Unlike with some other business models, you don't need a large traditional business loan to fund your massage therapy practice. That said, you do need to find a way to gather up enough funds to get started with the bare minimum. Since being an MT is a bit unconventional in itself, we're going to cover a few unconventional ways to raise your initial capital.
We'll explore five options to help you make progress, reinvest intelligently, and create some partnerships along the way. Feel free to approach them in the order that makes sense for you.
If you really want to get the ball rolling fast, kick your business off strong with a pre-sale.
This will be a limited-time, special offer that you can announce to your friends, family, and anybody else who might be interested in your services. By taking you up on your pre-sale offer, they can enjoy a discounted rate and contribute to helping you get started.
You aren't asking for charity or running a fundraiser. Instead, you're giving people the chance to book with you and take advantage of your regular services, simply at a lower-than-usual rate. The best part is, while building your business, you can also offer them an amazing experience that brings them back for more. Then, they tell their friends, and you can grow your business through solid word-of-mouth marketing.
While getting the word out, don't be afraid to be transparent. Keep the message simple and tell people you're in the early stages of business. Tell them who you are, what you offer, and why signing up for the pre-sale creates a win-win situation for you both. Keep it real and direct, and people will be excited to support something meaningful.
Do your best to not overcomplicate the offer and your marketing of it. Figure out what your ideal rate is, and simply cut it by 50% or whatever you're comfortable with.
If you want to take this a step further, you can create something like a "founding client" package or monthly plan to set yourself up for steady revenue in the future. These can be three- to five-session packages that will be prepaid for. When it's time for them to book, they get exclusive priority booking.
Make it worth their while with add-ons, exclusive offers, "client of the month" recognition, or maybe benefits that change every month to keep things interesting.
Whatever you decide to do, set a very clear deadline by which to claim this offer. Take advantage of social media (or an email list if you have one already) to clarify how long people have, and at least one reminder, and then one final call to sign up.
If there are still some people inquiring about your pre-sale offer after the deadline, you can either offer an extended pre-sale period or use your discretion.
For this option, it's time to get out there and be part of some local events where you can offer your services. This can be a fun way to make local connections and build some buzz around your business.
Depending on your location, local events may include farmers' markets, wellness fairs, university events, or corporate venues. In many cases, you'll have to pay a fee to get set up, but a busy venue will more than pay for itself.
By offering a chair massage, you can keep the "session" short and charge by the minute. For example, you might use $2 per minute for up to 15 minutes, making it easy for anybody interested to say yes. Since people don't carry cash these days, make sure you have a QR code so they can scan it and pay you on the spot.
Chair massages are also a great opportunity to talk to people, usually more so than when they're on the table at your practice. If you're not used to this, that's okay. Take the opportunity to work on it and build your socializing-while-working muscle. It shouldn't take more than a few chair massages to get the hang of it. We, for one, believe in you.
Make sure to bring your business cards, and provide people with a way to connect with you who aren't ready for a massage or aren't comfortable getting one in public. You can do this by allowing them to sign up for your special offer email list, book a future session, or join a free session giveaway. Massage therapists these days often bring a sign along with them that features a QR code and includes any specials that might entice passersby.
With the right events, you can easily make enough to cover a few early essentials for the business. Perhaps more importantly, this opportunity is a great way to get your name out there and build rapport with future clients.
You may be wondering if it would be better to bring your table along, but we'd recommend against it, at least until you've done events like this numerous times. Other massage therapists who have tried it have pointed out that it's a logistical challenge to haul the table around and to keep it sanitary. The chair is a lot easier in this regard.
If you know you're going to be out in the open, you might want to bring around a simple tent (10' by 10', for example) to keep you and your clients out of the sun. That and paper towels, lots of water, a timer, spare clothes, disposable face covers, and perhaps a Bluetooth speaker for some ambient music, if the space is right for it.
Want to get a lot of people in the door? Host a limited "pay-what-you-can" week. This is a great way to build goodwill, as long as you present this clearly as a limited-time, special event.
Instead of having a set price, you open up your schedule for a few days (or a week) where clients can pay what they can afford. This arrangement opens up the door for people who wouldn’t have signed up for your services. As an added psychological benefit, this takes away some of the pressure on you to make everything perfect, especially in the early stages.
If this sounds like a less-than-stellar way to generate income for your new business, we get where you're coming from. It seems a bit counterintuitive to allow people to come in and slide the scale as close to zero as possible.
We'd encourage you to think about it a little bit differently. Firstly, this isn't the same as giving your work away for free. You're simply lowering the barrier for new clients to try you out. After all, if you're new in town, you don't have the benefit of years of positive reviews and client testimonials.
Yes, some people will pay a lot less than your rate. Others will pay close to your usual rate or even more. However, even for those who pay less, you're still getting valuable experience, building relationships, and possibly warming up long-term clients. We've heard plenty of stories from the MTs in our network of first-time clients who took advantage of a deep discount and then became steady clients who made them more income than anybody else.
To do this right, it's important to set clear expectations. While getting the word out, keep your messaging friendly and welcoming. Let them know you're only offering this special arrangement for a specific time frame. Include your normal hourly or session rates to provide context and set expectations for future visits.
