which choice is right for you?
Part 1. Which direction do want for your career? [Click photo for video.]
I believe there are at least three directions you can take your business.
One of my teachers said: "If you don't know your destination, how will you know when you get there?"
So, let's get started!
But, remember, there are no wrong answers in this section? Why? Because if you are not honest about your goals or about discovering your strengths, then you'll end up is a situation that makes you unhappy and less productive. So while there are no "wrong" answers, you really need to give "honest" answers.
First, you'll want to take an honest assessment to determine what kind of personality you have. There are several personality test available. I have taken several tests ranging in price from $10 to $30. (See the tools section below.) My business coach says these tests are usually very reliable. They can help make sure you go in a direction that will make you both productive AND happy.
What can you learn from these tests?
Are you task oriented or creative?
Are you extroverted or introverted?
What motivates you?
What are your top five strengths?
The good news is that any personality type can be happy and productive if they work using their strengths. You'll see several self test options in the next section...
... But first, here are some choices regarding your massage career.
1. Work for someone else as an employee.
With this choice you work on clients in a Spa, a doctor or chiropractor office, of for one of the massage chains around the country.
The pros:
a. This usually means working in a retail center or business/clinic which will give you clients.
b. You don't have to learn how to market yourself or learn business/accounting skills.
c. You might get benefits like insurance or paid vacation time off.
The cons:
a. You usually have to work a shift of up to eight hours of massage work. This can be very physically taxing.
b. You usually earn a lot less per hour than you could if you were self employed.
c. It is harder to go out on your own if you haven't developed a clientele base.
d. You won't have as much "up side" potential in your massage career.
2. Work for yourself as a contractor, sole practitioner, or LLC.
With this choice you "put out your shingle" and build a clientele using your own office space, or sub-lease from another therapist or doctor/health office.
The pros:
a. You know you are building a business of your own that might give you residual opportunity down the road.
b. You can earn more per hour since you control your expenses and fees.
c. Tax benefits! As a sole practitioner, you'll be able to write off as business expenses things you ARE ALREADY SPENDING MONEY ON. These are expenses you can't write off as an employee, like driving, using your cell phone, and other normal expenditures that you can't write off if you are an employee.
DISCLAIMER: Please check with a CPA about legal and ethical tax reduction strategies.
d. You can set your own schedule to take breaks as needed, or even take days off. Managing the amount of work you do can really lengthen your career. You don't want to get physically or mentally burned out.
e. You have more "up side" as you build your business.
This means
(1) building a loyal, regular client base
(2) As you build your client base, and manage your expenses, your income will increase dramatically
(3) You will have the option to learn business skills and open your "own office" so you can manage/hire other therapists someday.
f. You can develop an "exit strategy" which might allow you to sell your business someday.
The cons:
a. Developing a consistent income is usually slower with this choice, since you probably won't have a retail store front to attract new clients. You'll need to have some savings or another job with which to pay your bills while you build your massage business.
b. You'll need to be good at business development (finding new clients).
c. In additions to doing massage, you'll have to "wear several hats", which include business development, accounting and clerical skills.
Remember, a big key is "do you enjoy what you do when you get up in the morning?"
d. If you are a sole practitioner, you might be in an office all by yourself (except for your clients). Be sure this is a work day you enjoy. When I moved from a group office with seven therapists and into my own private office, it was a noticeable change in office energy and socialization.
3. Develop and operate a massage business in which you mostly work "On" your business and not "In" your business.
I know several massage therapists who did not practice massage, but instead opened a massage school, or a Spa, or a massage office employing several therapists. In every case, the business owner did not "Do" the massage work, they only managed the office and developed the business.
The pros:
a. In this model you are creating a business that "might" run even if you are not present every day. In #1 and #2 above, you have to be in the room with a client to earn money. If you manage a clinic, other people are generating the revenue.
b. You have a LOT of upside potential if you can "scale up" your business by adding more therapists or students if you operate a school.
c. You'll have a head start on developing a business you can sell some day.
The cons:
a. You'll need to be very good at entrepreneurial skills right from the beginning. This usually means that you would have already taken these courses BEFORE you get your massage license. It is certainly achievable, but you'll need to take these business development steps in a certain order.
b. You need to have an entrepreneur personality. You'll need to enjoy doing the things needed to build and operate a business. AND, you'll need to have the type of personality that can sell off the business you spent all that time and effort creating.
