In this week's podcast episode, we talk all things touch and the benefits it can bring to those of us caught up in the constant hustle of being a small business owner.
Here is a little intro from Michelle herself:
"I came up with the idea of starting my own massage business after I was fired (no kidding) - first time ever and I was devastated. Yes, I was working as a massage therapist, and this is not invented as an interesting lead to a blog. I was fired.
My clients are probably reading this and thinking, surely not? But it is the truth. Turns out the owner of the massage business was a little concerned with my performance, you see, everyone one was asking for me, I’ll let you put two and two together ;)
I found massage in my mid-thirties, or rather it found me. I was living in England with a young family and working as an editor, when the opportunity arose to do a paid course of my choice. So my first foray into massage came about as a hobby. I trained for 12 months and started massaging friends.
We relocated to Perth after a family member’s health scare, with our now almost four year old daughter with the ‘plum in her mouth’ English accent. So after a turbulent start with the aforementioned firing, Hills Massage came into fruition in October 2003. I had big plans you see, so I registered the Business Name, Hills Massage. I started mobile, slogging my table around, night after night. Did some senior massage at The Jack Healey Centre, and finally convinced my hubby to convert our front room into a clinic.
In the meantime, I continued my studies to acquire my Remedial Massage Diploma (coming second in the ‘Achievements in Theory’). Probably also a good point to let you know here, that I was a qualified Registered Nurse, but typically injured my back in a lifting accident and had my lower spine fused. Yes, I was admonished by my mother, who thought massage was not really a sensible idea for an ex-nurse with a dicky back.
After five years of working from home, my reputation was growing and I was invited to move into one of the physiotherapist’s rooms at Mead St. This is where the business blossomed. I now had a central location and access to an electric table, WooHoo! (you have no idea how much better it makes life for the therapist, not to mention the client).
The business thrived and I took on my first therapist, that dream of opening my own clinic was getting closer.
Finally in October of 2014, my dream came into fruition; I leased a small space on Haynes St (our current clinic). We worked hard to fit it out.
I then I lay awake at night thinking, “Is this the right thing to do? Can I sustain a business on my own?” The clinic looked great, two individually temperature controlled rooms, electric tables, and a swish reception area/waiting room (Well I think its swish).
So that brings us up to now, nearly three years after opening the clinic, we are happily thriving. All I can say is dreams do come true if you really believe. Our team is made up of my hubby and I and Eilish, Jackie, Sona and Nikki and we have created Yomassage as our side hustle."
Michelle xx
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Find out a little bit more about your podcast host Nikola:
Meet your Small Business Cheerleader & choc chip muffin connoisseur, Nikola With over 20 years’ of marketing experience, you could say I’m qualified for the job. With much of that time spent working in retail shopping centres, I’ve worked closely with small business owners (like you), helping them smash their goals and scale their businesses to a point they never thought possible.
And then it hit me… Sick and tired of seeing small businesses being taken advantage of and pressured into spending big bucks for little return by agencies, my mission became clear… I needed to make a change. Armed with the ability to see the bigger picture, guide clients through my step-by-step blueprint to success and a goal of bringing cost effective tried and tested marketing strategies to small businesses and solopreneurs, NW Marketing was born.
My guilty pleasure? well, apart from sticky date pudding, it’s watching lives and businesses be absolutely transformed into people helping, solution providing, money making machines! from the sidelines of course – they don’t call me the Small Business Cheerleader for nothing Keen to know more?
well… I’m a pawrent to Dash the Whippet (aka NW Marketing’s barketing manager), I’m a sucker for trashy reality TV (Teen Mum and 90 Day Fiancé are my go-tos), I’m allergic to exercise (Bootcamp’s excepted) and I was named “little, but loud” at my year 7 graduation (guess what?... nothing’s changed!)
Nothing makes me prouder than digging through the marketing trenches with you, making you feel comfortable on your journey and watching you get the results you’ve always desired.
Website: https://www.nw-marketing.com.au/
Download my FREE '5 Steps to Reduce Marketing Overwhelm' eBook Guide: https://www.nw-marketing.com.au/5-Keys-Steps-to-Reduce-the-Marketing-Overwhelm