With that being said, you might also offer another special discount if they book their next session with you in the next few weeks. Take the opportunity to get feedback from your clients, testimonials, or word-of-mouth referrals.
Also, make sure you keep track of who attends, what they pay, and their contact info (with permission) for follow-up. If you don't want to encourage them to book their next appointment on the spot, shoot them a thank-you note with an invitation to book for a discounted rate (or your regular rate).
As we always encourage you, be sure to make the most of this time of growth and building relationships. If you offer your very best to every client who comes in, regardless of their payment, you'll have people who appreciate you and share their experience with others.
This next option might be great for the massage therapist who is ready to practice...but doesn't quite have a "practice".
Don't let your lack of business space or office get in the way of doing what you love. If you can find local businesses with extra space who are open to hosting your services, you can offer pop-up sessions.
Ideally, the best place to start would be businesses that are adjacent to massage, but that doesn't mean you have to limit yourself to just wellness centers. You can partner with yoga studios, fitness centers, hair salons, coworking spaces, or anywhere else where you can find a willing partner.
The key to success here will be creating a win-win partnership between you and the partnering business. There's room here for creativity, and that's what you'll have to bank on if you want to make this profitable.
You could exchange money for space to run your service or offer a percentage of the revenue you make. Another, more creative option is to provide your services to the staff of the partnering business in exchange for the space. This arrangement is less about making money and more about making a great first impression on dozens of potential clients you wouldn't have otherwise reached. Initially, don't be afraid to accept offers that primarily allow you to market your business, rather than aiming to make a substantial profit quickly.
If you can get this right and become comfortable with creating these partnerships, you are laying the groundwork for the kind of exposure that others would pay a lot of money for. As you move forward, this momentum will help carry you further than you ever thought possible.
Just like we discussed in the second option, bring your chair or table, set up in their space, and offer mini-sessions. Bring your business cards and QR code sign. Make it easy for people who are interested to find out more or sign up for your email list. If you're so inclined, you can offer a special discount when they book a standard session at your actual practice.
These partnerships are worth it because of the low overhead and high potential visibility. Imagine setting up in a local yoga studio and offering 15-minute chair sessions for $30 each. After just 10 clients, you've made $300 and generated a ton of interest.
Remember, you might have people who don't have time for a massage or aren't comfortable getting one in public, so make sure they can quickly sign up for future offers, enter your special giveaway, or use your link to promptly book online in a few clicks (with a platform like MassageBook). Some MTs even use a physical sign-up sheet to cover all of their bases. Do what works for you to save each lead for when they’re ready to book.
Let's look at one more option that focuses more on how you utilize your revenue. The idea here is to take every penny you earn for your first X number of clients, say 10, and treat it like seed money. In a traditional funding setting, new businesses receive seed money as a way to get their business up and running and, most importantly, profitable.
It's tempting to want to spend the money you've earned right away, but if you have a plan ahead of time, you can be smarter about it. For example, you can put that money towards tools and systems that will allow you to increase your income.
What does that look like? Depending on your needs, you may want to invest in better equipment, high-impact marketing, business cards, or software like MassageBook, which streamlines scheduling and payments.
If you want to create a more refined process, you could divide your "seed money" into two parts, where half goes to rent and half goes to improving your equipment.
Whatever you decide to put your money towards, focus on things that help build your business. For you, that might mean sprucing up the office to look more professional or relaxed, or it might mean setting up your website. For those using MassageBook Pro, a custom professional website is included that links directly to your booking page.
Let's say you charge $80 per session. Ten clients would bring in $800. That's enough to build a lean, professional setup. As far as knowing what you need, this answer will differ from MT to MT. If you treat every early dollar as an opportunity to buy yourself stability, visibility, and momentum, you won't go wrong.
To be clear, we're not saying you have to devote every penny to reinvesting, but it's a great habit to learn early on. There's never a bad time to put more money towards running your business smoothly and showing your clients (and yourself) that you're building something awesome...and profitable! It's also a good way to learn the importance of keeping your business accounts separate from your personal ones.
Now, if you really don't know where to invest, take a minute to sit down and think about moves that will help you book more clients consistently and get found online. You've heard the expression "spend money to make money," but the important thing here is to "spend money to get more clients, which in turn, makes you money."
The most important thing you can do right now is to start. There are a lot of people out there who want the easy path to making money on their own. To succeed, you need to get yourself out there, put in the work, and be a little bit creative. Here, we've given you five ideas you can run with and put your own spin on.
By following what we've said, you'll be doing more than most people will ever do. Even when you aren't seeing the needle move, you need to keep going. Your business and your professional fulfillment are worth it. Every client, every dollar, and every bit of progress is a step in the right direction. Taking action is how you build momentum, so start today.
Start now with what you've got, reinvest wisely, and you'll be able to grow your practice into a thriving business one smart move at a time.
By the way-
Looking for a simple guide with everything you need to know about starting and growing your business into a thriving massage practice? We've got you covered with our blog “How to start a new massage business - your first 10 steps.” Check it out today if you're ready to get your business off the ground and take it to the next level.
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