1
1
52
Idea Overview:
Massage therapists need continuing education (CEs), and those CEs should improve the quality of life of the professional: reduce burnout with body-saving techniques, or simply have a new and inspiring skill set to expand their practice. "Tai Chi at the Table" is my self-care and body mechanics courses targeted to massage therapists.
As a licensed massage therapist for over a decade, I discovered that Tai Chi principles transformed my practice, reducing physical strain and doubling my productivity. Now, I'm passionate about sharing this unique approach. Using tai chi principles to perform massage therapy is both incredibly rich with content and also a novel business idea.
Because of the physical nature of training the body with tai chi, I want courses to be recurring and regular like a gym class, but one that gets a therapist CE credits for license renewal. 8-12 week programs, 1-2 hours per week. In person and virtual workshops can dive deeper into an aspect of practice.
Who might use it/where it might be used?:
Massage therapists would use this program throughout the year, especially during their busier seasons to prevent injury and recover from their physical work. It would also be appropriate for other audiences, especially people who use their hands and arms for labor, and those who work standing up.
It could be sold as a training programs for staff at larger massage companies.
The Market (B2B, B2C or Both):
Both
Sector the idea belongs to:
Education
Is there a similar idea to be found?:
Not yet
Why you think there is a demand for your idea?:
Florida is a growing state, with 40,000 massage therapists and thousands of new massage therapists registered per year. Additionally, other health professionals are also increasing. in number. Massage therapists cannot take the same hands on CE class once, which makes them prone to search for things that excite them, are easy on their budget, or help them improve their skillset.
Both massage therapists and their clientele are aging. These courses reduce burnout with body-saving and stress-reduction techniques. They may be something that aging workers are generally seeking for keeping their health.
Who would be the ideal customers?:
The core customers are predicted to be massage therapists who are 40+ years and want to learn how to care for themselves better using tai chi
1. New skill learners: These therapists love movement, holistic vibe and have heard about tai chi but maybe never tried or had limited experience
2. Therapists who had an injury and they've been told a practice like tai chi would help
What ideas do you have to reach these customers?:
Word of Mouth is the tortoise that beats the hare. I'd like to use consent phone marketing to create a WhatsApp community of massage therapists who inspire each other to care for themselves.
Social Media channels - since videos would be part of the course, then social media might be a channel that helps build brand awareness and community
Email marketing - works well & is the most common way to advertise massage therapist CEs.
I would look for demographic and behavioral characteristics of the ideal customer to do outreach through those gathering spaces online and offline.
How far have you developed this idea?:
This is idea-stage. I have spoken with 2 different owners of massage CE schools about creating massage CE courses (of varied content), one of whom I'd inquire about making a partner.
Both of these owners know that CEs can sell so they are encouraging of selling CEs. In their businesses, they did the majority of the administrative work themselves. We have talked about the time that was spent doing various administrative tasks. We have discussed the profit margins, which can be 50-60% for live CE if the business owner is also the teacher. We've talked about live vs in person and the current large demand for pre-recorded "home study" courses.
What – if any – feedback have you had for this idea so far?:
In initial consultations, I've received a lot of "food for thought" in the form of many specific questions, many of which I cannot yet answer. The takeaway here is that the idea needs to be fleshed out more as well as goals and strategies set.
What supporting material – if any - would you like to add to your proposal?:
This website is an example of a body mechanics course home study selling for $350. It is non-interactive and looks dry. Therapists aren't able to get feedback. We can do better - with videos of techniques, and the opportunity to hold live classes. This type of course will have much better results being interactive.
https://www.massagetherapyceu.com/course_details.php?cid=23&cname=Therapists%20Guide%20to%20Proper%20Body%20Mechanics
Has one comment to “Tai Chi at the Table”
You can leave a reply or Trackback this post.
Simon Krystman - November 4, 2023 at 10:22 am
Have you thought about creating an online community of massage therapists running online and in-person events. It’s much easier to create interest in your courses if people are already engaged in a community.