Starting new

I recently moved from Little Rock, AR to Philadelphia, PA. A big move to say the least. Small city to big, Southern accent to Philly accent, and the biggest challenge is starting over with my practice.

If you're a massage therapist you've experienced this at some point in your career whether it's because of a move to a new location, going off to start your own private practice, or starting a new job at a new clinic. You know it can be one of the toughest moments as an LMT. Worries about marketing, branding, and building clientele make it stressful. Yet it is in the toughest moments that we often find the most growth both as a person and a practitioner.

During this move, I've tried to take the time to intentionally reflect on my practice to see what I've learned and how I can hopefully grow…. And here is some of what I've learned.

Interpersonal skills are key. When you're building a new practice, soft skills matter. Most of your clients will be meeting you for the first time ever. They don't know you, nor you them. Building rapport with your clients can be the make or break to the therapeutic relationship and it's clear to me (again) that the first interactions are the most important. You have to work hard in making a good impression not only with your hands-on skills but your people skills. Included in those people skills is educating clients about what Precision NMT is and what it can (or can't) do. I've found myself practicing my spiels about referral patterns, pain science, muscle length tension relationships and more. Those spiels, those elevator speeches have to come out smoothly and accurately and that takes intentional practice.

Find your network. This move is the 7th time in 22 years I've restarted my practice in a new location. In each instance I've found my network for marketing in a different place. You never know who will be your best megaphone when it comes to spreading the word. Sometimes I've found my network among other wellness practitioners, like chiropractors, physical therapists, personal trainers or yoga practitioners. Other times I find my network among other businesses unrelated to health, like neighboring businesses. My personal network of friends and family are also the best at spreading the word of my practice. The lesson I've learned is to network multiple ways and places. If you cast the net wide you'll find your megaphone.

Have faith in the power of massage therapy. Transitions, starting up, restarts can all be very stressful and for myself can be a time to be easily discouraged. Precision NMT is very powerful work and very much needed work. There is a lot of pain out there in the world and you have the skills to bring relief and hope to a lot of people through what you do. Once you get your hands on (literally) those people who need the work, growing a clientele will take care of itself.

Although I am not necessarily recommending starting over 7 times, I can tell you that with Precision NMT it is much easier to build a clientele and a thriving business. What's important is taking time to reflect on both the good times and the tough times to let yourself and your practice grow.