Are You Thinking Expansively About Your Massage Studio?
(yes, you can expand while staying solo)
Welcome back to another Monday with the Mavens. We created the Massage Mavens blog to connect with and educate self-employed massage therapists working to grow as business owners.
It can be lonely working for yourself – and we’re here to remind you that while you’re in business for yourself, you don’t have to be in business by yourself.
While we cater our content to independent MTs, all massage therapists are welcome here; whether you run your own independent massage therapy studio, you contract in a clinic, work in spa, or you are still in school.
“In Business, You’re Either Growing Or You’re Dying” - Forbes
Are you expanding? Or Contracting? And before you scroll away and move on with your day because you’re a solo studio and have no interest in traditional expansion — today’s article isn’t about how to grow a team, it’s about how to grow a business.
Apparently we are in for a recession
I assume you’ve heard this news as well? It’s hardly news at this point…they’ve been saying it for what feels like ages.
Whether you’re an economy doomsday prepper, or someone who prefers to life their life regardless of what the talking heads are saying – you can’t deny the ongoing chatter…Earth as a whole is (theoretically) headed for a recession.
Now, you are welcome to panic at this news. Many do. (And as a small business owner, it’s understandable. If unemployment goes up, discretionary spending goes down, and solo studio’s such as our own *may* be left feeling vulnerable.)
But.
What if, instead of panicking, you took the approach of Grant Cardone? Author of “The 10x Rule,” Cardone’s policy is to “never stop expanding.”
This policy stays in effect even – or should I say especially – when the economy is unstable.
It is common for people to contract in their business in the face of economic uncertainty.
Owners may stop spending as much (or any) money on marketing, hiring, researching, or growing; choosing instead to hunker down and use their savings to weather the oncoming storm.
Cardon argues that this is why a recession is actually the best time to expand.
Everyone else in your sector of the market has contracted, right? This has cleared the way for your efforts to go further for less.
He also argues that even if you are in a position where you need to shore up resources for a rainy day, you can still take on a recession with an expansion-based mindset.
How? Because creativity, brainstorming, critical thinking and logical problem solving are all Free when they come from someone like the owner of a solo massage therapy studio. We are absolutely in a position to invest time in our business even if we can’t currently invest money into it.
So.
In the face of this rumored recession, what can you be doing in your business to keep expanding?
How are you keeping your studio top-of-mind in your community?
]
How are you keeping your message fresh and your services relevant?
How are you continuing to improve your skills and fine-tune your client experience?
Thanks for stopping by!
As always, we’d love to hear how our content has helped you improve either your studio, your mindset, or your revenue as a self-employed massage therapist.
Rachel Martin, LMT, is an independent massage therapist living in Denver Colorado. Having built her solo massage studio to capacity, she now spends her free time helping other massage therapists do the same. Check out The Bodyworkers Business Collective, Queen Street Marketplace, and The Techy MT to learn more.
