#Tip #WorkLifeBalance #TimeBlock

Want to build your business, keep family needs a priority and contribute to your community without burning out?

Time blocking helps me keep a balance.

This is how I do it...

I look at my week and set time blocks for specific types of activities.
For example: Thursdays are for delivering service to my hands on clients and building my business.

So today is Thursday... and this is what I'm up to!

1. I have clients booked this afternoon that I will deliver my hands on (bowen and massage) services to.
2. This morning I am going build my business by writing a newsletter to nurture my past clients and gently invite them to book an appointment if they are in need of my services.
3. This morning I am building my mentoring business by writing this Facebook Post so that you are reminded that I am here if you need help to build your business. Please reach out so we can chat about what this help might look like :

I'd love to know if you time block too. Please feel welcome to comment below.
xx Barbara 😀

If you this blog useful, here's couple more with tips for balancing work and life.
Click the image.

​5 WAYS AN ONLINE BOOKING SYSTEM HELP YOU ROCK YOUR HOME BASED MASSAGE BIZ

​1. Hold up a moment, I need to take this call…
is something you can STOP saying to your friends and family quite so often when you have an online booking system
because you DON’T have to be glued to your phone,
stressing out because you can’t afford to miss an opportunity to book in a new client!


When you have an online booking system, new and returning clients CAN look at your availability and book their own appointments.


2. Whoo hoo, I’ve been paid!
is something you can smile about when your online booking system notifies you that a client has PAID for their appointment.


My booking system integrates with PayPal and sends me a notification by text message when a client pays online. It’s so fun to see, and always gives me a little boost. I feel the most awesome when I see that a client’s made their payment EARLY, maybe the day or hour before their actual appointment.


AND they win too, because I don’t have to spend any valuable appointment time collecting money.


3. I don’t know if I’m available…
is something you don’t need to say to ANYONE in your life because you can open up your calendar on your phone and figure it out with a glance


I love this feature. It means that no matter where I am, as long as I have my phone I can see my future bookings.


AND I can add bookings on the go if someone rings me.
AND I can change bookings.
AND I can block time off so I can say YES to invitations - like lunch, and movies, and coffee and bike riding so I am always creating the life/work balance I value.




4. Get out or I’ll call the police…
isn’t a phrase you’ll need because you can use your online booking to screen out creepy clients and keep them far away from your home based practice.


If you’d like more tips on being SAFE in your home based biz so you can confidently promote your business, just reach out and let me know and I’ll hook you up with my FREE Checklist: 13 Savvy Steps to Safely Invite New Clients into your Home.




5. I’m sleeping late and waking up slowly with a cup of coffee…
could actually be a real thing in your life. Sometimes it’s a real thing in mine!  It’s so much more fun than leaping out of bed every morning and typing in messages to each client individually.


In my opinion, one of the most amazing things about an online booking system is the automated reminder feature.
I pay a little extra and send text reminders as well as email reminders. When I started this system over 4 years ago, the number ‘no shows’ plummeted dramatically. In fact, I haven’t had one for at least 3 months.
Sure I could get up and text everyone myself, but I’d rather drink coffee or support my own health with a regular yoga practice.
Plus, if you have kids, life always gets in the way and it’s so easy to miss the window of opportunity to send out those reminders manually.
I LOVE that I don’t spend any time dealing with feeling guilty if I miss that window… because my system does it for me!!




I am really not trying to sell you any particular online booking system, I’m just sharing how having one helps me ROCK my home based massage biz.


I’m Barbara Swiatkiwsky. Therapist. Change Maker. Home Biz Expert.


I help you transform your professional skills into a thriving home based practice. Imagine loyal returning clients, dependable income AND TIME  to do all the other things you value.


I’ve been running my own home based massage biz for almost 20 years now AND you guessed it, I’ve made ALL kinds of mistakes along the way. I love sharing what I’ve learned, in bite sized chunks, so you can save time and money and heartache as you build a business that you’ll love for years to come.

