Starting a Massage Practice

Still on the topic of jobs; I have a massage therapist friend who just became a massage therapist early this year, found her first spa, had her first bad experience working for someone else, and is now in search of a new job location. We were discussing her options for growing her own little practice and all of the ups and downs that come with that. She and I both have attained business licenses and run our little side business in order to maintain monetary stability. As well as for fun. The hard part about having/starting your own business is all of the costs! After you become a massage therapist you are already in debt from the cost of school and now you must find yourself in the Home section of Kmart (only store were decent single twin sized sheets could be bought for less than the price of your left arm) calculating how much money is coming out of your account to cover 12 sheets, 6 pillow cases, and 2 throw blankets. Oy. Honestly, you could venture to the nearest massage supply store but I have found that they tend to charge way too much money for a single sheet/face cradle cover. Sheet from Kmart=$7. Sheet from massage supply store= $14. I hate Kmart. I hate their stores, I hate their business practices, I hate what their very presence stands for and I drove to every store that sold sheets in a 15 mile radius and had to break down and give them my money because it was either that or tighten up my $20 a week food budget. If anyone out there knows a better place to buy sheets, help a woman out!
So, if that does not sound horrific enough, we have yet to discuss the price of a table, business cards, work space, cloths, music, music player, cleaning supplies, gift certificate printing, lotion/oil, etc. I think the best way to go about these things is to start buying them while in school. Save up for one item at a time, take advantage of sales, and buy in bulk. Also, craigslist.
So, now you have all this stuff and......you need clients. Starting your own practice alone is hard, slow, constant work. As I have said, join massage association groups, sports massage teams, volunteer. Whatever you can do to get your hands on bodies. I think every single massage instructor I had told me to get my hands on as many bodies as possible. At this point we are talking probabilities and it is better to have a higher denominator, it improves your chances of a growing numerator. I started out as a fill in for a therapist who already had a thriving practice. I took overflow clients from her which worked out great. She was still able to help people who called her business even when she was personally unavailable and I got to get my hands on bodies. My deal was unusual, I think, but the outcome of having cheaper rent and more flexibility can be achieved by renting a work space with a fellow (perhaps established) therapist. This cuts your cost and provides a stable location from which to begin.
There are so many ways in which to begin your own practice that it really depends on what you personally are interested in doing. I have friends who have turned their mother-in-law house into fantastic massage office and does quite well. I decided I liked the support of a clinic. My, now seeking, therapist friend is in the midst of working all of this out for herself. Just as it should be.