So I was looking for an opportunity to show my own massage business and was searching for a room to start my practice. I got a contact from a school buddy to a yoga studio owner who was looking for a practitioner, like a masseur for their room. We agree to meet at the studio so she can show me the room and I can get an idea of the place. It had a smooth appearance with dark tones that pleased my eye. I said that I'll take the room right away if she wants to do business with me, and threw that I'd give a provision percentage wise for my work. She said that part of the deal would be to market each others businesses. Fair enough, I thought from the beginning that creating synergy was the goal: introducing our own clients to the other's business, so she said herself.
A week goes by and I'm not getting any message despite her promises. Finally on the second week, I get a message that she and the two partners of the company had had an discussion where they decided that they weren't "outsourcing" the room and would market the service under their own name, and I would do work as a contractor. Fair enough, I could do that.
Now after that I started to see red when she mentioned of her research of another corporate chain (on the massage business) that takes 30% from contract work, but the thing is, the big chain has massive hold of the market with dozens of agencies around the country with existing regular customer program and they give all the working material ready; room, treatment table, oils etc.
Now, what pisses me off with all this is that:
She just tells me that this big corporate chain has this 30% cut on contractors... yeah? What the hell that does to do with anything when your business model is completely different?
She throws me a percentage of another company, but doesn't suggest any kind of percentage for our deal.
She doesn't tell me if and what supplies their gonna provide me and if they take care of the marketing etc. I asked this 48 hours ago, she has seen the message, still no response.
It seems they had no clue what they exactly wanted out of the room and started doing interviews without any kind of research on how to deal with it.
Now the woman was pleasant and I liked her, but the way she and the two partners were doing business was awful. They are a fresh business though, so that's probably why they're so clumsy. But still... It's not even that she would've given me an outrageous deal, but the fact that she isn't giving me any deal at all where I could negotiate. Anyhow, I moved on to look for other possibilities. It's a shame that we couldn't get to a deal, because I'm sure it would've worked well, but I can't keep hanging in a limbo where I don't know if they're gonna take me or not. I think letting people hang like that is disrespectful, to be honest.
Sounds like they're just out to get the most out of it and trying to see how much advantage they can take of you comparing to other businesses that suited them.
Yep, that's what I thought.
Tell them to stick it up their arse!
Haha, I'd like to, but I think it's enough that I'm pointing how clueless they are :)
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The woman who's actually running things there seemed legit and was talking that the main point would be a mutual partnership where we'd promote each others service, which would've been the main point and where most of the value would've come from. I offered to give 5% from my sales as rent and I would've done all the work with getting the clients, supplies, etc, being an independent service. Seems like she hadn't been keeping the two other partners up to date though, because they want to do things different.
Not sure what their up to, because I'm not getting any offer even... 🤷♂
'Money brings out the worst in people'
This I have learnt the hard way. I would rather have everything written and agreed upon before making any move.
I hope you find a better place with better terms.
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Yeah, I'm not making any moves before I have a deal on paper.
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