When I set out 10 years ago I would massage for 6/7 hours a day. The only distraction in those days were texts and calls on your phone. Time was spent making bookings – occasionally by email but primarily by phone calls. Life felt simpler with no businesses on social media. I was a person with a reputation and a basic website so people could find me.
These days we are bombarded by communications. The only time i’m cut off from these are when I’m massaging. That in itself can be relaxingly focusing. With as many people being able to contact you with a text saying they’re running late, there are as many trying on whatsapp, messenger and possibly messages unread sent into the ether to other things I may not use.
What is made simpler are booking systems online so there is no phone tennis to bring two calendars together. There are scheduling tools to send out media posts to Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, google+ and Instagram even when you have yours hands on someone. An amazing idea for a bodywork therapist. But sometimes thinking of the interesting yet engaging content, the brand identifying picture or relevant article can be all consuming.
When you are self employed you say yes to things that may not serve you or instinctively feel wrong. You may not realise at the time that they do not fit with your standards, even if you didn’t know you had any! You don’t get paid consistently, on time, and are juggling constant incomings/outgoings.
But if you can get it right it is a wonderful sense of freedom from the confines of working for someone. From being under their control and ideas. Able to express yourself however you wish. Work whenever you want. It can be incredibly hard to motivate yourself but also incredibly easy to do so when you set boundaries to how much you can do.
An accident 5 years ago taught me a lot about how much I could do. As a Massage Therapist I now work with 4-5 people max a day. I think that is where longevity lies. It certainly allows for quality not quantity. I’m still pressurised by the idea that I don’t work 9-5. Not being a morning person and finding it hard to engage with everyone first thing, my regular 830am’er knows this so brings her 4 year old to entertain me with Paw Patrol on the iPad. I have a dog to walk, meetings to go to and stuff to get done, but tend to massage in the afternoons with fixed clinic times.
You learn a lot from experience of what works for you and your energy levels, how to handle cancellation fees and people in general. Being surrounded by good people also helps when you work on your own. It’s something I struggled with when renting a room and dealing with people not on my wavelength. To have this support is crucial to keep yourself checking in to the most important values and the reasons you started in the first place.
Recent Comments