Build Your Massage Business in just 90 minutes!

When you’re self-employed, most of your time is spent doing client work. 
You’re answering messages, getting the treatment room ready, doing treatments, cleaning up… then doing it all again the next day. It can seem like a full-time job just keeping things running!

So when you also want to grow your business, it can feel like there’s no time or headspace left to make that happen.

But here’s the thing: it doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s actually easy to do, you just need to be strategic.

In this post, I’ll show you how setting aside just a few minutes a day (or a week!) to do proper, focused work onyour business, not in it, can help you get unstuck and start building the kind of practice you actually want.

Are you working hard - on the wrong things?

If you’ve been working hard but still not seeing the bookings or income you’d like - you’re definitely not the only one. One thing I hear all the time from the therapists I mentor is: “I’m doing everything I can… but I’ve not got enough clients. And I’m definitely not earning what I should be.”

On the surface, they’re not doing anything wrong. They’re great at massage! But when we dig a bit deeper, the answer is obvious:

They’re busy-busy doing the “urgent” tasks - replying to messages, washing towels  - all the day-to-day jobs. They feel like they’re working so hard (and they are!). But they’re not working on the right things.

All their time and energy is going into running the business… but hardly any of it’s going into growing it.

And that’s the bit that changes everything.

Getting and keeping clients

If you want your business to grow, then you need to spend time actively doing the things that create growth.

“Business growth” can sound vague or complicated, but it’s actually really simple. It just means getting clients and making sure they come back. Everything you do in your business either supports that or distracts from it.

It sounds obvious, but it’s easy to miss. Especially when you're busy. So if your massage business isn’t quite where you want it to be, it’s worth stopping for a moment, taking a breath and asking yourself:

What are you actually doing on a regular basis, to get clients and to keepclients?

If you want a solid, thriving business, you’ve got to focus on the stuff that brings people through the door in the first place, and keeps them coming back.

That’s why I always come back to this with the therapists I mentor: you need to carve out regular time to work on your business, not just in it. To do the work that will bring in clients and grow your business.

What Happens If You Don’t?

Well… you stay stuck. You keep hoping that clients will magically turn up; that “next week will be better”. You panic when you have a quiet week, but you don’t have any plan or strategy to fix it.

Your income is inconsistent - it just depends on who happens to book in. And worst of all you start burning out, because it’s all massage, massage, massage (and cleaning!) with no time to make things easier for yourself.

The good thing is, you can fix this; you just need a plan. And it starts with making time to work on your business.

It doesn’t have to take over your week. In fact, just a bit of time every day, can make a huge difference.

And that’s where the 90 Minute Rule comes in.

90 Minutes A Day

The idea is simple: set aside 90 minutes a day to work on your business (not client work, not admin, just tasks that will help you get clients and keep them.)

90 minutes is enough time to get something done -and still have time for the rest of your work.

It doesn’t matter when you do it. The 90 minutes can be early morning, after lunch, in the evening... What matters is that it’s in the diary and that it actually happens. I always say, “If it’s not IN, it won't get DONE!” So get it blocked out in your diary.

If 90 minutes a day sounds tricky, try blocking out one full day a week, or two half days instead. That’s what I do - I keep Mondays free from clients, so I can work on my business. (I wrote this blog post in a couple of my 90 minutes!)

What to focus on in Your 90 Minutes

So you’ve blocked the time out – now what should you actually do in your 90 minutes? There’s so much you could be doing, it really doesn’t matter what you choose. Don’t overthink it -  just pick something and get going!

Here are some ideas:

1.  Marketing & Visibility

If people don’t know you exist, they can’t book in with you. Marketing and visibility will keep a steady stream of clients coming in, so make it a priority.

You could:

• Post something on social media (or get chatting in a relevant group)
  
• Send an email to your list (or start building a list if you haven’t got one yet!)
  
• Follow up with past clients to encourage them back
  
• Update your website, Google listing, or booking system
  
• Network – Pop into a local business and introduce yourself.

2. Business Strategy & Growth

This is about improving your business so it can grow sustainably and support the kind of life you want

You could:

• Review your pricing (when did you last give yourself a raise?)
  
• Look at what’s working in your marketing. What’s bringing in clients, what’s not?
  
• Plan a package or offer for next month
  
• Learn something new (rebooking skills, marketing, messaging, anything that helps you get and keep clients)
  
• Tweak your messaging - are you attracting the right kind of clients?
  
  
  

3. Client Experience & Systems

The better your client experience, the more they’ll come back and send others your way. When you have systems that work for you, you free up your time  -  which you can invest back into your business – or just take a break!

You could use this time to:

• Improve your booking process or follow-up emails
• Create a referral programme or loyalty scheme
• Automate something -reminders, replies, whatever saves you time

Make it a habit

Committing to 90 minutes a day (or one full day a week) is one thing. Actually doing it is another. This time has to be non-negotiable. No squeezing in extra clients, no popping to the shops, no “just checking Instagram for a sec” or finding yourself cleaning the kitchen (yep, been there!) 

Think of your 90 minutes as the fuel that runs your business. Without this fuel, your business will eventually come to a stand-still. This is your business growth time. It matters!

Here are some tips to help you commit:

1.  Treat it like a client appointment – Block the time out in your diary. Don’t be tempted to move it or skip it!

2. Get rid of distractions - Phone on silent, tabs closed, this is focused time, so no faffing about!

3. Get some accountability  - Tell someone what you’re doing and get them to check in (Actually, it doesn’t have to be a person, even your dog will do if you say it out loud!)

And if you’re thinking, “but I don’t have time”

That’s a common one! It’s so easy to think this is a big chunk of time that you’d rather spend on something else.

The thing is, if you don’t make time for this kind of work, your business will never grow. The only way to build a thriving business is to make getting and keeping clients a priority.

If 90 minutes sounds impossible right now, start with 30. Or even 15. But make it consistent.

Still not sure what to do? Try this:

Do one thing every day that helps you get or keep a client.

That’s it. Easy!

Final Tips to Help You Stick With It

Even when you want to work on your business, life can have other ideas. So:

• Use a timer - try the Pomodoro method (focus for 25 mins then have a 5 min break)
• Keep a list of business-building tasks so you’re not wondering what to do
• Batch stuff -Mondays are for marketing, or Fridays are for finances, or whatever works
• Reward yourself - finish your 90 minutes and treat yourself to a cuppa or a walk

You don’t need to do all the things, but you do need to be consistent with the important ones - things that help you get clients and keep them!

So, when’s your next 90-minute session? Put it in the diary. Pick one task that will contribute to growing your business…and get going with it!

It’ll make the world of difference to your business, I promise!

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