06/18/2024
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY ONE YEAR TO MY BUSINESS!!!!
Some things I've learned running my own business for 1 year:
- You'll end up wasting FAR more money trying to go with cheaper options when it comes to cleaning products. Especially when working with oil.
Regular household duties can get away with using the cheaper stuff but when it's being used ALL the time you need something that's actually going to work.
- PURCHASE MORE TOWELS AND SHEETS THAN YOU THINK YOU'LL EVER NEED. JUST GO FOR IT. I SWEAR THE WASHER JUST EATS MY SHEETS AND TOWELS.
- If a product/enhancement isn't popular, just drop it and offer it for free until all the product is gone. Don't let things go to waste or take up space just because you liked the idea of it.
- The clients that are impossible to please will never be worth the effort they demand. You want 110% of my hard work and pay 30% of the cost, and on top of that you're going out of your way to try and hurt my feelings? No. You can leave. I won't be losing sleep at night because I denied business to you.
- If bookings are slow, take it as an opportunity to chill out. As long as you're working hard and putting out quality when you do have clients, then things will naturally work out. Be patient and focus on yourself during your down time.
- Be extremely strict with your days off.
- Staying up late before a work day ISNT WORTH IT ANYMORE. Just go to bed bestie 🤣
- Pay yourself a set hourly rate and save everything else. Building an emergency fund for your business as fast as you can is an absolute necessity and CANNOT be negotiated. Accidents happen and you need to be able to rectify the situation faster than your liability insurance can. Don't worry, they'll pay you back, just keep a record of everything.
- Almost every single call you get is going to be a scam. If they want an appointment they'll leave a voicemail.
- GET A CARD ON FILE BEFORE BOOKING THE APPOINTMENT! Be extremely strict with this. You might lose some customers but it's better than ghosts filling up space in your books.
- be prepared to repeat simple instructions over and over, and still expect people to get it wrong. Have patience and remember to be kind.
- making connections and helping promote other business owners will boost your business! We are all in the same boat, might aswell work together to keep it floating 🫶
- trades are fun but don't trade when you feel like it might not be a fully equal trade. Take money completely out of the equation and only trade goods/services. Capitalism has ZERO place in the barter system.
- Be genuine to who YOU ARE. The customer service face works well for franchises and big business but people are CHOSING to come to your small business to meet YOU. don't be scared to loosen up and be a little silly. I've found that my clients have a much better time when I let them get to know who I actually am a little bit. (And it's less awkward if we run into each other in public)
- Own your mistakes with your FULL CHEST. People are more forgiving if you accept you made a mistake and DON'T over apologize. You're human, they're human, mistakes happen, don't try to sweep it under the rug.
Most of all, remember why you're doing any of this in the first place.
I created my business because I want to help make people feel better in an environment where I feel comfortable and appreciated.
The people I've met over this past year have made me fall in love with massage over and over again.
I was so terrified to jump into this that it took me SIX YEARS, 2 terrible jobs, and almost quitting this profession as a whole to finally give it a shot.
None of this is easy. I've put so much of my own blood, sweat, and tears (so many tears I'm not even joking) into this business, and I'm so incredibly proud of what I've been building.
Hitting one year is such an amazing achievement and truly makes me believe that I can keep going.
Thank you to my mom and dad for pushing me to make that first step, thank you to my dear friends helping me promote my business and helping me through panic attacks at 2am (seriously I love you guys so much), thank you fellow business owners for the mutual support and encouragement, and thank you to my hundreds (WOW) of amazing clients willing to not only come in and give me a shot but for shouting my name to everybody you know and even outside of bars while you're having a fun night out (literally 🤣).
I couldn't have done any of this without ya'll.
Much love.
~cora
