massage therapy journal

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Surviving Worst-case Scenario

PreParation and Planning are two key ingredients for staying in business if or when disaster strikes.

by Camille Hoheb

Do you have adequate cash reserves to see you through the trouble, as well as proper insurance coverage? Do you have an idea of what resources are available for you and what steps you can take to get on your feet and back in business quickly?

Consider an injured hand, a flooded toilet or an arson attempt on a neighboring business. Or, imagine one of the worst hurricanes in U.S. history. You might think you and your business will never experience adversity, but crime and disasters can, and do, happen. So, you need to have products and plans in place that will enable you to continue to do what you do best—whatever the circumstance.

Where to Begin

Massage therapists need to think about insurance coverage before opening their doors. Marie Trudeau, a certified insurance counselor with W.E. Davis Insurance Agency in Columbus, Ohio, explains how different insurance products benefit massage therapists. (For more information on individual insurance policies, see "Insurance Policy Checklist" on page 71).

"Business interruption insurance is like disability coverage for your business," she explains. If an event forces you to close your practice for any amount of time, business interruption insurance covers ongoing expenses such as rent or mortgage, payroll, utilities and lost profits. Robin Cunningham Myers, licensed massage therapist and owner of Wholistic Alternatives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was hit hard by Hurricane Katrina. She didn' t have business interruption insurance and wasn't given any relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or the Small Business Administration. To keep her business open, Myers used her own cash reserves for nearly a year.

On December 12, 2007, the worst ice storm in Oklahoma recorded history occurred. Marcy Matney, licensed massage therapist and owner of Waterstone Spa in Skiatook, didn't plan for such an event. Her practice was without electricity for 10 days. "All I could do was wait," she remembers. "At the event of the outage, the federal government refused to assist with any loss to individuals or businesses."

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