Discouraged

[TAG]

I've been out of school for 2 weeks now.  I'm working at a YMCA and I start a second massage freelance career 2 days a week in a salon tomorrow.  In the last 2 weeks at the Y I've only had 4 clients.  I feel like I could do better in the Salon, but it's in a small town.  Now I am a male MT on top of all that.  So I guess my question is should I be looking for a "real job" part time and do the salon on the side?  I really dont want to do that.  I spend all this time in school thinking that I could do massage for time and earn a decent living.  I'm not looking to get rich....clearing $300-$400 a week is my only goal right now.

 

[shibby]

I am considering starting school to become a MT next month.  I have been doing quite a bit of research about the field.  From what I've read it can take a year or more to build a good client base.  I know that I plan on working as a school counselor for awhile after I complete my training.  Don't give up!  Even if you have to get another job for awhile, it doesn't mean that you won't continue to build your business as a massage therapist.  

 

[rapidrpm]

To be honest...i'm not marketing myself at the Y.  I really dont like working at the Y.  It was the first job offer I had so I jumped on it.   But it's 44mins from my house and working on call is killing me.  I have been sending resumes to chiropractors, sending chair massage proposals to everyone I can think of who would be interested in it.  So far...I've heard from no one.  It's been 2 weeks since I sent them out.  I met the salon owner i'm going to work for now by hanging out at my friends citgo station.  Whom let me set up a raffle for a free 30min massage.

 

[lebanese Spirit]

I have been out of school since September and have felt quite discouraged also. An MT that I know was gracious enough to take me in to her place, she has two other MTs that work there part time. Everyone is pretty much on their own, which means finding your own clientele for the most part. My biggest hinderance? My 95 year old grandmother is in a declining state, but in these type of situations it's hard to tell when it will be over. I care for her about 15-20 hours a week, care for my home and my own family, and have other personal situations that sap my will and energy toward massage. I love doing what I do, my husband and mom tell me that I haven't lost my touch when working on them. I have been trying to get some things together for promoting myself, but its been difficult to say the least. I feel that my obligations toward my grandmother are more important at this time, and to not focus on her now would be a great dissevice to her and a great regret for me.I have had a few clients since starting with my friend, but I haven't been able to accept most due to my schedule. I do have a bright side, however! I have been accepted to apprentice at the school I went to, and that will begin in February. I realize that getting a clientel up to speed will take time, and I am willing to wait for that, it just feels so discouraging now. Sorry to sound like I am complaining, but it has been on my mind a lot and I have been wanting to talk about it for quite some time!  :'(

 

[alep21]

Discouraged

Hi.

It took about 5 years for me to get to a point where I wasn't working steadily part-time while being at my business.  Granted, I had a pretty interesting situation coming out of college.  But, I can tell you that if you don't have money backing you, plan that it will take a long time and a lot of hard work to get to a point to where you don't have to work part-time anymore.  

I am going to tell you something you may not like.

To be honest...i'm not marketing myself at the Y.  I really dont like working at the Y.  It was the first job offer I had so I jumped on it.   But it's 44mins from my house and working on call is killing me.

If it's killing you and you don't like it, you can either leave or decide to make it work for you -- that is is only thing I can tell you.  I'd suggest to start marketing at the Y, if you think you are going to have to be there a while.

I drive 45 mins. to work in the morning and 45 mins. back in the evening.  

When I did outcalls for three years, I was driving 45 mins. to the call and 45 min. back anywhere from 8pm - 2am (that was at a hotel and on top of whatever work day I had already done or it was in between some clients during the day.  My work day usually consisted of sporatic day hours // regular work minus the hotel out-calls could at 8am & ending at 9pm... while other days it may begin at 10am and end at 7pm... and then other days it may be something totally different ---- that was because I was juggling so many jobs to keep my business open).  

Not everyone can do that kind of travelling, and it is a lot of wear and tear, but just to let you know, you aren't the only one and if you hang tough and get a fixed idea, you can make it!  And it will pay off!  

I have pulled a few links that may be helpful.

Starting a New Business
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7582

Get A REAL Job!!!???? (Long Post)
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9030

What are Common Second Business Careers of MT's?
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=10146


Hope this helps.

PS - I sent you a PM about a week ago, and offered to give you some point specific info to one of your posts.  You might want to check your PM box and write back if you think I can.

 

[Maryah]

Discouraged

 You graduated two weeks ago...statistically it takes 2-3 years to build sufficient clientele to make a decent living.  The first year is the MOST difficult.  

I'm afraid Pete's right -- and there's no way around this. Two to three *years*. Not weeks. Not months.

Have you sent a letter to every single person you know, announcing that you're in business? Friends, family, former co-workers, cousins, church members, classmates, sports team buddies, whatever.... they need to know you're looking for business, too.

Perhaps you can make your marketing machine mobile -- take materials with you to work on while you're in the Y's neighborhood, and just stay there for most of the day if the drive is killing you (have a pager or cell phone so they can reach you). Maybe there's a coffee shop nearby where you don't have to spend a lot of money, but can spend a lot of time, and then just go home at the end of the day? Maybe this coffee shop would love for you to do some chair massage there?

Other potential chair massage places: health food store, book store. Walk in there with confidence, your best smile, firmest handshake, and stack of business cards, and introduce yourself. A face-to-face intro might get you farther than written chair massage proposals.

Get the book _Marketing Massage_ by Monica Roseberry -- it's excellent. And available on amazon.com.

