Professional Organizations

This week I attended a luncheon at the Corporate Alliance in Salt Lake. It was a lovely experience. I really enjoyed how the people there were not just their to make contacts with other companies and promote their own, they truly were dedicated to helping one another in their businesses and building quality relationships. I look forward to getting more involved in this organization.

I also enjoy being a member of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, and the Women's Business Center at the Chamber. These organizations have provided excellent networking opportunities for our company, and have been a great educational resource for our young and growing company. For us, these organizations have proven to be invaluable.

Employee Perks

Times are not as bad as most of us like to think. I recently attended a Human Resources Panel at the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce and got the opportunity to hear from HR people from Overstock.com, Neutron Interactive, and Spillman Technologies. These companies continue to grow through the recession, and not only that, they offer employee perks that are unheard of. How can Neutron Interactive offer a full catered lunch onsite for their 40 employees each day, or how can Spillman Technologies give their 210 employees access to various vacation timeshares at no cost? What is the secret these companies know that the rest of the world just isn't figuring out?

It's that you get back what you put in to your people. Companies like these (there is a whole list of them in Utah Business Magazine issue a couple months ago) are going above and beyond what they offer their employees because they have seen what a difference it has made in their company's culture, growth, and bottom line. I find that very inspiring when other companies are downsizing and doing layoffs. Perks and worth the investment.

Employee Massage

Massage has grown to be more and more part of mainstream health and wellness over the last decade, but massage in the corporate world has just started to explode over the last few years. Corporate massage is becoming a mainstream perk, starting to pop up in a lot of today's offices.

Many successful, competitive companies offer their employees the benefit of on-site massage therapy. Eddie Bauer, Ebay, Boeing, Reebok, Tahitian Noni, and JetBlue all have massage offered in their offices. Even Google has its own “Massage Program Manager,” who boasts on a YouTube video that the company has “massage going in multiple massage rooms eight hours a day, five days a week.”

Why is the corporate trend moving in this direction? What could these companies possibly be gaining from allowing their employee the time to receive these services during their workday, many times completely paid for by their employer?

Companies big and small have discovered the benefits of wellness in the workplace, and they’re using massage as a way to attract employees, while also keeping them productive. Some offices offer massage in the office in order to give them a little break to increase their energy levels. Massage increases company morale and company loyalty, allowing them to keep the recruit employees in their fields and keep them happy.

A few local companies I have personally spoken with have noted that in the years they have paid for on-site massage for their employees, their Worker's Compensation claims have dropped and decreased their premiums so much that it completely pays for the cost of providing the massages, plus their employees are happier and work harder.

In today's world we are overworked and overstressed. We need a way to put back in what life takes out. Many companies have already figured out how to do that, and many more are heading that direction. To find out how you can get massage in your office today, visit us online at www.themassageadvantage.com.

Employee Incentives

Big news! We are launching a new employee incentive program next month. It is called "The Game" and for $150/month, companies can get their employees to work harder by rewarding the top 6-8 employees each month. We are so excited to launch this new program and help more businesses achieve success and growth. Stay tuned for the details!

Big business

Today I was compared to WalMart by a colleague of mine. She was referring to my ideas for how I want to do business, and meant it as an insult. I realized at that moment that I used to think exactly like her a couple years ago before I experienced my own business awakening that came to my through a series of various business books and seminars. Wanting to take my business bigger and enrich the lives of countless more than I can do on my own in an innovative way was threatening to this woman.

I used to feel the same way. I thought Massage Envy was one of the most threatening things to happen to the massage industry when they came out. Paying massage therapists $15 was a crime in my eyes, as a therapist. And charging people so little for their massages worried me that I couldn't compete. Now I can see that, like Walmart, Massage Envy creates more jobs for therapists, gives them experience, gives them financial security. Not everyone wants to be self employed. Also, from a business prospective, what they did with their business model was unique and innovative, which is was has attributed to their success. So, a thank you goes out to my colleague who compared me to walmart. I take that as a compliment.

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YouTube

So yesterday we went to an amazing conference put on by the Salt Lake Chamber and SLCC with seminars and keynote speaker from OraBrush, an company that was completely saved and successful from their series of YouTube exclusive commercials. If you haven't seen them, click here. They are hilarious.

So we are on a quest to begin our own YouTube series for our corporate massage company to educate the masses on the benefits of massage therapy in a funny and entertaining way. We are in the brainstorming stage, so we would love your input! Also, follow us on twitter and facebook if you aren't already!

Accountants, fun?

This week I met with some unusual accountants. Talented visionaries who also are avid followers of the E-Myth business revolution. I could see that "E-Myth inner light" shining through in their faces as soon as I met them. Who thought accounting could be so fun or exciting? Not me, that's for sure. I am excited to see the new places in business I can discover with their guidance and advice. A fun new partnership has begun. To any out there that might benefit from their accounting or business development wisdom, contact Eddy Hood at Dashboard Accountants in Salt Lake. They rock!