(Editor's Note: The foregoing text is gist of the speech delivered by Sensei Benjie Eugenio during the 6th PHILPRAC Meeting held at the HIMAS Training Center, Quezon City)
Last year, CNN declared that massage and wellness will soon overcome Information Technology (IT) as a multi-trillion dollar Industry in the US alone. In an email message sent by Eunice Estipona of the Meetup group, she announced that professional massage therapists are becoming more and more in demand in the USA. I am sure that that demand shall quadruple in the next few months due to the economic fallout the US is facing. Said economic meltdown shall cause more and more Americans to rush to massage clinics and spa for the much-needed relief more than ever. There is no doubt about that.
Europe is also taking cognizance of this global wellness development. Just recently, a group of twenty-five (25) persons was recipient to the European Union Asia Invest Programme’s international massage licensure scholarship. It is first time in the country’s history. Said group was given rigorous training on how to hurdle the CIBTAC’s (Confederation of International Beauty and Cosmetology) massage licensure examinations.
Back home in the Philippines, there is a phenomenal growth of massage clinics and spas. I am sure most of you are aware of that. In our experience at HIMAS, in a week’s time, hardly could a day pass without any one asking inquiries either through phone, email or even walk-ins, on how to enrol nor how to put up a spa or manage a home massage business.
It goes to show that the country’s framework for a globally acceptable massage standards in now in the offing. However, if you are keen observer, in spite of the much-publicized or talk about rise of the massage Industry here, there is little or no evidence showing massage therapists or trainers into equipping themselves, pooling their resources and putting up their own massage training center or school. Why is that?
I can only surmise that this is either the massage practitioners are afraid to engage into a massage business they can call their own or maybe they simply do not know what to do, to begin with.
But mind you, one does not have to be schooled in Ateneo Business School or UP College of Economics or have enough money like Lucio Tan to put up your own massage training center. All it requires is nurturing a dream, desire to learn more and the invaluable “lakas ng loob” ingredient. I practically started Handspring Institute of Massage and Shiatsu (HIMAS) practically with nothing. I do not have money and practically have zero-knowledge about putting up and, needless to mention, running a school. At first, I was working with the Department of Health then, I just thought of giving free massage lessons. Libre alang bayad. Gratis et amore. But I continued to pursue my dream relentlessly.
After five years, the school has gone strong and just recently we have a branch in Davao. Industry players like David Salon have begin to recognize what we can do. In fact they sent over a hundred of their therapists to learn Foot Reflex with us. Our presence is felt in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
It is hoped that through this presentation some of you will catch the vision, nurture it and put all resources into work.
1) Start with a Dream. Everything that is realized in this world, whether good or bad, somehow started as a single thought until it gains momentum, becomes a dream and ends up as the reality. In the ages past, who would ever imagine the man would be able to reach the moon or even walk in space? Yes it used to be highly unthinkable. Now, if you have been reading the papers, just a few days ago, the world witnessed Yang Liwei, the third man who walked in space and he is from China. America started it, Russia followed-suit, now China. Ang Pinas kaya? Start with a dream. Dream of owning and running a massage school. Dream of helping and transforming the lives of people who would come your way. And hold on to that dream until it becomes a reality.
2) Develop your skills. No worthy live endeavour has made a mark until it goes through the painful and difficult process of learning. As an entrepreneur, being a massage school owner you are also deemed to be an entrepreneur, whether you like it or not, you must learn a lot of things like business management, finance, etc, and even carpentry and janitorial services. As for me, since my background is education, I have to spend extra days and nights to do readings on various topics pertaining to running a business. But mind you, in between these so-called “scholarly work”, I do the janitorial services by myself: I mop the floor, I clean the toilet, in short, I do all the dirty work all by myself. In the process, I learned to do multi-tasking. I learned to do a lot of things at a given time.
3) Share your knowledge. The worse thing that could happen to a person is that once he or she has learned something and keeps it to himself or herself she would die and vanish into oblivion. Without a trace. As a would-be massage school owner, teaching or sharing your knowledge is a must. A passion to teach must be developed in you. Fear of sharing would eventually put an end to all your dreams. I know of someone, he used to be a great massage teacher that everybody admires and respects but when selfishness (or was it fear?) crept-in he became paranoid and refuses to share his knowledge anymore and now he’s gone. Sharing knowledge has its intrinsic benefit: it hones the skills of the one sharing it. Thus, here, you are hitting two birds with one stone. Share your knowledge and learn some more.
4) Find the right people. It is commonly said that one of the great influencers in life is people whom you always associate with. If you want to be successful, you must associate yourself with like-minded people. Avoid the so-called “grace-killers” like plague. Grace killers are the people who are full of jealousy and they will do anything just to keep you from achieving your dreams. At first they may appear friendly and harmless but the moment they realize that you are a dreamer or a big-thinker then slowly they will do all in their power to discourage you and forget about your big dreams. Be with right people; people who have lofty ideals. By being with them, your mind will be constantly challenged; your heart and spirit will always be inspired.
5) Take that bold step forward. At one time in his life, Thomas Alva Edison, made a bold decision: to invent a kind of lamp that could change the course of history and this he bravely did. Amidst failures and ostracism from friends and colleagues, he was able to invent the world’s first incandescent lamp. He took that bold step forward and the rest is history. As a future massage school owner, once all the preparations were made, you must take a bold step forward. A step of confirmation. A step of faith. For without that single, decisive step everything that you dream about will remain what it is: a dream. “Be strong and of good courage,” as the Old Testament would say and in due time everything that you aspire for shall materialize and be your own reality.
As a final note, if you want to start building your own massage school, the following ingredients must be present: dream big dreams, harness your skills, impart your knowledge with pleasure, associate with the right people, and make a single step of faith. Once these elements are present, other technical and legal matters in putting up and running a reputable massage school shall come your way and everything will just be a breeze. Good luck!
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