A practical and easily accessible guide for bodyworkers and movement teachers, including massage therapists and all other complementary therapists, to the setting up and running of a private practice in order to make it into a successful business. This book is for people who wish they didn't need this book; for people who wish that their passion for their work was all they need to run a business but have learned that it is not. This book provides guidance to give the reader a head for business while maintaining their heart for their work. Filled with practical real-world explanations of basic business skills, it is written with warmth, humor, and an appreciation for the heart-led work of everyone in the health and wellness world. From bookkeeping to financing, business plans to contracts, the reader will find answers to the most basic questions: where do I start and how do I do that? When you love your healing work and need to learn how to run your business this book is the friend you need.
Kelly Bowers has been fascinated by what she calls "accidental business owners". These are people doing work they love - massage therapy, yoga, personal training, etc. - who find they also have to be competent at business. As a professional writer and massage therapist living in Durham NC she empathizes with that challenge (and reluctance). Her background as a technical writer helps her explain complicated business concepts in the language of these accidental business owners. She is an adjunct faculty member at the Potomac Massage Training Institute in Silver Spring, MD where she taught business practices and other classes. She writes a weekly blog on the business of massage, Have Hands, Will Travel (www.tumblr.com/blog/havehandswilltravel). As the CEO of The Healing Core, she teaches basic business courses around the country. Her previous books include: Can I Deduct That: 100 Things You Can (or maybe can't) Take As Business Deductions Before You Leap: 6 Secrets to Making Your Passion a Real Business Like A Local, Brisbane (an Amazon ebook best-seller) Airbnb Your Life: Guest Edition Explain Yourself: The Nitty Gritty Guide to Relationship Communication The Traveler: Spiritual Being, Human Experience (co-authored with Ben Risby-Jones) Kelly has been a professional writer since 1983 and a licensed massage therapist since 2000. Her passions include reading, writing, travel, and long aimless rambles in the woods.
Forewords Preface Introduction Chapter 1 Claim Your Inner Business Owner Chapter 2 Designing Your Practice Chapter 3 Demystifying Business Plans Chapter 4 Book-keeping, Taxes, and Deductions (Oh, My!) Chapter 5 Making Money Chapter 6 How Are You Doing? Chapter 7 Who's the Boss? Working for Others Chapter 8 Marketing in the Real World Chapter 9 Big Dreams, Small Wallet: Financing Your Business Chapter 10 Being a Good Person Isn't Good Enough: Business Ethics Index
