Game Change Your Biz

Let’s start today with a question: How about your action plan? Do you have one? As entrepreneurs, we may THINK we have a successful practice, but sometimes we need a little jump start. A business action plan can be the KEY! Putting an action plan together requires some work and some honest evaluation. So, ask yourself: What can I do to transform my practice or make it even better?

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Most action plans focus on income/expenses or marketing
• Here are some tips for putting an action plan in place:
  • Consider your schedule and operating hours; post them and BE consistent
  • Track your income with financial spreadsheets
  • Track the modalities and services that matter most to your clients
  • Set weekly, monthly, and yearly goals
  • Know your fixed expenses (and don’t forget taxes!)
  • Find out which marketing strategies work for you and which don’t work
  • Determine the best networking practices for your practice
• The bottom line is that you want your business to be profitable. Consider these tips and put your action plan to work! It’s another piece to game-changing your business!

Today we’re talking about how to connect with your community. Strong ties to your community can be vital to your business growth. But how do we build and sustain these relationships? We’ll discuss some tips about making these connections happen, and remember, some of these may be harder to do if your business is in a larger city.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• How do we define “community”? A community is composed of families in neighborhoods that are likeminded and have the goal of inspiring each other
• Tips to connect with and nourish your community:
• • Volunteer your time with likeminded organizations
  • Introduce your product or service at a discount or for free
  • Be a mentor to others
  • Attend networking events
  • Leverage social media for meaningful connections
• Try some of these ideas to improve your connection to your community. It’s another piece to game-changing your business!

Mentioned in this episode:

Memorable Events by Apryl     www.makememorable.com 

Today we are talking about your right to refuse a client. Many entrepreneurs in private practice don’t realize they have this right. Keep in mind that you can always refuse to work with a prospective client or discontinue work with an existing client, for several reasons. Let’s take a deeper look.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Important questions to ask yourself:
  • Do I know when it’s time to turn a client away?
  • Do I know how to do this?
• Examples of situations in which you need to make a “judgment call”:
  • With a client who is consistently late or a no-show
  • With a non-compliant client who doesn’t do the self-care of homework that is required as part of their treatment
  • When your own limitations and skill sets are being tested or pushed to the limit
• Tips to consider:
  • Have policies in place and inform clients about them
  • Have clear boundaries and remind clients, when needed
  • Be professional, yet firm
  • Always be courteous

Think about these issues, ask yourself these questions, and consider these tips. This is an important scenario that you need to prepare for ahead of time. Understanding your right to refuse a client is another piece to game-changing your business.

Today’s show is How to Overcome your Fear of Public Speaking. You may say, “Oh, no, I don’t ever plan on doing public speaking!” Believe it or not, we all encounter times when we must speak to a small group or even to our team of therapists. There are many ways that this skill can benefit you, like when presenting your marketing plan. Being an effective public speaker also helps you present yourself with confidence and positions you as an expert in the area of your modality. All of this can translate into more opportunities and greater revenue for your business. Don’t fall into the trap of equating public speaking with being a salesman. Learn to be informative about your business without being sales-y.

Tips for overcoming the fear of public speaking:

• Determine to overcome the fear
• Start small
• Know your material
• Visualize yourself having a conversation with ONE person in the audience
• Engage with the audience
• Present your ideas with confidence
• If you need help, contact Toastmasters in your area

Don’t let your fear hold you back from taking advantage of public speaking opportunities that come your way and can help grow your business and your influence. It’s another piece to game-changing your business!

What is SUCCESS, and what does it mean to you? We all try to pursue success, but each of us probably would give a different definition of what it means. Sometimes we even try to define it by what it DOES NOT mean. Let’s talk about success and what it means for your business.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Plan for success by having goals and a clear vision
• Know what success is NOT
• Look at who you are and what you want to achieve
• “Success is not final; failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”

—Winston Churchill

• Some of the best success stories come from rock-bottom failures
• What you need to do to have success:
  • Set goals and objectives based on what YOU desire
  • Bring people on board who share similar goals
  • Build on your former success to move forward
  • Learn from your small successes AND challenges
  • Assess where you are RIGHT NOW
  • Figure out your strengths and weaknesses
  • Be clear about what YOU want to accomplish

Remember that the road to success is a long journey with many milestones along the way. Determine your own success and don’t let others define it for you. Your success will depend on what you value. Being clear about what success IS and IS NOT is just another piece to game-changing your business.

It’s Never Too Late to Start Over! That’s our topic for today’s show. A new year is always a good time to start off with fresh ideas, to continue what you started last year, or to totally reinvent yourself. Let’s talk about some ideas that you might want to put into action in 2018!

