What If You Couldn't Work Tomorrow?

So... I cut my thumb last week while working in the kitchen.  First thought? WORK!  How am I going to work!?

FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I only had to cancel the appts I had scheduled for that day... but it got me thinking about more serious injuries.  How would you handle your finances if you were to get hurt?  If you haven't thought about disability insurance, you may want to look into it.

Think about it: if you were to break a bone in your hand or arm, how would your business survive while you're on leave to heal?  Not only should you have disability insurance, but it's also a good idea to have an emergency fund set aside.

Most financial gurus suggest having 6 month's worth of living expenses saved in case of an emergency.  While this is no small task to save up - don't get discouraged if you aren't able to do this right now.  Start with a goal of saving up $1,000 for your emergency fund.  ($25/week will get you to your goal in less than a year). That in addition to disability insurance can make the difference between an emergency being an inconvenience or detrimental to your business and livelihood.

Most disability insurance plans don't kick in to affect until you've missed 7 days of work or more (depending on your plan).  So disability insurance wouldn't have helped in the case of my kitchen accident... but luckily I have a little emergency fund saved up, so missing a day or two of work wasn't difficult to recover from.

LIFE happens - so be prepared!
Do you have disability insurance or an emergency fund?  And if so, have you ever had to use it?

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Hide Your Ugly Ceiling

Check out this awesome ceiling drapes aglow idea - what a great way to beautify your massage room!
Especially if you don't have a particularly pretty ceiling.  Remember, clients are laying on your table and looking directly up at your ceiling.

What a creative way to hide fluorescent lights, water stains, or other less-than-desirable ceiling issues.
Have you implemented this idea or something similar for your massage room?  I'd love to see some pictures!

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

10 Gift Ideas For the Massage Therapist In Your Life

If you're reading this blog, you're probably a massage therapist yourself.  So, this list is likely no surprise to you... but hey, maybe this list will make it's way into the viewing eyes of a loved one who needs some ideas. <wink, wink, nudge, nudge>
(easy ways to share this post in the right hand column.)

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

1. Massage / Spa magazines
2. Table warmer
3. Mother earth pillow
4. holster
5. Bolster
6. linens
7. Earthlite cream & oil sampler pack
8. essential oil sampler pack
9. candles
10. a MASSAGE!

What other items would be on your wish list?

*These are not affiliate links, these are just products I truly love!

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Sheet Folding Trick

Great video from Massage Nerd and Massage Warehouse on how to fold a sheet set perfect for mobile therapists to take on the go!  Thanks to LizMarie for demonstrating for us.

I seem to be fitted-sheet-folding impaired... so I found this video extremely helpful and wanted to share.
Have you tried this, or do you have your own secrets for folding fitted sheets?  Or are you like me, and tend to avoid fitted sheets like the plague so you don't have to fold them? ;-)

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

5 Things I Didn't Do On Vacation

I took a little break from massage last week, made a road trip for a few days, and didn't do any of the following:

1. massage
2. schedule appts
3. wash linens
4. work on my website
5. Trim my nails

And it was fabulous!!!  You know you're a massage therapist when one of the highlights of vacation is about your fingernails, right?  ;-)

And now, bonus points to anyone who can guess what bridge this is - from my vacation:

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Create Free Massage Brochures With ABMP

Are you a member of Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals? Did you know your membership includes an awesome ability to create beautiful brochures for your massage business?

After logging in to your account on ABMP.com, hover over the Marketing Center tab, then click Client Brochures (customized).  You can then add your own contact info in the lines provided, and upload your own logo.

There are 23 different types of brochures to choose from!  Everything from sports massage to maternity massage.

Once you choose the brochure type, click Generate.  You will then be presented with a link to click, which will download the brochure in a PDF onto your computer.

You can take this file in to your local print shop and have them professionally printed.  Or, you can even upload them to sites like Vista Print for printing.

To upload to Vista Print, save your PDF brochure in Adobe as a jpeg file.  This will create a file for each of the 2 pages of your brochure.  You can then upload the 2 pages separately to Vista Print.  (There will be a video tutorial on how to do this coming soon - so no worries if you need clarification).

Make your own brochure at www.abmp.com

Pretty awesome, right?  So easy, and it's a free benefit of your ABMP membership!
Have you made your own brochures with the ABMP generator?

