What She Has Now Was Unimaginable A Few Years Ago

Kasheena grew up in a small town in Mississippi, the kind of place no one really leaves. She was part of a big family, and her grandmother, who raised 18 children and then Kasheena and her siblings, was at the heart of it. Her grandmother lived with chronic pain, and young Kasheena's daily task was to massage away her grandmother’s discomfort. The joy of helping her grandmother as a child ignited Kasheena’s passion for healing with her hands.

As an adult, Kasheena still wanted to help others, but pursuing massage therapy seemed out of reach. There were no schools nearby, and she was busy raising her four children. Living in the same small town, she realized she needed a change. With limited opportunities in her hometown, Kasheena moved her family to Southaven, Mississippi, near Memphis, TN. This move opened up a world of possibilities, including several massage therapy schools.

One day, Kasheena visited a massage school to gather information. She planned to enroll sometime in the future but ended up enrolling that very day. Balancing an early morning job, school, and caring for her children, Kasheena persevered with little sleep and graduated at the top of her class.

Her journey from a small-town girl with a dream to a top graduate of a massage therapy program is a testament to her determination and resilience.

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Covid Forced Her Into Entrepreneurship With No Business Knowledge

In 2019, Kasheena was offered multiple jobs upon graduation and started working as a massage therapist. By early 2020, she was a mobile massage therapist, working as an independent contractor for a company with contracts at places like St. Jude Hospital. However, when the pandemic began, all her contracts were cancelled, leaving her with no income and four mouths to feed.

Federal funding was available for small business owners impacted by the pandemic, but Kasheena doubted her eligibility since she had been an independent contractor for less than a year. Despite her uncertainty, she prayed and applied for the grant—and she got it.

Kasheena saw this grant as a gift from God, meant to help her start something new. She began writing and making plans, despite having no business education, experience, or connections. She relied on her faith to figure it out.

“Every day I went to a thrift store or consignment shop and looked for things I could use to decorate a place that I didn’t even have. I just believed that I had come this far, and it was going to work out.”

When Kasheena first saw the space for her spa, it was in terrible condition and needed a lot of work. But her realtor’s words struck a chord: she could be the one to clean it up and make it her own. Unsure if she could afford the rent, she signed the lease three weeks later. 

Kasheena poured her heart into renovating the place, and on the ribbon-cutting day, she had 20 clients committed to following her to her new business. That night, she thought, “Lord, rent is due in 30 days. I don’t know what I’ll do if these people don’t show up.”

They showed up and kept coming back. As her reviews on Google increased, her spa became the top listing for massage therapists nearby. This not only brought in more clients but also attracted massage students.

Other therapists began reaching out, wanting to join her team. Though she hadn’t planned on building a team, Kasheena embraced the opportunity and started mentoring these new therapists, sharing hard-earned lessons and essential business knowledge.

Today, Kasheena has three therapists working in her massage practice. They’re all independent but work together as a team. While she’s not yet where she wants to be, Kasheena has big dreams for the future. She’s come a long way in just a few years.

How She Set Herself Up For A Quick Success

Owning a massage business is a lot of work. It takes time and money to keep it up and running. Despite her initial lack of experience, Kasheena set up her business foundation correctly from the start.

She found a brick-and-mortar location and set up a website using GoDaddy. To allow clients to book online, she searched for booking platforms and tested several, including MassageBook, Vagaro, and ClinicSense.

“I remember testing every single one of them. I did a trial of each. When I did the free trial of ClinicSene, I was like: Oh this is it! This is the one.”

After linking her ClinicSense account with her website, she found Square for easy credit card payments both online and in person. 

Setting everything up this way ensured her operations ran smoothly from the beginning. Kasheena now encourages every new therapist she meets to use ClinicSense and Square, attributing her rapid success to these tools and her exceptional customer service.

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