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Unit 385 Business Practice for Complementary Therapies
Please read through this information carefully before you begin this project
Students always worry– and then once they actually start doing
it, they get carried away with it and enjoy it – so don’t worry
about it, just start doing it……. After all –
How do you eat an elephant? Answer bottom next page
There is no exam for this subject any more - coursework only – students
used to do a project like this and then sit an exam on it –
How lucky are you?
The material pertaining to your life as a therapist will be discussed in the
class, but these are projects are to get you thinking ahead of that
During the course other ideas will materialise, and you can make changes
later, but get it done now (except where indicated in the question)
The answers may be just the written word and you may wish to use
chart (as in pie chart for example), spider diagram, graph or other
pictorial presentation, depending on the type of question.
Include the question in your answer, otherwise we can’t assess it -
the answer may be right, but we wont know the question
Cross reference when you can, but please copy your previous answer
and paste it so that we don’t have to search around for it? Thank you
Hardy & Sumner Book (H&S) is a mine of information on starting up a business –
look through this book, become familiar with it – there is a business plan on page
191 for example
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This whole project entails planning an appropriate business plan
for a potential complementary therapy practice – yours!
Now is the time to think about how you are going to work as a therapist – are you
going to work from home – if so where in the home? What work needs to be done,
what are the legalities for working from home where you live, if this is your plan –
this whole project should revolve around what you need to do to make your plan a
reality.
Perhaps you are thinking of renting a room – again, where, how much will it cost?
What are the restrictions? Now is the time to find out.
Perhaps you are thinking of buying a property, leasing a property – or ‘going mobile’.
Whatever you are going to do takes planning. This project should be personalised –
this is your business plan!
If you are already a therapist then include your present therapy in say the
publicity or brochure you devise and if you already have premises you will know in
retrospect how much it cost you to start up.
By the time you leave the course, having done this project, talked and discussed in
class about it, learned from your tutors the pitfalls of running a business (they all
run their own businesses), looked at what works in advertising, getting and keeping
clients etc – you will be fully armed and prepared to start up your own business or
make your present one more successful…….
This is part of ITEC’s assessment form and
this is where the project comes in to enable
you to be able to tick these items.
Answer: by taking one small bite at a time
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See notes on ITEC Business to help answer these questions
1 – Mission Statement
You need a mission Statement for your Therapy Business – if you are already a
therapist – include any previous qualifications too.
Notes to help you with this. Delete the notes when you hand in your project:
Example of a mission statements:
At The Therapy Agency we will strive to:
Work enthusiastically to maintain our position as the UK's leading supplier of
complementary therapies to the workplace and elsewhere.
Employ quality, integrity, technical innovation, and attention to detail to
deliver excellence whatever the requirements.
Adopt an ethical and holistic approach to nurture the health, wellbeing, and
quality of life of all, including our clients and therapists.
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2 Market Research
We have a market research project that has proved extremely valuable to our
students. It involves you going for a treatment and making brief notes on it – later in
the course this is discussed in class so that you can all learn from
the various experiences you have all had – this is best done half
way through the course when you have more idea what to expect
from a professional therapist!
More on that later in the course, so don’t worry about this question
for now. – leave a space for this information but hand the rest of the project in on
the due date please.
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3 Competitor Analysis
Part of the market research project will be to gather information on your competitors –
their prices and leaflets/brochures.
Start making enquiries now so that you have some material to start off your project and
you will be able to answer this question later.
But is it just about the price? Make a table and compare the market you are
about to enter, something like this. This can be done after you have done the
group marketing project which you start half way through the course
Competitor A Competitor B Competitor C
Price
Location
Length of
treatment
Qualifications
Other therapies
Similarities
Differences
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4 Premises & Location
4.1 Plan the interior of your ideal treatment room (a simple drawing and a list of
equipment)
4.2 Think about where you would like to practice from
Look at the pictures on the next pages – have a think about actually working
from home, in a clinic or visiting clients in their home.
Part of your training is to enable you to launch yourself into your business
with some ideas - this is where it all starts! You will be discussing this in
class as well and getting ideas and advice etc.
