Angie Patrick | Massage Warehouse

Posts Tagged ‘Angie Patrick’

Is Health a De-Valued Commodity?

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

I ask you this because I have truly been taking stock of things in my life and the way I manage myself and my health. Upon further consideration, I began to realize that I am not alone in slighting my own needs, and that most Americans value their health by one simple litmus strip; OUR ABILITY TO GO TO WORK.

Many Americans are of the ingrained belief that if they can go to WORK and function in any way possible, they MUST, even if they feel like crud and are potentially contagious to others. It is called “The Don’t Call In, CRAWL In” syndrome. Our work ethics as a society truly seems to dictate whether or not we allow ourselves time to rebuild our health when viruses or colds attack.

Consider this; how many times in college or even in your older adult years have we partied a little too hard at night and then managed somehow to pour ourselves into a job the next day? And we are proud of this saying, “I can handle it, no worries! After all, I didn’t call in sick!” We KNOWINGLY push our own boundaries past the point of making sense really, especially when it comes to our health.

Another scenario; perhaps you have a chronic pain in your shoulder or hip, and you know full well you should see someone to learn what is wrong and plot a course of action, but you simply put it off while continuing to be in pain because you do not want to miss work.

Are you seeing the pattern here?

I realize we are in a recession, and I know many are concerned about losing their job. I am not advocating a mass walkout because you have stubbed your toe… What I am saying is that until we take our own health a bit more seriously and care for SELF and the needs of SELF when your health and well being are compromised, we cannot truly serve our own clients and be true to what we stand for.

I know from whence I speak on this subject.

I had a bit of a wakeup call myself as of late, and I have made a commitment to make profound changes in the way I manage myself and my health. I have lost over 50 pounds now, I am eating a balanced and sensible diet, I am moving more now than ever before, and I am slowing down when my body sends me signs I am tiring. Moreover, I am RESPECTING what signs I receive from my body, and I am working to learn more about how this machine works and what I can do to help keep it running properly.

I want to say to you it is OK to take a sick day. It is OK to stay home. YOUR HEALTH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU OWN! If your car is broken, you take a day and take it to the garage. If your plumbing goes out, you sit at home and wait for a plumber. Here is the kicker…. Let your cable or DSL go on the blink and it is a major crisis! In all honesty, none of these this means ANYTHING if you are not caring for yourself, first and foremost.

It is cold and flu season. Do your co workers and clients a HUGE favor and STAY HOME if you are ill! Not only are you spreading your illness to anyone around you, but it only makes you weaker to push yourself to the limit.

Allow yourself the time YOU DESERVE to care for yourself and your health. When you do this, and your clients see you take this stance, perhaps they too will feel empowered to take their own health a bit more seriously. After all, is that not what we want them to do?

As for me, I have a new attitude, a new physique, a new commitment to being healthy and preserving my health as long as possible. Won’t you join me?

WE ARE WORTH THE INVESTMENT!

View more of Angie Patrick’s articles at Massage Today.

Tags: Angie Patrick, massage health, massage therapist self care, Massage Today, massage warehouse
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Is Saving Money COSTING You Money?

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

by Angie Patrick

Strange question, Angie! How on Earth can SAVING money actually COST you money? As improbable and counter intuitive as that statement may seem, there is some truth in there that can be easily overlooked, and cost you big bucks on your bottom line. There are smart ways to save, and there are ways that are not so smart. Let’s start with the not so smart ways first.

If, for the sake of saving a few shekels, you have backed off of your service level, needed staffing, benefit programs, multiple visit discounts or any other program you had in place to differentiate your business from your competition, you have cost yourself money. Why, you ask? Well, you have built your business on the backs of all of those things you are now looking to cut. Without them, will customers perceive you as the same company, or will they search elsewhere for the service, perks, and discounts you used to offer? Yes, you may save cash in the short term, but if you calculate the cost of obtaining a customer, plus the cost of keeping them, you will find that cutting in the wrong places has cost you far more than you may have thought you saved! Customers are golden, and losing one hurts not only for the moment, but for the long haul. If you ever want to reclaim that customer, it will now cost you twice what it did to gain them in the first place as now you need to incentivize them to return, which leads to surrendering your profit margin to correct an error on your part for giving them a reason to look elsewhere.

Consider even the smallest cuts and how they will be percieved. If your clients are accustomed to a lovely cup of herb tea or bottled water after their treatment, they consider it part of the experience you provide. Cutting this is tantamount to cutting service level in the eyes of your client, as they have now become accustomed to the perk. Without it, they may perceive your business as failing, and have a small excuse to look elsewhere. Once they do, and are successful, you have now lost a client over a cup of tea /bottle of water. You saved 20 bucks at the store, but you lost a client and therefore revenue totaling far more than tea for 100 people. Sounds small, I know, but EVERYTHING is about perception. You may well be the most magical and amazing therapist on the planet. You could even make people levitate with your skills, but if you begin to let your client see you tightening the belt on their experience, you will lose them. It is that simple.

