Hiring help

[Randi]

Well, it's been almost 3 years and it's safe to say that I'm here to stay I'm averaging about 13 clients a week right now, and in July, I only had 5 days where I didn't have anyone scheduled, and I am getting to the point where I'm showing signs of burnout. My therapist had to work on me for 2 hours the other day because my body is so jacked up....so I've been thinking that down the road, I might be ready to bring someone else on. Some background info:

My company is an LLC and it's just me there. I'm just paying taxes annually although I think I'm going to start doing quarterly filing.

I rent a small office in a building where there are other people renting (therapists, hypnotherapist, dietician, etc) and pay $350/month (it's in a great location)

Now, if I did bring someone on, I would most likely do a perceneforum.xxxe split, say 70/30 and would ask that they just provide their own linens and oil. They would be there more to pick up overflow work or be in there maybe one day a week to start, and just kind of be on call depending on client requests.

Has anyone gone from being a one-woman (or man) show to bringing on another person? How will that work, tax wise? Would I give them a 1099? I'm clueless about this and really like it being just me, but I know that I'm only going to get busier and can only work so much in one week and I'd like to eventually get to the point where I do have other people working for me but that is a long way out.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Pompal 09.]

I dont have any employees (yet!), but one woman I worked for did a 1099 for me @ tax time. I was an IC, she had me sign an IC form. She did provide the linens, but I dont think thats standard.
Im hoping if anyone hires ICs or employees will respond, as I would like to hire someone within the next 6 months or so.
Sounds like youre very, very busy! Keep taking good care of yourself til you get some help!!

 

[Timbo is here]

Hiring help

I'm averaging about 13 clients a week right now, and in July, I only had 5 days where I didn't have anyone scheduled, and I am getting to the point where I'm showing signs of burnout.

This question is a little off-topic, but I was wondering if you're working 7 days a week, or if you have a set work schedule? I find that new massage therapists often take clients whenever they call, because they feel they need the business. But then, due to never having any complete days off, they burnout quickly. If you are working 7 days/week, maybe now's the time to set a work schedule of just 5 days?

 

[nat]

This is my "standard" schedule: (and I'm only in there if I see clients, usually it's split up with 2 in the morning and 2-3 in the evening, or something along those lines, the past several weeks have just been all over the place)

Monday-Thursday, 9am-7pm
Friday-9am-1pm (I'm usually not even in the office Fridays though, every other Friday I have a chair massage job I do)
Weekends-I try not to, and if I do, it is usually just one or two clients.

This week for example, I had 3 today (one of which was a half hour), and I was there from about 3pm-7pm, tomorrow is hell, 7 clients (threw two in because I couldn't get them in anywhere else and I have a 2 hour break), no one wednesday (and it's staying that way), 5 on Thursday (one is a half hour) and no one Friday-Sunday (and it's staying that way).

Ideally, I'd like to see 5 clients a day, 3 days a week, or 4 clients 4 days a week, but there were days in July where I would have 4 clients one day, one the next, 3 after that, etc., and it just got to the point where I needed a few days off. I'm learning to say no though because I know I have to take care of myself.

 

[2/20/2009]

If I can make a very, very strong comment about your split...

What are your long term goals for your practice? Do you intend to stay in your location for an extended period of time? Do you ever intend to expand what you offer? How about upgrades and advertising and such? How much would you say you have invested (time and or money) into getting your clients?

70/30 sounds like a very honorable split, but it is a horrible business decision. It sounds good for right now, because you are thinking that you would respect the therapist, and you want to pay them what you would want (in your mind) to make them feel respected. That sounds great and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But... take some hard earned advice from someone who did the exact same thing and have paid dearly for it. I respected my therapists more than I respected myself. I devalued the money and time I spent on getting the clients in the door that they were working on. All they had to do was show up and the clients were there. Everyone was happy and making money, except I was working until 10:00 every night keeping up with it all. That time is worth something, but I didn't value my efforts enough to charge a higher perceneforum.xxxe from my MT's.

PArt two of this is that the % I originally started with worked for the space I was in, but I didn't intend to stay there forever. When I expanded my office, the overhead went up, but the % stayed the same. Each time I expanded, this happened. I had to make some very hard financial decisions - and one of those was changing the commission structure for my therapists (Some of which had been with me for 5+ years). I can only assure you that it is much easier to raise your commissions or add bonuses, than it is to lower them.

Please take my advice and not make your decisions based on what works right now, rather than where you want it to be. The arrow never reaches it's target if you are aiming at your feet. (Hey- that sounded pretty good! I might use that one again!)

I will be happy to share more with you if you are interested.

 

[crickeys]

Hiring help

I have to say, we're all capable of different amounts of work, but I am surprised that you are "burning out" on 13 clients a week.