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Please add at least two more on each example: (use Advertising handout to help
with this )
Advantages and Disadvantages of Running a Clinic from Home
Advantages Disadvantages
Economical overheads Need to set aside a room
Flexible hours/can work when you like Never ‘away’ from work
Fits around other commitments Distractions
Secure premises Parking problems
+ +
+ +
Advantages and Disadvantages and Working From a Group Complementary Clinic
Advantages Disadvantages
No disruption to home and family Not possible to create your own environment
and atmosphere.
Ease of referral to other practitioners Cost of lease/rent
‘Off the street’ clients Business rates
+ +
+ +
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Advantages and Disadvantages of Carrying out Home Visits to clients.
Advantages Disadvantages
Client relaxed in own home Having to pack and transport equipment
No need for client to move Travelling adds to time spent
at end of treatment Hygiene may not be adequate
+ +
Having looked at the advantages and disadvantages of various options, what
are your plans for where you will work, mobile? Clinic? Any ideas please
discuss below:
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Question 5
Corporate Image and Design
` 5.1 Design a logo/business name, leaflet/poster, brochure and
business card for your business (this can be a drawing)
5.2 How important do you consider image for a business? How important do
you consider image for your business? And Why?
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Notes to help with Question 5
`
You have seen my logo – how much do you think that cost me? Not as much as you
might think! It cost £45. Here is the link to the website:
http://www.pcgraphicsdesignservice.com/
Did you know that you can get FREE business cards from Vistaprint? On the web.
You only pay for postage – they have lots of free offers on – you could even
practice with your business card during the course using Vistaprint (lots of
different designs). Sometimes their offer is a free bag – a cotton one and you can
have your ‘business name’ printed on it – fridge magnets, car magnets – for putting
on the car door – like the taxis do, even their leaflets are sometimes free....
Compare these two images
Ensure your advertising gives
the right impression! Obviously the
picture gives the game away – but what
about the wording you might use …..
This is a rhetorical question to make you think,
we don’t expect an answer here
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6 Products services and price
6.1 Your leaflet should clearly state the therapy that you offer along with the
price:
Produce a brochure (as above) for your therapy (or therapies if you already
have a qualification) showing time, price etc. (This question can be cross
referenced with question 5.1)
6.2 What are the benefits of offering a course of treatments?
Notes to help:
They come back!
They see the benefit from having regular treatments
They get to know you and feel more comfortable having treatments.
I am sure you can think of more?
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7 Fixed Costs
What would be your fixed costs per year (approx)
What would be your variable costs?
See notes on the next page to help with the two questions above
What to you estimate the start up cost of your business will be? Please give an idea of
what this money would be spent on (training costs, books etc as well as equipment are part
of the start up….)
Taking all this into consideration, what do you estimate the cost of your treatment would
be?
How many treatments do you need to do per year in order to break even?
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Notes to help with question 7
Fixed costs: (e.g. Professional costs, Insurance, Training (CPD), rent, heating, telephone,
purchase of equipment, marketing costs etc)
Variable costs? (i.e. those costs that you only incur when you have a client eg couch roll,
cream)
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8 Staffing requirements and employment opportunities
8.1
What are the advantages and disadvantages of employing staff? .List one more of
each below:
Advantages: 1. Can take on more clients
2. Potential to earn more income
3.
Disadvantages: 1. They may not give your high standard of treatment
2. They may not turn up for appointments
3.
8.2 What opportunities are there for therapists after you have done your basic
training? Name at least 4
Note to help: you could be a receptionist in a salon, run your own clinic, work in a
spa, work on a liner, work as part of a team in a gym , teach – what
possibilities are there for therapists?
•
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8.3 To be personally effective as a therapist you need to have a good working
relationship with other therapists, clients and suppliers. You also need to be
able to work as part of a team if you are working in a clinic. Why is this?
