Hidden Gems: Meet Tiffany Wright of Artists in Motion Massage Therapy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Wright.

Hi Tiffany, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
My massage journey began in august of 2006 when I made the decision to begin massage classes, little did I know then how this decision would change my life. I graduated in 2008 from Miller-Motte College in Wilmington, North Carolina. I thought I was going to then become a physical therapist by taking the next step in my undergrad work by attending Campbell University. However, by the third semester in I began to see massage as a better career choice for me. So I moved back home and went to work full time for a local spa in my hometown of Surf City, NC.

In working for the spa I was encouraged and found I really enjoyed working with clients that had reoccurring issues and a real need for deeper bodywork. I was also encouraged by a very brief encounter with a massage therapist the had a practice in neuromuscular therapy. My very curious mind first said “what is neuromuscular?” and “How can this type of therapy benefit the clients I seem to find myself working on?” Then I set out to find classes to take for continuing education.

Just as I was about to go take these classes I was hit with one of the biggest hurdles in my journey, the spa I was working for was closing its doors and I had two weeks to figure out what to do. After about a week of sulking and stressing myself out, I found a salon that was looking to expand and add massage to its list of services.

This was 2012, and with the encouragement of my family and the owner of the salon, I gave it all I had at the time. This year was literally the hardest year of my career. I very quickly realized how much I did not know about starting or running a business on my own. I felt all the overwhelming emotions of making goals, and not month after month not hitting those goals. In November of 2012, my family in Greensboro offered for me to move in with them and try to continue my career if I could or at least move to a more populated area that had more job opportunities. So I picked up my life packed what I could carry with me and moved to Greensboro, with no job prospects, $250.00 in my pocket, no car, and a hard deadline of January 31, 2013, to find a job.

After five failed interviews with spas in the area, and being told I was overqualified I came across a craigslist ad for Artists in Motion Massage Therapy whose owner was Michael Johnson. I sent in my resume and got an interview, I was so nervous and desperate to find a job, that I totally messed up the interview. However, in meeting with Michael he saw something in me and gave me my shot. This decision has forever changed my life. I was now a part of a group of independent massage therapists who worked together, to mentor and build each other up for the client’s benefit. It was also a group of therapists who knew the value of the work they did and what I wanted to do. It was tuff, scary, and emotional to be starting a business with literally nothing.

I, however, was in the right group of people who gave me good advice and taught me the in’s and out’s of crafting the therapist/client relationship the was mutually beneficial. Michael and this group of massage therapists also gave me the mentorship that I longed for but could not find in my small hometown.

In September of 2016, Michael presented to me the opportunity to manage the whole business that was Artists in Motion Massage at that time. At first glance, I was shocked by this opportunity. I was definitely not looking for more responsibility. My clients and business were growing strong and I had achieved my goals of financial independence and being able to take care of myself. I was apprehensive and nervous to say the very least. With Michael’s help and teaching, I began managing Artists in Motion Massage therapy. A little over a year later in October 2017. Michael set up a meeting and presented an offer to buy the company I had worked feverishly for the past year which brought about many challenges, in how to deal with public relations, business marketing decisions, and trying to grow the business both for the therapists and myself.

It was yet another pivotal decision, one that again would change my life. it was also a decision that I took head-on and as confidently as I could. I knew within myself that I would do whatever it took to keep this business going, not just for myself but for the therapists that I had been working alongside for the previous few years.

I could not have foretold or predicted the hurtle that was 2020. As a micro-business, there is not a lot of profit margin. I seriously thought at one point in April of 2020, that I would have to close the doors and the chapter that was Artists in Motion Massage therapy. A pandemic, then a mandatory shut down, and a financial squeeze was almost my undoing. Then I remembered that if I gave up and tossed in the towel I would be affecting the lives of the therapists that I had invested in and helped grow their businesses, with that in mind I could not just give up. So I dug my heels in and when I could get back to work, I gave it all I had and encouraged that staff where I could to save their businesses and mine. A little over a year and we are stronger and continuing to take care of the clients we serve.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Challenges well there have been a few I suppose that has been significant. The first and the most important was believing in myself and taking that belief and using it to fuel my decisions to uproot my life for the complete unknown when I moved to Greensboro. Challenge was even harder from a mental standpoint, I had to overcome the mistakes I had made and allow myself to think outside the box of what I knew.

The next big challenge was getting a group of therapists to build up their businesses and reach for their dreams and goals.

Of course, 2020 brought a whole new perspective on the word challenge, as I and many other small business owners did our best to keep going and keep the doors open for those that we serve.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Artists in Motion Massage Therapy?
Artists in Motion Massage Therapy was created by Michael Johnson in 2011, that big idea was to create a place for massage therapists that don’t fit in a spa setting or wanted to be a business on their own but could not afford the upfront expense of running a business. AIMMT was a good in-between option, also with the benefit of working alongside other therapists that knew how to grow a business from nothing. AIMMT was also created for the therapist who faced the very common experience of burnout within the spa setting.

Artists in motion gave clients the option to really find the right therapist for their own body aches and pains. Also, the therapeutic relationship and trust that is involved in long-term care for the client. Our therapists have a varied background in continuing education and each one has a unique idea and passion for the therapy they offer. We are not a one therapist fits all business. I encourage both the clients we serve and the therapists to try different therapists/therapies to find which fits their own individual needs.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Risk, this one word can be the thing that propels a person towards life’s greatest reward or the word that will keep you from taking a leap of faith. I can say now that in looking back that I tried to do my best to calculate the outcomes of the risks I took. Some ideas and opportunities worked out others were a definite swing and a miss. Once I was managing Artists in Motion Massage therapy, I had to figure out the types of people that would be suited to being a part of the team of therapists without disrupting the synergy of the current group. The learning curve in this one area was steep and tough. and if I’m really honest I’m still learning.

Each new therapist I bring into the business is a risk, will they take the opportunity before them and run after their goals, does this opportunity work best for their natural ability and personal drive, just to name a few questions that I risk every time I consider bring in someone new to the group. I have to think very carefully about this because of our collective reputation of being the place to go when the client’s needs are not being met.

If you risk nothing then you gain nothing, even when you miss the mark you still learn something from that experience, if you stop taking a risk or stop pursuing the dream that is completely and uniquely yours then you miss out on the reward of seeing an opportunity to its completion, or the blessing of helping others along their journey.

Pricing:

• 60 minutes sessions range from $60-$80
• 90 minutes sessions range from $90- $ 110

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.massageforgreensboro.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/massageforGSO

Image Credits
Sarah Cook Luck Photography, Tiffany Wright, and Nathaniel Despain.