Find other ways to save without sacrificing anything to do with the client perception of your business. Smarter ways to cut back are ways that impact your personal knowledge of the business, not cutting in the eyes of the client. One way may be to look at your expenses, and see if you can consolidate some of them. Let’s take a look at how you might be able to do this without much upheaval in your daily life.

Take a long look at your vendors. Is it possible to combine your purchases and consolidate 3 vendors to one? In our hometown, you can get special incentives and discounts when you bundle all of your utilities into one package. I save about 20% when I utilize this service, and while I did have to pay a set up fee, I can lessen my monthly bill and therefore free up regular cash flow.

New Traditions at the American Massage Conference

Tuesday, April 19th, 2011

New American Traditions
By Angie Patrick

Can you actually have a “new” tradition? Well, I guess they have to start somewhere, right? I mean, someone has to go first, and from there we build traditions. This is the same from Mom’s Thanksgiving turkey recipe to shooting rockets off at the park on the 4th of July. Someone came up with that yummy recipe, and someone thought it would be fun to shoot fireworks to celebrate our independence. Soon enough, viola, a new tradition is born.

I believe we are seeing some new traditions being born in the massage industry right now, and I am so excited to be right in the middle of the fun. The American Massage Conference is well on the way to become a mainstay on the Massage and Wellness Landscape, and some of the traditions being set are equally as exciting.

The “Facebook” party is already legendary! Recognizing the growth and importance of Social Media in the development of the massage industry and in the way we interact with one another as a vital component of networking makes sense. Providing an opportunity for all these “virtual” friends to meet and connect at a national event is something that will definitely be a mainstay in our market. Ideas are born, connections made, business opportunities arise, and friends are made at this event, and this year it will be an even bigger celebration!

The First Annual Massage Job Fair is putting down roots at the Atlanta event on May 22, 2011. This will be a smaller forum of employers across the southeast as well as nationally looking to put therapists to work. This idea was born as a direct result of the status of the economy. Through education and product support as well as job placement, the American Massage Conference is created with the Therapist in mind. AMC is working to bring you the things that have value to you. And the Job fair is one more way we can help therapists canvass and circulate in the community.

The Student Day, “SMART FROM THE START”, is on May 22 and is geared towards students and recent graduates. This informative presentation is focused on providing tips and information that can help you launch a healthy and prosperous career as a Massage Therapist. Hear from industry professionals like David Kent, GuruKirn Khalsa, Lynda Solien Wolfe, Ryan Hoyme, the one and only MASSAGE NERD, and Ann Williams of the ABMP. And as if the information were not enough, we will also be giving away nearly $4,000.00 in prizes to those in attendance, which makes your odds of winning something fabulous very high!

The TRADE SHOW HALL is jam packed with vendors who are ready to wheel and deal. This is indeed a buying show, and the deals will be tremendous. Anyone in the area should make it a point to get to this trade show floor to get samples and hands on demonstrations with the massage products you love, as well as gain access to 30 (YES I SAID 30) One Hour CEU Classes. All this for only $40!

The a la carte menu of educational opportunities from world class educators is nothing less than stellar. You can choose your own path of courses to fill your own individual educational niche. Whether you need a few hours or many, from Modalities to Business, there is something here for everyone. Some classes have sold out, so we are working to open more! If you are planning to come and have yet to make your arrangements, I would encourage you to do so. It is filling up nicely!

All in all, some really wonderful traditions are being created and all for the better of the massage community! Join us for the festivities in Atlanta Georgia, May 20-22, 2011 at the Holiday Inn Conference Center on Capitol Avenue. See you there!

To register for the American Massage Conference, click here.

Tags: american massage conference, Angie Patrick, massage classes, massage conference, massage industry, massage job fair, Massage Nerd, massage professionals, massage student, massage trade show
Posted in Massage News | 1 Comment »

Money Saving Tips for your Massage Business

Thursday, April 14th, 2011

Money Saving Stuff
By Angie Patrick

It is a natural fact. If you are in business, you use stuff. To use stuff, you must purchase the stuff you use from someplace. You have to pay for the stuff you get from someplace with some method of payment. And the cost of the stuff you buy may vary for different people based on how much stuff you buy at once, and how you pay for the stuff you order.

