May 6, 2025 • 33 mins
In Part 1 of this inspiring interview, Beverly sits down with Amber Briggle, founder of Soma Massage Therapy, to explore how a side hustle born out of necessity became a million-dollar business that's changing the massage industry. Amber shares her unconventional start, the mission-driven values behind Soma’s no-tip and no-membership model, and what it means to scale with integrity and heart. This episode is a masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and trusting your gut.
Three Key Topics Discussed:
- Reinventing Your Career from Scratch: Amber shares how she went from an unmarketable degree to discovering her healing gift through massage therapy.
- Scaling Through Values, Not Hype: Learn how Soma’s no-tipping and no-membership model helped retain staff and build client loyalty.
- Overcoming COVID Chaos: Amber opens up about nearly losing everything and how she rebuilt: stronger, wiser, and more aligned.
Follow Amber:
Amber Briggle | LinkedIn
Soma Massage Therapy | Website
Soma Massage Therapy | Facebook
Soma Massage Therapy | Instagram
Soma Massage Therapy | YouTube
P.S. Take the first step (will only take you 3 minutes) to awaken your brand magic with our personalized Brand Clarity Quiz
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Beverly (00:00):
Did you know that nearly 60% of massage therapists
leave the industry within justfive years due to burnout and
low wages and lack of support.
Now, imagine a business that notonly flips that script, but
builds a thriving million dollarmodel, without tips, without
memberships, and with zero.
(00:21):
That's pretty impressive, Amber.
Zero burnout.
That's exactly what today'sguest has done.
I'm your host, Beverly Cornell,founder and fairy godmother of
brand clarity at Wickedlybranded.
I have over 25 years ofexperience helping hundreds of
purpose-driven entrepreneursawaken their brand magic and
boldly bring it to life so thatthey can magnify their impact on
(00:42):
the world.
And today we are diving deepinto business reinvention,
healing, leadership, anddisrupting an industry that
desperately needed it withsomeone who has walked the walk.
My guest is Amber Briggle,founder and franchiser of Soma
Massage Therapy based in Texas.
What started as a side hustle tojust buy groceries has now grown
(01:04):
into two thriving locations, 25employees and over a million
dollars in annual revenue, allwhile staying fiercely values
driven.
She's here to share how shebuilt the business, why tipping
is off the table, and what itmeans to scale with integrity.
Amber, welcome to the show.
Amber (01:20):
That was a great reading, Beverly.
Thanks so much for having metoday.
I am really excited.
Beverly (01:24):
Amber, take us back to the beginning.
We talk about Spark Ignite.
So take us back to the spark.
What inspired you to go from aliberal studies degree, I
believe, right?
Yeah, Uhhuh.
So launching a massage businessfrom scratch.
Amber (01:37):
Yeah.
I couldn't find a job.
That's quite honestly what itwas.
I went to a really great fouryear private liberal arts, all
girls Catholic university inMinnesota.
It was a fantastic school.
I got zero regrets, but when Igraduated I was having a really
hard time finding a job, partlybecause I had a really great
(01:58):
degree that made me fascinatingat cocktail parties, but wasn't
necessarily marketable, butpartly also Beverly, quite
honestly, I just didn't reallyknow what I wanted to do with
life.
Sure.
And so it's like I didn't reallyknow how to apply this degree
'cause I didn't really know whatmy passion was.
We moved, we being my nowhusband.
We ended up getting marriedafter he graduated, but we ended
up moving around a little bit.
We landed in Boulder, Colorado,where he was going to grad
(02:19):
school.
He was getting a PhD and I wasworking in a dead end job.
That just was not reallyfulfilling, making nine bucks an
hour, and I still didn't reallyknow what it was that I wanted
to do, but I knew I neededsomething more.
I felt I probably should go backto school, but again, I was
like, do I get another degree?
Do I get a master's?
I was just floundering what do Iwant to do?
(02:42):
Turns out in Boulder back thenthe school's closed now, but for
a long time, for many years, thebest massage school in the world
was right there in Boulder,Colorado.
Because of course, like if youlive in Boulder, you're like a
yoga instructor, a dogwhisperer, or a massage
therapist, right?
So like the best massage schoolin the world was like right down
the road.
It was only a one year program.
(03:03):
I'm like I can do anything for ayear.
I signed up, I registered forschool.
I had never gotten aprofessional massage in my life,
but like I said, it was a oneyear commitment.
I'm like, I can do this for ayear.
And also I'm a very personableperson.
I like being with people.
I'm very touchy feely.
I've always been very interestedin alternative healing and
(03:24):
holistic medicine.
And I was like, this just seemslike something that I would
probably enjoy.
So I applied to school.
I was accepted.
I graduated a year later withhonors and I ended up killing
it.
I, worked as a solopreneur inBoulder for a couple of years
before my husband who then had aPhD at that point.
Got a postdoc opportunity in theNetherlands, and we were, in our
(03:46):
twenties.
We didn't even have a goldfishor a house plant.
We had a month to month lease.
And when the Netherlands callsyou and you're in your twenties,
like you answer that call, andwe packed up and moved abroad.
Being a massage therapist,wherever I go, my hands can go
too.
And so I started business therestarted a family there, and then
eventually we moved to Denton,Texas, in the Dallas area, which
is where we're at now.
At that point was loving what Ido.
(04:09):
I love people were always sohappy to see me and I would make
them feel better and like theirmigraines were getting less
frequent and less severe andtheir range of motion was
getting better and like theirblood pressure was lowering and
they could maybe take lessmedication.
I could see the value of what Iwas doing, and I wanted to do it
for as many people as possible.
So we moved to the Dallas area.
(04:30):
I started just working out ofthe spare room of my home.
At that point we had a toddler.
So I was working around myhusband's schedule still just
looking for grocery money, butreally seeing the potential that
my healing touch could bring toothers.
And eventually just meeting theneed as it arose.
There's only so much massage Ican do in a day, it's very
(04:51):
exhausting work, not onlyphysically but energetically as
well.
And I would just get to thepoint where I had so many
clients that they would booklike a standing appointment,
like I want this sameappointment with you every other
Thursday at three o'clock.
And you do that enough times andyour schedule gets booked.
And what happened, Beverly, islike you might be coming in for
your regular massages, but youmight just wake up one morning
(05:11):
and reach for a coffee cup andsneeze at the same time and do
something to your neck.
So they would call and they'd belike, I hurt my neck.
How soon can you see me?
You and I are recording this atthe beginning of April, probably
if you were to call me today,Beverly, my next opening would
be like sometime betweenFather's Day and the 4th of
July.
'cause I just didn't have anyopenings and that's not
something that your clientswanna hear and that's not
something that I, as a massagetherapist wanted to tell them.
(05:32):
So I would start referring themout to other people in the area
who I knew gave quality touch,even if they weren't me.
They would go see them to getthat work and then, more often
than not, land back on my tablein a couple weeks time for the
regular appointment.
But sometimes they wouldn't,sometimes outta the massage
therapist.
Easier to get in to see, right?
Because they could get a sameday appointment with her or him
(05:53):
maybe closer to where they livedor worked.
It was like, just a variety offactors might end up just
they've established arelationship with this other
therapist.
They end up staying with them,and I realized pretty quickly it
would make more sense to referpeople in-house.
So I started a business, I didall the things that small
business owners need to do withthe website and the LLC and the
EIN and all that stuff.
Gradually, eventually hiredsomeone whose work was similar
(06:15):
enough to mine that on mybusiest days it would be a
smooth transition from myclients.
Then she got busy, so I hiredanother, and another, and
eventually we moved outta myhouse.
We moved to a brick and mortarthat was about a mile away.
It was impossible to find butsomehow we made it work.
And then we were really cruisingalong, doing great until covid
hit.
We were looking for anotherspace to expand, and then the
(06:36):
pandemic hit.
And, 85% of massage therapistsare women.
