New Year, New Mindset for Your Massage Business

Welcome to 2025!

How was 2024 for your massage business? Was it full of everything you wanted to achieve? Or did you have a few challenges?

I imagine it was a bit of both!

If it wasn’t all “fully-booked-diaries-and-dream-clients”, and you’re afraid that this year will follow a similar theme, don’t worry! In this blog, you’re going to get a big dose of positivity that will set you up for business success in 2025.

The key to success
As a business mentor, I’m often asked for the key to a successful massage business. People expect me to answer something like, 'having a niche,' or being a social media expert,' But the truth is, the biggest obstacle to success ISN'T lack of business knowledge... it's the THOUGHTS in your head.

Over the 10 years that I've been helping therapists grow their businesses (and 25+ years of growing my own business -eek!); what I’ve noticed over and over again is that the thoughts we hold - the beliefs, self-talk, and mindset - play a huge role in how successful we are.

Why your mind-set is important

The way you think shapes your experience. Success starts with the messages you send out, both to yourself and to the world. The beliefs you hold have a direct impact on how (and whether) you grow.

If you can move your mind away from negative thinking and instead focus on what has gone well, you’ll find you can overcome all sorts of obstacles.

I've seen it happen time and time again with the therapists I work with.

It’s easy to get caught up in the practical stuff in your business, but if your mindset isn’t in the right place, all the external effort won’t take you far. Having a positive mindset gives you a solid foundation for everything else.

Your mindset impacts your business in two important ways:

When you firmly believe in the value of what you offer, that confidence shines out in the way you talk and what you say. You sound professional and authoritative and that not only attracts clients, it also makes it easier to set boundaries and make hard business decisions.

Every business faces challenges (lack of clients or last-minute cancellations, are just the start!). But when you have a growth mindset, you’ll see these as chances to LEARN, rather than as personal failures.

When you think positively, you’ll always be looking for ways to improve and adapt and that makes it easier for you to try new things, or tweak what you’re doing. Instead of feeling scared of getting things “wrong”, you’ll be more willing to give things a go.

If your thoughts are stuck in the doldrums and your mindset could do with a little glow-up, here’s a little exercise you can try. I call it “The Reflection Ritual”.

The aim of The Reflection Ritual is to bring to mind your achievements and other positive experiences of 2024. When you lay these out clearly in front of you and spend time feeling the positive emotions attached, you shift your mindset to a strong, positive empowering one.

Find a cosy, quiet place where you won't be disturbed. It's a good idea to write your answers with paper and pen/pencil, rather than on a device, as writing rather than typing can help the thinking process.

Now answer the following questions. Don’t overthink this! Just write down whatever comes into your head. There’s no right or wrong here.

Dream big here! Imagine you could literally do anything you like. If there were no constraints, what would you do next year? Maybe your dream is to open a retreat centre in Portugal, design your own line of self-care products or become the number one therapist in a particular niche. Be creative and allow yourself to imagine your dream scenario!

Why it matters

Thinking creatively helps us see past the limits we often put on ourselves. Asking this question can help you think outside the box and spark new ideas. These might feel out of reach at first, but with a bit of self-belief and some planning, you could turn them into real possibilities.

Question 2:

What did you discover in 2024 that you loved? It might be related to your business (maybe you discovered a new brand of massage oils, a new modality or a new technique that clients responded well to?)

Or it might be something else entirely - a new recipe, a podcast, or a new hobby. Think back through the year and write down any happy discovery you’ve made.

Why it matters

Remembering new discoveries can show you areas of your life or business that bring you happiness and lift your energy. These discoveries might be a hint at places within where you have some untapped potential or rarely used skills. Once you’ve identified these, you can actively choose to spend more time on them in the year to come. By thinking about the small (or big) things that brought you happiness this year, you can carry that positive energy forward into 2025.

Question 3:
What achievement are you most proud of this year?

Take a moment to think back on the past year. What went well? This doesn’t have to be directly related to your business – write down anything you’re pleased about. Often, the most meaningful progress is subtle. You might not have even noticed it at the time! It could be something as little as making a difficult client smile, or setting up your new booking system. Perhaps you finally got the courage to raise your prices. Or maybe you learned a new hobby. Anything goes here.

Why it matters

Recognising your achievements is a huge confidence booster. Doing this brainstorm will help you see how well you’re doing. It’s so easy to only focus on the bad, negative things! Remembering your achievements reminds you of your strengths and gives you the motivation to keep going.

Question 4:
How did your self-perception change this year?

Can you point to any way in which your view of yourself improved this year? If it was a challenging year, can you see how you developed resilience, or can you recognise how much inner strength you have? Perhaps you learned you’re more adaptable or you’ve got more inner capacity to cope than you thought. Did you gain confidence in anything this year? Maybe you’re proud of yourself for the way you handled something. Write down anything you can think of.

Why it matters

How we view ourselves matters. If we don’t see ourselves in a positive light, it’s very hard to feel positive about the world in general. See if you can give your self image a boost. You’re building positive beliefs about yourself, which help keep a growth mindset.

Once you’ve written down your answers, you’re going to take a few minutes to re read them and allow yourself to feel the positive emotions attached to each answer.

Turn it into a Positivity Meditation by doing the following:

1. Take a few slow, deep breaths to calm your mind. This helps you stay present and open to feeling the positive emotions attached to your reflections.

2. If you like, close your eyes. It can help to block out distractions and allow you to focus more on the feelings.

3. Picture the moments or experiences you’ve written down. Imagine them as vividly as possible - see the scenes, hear the sounds, and remember the feelings. This’ll help bring the positive emotions to the surface.

4. Allow yourself to really FEEL them: Feel proud. Feel glad. Feel pleased. Feel strong. Feel excited! Smile as you think about what you learned and achieved last year. Give yourself permission to sit with these emotions for as long as you like. Let those lovely emotions wash over you.

It can be easy to rush through this, but give yourself permission to fully feel those emotions, even if it feels a little uncomfortable at first. Let those positive feelings sink in.

5. Now – think forward to 2025. Imagine that the positive feelings you’re experiencing are setting the tone for the year ahead. See (or imagine or feel) 2025 spreading out ahead of you full of fun, excitement and adventures to come.

Opening your eyes, come back to the present moment. Hold on to the sense of pride and accomplishment you’ve just felt, and make the decision to carry these emotions with you into the new year.

KNOW that you've got the resources within you to get the very best out of the year.

Of course there will be ups and downs, but trust that with a positive mindset, you’ve got everything you need to make the most of whatever comes your way.

Remember: your thoughts shape your reality!

Here's to a sparkling and wonderful 2025 🌟

Business mentor for massage therapists, Nikki Wolf has over 20 years in the industry; including teaching, owning a massage school, and managing spas. Nikki is on a mission to demystify marketing for therapists and empower them to build their own thriving businesses. When she isn't massaging or mentoring, she’ll be walking on the beach with her dog, Storm. Find out more about mentoring at Orchid Massage Academy.