Myan
New Member
Hello!
I'm a energy & holistic therapist offering services such as crystal therapy, colour therapy, EFT, reiki, ear candling and Indian Head Massage. I've spent a long time building up my qualifications and learning, and have always been unsure over how best to market myself to other people. It's certainly not my strong point, however just over 6 weeks ago I deiced to rent what appeared to be the ideal therapy room above what seems to be a busy hair salon, but now i'm starting to have concerns about my decision.
Initially I had wanted to build up my clientele without renting, but felt unable to sell my services properly as I had nowhere suitable to work from and very little money to invest, and have always considered clients of services similar to mine to be paying for the atmosphere as well as the service itself...Something I felt I couldn't offer them in their own home to my liking, alongside the fact my own health would make constantly moving my bed and kit difficult for me.
So I decided to take on this room, hoping to use some money I had saved, and from my current job to set myself up, and tide me over until I could earn my own keep as it were. However, I'm questioning the choice I've made because I've had practically no interest in my services at all, despite the salon owners telling me that they're telling people about me and the new services on offer, and my own promotion on social media. My business cards are on their desks, my price lists and offers are displayed in their windows, and around the salon, and still nothing. I've also attended holistic fairs in the past, and gotten nothing apart from interest on the day.
I don't have a massive network of people who are interested in what I do personally, so i'm mostly relying on brand new people to become my clientele. Pretty much everyone of the teachers with whom I've studied have intoned that I wouldn't have problems getting people through the doors, simply because the services I offer aren't all that common, but my experience thus far is the complete opposite. The questions in my mind at this stage are, am I doing the right thing renting full time at this point, should I cut down my days, or should I have gone mobile first? Should I try and negotiate a cheaper rate of rent, and where should I put my attention in terms of attracting people?
I often hear people saying that starting up is hard, but 'it'll get there', but right now I feel all i'm getting is significantly poorer and depressed! Any thoughts?
I'm a energy & holistic therapist offering services such as crystal therapy, colour therapy, EFT, reiki, ear candling and Indian Head Massage. I've spent a long time building up my qualifications and learning, and have always been unsure over how best to market myself to other people. It's certainly not my strong point, however just over 6 weeks ago I deiced to rent what appeared to be the ideal therapy room above what seems to be a busy hair salon, but now i'm starting to have concerns about my decision.
Initially I had wanted to build up my clientele without renting, but felt unable to sell my services properly as I had nowhere suitable to work from and very little money to invest, and have always considered clients of services similar to mine to be paying for the atmosphere as well as the service itself...Something I felt I couldn't offer them in their own home to my liking, alongside the fact my own health would make constantly moving my bed and kit difficult for me.
So I decided to take on this room, hoping to use some money I had saved, and from my current job to set myself up, and tide me over until I could earn my own keep as it were. However, I'm questioning the choice I've made because I've had practically no interest in my services at all, despite the salon owners telling me that they're telling people about me and the new services on offer, and my own promotion on social media. My business cards are on their desks, my price lists and offers are displayed in their windows, and around the salon, and still nothing. I've also attended holistic fairs in the past, and gotten nothing apart from interest on the day.
I don't have a massive network of people who are interested in what I do personally, so i'm mostly relying on brand new people to become my clientele. Pretty much everyone of the teachers with whom I've studied have intoned that I wouldn't have problems getting people through the doors, simply because the services I offer aren't all that common, but my experience thus far is the complete opposite. The questions in my mind at this stage are, am I doing the right thing renting full time at this point, should I cut down my days, or should I have gone mobile first? Should I try and negotiate a cheaper rate of rent, and where should I put my attention in terms of attracting people?
I often hear people saying that starting up is hard, but 'it'll get there', but right now I feel all i'm getting is significantly poorer and depressed! Any thoughts?