You and your listenersunderstand deeply how bad women
fared with our careers duringthe pandemic, because we still
make less than men.
So if schools are gonna closeand there's no camps and no
daycare, and no one watch thekids, the person who's making
less, usually the woman is theone who's gonna have to quit her
(06:58):
job.
So I had no workforce.
We were closed for a couple ofmonths here in Texas, and by the
time I reopened two months latermy workforce had been slashed
from 13 people down to four.
Beverly (07:09):
Oh my God.
Amber (07:09):
We had two locations, had to combine them down into one.
And I was determined, like Icould not let this fail.
Like I didn't do anything wrong.
Right?
So why would my business close?
So I just, somehow held thisthing together and one by one
hired new therapists, eventuallymoved to a new location.
So a year after we had reopened,we had opened into beautiful
(07:31):
space, right downtown.
It's got twice as many treatmentrooms.
I now have 25 massagetherapists.
I do have a second location.
Again, we are now franchising.
We gross over a million dollarsa year.
And I, through every step of theway, I've just tried to meet the
needs of my clients.
So when I got busy, I expanded.
Now my business is almost atcapacity, so I wanna continue to
(07:52):
expand to meet the healing needsof the entire country and go
coast to coast and really notonly transform the massage
industry, which I'm sure we'lltalk about later, but just
provide that healing touch to asmany people as possible.
None of this was planned.
It's all a happy accident, butI'm sure your listeners
understand, when the universeprovides you an opportunity and
it just feels right in your gut,you go for it.
(08:13):
And that's what I've been doing.
Yeah.
Beverly (08:15):
So my journey is so similar to you.
I left a marketing career tofollow my husband, who's active
duty army, and startedfreelancing with marketing just
so I could be as mobile as hewas.
And 13 years ago, workingremotely was not even like a
thing.
Really unusual.
And it started again, like grewand grew.
COVID certainly affected us aswell.
(08:37):
And I love the phrase spit andscotch tape.
Amber.
I wrote it down.
Like I can totally relate.
Whatcha doing here?
Like we can totally relate.
Sometimes it is that grit andthat resilience that just gets
you through, like this will notfail.
And there's such determinationin that.
That is what I think is sobeautiful about entrepreneurs.
Like we love to build things.
Yeah.
And when we wanna buildsomething, we're like pretty
tenacious when it comes to that.
(08:59):
Like almost to a fault.
I get a massage every month thatself care for an entrepreneur is
so essential.
And I mean I'm on a two hourmassage when I go because an
hour goes by, I'm like, juststarting to relax and I've had
surgery on my hip and otherthings.
It does really help like rangeof motion and issues that I
have.
You talked about a couple thingsthat really resonated.
One was it's physicallyexhausting and also
(09:22):
energetically exhausting.
Because you're on the table andyou can just suck the energy and
it's such a physical job, likeyou are using all your body to
do this thing.
And then you also have tomentally make sure you're
covering all the differentmuscles and all the things.
it's quite a science and an artin many ways.
And then you just have to readpeople, because some people
wanna be chatty, some peopledon't.
(09:42):
Like I love my massagetherapist, she's super chatty
and I love chatting with her,but I've had other therapists
that I don't chat with at all.
So everyone's different theretoo.
So talk about how, like you wentfrom freelancer to business, but
also like this idea of notipping, no membership model.
'cause like I do use MassageEnvy, that's like a membership
model.
Amber (10:01):
Yeah.
Beverly (10:02):
And it's great because when we move as an Army family,
they're almost anywhere.
So talk a little bit about thisidea of no tipping, no
membership and what led to thatdecision and how has it impacted
both the client side of it andalso the staff, the team
Amber (10:14):
I get that question a lot.
That's a great question.
The short answer is it happenedvery organically, right?
So when I graduated from massageschool, it was just me.
I kept a hundred percent.
So I knew what are my overheadcosts between, rent and supplies
and I had an ad in the YellowPages, right?
I knew what I needed to pay myown bills and that is how much I
(10:37):
charged.
I wanted massage to beaccessible to people.
Obviously, who doesn't likemaking money?
I like making money, but I alsohave this passion for making
sure that wellness is accessiblebecause a lot of times massage
and therapy and chiropracticit's just inaccessible to people
who need it the most.
(10:57):
Yeah.
So what's that kind of likehappy middle?
What I found from that was itreally set me apart from all the
bazillion other massagetherapists in Boulder, because
many of them charged their rate,but then you'd also tip a little
bit more I set myself apart asbeing someone that didn't have a
tipping policy.
But the other thing too is I'vealways really seen massage as
(11:19):
being more therapeutic.
Nature and not a fluff and bufflike you've talked the benefit
of your two hour massages takesyou an hour to unwind and then
you can do the work, right?
And you walk out and you'rerefreshed and you're renewed and
you're ready to take on theworld again and kick all the
asses.
Beverly (11:33):
I think that entrepreneurs specifically like
us, the people who are doingthis work and kicking asses, we
need to rest our brains.
Yeah.
We need to rest our bodies.
And in the business that I doyou have to be creative.
So if you don't have moments ofresting your brain you're never
gonna find and tap into thatcreativity.
It's so important from aphysical perspective and also
the mental perspective because ahundred percent all of it it's
(11:56):
self care.
Self care is a gift that mostentrepreneurs, especially women
who are balancing.
Yes, motherhood and business.
Preach.
Yeah.
It's something that when we talkto our clients, like, how much
rest are you getting?
How much self care are you doingfor yourself?
Because it's so easy to burn outif you don't do that.
This model of no membership itis like no obligation.
(12:18):
And also I love the therapy sideof it because it is therapeutic.
Amber (12:22):
that's exactly my point.
Like when I see a mental healththerapist do I tip her?
Never.
Have you ever tipped yourchiropractor or your physical
therapist?
No.
No?
No.
Because it's therapy, right?
Yeah.
And what we're doing is we'renow within our scope of
practice, we're not adjustingmuscles.
We're not digging into yourdaddy issues.
We're massage therapists, right?
But nevertheless, it iscomplimentary to all these other
(12:44):
therapeutic modalities that weaccess.
And you never tip yourcounselor, your chiropractor.
Why would you be tipping us?
Yeah.
What I found from that not onlyis that it set me apart from my
competition, but it built intomy clients this understanding
that massage is medicine.
Yeah.
Massage is self-care.
It's not a thing that you dotwice a year on your birthday.
And when your sister-in-lawcomes to town.
(13:05):
And they're like, grease you upand slide you out to the car
we're getting in there and we'relike breaking down that scar
tissue.
We're helping you stand upstraighter.
We're getting rid of thoseadhesions.
We're fixing you, right?
And what I've found is that myclients, when they enter into
this space with that sort ofmindset, and when I enter into
the space as a massagetherapist, knowing that this is
(13:26):
therapy.
I am healing, I am helping you.
I'm not just greasing you up.
When we enter that spacetogether what's more likely to
happen is I'm gonna provide amore therapeutic massage that
really meets the need of thatclient, and the client is more
likely to understand that thisis the thing I need to do
regularly.
We don't need a membershipbecause people come back because
(13:49):
they understand the value of it.
Now, we do have packages thatoperate somewhat similar to a
membership, but you're notgetting at Soma, you don't get
billed every month.
We've got snowbirds down here inTexas that just aren't here for
many months outta the yearbecause of the therapeutic
nature of the work that we'redoing.
We have people who go in forsurgery and they just can't get
a massage for four or fivemonths.
(14:09):
Life happens, right?
And we don't wanna keep billingyou and then it's like causing
more stress.
That's the opposite of what weshould be doing.
We do have packages that you canspace out as far out as you
need, but we still have acertain timeframe to use that
package so that by the time youget to the end of that package,
you're like, oh yeah, no, I feeldifferent in my body and in my
mind.
And I want to keep going.
(14:30):
So those things that really setsmyself apart as a massage
therapist.
And then when I.
Eventually opened a business.
I'm like, that worked, so let'skeep doing it.
