How To Start or Grow your Private Practice

I was thrilled to present my two hour course on how to Start or Grow your Private Practice at the Swedish Institute in NYC. I addressed a room of about 50 entrepreneurs, who were massage therapists, acupuncturists, personal trainers, yoga teachers, pilates instructors, and nutritional counselors. We talked about finding ideal clients, understanding the needs of your target market, building a brand that celebrates your core values and uniqueness, valuing your services appropriately, speaking about what you offer, building solid referrals, SEO and social media, the importance of consistency, staying organized, using marketing materials, and SO much more!

As this was my first attempt at teaching a course, I was quite nervous, but what I didn't anticipate is how much I enjoyed speaking with people! The class was so involved and asking great questions, and I saw a lot of people nodding and taking tons of notes. I really loved my experience, and hope that I made a difference and inspired a few people. I've been getting some fabulous feedback and can't wait to do it again!

Required Reading: The Ultimate Business Book List

Photo by Toa Heftiba for Unsplash

Over the years I have refined a list of business books that have been extraordinarily helpful to me and many others. My required reading list is as follows:

The 4-Hour Work Week, by Tim Ferriss. I LOVE this book because it helped me to streamline and automate many processes, as well as delegate tasks so that I would be able to scale my business up. This book also helps me to hold myself accountable for what I want in life, what I'm afraid of, and how to go after what I'm looking for.

Book Yourself Solid, by Michael Port. This is a must read for anyone in the service profession who feels uncomfortable with traditional marketing. Port is a genius at explaining how to position yourself and brand your services appropriately.

The E-Myth Revisited, by Michael Gerber. This book explores why most small businesses fail within the first year, and what you can do about it.

Get Content, Get Customers, by Joe Pulizzi. A helpful and extremely convincing book on the importance of generating original content within your business.

The Personal MBA, by Josh Kaufman. As someone who didn't go to business school and felt that I was missing out, I was thrilled to see this book which breaks down a lot of the basic concepts that you learn in business school. Its an excellent reference and resource of a lot of the books you'd need to read if you attended a business school.

Re-work, by Jason Fried and David Hansson. This book talks a lot about recovering from something that's no longer serving you, getting back up and pivoting into what is.

The Power of Eye Contact, by Michael Ellsberg. This book is a wild card, as its not a traditional business book, and yet the power of eye contact is extremely important when making connections with people - whether with business or in your personal life. A fascinating and fun read.

What are some of your favorite business books? I'd love to hear from you!

14,000 Unique Clients!!

Pretty stoked to announce that Massage Williamsburg, (which was once my small private practice that I've expanded) has just seen over 14,000 unique clients since opening! We have been serving our community since 2008, and could not be more pleased with this milestone! 

Exciting News! My massage practice is expanding to Greenpoint!

I'm so thrilled to announce the expansion of Massage Williamsburg to Massage Greenpoint, in (you guessed it..) Greenpoint! The studio will be opening it's doors soon on Greenpoint Avenue between Franklin and West. I can't wait to show you the lovely exposed brick, lofted ceilings, and beautiful peaceful treatment rooms!

As with any business that I start, I like to create a combination of space to be used for my massage practice, as well as to foster community and support within the space. I will be opening up a few rooms to local practitioners, to create a Coworking Space for Healers within my center. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you know of anyone looking for a beautiful space to practice in. 

With Love and So Much Gratitude!

Rachel Beider

Inspiring Client Meeting: Massage Student

I had a fantastic meeting this morning with a very enthusiastic Swedish Institute student, studying massage therapy. She was desperately excited to learn how to start a private practice. I love working with students and recent graduates, because at the start of their career, they have so much excitement and enthusiasm, and it's infectious and inspiring to be around that sort of energy. Over the course of our conversation, we got further into what really excites her, and worked together to identify who her ideal clients are. She's super stoked to work with dancers, in particular, but doesn't know where to begin. We started to brainstorm together about where her ideal clients are, and I pointed her in the direction of SCHOOLS. What's wonderful about being a student and soon-to-be graduate, is that she's immersed in students. I encouraged her towards looking for dance students - especially schools like Juilliard, Fordham, and LaGuardia. If she can identify, reach out in a friendly way, and connect with even one dance student, it get's her foot in the door to start working on others via referrals. I suggest with anyone getting excited to start a business, especially while just out of school, to offer your services for free or at a discount, in the beginning. Think of it as good practice, which you need, as well as an investment in that person and their potential referrals. Also, if you're currently a student, this is the best time to start working on your social media presence and start putting it out there via Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media, which is essentially free advertising, and an opportunity to interact with and connect with others.

I don't want to brag, but April has been Amazing!!

I had such a fantastic experience joining Geoff Dawe for his Spa Talk at the Swedish Institute. I've never spoken in front of such a large, engaged, excited group of people. The majority of attendees were Swedish Institute students and alumni, as well as other wonderful teachers and Swedish Institute Faculty. I learned a key phrase from Geoff Dawe about positivity when engaging with clients. When asked about his day, Mr. Dawe responds with a devilish grin: "Well, I don't want to brag". This simple interaction speaks volumes to clients and is a memorable response. When we come to work as practitioners of whatever field we've chosen, it's so important to remember to leave our emotional baggage at the door. Clients always remember your services and how you've gone out of the way to make them feel happy and special. Leave clients feeling great about you, not stressing because you've had a bad day. Who knows, maybe your positive vibes will rub off!

Meet Rachel, Founder of Wellness Business Consulting

Rachel Beider is the head consultant at Wellness Business Consulting, est 2014. As a successful small business owner of a wellness practice, Rachel saw a growing need within the community for strategic business advise and planning. Being a business owner or running an independent practice can feel very isolating and often overwhelming. Clients come to her for guidance on starting, managing, or growing their practices. Rachel's 2015 client list includes a busy Yoga Studio in Brooklyn, a Luxury Spa in Long Island City, a Beauty Salon in Greenpoint, a Clinical Psychology Practice in Williamsburg, a Skin Spa in Brooklyn, a Language Instructor in NYC, an Acupuncturist in Chelsea, a Child Advocacy Group in Sunset Park, and a Nutritional Counselor in the Lower East Side. Rachel's own practice, Massage Williamsburg, has seen over 11,000 individual massage clients in Brooklyn, and works with over 30 Licensed Massage Therapists. Aside from being a business consultant, Rachel is a licensed massage therapist, is a Board Member at Pacific College, empowers laboring women as a birth doula, and holds certifications in Prenatal Massage from Swedish Institute, Aromatherapy from NY Institute of Aromatherapy, and in Perfumery from Cinquieme Sens via Pratt. 

Welcome to the New Website

I am so pleased to announce the new website for my consulting practice! I hope you'll find everything you need here. I will be posting blog entries about business, marketing, growing your practice, and lots of business resources. I look forward to working with you soon! I am available to speak in person as well as over the phone. Please reach out if you have any questions! - Rachel