So I am currently sat on my sofa with a glass of wine and laptop in front of me. I wonder what I can write a blog post about this week. It is September 2021 and we have been working on setting up the school of sports massage for around 2.5 years now! This has been no mean feat. Not only was the project bigger than we ever could have imagined, but we also both need to continue to maintain our own businesses so that we can eat! Thinking about that I decided that I could explain a bit about our journey so far, and the realities of starting a new business as it might not be as glamorous as you would expect!
We’ve never given up, and we both love teaching
Starting a new business – The beginning
Tamsin and I taught together for a while. We both struggled having to work with someone else’s standards and ethos. Eventually we went our separate ways, but joked that we really should do something ourselves. Somehow, that escalated. I’m not sure how but next time I took stock, we were meeting in a Sainsbury’s café between massage. We discussed setting up an online based teaching company, and highlighting what we wanted to achieve. How we got our diaries in the same area at the same time I will never know!
Family voices of reason guided us and we listened. We did actually put some numbers together and realised that this fantasy idea might not be so far fetched after all. So we met regularly from this point. We planned and wrote scripts, planned slides, and worked out how best we can ensure the quality of the course. Our work schedules were busy which complicated things, but also Tamsin and Paul’s move to Wales, a long way from my Wiltshire base!
Working remotely
That aside, we continued, working remotely, and skyping every few weeks. Once we had some content prepared we needed to start recording. Since this point we have been commuting every fortnight or so to each other’s respective homes. I have always felt that I had a better deal as Paul cooks lunch when I go to Wales, and my attempts at catering are limited at best! That said we are fueled by cups of tea, lunch and most importantly… cookies! Although Tamsin cooks these so I think I might have to raise my game!
Voice overs and filming
Recording all the voice overs you hear in our work are done from the top of a mountain in Wales! This is complicated by the amount of work Tamsin and Paul are having to do to their house, and therefore the odd recording did contain some hammering, or occasionally a cockerel crowing!!
Meanwhile, my tiny second bedroom was transformed into our film studio. Family and friends have been amazing and loaned us equipment but also their time, as we move them around in order to get the right shot amid the lights, cups of tea and sound absorbing mattresses!
So as I write this, glass of wine now finished, we are making progress, really good progress. We are still talking to each other, which I think is the main thing and we are making progress. But why did I write this?
We have built our own careers in sports massage, pretty successfully. We’ve not had the same experience, but both work, we’ve never given up, and we both love teaching. So hopefully through this project we can continue to inspire and educate new therapists and maybe you’ll be starting a new business soon.