Please don't mis-understand - if you can only do that many then that is how it is - but I can't help but think you may just need to re-structure some things.

I have been in practice - one way or another for 14 years. I have yet to feel like I am reaching a burn-out pattern, unless I am doing "too much" chair massage. It really whoops me.

Of course we all have to do what we have to do, and during those times, I had to get more bodywork. Quite a bit more -- at a rate of once a week - minimum.

I can handle 20-25 people a week without much stress, when given the chance on a 4 1/2 day work week (for the 25 it would be a 5 day work week). Now, it doesn't always happen, but I have noticed I work well with those numbers which is why I mention them. But, I do have to be focused and I do have to have three days in a row to get my life done when doing that.

So, I don't know if maybe you can ramp up to 15-20, but it may just be a matter of cleaning up your schedule some and getting more regular massage work on yourself. Especially since you mentioned you like working by yourself.

I agree on the 7 person day as being pretty rough - and I too have to do that when I need to make my numbers for the week but the client can't fit in on a particular day.

Is there a way to build the chair massage into a M, T, W, or Th? Maybe work around it on the every other week, so you still have your F, S, Su off? That small change may make a big difference.

Also, another suggestion is to make specific Sat. hours if you are going in randomly for 1 or 2 clients. Make sure and get them on a fixed schedule if possible (you probably already do, but it is worth mentioning if you don't).

Another thing is to see if you can pull a few hours off of the M-Th schedule. You are working a lot of hours in a day which also may be what is contributing to the burnout.

I'll give you an example of my schedule. It won't work for everyone, but it does work fairly efficiently for the time frames in the day. It doesn't accomodate everyone, but catches good times for most of my clients. I found the majority of my clients needed an evening MT and since I am more of an evening person, I made my schedule to work more with that. I had 1 or 2 morning people who showed their displeasure with my schedule and constantly complained about my not having earlier morning hours, but keeping the business open to help people is the goal and unfortunately, they didn't care about that, only that I would take care of them. So, they eventually had to go elsewhere. It was sad, but at the same time, I have to pay the rent. Rent doesn't get paid with one client who wants to come in at 9 am every 4th Tuesday (if you know what I mean).

Of course I pretty much post the same info over and over, because I try to come from a place I know. That would be my practice.

So, if you've seen this information before, I am sorry for the "peat and re-peat". :


Sun-M: Off

T: Off-ish. Not in office, but taking care of personal and business at home or wherever I may need to be. 99% of the time it is at home and takes me about half a day. Folding sheets from Fri/Sat, making some business calls, taking care of my own personal bills and shopping. That sort of thing. That one percent of the time, I'll make a special trip into the office to do something there or to see a client or two. That's about 3 times per year at this point. I did have to work to get to this schedule over the course of a few years though. When my life slows down I'll go bact to being in the office on Tuesdays, but I will bring it on as half days and cluster-book before opening the whole day. I've just had a lot going on and needed the rest.

W-F: 11:00 - 8:00 (I take an 11, 12:30, optional 2, 3:30, 5:30 and 7pm appointment)

S: 2-6pm (I take a 2, 3:30 and, 5pm appointment. I will on the rare occasion that a 12:30 - recently for a lady who had a knee replacement and shee needs care twice a week and my Sat. schedule was full for the afternoons --- but again, that is rare and completely depends on my ability and who the client is. I will also sometimes take a 7 or 8 pm --- again, all depending on how I am doing and who the client is. It is not avaliable for the masses. )

I have some other things, like hotel work that I do in the late evenings, but I have scaled that down a bit and now it may be an appointment every month or two. I also have some other on-call work, but I do put that in a regular work day, which is why I mentioned moving the chair massage to a general work day and taking off on those Fridays.

Hope this helps in some way.


I just don't have any answers for this part:

Has anyone gone from being a one-woman (or man) show to bringing on another person? How will that work, tax wise? Would I give them a 1099? I'm clueless about this and really like it being just me, but I know that I'm only going to get busier and can only work so much in one week and I'd like to eventually get to the point where I do have other people working for me but that is a long way out.

 

[barbell100]

Hiring help

I have to say, we're all capable of different amounts of work, but I am surprised that you are "burning out" on 13 clients a week.

It's not that I'm burning out on 13 clients a week, I did 7 today (5 in a row then a 2 hour break then back for 2 more) and I was fine through all of it (although I'm beat now and can't wait to sleep), it's just that it feels like I am doing nothing but working these days. I'm going on vacation at the end of the month which will really help to recharge me, but I'm thinking more long term, down the road about hiring people because I feel bad that I can't accomodate everyone when they want to be seen. I originally had 5 today and was fine with it until I had to cram in 2 more just so I could still have tomorrow off and I'm booked on Thursday and don't plan on booking anyone on Friday. Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful for the business (especially in this economy), I just don't want to start giving my clients less of a massage because my body is tired.

