Your Blueprint to Success
This site is set up to be used as a step by step program, if you have already mastered a section, feel free to skip over it and move on.
Choose your name
What is in a name? Your name will say a lot about who you are as a business so take your time when choosing it and make sure it really does represent the essence and mission of your practice.
Tips for choosing a great name
Tips for choosing a great name
- Remember that many directories still list businesses alphabetically
- It should include the word "massage", or if you are specializing you should include the type of massage, ie Shiatsu, in your name
- Use words that the population you are trying to reach will relate to and understand
- Check the United States Patent and Trademark Office website to make sure there are no trademarks or patents on your business name or logo.
- Choose a unique name and make sure your state's database for name availability
- Your business name should be memorable and easy to spell
- Keep it short and simple
Choose your location
Location.Location.Location!
One of the most important decisions you will make.
Considering these factors can help you make the right decision about your massage business location:
One of the most important decisions you will make.
Considering these factors can help you make the right decision about your massage business location:
- Who is your ideal clientele and where do they live, hang out etc...
- How much do you want to charge for your services and will the area's demographic be able to support that fee
- What type of competition will be nearby and how will that effect your business
- What are the rental prices in the area and will you be able to afford it
- Will you get traffic from people walking, driving or riding by?
- Will your location feel safe both during the day and at night? Will it be easy to find? Will you be able to have great signage? Is it zoned properly and is the occupancy set correctly? How loud will it be? How will the temperature be during the different seasons?
- Is there support through a neighborhood or business association?
Write your business plan
Business plans are such an important part of your journey, think of it as your foundation as well as a blueprint for your success. We know business plans can be intimidating to write but don't worry we are here to help! This is a super simplified synopsis of the business plan to give you an idea on where to start. If you need more in depth help you might try Live Plan's online business planning software, setting up a meeting with the SCORE office for one on one help, Taking a class at the Small Business Development Center or MESO.
Step 1: Write your company description: What will your business do and how is it different from other businesses? Who EXACTLY will your business serve and what is your mission statement.
Step 2: Describe and list of your services/products and prices : Remember to include the needs that your services will be fulfilling in your market.
Step 3: Market Analysis: Write a synopsis of what is happening in the massage industry right now. What are the major target markets that are taking advantage of massage therapy right now? Will that change in the next few years? Include details about your target market. Include an explanation of your pricing structure and any discount promotions you plan to use.
Step 4: Write your marketing plan: Write a synopsis about your marketing strategy or the general philosophy that you will use to make decisions about how to get clients in and keep them coming back. List some specific ways that you will bring clients in, such as social media marketing campaigns, print ads, networking, open houses etc...
Step 5: Financials: This is one of the most important parts of your business plan. You will want to include a business budget as well as a cash flow worksheet that covers at least the first two years but even better if it has five years of projections. You will also want to include a concise paragraph or two with a verbal break down of how the market in the massage industry is expected to grow, the market in your specific area and how you have come up with these projections. It's never a bad idea to include visuals such as graphs and charts as well. Check out the financial forecasting workbook in my store if you need a tool to get started!
Step 6: Organization and management: This is a breakdown of who will do what in your company ie. manager-your name, accounting-your name
Step 7: Executive Summary: The executive summary is actually at the beginning of your business plan and acts as an abstract or a synopsis of your overall plan which is why it is better to write it last. It should include a bit about your company's purpose and goals and should be simple, concise and easy to read. It is also a sales pitch for you and your business so it should be mind catching and exciting as well.
Step 8: Create a title page that includes the name of your business, who the plan was written by and the date it was created as well as a separate table of contents page and finally include your personal resume, your massage license and any other important documents in an addendum section.
The typical order of your business plan will be: Title Page, table of contents, executive summary, company description, services and products, organization and management, market analysis, marketing plan, financials, addendum
Need more? Check out this great guide from Shopify on what to include in a business plan and the SBA site designed to help entrepreneurs succeed with business plans.
Step 1: Write your company description: What will your business do and how is it different from other businesses? Who EXACTLY will your business serve and what is your mission statement.
Step 2: Describe and list of your services/products and prices : Remember to include the needs that your services will be fulfilling in your market.
Step 3: Market Analysis: Write a synopsis of what is happening in the massage industry right now. What are the major target markets that are taking advantage of massage therapy right now? Will that change in the next few years? Include details about your target market. Include an explanation of your pricing structure and any discount promotions you plan to use.
Step 4: Write your marketing plan: Write a synopsis about your marketing strategy or the general philosophy that you will use to make decisions about how to get clients in and keep them coming back. List some specific ways that you will bring clients in, such as social media marketing campaigns, print ads, networking, open houses etc...
