Feel Better Live Better - River City Massage

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Darris Gross, owner of River City Massage, located in Winnipeg, MB, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

River City Massage is a massage therapy clinic that focuses on injury recovery, pain reduction, stress alleviation, and mobility improvement. We want you to feel better so you can live better. Specializing in deep tissue and TMJ massage. Our customers are primarily people wanting therapeutic treatments for chronic pain, injuries, tight muscles, and those hard to relieve knots and tension headaches, and jaw pain.

Tell us about yourself

A little bit about me. I'm a Scorpio, and I know my doppelganger... I kid. (Well, technically, those are true) I'm a registered massage therapist and have been for over five years. I love watching people walk out of the room and say their pain is gone. I really don't feel there's anything more satisfying.

I decided to go off on my own to enjoy what I do even more. I make my own hours, provide a chill atmosphere and get to focus on providing a great experience. When you come to my clinic, you feel like a friend. I love looking at my appointment book and seeing who I get to catch up with.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment is that I not only survived the pandemic, but I opened up during it! I honestly didn't know if some of my clients would follow me. Seeing familiar faces when I opened up was really encouraging.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

For me, one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner is that I am responsible for everything. There is no one to be accountable to except yourself. You gotta light your own fire under your ass.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Don't delay starting your business because you're spending too much time on secondary stuff (stuff that's not as important as you may think it is). Your logo doesn't have to be fancy, your business name doesn't require a backstory, and your website just needs to flow and function. Once I let go of the "it has to be perfect," things moved so much faster.
  2. Don't feel pressured into constantly posting on social media. Yes, social media can be an asset, but it's important to take into account your return on investment. You're wasting your time if you spend hours making content, but it doesn't translate into customers.
  3. If you can, hire out. Bookkeeping, marketing, cleaning, etc. If you're not good at it or avoid doing it, hire someone else to do it.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: http://rivercitymassage.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rivercitymassagewpg/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rivercitymassagewpg/


If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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