how to start up a practice?

[Nikki N]

hi all,this is such an excellent site...i am a soon to be graduated LMT....my grand plan was to work out of my home, until i discovered this is quite illegal where i live, outcalls not allowed btwn 8p-8a, and the laws are so strict for an established business that there are NO stand-alone massage practices in my city...i would LOVE to rent a space of some sort, but....how do you afford this w/out clients?? where do i find the clients?? people at school say, "oh by word of mouth", but if i dont have a practice, and they cant come to my home, how does this all get started??people in the student clinic have been asking where i will be when i graduate....what do i tell them? besides, school is not close to my home, most people coming to the clinic live nearby the school, so i dont think this would be a source of clients anyways.i have a table, but i cant afford a chair right now.thanks,

 

[Yadda Me HappyToday]

how to start up a practice?

To rent space without clients:Maybe find somewhere that already has a clientele for massage. Or to be safer, maybe ask if you can start on a commission, such as 60/40 (you getting 60% of what you make, and 40% is your 'rent'), then when your average commission reaches a certain level, start paying rent. You could do like me and get a second job to pay for all your bills/rent, and do massage with whatever time you have left until your clientele picks up enough to leave your second job. MANY possibilities.With finding clients, what I did to get word of mouth going was give away massage. Many people would say this is a bad idea, but it helped me out. I offered all of the police stations in my area (3 districts worth, lol) a free half hour massage, with the option to upgrade to an hour for a discounted price. About 80% took the upgrade, making me money, a few of them rebooked (I chose police, who don't really make much money, bad choice on my part), but the main thing was all of them really enjoyed it and told friends, and I got to pay my rent with the money I made.To the people asking where you will be, tell them you don't know quite yet. Who knows? One of them may be someone looking to have you rent space, or hire you as an employee. Make some business cards with no address, but your phone number on them. That way they'll at least be able to contact you, and maybe you can do an outcall for them while you're looking for an office.Since you already have a table, you already have everything you need to make a living. You can do solely outcalls if you'd like. The main thing is, whatever you have, use it to your advaneforum.xxxe and improvise until you get to where you need to be.Hope this helps!

 

[patricia]

Seforum.xxx: i love reading your posts...thanks for all the helpful info. the GC's are a good idea...mayb i will include the zoning board commissioners too!i'm thinking of doing something w/ my sister-in-law who is just finishing yoga teacher certification..mayb yoga classes would start off better and be a source of massage clients...another question just came to mind:  there are several communities in my area...i could rent space in the more upscale town where the money is but the rent is definitely much higher....or i could rent the more moderate neighborhoods, less rent...but less monied people..what do you think??

 

[Miss 6]

Palms, I'm in an area with many different communities also.  For now, I'm renting a room in a massage studio that is in a poorer area, BUT it's near the courthouse, and near many attorney's offices, so it's in a location where corporate-types do business on a daily basis.  Now, my practice isn't booming or anything since I'm only just getting started, but it's fine for now.  When I have my own space, I plan to have it somewhere in a middle-class area, high traffic.  I don't want to be in a snooty neighborhood, but do want to be in an area where every type of person is comfortable.  Plus, it's pretty important to be able to afford your rent.  Where you choose to set up business will effect the community's image of your business.  Choose carefully.Where is your sister-in-law going to yoga cert. school?  Just curious...I've always wanted to do that (in addition to everything else I want to go to school for, lol).  My big dream is to own a massage & yoga studio, like a women's wellness kind of place.  I can imagine the referrals between the two of you would be wonderful.  If she's willing to work with you, you should go for it!

 

[asdlfjkh k]

how to start up a practice?

i would LOVE to rent a space of some sort, but....how do you afford this w/out clients?? where do i find the clients??

I can only tell you what I had to do.

Firstly I think it is important to either have a stash of cash to get by or keep another job...afterall you have bills to pay.  I did both.

I graduated in 2003 and did strictly outcall.  I made the mistake of accepting client referrals from woworkers I worked on...the mistake in that was..they are 30 miles away from me...so.....

When I made the transition to an office last December I had no local clients!!..Yikes!

I did go a few months without making rent.  (that's where the stash came from ...and the need for my "day job").

I had the two years to save enough for first and last months rent...a new microwave, stereo, dresser and a Monet for the wall(allposters.com).

I found a great opportunity splitting rent (a nice 15x15 room) in a wellness center with a rest room and waiting area.  I also had GREAT luck in working with my co-leasee.  She was a co-student and we work well together.

Ok, for clients.  I doorhang and do direct mail...not the mailer type.   I actually create my own mailing lists from the streets near the office.  Print up ads and send them out.

I'm wanting so badly(not bad enough obviously) to jump in fulltime.  I am wary though..I keep remembering the months I didn't make rent....oh, and the gallbladder I had removed last October...What would I have done(or owed) without my benes from dayjob.

RObyn

 

[Robert S]

how to start up a practice?

another question just came to mind:  there are several communities in my area...i could rent space in the more upscale town where the money is but the rent is definitely much higher....or i could rent the more moderate neighborhoods, less rent...but less monied people..what do you think??

See about the NEXT town over or before the one you want to target.  The rents are usually lower and you may be lucky.

Robyn

 

[Seaman]

I started out renting space from another practicioner during the times he wasn't there. One client/week covers $200/mth rent. I then split the rent for another room with another therapist in the same location. Then, I rented my own room. And now, I have my own private large room,divided into a welcoming area and treatment space, in an office building with other professionals. I started out with some savings to cover personal expenses while I built up my business. I have another small source of income. I have never not made rent from the massage business. Nybor7, when you did mailings from your own mailing list (Good Idea!), did you address to "Occupant"? Since I'm editing for typos anyway, I'll add: I got the first clients (at least 1/wk) by giving away massages a  month or two before I graduated. And, I offered another free massage to those people if they referred anyone.

 

[shadowgirl15]

how to start up a practice?

Nybor7, when you did mailings from your own mailing list (Good Idea!), did you address to "Occupant"?

I "borrowed" the idea of harvesting addresses from a reverse directory from someone on this board.  I wasn't finding many so I tried Superpages.com which is from one of the biggie phone companies.  You throw ina name of a street and they pop out names and addresses.  So to answer your question, I address them to the person listed.  I know I frequently throw out to occupant mail myself.

Robyn