Massage Therapy Canada

Features Op-Ed
Taking care of business

The isolated nature of a massage therapist’s practice is something we often hear from industry observers and has always been cited as one of the many challenges facing massage therapists.

October 8, 2014  By Mari-Len De


The isolated nature of a massage therapist’s practice is something we often hear from industry observers and has always been cited as one of the many challenges facing massage therapists.

The community and connectedness have been generally wanting in the profession and yet, it is one of the most important ingredients, not only for one’s career to thrive but also for human beings to continue to evolve. Sharing each other’s successes and failures, learning from each other or just taking comfort in knowing that you’re not alone are just some of the benefits of belonging to a community.

This is one of the reasons Massage Therapy Canada is proud to sponsor the annual Massage Therapy Canada Business Forum.

The first Massage Therapy Canada Business Forum was held last September at the Holiday Inn Burlington Hotel And Conference Centre in Burlington, Ont. (highlights on page 28), with close to 100 attendees and numerous sponsors, the support this event has gained in its inaugural year reinforced our objective to provide our audience an avenue for learning and networking.

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Another important objective of the Business Forum, as the name implies, is to offer both new and experienced massage therapy professionals much-needed business practice information they can bring back and apply to their respective practices.

Two of the Business Forum’s event speakers – Andrew Lewarne, executive director of the Registered Massage Therapists Association of Ontario, and Don Dillon, RMT and frequent contributor to the magazine – reiterated the importance of business management competence to an RMT’s success. Filling out forms and signing contracts may sound like a no-brainer to some, but for someone whose entire livelihood depends on doing it right, knowledge is power.

Business savvy – at least the practical and essential components of it – is not something massage therapists would typically possess right out of massage therapy school. They need continuing education, support and reinforcement to enable them to incorporate business competency in their practices and contribute to their success.

Face-to-face interaction and business education – sounds like a great reason to take a much-needed break from work and be with the people who share your goals, ideals, successes and challenges.


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