This text provides readers with business skills know-how to envision and then launch a successful career in massage therapy.

Table of Contents

• Section I: Preparing for a Career in Massage Therapy
• Chapter 1: Defining Personal Success
• PREVENT YOURSELF FROM BECOMING A STATISTIC
• CONTROL YOUR DESTINY
• MINDFULNESS: ALLOWING SPACE FOR CREATION
• Examples of Mindfulness
• THE FORMULA FOR SUCCESS
• Step 1: Clarifying Personal Desire
• Step 2: Intention—Drafting a Map to Your Desires
• Step 3: Action-Oriented
• UNDERSTANDING NATURAL TENDENCIES
• OFFICIALLY LEARNING ABOUT YOUR PERSONALITY
• UNDERSTANDING NATURAL PREFERENCES
• Introversion and Extroversion
• Thinking and Feeling
• Organized and Go With the Flow
• SUPPORTING OPPORTUNITY AREAS
• Chapter 2: Money Matters
• EXPLORING PERSONAL FINANCES
• The Role Money Plays in Your Life
• The Impact of Money During Your Formative Years
• Importance of Financial Health
• Credit Score
• Allure of the Credit Card
• Conscious Allocation of Money
• WHAT INCOME CAN YOU EXPECT AS A MASSAGE THERAPIST?
• Industry Estimates of Massage Income
• Sorting Through the Facts to Determine Salary Range
• Estimating Personal Income
• PERSONAL ASPECTS FOR FINANCIAL SUCCESS
• Building Stamina
• Skill Improvement
• Self-Care
• Chapter 3: What Every Therapist Must Know
• LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS
• Massage License Versus Certification
• Educational Requirements
• Exam Requirements
• Other Requirements
• Unregulated States
• Modalities
• State Boards
• Staying in Compliance
• CONTINUING EDUCATION
• Sources of Continuing Education
• Certification
• PROFESSIONAL AND TRADE ASSOCIATIONS
• INSURANCE
• Professional Insurance Needs for Massage
• Accepting Health Insurance
• KEY LEGAL CONCERNS
• PERSONAL SAFETY
• RECORD-KEEPING
• Chapter 4: Navigating the Ethics of Business
• INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS
• Your Moral Compass
• Code of Ethics
• The Ethics of Business
• BOUNDARIES
• Types of Boundaries
• DEVELOPING AND MANAGING PERCEPTIONS OF ETHICS
• Foundational Ethics
• External Perceptions
• Managing the Ethical Structure
• Section II: Career Options in Massage Therapy
• Chapter 5: Your Path as an Employee
• EMPLOYEES
• Employees Versus Independent Contractors
• Standards of Employment
• Ensuring a Great Start as an Employee
• EVALUATIONS
• Self-Evaluation
• Employer Evaluation
• What Employers Are Looking for
• Walking in an Employer's Shoes
• GETTING THE JOB
• A Resume to Get You Noticed
• Cover Letter
• Interviewing
• YOUR CAREER OPTIONS AS A MASSAGE EMPLOYEE
• Number of Massage Therapists
• Growth
• Compensation and Benefits
• WHERE MASSAGE THERAPISTS WORK
• Spas
• Massage Centers and Franchises
• Wellness Centers
• Health-Care Settings
• Special-Interests Groups
• Chapter 6: Your Path as an Independent Contractor
• INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS
• Independent Contractor Versus Employee
• Behavioral Control
• Financial Control
• Relationship of the Parties
• Dual Status
• Independent Contractor Versus Entrepreneur
• REALITIES OF BEING AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR
• Confusion Regarding Employee Versus Independent Contractor Status
• Contracts
• Subcontracting
• Payments and Revenue
• Few Paid Benefits, If Any
• Training
• Scheduling
• Uniforms
• Treatment Rooms
• Massage Only?
• Working Independently
• Formal Reviews and Opportunities for Feedback
• Office Administration
• Tax Preparation
• Insurance
• Professional Advisers
• Less Security
• WHAT IT TAKES TO BE SUCCESSFUL
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Initiative and Confidence
• Flexibility
• People Skills
• Fiscally Responsible
• Goal-Oriented
• Strong Ethics
• MARKETING YOUR SERVICES
• WHY COMPANIES HIRE INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS
• YOUR CAREER AS A MASSAGE THERAPIST
• Growth
• Compensation and Benefits
• Where Massage Therapists Work
• Chapter 7: Your Path as an Entrepreneur
• ENTREPRENEURS
• Entrepreneur Versus Independent Contractor
• REALITIES OF BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR
• Challenges Facing Massage Therapists
• WHAT IT TAKES TO BE SUCCESSFUL
• Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs
• WHAT YOU NEED TO GET STARTED AS A BUSINESS OWNER
• Higher Purpose Guides the Mission
• Determining Your Business Structure
• Acquiring Capital
• Location, Location, Location
• Equipment and Supplies
• Financial Decisions and Estimates
• Clients
• Licensure
• Insurance
• DEVELOPING A BUSINESS PLAN
• Content of the Plan
• Section III: Career Skills for Success in Massage Therapy
• Chapter 8: Preparing for Marketing Success
• MARKETING PREPARATION
• Narrowing Your Focus
• Differentiation
• Crafting a Message That Speaks to the Chosen Client
• Training Support
• MAKING A GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION WITH YOUR MATERIALS
• Business Name and Logo
• Finding Someone to Help You Build Materials
• Business Materials
• Printing Your Materials
• Chapter 9: Filling Your Practice With Clients You Want to Work With
• MARKETING AT ITS FINEST
• Keeping an Eye on the Competition
• Setting Your Price
• Avenues of Marketing
• Using Advertising to Fill Your Practice
• Traditional Media
• Nontraditional Advertising
• USING PROMOTION TO FILL YOUR PRACTICE
• Promotion at Events
• Group and Club Memberships
• Public Speaking
• Sampling
• Word-of-Mouth
• Connectors
• USING PUBLIC RELATIONS TO FILL YOUR PRACTICE
• Becoming an Expert
• Building a Press Release
• Public Relations Success Stories
• Writing Articles
• Writing a Successful Article Query
• Social Marketing for Success
• Chapter 10: Client Loyalty: Every Therapist's Pot of Gold
• AN INTRODUCTION TO LOYALTY
• Client Experience
• THE IMPORTANCE OF CLIENT SATISFACTION
• The Difference Between Satisfied and Highly Satisfied
• Placing the Bar on the Right Rung
• Assessing Satisfaction
• BUILDING LOYALTY BUILDS SUCCESS
• Benefits of Loyalty
• Cost Differences Between New and Return Clients
• THE MASSAGE SERVICE PATH
• Joining Clients on the Spa Massage Service Path
• Touch Point 1: First Contact
• Touch Point 2: Ready or Not, Here They Come
• Touch Point 3: Managing Wait Time and Transitions
• Touch Point 4: Warm Welcome
• Touch Point 5: Professional Intakes
• Touch Point 6: The Therapeutic Bubble
• Touch Point 7: Educate at Timely Stages of the Interaction
• Touch Point 8: Do Sweat the Smaller Things
• Touch Point 9: Professional Recommendations
• Filling Your Practice With Treatment Planning
• Touch Point 10: Gone, but Not Forgotten
• WHAT TO DO WHEN THINGS GO WRONG
• Empower Responses
• Customize Resolutions
• Fire Problem Clients
• Appendix: Answers to Review Questions