2013 has been challenging in many respects and many people are hoping for change in the New Year, particularly within the workplace. Experts in the wellness industry advise that there are some steps that can be taken to help turn the tide and benefit from improvement.

One of the main sources of frustration and stress amongst people is finance. Against increasingly difficult market conditions, weakening currency and increasing cost of living, disposable income represents a key challenge for most households.

Martina Laurie, CEO of Hands On Treatment, says it is impossible today for people to depend entirely on their salary… it is vital to create multiple revenue streams, sources of income that can be done in spare time.

Hands-On Treatment is an established Mobile Massage Company based in Johannesburg.  It provides on-site neck and shoulder chair massage service to the corporate sector, covering specialised labour-intensive areas such as call centres, events and exhibitions, amongst others.

The company has been a Proudly South African member since 2003 and in 2007 received the Proudly South African best SMME Service award.

Hands On Treatment has scored highly on the QSE Scorecard and is categorised as a Level 1 Contributor to Broad Based BEE, meaning that a company can claim 135% of their spend via their own scorecard.  Furthermore, due to their categorisation as “Value-Adding Supplier”, a company can claim a further 25% on their spend.

The company has been in the market for over ten years, has medical malpractice insurance and has established credibility via its affiliation to Proudly South Africa and standards monitoring body, BPeSA Gauteng (Call Centre & Business Process Outsourcing).

Laurie believes the current economic climate dictates that decision makers in business review their marketing and service delivery strategies. “It simply cannot be business as usual,” says Laurie. “Traditional methods and channels are no longer effective. Today, irrespective of which line of business you are in or what the size of your operation is, one is compelled to consider social media, analytics and similar trends in advertising services or products.”

The power of online

In today’s market having online presence is a pre-requisite to being taken seriously. There is no doubt that the Internet is now entrenched as a business-building tool that has to be incorporated into any credible strategy, designed to empower businesses to compete.

Websites are no longer ‘nice-to-haves’ in commerce, but have emerged as the frontline of communication to clients, customers and partners Laurie continues.

As a qualified chartered accountant and years of experience in the field, and having successfully established a venture in a new line of business – that is also focused on equipping young women with necessary skills, Laurie believes it is possible to achieve, to generate profit and to move beyond ones circumstances – irrespective of how dire or difficult they may be.

“2014 will be the year for self-empowerment, for improvement and for wellbeing – we are determined to help see this happen. It will require hard work, discipline and focus – but it is definitely possible,” she adds.