Have you been hanging around on Facebook trying to find ways to grow your massage business BUT still not sure what all the hype about messenger bots is?

 In this episode of #HomeBizConfidence

 You'll learn

3 ways you can use messenger bots to grows your home based massage business and REALLY stand out from the crowd.

AND

A FREE 10min Training Video On Stepping Up and Using Bots!

As a woman who has chosen to offer your therapeutic skills to clients you bring into your home, I know you may be feeling a mix of fear and excitement about integrating Facebook technology into your business.
​
If you OR someone you know is asking themselves, can I really utilise this technology on my own without help to grow my massage business?  

​Please SHARE this video with them!

Are you HOPING it's true that you CAN really work from home?

And be professional?

And create a work life balance that fits perfectly for you and your family?

You can.

It's amazing to do what you love and create a work/life balance that feels right.
 I’m Barbara Swiatkiwsky and I help overwhelmed therapists with  home based businesses,

• who don’t have enough clients coming through their doors

• to become action taking businesswomen
• capable of consistently generating dependable income
• while living the work/life balance they value

I've been running my massage biz from home for 20 years, and I've got your back.

 The problem I'm solving this week in #HomeBizConfidence
is HOW to STAND OUT from the crowd in your home based business using Messenger bots FOR FREE.

If you have been using Facebook Messenger already (whether it be for personal or business) there is a chance you may have experienced a messenger bot!

So let’s explore further what this technology is all about.

Messenger Bots are an Automatic Responder that is set up ahead of time and gives a set response when someone messages your page.

So how can we use this technology to reach new clients?

1. Activate

• many people are not even taking advantage of free Messenger Bot technology so get it activated today.
• Make sure you have a Facebook Page as this feature is only available on pages.

Even though the default message is rather plain and simple – it’s something that many many massage therapists are not even taking advantage of.

If you find you need some support to keep yourself accountable or keep motivated or find the right words to say, my membership group, The Training Circle can totally help.

• The Training Circle is my close knit community of like minded businesswomen for exclusive support, accountability and marketing masterclasses.

• Training is delivered in bite sized chunks to keep you out of overwhelm, motivated AND growing your biz.
• https://www.homebasedmassagebiz.com/p/training-circle

 2. Personalise The Message
​
Stick around until the end of the blog because my free resource that I will share will show you HOW to do this in 5 minutes!

Why would you want to bother putting in the effort to learn the technology to personalise the message? Well I want all of your page visitors to get to know the REAL you, not some boring automated response ?

If you're ready to invest in yourself more, the Training Circle is an awesome value for money option
Membership is month by month so you can be part of our butt kicking accountability pods for as little or as long as you are getting value! 

>>CLICK HERE to JOIN NOW


3. Add A Menu

Do you get common questions from customers? We all love to get instant answers to those quick questions so why not get your Messenger Bot to do the work for you!

So what kind of questions or information requests am I talking about here?

Things like your opening hours! Even though the information is probably already listed online elsewhere we are living in an age of information overload and sometimes it’s easier to be given the answer rather than look for it.

Want to watch a simple quick video showing you EXACTLY how to set this all up? Check out this free resource here and make the changes today ?

I'm always adding fresh new useful content to The Training Circle. It is the place you can ask me questions about my 20 years of experience running my massage biz from home.

I think learning from someone who has been there and done that AND is still doing it is the BEST way to learn.

If the Training Circle sounds like it could be right for you, here's the link to check it out: https://www.homebasedmassagebiz.com/p/training-circle

Thanks for joining me today. I really appreciate your time and interest.

If you know another woman who's has massage, speech, counselling or any other professional therapeutic skill, who is ready to build an amazing business, working from home, that provides dependable income, please share this video with them.

 Barbara xx

​Are you passionate about the therapy you've trained in and excited about how many people you can help but not sure exactly sure of how to increase your rates as you build up your clientele?