8.6 As a therapist you would keep strict client
confidentiality at all times other than with
the consent of the client or when reporting
treatments/clinical findings to a fellow
therapist/medical practitioner. Complete
the following sentences:
• I would not discuss the personal details of a client with another ………or
• I would ensure the client realises that the only reason information would be
disclosed would be to ascertain permission to treat from a GP or ………………………
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9 SWOT Analysis Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats
See notes on next page to help with this one
Regarding starting up as a therapist - have a think about your own strengths and
weaknesses, what are the opportunities for you and what are the threats? What will be
your USP (unique selling point)?
More than this, by looking at yourself and your competitors using the SWOT framework,
you can start to craft a strategy that helps you distinguish yourself from your
competitors, so that you can compete successfully in your market.
Now make a SWOT analysis for your potential business:
Strengths Weaknesses
-
Opportunities Threats
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Notes to help with question 9
SWOT Analysis Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats
Regarding starting up as a therapist - have a think about your own strengths and
weaknesses, what are the opportunities for you and what are the threats? What will be
your USP (unique selling point)? The above chart may have helped you with this already
SWOT Analysis is a powerful technique for understanding your Strengths and Weaknesses,
and for looking at the Opportunities and Threats you face. Used in a business context, it
helps you carve a sustainable niche in your market. Used in a personal context, it helps you
develop your career in a way that takes best advantage of your talents, abilities and
opportunities. What makes SWOT particularly powerful is that, with a little thought, it
can help you uncover opportunities that you are well placed to exploit. And by
understanding the weaknesses of your business, you can manage and eliminate threats that
would otherwise catch you unawares.
More than this, by looking at yourself and your competitors using the SWOT framework,
you can start to craft a strategy that helps you distinguish yourself from your
competitors, so that you can compete successfully in your market.
Here’s an example of a SWOT Analysis for setting up a new mobile massage business.
Strengths Weaknesses
- I can be more flexible than salon
based competitors
- My overheads are low so I can offer
massage at a competitive rate
- I have no market presence yet
- My cash flow is unreliable
- I can newly qualified and nervous
Opportunities Threats
- Trend towards natural health/holistic
approach benefits me
- Credit crunch means less money
around for treatments
- Other mobile therapist in area have
captured available business already
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10.1 Risk Analysis
To do a risk analysis regarding your business, you would need to look at various
means of employment:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of the following (P28 H&S book)
Advantages Disadvantages Sole Trader
Own decisions about
everything
Partnership
=
May argue about
premises and ways to
work etc. Limited Company
Volunteer
Employee
Employer
10.2 To do a risk analysis of your actual premises, what would you be taking into
consideration? (cross reference previous work done on this)
Notes to help with question 10.2 – safe storage of equipment – no trailing wires,
regular inspection of electrical equipment etc
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11 Marketing and Publicity
Use the Hardy and Sumner book for ideas for your answers:
a) Why is it important to find out what your customers need?
b) Why it is important for you to compare your products or services with your
competitors?
c) Why is it important for you to make your products or services different
from those of your competitors?
d) Why is it important to monitor your competition?
e) What are the advantages and disadvantages of the following forms of
advertising? Fill in the empty boxes below (see the advertising handout
for ideas)
Advantages Disadvantages
Newspapers Reaches large audience Can be expensive
• Leaflets Expensive and can be
binned
Mail shots • Targeted audience
Word of Mouth • Cheap – effective
• TV Large audience expensive
Cinema Expensive and may not be
target audience
• Radio People cant write down
details when driving
Posters Easily spotted May be missed!
Talks Cheap and effective and
people get to know you
Demonstrations Cheap and effective and
people get to know you
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11.2 Discuss and plan how you would advertise your business that will help you to
launch your new business.
Guidelines: you should include how you would go about determining the best way to
advertise and the things you would need to avoid putting in your advertisement. An
example of your proposed advertisement, detail of where you would advertise,
approximate costing of adverts from a) local paper b) yellow pages.
Did you know that you get a FREE line in Yellow Pages? But how much is a small
box?
Is it ‘cheap’ to advertise in the local paper? You’d be surprised if you don’t know!
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12 Finance and start up and running costs
Cross reference this answer if answered elsewhere in any of the projects.
