You Can Work for Yourself as a Self-Employed Massage Therapist
Have you ever wanted to work for yourself? Be your own boss? Make your own work schedule?
One of the benefits of a career in massage therapy is sheer number and variety of opportunities you have perform bodywork. Some licensed massage therapists (LMTs) choose to specialize over the lifetime of their careers and some have a practice that ranges in every way possible.
In this series we will discuss the range of environments, specifically, in which you can practice massage therapy. The previous article (posted a few weeks ago now) addressed spa and resort massage jobs. Before, we visited franchise massage therapy.
This article will address what it is like to work for yourself as a self-employed massage therapist.
The Allure of Working for Yourself
Several of the students who come through our doors share the goal of working for themselves, of self-employment. And it’s understandable.
Self-employed massage therapists enjoy the following benefits:
- The ability to make their own work schedules,
- The ability to work at their own pace,
- The ability to choose the locations in which they provide service,
- The ability to design their own service menus,
- The ability to answer to no one but themselves,
- And more.
Whether you are just beginning your professional life or are trying to escape a career that hasn’t served you in some way, working for yourself as a massage therapist could be the answer.
It’s a great dream, a very rewarding dream. And a dream that absolutely can be true.
The Reality of Working for Yourself
Having said all of that, we wouldn’t be educators if we didn’t encourage you to evaluate all the angles of self-employment. The reality of life – whatever we’re discussing – is that very glowing dream absolutely has at least one heavy consideration that may shatter it.
The biggest issue we hear that self-employed massage therapists struggle with and new therapists are often blind to is that they are or will be responsible for all aspects of running a business. All of them. From administrative tasks like business setup and bookkeeping to marketing plan development and implementation and appointment and product sales, these tasks take time and energy off (and from) the table.
An extension of this truth is that self-employed massage therapists are also directly responsible for any lags or shortfalls in profitability. There is nothing and no one else to blame.
You Can Do It!
Whether or not running a business is a responsibility is a dream-shattering reality for you will depend on the individual. You make like running a business and be good at balancing time working your business and your clients!
Either way, you can do it.
If you want to work for yourself as massage therapist, you can. Even if you aren’t great at bookkeeping or marketing, there are so many tools available that can help you master and excel at these business needs.
So we say go for it. Go for it wisely and with your eyes wide open. But go for it!
To learn more about massage careers and the opportunities and environments in which you can work, stay tuned for more in this series!
Ready to start your career in massage therapy? We are enrolling for our 500 hour massage licensing program right now.