Nikki

When do you know you made the right choice?

Turn the clock back 5 years, 10 even…ten years ago I was working in hardware in 7 day trading. I didn’t hate my job as such but I did hate the hours and the never ending circle of telling people I couldn’t go out and enjoy myself because I had work the next day. I could only dream of doing a massage course because I couldn’t get the weekends off to do it. 5-6 years ago I had left hardware and was working in paint. Again I didn’t hate my job but I didn’t think very much of the people who ran the company. It was a job that would find you busy up until about lunch time when all the tradies were coming in to get their supplies and leave the rest of the day for you to contemplate what you were actually doing with your life. It did however enable me to do the course I had wanted to do for years as there was minimal weekend trading. Just over 4 years ago I left that job to start my very own business. The thought of having all the money coming in the door going into my pocket was a very handsome thought indeed. The dream Vs reality doesn’t always turn out how you’d expected. It was tough going. I had 2 places I was paying overheads on, work and home. Renting on your own while trying to invest in a small business is not ideal. With rent alone on both places being around $400 per week, I had to do a lot of massages before I would break even. That was just rent, it didn’t include power, fuel, food and everything else which comes with every day living and a small business on top of it. Going back through my diaries of the early days there were weeks where I was only seeing 10-12 clients. I was the new kid on the block with no funding behind me to enable me to do any form of advertising. I hit the pavement with my business cards and a smile, I walked the streets of Moonah dropping cards and discount voucher into every business I came across. I ran into lots of people from my hardware days and started to generate a network. I lost count of the amount of vouchers I gave away trying to generate business. In the early days I was able to shut my doors if I needed to go and work an event without much worry. My client intake wasn’t huge so I just shut up and left. They were still there when I came back. Months turned into a year and I was struggling financially. A good friend of mine who is also in business and wanted to see me succeed gave me a small loan to get me through, and, not only that, let me pay it off whenever I could. That small gesture meant that I could keep my doors open and keep trying. I’m a pretty proud person so accepting that offer wasn’t the easiest thing for me to do but I knew it was make or break so I took it. Things started to get better. I reached out and gained employment at another massage centre to make sure I could make ends meet. It meant a bit of running around but it had to be done. I started to make really strong connections with people and even better, people liked my massage and started referring their friends, family, co workers. The business was building. However, there were still periods of time where I would have a quiet month and start to worry about finances and how I was going to get through. Let me tell you, when you are in small business you are always thinking about finances, you eat those thoughts for breakfast lunch and tea and while most people go to bed and sleep you lay there for hours with ides running through your head about how you can do better or for example like I did last night realised at 11:30pm that I had forgotten to pay the car rego! Luckily I remembered 2 days early and I wasn’t driving an unregistered car after all. I ended up moving into the business for 18 months to make sure I could continue to grow. I would happily say that living and working in the same building is possibly the worst existence I have endured, it wasn’t much fun at all but I had a roof over my head so all was good. Skip forward a couple of years to now. My client base is well over 500 with no signs of slowing down. I no longer go week to week worrying about how I’m going to pay the next bill that comes past my desk. I have been amazingly lucky throughout the last 4 years to meet some amazing people who are both clients and some now close friends. My best friend for example arrived on my table in the first year of working. Little did she know that I held total resentment towards her because she was such an awesome athlete. Of course she knows that now and it’s a bit of a joke but I am so glad she got referred to me that day because she actually helped me transform my life. I was also lucky enough to meet my partner through work. We had a mutual friend and met at a multi sport event and the relationship just grew from there. She has been such an amazing support to me over the past 3 years on so many levels and time and time again when I have felt like I wasn’t going to make it in business, just gave me that little bit of confidence I needed to get me through. She also put a roof over my head and allowed me to forget about household finances and just concentrate on the business. Today I sit here writing this with my calendar open in the background looking super full week after week. The move from Maxwell Street early in the year to Albert road would prove to be pivotal in the growth of the business. I don’t think I have ever seen so many cars in one day drive up and down a street, it’s amazingly busy and the position is perfect. The building was large enough for me to build the 2nd treatment room and lucky for me Jodie landed on my door step without me having to find her. It has worked out perfectly. The phone doesn’t stop ringing, footy season is coming to an end and we will swap our footballers for athletics clients. It’s been tough, sleepless nights, stressful days, but also it has been a wonderful journey meeting amazing people and watching as a dream slowly became reality. Next year I am planning to go to Vietnam, my first ever overseas trip. I will take the time off but our doors will remain open. And that my friends is how you know you made the right choice and you know the best part? I don’t have to apply for holidays, I don’t have to wait for permission. I will find a time that suits us, I will book and I will explore. Don’t be scared to chase a dream, it might be tough initially but hang in there and it will all work out in the end.

