We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sunnie Gonzales a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Sunnie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?
In 2017 I was working for two different places doing massage and one day a week at a juice bar. I was getting to the point of burnout. Working for Michelle hittner at austin massage company was such a joy. I looked forward to going to work and team outings. It was such a positive work environment it made me realize how Unhappy I was at my other massage job. I am good at what I do and I love my clients but my co workers were difficult to deal with and there was one particular person in the office who just did not like me no matter what I did. Monday was my only day off from all three jobs. One morning, June of 2017. My boss sent me a text message saying that she knows that I’m unhappy there, and that I can pick up my last check on Friday. My response was “did you just fire me on my day off though a text ? “ After I gathered myself together; I made a plan to find a place to rent and work for myself. To my surprise that week I was flooded with calls and Facebook messages from clients who were on my schedule that month. They asked where the other place I working was, or if it was possible if I could come to their home. One Client I had met about two months before I got fired invited me to his place in Austin for a massage. At the time, I charged $115 for a in home massage for 90 minutes. I remember feeling so nervous walking in to his condo on 5th and thinking, “this would be a great client to have, Sunnie don’t Mess this up!” He owns a few memory care facilities in central Texas and would always talk business with me. I would definitely consider him a mentor. He asked me if I could give him a deal on massages if he bought multiple. Desperate for money I came up with a deal for $100 per massage if he bought 10. I walked out with a 1000 check in my hand. I came back two days later for another massage. He planned to do two 90 minute massages a week. Meaning in 5 weeks he would be done with his 10 massages. When I arrived the second time to his home , he asked me if he were to buy another 10 today if I would use the $2000 he gave me to rent a space and open my own business. I felt so blessed. I spent so much time with this guy over the next few months. Learning all kinds of things, and a book he recommended was the Subtle art of not giving a fuck. I downloaded it on audible ,and that week I was driving through my home town and saw a building for rent that my family used to get tacos from after church when I was a kid. I called the number on the sign and I opened 12 star massage by august 2017. I will never forget his kindness and how much he believed in me and my work. It was the kindest thing anyone ever did for me.
Sunnie, 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?
I am Sunnie Gonzales I have been a licensed massage therapist since 2009. I am also a massage therapy instructor and newly trained yoga teacher. And a hula hoop instructor. Massage, hula hopping and yoga have been amazing tools in my journey. I love that I get to teach and share what I have learned with others. I started massage school when I was 20 years old; after a high school my 11th grade English teacher convinced me to do it. Over the last 14 years I have worked in spas, chiropractic offices, music and athletic events. I have experience with many types of bodies and injuries in many spaces. I love that my work comes with me wherever I go. The type of work I provide to my clients is on a case to case basis. The human body is never the same on a day to day so basis. neither is my work. I start by asking my clients these three questions
1. How is your body feeling today?
2. What would you like to work on?
3. How do you want feel when you leave?
I like to work with the mind and body connection and check in with my clients during the massage about pressure or temperature. If they had a rough day with headaches then maybe they may need a little longer scalp massage id they have headaches or a longer foot massage if they did a lot of walking. My massage instructor; Alex Mathew’s gave the best advice and is what I believe to have kept people coming back. He said to find out which of the two; between a scalp massage and a foot massage what your client likes more and do that part last. They may not be able to tell anyone about the massage but they will tell people about the last part. Saving the part they liked the most is keeping the idea; that you save the best for last has kept me in business.
I am most proud of my awards from 2018-2021 for Austin American statesmen best of bastrop and Elgin’s Courier readers choice for best massage therapist and best spa.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Networking at community events Is really effective. I also started a community of hula hooping here in Elgin. I love to share my affirmation creation station at community events to spread positive messages of kind and joy. Just showing up and meeting people so they can see your face is important. I feel it makes them more likely to reach out or just think of you, when they or someone they know Is in pain. People like to be helpful and if someone they care about is in pain, They tend of offer up ways to help. The massage therapist they met last week at the pot luck is the 1st person they recommend. It’s been beautiful to create so many connections with people I otherwise may have never met if I had not volunteered or gone to the networking event.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Community and Consistency is key. Stay open to the hours you agree too. If you are open 10-6 and have no one booked that day; Then you turn it into an administrative day and do marketing, return emails, make flyers. The very 1st place I rented was next to a hair salon. The ladies that worked there got a discount on their massages for recommending me to clients. When I wasn’t busy I would walk over and offer complimentary hand massages to their clients while they processed there highlights. I also reached out to local health and wellness related businesses in the area and offered a referral system. The chiropractor was the best choice for building my reputation. I consistently showed him that my work is good and he consistently sent me his people to work on. I continue to work on building my brand and my reputation by being a yoga teacher and holding space for multiple people at once and word of mouth is has kept me here for 5 years and in the midst of a pandemic.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.12starmassage.com
- Instagram: 12starmassage
- Facebook: /12starmassage