CT: What was your training?
DF: I was extremely fortunate to receive my initial massage training in Tampa, Fl where I was able to learn form great teachers like James Waslaski, Judith Walker Delaney, Aaron Mattes and George Kousaleos due to their proximity to my place in Tampa. I since have gone on to study with Dr. Michael Leahy, Whitney Lowe and Bob King. Forever the student.

CT: How many employees do you have?
DF: I currently manage 12 Massage Therapists, 2 Chiropractors and 1 Acupuncturist.

CT: How many locations?
DF: Depending upon when this interview is published, I will have 2 or 3, but currently 2.

CT:How do you define business success?
DF: When you have created an environment that is enriching for you, your staff and your guests, and are still be able to enjoy quality time with your family each day, you know that you are on the right path. I believe that in order to create such an environment, one must be willing to sacrifice things such as revenue in order to achieve the proper balance for everyone. I learned early on that if you only place value on the almighty dollar, you are destined to have short comings in your practice, such as client retention (keep your rates affordable to encourage repeat business), staff retention (low turn over because your staff is paid better than anywhere else equates to a more consistent business image that clients can hold on to). There is a tremendous “value” to this that is stronger and longer lasting than any dollar.

CT: When and how did you decide massage was the right career for you?
DF: I originally set out as an Athletic Trainer back in 1993. Being on the road as much as we were and being away from any sort of training room, is when I started to gain more interest about the benefits of consistent sports massage for my athletes. I always had my hands with me. That success coupled with my best friend who was a Neuromuscular therapist at that time sparked my interest to seek out more applications of hands on bodywork vs. just the use of ice, e-stim and ultra-sound. Unfortunately, that friend was killed in 1995 and it was than that I decided I would dive into this field with both feet and combine the spirit of his passion and mine for bodywork and create something he would be proud of.

CT: What is the most rewarding aspect of being a massage therapist?
DF: To say that it is helping people get back to their daily activity would be an easy, but trite answer. I think it is the unique awareness that a therapist gains on humanity. We spend hours at a time in the room with complete strangers, often inflicting rather uncomfortable techniques to address their issues. Yet we are able to learn so much about them beyond their injuries due to the trust that is established between the therapist and the patient. You quickly learn that judging people simply at face value is often futile. It is a very rare perspective we are privy to. It makes me a better therapist, a better boss and certainly a better husband and father.

CT: What are the top three things you credit for your business success?
DF: I would be foolish to think that any of this would be possible without the unwavering support of my wife. If not for her support, especially in the beginning when I was a solo therapist trying to establish a practice, I would have not been able to grow my business in the manner I have. It is no secret to my staff that although she does not work at The Boston Bodyworker, she is an integral part of our daily success. That’s not for her to read here, she already knows it. It is simply a fact.
The second important aspect to the success of my business is the importance of hiring. I will not hire anyone who has less than 2 years experience (in practice, not just holding a certification), is not Nationally Certified and they must show an intense desire to work in this particular field of bodywork. This is of major importance to all of us here at The Boston Bodyworker. I would rather have empty treatment rooms (which I do) than to fill them with a warm body with a license. Quality of The Boston Bodyworker is first and foremost in establishing and maintaining our reputation in the community. One bad massage goes a long way in hurting your practice. I would just assume keep the room empty until the right therapist is found to join our staff. My staff thanks me for this and so do our patients.
Thirdly, our focus is always on the clients we have, not on the clients we don’t. The number one priority of a therapist at The Boston Bodyworker is to get the patient out the door. Certainly, we want people to rebook, but only if they need to because we know we can help them. It is our job to inform the patient as to how we can help them, implement a program, successfully deliver on our assessment and get them on their way. Otherwise, if their condition is beyond our scope, point them in the direction of someone who may be more qualified to help. Many of our clients routinely visit us for “maintenance”, but if they are continually coming in for the same thing, we are not doing our job. That in my eyes is negligence and further places our status in the health care community in jeopardy. Our job is to assist people in achieving their goals. We do this by focusing in on why they are here and implementing a program that will give them the fastest results for a full recovery. That program may mean that we refer them to another therapist with a particular specialty, possibly to one of our Chiropractors or Acupuncturists or even to other professionals in the community that we have established a relationship with in order to have some assistance with our job. I firmly believe that if your intent is to help the patient, than your business will never suffer. Don’t you think that person will tell everyone they know about that kind of customer service? That’s targeted marketing at no cost to you.

CT:What's your best client retention method?
DF: As I mentioned, tending to the needs of our clients without any motives other than to get them back on track keeps us at the top of their list of health care providers who can assist them in their time of need. Considering the fact that we cater to those with a more active lifestyle, they seem to keep us on our toes with each new injury or kink that flares up.

CT: How do you balance your work life and your family life?
DF: I find that it is important to be present in anything you are doing. If you make a constant practice of obeying this law, you quickly learn how easy and rewarding both can be.