 

[Ascendancy]

70/30 sounds like a very honorable split, but it is a horrible business decision.

You make it sound like honor and good business are mutually exclusive!

 

[YourNightmaer37]

Hiring help

I feel bad that I can't accomodate everyone when they want to be seen.

I originally had 5 today and was fine with it until I had to cram in 2 more just so I could still have tomorrow off.

I know this feeling bad thing is common to our profession, so I know you have heard this before, but you absolutely MUST let go of this feeling bad about someone else's schedule or you are going to burn out emotionally, and fast. (I know, easier said than done, but it's an absolute necessity.)

As far as the second sentence - people will just have to wait. I know, I know, we have to make a living, we are grateful for the business, etc, but massage therapy is not an emergency service. Very soon you are going to be so busy that there simply will not BE any open spots to "cram" people into, and they will have to schedule ahead or not get in. I think it is most healthy for MTs not to do this cramming, because we end up burnt out physically and burnt out emotionally, resenting our clients for being too needy (which they aren't, we just let them be) : .

I agree that a 70/30 split is way too high. I mean it sounds lovely, but my preference is to go with a specific dollar amount rather than a perceneforum.xxxe anyway.

Hang in there - you can do it!

 

[Tariq E]

Rebecca,

I'm in a similiar situation, and I'm so glad you brought up this topic. My practice will be 2 years old in November, and I'm seeing close to the amount of clients you're seeing, except for the summer when my numbers drop drastically.

I formed an LLC like you, and it's just me here. I didn't know you could file taxes annually, and I file through my accountant quarterly. I get her my figures 10 days before the due date, and she files for me and charges me $10.00. It's worth it to me. I was told I could file quarterly up to $500/month in taxes, and then I had to file monthly.

I have a 3 room studio with a large sitting room and 2 treatment rooms. I was paying $550/month up unitl May when my rent was increased to $700/month. It's a lot, but I really can't complain. I payed $500/month for the first 6 months, and then went up to $550/month for the next 12 months. It was a fantastic deal for the space I have. Sitting room is large and airy with valuted ceiling and wall of windows, and I have kitchen use, lots of storage space and a private bathroom for my clients. So when the rent went up to $700/month in May, what could I say? It was in the agreement we made, so I had to bite the bullet.

Up until then I had been using my smaller treatment room for storage, and at the lower rent, it was just fine. When my rent increased though, I knew it was time to hire a therapist. Plus, just like you, I knew I couldn't do it all. I have been advertising very successfully since for last 9 months, and have been turning prospective clients away, because if I didn't I would have time to do all the other stuff I need to do.

I don't do as many massage as you or pueppi do though. To be honest with you, I don't see how either of you can do so much in a day. I don't know, maybe it's an age thing. I'm 54 and really can't comfortablly do more than 4 massages/day. I perfer 3, but will do 5 if necessary, but not on a regular basis. I begin my first massage at 10:00 and begin my last at 7:00. Of course, I like to cluster my appointments, but it doesn't always work.

Although I've grown quite nicely in these 2 years, I am still far from being able to support myself. I could provide a nice suplementary income, but not a primary one. I have 2 more years before my savings run out, so I've got 2 more years to make it work well enough to totally support me. I'm determined, but I'm tired,and I know I won't be able to do this on my own. Besides, with an eye to the future, practices that employ a couple of therapists are easier to sell, and I'd like to create something worth selling when I'm finished.

If it was just my time spent massaging, it would be different, but it's also my time at home doing paperwork, and for me it's almost nonstop marketing and networking, and this is a large part of what exhausts me and takes up a lot of my time.

I'm not going to hire an employee, because before I issue anyone a paycheck, I'm going to issue one to myself. I'm not allowed to sublease my spare treeatment room. So for me, all it leaves is hiring a therapist as an independent contractor.

I agree with whomever said 70-30 is not a good split for you. I'm starting with 45-55 with room for an increase. Considering I worked in a spa and worked my ass off (massage after massage scheduled with NO breaks in between) for 30%, I feel I'm being very respectful of other therapists.

I would be hiring an independent contractor for the same exact reasons you would be--I need someone to pick up my overflow. What I have been advertising is for someone who will take my client overflow and work to keep them coming back. I'm looking for someone with flexible hours which would be worked out at the beginning of every week, and the times they choose will be the times they'll be on call. I wouldn't want anyone to do an entire day, but half a day or so a 2-3 times a week would be perfect.

This way I would not only be able to accomodate more clients, but I could also leave myself some time to get all the other business stuff done.

