Keep the commitment to yourself. Stay the course.

If you are in business for any length of time, you experience good times and bad. At the PetMassageTM School in Toledo Ohio, dog massage and dog massage instruction have been offered for seventeen years. We’ve experienced mostly prosperous times and we’ve experienced times that one could generously describe as “lean.”

We remember the brief times of struggle more than the times of abundance because, fortunately. they are the exceptions rather than the rule. It is the same as the way current events are reported by the news media. Mostly, everything and everybody is fine; the exceptions become the headlines. If it bleeds, it leads. In this newsletter we will talk about lean times and the lessons learned from them.

One of the lean times was at the very beginning of our business. Back in the 1990’s the very concept of PetMassageTM was new. The value of massage for dogs was not taken seriously. To market our first two VHS tapes and first book, and promote the early on-site, hands-on dog massage workshops in Toledo Ohio, I attended many AKC and UKC dog shows as a vendor.

It was a strange and lonely time. I often felt invisible. Many people just couldn’t see me or the value of PetMassageTM. I liken the experience to the way that the ancient Mayans are reported to have been unable to see invading Spanish galleons coming over the horizon. For them, it was because they had no context for the images in their limited world view. To the uninformed people at dog shows, PetMassageTM was simply all about spoiling Fluffy. The research that showed the benefits had not yet been done. The TV interviews had not yet been broadcast. Magazine and newspaper articles with case histories had not yet been written or published or read or assimilated into the culture. It is a different world now.

The most destructive recent “lean period” was with the 2008 economic train wreck that paralyzed everyone in the world who banks. It was a very rough economy for all of business. Many companies failed or disappeared. We tightened belts we didn’t even know we had. And, we are still here.

Lean times test one’s commitment and confidence. Having lots of income is easy. When bills need to be paid though, what does one do when there is guano for income? We knew that historically everything is cyclical. Better economic times eventually do return. We just had to be patient. We had to stay ready and relevant.

And, because we had to take a realistic look at what we’d been doing and how we’d been doing it, how we might have been coasting a bit, and we were inspired and compelled to make some positive changes. We improved the PetMassageTM School. We expanded our home study offerings. We revised our on-site workshops and schedule of appearances.

Sometimes, just as it was during the lean years of the PetMassageTM School, you may find that you are not pleased with the levels of acceptance and income you are experiencing. Sure, we’ve all been told that if you want to have a different future, all you need to do is change what you are doing now. That’s a great slogan and a long term plan; but what if the only view you have for the present is from the bottom of your vortex? What if right now the animal massage and bodywork business you are creating is not providing you the income you need, want, and deserve? What if you are marketing the heck out of your new business and not seeing immediate rewards? What if you have invested your time and money for training and all you hear the marketplace whispering is “No one cares (now).”

You may not have control over the economy, or even business at this moment. And, you can choose to be patient and to stay ready and relevant. Remember who you are. Value your dreams. Honor your goals. Renew your vow and your commitment to your passion to help animals and their people, through PetMassageTM. Times and opinions are cyclical. What is real and true is that when you build it and they will (eventually) come. You can do it. For a time, you may need to supplement your income with other skills.

Give yourself time and space and renewed commitment to know your prosperity.

If you would like some support and fresh inspiration for your business, here are two ways we can help you. One is to follow the suggestions in the book, “Creating and Marketing Your Animal Massage Business” http://petmassage.com/?product=creating-marketing-your-animal-massage-business. Another is to take the home study course, “Creating and Marketing Your Canine Massage Business” http://petmassage.com/?product=creating-and-marketing-your-canine-massage-business-course.