BUSINESS RE-SET: Your Ideal Schedule|

Business and Marketing for Massage and Bodywork Therapists

Episode 36.

MINDY TOTTEN:

Hey, Hey there. Welcome back to the Do It With Intention podcast. I'm your host Mindy Totten, and this is part two of the business reset. Last week we talked about how important it is to take this opportunity to reset your business because you're probably getting ready to open your doors if you haven't already.

[00:00:21] We're all sort of somewhere on that spectrum of, either we're already up and running or we're considering it, and we want to make sure we make great business choices going forward. That this pause has allowed us the opportunity to do so. Last week we spoke about business finances, and on today's podcast I want to talk about creating a schedule that works for you.

[00:00:45] Too often Bodyworkers set up their schedules haphazardly or to please other people. After all, you know, we want to help people and of course we want to earn a good income. So we ended up doing these crazy things like, sure, I can see you at 10:00 PM or sure Sunday morning at 6:00 AM is fine, except of course.

[00:01:07] It's not fine. Your client isn't getting a premium service because you can't do your best work in these situations and you may even feel a little bit resentful. I know that that happened to me right when I was first starting off in my business. I had a client approach me. She had bought a couple of gift certificates, so no, she was going to come in a few times and she said she had young kids and the only time that she could come in to see me was at 6:00 AM.

[00:01:37] Now. When I think about that now, I'm like, no, you can't come at 6:00 AM. But at the time I really wanted to work with her. She was one of very few clients I had at the time, certainly wanted to help her out because she had young children. And so I said I would do it. And what ended up happening is that boundary was so wobbly that it was easy for the client to take advantage of that.

[00:02:01] So she would. Often call my house, you know, at five 30 after I got up early and got ready and got prepared and she would say, Oh, I can't come in today because one of my kids is sick or something. And. It. I noticed that I was, because I had bent my boundaries to accommodate her in the first place. I found myself getting more and more resentful of the whole situation, and I sat down and I spoke with her.

[00:02:32] I was proud of myself for doing that and said, you know, you can't call just a half an hour beforehand and cancel or postpone, you know, even if someone's sick, because I'm, you know, I'm getting up. Particularly early for you. I've made this accommodation, whatever. And she said, well, how much time do you need?

[00:02:48] And I said, well, 24 hours is what I need. And she said, well, an emergency. And I was like, Oh, geez. So we left it as 24 hours, the cancellation policy, and then one time. You know, about a week later. So I got a phone call at two in the morning and it was a time when my brother in law, he was very ill and had been in the hospital and we get this phone call in the middle of the night.

[00:03:13] And I was just like, you know, of course my heart was racing and it was the same client saying she wasn't going to be able to come at six in the morning. And it just made me recognize that I needed to set up a schedule that worked for me. Something that I knew that I could do my best to work with. That showed I had strong boundaries and was a strong business person and could hold a strong container for healing to occur.

[00:03:40] And that's what I want for you as well. So starting today, I want you to think about setting up a schedule that's perfect for you. And there's no single one size fits all way to do this. Each of us is unique, of course, and what works for me might not be how you want your schedule to look, but there are three simple things that you need to consider when you set up the framework for your schedule.

[00:04:02] And as I said, this is a perfect time to do this during this business reset. Okay, this might not have been my schedule before, but how do I want it to look now? What would be an ideal schedule for me now. So three simple things. First of all, how many people do you want to see? What days and times do you want to work and how much time do you want between clients?

[00:04:27] If you get these pieces in place, you'll be on your way to a profitable and sustainable bodywork schedule. So let's talk about each of those. First of all, how many people do you want to see each week? In the bodywork project, we go deep into figuring out your exhale number and we talked about that a little bit on last week's episode, and we'll link to that as well so that you can figure out your own exhale number.

[00:04:48] What is the amount of revenue that you need to earn each month to keep your business doors open? Your exhale number will give you clarity around how many clients you actually need to see each month. Because too many therapists just say, I need more clients. I just need more clients and then everything will be fine.

[00:05:05] And that's not necessarily the case. Just saying I need more clients without having any idea of how many is ideal for your unique situation is a recipe for disaster and burnout. You can't always just see more and more and more and more and more clients. Eventually there is a drop off point. So instead of just seeing as many as you can, figure out how many you actually need to see.

[00:05:31] So once you have your exhale number and you know how many clients you need each month, you just divide that number by four to get a general idea of how many clients you'd like to see each week. So if you need to see 40 clients each month, then you'll need to average about 10 clients a week. You see how I just did that simple math, which is the only kind of math I do.

[00:05:53] How many clients do you need to see each week? Then. To decide what days of the week and times of the day are ideal for you to work. Once you know how many clients you need to make a go of it, you can begin sketching out a schedule that will accommodate your clients and be ideal for you. If you need to see 10 clients each week, for example, you could see two each day in the mornings and have your afternoons off in time for your kids to come home from school.

[00:06:23] Or it might work better for you to do what I do and to chunk my clients into longer days. So before the pandemic closed, everything down, I was seeing hands on clients just two to three days a month. I then saw six or seven clients in a day. Now that's a lot for some people, but it works out perfectly for me and it gives me time.

[00:06:46] Other days of the week to mentor and to coach other therapists to do the podcast and to spend time at the beach, which of course is my happy place. So what would be the perfect situation for you? How could you set up your schedule so that you could be in your happy place every week? Think about that.

[00:07:04] What would be ideal for you and not just, Oh, that'll never work. They'll never come. Think first, what would be best for me? And then sketch it out. See how you could make it work. The final piece in creating a schedule that works for you is scheduling time between your clients. It's absolutely critical if you work a standard 50 minute hour where you talk to your clients five minutes when she, when they arrive, and then you do your therapy for 50 minutes and then you talk and receive payment for five minutes afterwards and then you rinse and repeat all day long, it is almost impossible.

[00:07:40] In that environment to give your clients a premium customer experience, and that means that it's almost impossible to charge a premium price for your services to offer a premium service. You need time in between clients. Your clients need time so they don't feel rushed and you need time to get grounded recentered and ready for your next client.

[00:08:03] I recommend scheduling at least 15 minutes between clients. 30 minutes to me is even better. That's what I do. While your day might be longer. I think you'll find this is what I've found, that you're not as tired at the end of it because you've had multiple opportunities to regroup, refresh, recharge in between your clients.

[00:08:22] You've had the chance to catch your breath and even have a bite to eat. Yeah. How's that? I know how many days I went without eating cause I just didn't have time. Eat throughout the day. And of course you're going to be a better therapist because you've engaged in self care throughout your day so that you can better care for your client.

[00:08:40] All right? Once you have laid out this foundation, deciding how many clients does each week. Choosing which days and times you're going to see them and deciding how much time to schedule between clients. You can simply fill in the available slots with clients that you love and then your client, your schedule will start working for you.

[00:08:58] If somebody calls for an appointment Thursday night. You can say, I'm not available Thursday evenings, but I do have an opening Wednesday at five 30. Can you make it? Then? That's a much different conversation then. Um, I guess I could do Thursday. Let me see if I can move some things around. No, you are going to begin to step into your power as the pro and CEO of your business and people will move things around for the opportunity to work with you.

[00:09:27] Okay. Moving forward, I want you to set up your schedule in a way that works for you. This is your perfect opportunity as you do this business reset. We'll be back for the next episode with part three of your Business Reset. Until then, do your great work. Remember, you do wonderful work in the world and you deserve to make a great living doing it.