In this episode of #HomeBizConfidence


You'll learn

1. what you’re truly worth based on the positive impact that you make on your clients lives.  
2. the value of working with a coach to help you grow, keep you accountable and more.
3. a FREE tool you can use to help you see your TRUE worth!

As a woman who has chosen to offer your therapeutic skills to clients you bring into your home, I know you may be feeling a mix of fear and excitement about your new home biz. 

 If you OR someone you know is asking themselves, can I really create dependable income doing what I love? 

Please SHARE this video with them!!

Are you HOPING it's true that you CAN really work from home?
And be professional?
And create a work life balance that fits perfectly for you and your family?

​You can.

It's amazing to do what you love and create a work/life balance that feels right.
 I’m Barbara Swiatkiwsky and I help overwhelmed therapists with  home based businesses

• who don’t have enough clients coming through their doors

• to become action taking businesswomen
• capable of consistently generating dependable income
• while living the work/life balance they value

 I've been running my massage biz from home for 20 years, and I've got your back.
​
 The problem I'm solving this week in #HomeBizConfidence
is HOW to INCREASE your rates even if you feel like you don’t have enough clients and don’t feel like you’re worth it.

You are probably FREAKING OUT about the idea of exploring what you’re worth with the intention of increasing your rates. Therefore, today I am going to help you flip that perception on it’s head and show you how much you’re truly worth.

1. Client Transformations

• How does working with you CHANGE your clients life?
• What happens when people work with you?
• How were the feeling before they started working with you vs now?

If you find you need some support to keep yourself accountable, see your true worth or keep motivated or find the right words to say, my membership group, The Training Circle can totally help.
​

• The Training Circle is my close knit community of like minded businesswomen for exclusive support, accountability and marketing masterclasses.

• Training is delivered in bite sized chunks to keep you out of overwhelm, motivated AND growing your biz.​
• http://www.homebasedmassagebiz.com/p/TCmembership​

2. Why Coaches Rock
It's one thing to set goals, but it's another to actually keep yourself accountable and DO what you said you were going to do.

It's a lot of commitment and it can be confronting to see those that list of to do’s staring off the page at you.

Sometimes we feel lost and confused as to what we should be doing to grow our business.

I know a lot of the women that reach out to me are at their wits end and feel defeated in where their business is sitting at that point in time. They feel like a failure and often think about giving up.
Personally, I find the accountability part of growing my business the part I need the most help with.

I pay a coach to help me. I also participate in a Mastermind group.

I need the butt kicking AND I need it to be firm but really loving because it's hard to stay motivated when I really want to be doing the stuff I love with my clients, not tracking the figures.

To help home based therapists I created the Accountability Pods within the Training Circle. They are exactly what you think. Small groups of like minded businesswomen who set goals, keep accountable to goals get that it's hard... but are committed to cheering each other on along during the journey!

My point is: YOU CAN call in support in any aspect of your business that you need it. 

If you're ready to invest in yourself more, the Training Circle is an awesome value for money option. Membership is month by month so you can be part of our butt kicking accountability pods for as little or as long as you are getting value! 

CLICK HERE to join

3. My Gift To You

I have a cool worksheet that will help you Reset Your Pricing within 5 simple steps. You can access the worksheet here!

Thanks for joining me today. I really appreciate your time and interest.

If you know another woman who's has massage, speech, counselling or any other professional therapeutic skill, who is ready to build an amazing business, working from home, that provides dependable income, please share this video with them.
​
 And I'll see you right here, for another episode of #HomeBizConfidence
 Barbara xx

I’m so excited about using Instagram stories to make genuine connections with potential clients in my local area, that I just had to write a blog to share my strategy with you.


If you’re a woman with a home based (or mobile) massage biz who’s interested in effective social media strategies that you can implement yourself…. keep reading


So, what’s so great about instagram stories?


I’m going to share the top 5 things I love about them.


1.They are fun to watch

And when we find stuff on the internet that is fun to watch, we watch it. I know more than one therapist who googles baby animals doing silly stuff!


