What would you do? *Forget it...Just giving up*

[Ox CHERRYLiCiOUS* xO]

Forget it.

 

[redbaron1625]

hi amanda! (i'm an amanda too)

you have a table, yes? personally, i don't do chair massage anymore. instead i whip out the table with no dressings other than a cradle cover. i have the client lie down and do a shoulder/back/leg routine with them prone. lasts anywhere from 5-15-30 minutes - whatever you want. they're clothed, you can clean the table down very easily and you don't HAVE to have a chair.

then go to vistaprint.com and take advaneforum.xxxe of their free business cards - or even their less expensive ones. you can get a lot of printing from there, for little money. it just takes a little creativity.

don't fret! there is a wealth of information on this board that will help you - and cost you very little.

good luck!
amanda

 

[Fairytale]

Also a lot of massage stores will rent you a chair for say $15 a day. I know here in San diego Mueller College does along with bodywork emporium.

Jason

 

[Grrr!]

You could also call the MT's in your area / or the ABMP or AMTA chapters. Maybe you will find an old softie who would be willing to loan you their chair until your first paycheck and then at that point you can pay back rent and get started on a regular rental agreement. Then once you make enough money, you can purchase your own.

 

[Kye]

Hi Amanda. I know a lot of therapists have used vistaprint for affordable business cards and have been happy with them. So, that might be something to check out. I like livingwell's suggestion of using a table. If you can do that, I say go that route. If you have to use a chair, can you rent a chair from a local massage school or maybe borrow or rent one from a friend? That may be an option until you save up enough to buy your own. You may be able to find an affordable chair on ebay or on the "for sale" category of this forum. I personally wouldn't do the car title loan. The rates on those can reach triple digits. Good luck.

 

[My Time Is Now]

I agree with everything the other posters said, but I would add this:
There is nothing wrong with working a supplemental "crap" job while you are building up bus. as an MT. We all have to make ends meet somehow. And some of those other jobs can be a great source of networking.

Definitely read through the Bus. section here. There is a lot of info about getting started and ways to do it on the cheap.

Oh, and the car loan just seems like a scary idea to me. You don't want to start off in debt if you don't have to.

 

[SLA]

There is nothing wrong with working a supplemental "crap" job while you are building up bus. as an MT.

There is one thing wrong -- if you think of it as a crap job, you will do a crap job, and won't last long enough to make ends meet.

How "worthy" is a masage job if it won't pay the bills vs. a "crap" job that does?

A job is what you make of it.

 

[Joseph Ducreux]

Thanks for all of your responses...you all are right. I have obviously gotten in over my head, and I should just do a job that I know I can make ends meet with.

Thanks for clarifying things for me...especially you, Relax and Rejuvenate. I needed someone to be brutal with me. Dreams won't ffed my family. Thanks for all of your help again, and it has been great knowing you guys for this little bit...wishing you all of the best.

Amanda

 

[Pompal 09.]

I was not being brutal - I think you are on the right track.

I object to any job being characterized as crap.

Regarding your situation, you can have a dream to work toward.

But as far as a title loan, that is pretty risky. But you should be able to find a creative solution as mentioned previously

 

[Kallan- MIA]

Thanks for all of your responses...you all are right. I have obviously gotten in over my head, and I should just do a job that I know I can make ends meet with.

I don't think anyone- especially myself- meant that you cannot make good money doing MT work. On the contrary, I think you will find a lot of folks both on this board and in your community who do well for themselves as MTs.

However, the reality is that many MTs do or have had other jobs to help support themselves until they can make a living doing MT work exclusively. Having to work a non-MT job does not make one a failure, nor does it mean you have to give up being an MT. You just may have to do it with a smaller availability- evenings and weekends, or all day Tuesday and Wednesday and Saturday, or whatever.

And R&R, while I fully understand what you mean by saying that ANY job is what you make of it, I have to argue and say that there are, in fact, truly lousy jobs out there that are nothing more for a lot of folks than a means to an end. But that is another thread....

 

[Sex.See .]

I was glad that I saw this thread today. Times have been very tough here too, and I had to break down and get another job to make ends meet. I have been debating about quitting myself, but I don't want to feel that I have wasted all my time just to end up quitting. I have done some of the suggestions others have put out there, and some have worked, others have not. Things for me have suddenly come to an almost dead stop. Not a good thing by any estimation. But I won't stop, I will keep going until there is no question about being able to continue.

 

[Lutzkrieg]

Thanks for posting that dodab.

 

[fish man]

There is one thing wrong -- if you think of it as a crap job, you will do a crap job, and won't last long enough to make ends meet.

Bunk!

I have had "crap" jobs that I have still done excellent work at. I also have stayed at them for years on end.

There is nothing wrong with working multiple jobs while building a business Amanda. Many of us have done it ---- it takes time to build a business. Don't "forget it" and don't "give up". There's really no reason to. t056

 

[nuttercanadian]

Hell, I had a whole crap career that I left. I made lots of money and I was very, very good at what I did. But it not only didn't make me happy, it made me miserable; that's why I label it crap.

A job isn't what you make of it; LIFE is what you make of it. You need money to live, so you supplement your income now and try to build a business slowly but surely. That is what I hope to do.

Just a general request, though. Please reconsider deleting original posts. The discussions that ensue benefit other readers that might be in similar situations.

Good luck Largo. I wish I lived in your area; I would have loaned you my chair!

 

[AutumnWynd777]

A job isn't what you make of it; LIFE is what you make of it. You need money to live, so you supplement your income now and try to build a business slowly but surely. That is what I hope to do.

Just a general request, though. Please reconsider deleting original posts. The discussions that ensue benefit other readers that might be in similar situations.

:iagree:

and not to mention that nothing worth having should be given up or forgotten about so easily. :2cents:

 

[Stanchez]

I will say also that with all the "crap" jobs I have had, I have always walked away from them learning something about the job I was in that I took with me or learning about myself in some way. ALWAYS look for the benefit of everything, even if it is that you learned that you were not meant to do that kind of job!

 

[Dancer101]

I will say also that with all the "crap" jobs I have had, I have always walked away from them learning something about the job I was in that I took with me or learning about myself in some way. ALWAYS look for the benefit of everything, even if it is that you learned that you were not meant to do that kind of job!

I agree with you 100%.

 

[jenna b]

I just wanted to apologize for my outburst and for deleting my original post...I know that is annoying

I have decided to stick it out and to start a bit more slowly. I found a place to rent a chair, and I have scrounged up the money to get my liability insurance (which was really my biggest concern...CYA, ya know? ).

I just allowed myself to get really upset and depressed, but after looking through The Secret once again, and taking a personal inventory of what is important to me and where I want to go with my life, I have decided that I am going to follow through with my dreams after all! I have even found a fellow local LMT to trade sessions with weekly, which I know will really help me mentally and physically...plus, she has 13 years experience and has promised to "take me under her wing" a bit.

Thanks so much for all of your support and for the PMs encouraging me to stick with it...they really did make a difference! I am grateful to have a community like this one that I can turn to for help and support

 

[Scott H]

t041
stay positive & determined and you will get there!!