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Elizabeth Fletcher Brown
Elizabeth Fletcher Brown

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Archive for Massage and Money

Need Money to Expand Your Massage Business?

by Elizabeth
February 5th, 2008

I received an email from a massage therapist last week who was looking for some online resources that would help her decide what was the best way to approach a bank or lender for funding to help her growing her practice?

She felt that she had a solid business plan and was ready to take her business to the next level.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, a great place to start is with a bank that you already have a good relationship with. You might find someone there who would be happy to take a look at your business plan and give you some advice.

Also if you belong to any networking groups (or know someone who does) they can be a great source of educational support. One business networking group that I was a member of for a number of years regularly had a friendly bank representative there to answer members’ questions.

In addition, here are some great online resources I use:

If you are thinking of going to a bank for funding, entrepreneur magazine has some good articles.

And here are links to all kinds of traditional and non-traditional financing.

Also check out the Small Business Administration for some great articles on getting financial assistance for your business.

Categories Massage and Money
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What a Great Idea!

by Elizabeth
April 6th, 2007

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I just returned from a wonderful conference especially for entrepreneurs in Dallas, TX called the Idea Incubator. The whole 4 days was focused around taking your ideas from concept to cash.

How many times a day to you have an idea that could bring more money into your massage business? For example, you could teach a seminar, write an eBook or develop an eCourse on a subject you know a lot about.

Or you could link from your massage website (if you have one) to other sites that have complementary products you recommend to your clients anyway, and make money on the commissions (like with amazon.com).

So many ideas… so little time!

Anyway, on my blog over the next few days and weeks I’ll be sharing in detail some of what I learned that applies to running a massage business. So, if you’ve ever thought that it would be nice to have some additional streams of income coming in, and you’d like to know how, do check back.

Categories Massage and Money, Promoting Products in Your Massage Practice
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Putting All This Prosperity Stuff To The Test…

by Elizabeth
January 22nd, 2007

So, I’ve been re-reading one of my favorite classics, The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles, which is really the science of manifesting anything you want in your life, when….

Well, let’s just say I was thrown off course by the unexpected. You see my husband had a number of surgeries recently and just prior having them I called my health insurance company to verify our coverage.

Being self-employed, we pay over $800 a month for a high-deductible “catastrophe” policy, hoping that we’d never have to use it, but knowing that it was (at least on paper) an excellent policy if we ever did need it. In almost 10 years we’ve never put it to the test as we keep ourselves pretty healthy.

So after being told that we had 100% coverage after we met our deductible, I went white when I opened the mail on Saturday to find bill after bill has been denied, and for no reason that makes any sense. It adds up to a LOT of money.

So, how do I stay positive and feel abundant when facing a mountain of unexpected medical bills? Of course I’m going to appeal it, but who needs to deal with that!

I noticed that my mind keeps wandering to the “lack” side of the fence and I have to go get it and haul it back to the reality that it is an abundant universe.

So it was somewhat comforting to read in The Science of Getting Rich this morning that…

Every person has the natural and inherent power to think what he wants to think, but it requires far more effort to do so than it does to think the thoughts which are suggested by appearances. To think according to appearances is easy. To think truth regardless of appearances is laborious and requires the expenditure of more power than any other work a person has to perform.

So now I don’t feel quite so bad. It’s not just me that has trouble with this. Wattles goes on to explain that sustained and consecutive thought is the hardest work in the world. Especially when the truth it is contrary to appearances. That’s because every “appearance” creates a corresponding form in our mind. The bills certainly made an impression on my mind!!!

Yet, to create true abundance and wealth, I have to return time after time to the truth that it is an abundant universe, and that I can be, do and have what I want?

Boy, I’ve got my work cut out for me today…

Categories Massage and Money, Success Mindset
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If money was no object….

by Elizabeth
January 11th, 2007

This morning I was reading in The Science of Getting Rich, (see previous post) that Wallace D. Wattles doesn’t believe that we should be content with anything less than a life of abundance, including lots on money. He is not into poverty at all! In fact he says it goes against the universal laws of life.

“Whatever may be said in praise of poverty, the fact remains that it is not possible to live a really complete or successful life unless one is rich. No person can rise to his greatest possible height in talent or soul development unless he has plenty of money.”

Imagine having so much money because of your successful massage business that you never have to say “no” to something because of lack… Imagine being able to do what you want, when you want, with whom you want and as often as you want…

And when he said “rich” he was not speaking figuratively. He clarified by saying…

“To be really rich does not mean to be satisfied or content with little. No person ought to be satisfied with a little if he is capable of using and enjoying more. The purpose of nature is the advancement and development of life. Every individual should have all that can contribute to the power, elegance, beauty, and richness of life.”

So, Wallace D. Wattles believed that riches are an essential part of life. And let’s face it; with money we are able to expose ourselves to so much more. We are able to learn from great teachers, and have the experience of travel. With money, we don’t have to limit ourselves or the experiences from which we can learn and grow or give back to humanity.

Because I had the money, I was able to travel to study personally with one of my mentors, Bob Proctor who introduced me to The Science of Getting Rich two years ago. And that has impacted my life tremendously. Bob has now become so popular because of the success of the movie The Secret that had I not taken that chance to be mentored by him, it may not have presented itself again.