• Have the right mindset (Start each day with gratefulness)
• Be honest to yourself and others
• Honor your career
• Educate your friends and family about your career and the proper terminology around it
• Respect your clients and peers
• Honor others’ privacy
• Set clear boundaries
• Hold to standard operating procedures and policies
• Take time to learn from others
• Pay it forward
• Portray a professional image—Always!
• Take time for yourself

I hope you’ll take these ideas and put them into action for your practice this year. Knowing that it’s never too late to start over is another piece to game-changing your business!

You probably realize that we are just days away from a new year. It’s the time of year when most people think about resolutions of some kind. Most people want to accomplish a goal, kick a bad habit, or improve their life in some way. Today we are discussing your New Year’s resolutions for your small business, because resolutions aren’t just for your personal life! Let’s talk about ways you can bring about positive change in YOUR business for 2018!

                Suggestions for resolutions:

• Manage cash flow more effectively
• Improve your digital and social media presence
• Focus on becoming more productive
• Take a look at your expenses, prices, and profit
• Delegate more daily tasks to your team
• Become a better communicator

Consider these resolutions, and you may even want to add more of your own. Create an action plan to implement the needed changes. Consider finding the help you need, maybe through the services of a business coach. Resolutions are another part to game-changing your business for 2018!

Running your own business can be like a rollercoaster ride, complete with many ups and downs. Sometimes you may feel like you’re falling apart and wonder what you are supposed to do next. I have good news! A business coach just may be the answer to your problems! Let’s talk about how a coach can help you set objectives and get your business running more smoothly from A-Z.

Five Signs that You Need a Business Coach:

• You don’t have a clear path for your business
  • A coach will help you delegate certain tasks
• You feel overwhelmed
  • A coach will help you become productive again
• You aren’t developing new skills
  • A coach will help you learn new technologies and skills in leadership and negotiation
• You have no accountability
  • A coach will help you accomplish reasonable goals
• You’re always in a rut
  • A coach will help you implement a strategic plan, gain confidence, and try a new perspective

The key is knowing when you need help. Remember that you can’t do it all alone. Consider what a business coach can do for your team! It’s another piece to game-changing your business!

Today we’re talking about Your Small Business Year-End Checklist. We all think of taxes when we come to the end of the fiscal year, but it’s also the perfect time to start your business plan for the upcoming year. The end of a year is a time for analysis and critical decisions about your business.

Think about the following on your Year-End Checklist:

• Make sure your financial books are in order
• Determine where you want to be in your business
• Evaluate your goals
• Plan for the upcoming year
• Take action

Businesses that fail to plan are planning to fail. I hope this inspires you to think about your business plan as we say goodbye to 2017 and look forward to 2018. It’s another piece to game-changing your business!

Today’s topic is Self-Care during the Holidays. Don’t think of self-care as something reserved for when you’re sick, but as a vital part of life. It’s never more crucial than around the holidays, when life is busy, stressful, and overwhelming. We are each on a lifelong journey, and we must take a little time each day to preserve our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. After all, we want to take care of our clients, so we need to take care of ourselves. We all need that “ME” time!

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Learn how to focus on one thing at a time
  • Use meditation, yoga, proper breathing, good diet, exercise, relaxation, and positive thinking
• Stay grounded and bring the focus back to YOU
  • Let go of other people’s issues and concerns
• Ask yourself these questions:
  • How do I want to feel in my life?
  • What positive actions can I take?
  • What can I do for ME?
  • How can I accomplish this goal?
  • What is my “go-to haven” to feel whole and positive?
• Don’t overbook your activities. Leave time for reading books, listening to music, cooking, jogging, and spending time with family or friends. Taking care of YOU—it’s another piece to game-changing your business and your life!

Whether you’re ready or not, the holidays are around the corner, and we’re all in “gift mode.” It is immensely satisfying to find the perfect gift for someone special, but have you thought about what you can do for your massage therapist? They may seem like “they have everything,” but let’s talk about creating a wish list of items you would like to have and what gifts would be timely and appropriate for your therapist.

Gift Ideas for Your Therapist or any Health Professional:

• Magazine subscription, either print or digital
• Massage oils/essential oils (find out what products they use and purchase a gift card)
• Music for their offices, through a gift card or subscription to Spotify, iTunes, or Pandora
• Gift baskets that are fun and creative
• Help decorate their workplace, either by arranging paintings or furniture or a gift card for new things
• Have a group of family or friends pitch in for a big ticket item, but always get a gift receipt

As we enter the holiday season, we should realize that the new year is quickly approaching. With that comes wishful thinking about what 2018 may hold for your business. What will you need for success in your business for the new year?

