Course Outline:

Hour 1

• What it actually means to be an entrepreneur and the difficulties associated with this path
• Goal creation process
• What is entailed in mapping and monitoring goals
• Options available to massage therapists in terms of hours worked when starting a practice
• Advantages and disadvantages to sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, and limited liability companies

Hour 2

• Explanation of the differences between internal and external environments
• Definitions and examples of practice strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
• How to deal with business threats
• Importance of and strategies to differentiation and competitive analysis
• Sections and subsections of the business plan
• Explanation of the components of the general company description

Hour 3

• Explanation of the location, licensing and legal, products and services, supplies and inventory, cash reconciliation, and policy sections of the operational plan
• Financial plan components including profit goals, a reserve account, leasing options, and funding

Hour 4

• How to review and revise the massage practice’s business plan
• Different marketing channels and when they should be used
• Purpose and importance of marketing products
• Creation of brochures and business cards
• Resources available to learn more about the market
• Strategies to learn more about your current and potential clients
• Why pricing should not be used to differentiation one practice from another
• Establishing credibility and creating a positive experience for clients
• How to quantify the cost and benefit of various marketing strategies
• Real world examples of a cost benefit analysis in use

Hour 5

• Different marketing strategies along with the costs and benefits associated with them
• Importance of confidence in numerical estimations and revision
• How the business plan should be used in a massage practice
• Definitions of revenue, expenses, profit, and variable costs
• How to use expenses, revenue, profit, and the number of client visits to update the business plan and track business goals

Hour 6

• Metric analysis and the use of practice metrics for decision making
• What to do in the event of down trending profits
• Mediums of in person impressions including the introduction, elevator speech, attire, confidence, and non verbal communication
• Various mediums of written impressions including resumes, emails, sales pitches, marketing products, websites, and business cards
• Advantages and potential issues with written documents and easy solutions to issues
• Benefits of creating a business network
• Importance of keeping up to date with your network