Thursday, November 17, 2011

An Extra-Happy Check

Tonight one of my regular clients who has been taking advantage of my Pay What You Can policy handed me a check for the full amount. Her company went out of business in the spring and she's been keeping things together with temp work and unemployment since then. She recently started a 4-month contract and is getting a regular paycheck.

Hence, a check for the full price of the massage.

That's one of the many reasons I've decided to continue my PWYC policy -- I trust that people really will pay me what they can. I trust that people who are currently paying me a portion of my posted fees will pay me full price when they can.

I know the client was very happy to be able to write a check for the full amount. I was happy too -- yes, it's nice to get the full amount but when I looked at the check what I felt was her fullness. I felt all the security and relief and happiness that full-amount check represented to her and for her and I was even more happy for her than I was for me.

When the contract ends, she may have to start writing smaller checks again. I'm glad I can continue to offer her that option. She's a good woman and a good client and it feels good to be in partnership with her as her massage therapist.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

I Don't Have Enough Time....

I'm a huge proponent of doing your bookkeeping every day. It's much too easy (much too easy) to forget things after a few days, a week, and definitely a month. The biggest reason people give me for not doing their bookkeeping daily is that it takes too much time and they just don't have the time. So I kept a log for last week to see exactly how much time my bookkeeping took.

I've been doing my bookkeeping for 11 years so I don't have to look up or calculate things as often as I did when I got started (though I still need to compute the mileage every time). You'll find that once you do the same entry (or same kind of entry) a few times, it goes by much much quicker.

Here's the tally. The clock starts when I click the Quiken icon on my desktop and stops when I close it.

11/14:  3 entries -- mileage, bus fare, meal.  1 minute 12 seconds

11/16:  5 entries -- client payment, tip, room rental fee, laundry, and mileage. 2 minutes

11/17:  3 entries -- client payment, room rental fee, and mileage (plus automatic backup of Quiken files). 54 seconds

11/18:  3 entries -- webhosting bill, class fee, and mileage.  45 seconds

If I were entering more client payments (sigh) it would take a few seconds more. So double or even triple my times. You are still not talking about a huge time sink.

If you simply don't want to do your bookkeeping daily, that's fine. But I will probably call you on it if you tell me you "don't have time". 

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Doing and Being

Here's a simple truth: there's a difference between doing massage and being a massage therapist. If you've been in practice any length of time, you know that.

Doing massage is all about the rubbing -- muscles, strokes, oil. Rub, rub, rub. There are certainly different ways of rubbing but you can learn the basics in just a few months. You may not excel at it but you will have the basics.

Learning to do massage is primarily an activity of the mind.

Being a massage therapist (or maybe it would be more accurate to say becoming a massage therapist) requires you to find a way to be a different kind of person. Some of it you can learn in school but a whole lot of it you learn by, well, doing massage! You have to learn compassion for complete strangers. You have to learn, in a way, to truly love and respect every person who comes into your room whether or not you even like them.

Being (becoming) a massage therapist is primarily an activity of the heart.

So, what's this got to do with business?

The business of massage therapy is also an activity of the mind and the heart. Yesterday I had a long conversation with a colleague and former student about the challenges of being a solo business owner. He spoke of continuing education and managing his finances and keeping his licenses and certifications current (all activities of the mind). He spoke even more passionately about representing his industry and professionalism and reputation. He spoke about the wisdom of healthy business practices and why, at the end of the day, this is just an extension of the care and respect he extends his clients in the treatment room. These are activities of the heart.

He's been in practice six years and every day he is getting better at the doing and better at the being. He represents our profession well and I'm proud of him and proud to have been one of his instructors.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

An Advance Screening....

The Healing Core (I'm co-owner with Kitty Southworth) is putting together its schedule of continuing education for 2012. I'm giving the readers of my blog a sneak-peek at that schedule.

March:  Creating Your Own Continuing Education Courses.

