Bridging the gap between your current income and your dream income may seem an impossibly daunting task to take on, but it doesn’t have to be. You can increase income and achieve your financial dreams
No matter where you practice, whether you are an employee or own your business, regardless of the niche you’ve chosen or your clients’ economic status, or the number of hands-on hours you can offer each week—you can increase income.
This achievement is going to require much more than simply setting a goal and hoping it comes to fruition. It is going to take more than lighting a manifestation candle and setting your intention. And it is certainly going to require more than just raising your prices.
What it will take is a deep understanding of what your current numbers are telling you, what your perfect business looks and feels like, and, most importantly, how you may feel if failure was to prevail.
You see, failure is an inevitable element of massive growth, so it cannot be ignored. In fact, failure should be given significant consideration when it comes to setting and achieving your income goals.
3 Steps to Increase Income
Maybe you already know how much revenue you would like to earn this year or maybe you are just beginning to dream of what you could achieve. When it comes to creating the outcome you want for your business and your life, you must prioritize time to delve into the questions of desire and failure.
1. What Do You Want?
Here is a quick exercise to get you going. Begin by writing out your perfect scenario, what you truly desire, and how you will feel when you achieve it. Do not skimp on this step; these are your dreams, after all! Write with as much detail as possible and be sure your plan is a true reflection of your authentic desires.
Next, move on to the following question:
How will you feel if you fail?
Again, it is important to answer as honestly as possible. Will you feel embarrassed? Defeated? Like you are not worthy of the dreams you desire? What feelings are coming to you when you think about failing to achieve your income goal?
Unlocking the possibilities that come with achieving your financial game plan can look like:
• More control of your business or employment situation
• Income that is more predictable and less sporadic
• Earnings that break through your self-imposed glass ceiling
• Increased and continued opportunity to help more people, while helping yourself, too
Now that you have a much deeper understanding of the psychological aspect of achieving your income goals, it is time to take inspired action. But know this: Your actions and the energy you put into them must be congruent. Otherwise, the income you generate will continue to be less than your desired income.
2. Uncover Your True Profit
With your perfect vision and dreams sorted, let’s move on to profit. Did you know that most massage therapists have no idea what their true profit potential is? I have found that therapists new to the industry, most remarkably students in basic massage programs, simply multiply their hourly rate by the number of hands-on hours they desire to perform—but they fail to appropriately account for realistic business expenses.
It is important to note that independent therapists and clinic owners are not the only ones who incur such expenses related to their massage therapy career as fuel used driving to and from work and CE completion; employees must also account for expenses that are not paid for by their employer. Knowing what your real numbers are telling you is the starting point to understanding your true profit potential.
I recommend evaluating your full expenses from the previous year and adjusting those individual costs as necessary to reflect the current year’s charges in order to gain a complete understanding of your business expenses.
Next, you will need a snapshot of your numbers for the previous 90 days, consisting of revenue earned and number of hands-on hours performed. You will then evaluate these numbers against your goal, broken down into the same 90-day period.
If you want to dive even deeper into your numbers, include the number of clients in your database, the number of social media followers on each of your platforms, and your rebooking rates for each of the previous three months. Really, there is no limit to the numbers you can, and should, track in your business.
What will you do with all of these numbers? The first step is to ask yourself how far apart your current numbers are from what you ideally want them to be. When you uncover the true gap, you can more easily and efficiently make the changes and take the appropriate actions to close the gap and achieve your dream income.
Next, it is important to look at how your numbers are trending. Are they increasing each month, staying the same, or are they all over the place? Again, evaluating this information will help you determine what is working and what needs improvement.
3. Dream a Little More
Once you understand the psychological aspect involved in determining and achieving your dream income, have evaluated your true numbers, and have begun to formulate a list of inspired actions, it is time to expand your dreams.
Vacations and dedicated time off to practice self-care, spend time with the people you love, and recharge your soul tend to be difficult for many therapists for a plethora of reasons. One of the most common is the belief that if you are not available for your clients 24/7, someone else will be. The truth is you do not have to work yourself to death to achieve your dream income
So ask yourself, according to your perfect plan, how many weeks per year do you want to work? You can also approach this question by determining the number of days you prefer to work each week, tallying them up into number of weeks for the year. Whether you want to take two weeks or three months off, you can structure your practice to make it happen.
Balancing work with ample time to rest and recharge will result in improved critical thinking skills, help you produce more efficient and effective results for your clients, and give you a fresh perspective on the direction you want your practice to follow.
To Increase Income, Revise Your Dream Vision
Revise and update your dream vision often so it consistently reflects your authentic self and gives a clear path to achievement. As your practice grows and your knowledge expands, it is inevitable that your idea of a perfect practice will evolve. By regularly paying attention to even the smallest of shifts, you can take the most appropriate steps to maximize your profit potential.
What if you could create an authority position so powerful that your perfect clients are banging down your door to get on your table?
When people have a clear understanding of your expertise and are able to emotionally connect with the pain and dysfunction your skills can rid them of, it is easy to increase your session fees—and therefore drastically increase incomel. Evaluate your current marketing content with this quick checklist:
• Does my content clearly indicate the type of therapist I am?
• Does my content educate potential clients on the stress, pain and dysfunction problems I am an expert at treating?
• Is my language creating an emotional connection and a sense of need for the results I offer?
• Am I asking for the appointment too often or not enough?
• Is my content targeted to the type of clients I want to fill my practice with?
Dream beyond the current services you offer. How can you increase the value and efficiency of your current services? Can you learn a new skill to create more impactful sessions? Is it possible to transition some of your work from the table to the convenience of online sessions? Be sure you are not adding value by lowering your rates or offering discounts.
Your Profit Potential is Endless
When you understand what your numbers are telling you, have a clear vision of your dream practice and your massive financial goal and allow yourself to explore possibilities beyond your current operating procedure, you open yourself and your business to unlimited profit potential.
To quote Sir Winston Churchill, “Take up the mantle of change, for this is your time.” Right now is your time to embrace all the possibilities available to you. Set your goal, create a plan, be courageous enough to make bold decisions that are in alignment with your authentic self, and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
About the Author
Melinda Hastings, LMT, BCTMB, MTI. has practiced massage therapy since 1996. She holds active licenses in Washington and Texas and is also a Texas Massage Therapy Instructor. She is a Nationally Approved Continuing Education Provider through the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork. Her CE classes are offered through her seminar business, Inspired Therapist Seminars.