And it's worked really well hereat Soma Massage Therapy.
And it is one of those thingsthat we really amplify now that
we're franchising as one of thethings that does set us apart
because we are drasticallydifferent.
We pay a living wage to ourtherapist.
'cause they're not getting tips.
(14:50):
So they don't have to stress ifthey get a couple bad tippers in
a week that now they can't payfor gas to get to work, which
then stresses everybody out.
I pay them a good living wage.
Like a healthcare worker.
Which keeps our turnover low,which gives me more space as a
CEO to look to the horizon.
Where are we going?
It also keeps our clients happybecause what would happen if
(15:11):
your massage therapist leftBeverly?
Beverly (15:12):
It's devastating.
Amber (15:13):
Yeah.
And then we would lose yourbusiness because you've gone
elsewhere to find your massagetherapist.
So treat your people well, treatyour therapist well.
They're gonna treat the clientswell, and that's gonna treat the
business well.
Beverly (15:24):
So good.
Talk about a story of how yourparticular business has really
affected either a client or ateam member and changed their
life.
Has there been someone who'sreally been affected by this
model?
Amber (15:41):
I'm trying to narrow it down to maybe one and still
protect their privacy.
I've been doing this work for 20years.
I've seen clients get up out ofwheelchairs for real.
I've seen clients reduce theirblood pressure medication'cause
they're coming regularly.
People's golf swings are better,because their range of motion is
(16:03):
improved.
I am still licensed, but I don'tpractice anymore.
And I do deeply miss it.
But I loved when my clientswould, as an example, when I
worked in the Netherlands, I hada client who had just like
excruciating debilitatingmigraines that would happen
regularly.
And when I was living in theNetherlands, back then, it was
about.
Oh gosh, maybe 17, 18 years ago.
(16:25):
Plus I was in a small town.
Massage really wasn't a thing,it wasn't a very popular thing.
And so I really had to becreative in my outreach to build
my business when I lived there.
And eventually I got this clienton my table who every other week
would come in for 90 minutesbecause her migraines were just
killing her and nothing elseseemed to work.
(16:46):
And after a few months shestarted telling me I'm still
getting my migraines, butthey're less severe.
And then eventually it was like,I am getting my migraines less
frequently.
And then eventually it was like,I'm just getting headaches.
And she was doing other thingstoo.
She was seeing herphysiotherapist and taking
medication.
But massage was another thingthat she was able to add to her
care regimen that really helpedimprove her quality of life.
(17:07):
And we still keep in touchtoday, and when I go back and
see her, she's like, when areyou opening a Soma massage
therapy here in the Netherlands?
And I'm like, who do you know?
Send them my way.
Because she really understoodonce I could get someone on my
table and exhibit my quality oftouch and I could really
experience that, they reallyunderstood the value.
And so it was, for me, my bigfocus at every point in my
(17:28):
career, whether I'm, new to anarea or growing a business or
whatever it was, is how can I goto the people?
I can't wait for them to come tome.
'cause if you don't understandthe value of massage and you
haven't felt my quality oftouch, you don't understand what
I'm talking about.
So how can I go to the people?
And that's still part of our bigmarketing outreach, is like, how
can we be top of mind foreveryone in.
In our area so that when they dohurt, they think of us first
(17:49):
instead of someone else orsomething else.
Beverly (17:52):
So many of our clients and guests on the podcast,
they've been on a journey withtheir business, right?
And they've evolved so much.
Their approach has evolved.
What do you think has evolvedthe most for you and what
inspired the change?
Amber (18:08):
I think what's evolved the most for me is that I went
from not knowing what it was inthe world I was going to do then
stumbling forward into thishappy accident of being a healer
and now really having this boldvision of transforming the
massage industry and healingthousands of people on a daily
(18:29):
basis, right?
I did not go to school forbusiness.
I was a music major.
And then they beat the love ofmusic out of me with all the
theory classes I had to take.
So then I switched to liberalstudies, which like I said,
makes me really interesting atcocktail parties, but wasn't
really a direction, right?
I was still floundering in mymid twenties when I discovered
this innate thing.
(18:50):
I was born for this work, and Ijust had to find the right space
to cultivate it, which happenedto be living in Boulder and
going to massage school.
And as I see the value, like Isaid, I just have wanted to
continually meet the needs of mycommunity.
And now we're in a space, wehave a really compelling story,
almost completely.
Closing forever to turning itaround in a year's time with
(19:14):
twice as many rooms, a bazillionmassage therapist and making a
ton of money.
That's a story, and I want tonot only transform this industry
and heal as many people aspossible, but also Beverly,
provide really high paying jobsfor people who don't necessarily
need a college degree.
For someone who's in a dead endjob and is sick of their boss's
crap and wants to start off ontheir own and own their own
(19:35):
business and be in charge oftheir own destiny.
Someone who is really interestedin wellness or serving others,
whatever.
You don't even have to be amassage therapist.
Just someone who wants morecontrol.
Your entrepreneurs, these areyour people, right?
Like everyone here listening toyour podcast has a dream, right?
And I wanna help those kinds ofpeople, whether it's your
(19:55):
listener or someone they know,anyone, someone who has a dream
for something bigger to buy intothis franchise model.
And not only be in charge ofyour own destiny, but then heal
your community.
Who wouldn't wanna be a part ofthat?
I don't know, again, if Ianswered your question, I feel
like I go off on a little bit ofa tangent, but it's not like I
had this flow chart of day one,I graduate from college and by
(20:15):
the time I'm 50 I'm making allthis money.
It was just a gut feeling alongthe way of this is the next.
Right thing.
And I think a lot of yourlisteners can understand that.
Oh yeah.
Like you just know it when yousee it, and then when the door
opens, you're like, yep, thisfeels right.
Yeah.
And what I'm doing right now inmy career really feels right for
right now.
Yeah.
Beverly (20:34):
Has there been one aspect that has been the most
challenging or that you like,didn't know you could do it, but
actually are really good at it?
Amber (20:42):
It's been all the aspects.
Honestly, I'm a really goodmassage therapist.
And I liken it to baby proofingyour house.
There's gonna be problems alongthe way, but you're like, I'll
get to it when I get to it.
And I have certainly stumbledalong the way.
But now after doing this for 20years, I feel like I've seen it
all and I have such a clearunderstanding of who we are,
(21:06):
where we're going and I don'thave all the answers.
I don't think anyone does, but Icertainly have built a good
network now.
CPAs, insurance brokers,lawyers, other small business
owners who are going through ittoo.
Even other massage therapistswho own different studios.
I built this community so thatif I don't have the answer, I at
least now know where to go.
(21:26):
But yes, I have had to make itup every step of the way.
And then we got to a point whereI got through Covid pretty
strong and I just felt I don'twanna say invincible'cause I
definitely understand what's atstake if I don't do it right.
But I just saw that clearly Iknow what I'm doing.
I know something.
I was able to navigate a globalpandemic that nearly decimated
(21:50):
my business, that decimated alot of businesses and came out
even stronger.
So I'm like, why don't I teachother people how to do this too?
But yeah, HR has been astruggle.
How do you work with people whoare not on board with your
vision.
Eventually you just have to cutthe tie.
And that's a hard lesson tolearn, right?
We're now transitioning all ofour independent contractor
therapists to employees.
I understand it's a strongerbusiness model.
(22:11):
It's gonna cost me a lot ofmoney.
It's the right thing to do.
Tech, I don't know tech, but Iknow the right people who can
fix the problems when I need it.
So again it's, I don't know allthe answers, but after 20 years,
I've figured it out enough.
That I feel like I've got asolid foundation to help others
who want to pursue starting abusiness with us as a
franchisee, whatever it is.
Happy to sit down for coffeewith people and, do podcasts
(22:33):
like this to barf my knowledgeout there for people.
I don't have all the answers,but I've got a pretty good
foundation at this point.
Yeah.
Beverly (22:40):
So this season's big question is.