Remember, it's OK if you are not a "business entrepreneur". You can still have a long massage career!
c. You'll need to have significant money or financing to prepare your business before it opens. This can be tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
d. The down side is significant. You "could" loose a lot. But you could gain a lot. A while back I was gifted some court side NBA basketball tickets. My friend (who worked in a bankruptcy law firm) said. "No one seated in this court side area got here without taking a big risk... and the people who failed in business DON'T have court side seats."
4. What was my choice?
I knew I didn't want to be an employee; I wanted to create my own business. But, being a brand new therapist, I did work for several years as a sub-contractor in a group setting before I went out on my own. I was fortunate to have learned some business skills and taken several sales/business courses in my past life. Additionally, I had learned a lot of customer service skills and how to be comfortable with successful people while working in the restaurant industry. So those prior experiences really helped teach me some "business building" prerequisites as I started my massage career.
I never did massage in a business that made me come in and "work a shift". I always worked "on call" or by appointment only.
Part of that decision was based on my sales and business training that taught me look for an "opportunity" instead of looking for a "guarantee".
Another part of my original decision about how to start my massage career was based on the fact that I had a full time job when I got my massage license, so I wanted to phase into massage by working part time as a therapist.
It's important to note that when I started, I didn't have the knowledge or the capital to start a business that would employee other therapists. (So, I didn't even consider starting a business in the beginning.)
I have to admit, I do enjoy the problem solving aspect of doing Neuromuscular Therapy more than I enjoy the management aspects of running a clinic. But, when I got "too busy" in 1998, I realized I would need to "learn new skills" to keep growing.
Remember, being successful and growing always requires us to learn new skills, even if they aren't our favorite thing to do. But, the rewards of learning new skills can be substantial! If continued growth is something you desire, you'll want to spend some time in our A Better You page.
5. What is your choice?
Remember, your life will be better if you do things you enjoy. So NOW is the time to make an honest assessment of your personality, your skills, your strengths, and your weaknesses. We have several test suggestions in the next section.
We ask you to spend some time evaluating yourself and the choices above. Making a correct decision now can save you a lot of time and aggravation in the future. Even if you don't feel like you have a "business owner" mindset right now, you can get started earning a living NOW. Eventually you might have the time to learn new skills and save money to start a business!
Next a comparison. Where do you fit?
1. Employee 2. Sole practitioner 3. Business owner
Work a shift in a Come and go by Manage other therapists
retail center appointment in your clinic/Spa
(you "have" to be (You can create your (You'll need to be there until
there, but when you own flexibility but you hire a good manager)
are off, you're OFF!) may be on call a lot)
You only need to You need to wear "other You'll need several important
show up and do a hats" (different skills business and managerial skills
good job besides your therapy)
You'll have work You build your client You hire and train therapists
to do right away base one by one and support staff
You might get You save and prepare You expect enough cash flow
benefits (like vacation for your "own benefits" to fund your own time off
and health insurance) (I can now take nice
vacations & have an IRA)
No extra tax write offs You talk with a CPA Your CPA will tell you about
as an employee about legal write offs tax advantages of a business
You have a lot less You'll need to be able You'll really need a significant
up front risk (if the Spa "stay afloat" and pay your investment (from tens to hundreds
closes, you just get bills while you build a of thousands of dollars)
another job.) clientele
You have more You may not feel "secure" While there is more "upside"
security, but less for several months (or potential, there is a LOT more
chance to grow to years), but once you build risk
"the next level" a client base, you can have
sense of freedom and
control
As an employee, you As a contractor, you have As a business owner, you have the
have to show up to have to show up, AND still chance to get away (sometimes for
get paid pay your office expenses weeks), and your business is STILL
running and making you MONEY!
What is the bottom line?
You'll want to make an honest assessment of your capabilities, past training, financial strength, risk tolerance, and willingness to learn new skills. As my business coach says, "There is no single way to succeed in life." I have a client who is an eye doctor. He once managed his own office, but was not happy with running a business. Now he is working as an eye doctor a large optical company and feels happy and successful in his life.
We all know plenty of people who have a very nice life as employees;
we know others who are self employed (doing what they do, but as contractors);
and others who own and manage a business.
I picked the option that makes me happy. How about you?
