Daily Inspiration: Meet Esther Ruggles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Esther Ruggles

Hi Esther, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I decided to open my own massage practice in 2021. It was slow going at first but after my expierence on The Blox, I left my job at a Chiropractic office and decided to leap into running my own business. There are many people I’ve been able to network with which has helped my confidence & entrepreneur knowledge & skills. I ended up buying a small art & Vendor Co-Op and ran both businesses for 9 months. After a second opportunity at The Blox as a pod director, I decided to rebrand and combine the two businesses into one & keep it lower scale. I’m still in the process of the rebrand & trying to figure out what direction I would like to take next.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a very smooth road. More like a cobblestone road. It started with difficulty trying to secure funding. I was in the middle of selling my house and after the house sold, I was able to pay off the rest for the business and I kid you not shortly after I gave her the last big check for 10,000 she comes into the store, starts taking all her art and crafts out, assaults me after I told her I’m filming her because she was going back on our verbal deal, calls the police and lies to them tells them I was trying to physical block her from taking her crafts out and then goes and tells all her other crafters who knows what and 5 other crafters came in there and took their crafts out. And the whole business went downhill from there. Another woman was slandering me on a public Facebook page in our community, I had to talk to the police several times, one of the crafters ended up coming into the store and stealing some other inventory. Also because I can’t afford business and housing rent I’m living in a camper and that got towed by the police because it was parked in a public parking lot & there’s a city ordinance against that. I don’t have a huge support system in my community so most of my support comes from my Blox community & my foster parents.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a Medical Massage Practitioner/Licensed Massage Therapist. I specialize in Trigger Point Therapy which is a natural approach for pain relief & pain management. I am best known for my deep tissue & Trigger Point massage. I’m most proud of competing in The Blox which is one of the fastest growing companies in the United States & a game show for entrepreneurs to learn, grow & connect.
I am unique from others because I am a Medical Massage Practitioner and there are only 10-12 in the State of Michigan.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
My foster parents Sharon & Brian Mattax- they support me on my entrepreneurial journey & they helped me finance buying Rare Earth Goods (the art co-op).

Wes Bergmann-he hosts The Blox & also emailed me back when I asked him what the pros & cons of buying the small art co-op would be.

The whole camera & editing crew at The Blox which helped portray my business in a professional way so that I would be successful when it aired.

The mentors/judges at The Blox which many have continued to be a professional sounding board of support, advice & blunt honesty about business decisions.

My clients are some of my biggest supporters because they are directly supporting my small business.

Of course my dog named Scout, who recently graduated from Emotional Support Animal to Service Animal.

Pricing:

• 30 Mins-$40
• 60 Mins-$80
• 90 Mins-$115

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/restorativebodyworkllc?igsh=MW1qZ3c3MHVxNDl4aw==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/2i8gtobfYf9dMi8C/?mibextid=qi2Omg