About awakening your brandmagic.
We help our clients all day longawaken their brand magic.
And I think awakening your brandmagic or being wickedly branded
means different things todifferent people for, but for us
it means really getting clear.
And you talked a lot aboutclarity, about who you are.
How did you awaken your brandmagic and was there a moment or
(23:03):
something specifically that,like everything aligned and saw
and you saw this unique magicyou bring to the table?
Or was it like a reflection fromsomebody else?
What happened to get so clear?
Amber (23:14):
That's a great question.
Covid.
I'm sorry to keep going back toit, but you can't do massage
from six feet apart.
You can't do it online.
We don't deliver, we don't docurbside.
Most of my employees are women.
So like you put all thattogether, it's left like a
traumatic scar in my body.
That was really effing hard.
Beverly (23:33):
Yeah.
Amber (23:33):
And again I was just determined, I'm like, I cannot
let this fail.
So what I did during the monthsthat we were closed is I created
a virtual massage studio, whichsounds crazy'cause I just said
we can't do massage virtually.
And lemme back up.
Our governor would closebusinesses for two weeks at a
time.
And so I would get online andI'd look at our schedule and I
(23:53):
would literally call everysingle person.
I wouldn't send out a mass email'cause it's my job to care for
you.
I'm not gonna send out a massemail.
We've gotta reschedule.
We're gonna push it out twoweeks.
And if we help still have toreschedule, I'll call you in two
weeks.
But here's where we're at.
How you doing?
How are you hanging in there?
Do you need anything?
And a lot of times on thesecalls, people would be like, oh,
I'm so stressed out and Ioverdid it with yoga, and I did
(24:16):
something to my pelvis.
Do you have any recommendations?
And I would walk them through onthe phone, self massage with
some gentle stretches orwhatever it was.
Have enough of these phone callsand eventually I'm like, I think
I need to take this online.
So I started a virtual massagestudio where I would put on
pants and makeup every day anddo some self-care for myself.
(24:36):
And I'd get out a tennis ball.
I'd be like, here's how youmassage your butt with a tennis
ball.
Here's an essential oil that youcan order right now from Amazon.
It'll get delivered to you in 24to 48 hours, and you can apply
it here, and it's gonna helpwith this.
Are your sinuses killing you andyou can't touch your face?
Here's some DIY reflexology,right?
You're sitting at home andyou're doom scrolling all day.
And here comes my happy faceteaching you how to care for
(24:58):
yourself.
And those videos took off,right?
People started following us andliking us and commenting and,
buying gift certificates eventhough we were closed.
'cause they wanted to come seeus Then as we were reopening I
know we can't keep six feetapart.
And I needed to do everything Icould to keep my massage
therapist and my clients safefrom a pandemic.
Because I knew that if Covidstarted spraying in my business,
(25:20):
not only would that make me anirresponsible person but is bad
for business, right?
So I installed like a thousanddollars air scrubber in my HVAC
unit.
I did not have a thousanddollars.
But I never wanna be that personwho values money more than
people.
That's gross.
And I amplified this, I waslike, this is what we're doing.
And people would like andcomment on that.
We required masks, which waslike in Texas, really
(25:44):
controversial, right?
And I'm like, no, your nurse andyour doctor's wearing a mask.
We are in the healthcare field.
We cannot keep six feet apartfrom you.
So we're gonna wear masks andyou're gonna wear a mask.
And if you have a problem withit, there's the door.
And they would leave.
And I would make sure to pointout, I wouldn't name'em
specifically, but I'd get onsocial media.
I'd be like, here's a thing thathappened today and it sucks and
(26:04):
I feel bad, but this is theright thing to do.
And people would like andcomment.
They'd be like, oh, my otherplace is cutting corners and
they're not sanitizing thingsand I really wanna come see you.
So I started to reallyunderstand through this process
that by meeting people's needs,whether it was through the
virtual massage studio or justletting them know that I value
(26:25):
their safety more than anythingelse.
And really getting down to thefoundation of why am I doing
this work?
It's caring for people.
And when I can show people howI'm caring for them, they're
gonna wanna come see us.
And that's exactly whathappened.
And then one thing led toanother and we kept growing.
And I really feel like I foundmy voice in that.
(26:46):
I understood that when you dothe right thing, the rest is
gonna fall into place.
When you're chasing the money,when you have this, the scarcity
mindset, oh, if I fire them, I'mnot gonna have another massage
therapist come work from here.
Oh, if I send this client outthe door and give'em this
refund, I'm gonna go broke.
Ditch it.
Just do the right thing.
Let people know you're doing theright thing.
You don't have to brag onyourself, but just educate them
(27:07):
like, this is what we're doingand this is why we're doing it.
And when you take care ofpeople, the people will take
care of your business.
And I learned that so deeplyduring Covid.
Focus on the people first, andthe rest is just gonna gonna
fall into place.
So that's the North Star that'sguided me ever since.
Beverly (27:24):
So how do you spread that magic to other owners, like
franchise owners?
'cause that's gonna be, I think,a whole different challenge.
Amber (27:32):
I don't think it'll be, because I think, I don't sell a
franchise the way I sell amassage.
I award a franchise.
It's an interview process.
And if you're not in alignmentwith our goals and our values,
then you don't get a franchise.
It's just not worth it.
Because again, I wanna care forthe people.
I'm not chasing the money.
Like, why am I doing thisBeverly?
I'm doing this to heal as manypeople as I can to create a self
(27:53):
safe and welcoming and inclusivespace for anyone, regardless of
gender identities, sexualorientation, background.
Like whoever you are, you'rewelcome here.
I'm doing this to provide, likeI said, healing, touch and
transform the industry.
And if I don't have the rightpeople on board, then I'm not
taking care of my people.
And so it's this lengthydiscovery process.
They get to know the business, Iget to know them.
(28:15):
And when we find someone who's.
In alignment with our values,then it's a pretty easy sell.
Like you do the right thing.
'cause it's the right thing todo.
And if you cut corners, then, wecut your contract and you don't
have a franchise anymore.
You follow our values and do theright thing.
I'm not just gonna hand'em outlike Oprah with her cars.
You get a franchise, you get afranchise.
Like it's a lengthy process.
(28:36):
'cause I wanna make sure thatwe're partnering with the right
people.
Yeah.
Beverly (28:39):
So many of our clients are purpose-driven, really
heart-centered, service-basedbusiness owners just like you,
Amber.
And I feel like this idea ofjust taking care of people is so
inherent to this.
Yeah.
And it's important to me becausethat's how I view business as
well.
Like I am incredibly honored tobe on a journey with them to
(29:01):
build a business.
It's hard, it's fun, it'smagical, it's everything.
And it's just such an honor tobe on that with them and to help
them like come into their own,awaken their magic and get
really clear.
I just think that's just alovely thing.
And when you keep it personcentered heart centered.
That's just such a powerfulthing that I think women have
(29:25):
just changed things in that, notthat men can't be heart
centered.
I love my men clients, don't getme wrong, but I do think that
women inherently, theirleadership is more heart led,
and I love that so much aboutthe people who come on the
podcast and the people that Iwork with.
Yeah.
It's amazing.
It's nice to hear you express itthat way, that it's about the
people.
(29:45):
Obviously, we all wanna make aliving, we wanna have a good
life.
I also have the same kind ofumbrella where the people who
work on my team are a realestate office or a legal firm
where they have their ownsub-business under us.
And it's giving them anopportunity to grow their
business as well.
And that, to me, mentoring andleadership is really important.
So it always has been about thepeople for me.
And I love that it's such anincredible insight because I
(30:07):
think it's such a differentiatorfor those.
Lovely heart-centered people.
That is wonderful.
If you're a listener and you arethat heart-centered and what
Amber has shared has resonatedwith you, I would love for you
to follow or subscribe to thepodcast because we share these
kinds of moments a lot with theguests that we interview, and I
think you'll really resonate andit'll be very powerful and
(30:30):
encouraging because sometimesbeing a heart-centered leader
can have its own uniquechallenges as well.