Step 5: Financials: This is one of the most important parts of your business plan. You will want to include a business budget as well as a cash flow worksheet that covers at least the first two years but even better if it has five years of projections. You will also want to include a concise paragraph or two with a verbal break down of how the market in the massage industry is expected to grow, the market in your specific area and how you have come up with these projections. It's never a bad idea to include visuals such as graphs and charts as well. Check out the financial forecasting workbook in my store if you need a tool to get started!
Step 6: Organization and management: This is a breakdown of who will do what in your company ie. manager-your name, accounting-your name
Step 7: Executive Summary: The executive summary is actually at the beginning of your business plan and acts as an abstract or a synopsis of your overall plan which is why it is better to write it last. It should include a bit about your company's purpose and goals and should be simple, concise and easy to read. It is also a sales pitch for you and your business so it should be mind catching and exciting as well.
Step 8: Create a title page that includes the name of your business, who the plan was written by and the date it was created as well as a separate table of contents page and finally include your personal resume, your massage license and any other important documents in an addendum section.
The typical order of your business plan will be: Title Page, table of contents, executive summary, company description, services and products, organization and management, market analysis, marketing plan, financials, addendum
Need more? Check out this great guide from Shopify on what to include in a business plan and the SBA site designed to help entrepreneurs succeed with business plans.
Create your marketing materials
Even in this digital age paper marketing materials are still important! Here are a few recommendations for your marketing arsenal:
Business cards- Your business cards should be eye catching and simple but include the name of your business, your logo, your contact info and possibly your tag line. Remember that if you are in Oregon and you are including your name, you will need to include your license number as well. I really like Moo.com for my business cards, they are high quality beautiful cards, definitely a step above the other online options.
Menu's- Offering a menu of your services can be a great way to entice clients into chatting more with you about your offerings as well as be a great time saver. All of your marketing materials should reflect your brand as well as include your logo, name and contact information. Your menu's can also include professional photo's, your mission statement and any first time promotions, packages or memberships. I like using Vistaprint for menu's, they are great quality and affordable!
Thank you cards-Thanking your client's both via email and through a branded hand written thank you card via snail mail can go a very long way! I use a blown up version of my business card for the front of the thank you post card and a mostly blank back side. After a new client's first appointment I send them a thank you card with a short treatment plan recommendation. I use Moo.com for this as well.
Business cards- Your business cards should be eye catching and simple but include the name of your business, your logo, your contact info and possibly your tag line. Remember that if you are in Oregon and you are including your name, you will need to include your license number as well. I really like Moo.com for my business cards, they are high quality beautiful cards, definitely a step above the other online options.
Menu's- Offering a menu of your services can be a great way to entice clients into chatting more with you about your offerings as well as be a great time saver. All of your marketing materials should reflect your brand as well as include your logo, name and contact information. Your menu's can also include professional photo's, your mission statement and any first time promotions, packages or memberships. I like using Vistaprint for menu's, they are great quality and affordable!
Thank you cards-Thanking your client's both via email and through a branded hand written thank you card via snail mail can go a very long way! I use a blown up version of my business card for the front of the thank you post card and a mostly blank back side. After a new client's first appointment I send them a thank you card with a short treatment plan recommendation. I use Moo.com for this as well.
Business and financials
Massage businesses typically don't need a lot of money to get started which is great but we do have to think about cash flow to keep us in business while we build our clientele. You may already know that most businesses fail because of under capitalization which basically means running out of money to pay the bills or bad financial planning.
- Your relationship with money-First things first you have to address your own personal issues with money. Do you have a healthy relationship with money? A healthy relationship means that you are able to pay your bills on time, you are able to save, you make wise choices about spending money, you keep a budget and know how much money you have versus your expenses. Also you have a healthy attitude towards money, realizing that it is necessary but it doesn't rule you.
- Personal budget-If you don't have a written budget for your personal finances then you aren't ready to manage business financials. The most important part of budgeting is to find the way that will work best for you so that you will stick with it and use your budget effectively. There are so many options for personal budgeting: excel spreadsheets, pages spreadsheets, Google document's templates, apps, mint.com, your own paper version or really anything you can come up with that helps you stay in touch with how much money you have coming in versus going out.
- Business budget-You will want to create an excellent routine and system for managing your business financials to keep yourself from "failing on accident". You should know every detail of your business financials all the way down to how much revenue you need to generate from a single client. I recommend looking at your bank account, sales and budget on the same day every week so that you can get a feel for your projections versus the reality of your cash flow. Also so that you always know if things are looking slow and you need to ramp up your marketing efforts to make ends meet for the month. Getting into good financial management habits is the first step to creating a strong financial foundation for your practice!