And they are fun to make. I had no idea how easy it was to add a gif (that’s a silly moving icon or picture) to bring life to a plain photo. It doesn’t take much time or technical skill to learn how.


2.  They are short


And when we have a few moments in our busy day, we can watch a couple of stories - and so can our clients and potential clients.


And they are quick to make - so that when you have a few minutes in your busy day, you can make one.


3. They are temporary


Each story only lasts 24 hours - so if you don’t like what you posted because it’s not perfect, you can rest easy knowing it will disappear in less than a day.


If you know that perfectionism STOPS you from actually marketing yourself effectively, instagram stories are the perfect way to get your confidence up.


4. They don’t need to be ‘on brand’


If you do ‘stories’ right, it’s easy to share the authentic unpolished you with a wide audience.  You don’t need to worry about hair and makeup and keeping your brand colours and fonts and look cohesive. This part of your strategy is supposed to be authentic and unpolished.


People love to see behind the scenes in your practice. Or what you’re reading to stay current. Or what you’re serving up the family as you balance work and business.


5. They are OPT in only


I LOVE this most about Instagram stories. People have to click to watch them. They don’t have follow you. You don’t have to follow them. There is no pester factor.


If they want to watch them they do. If they don’t, they don’t.




What next? 


I could share my strategic approach to creating an engaging story line that takes strangers on a journey to becoming loyal returning clients.


Or perhaps you’d like a few time saving tech tips so you don’t get bogged down trying to explore the huge array of potentially useful features.

What would be useful to you? 

Please reach out and let me know.

Warmly, 
Barbara xx


Click on the picture below so you can VOTE! 
1 = strategic approach
2 = time saving tips

One of the unique opportunities we have as home based massage therapists is that WE can actively design our businesses to fit OUR lives.

​Last week my adventure included seakayaking around the Mornington Peninsula. Just to clarify, I don’t mean I kayaked ‘around the peninsula’, but rather went on day trips from a base in Balnarring.
 
The weather was unbelievably gorgeous. Hot and sunny and not very windy. Perfect for me, the beginning seakayaker. We saw dolphins, rays, seals, heaps of birds, and NO sharks, which suited me just fine thank you very much. As a Canadian import, I have to admit, I’m really nervous about sharks in the water. Our guide did say, if the baby seals are on the rocks, the great whites are around (they are probably always around but I didn’t dwell on that too much).
 
This 5 day kayak adventure was awesome. Run by a really professional company (@EastCoastKayaking if you want to check them out).

The purpose was to skill up. Every day we consulted marine charts and weather apps and tide apps and Rohan helped us make sense and prioritize the data so we could decide as a group where we would attempt to paddle.  Once we were on the water, we always scheduled time in to practice different stroke techniques and rescues.

​It was fun. Challenging physically and mentally. Exhausting and invigorating. Social. Pretty much everything that I love in an adventure.
 
I didn’t have much time or energy to think or do ‘business’ activities… which is another winning feature for me when it comes to adventuring.

​So let’s talk a bit about the nitty gritty, the behind the scenes work that I do to actively design my business around my life.
 
It starts with me identifying WHAT do I want from my life.
 
Sounds so simple but like everything else in our business, it is BUT it isn’t

2 things that stop us in our tracks are:

1. Never actually pausing to think about this big question … what DO I WANT from my life?
2. Or, if we do start to engage with it, immediately piling on all the reasons why we can NOT have what we want…

 
Does any of this sound familiar?
I’d love to go on an adventure BUT

• it costs too much
• I just can’t take the time
• I can’t leave my kids/partner/pets

​Each of our ‘excuses’ has a solution. We know this in our hearts. We’ve made stuff we want happen before. BUT it’s so easy to pile these reasons on ourselves without a second thought.
 
And the result?
 
We don’t design for the life we want. We only design for the life we think we SHOULD have.
 
My personal challenge is to actively choose to engage with the scary thought… What do I want from my life?
 
I’m not going to pretend this is easy.
 
But it’s totally worth it. 