Texas-gal is right, too -- either market yourself at the Y and make a go of it, or move on. You can't rely on the Y to market for you, even if it seems that they will. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but it's true -- in the beginning, all you have is time. Make the most of it! It will pay off in the end.  

Also, I forget whether you can do chair massage at the Y? If the regulars there can meet you first through chair massage (make sure you charge for it), they may be more likely to book an appointment with you.

Keep at it!! And good luck!

 

[Jetta]

don't let being a male get in the way of being a successi know lots of females that are still not doing well after 1 or 2 years.be true to what you do and who you are and the clients will come.One thought  this might seem a little crazy but have you ever thought of marketing to other MTsnot so much for working on thembut for covering their practice for a week or two so they can go on vacation or just for a day or two when they are sick.I presonaly would love it if I had some one I could trust to take care of my clients when I cant.any way good luck and being a male MT is a good thing

 

[craftongurl]

Discouraged

I agree about the Y thing. I tried a stint at a local YMCA last year and although it seemed like it would take off in the beginning; it petered out after a few months. It's possible that people at the particular Y where I was simply couldn't afford joining the Y and getting a massage now and then. I was offering discounts on chair massage and people would take advaneforum.xxxe of them; however, once the discount trial period was over and the rates went to normal, hardly anyone signed up for chair massage.I met some wonderful people and even had someone network for me at an upscale retail place they worked at. Unfortunately, the commute to that retail place was long and arduous and simply not worth the very few clients I got from going there.Overall, I would recommend the Y only as a temporary place to work at while you are trying to establish your massage business.Be well,Jen

 

[Pompal 09.]

Just a couple of things I learnt about marketing from another business I built.Feeling discouraged is an important part of the process, and will help you work out how to get to where you really want to be. آ If it all came easily, some corporation would package it, sell it cheap (as some are trying to in the US, I understand), and put the true independent people out of business. آ Clients are hard-won, and easily lost, but if you treat them right they will look stay with you for the long journey.Try not to be discouraged about hearing nothing back from letters you send out. آ Most people will ignore unsolicited mail, and if one in a hundred gets a response, then that's good. آ Don't think of the 99 as wasted effort, you are telling the universe your message, and it will answer in time. آ Be glad about the 1 that could bring you a client who stays with you for years. آ If you are using a 'direct mail' approach, think lots and lots of letters, so that the 1 in 100 is 10 in 1000.Think about how you would choose a MT for yourself, and put yourself in the shoes of a client who you might want to work with. آ You might want to meet them in person, so get out there and meet as many people as you can, in as many different circles. آ Make opportunities to meet the people who you would like to work with, and tell them, face to face, about what you do, and why you love it. آ You might want to buy a MT service from a particular type of place - a gym, a spa, a doctor's office, etc - get around these places, and get yourself interviews with whoever makes the decisions there.A lot of the best gigs I ever got were through people I had worked with before - attend MT seminars and workshops as much as you can, and talk to the other people and the facilitators - get a feel for the buzz, and the opportunities that are out there. آ People will see your passion and skill, and remember you for when something comes up.And don't forget to get regular bodywork yourself, and learn something about marketing and practice from how others do it. آ You need to look after yourself and nurture yourself and your young business through these early days.  It's a small seedling that will grow and flower, so think plenty of watering, feeding, and tending! ;-)

 

[bluebonnetgranny]

It's definitely hard to get going at first.  Get a massage gig where you want to build your practice that way your regulars can stay with you in one place (minimal location hopping).Anything you run across that is marketing/promotion that doesn't cost anythign (or very little), try them all.P-T job is a great way to start as it takes some of the financial pressure off as you build.  

 

[BARRY B]

I graduated school in May of '03 and since then, I have bounced around at several different jobs only to find that the only way to really make some money is to do it myself.  I was working at an upscale day spa 4 days a week, making pretty good money, about $2000 a month but realized that I absolutely hated it there...I hate doing "spa" massages and felt that I wasn't being utilized to my fullest, so I did something about it.  I got my own place to do massage in.  I pretty much quit the spa so that would light a fire under my butt to start marketing myself, as much as I didn't want to.  I joined a BNI group (http://www.bni.com) and they, for the most part, have been good to me.  I had a grand opening special in October, only $40 (instead of $55) for a one hour massage and that was my best month, I did 15 clients and made almost $900.  I would've done better for December but I had a few freebies to do (I do a "frequent rub club, after 5 the 6th is free) and I have plans to really start marketing myself in the new year, posting signs, fish bowls, etc.  I'm not a public speaker and hate doing cold calling but until the word of mouth thing really takes off, we have to do stuff we don't want to.  It's only been a few weeks, be patient!  I still have trouble telling myself that, even after a year and a half.

 

[Pompal 09.]

It's never easy starting out but network with other massage therapist in your area, speak at you local Rotary and maybe donate your time there( give chair massage for donation to... the rotary always has somthing.  Bochures do it on your computer print it out and bring it to a copying place with some card stock paper ( Wal_mart) and you can get 100 copys done for $13.00 more or less if you use black and white you can do the same for your business cards fliers.  and just hand them out everywhere you can.  Introduce yourself to the community chamber of commerce, business owners in town fitness clubs.  give out complementary massages to ciropractors, Physical therapists, hair dressers( they talk a-lot) doctors.  and give people deals like 10% off your firts massage and when you get them in there and you finsh the massage session tell them if they book now they get the some 10% off for just booking a head of time.  belive me they either book a head 90% of the time the other 10% will regret it if they don't the next time you charge them full price and make sure you tell them there paying full price. if you want more Ideas reply back.  Kat