So how do you save money on or gain benefit from the stuff you have to buy? I mean, isn’t it just as simple as picking up the phone and buying? Well, in actuality, it can be just that simple. But if you take a moment to evaluate your needs, your repetitive purchases, your minimum stock levels, and how you pay for items, it really CAN save you money in the long run. Here are a few things to consider when working to reduce the cost of stuff overall.

1: Take a look at your usage of a product. If you feel like you are always running low, or have to repeatedly purchase this item more than once a month, then it may serve you well to order bulk. When you order bulk, you can often ask for additional discounts. If you order bulk, try to learn what the case quantity is as well, because if you buy in case quantity, you may also be able to reduce breakage and reduce shipping costs.

2: How do you buy your massage goods? Do you buy online? Do you call in an order? If you are a frequent purchaser or have multiple locations, you may wish to inquire whether your supplier has a Corporate Sales program which can sometimes provide deeper discounts as opposed to purchasing your massage goods online.

3: What payment method do you use to pay for your massage goods? Consider opening a credit card for the sole purpose of managing your massage business expenses. It is far easier to write one check a month to pay a balance on a card rather than sit and spend untold hours paying bills and keeping records. Credit Card Companies keep records for you, and before you incur interest, pay the balance in full each month.

4: Select a credit card company that rewards you. Be it in Airline Miles, Points or Cash Back, find a way to parlay those business expenses into a spa day for you! American Express is wonderful for this purpose, and they allow you to use your points for EVERYTHING from gift cards < which are great employee or client gifts> to plane tickets which allow you discounted travel!

5: Save your packing slips. If you itemize at tax time, < as most businesses do> some items may be tax deductible. Your packing slips should be filed so you have them handy when you are ready to file taxes. Don’t be delayed by having to request copies from your supplier! This can sometimes take quite a while!

Making sure you have made adjustments to your purchasing programs to embrace these tips can save you a pretty penny in the long run. It saves you time, effort and energy once you become accustomed to buying once a month and can significantly reduce your costs.
Happy Shopping!

Find more articles by Angie Patrick at Massage Today.

Tags: Angie Patrick, bulk massage supplies, massage supplies, money saving tips
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10 Tips For Spring Cleaning Your Massage Practice

Monday, March 28th, 2011

Look Out, It’s Time to Clean House!
By Angie Patrick

Maybe I am channeling my inner Martha Stewart, or maybe I am just inspired since I saw some semi-icky stuff during a massage recently, but I believe we can all use a checklist to make sure our business, practice, massage room and equipment are up to par and ready for Spring. Here are a few things you can do to help get ready and be out with the old winter grunge and in with the fresh spring air!

1: I know it is hard to remember that people on a massage table can see under your counters or under your side tables…The fact is, this perspective on your practice is often overlooked by massage therapists and employees. You would not believe some of the yuk that can accrue under there like dust bunnies with fangs, cobwebs that look like they were made by a tarantula, and bits of paper and candy wrappers that have missed the broom a few times because they are “JUST” out of reach.

If your client returns week after week, and sees this kind of thing going unchecked, they “MAY” have the impression the entire facility isn’t clean. While it may not be true, does that really matter if the client does not return? Will it help if they tell five people they know your massage practice is dirty? Nope….! So take a moment, get on your massage table, face up, side lying, and face down. What do you see? If you see UNDER SOMETHING, be sure to keep it CLEAN!

2: Check Expiration Dates on all things that can expire. Be sure to check your retail shelves as well as your back bar for anything that may be going out soon. If you have something about to expire, run a special or sale on a treatment requiring that product. If your pale of sugar scrub has a bit left in it, but expires in 2 months, then run a special on sugar scrubs to be sure you get the most for your money!

3: Linen Inspection. “Oh Angie, lighten up… My sheets are FINE! “ Hmmm…..I would not be so hasty! When was the last time you put your massage sheets on a table and got between them? Are they pilling, do they smell or feel scratchy? Are they frayed in any way? Is there an oil stain you have simply stopped seeing, but fresh eyes could pick out in a lineup? Check these things out! Massage sheets are not meant to last forever. In fact, we are in one of the only professions that can really consider sheets a disposable. So take a moment to go through your linens, make sure they smell fresh and are unstained, and are in good working order. Replace sets that have passed their prime. < C’mon, do the math…… let’s say 20 bucks a set, divided by a client a day for two years? Yeah, it’s time to retire them or re purpose them! They have provided you great value!>

Angie Patrick Receives the Performance Health / Massage Therapy Foundation 2010 Humanitarian Award

Friday, October 1st, 2010

Akron, Ohio – September 30, 2010 – Ms. Angie Patrick was presented the Performance Health / Massage Therapy Foundation 2010 Humanitarian Award at this year’s American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) convention held in Minneapolis, MN.