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Pillowcase Trick

Here's a little trick I use if I don't have ponytail holders, or if my client's hair is medium length - too short for ponytails, but long enough to be in my way during their massage.

It's also a great way to keep from getting oil or cream in their hair.

With an open pillowcase, lay over their hair.

Fold the edges of the pillowcase under their hair, and around the sides - kind of "tucking" it in between their head and the face cradle.

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Massage Pin-Spiration

Source: thenewenglandsoutherner.com via Bodywork on Pinterest

Living Earth Crafts recently wrote a blog post entitled Get Inspired.  So I thought I would share my favorite place for inspiration: Pinterest.  

I find inspiration for everything from decorating my massage studio to lacing up my running shoes...it's a guilty pleasure that, to be honest, I don't feel much guilt about!  

I heart these pieces of homemade artwork.

Beautiful, yes?  Can you believe this is just 4'x8' foam insulation boards from Home Depot covered in damask fabric?  What a clever (and inexpensive) way to beautifully decorate your massage studio...

Oh the ideas... !

Where do you find inspiration?  

Source: baconwrappedmedia.com via Bodywork on Pinterest

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Learn How to Customize Marketing Posters

Last week I shared 6 Free Marketing Posters for you to use on your website and Facebook page.  While the photos look fine on their own, I've left some space in some of them for you to add your own contact information.

To do this, you will first need some type of imaging software.  There's a great site where you can download free software: Ninite.com.

For this tutorial, we're going to use Paint.NET.  (listed under Imaging, about half way down the page.)

Once you've downloaded Paint.NET from Ninite.com, you can follow along in the video to add your own contact information to the free marketing materials from last week's post.

(If you make a mistake, simply click on Edit, and choose Undo.)

Did you add your contact info to some of the marketing posters provided?  Comment below with a link to your site so we can see how it turned out!

*Please note* you should not add your info to other people's pictures unless you have the permission to do so. 

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Powerful Ways to Show Appreciation to Your Clients

This recent blog post from Massage Table Outlet about the value of connections got me thinking how important it is to connect with our clients.  A great way to do this is to show appreciation to them.  After all, if it weren't for our clients, where would we be?

Here's a few simple ways to make your clients feel appreciated - which will also help to deepen the connection between you:

FreeDigitalPhotos.net

• Send them a thank you card after their first visit.
• Reward them for referrals.
• Offer them $10 off the month of their birthday, or an add-on for their birthday, etc.  Or simply send them a birthday card.
• Listen to them and remember (or take notes on) the important things in their life.
• Ask for their opinion and feedback.  Create a client feedback program and make them feel special to be selected to take part in it.  This is easy to do with services like Survey Monkey which allow you to create free surveys for clients to take anonymously.  (Anonymously is the best way to get honest feedback!)
• Rapid response to complaints - an unhappy client is an opportunity for excellent customer service!
• Create a client loyalty program.  (buy 5 massages, get the 6th free is one example).
• Support your client's businesses.  (This doesn't necessarily mean buying what they are selling). Give referrals and recommendations to their businesses.  Tastefully display their business cards at your massage studio.
• Send out newsletters to regularly communicate with your clients.  Clients want to learn information you have to share.  This is also a great way to educate your clients on the benefits of massage and position yourself as an expert - which is something I recommend to set yourself apart from your competition.

What are some ways you like to show your clients how much you appreciate them?

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

I Find Your Lack of Massage Music Disturbing

I'm one of those people who needs to constantly be changing my massage music.  It keeps me from going crazy.  Well... for the most part.

One of my favorite tools is Free Nature Sounds.  I can add rain and thunder, crashing ocean waves, bubbling brook or any other imaginable sound to my current massage music.

Mix & match, create your own relaxation mixes, save them as links, export them as files, or just stream them right from your computer.  Add one of these mixes to some old massage music and experience a whole new sound!

I have a laptop and internet at my studio, so it's easy to just stream it along with my massage music.  I use wireless speakers (similar to these) plugged in to my laptop, so I don't need to have my computer in the massage room with me.  (and they require no wiring to hook up).

While the rain and thunder are my favorite, there are also more adventurous choices like Darth Vader and fireworks.  While I'm not sure I'd like those added to massage music... I'm not here to judge. ;-)  So for those of you that like that kind of thing, I've made a mix just for you: Darth Vader Massage.
You're welcome.

Create your own awesome mix?  Share the link in the comments below so we can all have a listen.

