A New Path in Old Shoes

It has been many days since I have written here.  Life, whether you're ready or not, has a way of flying out of control in the most amazing ways.  How so?  Well...

March 2016:  I opened my first Shiatsu center: The River Stone Shiatsu Center in Kirkland, Washington.  One of my dreams had come true.  Lots of work.  Lots of preparation.  Lots of fear.  Lots of risk.   But there it was.  Built out and ready to go!

And just when you think you've planned for "everything", what you don't see coming are your enemies who'd been hiding in the tall grass, waiting to pounce.  Enemies that never had to be enemies to begin with.  Enemies drawn from power, greed, and selfishness.  Enemies apparently wiling to do everything in their power to stop your success.  To stop your happiness.  To make life immeasurably more difficult.

Well, I wasn't gonna have any of that.  I didn't care that I was financially outmatched.  I didn't care that I was outmatched through experience in this type of situation.  When you follow your dreams, nothing is supposed to stand in your way!  Nothing!  I did nothing illegal or unethical to start my business, this I knew.  Everything I had done was out of love for what I practiced and passion for what I saw as my future.  Nonetheless, that means nothing to those eager to stand in your way for fear of what you might bring to the table.

Never give up!  Never give in!  Your god will be with you always.  Lean on him.  Tell him what you want.  Don't be afraid to feel that you deserve success.  That you deserve joy.  That you deserve happiness!  In the end, you will come out on the side of success.  Even if that means swimming through alligator infested waters.  Even if that means more stress then one can imagine.  Even if that means willing to risk it all for what you believe is right.

In the end I did prevail.  In the end I bought an expensive bottle of champagne and celebrated.  It was the best bottle of champagne I had ever tasted.  Whether it was finally being free of my restraints.  Free of enemies who you'd figured had better things to do.  Or flat out just good champagne, I couldn't tell.  Nonetheless... it was good and it felt great with each sip!

And alas, The River Stone was underway.  And if you thought the initial speed bump was tough, no matter the size of the bump... it is nothing compared to actually running a business!

Over the first 6 months, I was predominantly on my own.  The few practitioners that I hired to start with me were only qualified to practice massage.  I thought that massage would be slower here but still something people would seek out.  I was wrong.  Massage wasn't very popular.  After all, we were a Shiatsu Center.  That was the draw.  So those practitioners weren't busy enough to keep on staff and a lesson had been learned.

I began working my tail off.  Those who knew me know this as nothing new.  But seeing 50 clients a week to make sure everything stayed moving forward, that was definitely new.  In the world of Shiatsu, 50 clients is a good week.  When you're not used to that load, it can be daunting.  And then, after a lot of patient waiting, my first Shiatsu Practitioner came on board and gave me new life.  Kacey, my amazing younger sister, finally came to work at The River Stone.  With a drive to support her family and passion for Sennin-So Shiatsu, she hit the ground running and hasn't looked back.

Personally, I'm not a micromanager.  Never believed in being one.  And hated being micromanaged myself.  If you want to be a true professional, I'll treat you as one.  If you can't be one, then there is no business for you here. I've known Kacey her whole life and this is the avenue she needed.  I knew this.  I also knew she was the professional that The River Stone yearned for.  And it has worked out beautifully.

The two of us directed The River Stone towards a path where only the sky's the limit.  Recently, a year and a half in, we have trained and hired our newest practitioner, Taylor Guske.  Taylor came to us as the younger brother of one of my Shiatsu colleagues, Kori.  Kori and I trained together in Shiatsu for 8 years and she'd talk about her brother, the collegiate running star, many times.  How he received Sennin-So Shiatsu to keep his body healthy while running.  So it is only natural that Taylor went to massage school to immediately turn around and learn shiatsu.  Taylor has been a joy to have in the office as he also wishes to have nothing but success in this field and has the drive to get there.  After all, if you've trained your body to run long distances like he has, doing this work is a piece of cake!

Since its inception, The River Stone has had a plethora of clients from all walks of life swing.  We see many doctors, physical therapists, massage therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists come and try this rare art.  Plenty of the working class in the technology field as well.  Boy do they ever need us!  We see children and the elderly.  Car accident clients are A MUST for us, as there is a major variable about car accident clients that most overlook.  We've also had the joy of helping professional athletes from football, baseball, basketball, and soccer heal from injuries and prevent them from the beginning.  In fact, I'll be flying cross country in the future to go see one of these very clients.  Sadly, Sennin-So Shiatsu isn't practiced east of Washington State.  So in order for him and his teammates to receive the benefits, someone has to travel.  This time... it'll be me.  He's done it plenty!

I can't begin to thank everyone who has supported this dream enough.  Countless of individuals who have been there from the very beginning to see each step take place.  One individual told me that she was very shocked at how fast The River Stone has grown.  I laughed and told her that it was anything but fast.  At least from my perspective.  In my experience, amazing dreams that come true don't happen quickly.  We'd never truly appreciate it if it did.

Now, while The River Stone continues to grow, a new and exciting opportunity is right around the corner.  I can't wait to share this opportunity with those who are eager to hear about it.  To achieve one dream in life is amazing enough.  To be on the precipice of achieving a second?  It's almost too good to be true.  In fact, to date, what I have seen in this opportunity as it has come to fruition... sometimes I need my wife to pinch me to make sure I'm not actually asleep.

From the ever grateful owner of The River Stone Shiatsu Center, I thank you all.

-Adam