Here’s what I do 

​It feels so brave and empowered to actually write a list of what I want from my life. It’s a gift to myself to allow myself to even write this list. Once I started giving myself this gift, big shifts happened and my business really began to thrive.
 
I encourage you to give yourself this gift.
 
Set a timer for 5 minutes and write (do your best NOT to tamp yourself down, just write)

Once you know what you want, it’s so much easier to start taking the steps necessary to actually make it happen!

Here’s an example of how my brain works… so you can see HOW I approach making my goal come to life:

Let's choose my desire to have a life that includes active adventure.
 
Step 1: Start looking for opportunities for adventure using my good friend google AND asking people I know for their recommendations

• Be open when something comes up
• Pay my deposit
• Put it in the diary (and electronic diary)

 
Step 2: Work out personal details… what needs to happen, and break it down into actions

• What other people/pets am I committed to caring for and how can I call in support?
  • My kids:
    • Teach to cook nutritious meals
      • Get a cook book
      • Engage them in meal prep
      • Expect them to cook weekly
    • Find trusted people to look in on them
  • My dog:
    • Kids could care for him
      • Create a chart of who walks, feeds, picks up poo

 
Step 3: Business details… what needs to happen, and break it down into actions

• Client appointments
  • Online booking means clients can book while I’m away
  • Phone access means I can return any critical calls while I’m away
  • TAKING 5 days off means that no more than 1 week is disrupted!
• Marketing
  • Schedule marketing to run while I’m away
    • Prepare a blog and schedule
    • Prepare a facebook post and schedule
    • Take a photo and post to Instagram… get my hashtags ready and stored in ‘notes’ ahead of time

I hope my thought process makes some sense to you, and helps you get started ... but if you have any questions OR you'd like a helping hand to sort out WHAT you want and STEPS to take to get there, please be in touch. 

Click here to email me barbara@bswiatkiwskybowen.com

If you like the idea of consciously designing your business to fit your life, here's another blog post you might like.

Click the image.

Every week I speak to women with home based massage and Bowen therapy businesses who want to improve their marketing.

Every one of these women is looking for regular new clients and dependable income AND the flexibility to work on her terms. 

​One of the very first questions I ask is 'WHO do you want to help?' 
​

In my experience, we say this for 2 reasons. 

​The first is, that we are drawn to becoming therapists because we genuinely WANT to HELP people and we don't want to put any limit on who that might be.

The second is, at least at the beginning, we are unsure about our ability to step into running a business. Sure we have great skills and big hearts but many of us don't have any model for what a success home based business looks and feels like, SO we assume we will need to help anyone and everyone in order to succeed.

In this way you focus your energy which is critical for sustained success, because there is ONLY ONE of you. 

Your skills and values and gifts are UNIQUE and will not suit 'everyone'.

The exciting part is that uncovering your uniqueness and MATCHING it to clients who value your uniqueness will result in both a profitable and sustainable business model.  

So let's take the next step together and start to uncover your Perfect Client using the concept of Marketing Avatar. 

​I made a short video to help you with the process.

In my training, Kickstart Your Home Based Massage Biz, we go even deeper as I guide you through creating your own marketing avatar and then using this to get a simple and effective marketing system in place.

One that once you learn it you can repeat again and again so that you are always attracting regular new clients and creating dependable income in your business.

If you're intrigued, send me an email, I'd love to hear from you!  barbara@bswiatkiwskybowen.com

If you're Australian, you might like to come and work with me IN PERSON. I'm hosting a really unique marketing skills weekend event. click the image below for more.

If marketing skills for home based therapists interest you and this blog was helpful, here's more you might enjoy.

​click the image.

As a home based biz expert, I'm at master at marketing myself professionally AND on a budget!

If you like my tips and want to implement them in your home based massage biz the video below will help you with the 'tech' side... 

I step you though exactly what to do.

Thanks so much for watching. 

Were my tips useful? Was the the step by step video clear? 

I'd love to hear your experience.