12.1 Discuss and plan the setting up of your new business (in real life!)
Guidelines: you need to discuss where you plan to work comparing the
benefits and the problems of working from home from a health centre or
similar or being a mobile therapist. Approximate costings of working from
home, in hired rooms or mobile. Legal requirements (insurance, licence – if
required) and costs. Equipment you will need and costs.
Find local premises from where you could potentially work.
Location Type of Premises (rent/freehold)
How did you find this premises?
What would you need to do to actually open up for business and begin trading? Eg
lighting, equipment, staff, products. What kind of budget would you need to begin
trading?
Bearing in mind the monthly cost of this premises, there are other fixed costs such
as ?
How much would you need to earn to ‘break even’ and how many treatments would you
need to do?
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13 Additional professional services
If you were seriously going to open premises or work from home you would need to
know the rates for the additional professional services, find out how much such local
professional services would cost you.
If you are going mobile, find out anyway in case you find that ‘going mobile’ isn’t
working out after all.....
This is part of the ITEC assessment so needs to be answered whether you are needing
to buy in extra services or not.
Eg Builders, decorators, plumbers, solicitor, electricians, accountants, printers,
administration. (MAKE IT UP!!!)
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14 Legal Requirements
The Health and Safety at Work Act is important and so is the following:
14.1 Local Byelaws are laws that relate to local areas – does your local council
require you to obtain a licence? Phone your local council to find out. If you
don’t need one for your therapy, what therapies require a licence, if any,
from your local council. What department helped you with this enquiry.
14.2 What are National Insurance Contributions for? Find out what your
contributions will be when you become self-employed. Would you need to pay
VAT? Why not?
14.3 When will you need to tell the Inland Revenue that you are self-employed or
earning money as a therapist (eg working evenings or weekends) whilst employed
elsewhere?
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15 Security and data protection
How would maintain security for your premises, goods and client records?
16 Customer service and communication
(if any part of this question has been answered elsewhere please cross reference your
answer)
16.1 Evaluate communication techniques and describe how to communicate
effectively with clients and colleagues: see BSB 1.4
Use the handout on communication skills which you will find on the same area as you
found this project
How I important is customer service to any business?
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17 Cancellation Policies: Before you read the following pages, please say if you agree with the principle of this example: An example: Please give 24 hours notice if you wish to cancel an appointment or 50% of treatment fee will be charged. Do you think this is fair? Yes / No Why? Now read this example of a thread written by professional therapists: A Went on a home visit to a client this morning, door was opened by her surprised-looking husband who said 'I don't think she's expecting you. She was working on her chapter all night and went to bed at 8 this morning. I'm not going to wake her up.' Checked my mobile (which I hadn't looked at til then, not being a teenager I don't keep looking at my mobile at all hours) and she had texted me cancelling this morning just before she went to bed this morning. That would be about 80-90 minutes before I'd set off to her, and hours after I'd packed the bag ready. Can I have suggestions on how to reply to her? She's asked if I can see her again another morning this week. Trouble is, this isn't the first time she's been a bit 'casual' about her appointments - a couple of weeks ago she wanted to change a 10.00 am appointment to 12.00 or 12.30 at just a couple of days notice (I said no to the change). I've mentally composed a couple of replies but they sound rather mardy and passive-aggressive, hence asking you lovely people! Thanks in advance
B How frustrating. Do you have a cancellation policy in place? A lot of places have a 'must give
24 hours notice' policy or a small fee is levied (although that said I don't think anywhere has ever actually levied a charge against me as normally when I've had to rearrange it has been some medical/child based unavoidable and totally understandable emergency not that I've been up all night tinkering on the computer!). It's a hard situation as you don't want to offend her but equally she's wasted your time this morning, you've had petrol costs and could have slotted in another client, met a friend for coffee or finished off some paperwork in the time you took to get to hers and back. So some how you're going to have to find a way of setting a boundary with her that it's not ok to have a last minute change of mind unless her child is sick or she's ill etc. A Absolutely, if it had been a health problem or a family crisis I wouldn't have minded so much. I
think I should come up with a cancellation policy, though I'm not sure it would help with this particular person - she seems a bit 'in her own world' where appointments and my convenience (or lack of it) are concerned! C I have a 24 hour cancellation policy and although i very rarely use it i do make it very clear that i
have a business to run and could have used that appointment for another client. Perhaps you could suggest another time but please could she BACS the money to your account before you
confirm the appt in future. She is probably completely unaware of her behaviour and would be
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mortified if she was letting you down. I have learnt over the years that I have to be firm. It is really
difficult but her behaviour is unacceptable D I always text the night before with a friendly reminder. You'll always a get a few that mess us
about but It cuts a lot of cancellations or people forgetting and helps me out remembering who I have in. Maybe if you sent her a reminder text she might have allowed for the session or reschedule
E In my hypnotherapy business I have a cancellation policy which is hard to enforce but I now
send out a text 24hrs before. If they cancel within hours of an appointment I expect it to be an emergency (health kids etc) and I don't mind as that happens to us all. I think it's reasonable to now ask this lady for payment (or at least 50%) up front. If she refuses then you may need to ask if she's the right client for you. Your time is valuable and I'm not sure if she appreciates that.
