Help- need some advice for new biz

[delsydebothom]

It's been a while since I have visited this site and this time I need some advice. I have a very good oppurtunity to rent a space in a pleasant, wonderful environment. It's going to be a holistic day spa offering facials, wraps, massage (of course!, etc. The location is great, the person I will be partners has a positive energy unlike anyone I have met up with in a long time. she is leaving it up to me if I decide to bring in another therapist. I am expected to pay a rent in the ballpark of $500 monthly and pay a deposit of $500 to get things started. Marketing is not a problem for me.  I have some existing clients, but since this is a new part of town, I will be advertisng along with the spa. She is publishing ads and will have a sign out front saying that we offer massage.

My question to those of you who  are independent contractors, how do you work client referrals? If you are already paying rent and get clients from the spa itself (walk ins), do you split 50/50 with the other person?

Also, I am to develop a contract agreement with this person, what should I include to protect me as a therapist?  

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[Shanks]

Hi Gigi,I'll share with you some of my insights as a massage therapy center owner.  I hope this info is exactly what you're looking for  If you are looking at bringing in other massage therapists, there are both pros and cons to this issue.  The major advaneforum.xxxe is the ability to generate additional sales besides the massages that you personally do.  This is really nice, especially if you aren't available or are taking some vacation.Now, the cons.  Additional therapists can mean additional hassles for you.  Keeping track of which clients belong to a different therapist, collecting rent from them, and additional personal liability for you.  Here are a few suggestions to get started.  First, either find one other therapist to share the space with or plan on setting it up as a massage company.  If you're sharing the space, you can set up  a voice mailbox for each of you, and keep your clients separate that way.    Either way, you will want to eventually incorporate for liability protection.    Between everyone else working at the spa and any additional therapists you might hire or share space with, there are an infinite range of possible things that could go wrong that you could be considered liable.  For example, if the spa owner doesn't have the snow removed from the sidewalks and one of your clients slips & falls, you could also be liable.Second, if you are employing other therapists as an IC, you should set up one bank account and one appointment book to run everything.  Everyone keeps their appointment log as to who they worked on and you settle up every other week or monthly.  Why not right away?  If a client pays by credit card or check, you would need extra cash to pay the therapist on the spot.  This is an extra headache that you don't need, especially as you get busier.Third, get an official lease from the spa owner.  This protects both of you and prevents her from renting your space out to someone else without your permission.Finally, if you are employing other therapists, you will definitely want some type of non-compete, non-solict contract with them.  Some therapists have no qualms about stealing clients, and you want to discourage that right from the get go.  Those clients that they will be working on, will be found through your marketing & advertising expenses.  No contract means that someone could walk away with a big chunk of your business without any legal repercussions.                           Hope this helps,                                Michael    

 

[Sue C]

My question to those of you who  are independent contractors, how do you work client referrals? If you are already paying rent and get clients from the spa itself (walk ins), do you split 50/50 with the other person?Personal opinion:  I think if you decide to split 50/50 for client referrals from the spa then they need to split 50/50 with you if your people go there for services other than massage or decide to purchase products. However, if it were me, I'd say rent takes care of any fee splitting in the long run and it is better to keep it simple and rent only.... let the rest work out in the wash... you give a little / they give a little / you get a little / they get a little - but no fee splitting.  But that's just me.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Help- need some advice for new biz

Texas-gal, I agree completely. When I worked at a salon (as an I.C.) that's how I handled it. I figured that it all came out in the wash. I'm providing a service to their clientele, and they're making money off me anyway due to my renting space. Also, if someone asked me about other services at the salon I was always happy to refer them to whoever was best there at doing the service they were interested in.

 

[Lady P]

I agree, its definately not required to split for in-house referrals.  You pay rent and your service raises the value and profit potential of the entire business.