1. Having a Business at Home
If you like to float this is the sweetest little business you can imagine. You
set up a tank in a room close to a shower, let the word out that you have a floatation
tank, and decide whether you want to have people float only on Tuesdays, only
in the morning, or anytime they wish. Set the fee somewhere from $30 to $50 per
hour and increase your income while you supply others with something they have
been looking for. See Income Projections in this
section. This works well if you:
- want to earn money
- want your own tank and need help making the payment
- want to work at home
- already have another business at home
- are in creative work
- want to meet others who want to float
If you
don't know anyone who would like to float in a tank, this won't work. You have
to know at least 2 people who would like to float in a tank for this to work.
If you know 2 people who want to float, and let them invite their friends who
would like to float, you can start a business. We see a network of these
thruout North America that we call "The Blue Highways". Floatation tanks for rent
could soothe the continental nervous system while it helps your economy. In your
own home you can provide a service which could change someone's whole life while
you have the benefit of earning money and meeting excellent people. You
do need a room that offers privacy for the floater and you have to be willing
to keep the tank and the shower immaculate. We will supply the "Orientation",
the "User Form", suggestions on promotion and lots of materials to help
you. As far as being in the business, being with someone when they come
out of the tank is so much fun that it almost seems wrong to collect $30. or more/hour.
But you can force yourself. What's in it for You? You get to float
at any hour of the day or night, for as long a time as you wish. and that is the
supreme benefit. Visualize a network of these businesses linked throughout the
world. Inner space highways, floatation stations, health hostels, peace! This
can grow into a very strong, creative network with lots of room for growth .
2. Wrapped Inside Another Business
You can have a tank in many other
business establishments. Think of a tank in a cafe where people come to spend
time reading or writing or talking. Add a 1 hour float to the mix and it softens
the atmosphere very nicely. A day spa is much more obvious. There already
are many water and relaxation activities and floating would attract more of the
meditators and innervision clients. A boutique. Floating is the perfect
thing to do before shopping, before sitting in the dentist's chair, getting a
chiropractic treatment, browsing through the bookstore...New brick and mortar
businesses will have to offer special environments to entice people away from
their computer screens. A tank could add a major attraction to many, many businesses.
3. Float Center
You can have a Floatation Tank Center where the center
of your business is the tank - usually 3 or 4 or more - with other services added.
These places offer the best of environments. The atmosphere magnifies the clear
spirit of those coming out of the tanks. It is a wonderful place to be. There's
no shortage of people who want to come and do any job at all at a float center. We
have a manual called,"So You're Planning a Center" for sale that is
very good helping you plan a Center.
Warm, Wet, Dark, and QuietWe learned that in order to describe
the use of the tank, we had to describe an experience.The list of words we were
using were doing just the opposite of what we wanted. Technical words either turned
people off or sent them away. We took the assignment of finding a way to
describe the tank that would allow people to see the tank as a common object,
something familiar rather than something strange. We worked on this description
for years, refining and changing the words to keep making it simpler. The following
is what we came up with.
Floatation
Tank DescriptionThe tank is a little larger around than a twin sized
bed and chest high. It contains 10" of water to which so much epsom salts have
been added, that when you get in and lie on your back, you are pushed to the surface
so you float like a cork, weightless as an astronaut in space. There is a lightweight
door that you can leave open, or if you want to get rid of the distractions of
noise and light you can close the door. If you are in the tank business,
or thinking of being in the business, I recommend that you monitor your conversations
about floating very carefully so you see how others are responding to you. It
is an invaluable exercise.
Interacting
With Floaters The objective of this material is to give you information
to help you be with people before and after they float. This information has been
gathered over time and is a condensation of what we have learned in the course
of introducing thousands of people to floating. We like to give the details about
the tank needed to guarantee the safety and comfort of the user. We don't want
to tell anyone what they "should" or "probably will" do, think,
or feel in the tank. First of all we were taught not to "program" people
by Dr. Lilly, and from experience we have seen that people coming to use the tank
are extremely creative in their usage, and they know exactly what to do with their
privacy. They come up with such fantastic travels of their own that it seems unfair
to limit them. As you continue using the tank and introducing it to others,
you may notice how different it is for each person and how difficult it is to
describe the experience precisely in words. Although most of us know that tastes,
opinions, likes and dislikes are all very personal and individual, we often are
swayed by what we hear someone else say. Sometimes we question our own reactions
if they are different from what we have heard before. Samadhi faces this issue
- how to retain and care for the private and personal experience of using the
tank and then find a way to talk about it to thousands of people so they can discover
it for themselves, without our programming their experience. We think we have
solved the problem by devising tools that allow the tank user to validate their
experience without being violated, and the staff to grow by being continually
receptive to other realities. The following materials are items in a tool
kit. General purpose tools for your use. As you work with them, they will become
more natural, effective and comfortable for you. Explore them and see how well
they can work. Build with them. Be creative with them. Enjoy them. Find when they
are appropriate and when they are not. Like the tank, they are for you to explore,
learn and grow. Use these tools and you will become a valuable resource to people
who in turn, will want to buy tanks, memberships, and packages from you, free
of the traditional pressures of "salesmanship". Master these tools and put them
to appropriate use and not only will your job become profoundly more interesting
and far more fun, but more rewarding financially as well.
When
People Get Out of the Tank The way you are with people both before and
after their float can strongly influence what they think of their float. It also
helps them decide whether or not they want to come back and float in the future.
One of the things that has made Samadhi so successful is the way we treat people
when they come out of the tank. It is so simple that it may seem as if we're describing
the things you would do very naturally. Our premise is that everyone sees and
feels the world a bit differently. A rainy day is beautiful to one and gloomy
to another. Being at the top of a skyscraper can be thrilling to one and frightening
to another.
Let It BeThe way anything
seems to an individual is not right or wrong, good or bad, it is simply the way
it is for that person. We have learned that it is important to allow for these
individual differences, to simply let people be. When some people get out of the
tank, they may be so quieted or peaceful that they may not want to be distracted
with socializing. Perhaps they have just had a personal discovery in the tank
and want more quiet time to explore it. People often say that they don't feel
like talking when they come out of the tank. It is similar to the way that some
people don't feel like talking when they first wake up in the morning. It is just
the way people are. Likewise, it is not at all unusual for people to be eager
to talk. Many people feel that their experience isn't really complete until they
have talked to someone about it. The important thing is to let everyone have the
oppcrtunitv to talk and the choice of whether or not they want to talk. Some may
prefer to sit quietly having some tea. That is quite common. If, on the other
hand, a person does want to talk, we think it is extremely valuable to have someone
there, ready and willing to listen.
Listen
To really listen with understanding and interest, so that the person
has an opportunity to fully express what he or she wants to say is the
art to cultivate. Listening is the key to being with people when they
come out of the tank. Listening so that the person feels they have been
heard. Listening in a way that lets each person know that the way he or
she sees things or thinks about anything is alright.Sometimes, merely
repeating what someone has said lets them know they've been heard.Sometimes,
a moment's silence gives another the time to work out their thoughts for
themselves. That way they come up with answers to their own questions.
This non-intrusive, quiet approach outside the tank matches the quiet
self-reliance inside the tank. That's what makes it so natural and appropriate.
It complements the tank experience itself. If you can simply listen to
what people are saying, it may be the first time in their memory that
anyone has ever heard what they were saying. This may be deeply appreciated
by them and quite amazing for you.
A
Very Personal ExperienceWe encourage people to strengthen their sensing
and intuition. In a gentle and nurturing way, we allow room for individual differences,
rather than impose limits by telling people what their experience should be. We
listen to people and give them room to explore their own thoughts and feelings
without interference. We recognize that all points of view are valuable and interesting
when seen as individual expressions of the overall richness of human experience.
We welcome everyone coming to use Samadhi Tanks as having a unique viewpoint.
We offer information about the known -- water temperature, floating, epsom salts,
etc., while we honor the personal experience of the tank user. The range of responses
to the tank we have encountered goes from ecstatic to bored. Whatever the response,
it is okay.
Chasing The Dollar
One problem that can occassionally arise is that because you are directly
interested in the financial success of your Center, you will want people
to talk about their experience only in ways that you think may seem to
promote the tank. Thus, if a person tries to express something you think
is negative -- such as, "I was cold in the tank" -you may find yourself
tempted to resist their comments, explain them away, or cut them off prematurely.
In such situations, it is useful to remember that people are not necessarily
making comments about the tank, the Center, or about you when they talk
about their experiences. They are talking about themselves. Hear them
out and let them communicate whatever they're thinking. It will make them
feel better and it will clear the path for them to move on and explore
what they did like about the experience, to validate the positive aspects.
Resisting people's "negative" comments and not hearing them only leaves
them stuck in their negative feelings with no chance to resolve them.
Get
Educated!In addition to really listening to people, you will also want
to be able to answer any factual questions they have. The list of questions and
answers we have compiled elsewhere (see "Frequently
Asked Questions") provides responses to questions that typically arise. Know
them and use them. If people are asking you questions that aren't on the list,
we have found that it is better to answer with an honest "I don't know" than to
give wrong information. If, in addition to commanding factual information, you
also have a backlog of your own experiences in the tank, and a continually growing
knowledge of others' experiences, you will be even better equipped to serve the
people who come in to float at the Center. Income
Projections $30 per Float - 5 Days / Week
| Floats / Day | $
/ Day | $ / Month | $
/ Year | | 1 | 30 |
650 | 7800 |
| 2 | 60 |
1300 | 15600 |
| 3 | 90 |
1950 | 23400 |
| 4 | 120 |
2600 | 31200 |
| 9 | 270 |
5850 | 70200 |
$40 per Float - 5 Days / Week
| Floats / Day | $
/ Day | $ / Month | $
/ Year | | 1 | 40 |
1733 | 10400 |
| 2 | 80 |
2600 | 20800 |
| 3 | 1200 |
3466 | 31200 |
| 4 | 1600 |
3466 | 41600 |
| 9 | 3600 |
7800 | 93600 |
$50 per Float - 5 Days / Week
| Floats / Day | $
/ Day | $ / Month | $
/ Year | | 1 | 50 |
1083 | 13000 |
| 2 | 100 |
2166 | 26000 |
| 3 | 150 |
3250 | 39000 |
| 4 | 200 |
4333 | 52000 |
| 9 | 450 |
9750 | 11700 |
|