Develop the business skills necessary to succeed in massage therapy with help from respected massage educator and business owner, Sandy Fritz! With a user-friendly approach and comprehensive support tools, this authoritative guide delivers a working knowledge of essential concepts for employees or owners of a massage therapy practice and helps you prepare for the professional challenges that await you in the real world. Renowned massage educator and business owner Sandy Fritz presents a practical, proven business philosophy for success in massage therapy practice. Focus on need-to-know business skills for complete success as an employee or the owner of a massage therapy practice. A companion CD with practice management software provides hands-on experience creating client records, setting appointments, entering documentation, and more. Self-Reflection boxes put concepts into a realistic context through Sandy Fritz’s personal experiences in massage practice. Learning Activity boxes reinforce your understanding and challenge you to apply what you’ve learned in an engaging workbook format. Good Stuff from the Government boxes alert you to helpful government resources and help you ensure compliance with federal regulations. Mentor boxes provide real-world insight and advice from experts in massage and business management for successful practice. More than 200 realistic photos and illustrations clarify concepts and familiarize you with typical practice settings and essential forms, records, office equipment, and supplies. Evolve Resources link you to templates for building resumes, letters, advertisements, forms for documentation, and client histories, plus small business resources, annotated web links, a glossary of key terms from the text, and additional exercises and case studies.

Rely on Success from the Start for the inspiration and practical business guidance you need to enjoy a long and rewarding career in massage therapy. Business naiveté is one of the primary reasons massage therapists leave the profession. The author has written this text to provide you with the business skills you need to envision and then launch a successful career. Set yourself on your path to success—right from the start.

Congratulations on deciding to become a massage therapist! This is one of the most appreciated professions because of the satisfaction you will deliver to others. Massage therapists are high in demand no matter where you live, and the need is only growing with time. More and more people are realizing the true benefits of incorporating regular massages in their routines, thus making it part of their lifestyles. Not only are you guaranteed a lucrative career as a therapist, the jobs are also abundant and only growing. Massage therapists help individuals relieve pain caused by day to day stress build-up, body tightening, injury or illness. Many people these days have incorporated regular massages in their lifestyle routines to proactively mitigate physical problems, maintain good posture and just feel better. A massage therapist’s role is very important and extremely meaningful, which is why the demand for this service has continuously increased over time. It has become one of the most popular careers sought after by many today. Most practicing therapists are employed by hospitals, clinics, sports facilities and smaller private companies that are everywhere. In addition, many massage therapists work independently as either business contractors or in private homes. No matter where you live, there will always be demand for your services and thus several options near you that offer these jobs. Whether you are just now starting your career in the massage field, or want to grow your existing career, this book’s goal is to help you meet your objectives. In the next few chapters you will find information about the requirements you need to become a massage therapist, information on massage therapy schools, online schooling options, jobs, salaries, career growth and more. There is an extremely high demand for massage therapists. With increased population growth, awareness, health consciousness and active lifestyles, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects massage therapist jobs to grow another 20-30% in the next couple years. Because of the growing demand for massage therapists, many are becoming more interested in this professional career. Unfortunately, most do not know what the requirements are, how to get into the field and how to thrive in a profession that is saturated with so many other therapists. Similarly, many others who are already practicing as massage therapists do not know about the options to advance their careers through either additional training, the appropriate networking opportunities, diversification, specialization and more. All the best to you and here’s to your career success! Table of Contents Foreword 1. Introduction to a Career in Massage Therapy 2. Three Things You Should Know Before Becoming a Massage Therapist 3. How to Find the Right Massage Therapy School for You 4. How to Find Information on the Best Massage Therapy Schools 5. Characteristics of the Best Massage Therapy Schools 6. Why You Should Select an Accredited, Certified Massage Therapy School 7. Are Online Massage Therapy Schools Legitimate? 8. The Main Differences Between Local and National Massage Therapy Schools 9. What Is the Cost of a Good Massage Therapy School? 10. How to Ensure You Get a Top Quality Education 11. How to Apply to a Massage Therapy School 12. How to Apply to a Massage Therapy School 13. Courses Offered in Massage Therapy Schools and Continuing Education 14. The Importance of Massage Therapy Certification 15. Skills Needed for a Successful Career or Business in Massage Therapy 16. Three Main Subsets of Massage Therapy Jobs: Clinical, Sports & Spa 17. The Process of a Successful Massage Therapy Job Search 18. The Need for Liability Insurance When Practicing Massage Therapy 19. Why You Need to Pursue Continuing Education for Massage Therapy Summary

This reader-friendly guide encourages students to master the essential business skills needed to develop themselves as massage therapy professionals. Whether they are interested in running their own business or working as an employee or business partner in a business, this book covers everything students need to know, from starting a business to managing finances to implementing policies and procedures. Relying on a "driving" theme that enforces how developing a massage business is a journey, the book includes several unique features, such as: --Roadside Assistance, where the author provides practical, hands-on advice from her own experience --My Personal Journey, which includes tools to help students document their own journe --Humorous cartoons to support a fun tone while clearly illustrating the author's recommendations for handling key business situations

This is the premiere guide to managing a successful massage career and running a successful holistic business. Written by veteran massage therapist and holistic business coach Jessica Abegg (LMT, MBA, MSIB), this visual, hands-on book contains all the tools readers need. It focuses on both practical concerns (such as finance and legal organization), and intangible elements of success (reflection, balance, and self-care). It also includes vital information on marketing and the Internet: knowledge often absent in the high-touch, low-tech world of massage. Throughout, it reflects the growing recognition that it is urgently important to help practitioners manage businesses and careers more successfully, as reflected in the inclusion of Business Practices in the new Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge.

You are a massage therapist with knowledge and skills and want to open your own clinic or build your business. Marketing is just as important as your Massage Therapy knowledge and skills, because without marketing no one will find you. Once you have figured out who your "ideal customer" is, then you need to determine the marketing material to use to reach them. So now, you have clients, it is just as important to retain them. Everything you do requires daily action, engagement and connection with your "ideal customer." This marketing book aims to guide you in making a strategic marketing plan; to help you build and grow your business, so you don't waste several years struggling when you don't have to.--Publisher's description.

This guide provides the beginning massage therapist with the tools to start, develop, and maintain a successful practice. After nearly two decades of teaching at the Swedish Institute and maintaining a successful practice Michael Alicia, LMT, provides a practical manual to help beginning massage therapists establish a successful practice. The Massage Therapists Handbook navigates through the array of business decisions necessary to start a businessfrom what and where to practice to what to charge and when to work. It answers the basic questions of be-ginning a massage business. How do you get clients? How do you keep clients? What do you need to be successful? How should you advertise? How do you stay healthy and balanced? The Massage Therapists Handbook gives valuable advice gathered from successful therapists, explaining the everyday rigors of developing and maintaining a healthy and sustainable career in massage. Michael Alicia has done a great job with a step-by-step book for starting a successful massage practice. Whether new to the field or a veteran, anyone wishing to improve their practice can benefit from his experience and guidelines. This text will serve as a great resource for years to come. Jenn Sommermann, BS, LCMT, Professor of Business and Ethics, Swedish Institute