Financing your business
Always remember that if you choose the route of financing your business through a loan of any sort that it will create another expense which means you will have to create more income. It is always better to keep your budget lean so that you don't have to work so hard to cover the costs! Here are a few ideas for financing your dream:
Individual Development Account (IDA)-Individual Development Accounts are matched savings accounts that help people with modest means to save towards the purchase of a lifelong asset, such as a home, education or business. A person may have a total of two IDA's in their lifetimes for two different goals ie. one for a home and one for a business. IDA's can only be used for the specific goal and have certain requirements that must be met such as financial education, completed business plan, ongoing financial reporting etc... IDA's do not have to be repaid and are typically 3:1 match program with a one to three year savings timeline. You can find more information about the IDA program in Oregon through MESO or Mercy Corp.
Personal financing- Using personal savings is definitely the easiest and best way to go for financing your business! No one to pay back, no one's expectations to meet. Is it possible for you to save toward a goal for starting your business? Do you get a big tax return that you could put toward starting your business? Try this route first before taking the leap of getting funding elsewhere.
Loans from family and friends-This may not be an option for everyone but the truth is you never know unless you ask. If friends and family have gotten the opportunity to see the hard work you have put in and experience your talents for themselves they might be excited to help fund your vision. Please remember to treat any loans or requests for funding with friends and family as business relationships. They should have well thought out and put together presentations that include repayment planning and contracts. It is never worth compromising an important personal relationship for money or business.
Crowd funding-Crowd funding is awesome but not as easy as some make it out to be. Using sites like Indie gogo, go fund me or kickstarter you can create an online campaign so that people can donate and help fund your business. To create a successful crowd funded campaign you need to have a large and strong network of people online in both email and social media such as Facebook and Twitter. You need to know how to sell and leverage these relationships in order to catch people's interest and get people to give you their hard earned cash. You also need to have some video and design experience to create the overall effect and appeal. MESO has offered a class on this in the past and if you are in Oregon you can check into it.
Traditional lending-Traditional bank loans and/or credit lines can be great ways to fund your business. To obtain traditional funding you typically need to have some savings of your own, great credit and some collateral. An existing relationship with a bank is helpful as well and you will need to have a solid business plan.
SBA Loans-SBA loans are a good choice for those of you who don't have access to traditional funding. The SBA has page dedicated to explaining the different types of loan products offered click HERE to learn more about SBA funding.
Individual Development Account (IDA)-Individual Development Accounts are matched savings accounts that help people with modest means to save towards the purchase of a lifelong asset, such as a home, education or business. A person may have a total of two IDA's in their lifetimes for two different goals ie. one for a home and one for a business. IDA's can only be used for the specific goal and have certain requirements that must be met such as financial education, completed business plan, ongoing financial reporting etc... IDA's do not have to be repaid and are typically 3:1 match program with a one to three year savings timeline. You can find more information about the IDA program in Oregon through MESO or Mercy Corp.
Personal financing- Using personal savings is definitely the easiest and best way to go for financing your business! No one to pay back, no one's expectations to meet. Is it possible for you to save toward a goal for starting your business? Do you get a big tax return that you could put toward starting your business? Try this route first before taking the leap of getting funding elsewhere.
Loans from family and friends-This may not be an option for everyone but the truth is you never know unless you ask. If friends and family have gotten the opportunity to see the hard work you have put in and experience your talents for themselves they might be excited to help fund your vision. Please remember to treat any loans or requests for funding with friends and family as business relationships. They should have well thought out and put together presentations that include repayment planning and contracts. It is never worth compromising an important personal relationship for money or business.
Crowd funding-Crowd funding is awesome but not as easy as some make it out to be. Using sites like Indie gogo, go fund me or kickstarter you can create an online campaign so that people can donate and help fund your business. To create a successful crowd funded campaign you need to have a large and strong network of people online in both email and social media such as Facebook and Twitter. You need to know how to sell and leverage these relationships in order to catch people's interest and get people to give you their hard earned cash. You also need to have some video and design experience to create the overall effect and appeal. MESO has offered a class on this in the past and if you are in Oregon you can check into it.
Traditional lending-Traditional bank loans and/or credit lines can be great ways to fund your business. To obtain traditional funding you typically need to have some savings of your own, great credit and some collateral. An existing relationship with a bank is helpful as well and you will need to have a solid business plan.
SBA Loans-SBA loans are a good choice for those of you who don't have access to traditional funding. The SBA has page dedicated to explaining the different types of loan products offered click HERE to learn more about SBA funding.
Choose your legal structure
You should do careful research on each type of business structure before choosing. It is a tedious process to change your structure after the fact, if you feel unsure about what to choose seek help from a trusted attorney, accountant or organization such as the Small Business Administration. Once you decide you will register with your state and local agencies and register for an EIN/Tax ID with the Federal Government.
