Hey guys!
Savanna Bell here with My Massage World and in this week’s video, let’s talk about
building your own business when you’re operating within another business, like renting a room
within an established salon or wellness center.
I see this a lot…therapists who are struggling with building their own seemingly separate
brand and business entity while they’re renting a room or some space within an established
business.
Clients kind of view them as another employee or something, because I mean, it’s not like
they really know or care about the business structure, right?
For those of you who are renting a room out of a salon or a gym or a wellness center,
or whatever; how do you go about building a clientele and really establishing yourself
as separate?
Yes, you work there, but you’re independent.
You’re not really ‘of’ that place.
And what happens with those clients when you leave?
Hopefully they follow you, right?
But that’s the conundrum.
How do you make it so they will follow you, and their loyalty is to you, not the establishment?
So let’s work through this...
#1 Offer something completely unique.
This is especially true if you rent alongside other therapists.
You need to separate yourself from the pack, so to speak.
What can you offer in your client experience that is 100% authentic and completely unique
to you?
Maybe everyone is offering the same Swedish and deep tissue kind of menu; maybe a few
integrate some hot towels or aromatherapy or something like that, but what can you bring
to the game that is completely different?
How can you make clients feel extra special, intensely taken care of, and give them a new
and different type of massage experience?
#2 Don’t be afraid of partnering up with others in the establishment for service packages
or something, but that shouldn’t be your primary form of marketing or specials.
So let’s say you rent within a salon and want to offer some sort of package, where
they can get some massage and add-on services from you as well as maybe hair, nails, esthetics,
or things like that from your co-renters.
Great!
In this sort of business setup, with renters, this can be a bit of a challenge, because
you have to ensure all the others involved are definitely going to follow through, be
on time, things like that; basically that everyone’s on the same page.
But you also need to consider if the clients that want that sort of thing are really ideal
clients for you, or are you using this as a way to get them on the table to try you
out?
Essentially, will these clients be loyal to you if you were to go out and open your own
space somewhere other than this facility, or would they be loyal to them because of
that full experience that they’re looking for?
There’s a lot of specials you can run, and marketing you can do, but just keep this in
mind if part of that will include bringing in other service providers in the establishment.
#3 The good thing about our industry is that people are most often loyal to the therapist,
not the establishment…generally speaking.
I mean, you’re the one actually providing the service and if you’re doing your job
well, and they’re your ideal client, they are coming for what YOU offer them, not what
the business does.
If you leave, will some of your clients stay with the business instead of following you,
probably.
But don’t let that get to you.
If the client isn’t willing to follow you when you go, they’re probably not your ideal
client.
Instead, that appointment space is now open for someone who will be completely loyal to
you, no matter where this career takes you.
I mean, think about it like this, some clients go to these high end spas, and yes, they love
their therapist, but many of them are going not just for a great massage, but also for
all the ambience and extra amenities; saunas, whirlpools, spa services, and any other kind
of luxury along the way.
And if that’s what they’re really looking for, then unless you open up something very
similar, of course they’re going to stay with the establishment.
That’s nothing against you, they’re just happy with the full experience they’re getting
there.
The same goes for any number of other establishments.
Everyone has their reasons for staying somewhere.
Focus on building the clientele that you know is loyal to YOU and don’t worry about the
rest.
#4 Don’t forget, you CAN build your own brand, separate business name, and entity,
even if you’re renting within an established business.
At this time, you may want to keep it just as your name, so people know YOU and YOUR
business.
Having another business name may be a bit confusing for some clients, but it can be
done; in my opinion though, I think it is a bit easier and cohesive to simply practice
under your own name when you’re within a business, especially if they already have
an established brand and following in your area.
If you’re renting, as in, the business owner isn’t taking out taxes and paying you as
an employee, they can’t really tell you what to do, how to do it, what to charge,
or anything like that.
You ARE a separate entity and can function as such, including using a totally different
name, branding, services, and anything else to help yourself stand out.
That stuff is completely up to you!
If you haven’t checked out the employee versus independent contractor video I did
a couple weeks ago explaining the difference, I’ll link that in the description for you;
be sure and check it out.
So how do you separate yourself from the business you rent from?
In what ways will you build your own business, even while working within someone else’s?
For more info and tips on how to grow your massage practice, be sure to join the free
My Massage World Facebook group.
Thank you so much for watching today.
As always, check us out at MyMassageWorld.com, like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube,
and stay tuned for more videos – there’s a new one every week.