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• A new year is a great opportunity to update your business and try out some new tools
• #1 on your wish list should be a great website!
  • Try wix.com and www.thegiftcardcafe.com
• Other tools and resources can save you time and help you stay current with technology:
  • Google analytics
  • dropbox.com
  • mailchimp.com
  • robly.com
  • constantcontact.com
  • skype.com
  • zoom.us
  • gotowebinar.com
  • square.com
  • hootsuite.com
  • wordpress.com
  • evernote.com

There you have it—another piece to game-changing YOUR business!

What is your net profit margin? Is it something you keep an eye on? You won’t know if you’re even making a profit if you don’t know your numbers, so this topic is an important one for every entrepreneur to consider. Let’s talk about it!

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Look for ways to increase your sales and decrease your expenses
• Figure your net profit margin by deducting all expenses from all revenue; the part leftover is your profit
• What is “net profit margin”? The income you have after all expenses and taxes have been accounted for
• Each industry has its own profit margin, depending on its specific products and services
• How to increase sales:
  • Offer more hours of availability
  • Increase prices
  • Eliminate unnecessary expenses
• What to do if your products and services are not generating revenue:
  • Find a way to promote them
  • Remove that product or service from your offering
  • Use the product or service as an add-on bonus item
• What to do if you feel the financial “pinch”:
  • Analyze the market
  • Evaluate the overall economy
  • Look for unexpected expenses
• What to do if your net profit margin is negative:
  • Look at your numbers and expenses
  • Re-negotiate contracts
  • Adjust business hours for maximum sales
• Don’t forget to take a yearly or quarterly look at your net profit margin. These numbers are something you need to be constantly aware of, to maximize your profitability and keep your business in the black! It’s another piece to game-changing your business!

Today’s topic is an important one! We’re discussing how to increase your massage revenue. Isn’t that the name of the game? We all want to stay in the black and not put our businesses in the red. Let’s talk about some tips and simple ideas to increase your revenue:

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Ask clients to rebook while they are still there
• Build a custom website for potential clients to view
• Have online scheduling availability
• Increase your social media presence—Look at it as FREE advertising!
• Start a financial budget and write off the expenses that are allowed

The calendar year is quickly coming to a close. Make sure you’ve kept up with your mileage and travel expenses if you do mobile massage or travel to conferences. Utilizing tax deductions and putting these tips to use will help YOU increase your revenue and keep your business on the profitable side. It’s just another piece to game-changing YOUR business!

They are coming soon---Black Friday and Cyber Monday! Are you ready? Is your practice ready? Have you even thought about these events and their potential impact on your business? We’re discussing these topics and more in today’s show about preparing for success as the holidays' approach.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• In 2016, online holiday online sales topped $3.3 billion!
• 70% of Thanksgiving web traffic is done on mobile devices
• Many people will do internet shopping BEFORE Black Friday
• Things to consider for success for your practice:
  • Be mobile friendly
  • Nail down your offers and campaigns
  • Offer a percentage discount but keep sales goals in mind
  • Offer a dollar amount discount off your products and services
  • Offer free shipping
  • Have a “limited time” stipulation on offers
  • Create a sense of urgency for your buyers
  • Provide a reminder and thank-you message to existing clients as the holidays' approach
  • Know your target client
• Don’t miss the boat! Prepare now! Evaluate your website and see it through your client’s eyes. Have gift cards easily accessible on your site. It’s a way to tap into the potential for great holiday sales, and it’s another piece to game-changing your business.

Today’s topic is How to Develop Discipline.  Discipline is something we all need to develop on a daily basis, both as a person and as an entrepreneur. I learned this a long time ago as a competitive equestrian and runner, and this discipline has carried over to my career as a massage therapist. 

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Discipline is the key to success
• Discipline is gained through commitment
• Discipline gives the happiness and freedom to achieve dreams
• A positive mindset is important along with discipline
• Discipline teaches us how to control our thoughts and have a positive outlook
• Discipline inspires personal growth
• Steps to developing discipline:
• • Set big goals
  • Set clear goals
  • Set a time limit
  • Trust the plan
  • Build a wonderful mindset
  • Set up a routine
• Look for the transformation; things change as you become disciplined
• Visualize your success
• Enjoy your work!
• Developing discipline and focus will stretch you further than you thought and give you power and self-control

What is getting in the way to your road to success? Whether you are in the middle of a business venture, or just at the beginning, having a system in place is the secret to success. Systems are all good and well, but with so much competition in our industry, how can you give yourself an edge? Have you thought about utilizing your unique gifts to make a name for yourself? That is exactly what our guest, Pat Roque did, and she is ready to share her secrets with you.