Booking this week

With 2 rooms now in full swing it has been much easier to get everyone in. Apart from a bad week where I had to turn 7 people away, we have managed to get most people back to their best when requested. This week is no exception and is already looking pretty full. We have the following available,

Nikki

Wed 11:45 & 2:45

Thurs 9:15 & 11:45

Jodie

Wed 12:15 & 1:30

Fri 12:30, 1:45 & 3pm

If you would like any of these times please give me a call and we will slot you in. The online booking system is coming, unfortunately we are just having a few issues with configuration but it will be here soon as promised.

Nik

FILLING UP…

This week is looking pretty full for me, all I have left are the following,

Tuesday 9:15 or 2:45

Friday 10:30

Jodie has the following

Wed 1:45 & 3pm

Friday 12:30, 1:45, 3pm & 4:15

I get the feeling it’s going to be a busy week. Don’t be one of those 7  had to turn away last week and get your appointments booked early. After all, who wants to be out there is this terrible weather? Come on in where the towels are warm and the rooms are warmer.

THANK YOU!!!

Even though we are hitting capacity week after week we are also continually taking in new clients. I just looked over the last 3 months intake of new clients. Of the 27 who came to us, 13 of those were referred! Thank you all so much for your continued support. It makes me very happy that to this date I have never had to pay for advertising of the business. Apart from a Facebook post here and there our advertising expenses have been kept to a minimum. It does not go unnoticed, give yourselves a big hi 5 from me, I very much appreciate it guys, you are all awesome!

News and price increase.

Jodie was off racing at Hells Bells on the weekend, a 24hr multi sport race held at Golden Beach in QLD. I had forgotten what these adventure athletes looked like after an event but sitting in the front room having a chat with her yesterday reminded me that they come back from these races looking like they have had a fight with 10 feral cats scratching away at their legs! Her team came 2nd after an awesome race and had the lead for most of it but a nav error towards the final check points unfortunately caused them to be overtaken by the eventual winner. For a good idea of what they went through, click on this link and have a read. https://jodiewillett.blogspot.com.au/2017/08/hells-bells-2017-golden-beach-qld.html

We have our EFTPOS machine up and running finally! It is long overdue but is now working and saves me keeping track of things through direct debits etc. No need to panic anymore when you forget cash.

As of Monday we will be having a $5 price increase for all 1 & 1.5 hr massages. it’s unfortunate but with the rising costs of running a business we need to have these sometimes to make sure we can continue to keep our doors open and keep you at your best.

Last minute tweaking of our online booking system is happening as I type this and should be ready in the next few days.

Booking ahead is really important. I am fairly full almost 2 weeks in advance at the moment and indications are that we are only going to get busier. Having Jodie join the team has been awesome and taken the pressure off me however we are still turning people away so I will be seeking a 3rd therapist over the coming weeks. It seems that location is everything in business and my location is super! Jodie has a few races coming up where she will be away so I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to get in early and make sure you get that spot you are after. Please don’t hesitate to call me even if I post that we are full as cancellations do happen and we will refill them.

That’s about it for now. I hope you are all enjoying these stunningly beautiful days we are having and are willing on the summer months.

Nik

Available appointments next week

I have just filled my last spot for next week. Jodie has 3 available on Wednesday at 12:30, 1:45 & 3pm. Get in quick if you need a massage next week. People are getting smart and booking way in advance and it means we don’t always have free spots when you call up that week. I will always try and find a spot for an emergency but it is not always possible. It’s awesome that everyone is so on the ball and taking their health seriously. A healthy lifestyle isn’t just about diet and exercise, massage goes a long way to help create overall health and well being. Don’t wait until you are broken, get in early and prevent it as prevention is better than cure.

Nikki

It’s almost here….

I know I have been promising our online booking for a few weeks now but customizing these things take time. To me it’s all way over my head but luckily my computer guru is well on top of it all. We have just had a meeting and gone over the minor details so he can complete it. It will hopefully be live next week, fingers crossed. I had a call today to tell me that my EFTPOS terminal was being installed tomorrow! They tell me they have sent the correct one this time, we shall see.

