When starting a massage business you can start with a simple massage business plan to help you gather your thoughts and ideas about what you see for yourself and your massage business. As a sole proprietor, doing this once a year or more if needed can help keep you on track for starting and building your massage business.
It really doesn’t have to be anything fancy unless you are planning on building a large office/spa and hiring other massage therapists. For just starting your basic massage business, start with the basics and start where you are. It doesn’t take much money to start a business, but it will take time and energy to get clients in the door and coming back.
The basic steps for creating a massage business plan are:
1. General Overview: Vision/Mission/Purpose and Values Statement. A vision statement is a few sentences that sums up what you see is possible in your business. It pulls you forward when the going gets tough and keeps you on track.
A purpose statement will talk about the things you will need to learn or become in order to fulfill your vision. You might need to take classes in marketing, website design, public speaking, massage techniques or whatever.
The mission statement will outline the specific steps you need to take to fulfill the vision and purpose. (Think about the phrase – ‘on a mission’)
2. Who Will Your Clients Be? Who is Your Ideal Client? What does your Ideal Massage Business Look like? It is not only about demographics but what your client values.
3. How will You Get Clients? Marketing, advertising and work of mouth is how you will get clients. Creating a marketing plan that is in tune with your vision and mission statements will allow you to make better decisions about your business and clients.
4. Financial Projections – what will your expenses be and how much do you plan to make?
5. Marketing Analysis. Doing a Marketing Analysis will help you understand what people want or if they even do want massage services. You can start by actually going door to door in your neighborhood and asking people for their feedback on specifically designed questions about massage. You can also do market research by using some keyword search tools and find out how many people are looking for massage online in your area.
Resources:
Business Plan Manual How to Write and Market a Business Plan
Sample Massage Business Plan at Yahoo! Answers
Futurelmt.com Complete Business Plan outlines by Cherie Sohnen-Moe
“A massage business plan serves many functions and it can dramatically increase your chances of success. It’s a powerful declaration of your goals and intentions, a written summary of what you aim to accomplish and an overview of how you intend to organize your resources to attain those goals.
Business Mastery: A Guide for Creating a Fulfilling, Thriving Business and Keeping it Successful
“It is simply not possible for two businesses to serve the same client’s needs equally. One will be a better fit that another; the best fit produces a perfect client or customer working with the perfect provider.”
Attracting Perfect Customers: The Power of Strategic Synchronicity
by Stacey Hall, Jan Brogniez
“A Business Plan is a Strategy Document. It defines who your company is, what business you are in, the goals you have for yourself and your business, and how to accomplish those goals.”
–Building A Business the Buddhist Way by Geri Larkin