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by Douglas Vaira
 For the small-business owner, perhaps no passage from Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu’s
The Art of War is more relevant than that of competitive knowledge.
If you know the enemy and know yourself, the ancient general writes,
you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. But, he continues,
if you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you
will also suffer a defeat.
The sides clashing in today’s business world—in the massage therapy
industry and otherwise—are quite often the mom-and-pops against the
multinational chains, big business versus small business, the downtown
independent opposing the bigbox franchise.
Julie Wallace, owner of BodyWorks Therapeutic Massage in Denver, is
one of those in the small-business camp. For her, competitive knowledge
and familiarity with her business’s strengths in the face of big-box
competition make perfect sense.
In fact, it prompted her to schedule a session with one of the more prominent franchises
in the Mile High City. What better way to assess the competition, she reasoned, than
to meet them on their own terms?
Wallace was not surprised by what she found. The franchise’s
marketing focus was on price and hours of business. A one-hour massage
was $39, and the business was open seven days a week and fairly
late on weeknights. The staff was efficient with scheduling, she says,
and “pleasant and professional both over the phone and when greeting
me upon my arrival.”
Wallace completed a general intake form but was surprised
by some glaring omissions. “There were some
questions missing that I expected to see on the form
regarding injuries or surgeries, or allergies and sensitivities
to products that might be used in a session, and
about my occupation.”
There was a brief—about one minute—intake with
the therapist regarding what she would like him to work
on. “He seemed surprised that I didn’t want a full-body
massage,” says Wallace.
“Following the session,” Wallace recalls, “my therapist
waited in the hallway while I dressed. He guided
me back to the door to the reception area, where he
thanked me and turned down a hallway to prepare for
his next session, while I turned the other direction to
make my payment.”
Wallace was encouraged to purchase a membership,
which she declined, and was then on her way. There
was no inquiry for feedback regarding the session. In
summary, her experience with franchise massage was
acceptable but not impressive.
“I believe there is plenty of room for both franchises and independent
practices, as long as the independent business owner keeps his or her perspective,”
says Wallace. “In my case, I believe my business has a different
goal than the franchise businesses.”
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American Massage Therapy Association®
