Bev Francis' 2021 Summer Business Plans

Today we're talking to Bev Francis, Holistic Therapist/Owner, Body Boost Holistics, Massage & Reiki, based in Purton, near Swindon.

May is the last month of Spring – how has Spring been for you so far?

Spring has been the budding of new challenges, like website design, pricing restructure & trying to find the right work/home life balance! Being close contact services, I’ve had plenty of time to do ‘behind the scenes’ work during lockdown part 3, but I’m ready to tackle the greatness, which is people looking to improve symptoms with complementary therapies. It’s amazing how Covid has impacted on people’s thought processes re self-care.

What are your plans for the Summer – for your business and for you? 

Summer will be a working one. As long as we are allowed to remain treating people, then this year, plans for ‘holidays’ will be kept local & short. Although I’m pretty sure there are tickets to adventure & wildlife parks which haven’t been used yet.

What are you most looking forward this summer which you had to step away from last summer? 

Working. In the short time that I had been building my business before March 2020, I met some brilliant clients. Those clients have stuck around & are now back, bringing with them new referrals too. (Word of mouth is awesome!!)

And of course, the garden. It’s getting closer and closer to being finished and not the pile of mud that it became last year!

May is National Walking Month, and walking was an activity which was one thing we could do over the last 12 months. 

When you live in a village surrounded by fields, which are fab for walking your crazy dog, there are some days during the wetter months where mud can become a little ‘sticky’. With an incredibly supportive husband who didn’t laugh too hard or ‘go-live’ on Facebook as I stood in a huge mud flood, with my wellies jammed in tight, it seemed that I became a bit more viral than I ever thought I could! That was 2016 – our first winter in Purton. My words “I don’t like Purton anymore!!” Of course I was lying!

Where is your favourite place to walk? 

Anywhere that the dog can run around & the girls can play. Woodland is loved by all of us and is immensely grounding when you need a reset, but anywhere with water is also a winner.

Have you got any events planned for the coming months which you’d like to mention?

I will be attending a Chronic Pain group in July, to talk about how Massage & Reiki can support people living with lifelong conditions like Fibromyalgia. I’m really excited, as it’ll be my first presentation from a business perspective. Luckily I’ve been able to get a bit of experience talking about my business thanks to network meetings.

What’s your one top business tip to help others be positive about their business in May 2021? 

Talk about what you do. Be passionate about it to people you meet. Most of the time people will remember you as that nice person who happens to offer a service that they would like. Give them a business card (take them everywhere).  

Dog walks throughout lockdown have been a 2 metre networking event for me, generally starting ‘Apologies for interrupting - I’m your local Holistic Therapist, offering Massage & Reiki treatments. Please can I leave you a business card.’  

Word spreads, especially in a village, but people recognise you & recommend you, even when they’ve not necessarily been to you themselves.

Tell us all one funny thing about you which we won’t know and you are happy to share (make us laugh!).

A word of advice – NEVER apply for a job as a ‘Massage Person – no experience necessary’ when you are 19, living in Wales & are just looking to get out of the awful temp job you feel stuck in.  

The questions seem a little repetitive (until the penny drops) & you decide that it’s not the job you thought it was!!

For more formation visit www.bodyboostholistics.co.uk