Performance Health / Hygenic Corporation, manufacturer and marketer of Biofreeze®, Prossage® and Thera-Band® health and wellness products, sponsors the award which recognizes individuals selected by the Massage Therapy Foundation for their efforts in improving the welfare of their clients and demonstrating selfless devotion to others.

Ms. Patrick is the Director of Massage Business Development and Corporate Sales for The Massage Warehouse, a division of Scrip Companies and serves on the corporate workgroup for the Massage Therapy Foundation. Ms. Patrick has worked in the massage profession for over 10 years, is a Reiki practitioner and a certified reflexologist.

Through personal tragedy and triumph, Ms. Patrick has become one of the massage industry’s most inspirational advocates. Because the benefits of massage and the power to touch have profoundly shaped her life, she works tirelessly on the crusade to make massage therapy even more mainstream become a reality.

Achieving this reality is one of the driving forces behind The Massage Warehouse Sanctuary, an ongoing fundraising event conceived by Ms. Patrick. The Sanctuary, which raises money for critical research, has raised over $50,000. Ms. Patrick is also committed to raising research awareness and funding through corporate and private fund-raising efforts.

In accepting this award, Ms. Patrick said, “As many of you know, massage has touched every aspect of my life, from the medical care for my daughter, to the roof over my head, the food on our table, to the job I love so much. Because of the passion I feel and the importance that massage holds for me, I am committed to doing everything I can to further research. We need to ensure the future of massage and we are all stewards of that future. I am very fortunate to be recognized for doing what I love and I’m so grateful for your generosity. Thank you very, very much.”

Ruth Werner, President of the Massage Therapy Foundation stated, “Choosing this year’s Humanitarian Award recipient may have been the easiest decision we’ll ever make. Angie’s tireless commitment to the massage industry, her generosity with her time and talent, and her support of every massage therapist in the profession make her an example to everyone who aspires to service in this field. Thank you, Angie, for all you do. It is a privilege for the Massage Therapy Foundation to partner with PHI to support you in this way.”

“During our selection process for this year’s award, I found it energizing and uplifting that so many people associated with massage therapy give so much of their time and of themselves; so many who are true humanitarians,” stated Marshall Dahneke, President and CEO of Performance Health / Hygenic Corporation. “I am honored to know Angie, and to represent Performance Health in commending her for so many contributions.”

In addition to providing Ms. Patrick with a striking award plaque, Performance Health donated $2,500 to the Massage Therapy Foundation in her name. Click here a view the video of the 2010 Humanitarian Award presentation

The Massage Therapy Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity, with a mission to advance the knowledge and practice of massage by supporting scientific research, education and community service. www.massagetherapyfoundation.org.

Hygenic / Performance Health is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad portfolio of products for the therapy, rehabilitation, massage, wellness and consumer retail markets. Maker of market-leading Thera-Band®, Biofreeze® and Perform® products, Performance Health / Hygenic Corporation provides evidence-based protocols, education, turn-key dispensing and pain management solutions.

Tags: Angie Patrick, humanitarian award, massage industry, massage therapy foundation, massage warehouse, performance health
Posted in Massage Warehouse | 2 Comments »

Massage Warehouse Reviews – Angie Patrick

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

Good morning Angie,

Let me start by saying Thank You for promoting the AMTA Massage conference in Minneapolis. Without you our school would not have gone and I would not have had the amazing experience I did. I was in awe of all the different product and the people in the massage world. Student day was also spectacular. The speakers were so inspiring. Michael McGillicuddy was especially inspiring to me. I am 45 years old and until I heard him speak I was thinking “old”. Not anymore. I can do almost anything in this massage profession that I put my mind to. It is never to late! Thank you for that wonderful experience.

Thank you for giving our school the boost it needed to come to the convention. GLOBE UNIVERSITY LaCROSSE campus. Thank you for the opportunity to help with the Sanctuary. It was truly a wonderful experience. Something that I will never forget…

Being one of the students that has recently graduated. I am fortunate to have a job lined up with a Chiropractor office in our area. He has 6 locations and will need product to get me started. I will make sure that he gets a catalog from Massage Warehouse and you can bet I will be assertive that this is where we buy what we need. I personally will always buy from no one else other than Massage Warehouse. You have won my heart and my dedication. (along with the other 3 graduates that were at the convention). I would like to repay your generosity by getting as many people on board with your company as I can.

Again Angie, THANK YOU so very much.

God bless,

Gena Allen

Tags: AMTA, Angie Patrick, chiropractor, Gloge University, massage profession, Massage Warehouse reviews
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