I will provide table and linens, but all else is up to them. This way, if I decide to hire another independent contractor somewhere down the line, they can both share the room more easily.

I'll tell you what was a big help to me--I went to our local community college where they have a small business institute and I made an appointment to consult with a season businesswoman. The appointment was free of charge, and they offered 1 hour of a local attorney's time to but together the contract. Apparently what the contract says if quite important in order to be considered as an independent contractor an not an employee, and many employers get into trouble with this.

One of the things I was told was to make sure I collect the money from the client and pay the therapist her comission, rather than her accepting the money, taking her comission and paying me the balance. If it's done this way, she would have to issue you the 1099 instead of you issuing it to her, which, of course, is the way it should be done. So be careful who is actually taking payment from the client, because legally, it does make a difference.

Let's keep this discussion going!

Meryl

 

[Hiram]

Hiring help

I have to say, we're all capable of different amounts of work, but I am surprised that you are "burning out" on 13 clients a week.

It's not that I'm burning out on 13 clients a week, I did 7 today (5 in a row then a 2 hour break then back for 2 more) and I was fine through all of it (although I'm beat now and can't wait to sleep), it's just that it feels like I am doing nothing but working these days.

Well, then my post may not help you much if this is all you got out of it.

Sorry you feel like you are working too much. Maybe someone else will have some info that will help.

Good luck.

 

[Smoochy "Heathen"]

Hiring help

I have to say, we're all capable of different amounts of work, but I am surprised that you are "burning out" on 13 clients a week.

It's not that I'm burning out on 13 clients a week, I did 7 today (5 in a row then a 2 hour break then back for 2 more) and I was fine through all of it (although I'm beat now and can't wait to sleep), it's just that it feels like I am doing nothing but working these days.

Well, then my post may not help you much if this is all you got out of it.

Sorry you feel like you are working too much. Maybe someone else will have some info that will help.

Good luck.

Oh no pueppi, you gave me a lot to think about with your post and thank you for pointing out the things that you did. It has made me look at my schedule differently and consider changing it around so I don't have these long days that I am available. I am grateful for the work that I have and the work that keeps coming in, but like another poster said, it's everything else that goes along with it, not to mention my personal life, etc. I find that I've been turning down social invitations because I'm just too tired, and I don't want my life to become nothing but work.

 

[Pompal 09.]

I will provide table and linens, but all else is up to them. This way, if I decide to hire another independent contractor somewhere down the line, they can both share the room more easily.

You need to be careful -- providing equipment / tools for contractors is one of the tests the IRS looks for in considering them employees.

If you choose to go down this path, you need to put in your contract a different pay rate should the contractor choose to provide their own table and linens. This way you are charging "rent" or a "laundry fee", which is permissible by IRS standards. And you have to let them do so for the higher % if they prefer that.

You can stipulate the color and quality of sheets, product used, etc.

 

[Susanne R]

Learned most everything I know the hard way.

Imagine someone got pissed off for having their contract terminated (you don't "fire" contractors, or use that word around them) for failing to live up to that contract, then all of a sudden the convenient arrangement of providing X, Y or Z becomes a violation of the law when they attempt to get even by contacting this or that agency.

Think of all the ugly stories you see here about someone being resentful over losing clients to a fellow therapist -- take that mentality and add the government and you are headed for trouble.

Being "honorable" will end up costing you even more when someone decides you are no longer honorable, but are now evil, for judging them to be less than professional.

No good deed will go unpunished, unless punishment is strictly prohibited in a binding contract!

 

[TimothyRayburn]

R&R,

Yes, you're right about that. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. When you mentioned this, it jogged my memory to remember a conversation I had with someone about this. He said he charged a 'rental fee' for whatever he provided. It's just a matter, for me, of figuring out how to word it correctly in the contract, and what numbers to insert so that it all makes sense.

What I don't understand right now is how the 'rental fees' affect the commission. For instance, if she receives $31.50 commission on a massage, do I have to subtract a certain amount from that comission for the 'rental fees'? In other words, do I have to lower her commission perceneforum.xxxe so that I can allow room for the fees I am collecting from her?

This is why I'm so glad the community college will provide me with an hour of legal consultation. What I need to do is make a list of all that needs to be addressed in the contract, and how to word things so that the IRS doesn't question me.

I told my perspective independent contractor that she would need to provide her own music system, but I would provide the CD's. Does this mean that I have to put a 'rental fee' for music in the contract as well?

If you have the time, would you mind mentioning any other issues I'll need to look at and address in the contract. I would appreciate it, because the more prepared I am when I see the lawyer, the more sure I''l be able to be that everything that needs to be addressed is covered.

Thanks,
Meryl