Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Megan Oconnor. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Megan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?

This is a great question. It is something I wish was covered during my training. It has been a long journey with many lessons I have had to learn along the way through trial and error over the last 15 years.
It takes time to build a private massage therapy practice. It is such a personalized service in which success is based on four main factors: visibility, growth, grit, and outsourcing.
1. Visibility: From early on I realized how important a website is, being open to meeting new people (especially when you are hauling a massage table), always carrying business cards, networking, making a good impression, great communication, and professionalism. Over the years, friendships, word of mouth, and now Google/ Yelp reviews, have really helped propel me into working solely for myself. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with referrals and clients who remember me and reach out after long periods of time.
2. Growth: At the start of my career, after massage school, I knew I wanted to work for myself, mostly motivated by the income vs the 40% or less you make working under someone else. In order to get there, I knew I had to be in various environments, working with many different people, learning new skills, noting what environments and people I liked working with, and what modalities were most successful for me. I started in a spa setting. I later worked with a chiropractor, at gyms, hotels, many tech companies, at health fairs, for on-call apps, and athletic events. It is always an evolving entity working as a sole practitioner. I haven’t always done things perfectly, but I pride myself on taking every experience as a learning opportunity, growing from that, and using it to push me to the next phase.
3. Grit: Working for myself has meant taking a lot of chances. It has meant getting out of my comfort zone. It has also meant I have had to be extremely motivated knowing that it is all on me, as well as wearing multiple hats each day. I did not choose the easy path, nor are there many therapists in the industry to look up to or follow. Most end up burning out after a few years or teaching.
4. Outsourcing: It has been key in establishing my own practice to have a great accountant. They were necessary in setting everything up with the IRS, Secretary of State, and Franchise Tax Board when I incorporated. My accountant is vital during the year and especially during tax season. I also have a trusted bookkeeper. I can do my own bookkeeping but I prefer to pay someone to free up more time for me to focus on what I do best.

Megan, 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?

Hi, I’m Megan. I have been a professional, licensed massage therapist for almost 15 years. I went to massage school in 2009-2010 after I was let go from my job as an executive assistant for a family office. I really found my calling with massage therapy. It has been the perfect blend of my diverse background in music, dance, art, science, Psychology, finance, athletics, and design.
I have been working solely for myself since 2020, (then only outdoor and masked), client-specific massage treatments in the Santa Monica/ West LA area. I have been building my client base since I started practicing in 2010, but supplemented my income and experience by working for many different companies. Equinox, Sony, Google, Tinder, and Kipton Hotels to name a few.
I specialize in custom treatments for regular clients to help with their overall wellness, fitness goals, injury prevention, surgery rehab, and pre/post-natal treatments. My style is relaxing, yet therapeutic, and detail-oriented. I am reliable, excellent at my work, and hold a high professional standard which have all contributed to me being successful in my industry.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

There are too many to name! I love reading and listening to books and podcasts. Here are a few of my recent favorites:
1. I just finished reading, “On Managing Yourself” a book of articles, one of HBR’s 10 must reads. There were so many gems in there of wisdom for managers and business owners. It’s one that I keep for reference and can revisit again and again.
2. I really like the podcast, “How I Built This” with Guy Raz. It has so many recognizable examples of entrepreneur’s’ business success stories and lessons.
3. I am a fan of Vanessa Van Edwards. I found “Captivate” and “Cues” really insightful on body language and people skills. She also sends out a wonderful newsletter with helpful videos.
4. Jay Shetty’s podcast, “On Purpose” is a wonderful life/ self-improvement resource I love to learn from.
5. A regular industry go-to for me is ABMP. That stands for Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. I have professional membership standing with them. They send a bimonthly magazine. ABMP has an extensive library of up-to-date continuing education courses and are a great resource to find a massage therapist by geographic region or specialty. https://www.abmp.com

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I believe being a good listener has been a great way to set me apart from other therapists as well as an effective strategy in growing my clientele. Listening is such an underrated skill. In my practice, there are two parts. One is listening to what a client tells me verbally about what they would like to focus on that session, what is hurting, their medical history, areas they don’t want worked on etc. The second part is listening to what their body is telling me. This can be things like, ‘that feels like a knot’, ‘this muscle is stuck there’, ‘that tissue is not moving well in that direction’, ‘there is a limited range of motion in this joint’ and so forth. It is really important to listen to and adjust pressure, approach, technique, and the information that surfaces while working on someone. So often I find the muscles that people don’t know are tight/sore. I also come across scars from past surgeries or injuries that need more work and / or discussion. This is where I am at this year on noting what has been effective to date.
That is not to say that it won’t change next year. This is an ongoing learning process I feel I have just begun!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://megancmt.com/
• Instagram: megancmt
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganoconnorcmt/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/megan-o-connor-santa-monica
• Other: https://g.co/kgs/tfqcMzm

Image Credits

Photography by Jess Koehler, https://www.jesskoehlerphoto.com/