During the course of attending massage school at A New Beginning School of Massage, students are given a number of assignments that requiring research and writing. Some of these assignments result in very insightful and well thought out information and decision-making outcomes. I am happy to share some of their assignments for you to enjoy.
As a person who always tries to have several hands in many baskets, and places enormous value on my free time, I was immediately drawn to the title of this article: Passive Income: 3 Ways to Set Yourself Up for Success, by Coach Cary Bayer from Massage Magazine, December 2015. Entering my 30's last November was a bit of a "wake-up call" for me, in terms of thinking of my financial future, and exploring ways to ensure my financial stability through retirement.
Though massage is typically thought of as a strictly hands-on, in-person profession, Bayer explores 3 models in which massage therapists can apply their skills to receive income without having to do any physical work. The first strategy the author offers is entitled Sessions other Massage Therapist Perform. This business strategy appears to work best once a therapist has established their own booming practice, to the point where there is a long waiting list for new clients to be accepted. Bayer suggests that instead of simply referring these "wanna-be" clients out, that the therapist instead hires other therapists to work for them, and splits the price of the session 60/40. The hired therapist would receive 60 percent, while the primary therapist would receive the remaining 40 percent for the providing the overhead and client.
The second suggestion for passive income Bayer shares with the reader is product sales. By establishing a relationship with a wholesale company selling wellness products, you can often receive a 40% discount from buying in bulk, and thus earn profits from sales. You are also helping your clients by providing them with a "one-stop shopping" experience. Of course, they recommend that you only buy and sell products that you already believe in or are recommending. Baylor concludes by encouraging the therapist to use a gentle marketing strategy, instead of pushing products on their clients.
The last possibility offered is entitled Affiliate Marketing. Baylor explains that this is an arrangement made between individuals and businesses loosely affiliating them to each other in some way. For example, a friend in a non-competitive, but relevant business, such as a yoga instructor or concierge can refer clients to you, while you simultaneously refer your clients to them. This can also include percentage fees for the referral, which are kept by the referring party. Personally, I think it would be more advantageous to work on a system of barter, unless of course, one party is getting more referrals than the other, which I suppose is possible and potentially complicated.
After reading this article, it seems like human capital and connections are at the root of passive income sourcing. The second two business options, which Baylor describes, seem most appealing to me. I have always enjoyed networking, and like the idea of bartering referrals to friends in supplemental lines of work for a win-win outcome. I plan to explore cross advertising with other service providers I meet.