If your marketing is patchy, why not learn how to create an EASY system to generate regular new clients and dependable income. A marketing system that is authentically YOU, not fake and salesy.  Click the image to check it.

If my tips about how to use Facebook inexpensively and still stay in alignment were helpful. Here's a few more blog posts you might enjoy. 

​Click on the image.

As a home based massage therapist I’ve never considered being part of university directed research because

•         it seems hugely complex
•         it feels like it would be time consuming
•         I expect it's expensive
•         and research is only for super smart PhD types who are good with statistics

BUT, after attending a talk by Dr Niki Munk, one of the VERY FEW massage therapists (she has formal accredited massage training and industry experience) who is actually doing university directed research, I’m intrigued.
​
Dr Munk wants us, actual massage therapists, to get involved in massage research so we can keep it real and USEFUL to us and our clients and the real way we run our practices.

I didn’t.
There are other study models that are widely respected.
She shared with us the difference between an explanatory approach and a pragmatic approach to study design.

Explanatory Model

Basically in the explanatory model, you are looking at the effects of intervention (your treatment) under IDEAL conditions. This can be useful because if you get a negative result, this means the treatment DOESN’T work, even under ideal conditions

Pragmatic Model
​
But much more interesting to me was the pragmatic study design, which looks for effects under usual circumstances… therefore reflecting the complexities of the REAL WORLD. A positive result here means that your treatment really works and can be used widely.

​When you chose to create a pragmatic study, you still have to use standardized research tools.
The good news is that there are some that fit fabulously for massage.

So many researchers have used this tool over the years that the scores have accepted meaning… which just doesn’t happen if you make up a new tool yourself.
​

To cut a long story a bit shorter, Niki’s research into the effects of massage for people with chronic low back pain used community practicing massage therapists as research personnel, which is exactly what it sounds like… accredited and experienced massage therapists, like us, worked with clients that were referred from GPs to Niki’s study.

I’d like to thank Massage and Myotherapy Australia for inviting me to hear Niki speak AND for bringing her out from the USA. It’s great to be part of such a forward thinking association.


This blog is 100% my interpretation of what Niki was trying to convey, so I strongly recommend you watch the full video when it’s released by Massage and Myotherapy Australia for all the extra awesome bits I missed talking about.  

​I'll put a link up when there is one available!

... and so how did I go with my explanation of the research models? Did it make sense? I'd love to hear from you.

If you enjoyed this blog about my continuing education experience, here's another you might like!

Click on the image.

3 Characteristics of an Ideal Massage Client 

There’s a lot of talk in the massage world about marketing directly to your ideal client.

I agree.

Great idea.

Sounds easy.

Why isn’t it?

• When someone believes I can help them, they enter the relationship with hope. I really love working with women who even though they might feel like they have tried it all, they still believe deep down that change is possible for them.   

In a really practical way, this woman follows directions during and after treatment.

• With 20 years of experience behind me now, I’m noticing patterns in pain and healing. The biggest one is that it’s a journey, not always in a straight line and although you may have a spectacular response to a single treatment, realistically it takes time and effort to create lasting change.  

​My ideal client realises this and so is willing to invest in herself and persist if not every sessions leads her noticably forward.

• I know my client values me and what I bring to our relationship when they show up for appointments, pay on time and interact with me like we are equals… I just happen to bring a fabulous range of skills and tools to the relationship that can help her meet her health goals.  

​I love consulting with my client about which of my skills and tools we both feel will give her the result she is looking for.

I hope this has prompted you to start thinking about what characteristics YOU value most and I’d encourage you to write them down.
I’d love to hear from you.

If you teasing out your ideal client is helpful to your biz, here's another blog you might enjoy!

Click the image.

It's time to reconnect with WHY we do the work we do as home based massage therapists by sharing a moment of bliss!

In this really short video, I share what I'm calling a BLISS moment.

Whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed or start to worry about money, I reconnect to this moment and feel my purpose and ease and joy return.  ​

How about you? Any BLISS moments recently?

