i didn't think it would be like this ...

[Pompal 09.]

I always wanted to be a massage therapist and it took me 3 career changes and many years to finally study massage, get certified and start living my dream.

But now I am not so sure if I did the right thing. Yes, this is what I always wanted but now I am disillusioned... I just never thought that making a living from massage would be so HARD!

My practice is 1 year old now and it is doing ok. I know that I have to be patient and have to work at making my practice grow but I live in a tiny seaside village and I am beginning to think that I am never going to be making enough to cover the bills.

I feel really sad that it seems that my dream is not realisitc.... and so as 2008 starts, I think that I need to make other plans...

So.... do I move to the big, bad scary city and earn more money OR do I stay living in my seaside hideaway and turn over every cent for the rest of my life....

When do we know that a dream is over? HELP

 

[moca]

Don't give up. Remember, it takes 3-5 years to build a business, any business. I went thru the same problems, to a point after expenses I cleared only $300.00 for the month. I thought I could make more working at McD's. Two months later, it all turned around and in a huge way.
So stay the course. Maybe adding a modality that no one in your area can deliver. Make yourself unique.

 

[Pompal 09.]

please don't give up!

my dh started out working on horses in the fall of '05. we sold our house. moved into an rv, and made the best of it. it was hard- we have a very large family- not much space at all! there were many, many times we worried that we'd made the wrong decision. but we stuck it out.

now my dh is also people-licensed, and i and our eldest ds are going to massage school too! 2007- just a year and a half to two and a half years into his new business- my dh had one of the best years we've ever had. i keep telling him, this is just the beginning; the best years of our lives are ahead of us.

hang in there. when the devil on your shoulder whispers 'no' in your ear, face the other direction!!!

 

[kpk]

Patience...January is always a slower month. If you're in a seaside town, what is the tourism like? Will the spring/summer months bring lots of people in? If so, that could be a focal point for you.

It's a trade - you live in a beautiful, quiet location...so perhaps your business needs to be tailored to that sort of place.

What sort of marketing have you done? Work on client retention, in addition to new clientele.

Building a practice can take a LOT of time, energy, and above all patience. I'm on my third time due to pregnancy and motherhood...but it will happen!

 

[yewknowit]

Actually, it sounds like you're doing pretty good. To be making steady money (if not necessarily as much as you'd dreamed of) in a limited market says a great deal about your work. I'd say stick with it, maybe augment your MT income until your finances are more to your liking.

Best of luck.