Money, Marketing and Soul for Massagepreneurs
General
Happy Thanksgiving
Nov 24th
Today we celebrate Thanksgiving. As we get ready to enjoy a wonderful day, and nice long weekend, I wanted to share this with you.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to get to know you.
Thanksgiving is…
Thanksgiving is anticipation…
the excitement of wonderful aromas,
golden, harvest-themed décor,
the best linens, china and silver.
Thanksgiving is…
platters of of special Thanksgiving foods
prepared only once a year,
mmn…mmn… mouths watering,
ecstatic taste buds quivering with joy.
Thanksgiving is…
the family all around the table,
clean, dressed, smiles all around,
recitation of what we are thankful for,
the saying of grace,
our special Thanksgiving prayer.
And now, finally, dig in!
We are thinking of you
at Thanksgiving, and hoping
your Thanksgiving experience
will be surrounded
by a special glow in your memory.
By Joanna Fuchs
Happy Thanksgiving!!! May you be richly blessed this weekend, no matter where you are.
Linda
Top 10 Posts for First Half of 2011
Jul 13th
Wow, we are half way though 2011. As many of you know it was my birthday a few days ago. Since it falls in the middle of the year, I use it as a good time to review my goals to see if I’m on track or if I need to change/revise anything. Blogging has always been a great way for me to draw in new therapists interested in my classes, so I thought I would take a look at the top 10 posts of the first half of the year (not counting the Event Marketing blog posts – i.e. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day Promotions – those always get a lot of hits).
10. Book of the Month Challenge (now newly updated with all my most recent reads)
9. How to Get More Traffic for Your Video Marketing
8. How to Create a Friend’s List on Facebook
7. Web Colors and Their Meaning
6. 5 Simple Ways to Make Your Website More Effective
5. How to Link Your Facebook Page to Your Profile
4. Be the Client
3. Learn How to Teach Couples Massage
2. Transcript of Q&A for Feng Shui Expert
and the #1 most popular post so far of 2011 is
1. 3 Ways to Improve Your Bottom Line
Did you favorite post make the list? What other post do you think should have been listed? Share you choice(s) in the comments.
2010 Goals Review: Not Bad at All
Jan 1st
When I first wrote my 2010 goals, I wasn’t sure how the year would turn out…you know with the economy and all.
Fortunately, things have worked out for the most part. 2010 was a year of surprising developments for me both personally and professionally as well as the world in general.
In the actual goal news, it appears that I have only accomplished a few of them – or partially accomplished them. But the goals that I did accomplish were the important ones, so overall, I am pretty happy with how I’ve done.
Sell my 3 Costa Rica condos: Check! (well kind of) I sold 2 of the 3 condos and made a tidy little profit. I’m hoping to sell the remaining studio condo in 2011. If you know anyone who wants to buy an investment property in Costa Rica, hey, hook us up!
Putting all my continuing education courses on-line: Fail. I was able to put eight of the 20+ classes on-line. This has taken a little longer than I anticipated. For most of the classes, I’ve had to create video for the demonstration part of the class which takes time (especially with the editing), but I’m working my way through them. Another time-consumer has been converting the manuals to a format that is more like a book than a manual. I will continue with this goal in 2011.
Travel: Check! Traveling is one of my passions. The first 3 months of the year, we were in Costa Rica and going on a few sightseeing excursions around the country. In June, Gary and I went to the Berkshires. What a beautiful area. We did lots of hiking. In October, we drove cross country to Montana where we visited Glacier National Park and Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. We saw amazing, amazing wildlife and I was able to take photos and video (two more of my passions) to my heart’s desire. There were small trips and weekend get-aways sprinkled throughout the year. All in all, I’m very happy with the traveling we did in 2010. I’m already planning and booking trips for 2011.
Keep a gratitude journal. Fail. I haven’t kept a journal at all. But I am going to reaffirm this goal for 2011 because gratitude is SO IMPORTANT and I have SO MUCH to be thankful for, even when things don’t go my way. It is never too late to remind myself of that.
Language – continue to improve Spanish: Pass/Fail. It’s a process. I continue to study on my own because I can’t seem to find a group class that is my speed. In 2011, I’m going to find another private classes.
Start a massage blog tailored toward the general public. Fail. I registered the domain name but that was as far as I’v done.
Updated my book: Check! I updated and added a few chapters of Creating a Prosperous Practice. It is now an ebook for instant download. And you receive free updates for life! So if you haven’t gotten your copy, you can do that here.
Create videos for clients, massage therapists (to use free for their sites), my classes, my blog and myself: Check! I have created over 100 videos this year. Looking forward to 2011 with much creativity in this area.
Well, it’s been a fantastic journey to say the least. But, I just want to say thanks to every one of you who’ve visited my blog, commented, and more for all your support over the last year. I really am grateful for everything I’ve experienced and think that it was all meant to be.
What have you accomplished in 2010? Share your triumphs (and what you could have done better) in the comments.
Remember Our Military Heroes Who Have Served Honorably
Nov 11th
Happy Veteran’s Day 2010! Thank you to all who serve to keep us and our country safe.
