We were lucky to catch up with Matthew Miner recently and have shared our conversation below.

Matthew, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

Some therapists have the potential to create their business as soon as they get out of massage school and they are completely okay starting that way. I feel that for most, they end up looking for experience and employment first.

For me, I wasn’t ready and am very thankful for the work experience I received working at a couple of spas and finding a home with chiros, physical therapists, and other (much more) experienced massage therapists. They showed me everything to build enough confidence in my craft to pull the trigger and venture out in my own. I owe a gratitude to everyone during that 8 year span.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I got into massage trying to get a free massage. True story. I at the time was seeking a career change from welding, and tired of the back breaking labor and messiness that comes from that line of work.

What was the opposite? Healthcare. I wasn’t seeking a college degree, but a trade school was very appealing. I visited a school that had X-ray tech and I took a tour of the school including their massage therapy program. I wanted to learn more about massage therapy so I could get a free massage somehow because at the time, I had a headache almost daily from welding.

So they helped me with my headache and I was flabbergasted at how effective it worked. I thought it was some form of magic. They told me how I could help people in pain wether it’s a low back problem, headache, even emotional issues such as depression anxiety and even trauma. I signed up for school that day, quit my job and started three days later.

That’s when my passion started for anatomy, bones, muscles, postural issues, fasciae tension, etc . I knew I supposed to help through the form of therapeutic massage.

I quit spas to work to be in more direct contact with clients and patients with pain, so I have been working with medical professionals for 8 years of my career to hone my craft.

That’s what I do now in my practice. I see people looking for help, looking for a change in their lifestyle and themselves. I help people with not just tension and knots but with balance issues and postural corrections. I help people live their daily lives more efficiently and stress free.

I have created a team of highly skilled therapists who are like-minded in that position and we help the greater nashville area in giving the best massage formulated for the individual.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I learned the hard way that you have set clear and firm boundaries with your policies. If you don’t have policies, CREATE THEM.

In my line of work, I am very personable to my clients and massage therapist create a bond with our clients.

It’s important to know what your business boundaries and ethics are. I use to go be very lenient and friendly with cancellations, late arrivals, clients who rebooked or even inquired about services. So I started slowly creating a list of “commandments” for myself and that translated into the policies that I have now. And they are firm but fair and most importantly, fair to me.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Word of mouth is so powerful. Some business owners or practitioners like to divide themselves from clients. I see that as a good boundary to have personally but in this industry, you have to connect with people wether it’s instagram, Facebook, or going to a clients event for their business or charity.

Creating that content to come back with a tag to you or your business is probably the best pull to have. Google reviews are second to having powerful reputation for your business exposure to new clients. I always try to give a 5 star experience and express to very pleased clients to rate me on Google or Facebook.

Another great tactic is greeting cards. Sending a personalized thank you card for patronage is very powerful to a new client/customer. It’s time consuming but when you’re trying to get started, you have the time to do it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.massageofnashville.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/massageofnashville
• Facebook: Facebook.com/massageofnashville

Image Credits
Brooke Albertson Photography