12 Steps How to Starting A Massage Therapy Business

(doylc.com) How to Start a Massage Therapy Business - A massage therapist improves a person's health and well-being by manually manipulating their soft body tissues. People go to massage therapists to relieve stress and anxiety, relax their muscles, and rehabilitate injured muscles or areas of their body. You may be a practicing massage therapist ready to start your own business, or you may be new to the profession and looking to start your own business. Although starting your own business as a massage therapist can be a big step, many massage therapists work for themselves as it allows you to have flexible hours and maximize your profits.

• Obtaining the necessary certifications and licenses

1. Complete your massage therapy certification. Before you can start a massage therapy business, you must complete massage therapy training and obtain certification as proof that you have completed the required courses. Certification in massage practice is considered an entry-level qualification in the massage industry. You can obtain certification through the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB).

There are many different types of massage therapies to focus and specialize in such as: B. Remedial massage therapy or sports massage therapy. Even if you decide to specialize, you should have completed extensive training in the essential massage techniques and internship hours in a clinic to gain hands-on experience.

Most states in the US require certification and licensing to register as a certified massage therapist. Alaska, Kansas, Montana, Oklahoma, and Wyoming are the only states that don't regulate massage therapists.

2. Apply for a business license. You should check with local business registration laws to determine if you need a business license. Some states require you to obtain a business license if you sell massage therapy products in addition to massage therapy services. As a certified practitioner, you may also need to purchase an "Art of Healing" license. For more information on business licenses, contact the State Department of Revenue and Consumer Affairs, the County Clerk, City Hall, or your state or provincial massage therapy regulatory agency.

Contact your local small business association for more detailed information on the licensing laws required in your state or region, as they can often tell you exactly what is required for your type of business.

The Associated Bodywork Massage Professionals (ABMP) provides members with access to information about licensing requirements by state.

3. Join a massage therapy association. Massage therapy associations are a great way to network with other therapists and business owners. They also often offer benefits to their members such as business advice, information on certification and licensing, and other opportunities. Some associations require members to pay to join, like the Associated Bodywork Massage Professionals (AMBP), and others have no membership fees.

For a list of massage therapy associations in the United States, visit the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) website: http://www.ncbtmb.org/.

4. Take out liability insurance. As the owner of a massage therapy business, you are responsible for covering all liabilities to your clients. You'll be working intensely and closely with your customers, so it's important to protect yourself in the event a customer sues you, makes claims, or has problems with your insurance. Purchasing liability insurance ensures that you are protected and can afford to take a legal action to court.

As a self-employed person, you must also have health insurance yourself. You can also invest in disability insurance to protect yourself if you are injured and unable to work.

• Creation of a business plan

5. Choose your company name . Once you've sorted out the required certification and licensing, you'll need to determine your company name. Your company name acts as a trademark as it is printed on your business cards and prominently featured on your website and social media accounts. If a name is already in use by an existing business, consider at least 2-3 business name options.

You may want to use your first name as the company name as it is an unusual or unique name. It's likely that the name "Massage by Carol Lumbort" isn't taken if you live in a small town or area, but a name like "Massage by Carol" might already be.

Try to choose a company name that is unique to you, but also easy to remember and read. You can focus on a topic or idea related to massage therapy, such as: B. "Relaxation", "Sedation", "Rehabilitation" or "Liberation". To avoid clashing with an existing company name, you may want to personalize this theme to make it unique to you. For example "Relaxation with Carol Lumbort" or "Lumbort's Calming Massage".

You can check if your business name idea has already been registered as a trademark by searching the United States Patent and Trademark Office database through their website: http://www.uspto.gov/. You can also do a Google search for your name ideas to see if they have already been adopted by a massage therapist in your area or by another company.

6. Decide whether you will work from home or from an office. Many massage therapists work from home and make home visits when serving their clients. However, you may decide that you would like to set up a separate office space where you can attend to clients on site.