It has been a much less stressful week this week. With everything completed I have even found time to hit the running track again, although I would call it more of a plod than a run, but I got out all the same.

Point to Pinnacle registration opened on the 1st and I will enter the team tomorrow. If you would like to join the Ellis Remedial team go here and register http://www.pointtopinnacle.com.au/

Tomorrow is massage day for me, woo! I hope my clients love massage day as much as me. The week is nearing the end and this weekend I am free of footy commitments so I might just have to have a lazy weekend for a change. Who is with me?

Jodie is off racing a 24hr race on the Sunshine coast so she won’t be taking it easy, but we wish her all the best and hope that she brings some of that lovely warmth back to Tassie when she returns.

To all you wonderful people, have a fantastic weekend and we hope to see your happy smiley faces real soon.

Nik

Available appointments this week

Hi everyone.

This week there are not many spots free. I am pretty full with only 2 spots available Friday morning at 9:15 & 10:30. Jodie is not here this Friday as she is off racing for the weekend in some tropical paradise on the Sunshine coast. However she is here this afternoon if anyone needs some work and Wednesday afternoon she has a 12:30, 1:45 & a 3pm.

Tonight I am meeting with my computer tech and hoping that our online booking system will be live in the coming days. That way all you night owls can just jump online and book instead of waiting for me to respond to your messages until the next morning. I hope everyone had an awesome weekend and you all have a super week ahead.

Nikki

What’s happening? News and appointments

Today I was supposed to be getting a heat pump installed thanks to the guys at Parr air conditioning, as well as our EFTPOS machine. Unfortunately the EFTPOS machine didn’t make it in due to them sending the wrong terminal so hopefully that will come early next week. However the heat pump was installed this afternoon and I am so grateful to those guys for getting it installed and going, working in the dark until 6pm! It will make it a lot more comfortable in here now when the sun hides and the place isn’t like an ice block in reception. In need of some instant heat? Give Parr a call, support local.

It has been a crazy month with the new room which has taken me a lot longer to finish than I would have liked but it is now complete and ready to see clients. This will enable Jodie to take on more clients on days that she wants to work. Hopefully we will add another therapist as demand increases. Speaking of, Jodie has 2 appointments still available tomorrow at 12:30 & 1:45, the last two for the week.

It’s almost time for me to visit the accountant and that means I will get growled at for not having a price rise, so to cover ever rising costs and prevent big smacks from the scary accountant there will be a small increase in price as of mid August.

Don’t forget tomorrow 12:30 & 1:45 for massage with Jodie. Don’t wait contact me now to book in.

Watch this space for more info regarding our online booking which is supposed to be live Monday. Exciting times ahead!

Keep on being awesome,

Nik

Whats news?

Well as you all know I have been putting in a 2nd treatment room over the past few weeks. I would have to say one of the hardest things to do is to have a business open full time while you are trying to find time to paint and set up. It’s been a little bit frustrating but the end is near. Just now I finally finished painting the walls, hooray! I thought I was going to get away with one coat last week until I looked in there when it was dry and my paint background slapped me on the hand and told me I needed another, it was a bit of wishful thinking. I ran out of paint but thankfully I still have contacts who came to my rescue and allowed me to finish without buying more. Only the skirting to go and the dreaded painting is finished! This morning I went and saw a man about a dog, I mean carpet, and this afternoon I will fill in the paperwork to send off to get an EFTPOS machine. With the family heading off to QLD for the 2nd part of the school holidays it is safe to say I can put in some late nights and we will be ready to rock and roll with the new room by the middle of July. To all of you who have been in for treatment while all of this has been going on, thank you for your patience and understanding. Jodie has managed to start working here as well during this time and a big thanks to her for working around me. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could actually buy more hours in a day? It sure would make things easier. We still have a couple of appointment times available this week for those of you who need work before the weekend.

I can squeeze one in tomorrow at 11am and Jodie still has a 1:30 and a 5:15. Don’t miss out only 3 spots left.

Also a reminder that I will be unavailable next week until Thursday and I only have the 5:15 Thursday available for the week. Jodie will be here and is happy to fill up Tuesday so for those wanting a massage next week please call early so I can get you in.

Happy hump day,

Nikki