Pat is a motivational speaker and the mastermind behind “Rock Your Success.” She has written two books, launched a successful blog, and helped countless business owners and entrepreneurs take their business to the next level…all after she turned 50. Pat is proof that it is never too late to chase your dream, change your dream, and make it happen. Today, Pat shares her considerable wisdom to encourage us to pursue our gifts and transform our lives. She is a firm believer in your unique gifts, and we think her perspective might just be what you need to get started. Your path is clear, and it is time to take the first step!

What You Will Learn In This Episode:

• Pat’s shares her pivot moment where she realized her life was still full, even after a career meltdown.
• Why Pat decided to become a motivational speaker to share her gifts with the world.
• How Rock On Success can help your business grow and thrive using your unique talents.
• Pat’s method for creating success with stepping stones.
• Hear stories of success from Pat’s coaching, speaking, and mentoring. 

Links:

Connect with Pat Online!

pat@rockonsuccess.com

Rockonsuccess.com

Grab your copy of Pat’s books, Rock On Success, Rock Your Golf.

Today we’re discussing Your Comeback Strategy. Have you ever thought about what would happen if you are laid off due to illness or injury? What if you choose to take an extended personal vacation? We all know our businesses are dependent on our clients’ needs and whether they rebook with us, but what is your strategy to get those next appointments scheduled?

Clients must see the value of your work for them. Here are five basic areas for you to consider:

1. Let your clients know the benefits of regular massage. “Feeling good” requires regular massage therapy.
2. Get personal. Talk about how they feel before and after a treatment. Check in with them a day later to follow up.
3. Take control and guide them toward rebooking. Talk about your future treatment plans to help with their specific needs and inform them of online scheduling options.
4. Ask for them to book the next appointment—and do it with confidence! Don’t be afraid to ASK!
5. Consider the client’s past records. See how they’re progressing, assess your treatment plans, and identify their chronic problems.

Remember, you are explaining to the client what is in their best interests for optimal health and wellness. Help them become aware of their bodies and how massage therapy can speed their progress toward “feeling good.” Going after those successive appointments and building your value with clients is another piece to game-changing your business!

Today’s guest is Sue Callison of the blog, My Lymphedema Life. Her lymphatic system was permanently damaged during treatments for breast cancer, causing her to develop an additional medical condition called lymphedema. As Sue found out, there are many ways besides cancer treatments that cause people to develop lymphedema, but the outcome for all is the same: the chronic backup and buildup of lymphatic fluid in the body, which can be visibly seen by the swelling it causes in the affected areas. A common way to manage this condition is through the use of compression garments, however, for Sue, the traditional garments made her condition worse. After trying almost everything possible and available in the US, she went on a global search for a better solution and discovered Solidea, an Italian compression garment manufacturer. Sue discovered that one of their patented fabric technologies, Active Massage, had incredible properties of keeping the backup of lymphatic fluid down. Sue started her company in January 2010, to bring this wearable solution to others who require compression garments to manage their condition.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• How this all began for Sue with lymphedema in her arm
• The desire to help others not feel isolated and alone in this condition
• How Sue took back her life from this condition
• Becoming an entrepreneur
• How Active Massage works to remove fluid buildup
• Why Sue wanted to help others find success vs. lymphedema
• Getting the word out to other lymphedema sufferers via social media
• Components of lymphedema treatment
• Connecting with others through Facebook
• Sue’s advice to a lymphedema patient:
• • Find a good lymphedema therapist
  • Connect with Sue through Facebook
  • Learn all you can about the condition and what can help
  • Be your own self-advocate
• The best advice Sue ever received: “Take your time, do your research, write that business plan, and get connected.”

Resources:

www.solidamedical.com

Find Sue and Solidea on Facebook: Solidea and My Lymphedema Life

Today we’re continuing our conversation about Protecting Your Business and Your Future. Are you prepared for weather, illness, or injury that might close your business or limit your income? What about if a car plows through your place of business? What kinds of insurance should you have in place? Let’s talk about these scenarios and what you can do to prepare yourself and protect your business.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• How to handle accidents and unforeseen incidents:
• • You need insurance in place BEFORE you need it
  • Beware of insurance waiting periods
  • Note that insurance will NOT fully replace your income
  • Have a savings account in place for emergencies
  • Have disability insurance in case of extended illness and injury to you
• Why you need life insurance in place 
• • To help your loved ones in the event of your death
  • It can help in a time of terminal illness
• What to do if a car plows through your business, especially if they are uninsured:
• • Get all information from the driver, including insurance info, driver’s license number, address, and phone number
  • Take pictures of all damage to your business and the vehicle
  • If they are uninsured, contact your insurance company for help
• Think about retirement: Are you planning now for financial independence?
• Why you and your employees need health insurance that includes vision and dental coverage
• It never hurts to have an insurance review with a licensed agent. Find out about the different types of insurance available, the deductible and waiting period options, and what will be covered in the event of an emergency.