If you’re not doing massage then you’re not working.
What do you think about that statement?
It makes sense, right?
If you’re not actually doing massage then you’re not bringing in money.
But there’s another layer here.
That statement doesn’t say anything about how to get people on your table so that you can be doing massage (making money).
In fact, if that’s your mindset–I’m not working unless I’m being paid to massage–you’ve hit a roadblock to bringing in clients and building a massage business.
So what am I supposed to do, Mark, work for free?
Actually, yes (but that’s a qualified yes).
You work for free now as an investment for a return later.
I know that unpaid work for future dinero is a hard concept to swallow. It took me a long time to accept. Here’s why I think we (MTs) struggle with this concept.
Always Doing Massage Brain Explained
We’re in a business of instant $.
If you work for yourself you get paid every time you work on a client.
But I don’t work for myself, Mark.
You get tips, right?
When the massage is over the client hands you some cash. Boom. Instant $.
Massage work = instant money.
Believe me, I love instant money as much as you.
But instant money reinforces the idea that “if you’re not getting paid right away, you’re not working”.
This is a problem because if you want more clients and/or want to build a massage practice, you’ll need to put in some work time even though there will be no instant payoff.
But, Mark, I’m good at my massage. My work will speak for itself and my business will grow.
If you have a mortgage, kids in school, or debt from massage school then you better hope that your work speaks really, really fast.
The reality is massage is competitive. And you’re not going to make the money you need to make until you start putting in some “free” time.
Our Phoenixville office is in massage row. And within massage row are a lot of talented MTs.
Who gets the clients?
The person who works for “free”.
But remember you’re not really working for free.
You’re working for future money.
You’re investing your time now for a financial reward in the immediate, near and distant futures.
By the way, I’m still a work in progress when it comes to thinking I DON’T have to be doing massage in order to be working.
Last month we opened up our third office. And being an introvert means I’ll do anything I can to NOT meet people.
So, one day this week, I had found a lot of things I could do on the computer for our new office.
I thought to myself: Yeah, I’m doing unpaid work here for the future growth of our business.
And I was ready to give myself a pat on the back when something didn’t feel right.
Here’s what didn’t feel right: Our business didn’t need me to do computer stuff right now. It needed me to get my butt out there and let people know that we we’re open.
So, I forced myself to visit other businesses within walking distance of our office.
The first place I went to was a local fitness center. To my surprise, the owner, Bill, wanted to talk and talk and talk…
About 15 minutes into the conversation I reverted back to the “MT must rub” mentality.
I thought: We have new bills to pay. I need to be doing massage. What a waste of time!
But then I remembered how building relationships at our Phoenixville office netted clients.
There we consistently get referrals from chiropractors, personal trainers, and the local running store.
All of these relationships were built through “free” work.
So, cool your jets, Marky. You ARE working.
I ended up talking to Bill for an hour.
Was that a good “free” work investment?
I honestly don’t know.
But I do know that Bill and I connected and I will continue to explore ways we can partner on some things in the future.
And if nothing else, I’m learning how to get better at making “free” work payoff.
Ready to invest your time now for future business?
Here’s a good place to start: Build referral bases.
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wow i signed up for your 4-part “boost/create your massage biz”, & of course all the links in blue have taken me to writings to parts far & wide amongst your site….
I really hope you are publishing books, or maybe construing a weekly blog for massage schools to purchase/ share with their students because, between your excellent writing, & the solid need-to-know topics you are choosing, you are creating helpful go-tos that all of us senior LMTs have had to struggle through, and sometimes continue to do so. Bravo for Work Well Done, & Thank You for sharing 🙂
Namaste’
Hey Leslie, thank you for the kind words and supporting my work! I do plan on releasing a book on “building a massage practice” and “saving your body when doing massage” in the very near future. It’s very important to me to have feedback from LMTs who are in the senior category, like me, so that I can put the best info that I have out there. Please keep commenting! Thank you!