problem that presents here is not a matter of hands-on skill but instead a reflection on your business skills. Your source being off-kilter is most visible when you find yourself obsessing with questions like: What will I charge? What do I believe I deserve to earn? How do I set goals and actually achieve them? Successfully moving through these source challenges happens when you can move from confused to clear. To help, the first step is to recognize our business is always a reflection of us! It's a reflection of our experiences, our beliefs, the people around us, and whatever set of skills we have acquired since we began. So, if we are challenged internally or our mindset is avoiding something we know we should be doing, these conflicts will impact your business results. The lights we see in the business dashboard can actually point to something we need to work on in our mindset. Part of the discovery process for source can be to ask great quality questions. Einstein once said, "If I had an hour to solve a problem, I would spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about the solution." The question I ask my clients about source is around how centered they are: What shows up when you are centered and in flow? What do you do to stay centered? How do you know when you are out of flow? The specific answers can be different for everyone, but if you create some awareness around being centered for yourself, you will notice when things are going off course and what you need to do to self-care your way back on track. Serve Being able to serve is also vital and includes having the skills to help your niche clients come back and knowing how to promote yourself so you can have an abundance of clients flowing through your doors. To create this abundance of clientele to serve, you need to up your marketing game. Marketing is the engine of growth for your business. If you want to grow your business, you must learn how to get your message out there. Speak the right language to the right people at the right time so you attract your ideal clients. When you get it right, you will go from being ignored to being intentional. Something I see people get wrong all time is they think the magic of marketing is somehow in the platform or channel they use to get their message out—Facebook, website, Instagram, networking, referral strategies, etc. They jump on all the latest tech platforms looking for their magic bullet, but in reality, marketing success is all about the message you are sending—no matter which channel it goes through. Potential clients need to be clear on what you do and who you work with before they even come in. This provides the foundation for being effective on any channel your audience sees and empowers referrals because you are clear about your ideal client profile and the problems you solve. When your marketing is on point, you will attract clients you know you can make a difference with and who are willing to pay what you're worth—and that is a rewarding experience for you as a practitioner. When your business is set up properly, helping more people makes you more money, which in itself is one of the gold nuggets of scaling.