BUSINESS SUCCESS STORIES

Life Massage by Becka

After spending the majority of her career in the food service industry, both managing and serving, Rebecca Peterson decided it was time for a change. "Everything you go through in life develops you as a person, and I believe everything I've gone through in my life has led me here," she says.

"Here" is her very own business, Life Massage by Becka, located within Eau Claire Therapy and Fitness in Eau Claire. Life Massage by Becka provides clients with a soothing atmosphere and stress-free ambiance. Her office contains a comfortable massage bed, dim lighting, and classical, natural-sounding music aimed at relaxing her clients. Rebecca provides a variety of services including hot stone massage, and the industry standard 30, 60, and 90 minute massages.

While obtaining her license at The Salon Professional Academy in Eau Claire, she began writing her business plan. "I always knew I was going to open my own business, but I wasn't sure exactly what kind," claims Rebecca. Massage therapy came naturally to her, and one year later, she was licensed and excited to begin.

Before she could open the doors, she consulted Western Dairyland Business Centers to get "more insight" on her business plan. Given her experience in managing a restaurant, she says she "mostly needed help with the paper work side of business. I knew how to manage, but I needed to know how to do the accounting paper work and things like that." Instead of taking out a business loan, she decided to finance the business herself, and although that was her biggest challenge, her business was finally ready.

Rebecca's business has grown steadily each month, and she has received a lot of positive feedback from her clients, some who even make regular appointments with her. She explains, "People have told me, 'You are so good at what you do,' and that makes you feel good and feel like you're in your right place." In the future, she would like to offer more services such as hydrotherapy and even couples massages. She states, "Hopefully further down the road I can hire other massage therapists to expand my business."

Overall, Rebecca believes she has found her purpose in life. "If I were to give any advice to other entrepreneurs, I would tell them to find out what your natural gifts and talents are, and use those to create a dream and pursue it. If you do that, you will be successful and happy."