I'd love to hear from you.

If reconnecting with the joy of WHY we are doing this work was something you enjoyed, you might like these!

​Click on the image.

So I made you a little video. Please grab a towel and join me for 2 minutes of stretching ... and a bonus boost of professional confidence that I just couldn't stop myself from adding in!

Did you do it? Did you take a break and follow your own fabulous advice? 

​I would love to know if you did!

If you liked this stretch and anatomy geek out, you might enjoy these!
​
Just click on the image.

Because I'm such an anatomy geek, I thought it might be fun to show you what it looks like under the skin (just the bones!) where you may be feeling pain.

If you have lower back pain, watch this 3 minute video to see for yourself.

Did looking at the bones help you visualise where the pain might be coming from?
​
I'd love to know.

If you liked looking at bones with me, here's another you might also enjoy!

​Click the image.

Today I've got a tip for you IF this has ever happened to you:

• massage customer cancels last minute with no explanation
• you felt like the appointment went well but the customer doesn't rebook
• you are looking at your very empty appointment calendar and feeling panicky
• you've been so focused on 'being available' that you haven't made time to catch up with a friend or another therapist for coffee for forever....

Grab a pen.
Grab your journal.
Make a coffee.
We're taking a break together.

In my short video, I'm going to share the MAGIC 100 with you....
so you can shake off a bad mood and get out of your downward spiral and get back to feeling abundant and truly open for business

Try it yourself! 
​I'd love to hear about your success.

If you found the Magic 100 useful for boosting your confidence as a home based massage therapist useful, here's another you might enjoy!.

​Click the image

I'm a therapist with a home based biz who didn't say no to FOMO. I made you a short video about how to stay SAFE.  Click the image below to watch it.

FOMO - that fear of missing out -  can cause therapists just starting out to compromise their safety.
FOMO can cause you take a risk that you usually wouldn't - it can stop you from listening to your intuition - from following your gut.
If you feel like something might be a bit dodgy about a potential client - listen to your gut -

DO NOT override your intuition. 


The only time I've experienced a situation where the client was looking for a service I was not offering ....

And just so we are really clear here, the client was after a "happy ending" which is not something I offer.

If you don't know what ' a happy ending is'  ... it's time to GOOGLE!  - 

This is how it happened to me.

I  accepted a booking from a random man on a Friday night.

I was an experienced therapist but I'd recently moved and most of my loyal clients weren't up for a 45 min drive so I was rebuilding my business from the ground up.

I'm not sure how this particular man got my number. Probably from my Natural Therapy Pages listing, under which I listed relaxation massage as a modality I was offering. (NOTE ... check out your area and don't offer this unless you're sure it's not being used as CODE for 'happy ending')
My usual policy to only accept men as clients who have been personally recommended by women, but I broke that rule.

The other thing I also do, is only give me address via the email confirmation using my online booking.
Because it was such short notice, I disregarded that rule as well.

About half way through the massage, a hand snakes out from under the towel to touch my leg. "Do you offer extra relaxation?"

This took me by complete surprize and I guffawed... really, I just let a belly laugh escape and spluttered 'NO'.

And that was the end of it.

I did finish up a little more rapidly than usual and I was nervous that I wouldn't be paid, but I didn't feel unsafe. AND I did not offer to rebook.


AND I've spend the next 10 years feeling grateful of this SOFT reminder to follow my gut. 


When I tell my non massaging friends this story they can't believe it. What?  they say - surely an isolated incident. No way - this is reality for massage therapists (of all genders) BUT particularly an issue for WOMEN working from home. 

I'd love to hear about your biz... any FOMO moments for you? Somewhere else you are stuck?

Reach out. I can help.

Warmly,
Barbara

barbara@bswiatkiwskybowen.com

If you found my FOMO tip useful, here's another that you might enjoy! 

Click the image.

If you are a massage therapist with a home based biz, it's easy to feel defeated.

​​You are enough.
I am enough.
 
Right now. Exactly how we are.
 