It's a great place to getinspired and also hear that
you're not alone in thatprocess.
Hey there, you've just finishedpart one of the Spark Ignite
Your Marketing episode.
How are you feeling?
Excited, inspired, but we'rejust getting started.
Next Tuesday we're dropping parttwo, and you won't wanna miss
it.
(30:50):
Be sure to subscribe to ournewsletter, so you'll be the
first to know when it goes live.
Until then, take a breather, letthose ideas simmer, and we'll
see you next week.
Did you know that nearly 60% of massage therapists
leave the industry within justfive years due to burnout and
low wages and lack of support.
Now, imagine a business that notonly flips that script, but
builds a thriving million dollarmodel, without tips, without
memberships, and with zero.
(00:21):
That's pretty impressive, Amber.
Zero burnout.
That's exactly what today'sguest has done.
I'm your host, Beverly Cornell,founder and fairy godmother of
brand clarity at Wickedlybranded.
I have over 25 years ofexperience helping hundreds of
purpose-driven entrepreneursawaken their brand magic and
boldly bring it to life so thatthey can magnify their impact on
(00:42):
the world.
And today we are diving deepinto business reinvention,
healing, leadership, anddisrupting an industry that
desperately needed it withsomeone who has walked the walk.
My guest is Amber Briggle,founder and franchiser of Soma
Massage Therapy based in Texas.
What started as a side hustle tojust buy groceries has now grown
(01:04):
into two thriving locations, 25employees and over a million
dollars in annual revenue, allwhile staying fiercely values
driven.
She's here to share how shebuilt the business, why tipping
is off the table, and what itmeans to scale with integrity.
Amber, welcome to the show.
Amber (01:20):
That was a great reading, Beverly.
Thanks so much for having metoday.
I am really excited.
Beverly (01:24):
Amber, take us back to the beginning.
We talk about Spark Ignite.
So take us back to the spark.
What inspired you to go from aliberal studies degree, I
believe, right?
Yeah, Uhhuh.
So launching a massage businessfrom scratch.
Amber (01:37):
Yeah.
I couldn't find a job.
That's quite honestly what itwas.
I went to a really great fouryear private liberal arts, all
girls Catholic university inMinnesota.
It was a fantastic school.
I got zero regrets, but when Igraduated I was having a really
hard time finding a job, partlybecause I had a really great
(01:58):
degree that made me fascinatingat cocktail parties, but wasn't
necessarily marketable, butpartly also Beverly, quite
honestly, I just didn't reallyknow what I wanted to do with
life.
Sure.
And so it's like I didn't reallyknow how to apply this degree
'cause I didn't really know whatmy passion was.
We moved, we being my nowhusband.
We ended up getting marriedafter he graduated, but we ended
up moving around a little bit.
We landed in Boulder, Colorado,where he was going to grad
(02:19):
school.
He was getting a PhD and I wasworking in a dead end job.
That just was not reallyfulfilling, making nine bucks an
hour, and I still didn't reallyknow what it was that I wanted
to do, but I knew I neededsomething more.
I felt I probably should go backto school, but again, I was
like, do I get another degree?
Do I get a master's?
I was just floundering what do Iwant to do?
(02:42):
Turns out in Boulder back thenthe school's closed now, but for
a long time, for many years, thebest massage school in the world
was right there in Boulder,Colorado.
Because of course, like if youlive in Boulder, you're like a
yoga instructor, a dogwhisperer, or a massage
therapist, right?
So like the best massage schoolin the world was like right down
the road.
It was only a one year program.
(03:03):
I'm like I can do anything for ayear.
I signed up, I registered forschool.
I had never gotten aprofessional massage in my life,
but like I said, it was a oneyear commitment.
I'm like, I can do this for ayear.
And also I'm a very personableperson.
I like being with people.
I'm very touchy feely.
I've always been very interestedin alternative healing and
(03:24):
holistic medicine.
And I was like, this just seemslike something that I would
probably enjoy.
So I applied to school.
I was accepted.
I graduated a year later withhonors and I ended up killing
it.
I, worked as a solopreneur inBoulder for a couple of years
before my husband who then had aPhD at that point.
Got a postdoc opportunity in theNetherlands, and we were, in our
(03:46):
twenties.
We didn't even have a goldfishor a house plant.
We had a month to month lease.
And when the Netherlands callsyou and you're in your twenties,
like you answer that call, andwe packed up and moved abroad.
Being a massage therapist,wherever I go, my hands can go
too.
And so I started business therestarted a family there, and then
eventually we moved to Denton,Texas, in the Dallas area, which
is where we're at now.
At that point was loving what Ido.
(04:09):
I love people were always sohappy to see me and I would make
them feel better and like theirmigraines were getting less
frequent and less severe andtheir range of motion was
getting better and like theirblood pressure was lowering and
they could maybe take lessmedication.
I could see the value of what Iwas doing, and I wanted to do it
for as many people as possible.
So we moved to the Dallas area.
(04:30):
I started just working out ofthe spare room of my home.
At that point we had a toddler.
So I was working around myhusband's schedule still just
looking for grocery money, butreally seeing the potential that
my healing touch could bring toothers.
And eventually just meeting theneed as it arose.
There's only so much massage Ican do in a day, it's very
(04:51):
exhausting work, not onlyphysically but energetically as
well.
And I would just get to thepoint where I had so many
clients that they would booklike a standing appointment,
like I want this sameappointment with you every other
Thursday at three o'clock.
And you do that enough times andyour schedule gets booked.
And what happened, Beverly, islike you might be coming in for
your regular massages, but youmight just wake up one morning
(05:11):
and reach for a coffee cup andsneeze at the same time and do
something to your neck.
So they would call and they'd belike, I hurt my neck.
How soon can you see me?
You and I are recording this atthe beginning of April, probably
if you were to call me today,Beverly, my next opening would
be like sometime betweenFather's Day and the 4th of
July.
'cause I just didn't have anyopenings and that's not
something that your clientswanna hear and that's not
something that I, as a massagetherapist wanted to tell them.
(05:32):
So I would start referring themout to other people in the area
who I knew gave quality touch,even if they weren't me.
They would go see them to getthat work and then, more often
than not, land back on my tablein a couple weeks time for the
regular appointment.
But sometimes they wouldn't,sometimes outta the massage
therapist.
Easier to get in to see, right?
Because they could get a sameday appointment with her or him
(05:53):
maybe closer to where they livedor worked.
It was like, just a variety offactors might end up just
they've established arelationship with this other
therapist.
They end up staying with them,and I realized pretty quickly it
would make more sense to referpeople in-house.
So I started a business, I didall the things that small
business owners need to do withthe website and the LLC and the
EIN and all that stuff.
Gradually, eventually hiredsomeone whose work was similar
(06:15):
enough to mine that on mybusiest days it would be a
smooth transition from myclients.
Then she got busy, so I hiredanother, and another, and
eventually we moved outta myhouse.
We moved to a brick and mortarthat was about a mile away.
It was impossible to find butsomehow we made it work.
And then we were really cruisingalong, doing great until covid
hit.
We were looking for anotherspace to expand, and then the
(06:36):
pandemic hit.
And, 85% of massage therapistsare women.
You and your listenersunderstand deeply how bad women
fared with our careers duringthe pandemic, because we still
make less than men.
So if schools are gonna closeand there's no camps and no
daycare, and no one watch thekids, the person who's making
less, usually the woman is theone who's gonna have to quit her
(06:58):
job.
So I had no workforce.
We were closed for a couple ofmonths here in Texas, and by the
time I reopened two months latermy workforce had been slashed
from 13 people down to four.
Beverly (07:09):
Oh my God.
Amber (07:09):
We had two locations, had to combine them down into one.
And I was determined, like Icould not let this fail.
Like I didn't do anything wrong.
Right?
So why would my business close?
