Why I stopped accepting gratuities
When I began my own independent business, I stuck with the paradigm of charging a base fee and accepting any gratuities from clients. I knew there was a business model that involved the fee without gratuities and I had no idea how I would want to go about it. The problem was I wasn’t sure what my services would be worth or what I needed to make in order to make my living.
It is important that I be able to support myself so I can continue to do this work that I enjoy doing. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get the business if I charged more and eliminated gratuities. The fear lingered and scarcity mindset loomed. Plus, how would I get this message across to everyone?
This all changed during the pandemic. After spending much time in solitude, re-inventing myself, and gaining health and clarity, I decided it was time to pull the trigger and make some changes to the way I conduct business, including eliminating the gratuities.
Oftentimes there’s a guessing game as to how much to tip a person for their services. This is more common for people who work as employees and get paid a percentage from their employers. Since I am self-employed this doesn’t make sense to my business. When I worked at the Ace Hotel spa the gratuities made sense.
Doing business this way makes it more comfortable for me as well. I have no expectation for a monetary boost so it’s easier for me to figure out what numbers I need to keep business and my life afloat. Also, what is better than a gratuity that easily comes and goes? An online review!
Online reviews are evergreen and are testimonials to how I conduct business. Although my reviews are glowing, I welcome even the less than stellar ones because that gives me an opportunity to evaluate my performance, what may have been going on with me that day, and address any concerns in a public forum. After all, I’m not perfect and I’m not the massage therapist for everyone’s needs.
I hope this helps people rest a little easier knowing I am not expecting anything extra for my services. I approach all services equally and aim to execute my best work because I want to help people.