Working from home means you have fewer start-up costs and very little overhead, as most of the profit goes to you and not your rent or building maintenance. However, you have many tasks to do at once, from booking clients to stocking up on supplies to transporting your massage therapy supplies to and from your clients' homes. You probably also need to set up a home office in a vacant space to organize your business records.

Renting or leasing a space requires more overhead and start-up costs. However, it would also allow you to serve more customers at the same time and potentially make a bigger profit than if you were just working alone. You may choose to hire a business partner so you can merge your client list, or hire other therapists to work on site.

7. Outline your start-up costs. Your business plan should have enough capital or seed capital to cover several large expenses:

Occupancy Costs: When you rent or lease a space, you need to budget for your monthly rental and building maintenance costs. You also have to take into account other bills such as telephone line, internet connection, electricity and heating. If you work from home, you may still need to plan for a separate phone line for your business.

Operational Expenses: These are expenses incurred during the day-to-day running of your business. You may have operating expenses in the form of a web designer or graphic designer you hire for marketing, an accountant to file your taxes, or a massage therapist to help you with your new practice. You may also have operating expenses in the form of materials such as a ledger for your finances and massage therapy supplies such as lotions, creams, towels, blankets, and other massage items. In order to cover everything within your budget, it's a good idea to list all the possible operational items that come to mind, even if they don't come into play later.

One-time expenses: These are "capital" expenses that you make only once as an investment in your business to buy. If you have an office space, this could be furniture for the reception area and massage room, or a computer for booking clients. If you work from home, you can decide to invest in electronic devices that you primarily use for your business. You also need to invest in massage chairs for your office space or a portable massage chair that you carry to your clients' homes.

Marketing expenses: This can be the web designer fees for your business website, the graphic designer fees for designing your brochures and business cards, or any other advertising you invest in to generate business. Marketing is an essential tool for building your customer base and staying profitable as a small business.

8. If necessary, apply for a business loan. Once you've created your business plan and accounted for all expenses, you should have a good sense of how much seed capital you'll need to get your business off the ground. You can then use this as a basis for your own or investor funds or apply for a small business loan from your bank.

Many banks require a business plan and other financial documents in order to consider you for a business loan. If you don't qualify for a business loan from your bank, you can apply to other banks.

You may also want to speak to investors who may be interested in investing in your business. Use your business plan to convince them that your business is profitable and a worthwhile investment for them.

• Find and keep customers

9. Create a website for your business . Many massage therapists use their website to communicate with clients, book clients, and retain new clients. The website doesn't have to be fancy or state of the art. Instead, opt for a simple website that showcases your company name, your certifications, the services you offer, and your unique approach to massage therapy.

You can hire a web designer to create your website for you, or create your own using a basic website design program like Wordpress.com or Squarespace.com.

You can then link your website to other social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Your business should also have a Google Plus page with accurate information to indicate when your business is being googled by customers.

Some basic massages you can offer to start with are Swedish, deep tissue, and sports massage, but you can also offer other types such as Thai or Shiatsu.

10. Distribute flyers in your community. While it may seem old-fashioned to hand out flyers, there can be benefits in targeting your community with old-fashioned marketing. Go to local coffee shops and community centers and ask if they can put up flyers about your new massage therapist business. This will help you develop business in your area and generate word of mouth.

11. Register your company with the health insurance companies in your country. Some of your clients may want to claim their massage through their company or government health insurance plan so they can get a refund. You must make this option available to your customers by contacting each health insurance company and filling out an application form. You will then receive a provider number, which you can use to give your customers a discount so that they can claim their massages.

Offering your customers this option will likely make your business appear more attractive to customers and make them return to you for your services.

12. Reward referrals from existing customers. To encourage your customers to continue using your services, you can start a rewards program where your customers will receive discounts or bonus treatments once they book you a certain number of times or spend a certain amount of money. You can also set up a referral program where customers are rewarded for recommending your business to a friend.

Using rewards programs can be an easy and direct way to keep your customers and attract new ones. However, you should not rely too heavily on these programs as your massage therapy services should be strong enough to justify return visits from your clients.