If you’ve been following this series of blog posts, you’ve discovered which stage your massage or bodywork business is in so that you know the next best steps to take to uplevel your practice.

You’ve learned 3 things you can do TODAY to grow your practice, no matter which stage your practice is in, and now you know 2 big mistakes to avoid as you build your business.

We’ll finish up the series today by taking a look at what the bodywork industry is getting wrong about growing your business.

I have to be honest with you — I feel kind of shy about even writing this. I’m a practicing bodyworker, just like you, so I know, first-hand, how hard it can be to grow a bodywork business. It’s like you get advice coming at you from all sides! The problem is… that a lot of the advice… just doesn’t work.

Now that’s not to say it’s not coming from people with the best of intentions.

But unless you’ve been “in the trenches” (or in the treatment room, in our case) then it’s hard to know what will work and what won’t as you’re trying to create a practice that sustains not only your soul, but also your bottom line.

I’ve been there. I’m still there, practicing CranioSacral Therapy, work that I love. Humbled by my clients as they do the profound and awe-inspiring work of healing. And honored that I can be with them for a tiny part of their journeys.

So a big piece of advice from the bodywork industry that I’ve heard over and over is that you need to learn more modalities. The thinking goes something like this: that the more “tools you have in your toolbelt” the better therapist you’ll be, and your practice will grow.

But that’s not the case.

Another modality is not the answer to your business problems.

The truth is that you need to NARROW your focus to fill your practice. You need to become really, really skillful at one modality — going deep, rather than going broad.

Now, that’s not to say that learning new modalities isn’t fun, energizing, and won’t make you a better therapist. I’m a true life-long learner, and I LOVE learning new things. Every therapeutic class I take informs my hands and brings wisdom to my sessions. You may feel the same way.

But a modality won’t fill your practice. Learning a new modality on its own won’t bring new people in the door. And a modality won’t ensure that you earn enough revenue to allow you to continue to do the work you love and make a good living doing it.

The truth is that you need to focus at least 50% of your time and effort on the business side of your practice. That means that for every hour you spend studying anatomy or practicing a new technique, you spend an hour delving into being a Pro + CEO so that you can create a practice that will be successful enough to sustain you and your family.