So I just, somehow held thisthing together and one by one
hired new therapists, eventuallymoved to a new location.
So a year after we had reopened,we had opened into beautiful
(07:31):
space, right downtown.
It's got twice as many treatmentrooms.
I now have 25 massagetherapists.
I do have a second location.
Again, we are now franchising.
We gross over a million dollarsa year.
And I, through every step of theway, I've just tried to meet the
needs of my clients.
So when I got busy, I expanded.
Now my business is almost atcapacity, so I wanna continue to
(07:52):
expand to meet the healing needsof the entire country and go
coast to coast and really notonly transform the massage
industry, which I'm sure we'lltalk about later, but just
provide that healing touch to asmany people as possible.
None of this was planned.
It's all a happy accident, butI'm sure your listeners
understand, when the universeprovides you an opportunity and
it just feels right in your gut,you go for it.
(08:13):
And that's what I've been doing.
Yeah.
Beverly (08:15):
So my journey is so similar to you.
I left a marketing career tofollow my husband, who's active
duty army, and startedfreelancing with marketing just
so I could be as mobile as hewas.
And 13 years ago, workingremotely was not even like a
thing.
Really unusual.
And it started again, like grewand grew.
COVID certainly affected us aswell.
(08:37):
And I love the phrase spit andscotch tape.
Amber.
I wrote it down.
Like I can totally relate.
Whatcha doing here?
Like we can totally relate.
Sometimes it is that grit andthat resilience that just gets
you through, like this will notfail.
And there's such determinationin that.
That is what I think is sobeautiful about entrepreneurs.
Like we love to build things.
Yeah.
And when we wanna buildsomething, we're like pretty
tenacious when it comes to that.
(08:59):
Like almost to a fault.
I get a massage every month thatself care for an entrepreneur is
so essential.
And I mean I'm on a two hourmassage when I go because an
hour goes by, I'm like, juststarting to relax and I've had
surgery on my hip and otherthings.
It does really help like rangeof motion and issues that I
have.
You talked about a couple thingsthat really resonated.
One was it's physicallyexhausting and also
(09:22):
energetically exhausting.
Because you're on the table andyou can just suck the energy and
it's such a physical job, likeyou are using all your body to
do this thing.
And then you also have tomentally make sure you're
covering all the differentmuscles and all the things.
it's quite a science and an artin many ways.
And then you just have to readpeople, because some people
wanna be chatty, some peopledon't.
(09:42):
Like I love my massagetherapist, she's super chatty
and I love chatting with her,but I've had other therapists
that I don't chat with at all.
So everyone's different theretoo.
So talk about how, like you wentfrom freelancer to business, but
also like this idea of notipping, no membership model.
'cause like I do use MassageEnvy, that's like a membership
model.
Amber (10:01):
Yeah.
Beverly (10:02):
And it's great because when we move as an Army family,
they're almost anywhere.
So talk a little bit about thisidea of no tipping, no
membership and what led to thatdecision and how has it impacted
both the client side of it andalso the staff, the team
Amber (10:14):
I get that question a lot.
That's a great question.
The short answer is it happenedvery organically, right?
So when I graduated from massageschool, it was just me.
I kept a hundred percent.
So I knew what are my overheadcosts between, rent and supplies
and I had an ad in the YellowPages, right?
I knew what I needed to pay myown bills and that is how much I
(10:37):
charged.
I wanted massage to beaccessible to people.
Obviously, who doesn't likemaking money?
I like making money, but I alsohave this passion for making
sure that wellness is accessiblebecause a lot of times massage
and therapy and chiropracticit's just inaccessible to people
who need it the most.
(10:57):
Yeah.
So what's that kind of likehappy middle?
What I found from that was itreally set me apart from all the
bazillion other massagetherapists in Boulder, because
many of them charged their rate,but then you'd also tip a little
bit more I set myself apart asbeing someone that didn't have a
tipping policy.
But the other thing too is I'vealways really seen massage as
(11:19):
being more therapeutic.
Nature and not a fluff and bufflike you've talked the benefit
of your two hour massages takesyou an hour to unwind and then
you can do the work, right?
And you walk out and you'rerefreshed and you're renewed and
you're ready to take on theworld again and kick all the
asses.
Beverly (11:33):
I think that entrepreneurs specifically like
us, the people who are doingthis work and kicking asses, we
need to rest our brains.
Yeah.
We need to rest our bodies.
And in the business that I doyou have to be creative.
So if you don't have moments ofresting your brain you're never
gonna find and tap into thatcreativity.
It's so important from aphysical perspective and also
the mental perspective because ahundred percent all of it it's
(11:56):
self care.
Self care is a gift that mostentrepreneurs, especially women
who are balancing.
Yes, motherhood and business.
Preach.
Yeah.
It's something that when we talkto our clients, like, how much
rest are you getting?
How much self care are you doingfor yourself?
Because it's so easy to burn outif you don't do that.
This model of no membership itis like no obligation.
(12:18):
And also I love the therapy sideof it because it is therapeutic.
Amber (12:22):
that's exactly my point.
Like when I see a mental healththerapist do I tip her?
Never.
Have you ever tipped yourchiropractor or your physical
therapist?
No.
No?
No.
Because it's therapy, right?
Yeah.
And what we're doing is we'renow within our scope of
practice, we're not adjustingmuscles.
We're not digging into yourdaddy issues.
We're massage therapists, right?
But nevertheless, it iscomplimentary to all these other
(12:44):
therapeutic modalities that weaccess.
And you never tip yourcounselor, your chiropractor.
Why would you be tipping us?
Yeah.
What I found from that not onlyis that it set me apart from my
competition, but it built intomy clients this understanding
that massage is medicine.
Yeah.
Massage is self-care.
It's not a thing that you dotwice a year on your birthday.
And when your sister-in-lawcomes to town.
(13:05):
And they're like, grease you upand slide you out to the car
we're getting in there and we'relike breaking down that scar
tissue.
We're helping you stand upstraighter.
We're getting rid of thoseadhesions.
We're fixing you, right?
And what I've found is that myclients, when they enter into
this space with that sort ofmindset, and when I enter into
the space as a massagetherapist, knowing that this is
(13:26):
therapy.
I am healing, I am helping you.
I'm not just greasing you up.
When we enter that spacetogether what's more likely to
happen is I'm gonna provide amore therapeutic massage that
really meets the need of thatclient, and the client is more
likely to understand that thisis the thing I need to do
regularly.
We don't need a membershipbecause people come back because
(13:49):
they understand the value of it.
Now, we do have packages thatoperate somewhat similar to a
membership, but you're notgetting at Soma, you don't get
billed every month.
We've got snowbirds down here inTexas that just aren't here for
many months outta the yearbecause of the therapeutic
nature of the work that we'redoing.
We have people who go in forsurgery and they just can't get
a massage for four or fivemonths.
(14:09):
Life happens, right?
And we don't wanna keep billingyou and then it's like causing
more stress.
That's the opposite of what weshould be doing.
We do have packages that you canspace out as far out as you
need, but we still have acertain timeframe to use that
package so that by the time youget to the end of that package,
you're like, oh yeah, no, I feeldifferent in my body and in my
mind.
And I want to keep going.
(14:30):
So those things that really setsmyself apart as a massage
therapist.
And then when I.
Eventually opened a business.
I'm like, that worked, so let'skeep doing it.
And it's worked really well hereat Soma Massage Therapy.
And it is one of those thingsthat we really amplify now that
we're franchising as one of thethings that does set us apart
because we are drasticallydifferent.
We pay a living wage to ourtherapist.
'cause they're not getting tips.
(14:50):
So they don't have to stress ifthey get a couple bad tippers in
a week that now they can't payfor gas to get to work, which
then stresses everybody out.
I pay them a good living wage.
Like a healthcare worker.
Which keeps our turnover low,which gives me more space as a
CEO to look to the horizon.
Where are we going?