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Set Yourself Apart From the Competition

jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you're in an area that is saturated with massage therapists, it's important to set yourself apart from your competition.  There's a few simple ways you can do this.

• Offer a unique technique.  
  Rather than market it as the modality, present it as a solution to your client's problem.
  There are so many different techniques out there - find something that intrigues you that no one else is doing in your area.
• Position yourself as an expert.  
  A great way to do this is to write articles on massage / holistic health / etc for your local paper.  Create a blog to educate clients on the benefits of massage.
  Send out newsletters or e-newsletters to clients.  (Writing not your forte? ABMP has a great newsletter generator for you to send to clients.)
  Speak at events, conventions, etc. that are related to health and introduce the benefits of massage therapy.
• Take customer service to the next level.
  Offer your clients more value with exceptional service.
  Promote extras or add-ons like paraffin dip, hot towels, aromatherapy, etc.
  (More ideas in this post on 10 Simple Ways to Wow Your Clients.)
• Offer unique business hours.Is your competition offering evening or Sunday appointments?  Set yourself apart by offering convenient times that others don't.
• Make it easy for clients to schedule with you.
  Offer online scheduling, phone, email, text as ways to contact you.
• Have a web presence.
  A website is a necessity, in my opinion.  Stand out from the crowd by making yours awesome. (Beautiful design, interesting content, search engine optimization, online scheduling, blog.)
  Make sure you're not making any of these common mistakes.
• Provide a unique specialty.
  Fill a need by offering same-day emergency appointments, or longer-than-usual sessions, or short, effective sessions.
• Create a "Signature Treatment".
  Combine your two most popular services into one beautiful treatment that no one else offers.
• Create a niche market.
  Focus on a certain clientele.  Prenatal for pregnant women, Stress-relieving treatments for agonized executives, recovery massage for athletes, etc.

What ways have you set yourself apart from the competition?  How has it helped your business?

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

How To Burn Out in 7 Years ... or Less!

A post last week from Massage Table Outlet about the importance of self-care for massage therapists has inspired me to write this post.  Unfortunately, it's a topic that I feel doesn't get enough emphasis in our field.

- Massage Table Outlet

Therapists often don't realize the importance until it's too late!  So while my list here is playful, please take care of yourself and take this information to ♥

How to Burn Out in 7 Years... or Less!

Master isolated images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

• Do as many massages a day as humanly possible.
• Only schedule enough time in between clients to change the linens on the table.
• Fuel up on gummi bears and Mt. Dew during your work day.
• Forget everything you ever learned about proper body mechanics.
• Use your thumbs AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE in your work.
• Consider doing massage as your daily requirement for "exercise" and never do anything additional for your body.
• Try to work 7 or 8 days a week.
• Don't stretch - this is for sissies.
• Say YES to everything and everyone - especially clients.
• Never learn any new techniques. Stick to the exact same work you've been doing since massage school so you're sure to be bored out of your mind.
• Play the same massage music every day... for years.
• Charge just enough to feed yourself and possible not make your mortgage or rent payment each month.
• Take on all of your client's emotional and physical baggage yourself - make yourself a martyr.
• Give all of yourself all the time to every one....except yourself.
• Don't learn to work with any kind of tools.
• Spend your off time doing hands-heavy hobbies like playing piano, gardening, kneading dough, etc.
• And last but not least:
  Never receive any bodywork yourself!

Do you have other tips to add on how to quickly burnout as an MT?  Comment below - I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

How to Create a Free Commercial for Your Massage Website

Have you ever heard of Animoto?   It's a cool little site where you can take video clips and pictures - add text & music - to create a free 30 second video.

It's a great tool to create a commercial about your massage practice to add to your website.  It's fairly simple - after creating an account and logging in, you can choose your pictures from several different sources including your Facebook account.  Add any text you want and choose music to go with your video... and Animoto then does the rest.