CT: If you knew then what you know now, what would you have done differently starting out?
DF: I honestly don’t think there is anything I would have done differently simply because it would not have allowed me to have built such a strong business foundation. If I started out with all the right answers, how would I ever learn? I think the fact that I took my time building such a strong base and saved money, is what allowed me to expand without much concern. When I decided to expand and bring on others, I felt location was the one thing I could not sacrifice. I have been working on the same block since 2000 and just recently expanded my first location to a building only three doors over. Interrupting a city person’s daily routine/route can ruin even the strongest practices. An example would be when I opened up my second location; patients were so excited that I finally came that part of town. Do you know that “that part of town” is just a 12 minute stroll from my other location, and just 3 “T” stops away?

CT: What was the best business decision you've made?
DF: The best business decision I ever made stemmed from the worst one I ever made. It thickened my skin a bit and taught me to realize that I need to make decisions based upon what is best for The Boston Bodyworker and to remove my personal feelings from the equation when doing so.

CT: What was the worst business decision you've made?
DF: The worst decision I ever made was holding on to a therapist for too long simply because I liked him. Lack of industry experience was the reason for this. He was one of the first people I brought on when I expanded. He is a great guy with a huge heart and a strong desire to work. Sounds great right? Wrong. As I explained, a bad massage can cripple a business. The problem however wasn’t with his bodywork, but rather his “unique” personality. I had been tracking new clients at a rate of 15-20 new clients a week. Yet somehow, I was bleeding money. At that current rate I should have been busting at the seems. I soon realized that at the beginning of a week this individual would have 2 or 3 clients on the books, but by weeks end he would have 18-21. These new clients were not coming back because they felt that “this” was The Boston Bodyworker. I eventually did out the numbers and based upon a formula that estimated the other therapists average rebook rate, I lost close to $60K in one year from not cutting the cord sooner. As a business owner you often have to make decisions that are not very popular amongst the staff. He was very well liked, but had to go. To this day, it has been one of the hardest things I had to do.

CT: What is your favorite marketing technique?
DF: My favorite marketing technique is sending out 3 gift cards to all of my clients at the beginning of the holiday season. I offer them a rate of 50% off a 30 minute session for any new client. All they need to do is pick up the phone, have the card activated and give to someone who has never been here before. It works like a charm because you have someone who is already a supporter of your business giving someone a gift of significant value (our full price rate is $60) with a personal recommendation. Considering that last year the national average for any gift cards sold was for $35, it makes this a unique gift at a phenomenal price point.

CT: What is your favorite selling point behind massage therapy? (What are the benefits you espouse most when telling potential clients about massage)
DF: I think when discussing massage therapy with potential clients, I am careful to first understand what they are looking for out of a treatment. I would not promote the numerous benefits of NMT if they were simply looking to whisk all their cares away with the sounds of Enya and some running water. I think for the type of work we promote here, I would have to say massage has great benefits in helping to manage pain. This is our particular specialty. A goal of mine is in the general conversation of “what do you do?” and the answer is “I am a massage therapist.” The response will immediately be “what kind?” If someone says they are a doctor, do you not ask what kind? Massage is a field of such a broad scope with specific areas of expertise all with wonderful benefits that can range from relaxation to freedom from pain. People need to be aware that not all therapists know all types of “massage”. Further, therapists should be very careful as to how they portray their own type of bodywork. Watching a Jim Waslaski video does not make you a “Sports Massage Therapist”, just ask him.

CT: Describe a time when things weren't going well in your business and what you did to turn it around.
DF: I would have to say that the times when things weren’t going well with my practice were at the beginning when I moved back to Boston from Florida. I was trying to establish a private practice. It seemed every place I went (a spinning studio and a Golf Studio) was either going out of business or down sizing just as I was hitting my stride. I actually had to rebuild my base three different times because each move proved to be difficult for my current base to get to. One relocation was only to the 4th floor of the same building. The old elevator proved to daunting for the faint of heart. The old adage reigns true. The first rule of business is “location, location, location.” That is when I decided to find the ideal location for me and I planted roots there and have been on this block ever since.

CT: What advice would you give someone wanting to start his or her own business that you wish someone had given you?
DF: It’s not as easy as you might think especially if your plan is to manage others. I joke with my wife that I fear that sometimes I make this look too easy to those around me. I simply believe that my attitude, my energy and my mood have a direct effect on the environment of the work place; therefore I always try to remain upbeat, positive and most importantly; present. On the inside, I am going a mile a minute and don’t sleep very much. There is so much more involved with running your own business than what they teach you at school. I really wish massage schools would pay more attention to the curriculum when teaching business and marketing. They are breeding entrepreneurs and all they are graduating is a product. If I told you a made a great cup of coffee, would you buy it? If that cup of coffee was sold at Starbucks, would you buy it than? Owning your own business takes all of your efforts. Efforts you never even dreamed you could make. I hold myself personally responsible for getting clients to my therapists. That is what I promise them and they promise me in return to be present and do the best job they can. I come from a family of successful entrepreneurs. Both my mother and father was their own boss for large stretches of my childhood. I have one brother who went into my dad’s business and has indelibly left a stamp of his own on the firm and his industry. My other brother is self-made like me and risked everything going at it alone and has created a remarkably successful firm. We are all proud of each others success and know that we must all make sacrifices in order to be successful. I do think we would all agree that none of this is possible without the support of our family. They typically get the brunt of the long hours, the often distracted husbands and crazy rants of new ideas.