(Oregon residents register your business with the state here)
A brief overview of legal structures from the SBA and IRS websites:
(Oregon residents register your business with the state here)
A brief overview of legal structures from the SBA and IRS websites:
- Sole Proprietorship - A business owned and managed by one individual who is personally liable for all business debts and obligations.
- Partnership - A single business owned by two or more people.
- Limited Liability Company (LLC) - A hybrid legal structure that provides the limited liability features of a corporation and the tax efficiencies and operational flexibility of a partnership.
- Corporation- An independent legal entity owned by shareholders. A C-corporation is a traditional corporation. A Subchapter S-corporation is a special type of corporation created through a tax election with the IRS.
- S corporations- are corporations that elect to pass corporate income, losses, deductions, and credits through to their shareholders for federal tax purposes. Shareholders of S corporations report the flow-through of income and losses on their personal tax returns and are assessed tax at their individual income tax rates. This allows S corporations to avoid double taxation on the corporate income. S corporations are responsible for tax on certain built-in gains and passive income at the entity level.
Get licenses and permits
Each state and city have different requirements regarding licensing and permits. For example in Oregon a massage therapy business must obtain a facility permit from the Oregon Board of Massage Therapists in order to operate unless they are owned by a licensed massage therapist. You will need to check with your state and city to see what permits and licensing you need for your particular business. Luckily for all of us the SBA has created an amazing tool to help you find out what requirements your area might have! Check out their "permit me" tool here, all you have to do is enter your zip code and choose massage therapy and it will give you a list of agency's to contact. In Oregon the only extra licensing you need is your professional license from The Oregon Board of Massage Therapists
Unless your business has other offerings beyond massage therapy services of course.
Unless your business has other offerings beyond massage therapy services of course.
Create a logo and brand identity
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What is a brand identity?
Your brand identity is how the public perceives your business, it is the essence of your business and conveys information through font, colors, images, words and more about what your business represents. For instance when you see the golden arches you think McDonald's and you probably have other sensory reactions too!
What is a logo?
A logo is a symbol used by businesses to aid in and promote instant public recognition. Your logo should be simple and convey the essence of your business. Your logo should be on every piece of marketing materials that go out, including your email signature.
How do you brand your business?
First you have to decide some very important things about your business (some of which you probably covered in your business plan):
Once you get clear on what you want your business to be then it will be easier to use a voice in your writing for promotions that conveys that essence. It will also help you make other marketing decisions along the way.
Creating a logo
Keep in mind that there is a whole business built around branding and creating logo's, so don't feel like you have to do every single part of this yourself. Also don't feel like you can't! Logo's should be simple, unique, timeless and will set the tone for other marketing materials you create such as brochures, business cards and signage.
I won't try to reinvent the wheel here by rewriting what other people have already said very well. Please check out these great resources for creating a lasting and memorable logo for your business:
What makes a good logo by Just Creative
10 tips for designing logo's that don't suck by design shack
Try out designing your own with Designmantic's free logo designer
Hire someone from Fiverr to do your logo design
Or our personal favorite hire someone locally to do your logo design, just do a search in your area for small marketing firms or logo design
(Portland, OR residents we recommend Modern Interface)
Your brand identity is how the public perceives your business, it is the essence of your business and conveys information through font, colors, images, words and more about what your business represents. For instance when you see the golden arches you think McDonald's and you probably have other sensory reactions too!
What is a logo?
A logo is a symbol used by businesses to aid in and promote instant public recognition. Your logo should be simple and convey the essence of your business. Your logo should be on every piece of marketing materials that go out, including your email signature.
How do you brand your business?
First you have to decide some very important things about your business (some of which you probably covered in your business plan):
- Your company's mission statement-what is your company's purpose and who do you serve?
- What are your company's goals for the future?
- What is unique about your business?
- How do you want your business to make people feel? (choose a specific and unique word here)
- How do you want clients to describe your company?
Once you get clear on what you want your business to be then it will be easier to use a voice in your writing for promotions that conveys that essence. It will also help you make other marketing decisions along the way.
Creating a logo
Keep in mind that there is a whole business built around branding and creating logo's, so don't feel like you have to do every single part of this yourself. Also don't feel like you can't! Logo's should be simple, unique, timeless and will set the tone for other marketing materials you create such as brochures, business cards and signage.
I won't try to reinvent the wheel here by rewriting what other people have already said very well. Please check out these great resources for creating a lasting and memorable logo for your business:
What makes a good logo by Just Creative
10 tips for designing logo's that don't suck by design shack
Try out designing your own with Designmantic's free logo designer
Hire someone from Fiverr to do your logo design
Or our personal favorite hire someone locally to do your logo design, just do a search in your area for small marketing firms or logo design
(Portland, OR residents we recommend Modern Interface)