If you’ve always worked for others as a massage therapist, one important skill to develop is to think like a business owner.

As an employee, you may work at a business in which systems have been developed before you ever came along. You may be unaware of the many steps taken to keep the gears in motion. You just come to work, do what they tell you, and get paid.

When you start your own massage business, your point of view needs to be different. Now, it’s up to you to do all the things that bring business in the door. As an employee, you probably could call in sick and still get paid, but not as a business owner. Now, rather than just taking care of your “job,” you’re responsible for every aspect of your success. And this all starts with setting goals.

If you’re new to the concept of being the boss, you may not realize the importance of writing down your goals and your business plan. Without these, you have no roadmap for where you’re going — or a clearly defined reason for making the “trip.”

Your goals are the yardstick that you use to measure all your actions. “If I add another massage therapist to my practice, will it help me reach my specific goals?” or “Will spending this much money on a Yellow Pages ad or other massage marketing efforts be an affordable way to make my business target for the next year?”

Next week we will provide tips on writing concepts for your ideal massage therapy practice….

You may also like: