Meet Grace Banda.
Grace is a ridiculously talented massage therapist who provides in-home massage in Lilongwe. I estimate that I’ve had around 250 massages in the last 7 years, so I consider myself a pretty discerning consumer. This is good and bad. Good because I appreciate fine technique and bad because my standards are high.
Imagine my delight to find a skilled practitioner in Lilongwe! Grace has been to our house 3 times already in the first month, so we’re getting to know each other quite well already.
It was sometime during my second massage when I was facedown on the table (not the best time to hold a conversation, btw) that I became curious about how Grace gets to her client’s homes. Imagine my surprise when she says she travels via bike (like most Malawians) with her massive massage table. That in itself is an impressive feat!
At that point I think I said something like. “That’s ridiculous Grace. You need a car.” She then shared that she had just passed her driver’s test and is hoping to save up for a car and estimates she could get a used one for about $1500 but doesn’t have the money (PS – bank loans are very hard for the average Malawian to get).
Despite the fact that I was supposed to be relaxing, my little entrepreneurial brain started churning. We immediately began brainstorming and landed on the idea of a 10 session package. Buy 10 up front, get one free. Her 60 minute massages are $20, so each package sold would bring in $200.
I did some quick math in my head, factored in gas, insurance and living expenses for the 3-6 months she’d be delivering these package massages and calculated that 12 packages sold should get her to her goal.
I was so fired up, in fact (forget relaxing, this was too exciting) that I promptly committed Nick and I to two of the first packages, bringing her total needed down to 10. This week she’s working on an updated poster to reflect her new package and then I’m going to post it for her at the Embassy and put it up on all the Expat social media outlets in Lilongwe.
Getting a car will be HUGE for her. It will make her business so much more efficient and sustainable. For example, she’ll no longer need to budget an hour of bike transit time between appointments. She’ll also be able to do night visits. Both of which should hopefully lead to more bookings. Exciting, no?
So, Lilongwe friends, I encourage you to give Grace a try and if you think she’s as great as I do, please consider purchasing one of those 10 packages to help Grace get a car. Here’s her contact information:
Grace Banda
099 117 5846
Offerings: Deep Tissue Massage, Swedish Massage, Lymphatic Drainage Massage and Reflexology
Prices: 15,000 Kwacha for a 60 min massage, 20,000 Kwacha for 90 min massage.
PS – She also does nails and body scrubs!
