The Vision of WCCMT’s Student Caillie Wallace
Business ownership means different things to different people. Some might be frightened by it whereas others, like WCCMT Victoria Student Caillie Wallace, see it as a real opportunity to provide for oneself while having the flexibility to live life on their own terms. Some entrepreneurs have always had an idea as to what their business would be, whereas others stumble upon it by accident. Caillie Wallace is certainly one of the many who has fallen into her field unexpectedly, and has decided to run with the idea of utilizing her newly acquired skills and knowledge as an avenue to be her own boss.
Caillie first realized that she enjoyed massage therapy a couple years ago, when she was a professional dancer. Like many others in her group, she suffered from various body ailments and, as a result, they would exchange massages on a regular basis in attempt to relieve pain. A year prior to coming to WCCMT, Caillie had the opportunity of taking a course on Thai massage in Thailand. This, she felt, gave her a chance to see if doing massage was really for her. To her amazement, it solidified her desire to consider Massage Therapy as a career and within that year, she was researching RMT schools. She chose WCCMT for its fantastic and professional reputation. Now a current student, Caillie is very happy with her choice, saying “I feel like Massage Therapy will give me the freedom to be creative and the autonomy to be in charge of my own business.”
When finalizing her career decision, business ownership was one of the top reasons she chose Massage Therapy. “Eventually, I would like to open my own a business out of my home. I would like the freedom and control of owning my own business. I would also like to start a family one day and feel like it would give me the control over my hours as well having less overhead.”
While Caillie realizes she will be faced with challenges when first starting off, she is confident that she will succeed. One of the biggest challenges, she feels, will be in building her client base and getting to know the healthcare community in Revelstoke, BC which is where she plans to open up shop one day.
To address these concerns, she will take the ideas and knowledge she has gained through her internship in WCCMT’s public clinic and apply it to developing a sound client base. In addition, to prepare herself for Revelstoke, she will do extensive research on supply & demand as well the strengths and weaknesses she will need to tackle.
Through the RMT program at WCCMT, Caillie feels she has developed the confidence and skill level she needs to become a successful RMT. What she feels will be left to do once she graduates, is to gain more knowledge and experience in the field of business management. This is why Caillie has set a plan for herself which involves volunteering and or working in a massage therapy clinic in Revelstoke prior to starting her business. From this, she hopes to not only become more aware of what’s required in operating a business, but also in taking that first step as part of the healthcare community in Revelstoke.
Caillie, we wish you the best of luck in your venture to opening up your own massage therapy practice, and look forward to seeing your business have its very own blog one day!
