Reflex work (im a new member so dont know if this works)

[JuJuB]

Hello there!

im new to this fourm so please bear with me! - but anyway a big hello to you all.

i was just wondering, can anyone give me any advice about starting in complementary therapy work? I am studying reflexology and indian head at the moment and i should (hopefully!) qualify in june this year.

i have heard that starting your own business as mobile is quite hard to get in to, so i was wondering if any one works in a salon based envionment? if so how did you get in to this.

i would appreicate any help or advice or tips that anyone has for starting work in a completly different career (i work in an office and hate it with a passion as i cant stand sitting here not actually helping anyone!) - so i would have to take the leap to quit my job and see if i can get a job in therapy!

please help!!

sarah

(also how do people get their nice pictures by their name?)

 

[Wishy]

Hello Periwinkle and welcome to HP.

Working as a therapist is hugely rewarding, but building up a client base in any capacity isn't easy and you have to be very focussed.

To build up a mobile practice or to work from home takes time, so you can combine this with clinical work (you are unlikely to get more than one or two days' work in any one clinic, so you may want to try and get more than one post).

I went through my Yellow Pages and listed every gym and leisure centre, complementary centre, hotel, beauty clinic, plus osteopaths, chiropractors, etc. and visited them one by one, asking to see the Manager. If they were not interested, I left my card with them anyway and if they thought they might have something in the future, I followed this up with my CV. It took me a few months, but I got a couple of days' work, plus I am building up my home client base.

Good luck

Lesley

 

[xSoni]

Hello Periwinkle

I'm just starting out myself so my experience of getting clients is limited. Happily most of my case study people are continuing to be clients, plus one or two people I was practising on as a student. I am trying to tempt them with special offers for introducing family and friends too. At the moment I'm practiising from home. I think Aromababe's approach is brilliant - a tenacious lady!

Could you do part time office work when you start out? That's what I'm doing. I have 3 days a week as an office manager then I use the rest of the time treating clients or trying to drum up business. The office work would make sure you had money to pay the bills while business was getting going, after all it doesn't seem to happen overnight.

Good luck with your studies.

 

[sipadan]

Hi Periwinkle

The way I started my Reflexology and Indian Head Massage business last November was to walk the streets delivering leaflets. I've had a very good response and was very busy on the run up to Christmas, and have half a dozen regular clients now, but I do need to get out there and start delivering to the surrounding villages. It's hard work and I don't enjoy it very much, but as far as I could see it was the only way to get myself known initially. I designed my own leaflet, nothing special, but with enough info on it to get the message across, and am lucky enough to have a good printer, but also my step-daughter has a laser printer, so for a weekly reflexology treatment, she will print off 500 at a time for me, which gives me 1000 leaflets, so keeping costs down. I also advertise in shop windows but have not had any response from them as yet.

Hope all goes well for you.