We were lucky to catch up with Jon Passow recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jon, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in life is that failure is our greatest teacher. Failure will happen multiple times along the road to success, and you are going to make mistakes, that’s just how life works. The trick is to always learn from the experience, get back up, ask “How can I make this work”, and then try again.

One such example was the closing of my wellness center. I had overcome countless problems from doubling of the cost of construction, to staffing issues, to getting the business open on time, all for us to be forced to close due to one single employee embezzling so much money over 3 weeks that we were not able to overcome the loss. We were 3 months away from breaking even. While said employee is now facing multiple federal charges, I learned some amazing lessons.

I also chose to the bright side of what I accomplished with the help of contractors, employees, city officials and more. In the 9 months that we were open, we helped over 600 people with their medical issues through massage, reiki, yoga, and art, I renovated a 4,000 sq ft building in Cleveland Heights that had been sitting vacant for 12 years thus opening it up to the possibility of future use, I provided jobs for over 25 people, had a staff of 14 people in the end, and I proved to myself that I could do it. To me, that’s a wonderful thing.

Jon, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

While I’m a little bit of a jack of all trades, my main focus is operating my private practice massage office, Lake Flower Wellness. I’m a Ohio Medical Board licensed medical massage therapist located in the greater Cleveland area and I help my clients create lasting changes to their physical conditions. At my massage office in Beachwood, Ohio, I rely on my 30+ years of personal studies into Easter and Western medical modalities, 36 years of bodybuilding and body mechanics studies, 10 years of energy medicine work, and 8 years of massage therapy studies to provide me with a very targeted yet wholistic view of the human body and the paths back to homeostasis.

Being an entrepreneur, I also have a few other areas I work in. I’m currently working on sourcing funding for my medical cannabis brand, Cuyahoga Cannabaceae which will launch with a salve and tincture that incorporate herbalism. I also am a professional actor and voice over artist having worked on over 50 Hollywood productions, a photographer, the world’s only large format fractal artist, published poet, and published children’s book author.

I’m an active member of Mensa, having recently been invited to a private tour of CERN with their physicists, and will be giving a presentation on Carnivorous Plants to the local Cleveland Chapter of Mensa later this month.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

One of the main things that helped build my reputation as a massage therapist and business owner up to the level that has allowed companies such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and NFL players to reach out and work with me would be my knowledge and application of the wisdom it carries. When your job basically revolves around putting your hands on people, building and maintaining trust in a safe and ethical manner is an utmost priority. The main way I do that is through communication. I explain to my clients what I’m doing, why I’m doing it, and what effects it will have, breaking down complex medical concepts into easily digestible nuggets of knowledge. Not only does this build a trusting therapist-client relationship, it also educates the client so they can continue having their needs met in the future.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Oh books, how I love thee. Let me count the ways. In no particular order: The Richest Man in Babylon, Traction by Gino Wickman, Money: Master The Game by Tony Robbins, Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, The Art of Communicating by Thich Nhat Hanh, and You are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.jonpassow.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jon_passow/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jonathanpassowactor3266
• Lake Flower Wellness: www.riverflowerwellness.com

Image Credits
Jon Passow