You may have heard me say this, or a version of this before. 
In my experience, I need to deeply connect with this message "I am enough" pretty regularly, in order to be able to bounce back from business challenges.
 
Any of these sound familiar?

• A new client who doesn't rebook
• A client who cancels last minute and doesn't rebook
• A client who says they will come back but it's been weeks and they haven't booked in
• Or simply a week with very few bookings.

I know that when I was first starting out these things could shake me to the core and make me question myself.

Here's the kind of things my inner voice would say -
       

• "You're too expensive for someone who is just working from home"

 

• "If you offered health fund rebates more people would book in"

 

• "Massage is just a luxury that people discard when the going gets tough"

 

• "Maybe I should do a course in hot stones, cupping, needling ..."

 
 
And sometimes, even now, my inner voice will whisper similar messages...
 
When I peel away the layers,

and dig deep

all of these whispers actually have the same theme...
 
"Barbara, you're not good enough"
 
Tricky inner voice.
 
I"m not buying into that.
 
And over the course of 20 years in this biz I've developed strategies that help me stop this cycle and bust free... and today I'm sharing one of these with you...
 
Kindness to self and exploring the meaning of this in relation to yoga. 
 
For me it is considering 'doing less' approach - not less yoga, or less attention to detail, but a more slippery, less grasping for 'getting it right'.
 
This is particularly slippery as it is my style to try and tune into my body and the sensation of energy flow by following instructions rather intensely. 
 
So kindness towards myself in this context is about balancing intense doing with relaxing and allowing ... which certainly is a balance challenge that flows into the rest of my life experience.
 
In this journey is valuable to be reminded "I am already enough" - and it's more about tuning in to that, polishing up the diamond, and accepting myself.
 
I appreciate the women in my life that remind me of this.
 
I choose to hang out with women who believe that we are all enough.
 
Women who are brave enough to admit it would be super helpful for someone to say it to them, help them remember.
 
Women who will generously say to me, 'you are enough' and give me a concrete example by sharing how they see me operate in the world.
 
CLICK HERE TO JOIN a community of brave authentic women who have a homebased massage biz. (It's free!)

Was my musing about strategies to help you manage when you're low useful? Here's another you might like!

​Click the image.

It's Story time!

I've been asking the women that I'm coaching to build abundant home based massage businesses to share their authentic selves with potential clients.

... and it's my belief I need to practice what I preach...  so I thought you might like to hear what I'm working on myself.

Click the start button below to listen to me, recorded LIVE at Storywise Women sharing Part 1 of my 'How I became a Massage Therapist' Journey.

I'm currently working on part 2 and 3... and I'd LOVE to know if you'd like me to post them here.

And if you're a woman with a home based massage business click here to join my online  community 

If you found my 'first' story fun, here's something else you might like.

​Click on the image

I bet you already know in your heart that becoming more visible in your community as a professional healer is the BEST way to get regular new clients through your doors.


But how?


Well you probably know that too. You need to talk about yourself so that people know what you do and how you can help them.


Yes, the good old ‘elevator pitch’.


I don’t believe in pitching exactly, more like starting the conversation in a way that feels authentic and real and valuable rather than sleazy or salesy.


And it works.


Have a look at this very short video where Kelli talks about her really positive experience of challenging herself to be visible in her local community. ​

​So how does your community know you are ready to serve?
Cheers
Barbara


P.S - If you're not a member yet, feel free to CLICK HERE to join my online support group for Home Based Massage Therapists!

If talking about become visible was useful to you, here's another you might enjoy!

​Click the image.

I recently had 2 personal massages and WOW what a difference between the two.

Both were delivered by professional therapists with lots of experience but there DEFINITELY was a difference in the delivery of the therapy.

Watch below to find out more!

So how abundant do you feel?

Cheers

Barbara

P.S - If you're not a member yet, feel free to join my online support group for Home Based Massage Therapists!

If this Biz tip was useful, here's another you might enjoy.

​Click the image.