It also keeps our clients happybecause what would happen if
(15:11):
your massage therapist leftBeverly?
Beverly (15:12):
It's devastating.
Amber (15:13):
Yeah.
And then we would lose yourbusiness because you've gone
elsewhere to find your massagetherapist.
So treat your people well, treatyour therapist well.
They're gonna treat the clientswell, and that's gonna treat the
business well.
Beverly (15:24):
So good.
Talk about a story of how yourparticular business has really
affected either a client or ateam member and changed their
life.
Has there been someone who'sreally been affected by this
model?
Amber (15:41):
I'm trying to narrow it down to maybe one and still
protect their privacy.
I've been doing this work for 20years.
I've seen clients get up out ofwheelchairs for real.
I've seen clients reduce theirblood pressure medication'cause
they're coming regularly.
People's golf swings are better,because their range of motion is
(16:03):
improved.
I am still licensed, but I don'tpractice anymore.
And I do deeply miss it.
But I loved when my clientswould, as an example, when I
worked in the Netherlands, I hada client who had just like
excruciating debilitatingmigraines that would happen
regularly.
And when I was living in theNetherlands, back then, it was
about.
Oh gosh, maybe 17, 18 years ago.
(16:25):
Plus I was in a small town.
Massage really wasn't a thing,it wasn't a very popular thing.
And so I really had to becreative in my outreach to build
my business when I lived there.
And eventually I got this clienton my table who every other week
would come in for 90 minutesbecause her migraines were just
killing her and nothing elseseemed to work.
(16:46):
And after a few months shestarted telling me I'm still
getting my migraines, butthey're less severe.
And then eventually it was like,I am getting my migraines less
frequently.
And then eventually it was like,I'm just getting headaches.
And she was doing other thingstoo.
She was seeing herphysiotherapist and taking
medication.
But massage was another thingthat she was able to add to her
care regimen that really helpedimprove her quality of life.
(17:07):
And we still keep in touchtoday, and when I go back and
see her, she's like, when areyou opening a Soma massage
therapy here in the Netherlands?
And I'm like, who do you know?
Send them my way.
Because she really understoodonce I could get someone on my
table and exhibit my quality oftouch and I could really
experience that, they reallyunderstood the value.
And so it was, for me, my bigfocus at every point in my
(17:28):
career, whether I'm, new to anarea or growing a business or
whatever it was, is how can I goto the people?
I can't wait for them to come tome.
'cause if you don't understandthe value of massage and you
haven't felt my quality oftouch, you don't understand what
I'm talking about.
So how can I go to the people?
And that's still part of our bigmarketing outreach, is like, how
can we be top of mind foreveryone in.
In our area so that when they dohurt, they think of us first
(17:49):
instead of someone else orsomething else.
Beverly (17:52):
So many of our clients and guests on the podcast,
they've been on a journey withtheir business, right?
And they've evolved so much.
Their approach has evolved.
What do you think has evolvedthe most for you and what
inspired the change?
Amber (18:08):
I think what's evolved the most for me is that I went
from not knowing what it was inthe world I was going to do then
stumbling forward into thishappy accident of being a healer
and now really having this boldvision of transforming the
massage industry and healingthousands of people on a daily
(18:29):
basis, right?
I did not go to school forbusiness.
I was a music major.
And then they beat the love ofmusic out of me with all the
theory classes I had to take.
So then I switched to liberalstudies, which like I said,
makes me really interesting atcocktail parties, but wasn't
really a direction, right?
I was still floundering in mymid twenties when I discovered
this innate thing.
(18:50):
I was born for this work, and Ijust had to find the right space
to cultivate it, which happenedto be living in Boulder and
going to massage school.
And as I see the value, like Isaid, I just have wanted to
continually meet the needs of mycommunity.
And now we're in a space, wehave a really compelling story,
almost completely.
Closing forever to turning itaround in a year's time with
(19:14):
twice as many rooms, a bazillionmassage therapist and making a
ton of money.
That's a story, and I want tonot only transform this industry
and heal as many people aspossible, but also Beverly,
provide really high paying jobsfor people who don't necessarily
need a college degree.
For someone who's in a dead endjob and is sick of their boss's
crap and wants to start off ontheir own and own their own
(19:35):
business and be in charge oftheir own destiny.
Someone who is really interestedin wellness or serving others,
whatever.
You don't even have to be amassage therapist.
Just someone who wants morecontrol.
Your entrepreneurs, these areyour people, right?
Like everyone here listening toyour podcast has a dream, right?
And I wanna help those kinds ofpeople, whether it's your
(19:55):
listener or someone they know,anyone, someone who has a dream
for something bigger to buy intothis franchise model.
And not only be in charge ofyour own destiny, but then heal
your community.
Who wouldn't wanna be a part ofthat?
I don't know, again, if Ianswered your question, I feel
like I go off on a little bit ofa tangent, but it's not like I
had this flow chart of day one,I graduate from college and by
(20:15):
the time I'm 50 I'm making allthis money.
It was just a gut feeling alongthe way of this is the next.
Right thing.
And I think a lot of yourlisteners can understand that.
Oh yeah.
Like you just know it when yousee it, and then when the door
opens, you're like, yep, thisfeels right.
Yeah.
And what I'm doing right now inmy career really feels right for
right now.
Yeah.
Beverly (20:34):
Has there been one aspect that has been the most
challenging or that you like,didn't know you could do it, but
actually are really good at it?
Amber (20:42):
It's been all the aspects.
Honestly, I'm a really goodmassage therapist.
And I liken it to baby proofingyour house.
There's gonna be problems alongthe way, but you're like, I'll
get to it when I get to it.
And I have certainly stumbledalong the way.
But now after doing this for 20years, I feel like I've seen it
all and I have such a clearunderstanding of who we are,
(21:06):
where we're going and I don'thave all the answers.
I don't think anyone does, but Icertainly have built a good
network now.
CPAs, insurance brokers,lawyers, other small business
owners who are going through ittoo.
Even other massage therapistswho own different studios.
I built this community so thatif I don't have the answer, I at
least now know where to go.
(21:26):
But yes, I have had to make itup every step of the way.
And then we got to a point whereI got through Covid pretty
strong and I just felt I don'twanna say invincible'cause I
definitely understand what's atstake if I don't do it right.
But I just saw that clearly Iknow what I'm doing.
I know something.
I was able to navigate a globalpandemic that nearly decimated
(21:50):
my business, that decimated alot of businesses and came out
even stronger.
So I'm like, why don't I teachother people how to do this too?
But yeah, HR has been astruggle.
How do you work with people whoare not on board with your
vision.
Eventually you just have to cutthe tie.
And that's a hard lesson tolearn, right?
We're now transitioning all ofour independent contractor
therapists to employees.
I understand it's a strongerbusiness model.
(22:11):
It's gonna cost me a lot ofmoney.
It's the right thing to do.
Tech, I don't know tech, but Iknow the right people who can
fix the problems when I need it.
So again it's, I don't know allthe answers, but after 20 years,
I've figured it out enough.
That I feel like I've got asolid foundation to help others
who want to pursue starting abusiness with us as a
franchisee, whatever it is.
Happy to sit down for coffeewith people and, do podcasts
(22:33):
like this to barf my knowledgeout there for people.
I don't have all the answers,but I've got a pretty good
foundation at this point.
Yeah.
Beverly (22:40):
So this season's big question is.
About awakening your brandmagic.
We help our clients all day longawaken their brand magic.
And I think awakening your brandmagic or being wickedly branded
means different things todifferent people for, but for us
it means really getting clear.
And you talked a lot aboutclarity, about who you are.
How did you awaken your brandmagic and was there a moment or
(23:03):
something specifically that,like everything aligned and saw
and you saw this unique magicyou bring to the table?
Or was it like a reflection fromsomebody else?
What happened to get so clear?
Amber (23:14):
That's a great question.
Covid.
I'm sorry to keep going back toit, but you can't do massage
from six feet apart.