Click photo for video about your choices
Some resources to help you with your massage career
Personality tests and Business books
There are several accurate tests that can help you understand your current self as you start your career. Some of these resources can help you see the "big picture" and make your business more and more successful. Of course, these principles (just like the ideas in our A Better You page) apply to any business or job. so even if you are not looking to massage therapy as your life long career, these business ideas and resources will help you where ever your life takes you.
Why did I say "current self"? As Jim Rohn said: "You're not stuck in the ground like a tree! If you're heading north, and that's not a good direction you can change directions!" One of our business teachers said, "You'll be the same person in five years as you are today - except for the people you meet, and the books you read." I learned that before we had something called The Internet, but that just means the good resources will be easier for you to find and study.
There are plenty of other tests/videos/courses out there. If you find a different course or book that appeals to you, that's great!
Personality, Motivation and Strength tests
Strengths Finder 2.0 test by Tom Rath
How would you like to work primarily with your strengths? Tom Rath and his team have done research indicating that your work happiness quotient goes up as high as 90% if you are using your strengths instead of trying to improve your weaknesses. The test comes with the book, and you can also take the online version for about the same price (about $28 in 2024). http://www.strengthsfinder.com
The D.I.S.C. test
This test will show you your personality and motivations. There is a free version, but you should think about taking the paid version (About $39 in 2024), which will give you more information and insights.
https://discpersonalitytesting.com/free-disc-test/
https://discpersonalitytesting.com/home/get-a-disc-work-assessment/
Books
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
Robert Kiyosaki teaches you lessons he learned from both his "rich" dad, and his "poor". This series of books shows you how a small difference in the wording of your personal philosophy can make a big difference! http://www.richdad.com
7 Secrets of Great Entrepreneurial Masters by Allen Fishman
After achieving a lot of business success, Allen Fishman founded "The Alternative Board" which is a business coaching franchise. This books teaches you lesson he has learned. I like it because each chapter will teach you something different about how you can become a better business person.
Spoiler: You can get a used copy for about $4.00 !
Other books
There are a LOT of valuable books from which you can learn. Here are some that I've read:
The Wealthy Barber by Chilton
The Millionaire Next Door by Stanley and Danko
The E-Myth by Gerber
The Richest Man in Babylon by Clason
The Five Major Pieces to the Puzzle by Jim Rohn
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Covey
The One Minute Manager by Blanchard and Johnson
Think and Grow Rich by Hill
Remember, you can find of these books in the "used" section of your online book seller!
Other resources
Sandy Botkin, Esq. Tax reduction consultant. Sandy Botkin worked his way through law school working in comedy clubs, so his business information is funny! After working for the IRS for several years, Sandy now helps small business owners take legal and ethical tax deductions.
Disclaimer: Please see a local CPA for tax advice.
You'll find more information at: http://www.taxreductioninstitute.com
Find a business coach.
I got a lot of good advice and coaching from my business coach. While you can learn at lot from business and personal development books, it really helped to have a personal connection with a person who had academic knowledge about business, but ALSO knew me personally.
I would recommend that you interview several candidates to find someone who has your best interests in mind. I talked with several people who seemed to have a "cookie cutter" approach without learning about me. I finally chose Rusty Smith (Rusty is not taking new private clients), who wanted to find out about me first, and make a business plan second.
Lessons we have learned (an ongoing project)
If you pay attention and are honest about life you will learn a lot of business and personal lessons along the way. Even though I came from a lower middle class, humble background, I was always curious about life and willing to learn from my mistakes. Looking back at my choices, I know I "could have done better." But at least I started my own journey of self improvement!
To paraphrase Jim Rohn, I was heading "north" and realized that was the wrong direction, so I changed directions!
When you start to make better choices, your life and results will improve.
But what does that mean for you? Time! We can save you time!
I began to study successful people at about age 30 and started my (mostly upward) roller coaster of self improvement. It took some years to really turn things around, but I stayed the course. The last couple of decades have been pretty good. However, I did lose time and productivity beforehand.
I sincerely hope you'll learn from some of MY personal, business and financial mistakes. We can all decide to make better decisions, but none of us can get back any of the time we have spent.
I am happy to share some of the lessons we have learned. Look for some important Lessons on the "Secret Sauce" page.
John's business path: An upward roller coaster!