InTouch

Over the years I have dedicated myself to being an effective therapist for Active Aging Adults. I have now reached the point my books are consistently full and if I’m going to continue to expand I need to fine tune. As most of you know, it’s easy for this type of intense work to become out of balance. I love it and would never give it up, so this year my focus is on incorporating Zest into my life and my practice...

Here we are once again off to the start of a brand new year. I always enjoy the anticipation of what lies ahead. Some things reoccur annually, so I pencil those in right away on my Day Timer. But there’s still a lot of time and time slots waiting to be illed. And that brings me to the point of my first blog of the New Year. What’s in store for you in 2012? Is it going to be pretty much a repeat of 2011 or is the year the year when you plan to try something new with your business. Call it a reinvention or maybe just a refresh, but the demands of the market and your clients – not to mention your own personal and professional aspirations – require doing something differently...

As a massage therapist and business owner I think itis important to stay up to date on the type of therapies being offered by mycompetitors. It is easy enough to do aninternet search to check out therapy menus or CE offerings, but my favorite wayto accomplish this goal is to book an appointment. Now I love my regular therapist, but withoutquestion I gain a competitive edge by educating myself in regard to what myfellow therapists are doing in session...

Three years ago, a friend who lives out of town sent me a digital picture frame for a Christmas gift. I remember being very excited about the gift and looked forward to setting it up so my life could truly flash before me. Photos from the last six or more years are digital so that makes loading them on the little card that comes with the picture frame very easy. But I also have a lot of prints. I could probably set aside a month of my life scanning 24/7 to get all of my prints converted to digital format...

Time Well Spent is the name of my business, my promise to my clients; and it’s my measuring stick. For example, before I introduce a product or protocol into my treatment room it must add value and effectiveness to the time my clients spend with me. It’s a simple and tangible appraisal system...

Bring up the subject of joining a professional organization and I often hear, “I think professional organizations add value, but I’m just too busy to add one more thing to my plate.” It’s an understandable response. After all, owning your own business is much more than a nine-to-five job when you consider the time for networking, marketing, enhancing your skills through classes, and more than likely some volunteerism...

The Season for Giving is well under way. You may have noticed all those Black Friday and Cyber Monday opportunities in your inbox! Many massage businesses miss out on the holiday shopping craze, when they should be cashing in. It is a shame because there is no better time to encourage clients to refer their friends, family and workmates...

I happened to catch one of episodes of Frasier the other night. That’s not hard to do considering how much they rerun the old sitcoms. Frasier was always a favorite of mine because the characters were kooky and the writing was very clever. This particular episode was one the earliest about Frasier’s dad moving into his apartment and bringing his chair along, as well as his dog Eddie. The old unattractive chair was a real fixture in the series and a thorn in Frasier’s side for the entire run of the show’s 11 years...

The winter is upon us and throughout my clientele you can hear the refrain “the stones are back, the stones are back”! This is a yearly ritual that we look forward to as soon as the fall has been with us long enough to forget the scorching heat of summer. As soon as everyone starts being nostalgic for the heat I start my transition...

You can imagine any experience that has to do with massage, spas and skin care, my friends are anxious to share with me and more often than not, get my advice or input. The other day a friend told me a story that reminded how stressful a first time massage can be. In this case, a friend of my friend – a woman in her 40s – went for her first massage, which was a gift from her children...

Last week’s AMTA National Convention in Portland, Oregon was as eventful as promised. It is always great to meet all the massage therapists who come from far and wide to network and learn new skills. If you were in attendance you may have seen a few of the massage demos I offered at the BIOTONE booth including Joint Mobilization, Tools Assisted Therapy, Fascial Matrix and Wraps for Chronic Pain Clients...

If you’ve been a reader of our InTouch blog for some time, you may be asking yourself “is blogging something I should do.” After all, what better way to share your knowledge and experience with your customers and get feedback than blogging? If you’ve been on the fence about starting your own blog, here are some good reasons why you might want to take the leap...