It can be awfully difficult to find a suitable room for your business, no matter if you are a massage therapist, a psychotherapist or a nutritionist. How would one decide as to which room is suitable and if it does make sense at all to rent?
You might have questions about the membership fee, the location of the room, the atmosphere and equipment of the space and of course about the terms of use.
Many of you will say, well, there are so many things to think about, I’d rather work from home then. Working from your home does bring some benefits of course, as you don’t need any agreements, checking of schedules or of course paying for the use of the working space.
But, as nice as working from home sounds, there are some really important things to consider, because your clients will definitely shape their opinion about you and your business based on the following:
- Does the therapy room looks professional
- Does it make clients feel comfortable and relaxed enough to participate in the session
- Do the clients feel welcome and well taken care of
Think about how you shape your opinion about someone or a service
Especially when you are just starting your business it’s of utmost importance to think about the first impression your future clients will get. What do you want them to feel when they step into your space? What should their first thought be? For sure the room needs to be quite and not allow any disruption in form of loud noises or even people entering the room.
Let’s see what the things are to take into account when you decide about where you want to run your business.-
- Welcome area
As we said before, the first impression is the most important one. If there is a nice person waiting for your client to welcome them, maybe even offer a tea or water, they will feel comfortable immediately and enjoy sitting down while waiting for you to invite them in. You have to remember that depending on your area of expertise, some people might be a bit anxious of going to a therapist, so a nice area before entering the actual therapy room could help clients relax faster.
- Noise is annoying
You need to avoid any kind of noise disruption at any time during the session. Surely you have noticed at home already that good soundproofing cannot be guaranteed just like that, so making sure a room is soundproof can cost quite some money. With rented rooms or meeting spaces this could be one worry less, as many of them already come with this particular equipment. There is quite some work behind making a room really pleasant and to ensure that sound is being absorbed. There is nothing worse than being in the middle of the therapy session and your client cannot relax because of noises in the neighbouring rooms or the fear that someone will suddenly open the door, which can happen if the therapist works from home for example.
- The eye candy
To make a working space look professional yet inviting and cosy, can be quite some undertaking. When renting a therapy room, you can choose from pre-decorated spaces with the design style you like most.
- Business mingling
While sharing a room with other consultants, personal coaches and alternative medicine practitioners, this could mean you get to know potential new customers or partners for a business collaboration.
- Staying connected
Professionally equipped working spaces usually come with a fast and stable connection, which can ensure a successful high-quality online therapy session.
There still might be some hesitation …
Usually, when you think about renting a space, the first thing that comes to your mind is obligations. This means you need to sign a contract and decide for how long you want to rent, plus the rent stays no matter how many clients you have or how much income you make. With this in mind, you probably cannot focus on the quality of the therapy and it might get stressful for you. The news about platforms which offer working spaces that you can book per hour, bring a lot of relief to the therapists, coaches and consultants. This flexibility enables you to really get the most out of your income, while investing more time into generating business and acquiring more clients.
Sometimes it might happen, that professionals working from home get extremely lonely and they really crave some company of other coaches, massage therapists, medical practitioners or psychotherapists. Renting a room also makes you part of something bigger, like some kind of a community and you get to know other professionals, like you. Thus, you can go out much more, take part in events, maybe create new business models with co-therapists, or just make new friends. Going out, while still enjoying comfort and productiveness, can open up a whole new world for you.