This is a long overdue 2016 review post, and a preview of some new changes, mostly in scheduling.
I have been very quiet on social media since November for a small variety of reasons, and while I will probably still keep a low profile, I’ll be making a little more noise than I have been.
So 2016 was another great year – business doubled again. It continues that any day I declare to be the “busiest” will immediately stop that, so I’ll just say that the beginning of the week is the easiest to schedule, in general.
My best decision was in hiring Amanda to handle my phone calls. It took a long time for me to get comfortable with letting go of that, even though I know its my weakest skill. I never really have thought of myself as a control freak but there it is, staring me in the face.
There are still some days with my long time clients that I think that I can totally handle returning a phone call. And then a butterfly floats by and returning the call slips my mind. So if you haven’t talked to Amanda yet and you’ve called me before, you will.
I still suck at asking for reviews, so there still aren’t too many of those around. I know, I know, how can my business double when I am the worst at returning phone calls and have so few reviews? The majority of my first time clients are a fantastic fit with my practice (and y’all are pretty fantastic as people as well). I see the same people over and over, with new clients coming on board regularly.
I also took a bunch of classes for my next CEU deadlines. These were all fun classes for me with rocks and energywork. I’ll be adding crystal healing and a new form of energywork to my menu of services by the end of the month, if not sooner. If these things are too weird and out there for you, that’s fine. We can just do the same ol’ massage stuff and never talk about the weird things. If you’re curious though, feel free to shoot me any questions over email, I’m happy to talk about them.
And in the late fall, I cut off my long blonde hair and had it dyed blue. Normally my hair color is no big deal, but since my website and social media have my natural color, this new, short ‘do has thrown a few clients. So this is just a heads up.
It’s going to be weird for awhile but eventually I’ll get back to blonde. The plan is to go from blue to deep purple to a bright red (my favorite so I’ll probably be red for a long while) and then transition back into my natural blondeness.
My hair is the least important part of your massage so I’m not getting new website photos taken, just know that while my hair is weird, my hands are just fine. 😉
So here’s the new 2017 stuff:
+ As some of you know, I work out of an office in McLean a few days per week. Since my busiest day there hasn’t changed and my weekly clients tend to happen on the same day, I am dedicating my Thursdays to that office, leaving just a 10pm appointment for you all that day. If you happen to live in McLean, feel free to text me on Thursdays if you need an appointment that day, I’ll work you in earlier if I can.
+ I am taking a half-day on Mondays for myself. I am torn between just blocking off half the day (what I’m currently doing), or just taking the whole day every other week.
+ I am still working on a few of my classes. If there’s a Carnegie Hall of energywork, that’s what I’m aiming for. 😉
+ I am developing a webstore for crystals and crystal accessories. While it’s true that Melissa Rocks Massage is a true statement ;), it’s also my name plus two of my favorite things, I’ve been collecting pretty stones since I was in high school. The store is a side project that neatly fills up all of my spare time.
+ I am done discussing politics during massage. It was never my favorite thing since it’s hardly a relaxing topic, but the way things are going these days, it’s just too stressful/distracting for me. I love everybody*, and I’ve been concerned about the ozone layer and global warming since I wrote my first report on CFCs when I was in seventh grade. #resist, yes, but not while I am working.
Last but not least, I just want to thank you for reading this, thank you for being great clients who make my work a pleasure, thank you for supporting small businesses, thank you from the very bottom of my heart.
*it’s true. My natural inclination to like everyone I meet. I want us all to win, I want everyone to have truly equal rights.