25 Things I’ve Accomplished in 2009
Jan 1st
1. Started “Creating a Prosperous Practice” Blog
2. Grew my blog traffic to 160 RSS readers and broke the 100+ daily visitors mark.
3. Closed on our new condo in Costa Rica.
4. Decorated the new condo.
5. Wrote over 150 blog posts for Creating a Prosperous Practice.
6. Wrote 52 articles for BellaOnline.
7. Started to see the world in a different light.
8. Watched a bunch of movies.
9. Experienced a great deal of personal growth.
10. Made my first cross-country car trip – driving almost 6,000 miles in 28 days.
11. Learned videography after taking the Travel Channel Academy.
12. Learned that I don’t like cold weather…or snow.
13. Wrote a new Ebook called “Your Target Market, Finding Your Ideal Client”.
14. Taught countless students in various continuing education classes
15. Visited 3 national parks – Arches, Bryce Canyon and Zion. Bryce was my favorite.
16. Decluttered my office.
17. Sold tons of stuff on Ebay and Craigslist.
18. Organized my photo into albums.
19. Made lots of homemade greeting cards…including my Christmas cards.
20. Continued honing my videography skills by taking the New York Film School.
21. Took the MatadorU Travel Writing School.
22. Visited my friend in Seattle.
23. Updated my Last Will and Testament.
24. Made lots of new friends.
25. Combined my website (Massage Therapist Training Institute) and my blog (Creating a Prosperous Practice) in to one super mega site to be announced on January 4th so stay tuned.
Well, it’s been a fantastic journey to say the least. But, I just want to say thanks to every one of you who’ve visited my blog, commented, and more for all your support over the last year. I really am grateful for everything I’ve experienced and think that it was all meant to be.
What have you accomplished in 2009?
Snow in Virginia
Dec 20th
My husband and I arrived home on Thursday evening from Costa Rica to spend time with our family over the holidays. We got here just in time for a major snow.
It began on Friday evening around 10 p.m. by the next morning we had 9 inches. By the time it finished on Saturday night, we had about 19 inches.
Here are some photos from our blizzard:
Iwo Jima Memorial in the snow
Making their way
D.C. Tourism still open for business
Did you have snow where you live? How much did you get?
Fall is a time of release and renewal
Nov 5th
Photo by mr_bracke_2u
You are feeling unmotivated. Confused. You’re tired all the time. You don’t want to get out of bed in the morning. You can’t concentrate at work anymore. If any of this sounds familiar, it could be that it is time to move on in one or more areas of your life.
Fall is a good time to take stock of our lives (both personal and professional) according to the law of cycles and rhythms. Like the the leaves of a tree that falls to the ground and dies, the ending of a business, project or a goal holds the seeds for future endeavors. We must ask ourselves: What have I learned? What do I want to let go of? What do I want to keep?
There are four seasons, but only three energies – birth, growth and completion or death.
While spring and winter are the beginning and end of the seasonal cycle, both summer and fall are part of the period of where growth moves to completion. Summer represents the peak of that change or transformation. Fall is when the seasonal curve moves toward completion.
In the fall we can begin to shed or release any of those things that we no longer need as we bring the year to an end. It is also a time when we can prepare for winter and store up the seeds of what we want to experience in the coming spring.
This fall, ask yourself:
What have I learned from what I have put into creation and experienced?
What do I want to change, transform or bring completion in the winter?
What do I want to keep for the coming spring?
Make those things you want to preserve your focus in winter to prepare for spring. Everything else you must let go and learn from. Life is about learning. Fall is a time to reflect on what we have learned, what we want to release and what we will nurture in the coming year.
As I am writing this, I to have come to a transition in my career and what I am doing. I am still working on some of the aspects of what I want to let go of and what I want to keep so stay tuned as the winter turns into spring. I have decided to find a new name for this business endeavor of teaching, providing marketing resources as well as blogging. As of now, I have cancelled the website for Massage Therapist Training Institute. Once I have decided on a new name, this blog will be combined in that new website.
Do you have an idea of what to call my new business endeavor? Either email me or post it in the comments. If I choose your name, you will receive a special prize and my utmost gratitude.
Top 10 Reasons to get…
Oct 20th
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A little over a week ago, I posted a Free Book Offer (just pay $5 S&H) for “Creating a Prosperous Practice, Spending Little or No Money Marketing”. A lot of you have already taken advantage of this offer and I thank you. It is getting close to the deadline and for those of you who are still undecided this may help you decide….
Deadline is October 26th so go to my website today and get your free copy today. To get free book, click here (it will take you to my website so you can pay via PayPal).
Top 10 Posts of Q3
Oct 1st
Over the last three months on Creating a Prosperous Practice it’s been a pretty busy time. Readership has grown tremendously and posts are receiving a lot more comments. Here are the top 10 most popular posts – judged by mixture of factors including traffic and comments.
1. 25 Things Your Clients Wish You Knew
2. 7 Ways to Connect with Your Clients
3. 6 Strategies for Website Copy
4. “All-You-Can-Massage” Passport
5. Getting the Clients You Want [Video]
6. Get a Top Google Listing
7. How Chi Affects Your Body & Your Environment
8. Feng Shui – Missing Corners & Their Remedies
9. The Bagua Map [Video]
10. Balance Yin and Yang
What was your favorite post? Leave it in the comments.
