Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Conner.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
When I got my first real job out of college, I woke up early on a Monday morning… put on professional clothes, did my hair and makeup.. got into my car and was promptly stuck in traffic with everyone else on their way to work. And I thought, “This is it. This is the rest of my life. Sitting in traffic with everyone else.” I was in my early twenties and I already felt discouraged about my career path. Fast forward 3 years and I’d finally had enough. I started attending massage school two days a week (I used my vacation days!) and when I finished in May, I quit my job to work full-time as a massage therapist.
I was hired at a wellness center and worked with some great chiropractors and learned a lot! I’m very thankful for that job and the people there. After that, I worked at a spa inside of a gym and then another chiropractic office – and over the years, I started building my clientele. Being a runner and cyclist made it easy to specialize in sports massage and I was given the chance to travel with a women’s professional cycling team (visit Dallas/DNA Pro Cycling) for 4 years. I was introduced to other professional athletes in the area and my confidence grew as a therapist.
In December of 2011, I moved into Mattison Avenue Salon Suites to finally do my own thing. IT. WAS. GREAT. Six years later though, I was ready for more! I wanted to expand my practice but enjoyed the community of being in a salon suite… so I created my own work space. I changed my business from Massage By Erin to The Massage Connection, hired 2 new therapists and opened the Erin Kathleen Boutique Spa Gallery in Frisco. There are 3 rooms I rent to other technicians, I have two rooms for my practice and we have an amazing community of professionals. It’s taken a lot of patience, trial and error, but it’s been worth it!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The beginning and the end are always the hardest parts. When I moved into Mattison Avenue to run my business independently, I made a lot of mistakes. Learning about taxes, how to market, what my price point should be, what kind of schedule should I keep… we aren’t really taught how to be business people in massage school. That has been the biggest challenge even now. People come to this industry thinking they’ll make $70+ per hour easily and that just isn’t the case. This a business just like any other and you have to work hard to get where you want to go.
I remember a couple of months after working on my own, I got a call about a contract job in Austin. It was a chair massage gig at SXSW and they needed more therapists. Could I go? Was I allowed to leave my office? It’s funny – grasping the concept that you can run your business any way you want is hard! I didn’t have to answer to anyone but myself!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Massage Connection – what should we know?
The Massage Connection specializes in stress relief, pain relief and sports recovery. One thing that sets us apart is our simple approach to booking appointments. We don’t have a huge menu of services to confuse you. You can choose from therapeutic, prenatal and my signature service relaxation/recovery. Each session is client-centered and includes a range of techniques (deep tissue, myofascial, sports, trigger point, Swedish, etc). Our goal is to give you a relaxing experience that facilitates recovery from physical or emotional stress and achieves an outcome that is determined by you (the client) and the therapist. We also have private yoga instruction! Our therapist Jordan has been teaching yoga for 4 years and we jumped at the chance to offer this to our clients. We are most proud of the personal relationships we are able to maintain with our clients that can often be lost when you grow as a company.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Persistence. I’ve been told “NO” so many times, I’ve lost count! The thing is, in business, you have to constantly take control of the situation and make it your own. People are going to tell you that you can’t do this, can’t do that; they’re going to question you; make you feel like THEY know what’s best for you. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says. You HAVE TO BE PERSISTENT and stick to what you know is right. Someone told me once, “You’re not going to find anything better than this, I really think you should take it.” I didn’t listen to that advice. I dug my heels in, did the work, found something better and am growing every day because of it.
Pricing:
- Relaxation/Recovery Massage $85 and $115.. 60 and 90 minutes
- Therapeutic Massage $75 and $105.. 60 and 90 minutes
- Prenatal Massage $75 and $105.. 60 and 90 minutes
- Individual Yoga Session $100.. 60 minutes
Contact Info:
- Address: 9300 John Hickman Pkwy
Suite 1103 Frisco, TX 75035 - Website: www.massageconnectionfrisco.com
- Phone: 214-714-5389
- Email: info@massageconnectionfrisco.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/massage_connection_frisco
- Facebook: facebook.com/massageconnectionfrisco
- Yelp: yelp.com/biz/the-massage-connection-frisco
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