You can't do it online.
We don't deliver, we don't docurbside.
Most of my employees are women.
So like you put all thattogether, it's left like a
traumatic scar in my body.
That was really effing hard.
Beverly (23:33):
Yeah.
Amber (23:33):
And again I was just determined, I'm like, I cannot
let this fail.
So what I did during the monthsthat we were closed is I created
a virtual massage studio, whichsounds crazy'cause I just said
we can't do massage virtually.
And lemme back up.
Our governor would closebusinesses for two weeks at a
time.
And so I would get online andI'd look at our schedule and I
(23:53):
would literally call everysingle person.
I wouldn't send out a mass email'cause it's my job to care for
you.
I'm not gonna send out a massemail.
We've gotta reschedule.
We're gonna push it out twoweeks.
And if we help still have toreschedule, I'll call you in two
weeks.
But here's where we're at.
How you doing?
How are you hanging in there?
Do you need anything?
And a lot of times on thesecalls, people would be like, oh,
I'm so stressed out and Ioverdid it with yoga, and I did
(24:16):
something to my pelvis.
Do you have any recommendations?
And I would walk them through onthe phone, self massage with
some gentle stretches orwhatever it was.
Have enough of these phone callsand eventually I'm like, I think
I need to take this online.
So I started a virtual massagestudio where I would put on
pants and makeup every day anddo some self-care for myself.
(24:36):
And I'd get out a tennis ball.
I'd be like, here's how youmassage your butt with a tennis
ball.
Here's an essential oil that youcan order right now from Amazon.
It'll get delivered to you in 24to 48 hours, and you can apply
it here, and it's gonna helpwith this.
Are your sinuses killing you andyou can't touch your face?
Here's some DIY reflexology,right?
You're sitting at home andyou're doom scrolling all day.
And here comes my happy faceteaching you how to care for
(24:58):
yourself.
And those videos took off,right?
People started following us andliking us and commenting and,
buying gift certificates eventhough we were closed.
'cause they wanted to come seeus Then as we were reopening I
know we can't keep six feetapart.
And I needed to do everything Icould to keep my massage
therapist and my clients safefrom a pandemic.
Because I knew that if Covidstarted spraying in my business,
(25:20):
not only would that make me anirresponsible person but is bad
for business, right?
So I installed like a thousanddollars air scrubber in my HVAC
unit.
I did not have a thousanddollars.
But I never wanna be that personwho values money more than
people.
That's gross.
And I amplified this, I waslike, this is what we're doing.
And people would like andcomment on that.
We required masks, which waslike in Texas, really
(25:44):
controversial, right?
And I'm like, no, your nurse andyour doctor's wearing a mask.
We are in the healthcare field.
We cannot keep six feet apartfrom you.
So we're gonna wear masks andyou're gonna wear a mask.
And if you have a problem withit, there's the door.
And they would leave.
And I would make sure to pointout, I wouldn't name'em
specifically, but I'd get onsocial media.
I'd be like, here's a thing thathappened today and it sucks and
(26:04):
I feel bad, but this is theright thing to do.
And people would like andcomment.
They'd be like, oh, my otherplace is cutting corners and
they're not sanitizing thingsand I really wanna come see you.
So I started to reallyunderstand through this process
that by meeting people's needs,whether it was through the
virtual massage studio or justletting them know that I value
(26:25):
their safety more than anythingelse.
And really getting down to thefoundation of why am I doing
this work?
It's caring for people.
And when I can show people howI'm caring for them, they're
gonna wanna come see us.
And that's exactly whathappened.
And then one thing led toanother and we kept growing.
And I really feel like I foundmy voice in that.
(26:46):
I understood that when you dothe right thing, the rest is
gonna fall into place.
When you're chasing the money,when you have this, the scarcity
mindset, oh, if I fire them, I'mnot gonna have another massage
therapist come work from here.
Oh, if I send this client outthe door and give'em this
refund, I'm gonna go broke.
Ditch it.
Just do the right thing.
Let people know you're doing theright thing.
You don't have to brag onyourself, but just educate them
(27:07):
like, this is what we're doingand this is why we're doing it.
And when you take care ofpeople, the people will take
care of your business.
And I learned that so deeplyduring Covid.
Focus on the people first, andthe rest is just gonna gonna
fall into place.
So that's the North Star that'sguided me ever since.
Beverly (27:24):
So how do you spread that magic to other owners, like
franchise owners?
'cause that's gonna be, I think,a whole different challenge.
Amber (27:32):
I don't think it'll be, because I think, I don't sell a
franchise the way I sell amassage.
I award a franchise.
It's an interview process.
And if you're not in alignmentwith our goals and our values,
then you don't get a franchise.
It's just not worth it.
Because again, I wanna care forthe people.
I'm not chasing the money.
Like, why am I doing thisBeverly?
I'm doing this to heal as manypeople as I can to create a self
(27:53):
safe and welcoming and inclusivespace for anyone, regardless of
gender identities, sexualorientation, background.
Like whoever you are, you'rewelcome here.
I'm doing this to provide, likeI said, healing, touch and
transform the industry.
And if I don't have the rightpeople on board, then I'm not
taking care of my people.
And so it's this lengthydiscovery process.
They get to know the business, Iget to know them.
(28:15):
And when we find someone who's.
In alignment with our values,then it's a pretty easy sell.
Like you do the right thing.
'cause it's the right thing todo.
And if you cut corners, then, wecut your contract and you don't
have a franchise anymore.
You follow our values and do theright thing.
I'm not just gonna hand'em outlike Oprah with her cars.
You get a franchise, you get afranchise.
Like it's a lengthy process.
(28:36):
'cause I wanna make sure thatwe're partnering with the right
people.
Yeah.
Beverly (28:39):
So many of our clients are purpose-driven, really
heart-centered, service-basedbusiness owners just like you,
Amber.
And I feel like this idea ofjust taking care of people is so
inherent to this.
Yeah.
And it's important to me becausethat's how I view business as
well.
Like I am incredibly honored tobe on a journey with them to
(29:01):
build a business.
It's hard, it's fun, it'smagical, it's everything.
And it's just such an honor tobe on that with them and to help
them like come into their own,awaken their magic and get
really clear.
I just think that's just alovely thing.
And when you keep it personcentered heart centered.
That's just such a powerfulthing that I think women have
(29:25):
just changed things in that, notthat men can't be heart
centered.
I love my men clients, don't getme wrong, but I do think that
women inherently, theirleadership is more heart led,
and I love that so much aboutthe people who come on the
podcast and the people that Iwork with.
Yeah.
It's amazing.
It's nice to hear you express itthat way, that it's about the
people.
(29:45):
Obviously, we all wanna make aliving, we wanna have a good
life.
I also have the same kind ofumbrella where the people who
work on my team are a realestate office or a legal firm
where they have their ownsub-business under us.
And it's giving them anopportunity to grow their
business as well.
And that, to me, mentoring andleadership is really important.
So it always has been about thepeople for me.
And I love that it's such anincredible insight because I
(30:07):
think it's such a differentiatorfor those.
Lovely heart-centered people.
That is wonderful.
If you're a listener and you arethat heart-centered and what
Amber has shared has resonatedwith you, I would love for you
to follow or subscribe to thepodcast because we share these
kinds of moments a lot with theguests that we interview, and I
think you'll really resonate andit'll be very powerful and
(30:30):
encouraging because sometimesbeing a heart-centered leader
can have its own uniquechallenges as well.
It's a great place to getinspired and also hear that
you're not alone in thatprocess.
Hey there, you've just finishedpart one of the Spark Ignite
Your Marketing episode.
How are you feeling?
Excited, inspired, but we'rejust getting started.
Next Tuesday we're dropping parttwo, and you won't wanna miss
it.
(30:50):
Be sure to subscribe to ournewsletter, so you'll be the
first to know when it goes live.
Until then, take a breather, letthose ideas simmer, and we'll
see you next week.
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