CT: What do you like the most about working for yourself?
DF:Board meeting in the shower and sleeping with the boss. I joke, but it’s true. I often get so much accomplished in my thoughts when I am given small moments of private time. I would have to say that at this point in my life what I like most is that I get to start my day each morning by letting the dog out, feeding him and getting the kids up, dressed and to school without having to rush them. We do it all in a timely fashion, but never under the gun of a deadline. I make the rules. I set my own schedule and know that unless it must be done, I never schedule meetings or massages before 10 a.m. That is my time. The rest of the day belongs to The Boston Bodyworker.

CT: What do you like the least about working for yourself?
DF: Even something as miserable as paying payroll taxes is enjoyable to me. I am master of my own destiny. On my worst day I am blessed. One of the things I hated most as a private practice therapist was the loneliness. I had no colleagues to bounce ideas off of, no one to talk shop or even just vent about a bad date to. Now a day, I pride my work environment on providing that culture for my staff.

CT: What kind of self-care practices (exercise, yoga, nutrition, meditation, etc) do you use to condition your body and/or mind for providing effective massage and preventing burnout or injury?
DF: I used to be an intense gym rat, but once in the throws of managing all this, I let that fade away. I still eat pretty well and try to stretch in the mornings for about 20 minutes once I get the kids off to school. My wife and kids keep me grounded. We have the best time together. Lots of laughter goes along way for your health. I encourage my staff to get weekly treatments. They are all very good about their body mechanics in the treatment room and staying physically active on their own.

CT: Why did you choose to market your practice with a clinical focus as opposed to one more focused on the relaxation/spa-like benefits?
DF: That’s easy, it’s because clinical is the kind of work that I do. I put into practice very early on not to do bodywork that I felt was not enjoyable to me. I grew my practice much slower than I could have because of this, but at the end of the day, I enjoyed every massage I gave. I wanted to create an environment that I would feel comfortable walking into. I enjoy a good massage, but I don’t need a fluffy white robe, some chamomile tea and a foot soak. There is a place for that; it’s just not what the niche of The Boston Bodyworker is about. I want to get bodywork, no fluff. I think places that to try to be all consuming and say they do everything from couples massages to Myoskelatal work are selling you snake oil. It sickens me when I go on vacation and get a “sports” massage and I am holding onto the legs of the table for dear life as oil trickles down my sides. To someone who has never gotten a massage or a “sports” massage before, they may think, “this wasn’t anything I needed, what’s all the buzz about?” I need to find that person and show them what a real sports massage can do for them.

CT: Have you witnessed any notable trends or changes in your clients’ and/or the public’s views on massage therapy since you’ve been in practice?
DF: Most definitely. One of the most enjoyable aspects of my business is seeing the looks of relief on our clients face. It’s not just the relief from the pain they may have had, but the relief in knowing that they have finally found a place that offers the type of work that they have been learning about. Our average client has been for a massage more than 8 times before finding us and most will tell you that they have never gotten bodywork like this. I pride myself on the reputation we have created in this community. It has been one of my missions from day one to express the benefits of “clinical” bodywork vs. relaxation work. There is a place for both in our industry; you just won’t find the ladder here.

CT: Where do you turn for professional support?
DF: Over the years, I have had the great fortune of creating friendships with some of my clients. For obvious reasons, clients that seem to gravitate to me are clients who are successful business people in there own right. Often time sessions are spent brain storming and troubleshooting ideas. Some times it pertains to my business and other time to theirs. This provides me with a unique insight to all different types of work environments and situations. It’s like reading 10 different books at the same time. What I like most about the people I surround myself with is that none of us are afraid to shoot down ideas. No one likes a “yes” man.

CT: What are your future business goals?
DF: I haven’t even begun to make my mark on this industry. I have been approached several times over the past couple of years to franchise The Boston Bodyworker. That makes me a bit weary. From the beginning, my number one problem has been finding good therapists. If my model is going to scale with consistency and maintain the reputation it has, I may need to “manufacturer” my own therapists. Opening a school is a definite dream of mine. I consider myself a lifelong student, but also an educator. Many of my therapists also have a lot to offer to younger therapists. I am fortunate to live in an area where there are lots of great massage schools. However, I feel they fall short in really preparing the student for a true career as a massage therapist. There needs to be another level to massage training after school, such as a Masters degree program or even a Doctorate program. Most companies now a day won’t even look at you if you don’t have a Masters regardless of experience. Why shouldn’t our industry have similar standards? I actually know that answer, but that is for a completely other discussion.