Here are some tips to create an awesome commercial:

• Keep it short.  You can purchase a longer video, but 30 second videos are free... and really, 30 seconds is the perfect length for a commercial.  You want to entice people, not bore them with a long video.
• Animoto has a very large library of music to choose from... however, in my opinion, not much of it goes nicely with massage therapy.  I'd recommend uploading your own music.  Keep in mind that there may be some legalities to uploading just any music... To be on the safe side, I recommend using music from ASOMAssage*.  (ASOMAssage is a music membership site with royalty free massage music - only $9.95/month membership gets you 6 hours of downloadable music each month! It's a great service, despite their use of that talking popup that I just advised against in last week's post...)
  The music in the video below is a sampling of the beautiful massage music you get with a membership.  If you're a member of ASOMAssage and would like to use some of their music for your videos, please contact them for details.
• Use pictures of yourself - not other therapists.  Trade with a photographer to get some nice, professional photos.
• Remember to put your website address and phone number in the video. Direct clients to schedule online if you offer that service.
• Post your video on your website and Facebook page.

Here's a little example of what you can do -

Have you made your own commercial with Animoto?  Post a link here so we can check it out!

*I am an affiliate with Asomassage, which means I will receive a referral commission if you signup for this service.  However, this commission does not influence the information I provide in this blog nor does it mean that you will pay more if you buy through my links.  I always provide honest opinions and reviews to share my findings, beliefs and experiences.

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

When Good Websites Go Bad / Part 2

A couple of weeks ago, I posted the first half of When Good Websites Go Bad.
So, how can we fix these common website mistakes?

Each page is a "wall of text".  Especially the home page.
There's so much text that after one glance, visitors are instantly overwhelmed and don't bother reading any of it.

• Break up your content into relevant pages.  You don't need to show all of your information on the home page.  Your content is actually more likely to be read if you have it organized in appropriate ways.  Break up remaining content into paragraphs.  Add images in as well as spacing between paragraphs to help set apart the content.  Take a look at the final formatting... would you sit down and read through all of this if it were on someone else's website? 

healingdream / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There are no pictures or anything visually pleasing.

• Use images to help tell your story.  Pictures of yourself are great - clients will love to see YOU giving a massage, etc.  (High quality pictures are best).  Find a photographer to trade with to get some nice, professional pictures to use on your site.

No luck with high quality pics of yourself?  Use stock images.  There are several sites that provide stock images for your use - you simply need to give credit to the site and photographer.  Freedigitalphotos.net is an example.

Notice the photo to the left?  And the link below it that gives credit to Free Digital Photos and the artist.
Or, if you are a member of ABMP, they have a beautiful library of royalty free images for your use.  (Login to the member area of their website and hover over Marketing Center, click Photo Library.)  Again, remember to give credit to ABMP.

Stolen pictures or content from other sites.

• NOT COOL.  DON'T DO THIS.

Not only someone else's pictures, they're hot-linked.  Don't think this will go unnoticed.

• NOT COOL.  DON'T DO THIS.
  Keep in mind that this image is not controlled by you.  The person hosting the image will notice you're hot-linked, and may choose to teach you a lesson by changing the image.

No call to action to visitors.

• A call to action is a banner, button, or some type of graphic or text on a website meant to prompt a user to click through to convert them from a visitor to a client.  What do you want your clients to do when visiting your site?  Make an appointment, right?  Have a clear and precise way for them to do that.
  
  

50 different fonts.  And font sizes.  And colors.

• Keep it simple.  A uniform look and feel is best.  If you're trying to draw attention to a certain area, there are more effective ways to do it than to get crazy with the fonts, colors, and sizes.

Talking flash graphics, pop-ups, or the windows that pop-up behind the browser.  Or pop-ups that prevent visitors from leaving the site.

• Don't you hate these things on other people's websites?  Then WHY would you put one on yours???

Same content and look since 2008.  The site is never updated.

• There are many reasons to have fresh content on your site.  For one, it helps with search engine optimization.  But it also shows your site visitors that you are still here... give them something new so they come back to your site frequently.  Your site is not just a static business card - it's an interactive experience.
  
  Have a blog with tips for self-care for your clients in between massage appointments.  Change the look or content according to the season.  If you have a Facebook business page or a Twitter account, link those to your site so your clients can see your daily updates.  (Don't use a personal FB or Twitter account.)  If you post frequently, I would recommend you keep the FB or Twitter feed to the last 3 or 5 posts so as not to fill the whole page with updates.
  
  Don't have time to blog or add fresh content to your site?  Daily Om is a great site that publishes articles that could be of interest to your clientele.  You can easily add it to your website, so you will get a constant stream of fresh content to your site - while you are massaging!

Following these simple rules will keep your website professional and effective.  What other ways do you like to keep your website fresh?

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years, and has been an associate instructor for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy since 2007.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com