When people find out my brother, Nikolas Pattantyus, is a massage therapist, they exclaim, “Wow, you’re so lucky!”  Yes, I tell them, I would be lucky if he lived nearby.  Nik owns and operates a massage therapy practice based in the beach resort of Avalon, NJ.  He also, as my mom and I like to say, lives the life.  Upon graduating from high school, he knew himself well enough to have the wisdom and audacity to skip college.  He traveled to surf and snowboard (he even lived in Samoa for 5 months), and he worked when he could, mostly during the summer at restaurants in Avalon and Stone Harbor, which share a barrier island. 

Nik lived a frugal, free-spirited life, but he also knew he needed to get serious and find a career.  Six years after kissing academia goodbye, Nik enrolled at the highly regarded Utah School of Massage Therapy in Salt Lake City.  He had found his calling, and he set up his business, 7 Mile Island Massage, in the summer of 2001. 

From the end of May through October, Nik works up to 10 hours a day.  Since most of his clients live 1 ½ to 2 hours away in and around Philadelphia, he has decided to cut back on the off-season travel, live in Philadelphia during the winter, and focus on growing his business into a year-round enterprise. Here’s how he’s doing just that.

Nikolas Pattantyus

Why did you decide to go into business for yourself?  How long have you been in business?

The decision was easy.  I like being independent and doing things on my own terms.  I started the business when I was still in massage school ten years ago.  When I began doing market research on the South Jersey shore (Avalon, NJ to be more exact), I found a niche in the market; there wasn’t a single massage therapy business in the county providing outcalls

Operating a seasonal business means intense work for a short period of time.  How do you balance the need to work a lot with not exhausting yourself?

I make a point of scheduling time for myself each week to stay in top physical condition.  I try to get to the gym at least 3 times a week, surf as often as possible, and get a massage every two weeks.  It’s a physically, emotionally, and mentally demanding job, so I need to take care of myself before I can take care of anyone else.

What have been the benefits and drawbacks of owning a seasonal business?

Having the time and flexibility to do what I want in the offseason is both a benefit and a drawback.  Another big drawback is finding skilled therapists to work with me.  Competent and knowledgeable therapists are difficult to find, especially those willing to do house calls at the beach for only a few months a year.

How have you transitioned to owning a business that operates year-round? 

Most of my clientele live in the Philadelphia metro area, so I have started sending text messages or calling my clients to let them know I’ll be working in their town or neighborhood that day. 

What outreach/advertising methods have you/do you use to grow your business?

The only paid advertising I do now is the Cape May County phone book.  Most of my business is repeat business, but I also generate business through word of mouth and my website, which is optimized for search engines.  I do some networking but I don’t have a Facebook page or use Twitter. 

Thinking back on the lean winters, would you have done anything differently?

Yeah, for sure.  I used to fill my head with different places I wanted to travel to during the winter; I had no intention of being in the Mid-Atlantic area at all.  My clients would always ask me if I was going to be around Philly during the offseason, and I would always say no.  I set myself back taking that approach but I’ve learned that by making myself available all year and staying in touch with my clients throughout the year has increased my summer business with my regulars.

What are your goals?  Where do you see your company headed? 

I plan on finding dependable, quality therapists I can employ during the summer and growing my offseason business to the point where I can keep them busy in the winters, either in Philly or at the Shore or both.

If you could give one piece of advice to a burgeoning entrepreneur/small business owner, what would it be? 

Explore as many different advertising mediums as possible and track them to see which works best.   Do what you can to get new clients without selling yourself short and do whatever it takes to accommodate existing clients because positive experiences will generate good word of mouth traffic.