When starting your new in-home massage therapy business in Jackson Hole, it is important to keep your financial and skills resources high while you struggle with the difficulties inherent in any new business.
Massage appointments will be non-existent at first, and expenses will always be present. If you are under-capitalized, as many new businesses are, it is important not to let that drive your new massage business into the ground before you even get started. Therefore you have to maintain that second job in order to pay not only for your massage business start-up, but also your general living expenses which, in Jackson Hole, can be very high.
It makes most sense to work at something related to massage or health and well-being so that you don’t lose touch with your skills. But of course the very best kind of work to do is massage itself – allowing to not only keep, but build upon your skills and confidence. Also, it is rare to keep working on massage and not be exposed to other elements of the massage / spa industry that will eventually be of use to you in your own massage business.

In Jackson Hole, we have a few high-end spas, as mentioned in last week’s Massage Professionals of Jackson Hole blog. By working at those spas we are being paid well in order to continue to practice our massage craft. That’s the best of both worlds and keeps the wolf from the door as your own small massage business gets up and running.

As for competition – this is completely the wrong way to look at those who just happen to be in the same massage industry. In Jackson Hole there are quite a few – and as our business specializes in in-home massage only – some call it mobile massage – we think that cooperation with those other massage therapists is our way to success. But don’t forget that it should also be their way to success and we ensure this by paying those other massage therapists the lion’s share of the fee for each massage. Fort example, a regular 60-minute massage charges at $130.00. 65% of that goes to the massage therapist. That’s a cool $84.50 and you can expect the average tip to be $20 – so that’s a total of $104.50 to the massage therapist – who doesn’t have to worry about the hassles, responsibilities and expenses of running the business – and let’s face it many don’t want those things in their lives. KISS – Keep it Simple Stupid.
More on the massage Therapist ‘competition’ next week. Meanwhile – please read our MPJH Newsletter No. 4