How to Start a Reiki Therapy Business - Practical Matters

[Ora West]

Are you a Reiki practitioner who'd like to turn your interest into a
business? If you've always worked for someone else, self-employment
can be really confusing. If you don't have the slightest idea how to
develop a Reiki practice, here are some tips about the practical
aspects of the business.
Location Where will you do your treatments? Well, here are a few
options:


Your own office - probably the ideal situation, but also the most
expensive. You may be able to share space with another practitioner,
or even rent space by the hour at some holistic health facilities.
Your home - comfortable, and probably provides the most freedom and
flexibility. But there may be local ordinances that restrict how you
can run your business. Check with your local city/county
administration or chamber of commerce for more information.
Local businesses that offer "on-site" treatments, like natural food
stores - great for short sessions or as a way to market your longer
treatments.
Your clients' homes or workplaces - you can always take your table or
chair (see the "Equipment" section below) to the person you're
treating, or just use their own furniture (like a chair or bed, if
they can't get up). Reiki can be a very portable form of healing
work.Equipment There are tables designed especially for Reiki, with
room for your legs so you can sit in different places around the table
- something massage therapists don't usually do. But a massage table
and a small stool will work just fine.

A massage chair is also a good idea, since it lets you take your
services to people, and that will bring you more business. Your
treatments will probably be shorter, but sometimes that's all people
need or can afford (in money or time). In fact, you may find yourself
doing only shorter treatments. It really depends on how your practice
develops.
Pricing Setting prices can be hard, especially for people who've never
had their own business before. A good rule of thumb is to base your
rates on those of other Reiki or holistic health practitioners in your
area. Be competitive, but don't undercut them (except maybe for
introductory specials). This could come back to haunt you later (when
someone undercuts *your* prices). Also, you may need to work with
other practitioners occasionally, and stealing their customers won't
make for good business relationships later on.
Payments The more payment options you have, the more business you'll
have. Cash and checks are the two most obvious choices, but don't
forget credit/debit cards. Accepting cards can be expensive, because
you'll be charged a fee for each transaction, but it may bring you a
lot more customers. If you can't afford to take credit cards when
you're starting out, at least take checks and cash and then see how
things go. If you get a lot of people asking about credit cards then
it's probably worth setting up this service.
Final thoughts Having your own business can be tedious, but it's also
very rewarding, so don't let occasional setbacks or the periodic
required paperwork hold you back. Reiki is a wonderful form of healing
that should be more available than it is. If you take your business
one step at a time you'll be able to cover all the things you need to
do to get started. Then you can get to what you really love - helping
people with Reiki energy.