Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/738894
C h e c k o u t A B M P 's l a t e s t n e w s a n d b l o g p o s t s . Av a i l a b l e a t w w w. a b m p . c o m . 27 visit abmp.com 90-minute sessions throughout the year. They also receive an additional $10 discount for their birthday and access to member- only offerings and other special perks. About 50 percent of their active clients joined the membership program in its first year. What they did in this situation is key to running a successful business: evaluate everything you're doing and proactively change the things that aren't working. BUSINESS OPERATIONS Freitag and von Kaenel have relied on technology—including online scheduling, accounting software, a website, and social media—to help them market and manage their new business. "We use MassageBook for our online scheduling and SOAP notes, which has been a very good choice," von Kaenel says. "We use the autopilot feature for special emails and reminders. It makes caring for our clients very simple and manageable." Freitag says the two have embraced technology. "We LOVE technology! In addition to MassageBook, we use QuickBooks for accounting, an online answering system for phone calls, and Google Drive for all our documents and spreadsheets." While Freitag enthusiastically endorses their embrace of technology, they didn't have a lot of experience with it going in. Like most of us, they weren't tech experts (and still don't claim to be). But they also realize that technology is a tool to make their practice—and life—easier to manage. Don't be afraid to shift your mind- set—think of scheduling software like a dishwasher. Makes life a lot easier, doesn't it? We all use technology constantly— there's no reason not to in your practice. FUTURE GOALS How do Freitag and von Kaenel feel about their progress so far and what's their vision for the clinic? "I take pride in knowing that my partner and I have created a healing space where our clients can rest and renew, our therapists love to come to work, and we are blessed by each person who walks through our door," von Kaenel says. Freitag says their goals include growing the clinic into a holistic wellness center offering medical massage, acupuncture, counseling, exercise, and nutritional coaching. BOTTOM LINE After all the ups and downs, the challenges, and ongoing uncertainty about the future, was taking on such a big endeavor worth it? "The risk we took in starting the clinic was worth it. Starting this clinic with my friend and fellow massage therapist has been my most rewarding professional experience," Freitag says. "We are therapists first, businesswomen second," von Kaenel says. "Every day, we learn that we are capable of more than we ever knew possible." You know who else is capable of more than you knew possible? You are! We hope you use Freitag and von Kaenel's story as inspiration to push yourself to try something new in your own career. If you have questions or need support, reach out to us at bizfit@abmp.com. Les Sweeney is ABMP's president. Contact him at les@abmp.com and read his occasional blog posts 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. Tip When setting up your own membership program—for your private practice or a clinic—consider taking advantage of all the incentives you have to offer, including discounts, upgrades for additional time, modality upgrades, and add-ons such as aromatherapy. honored existing package plans from the old business and tried a version of prepaid package plans for themselves, but eventually changed to a membership program. "When we first started, we did a large amount of prepaid package plans, thinking this would ensure that clients would come on an ongoing basis," von Kaenel says. "What we didn't think about was the fact that we would potentially have unredeemed services at the end of the year. This caused some issues for us our first tax season, and also put us in a place where we were not seeing as much regular income on a monthly basis." They resolved the issue by encouraging the clients to use their services before the year's end, then they removed the prepaid service option and moved to a membership program. "Now, our clients see our service as a value that expires within the year, and to get the biggest bang for their buck they are incentivized to continue with their massage maintenance regularly. We also no longer have to worry about having unredeemed funds at the end of the year to get double- taxed on. It's a win-win situation!" The membership program is structured as follows: for an annual fee of $60, clients receive unlimited $15 discounts on 60-minute sessions and $20 discounts on