F I now have a slightly different policy to preserve my sanity... and my time. This is the wording on
my website: Wherever possible with my treatments, I work on a basis of mutual trust. Should an emergency crop up, and I need to cancel a session, I will do my utmost to give at least 24 hours notice to change the appointment. And, wherever possible I ask my clients to do the same. I just find this period of notice gives us both enough time to reschedule our plans and gives me the option to offer the session to another client on the waiting list. As you can see, I have no mention of a cancellation fee. BUT!!! if people start messing me about like this lady has with you Liz, I let them go. I do accept emergencies and things crop up... that's fine. But, to be messed about like this (and regularly) is a clear message for me... the treatments are not taking priority in their life. And, I tell them that openly.... and say, I think it best we leave treatments as you clearly need to focus on your work (or whatever). That way, you do not have to continually cancel me at the last minute, which really is not good for me and my business... and, I can offer my sessions to someone else who is waiting to have a treatment with me. I never end the situation on a bad note. I just let them go, and concentrate on those who value what I do. It has taken me 6 years to work out that this is what works for me.... but, it really is a personal choice. A cancellation fee really does work for some... and I wholeheartedly agree with it. I just cannot face pursuing it as it drains me... both in terms of time, and energy!
A Back to the original poster!!: Well, the original client sent me about 4 texts during yesterday afternoon
asking for another appointment (I didn't see them til late last night as my phone is switched off while I'm driving or doing treatments) sounding quite desperate, so having told her I had no free time til the new year, she wanted to book in straight after the bank holiday. I've suggested a couple of dates to her - if she gets back to me I'll tell her face to face that I need more notice. It's so easy to get your tone wrong with just the keyed in word, I think face to face would be clearer. What is your conclusion as to having a cancellation policy now? What will you do?
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Once you have decided what your one will be: Put your policies on your website and on your leaflet
You could also:
Have people sign a copy of your policy when they come in. Is this a good idea? Yes/No
Put your policy on your phone message. Say something like “Please be aware if you are calling to cancel that you will be charge xx.oo amount if you cancel in less than 24 hours or if you are late, your appointment will end at the scheduled time.(or whatever you set up.) Is this a good idea? Yes/No
When new clients call to schedule an appointment, consider taking a credit card to secure their time and tell them of your policy right up front. Consider telling them that you are reserving that time for them and them alone so that you will not take another client in that spot. Is this is a good idea? Yes/No
An online scheduling system will allow you to take credit cards to secure the appointment. Is this a good idea? Yes/No
My comments on how to let my client know my policy:
Late arrival policy idea The Late Arrival Policy
The ideal late arrival policy says your time is valuable and you also respect my other clients time. You know things happen – traffic, last minute phone calls, things at work/home, but people need to responsible for their own time. An idea for a late arrival policy:
Your late arrival will require that I end the session at the scheduled time, meaning your session will unfortunately be shorter today. I have reserved this time for you and only you and have other people scheduled after your time.
My Comments on late arrival policy:
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Conclusion:
Write a few lines only to say if and how the business practice project has helped you plan your
proposed business.
-o0o-
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