2.5 days on the basics of good course development with plenty of chances to hone those skills on your own outline or even an existing course. Will include an overview of the NCBTMB Approved Provider application and process. Taught by Clare Reece-Glore, a training specialist with more than 25 years of experience designing and teaching workshops for working professionals.

May:  Taxes & Bookkeeping for the Healing Arts Professional

2 days. Taught by Margo Bowman LMT CPA, a recognized expert in the massage therapy community on taxes, bookkeeping, and the financial responsibilities of a healing arts professional. She will walk us through the Schedule C (the form most of us fill out with our annual tax return that details our practice) and, in the process, help us understand what kind of informaton we need to track throughout the year and how to best manage our books and our taxes.

July: Energy 101 (Oklahoma, Colorado)

Kitty and I are taking our workshop on the road! We will be teaching this 3-day course in/near Oklahoma City and Denver.

September: Energy 101: A Comprehensive Unified Introduction to the Energetic Body (Washington DC)

In this 3-day course we introduce you to the anatomy and physiology of the energetic body, it's pathologies and nutritional needs, and well as the contraindications and the etiquette and ethics of working with it. Along the way we will also be helping you understand your own energetic body and introduce you to ways you can (if you want) incorporate energetic work into a professional life. Lots of exercises and practical information.

October: Ben Risby-Jones

Australian naturopath and healer (and co-author with me of Travel Guide for the Spiritual Journey) will be here offering talks, a workshop, and healing sessions.

We are also hoping to add workshops on marketing and business plans, as well as 2-hour seminars on a variety of practical day-to-day topics for the healing arts professional.

And we promise to spread the word far and wide when we nail down dates so you can register early.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Who Do You Fantasize About?

So many of us became business owners for the very first time when we became massage therapists. So many of us were employees before now, not the boss, not the owner. When we have to take on a completely new and foreign role in our lives we sometimes look around for role models, for people who are already doing what we're now doing.

I did that when I "retired" from dating in 1992. I needed to completely re-imagine my future without a partner (something I had assumed I'd end up with, somehow, up to that point in my life). I looked around and realized that I actually knew several women who were 1-3 decades older than me and living a happily single life, women I liked and respected. When I found myself stuck I looked at how they had handled the single life and found possible solutions for myself.

It's the same as a small/micro business owner. What businesses do you want to emulate? Who would you like to be like?

* Another massage therapist who seems to have a healthy practice and a well-balanced life?

* Another health care provider (acupuncturist, physical therapist, doctor, etc.) who is respected and seems to have a solid practice?

* A local company that seems to exude energy and enthusiasm and imagination?

* A national or international company that is well-known and is seen as an innovator in their field?

When my business partner, Kitty Southworth, and I sat down to write the business plan for The Healing Core (our continuing education company that will start offering courses in 2012) we asked ourselves who we would want to emulate as a business:

Day-Break Geriatric Institute. This small company teaches several levels of geriatric massage in workshops around the country. They are the leader in geriatric massage education and are friendly, accessible, and generous with their time and wisdom.

Cheers. Remember this TV show? "Where everybody knows your name." We want to create a company where our students and anyone who works with us will feel welcome and recognized as the unique individual they are.

The Lightworkers Cottage. The healing arts center in Brisbane Australia is so incredibly open, warm, and friendly. They have a great consortium of staff and healers and are engaged with life in a vibrant way. They are also moving forward every single day.

Edgar Cayce's ARE (Association for Research and Enlightenment). Based in Virginia Beach VA, the ARE occupies a unique and well-respected spot in the "energy" community. Because of their decades of research and education they can do things most of us only fantasize about. Plus, their continuing education schedule is booked a year in advance!

Oprah. Yes, she's rich and famous. More importantly for us, though, is that everything she does is about helping people find the best in themselves. She's been a major force in lifting people up and helping them find their hearts and re-connect with their souls.

These are our role models. These are the kinds of businesses we fantasize about being. Who are your business role models? What makes them worth emulating? Who's doing cool stuff out there and earning your respect?