If money was no object, who would you like to meet and study with? Which conferences would you like to attend? Where would you like to travel to? How would your life be different from how it is now?

Categories Massage and Money, Success Mindset
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Should Massage Therapists Be Rich?

by Elizabeth
January 10th, 2007

The popularity of the movie The Secret has brought a renewed interest in the classic, The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles. I’ve written about that book before and will continue to do so because I think it has a very powerful message for massage therapists.

Wattles says, right in the first chapter of the book, that it is our BIRTHRIGHT to live full, abundant lives. The universe is an abundant universe, and wants us to have it all. He goes on to explain that being rich in all areas of life, including financially is our Divine Right.

He says that many people believe it is all right to be content with poverty? Do you? A lot of massage therapists seem to think it is. I too used to have a difficult time charging what I was really worth. I felt that because I was helping folks I should give my services away (or almost).

I felt guilty even thinking about or imagining getting wealthy from serving others in need. And let’s face it; doesn’t everyone need healing touch these days? So how was I ever going to have that lifestyle I dreamed about? And my husband Francis was (still is) also a massage therapist! So did that mean we were doomed to a life of “just getting by”?

No it did not! But it did mean I had to make some changes in my business and in my life….. and most especially in my thinking.

And I’m going to share with you in upcoming posts some of the things that helped me along the way. Maybe they’ll help you too, or other massage therapists you know who may be struggling with making money and creating abundance in their lives. My passion is to help bring more prosperity to the massage profession as a whole. Will you join me?

Categories Massage and Money, Success Mindset
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What Do You Do When You Can’t Massage?

by Elizabeth
December 3rd, 2006

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We recently got dumped on with a foot-and-a-half of snow at my house. It was cold enough to freeze my dog’s whiskers to his face. And yesterday was the first day in a week that I could get out of my driveway (I live at the top of a very steep hill).

And when I did get into town, I ran into a colleague at the post office. She told me that she had to reschedule ALL of her massage clients for the entire week because of the weather. It reminded me of when I was 100% dependent on my massage client income for my livelihood.

But now I make money from a variety of sources, some of them pretty much passive. For example, I have written a number of programs to help other massage therapists build successful practices. Once the initial work of writing the program is done, I continue to make money each time someone buys it.

I have spoken to other massage therapists who have written e-books for their target market, or on a specialized subject, such as proper stretching techniques. Some therapists teach teleclasses or live workshops. Many have websites that promote a variety of products through affiliate links (where they don’t actually stock and sell the products – but they refer folks to a website like www.Amazon.com and make a commission on any sales made).

So I was wondering how many other therapists have found interesting ways to make additional massage income streams that don’t depend on them doing hands-on work, or that maybe are even completely passive (in that you do the work once, and continue to make money).

If that’s you, please hit the comments link below and let us know what you’ve done. We’d love to hear from you.

Categories Massage and Money
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Making More Money With Same Day Appointments

by Elizabeth
October 18th, 2006

Here is another gem from Tamara Felix, PhD, LMT of The Right Touch

Thank you for your article on “do you charge enough?” Absolutely timely, and I truly hope massage therapists across the country get it! The cost of living has more than trippled in the last decade, but most massage theraists are STILL CHARGING THE SAME as they did 10 years ago! No wonder they’re struggling…

Just had to share a new money-making strategy I implemented about a month ago… you will appreciate. I had not accepted same-day appointments for years due to the serious disruption to my schedule. However, I get a lot of same-day requests, and have accepted quite a few lately due to a lighter summer schedule… Still a disruption, and realized the great convenience I was providing was at my expense. Why not charge more? I informed my scheduling service and just started advertising — plastered signs on my office windows, updated my Guide to Services (menue), and on my website:

“Same-Day Appointments now available $99. Any service of your choice. Includes all urgent care fees.”

My scheduling service thought I was really pushing the envelope, but the next day had a same-day appointment with no qualms, pretty much every day therafter, and several every Friday!!!

Yep. People ARE willing to pay more for convenience! And, $99 is worth the disruption in my schedule. Now I’m considering adding an evening appointment or two to my schedule at $99.

Thank you for your generosity Tamara. To your ongoing massage success…

Categories Massage and Money
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Make More Money Promoting Massage Gift Certificates This Year

by Elizabeth
May 7th, 2006

One year at Christmas, a client of mine said that she would like to purchase a gift certificate for her boss to get a massage as she was so stressed out. (Now there’s a smart strategy!).

However she wasn’t sure if her boss would use it as she had never had a massage before. So I told her that I would put a 6 month expiration date on the certificate, and if her boss didn’t use it, it would revert back to her to use for herself or gift to someone else. She loved the idea so much that she bought more certificates for family Christmas gifts that year.

So that inspired a new policy with gift certificates in my practice. When someone purchased one (or more), I’d ask for the name and phone number of the recipient (if that information was available). After 6 months I’d call the recipient to remind them it was about to expire. I would always extend that if they asked.

They were also free to transfer it before it expired. If it still did not get used, I’d call the purchaser and they could schedule a session, or I’d re-issue them with a new certificate. Because of this policy I have sold a LOT of massage certificates.

Do note that in some states, (for example, Washington) it is illegal to put an expiration date on a gift certificate, so do check your local laws.

How have you used gift certificates successfully in your practice?

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Categories Getting Massage Clients, Massage and Money
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