Meet Frank Bunevich | Licensed Massage Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Frank Bunevich and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Frank, what role has risk played in your life or career?
How do I think about risk? I think that risk is something that has a positive and negative side to it and interestingly risk and reward both start with “r”. In my philosophy of risk, the positive side of risk is of course gain, opportunity, living, taking a chance (especially on yourself). “If not now, when?” Risk on the negative side, definitively is the chance or hazard of loss. There is a degree of fear and apprehension to this action especially because there is no guarantee or security that you will achieve what you set out to accomplish. However, the person who is willing to take the risk is brave and heroic depending on what they are risking or venturing to do. There is never any surefire way to completely predict what will happen, however, you can take the time to thoroughly research and consider your options. The best you can do is educate yourself as much as you can and have a backup plan when it comes to risk.

Risk can be failure; it can also be opportunity. You never truly know but that also makes life interesting depending on your outlook. In my life risks have been both opportunity and failure. You will never know what could happen if you constantly think to yourself “what if?”. Sometimes the best way to learn is to throw yourself right into something and sometimes it is best to wait and measure. This becomes quite the balancing act because you want to take action and not wait too long but at the same time you don’t want to needlessly throw yourself into something especially at your detriment.

I have found the best way is to come from the heart. The heart is your compass in life, this is why the Egyptians considered it the heart of the Universe (The Individual who is the Universe on a microcosmic level). Sometimes even in this instance we can be deceived or “wrong” about a decision but that is how we learn and grow in life so even if you fail you learn what doesn’t work which makes you wiser towards gaining the knowledge of what does work. This is how I have gone about risk or opportunity in my life. A good practice is to write out a list of reasons why you would not do A and why you would do A? Address the reasons objectively and most of the time I have found the reasons I have not done something are in fact excuses or fear-based assumptions.

Applying this to my business, I realized early on that I am talented and gifted at what I do. However, I never saw myself running my own business because I never saw myself running my own business or in other words, so you think, so you feel, so you act. I eventually became dissatisfied with my wage, my progress, and most especially my freedom. I decided in February of 2020 to start my business right before life would change immensely for the world and to put it in perspective, I knew that the country was going to go into lockdowns because I had been following the Covid story since late 2019 and based off the patterns of other countries locking down it was only a matter of time for it to happen here. It did not stop me from doing what I needed to set up my own business and file the necessary paperwork. In the beginning there were some business’ that stayed open and some that closed. I kept myself open and was able to see people in their home which would become a preferred method of business exchange and social exchange for so many people. I took a risk right before a time period that was going to heavily affect the economy, I had plenty of reasons to wait, especially in a strategic sense.

I determined, from my heart, that I needed to obtain my own sovereignty as a massage therapist and make my own living, my own way, and thought to myself “If not now, when?” It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. I kept myself steadily employed through 2020 as a traveling massage therapist and people were so grateful to be able to receive massage not just for therapeutic reasons, pain relief, but also for stress relief with so much uncertainty. I even traveled one evening to Tempe for a client who had been for weeks with no massage and in dire need of back pain relief. In 2021 I continued to grow as I increased my visibility and range and now, I service the Tucson, Oro Valley, and Vail areas. It’s 2022 and the future is looking so bright I need shades. I am continuing to network with other local services and trades which you can find on my website, and I am continuing to grow in organic ways through word of mouth and community. I am working towards thriving versus surviving and while there is always risk involved no matter what you do, what matters most to me is my freedom which is what makes life worth living in my estimation.

There are fears about the economy and many other events in the world as I write this (seems as though the sky is constantly falling) but there never is guarantee in anything in life and this goes for anything. As far as I am concerned what matters to me is the present moment and being. For some people working a set schedule, set income occupation gives them what they need and that is fine if that is what they are content with. Running your own business is not for everyone because it does come with responsibility and that is one of my greatest traits and like risk also starts with “r”. I will say that when you invest in yourself with genuine intent you will see returns, patience is key as well because like planting you must allow the seed to grow. Lastly, the Universe is infinite and learning to abandon a lack mindset has changed my perspective and grounded me in this venture. Rather than focusing on what I don’t have or projecting into the future making my opportunities more of a dangerous risk I focus on who I need to be in the present moment to achieve my success which makes my opportunities a thrill.

What should our readers know about your business?
Hello, I am Frank Bunevich, LMT (Licensed Massage Therapist) and a Tucson native who enjoys a good book and a stroll in the desert. My business is a mobile massage company named Sonoran Mobile Massage & Bodywork. This is an on-demand service that allows people to receive massage in the comfort of their own home. I am a highly skilled individual and I create an integrative massage tailored to your needs with the multitude of skills I have. I specialize in back and shoulder pain, whether you have a stiff neck, sore shoulders, or chronic back pain I can help you get back to living your life.

Getting to where I am today was fairly easy because I have had a background in management in the food service industry so that gave me some advantage in terms of responsibility and paperwork. I also enjoy learning new things so even doing something I’ve never done before like going to register with ACC, while intimidating because I can be shy, was not in all actuality that bad. I also had to learn that learning is a process. In this, I mean that I have been continuing to work with computers and the internet more than I ever have in my life as a result of my self-employment and this has required new learning and that takes time and once mastered becomes a skill. So, you are constantly learning in life as they say.

I think the best lessons I have learned along the way is 1. I don’t have to please everyone; this extends to adhering to a schedule and not allowing work and personal life to become blurred or boundaries crossed as well as not needing to have a service for as many modalities as I can but rather focusing on what I do well 2. Learning the difference between thoughts that are unproductive and instead of pushing them away seeing where they stem from to get to the core issue. An example of this was setting my rates and being uncertain that I could ask what I ask for my service which related to how I value myself.

I want anyone reading this to know is that whatever your trade is, if you have been considering going into business for yourself and have been waiting for the right time consider the fact that you read this as an omen to do so. You will be amazed at where your journey takes you, remember that part as well, the journey is what makes the destination worthwhile. The Universe was spoken into existence, are you ready to say yes to you?

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take my friend to Bisbee Breakfast Club or Gus Balon’s for breakfast and then we would go to Sabino Canyon for a hike to depending on the season, summer tends to be quite hot here. Sabino Canyon or trailheads near the west of Tucson/Desert Museum area or also good spots when everything is beginning to bloom in spring. The Desert Museum is also another place that is absolutely worth visiting and essential. I would take them to Los Jarritos off 12th or Taco Giro for Mexican food if they were up for it. Chances are my friend will be a reader like me, so we’d definitely go to Bookman’s off Wilmot and Mostly Books next to it (Beyond Bread is also another lunch option that is also primo). If they were into the metaphysical like me, we would go to Mystic Candle. Downtown is another area that is quite eclectic, and I would have to stop at Presta to get a coffee while I was in the area. Elliots is a spot downtown I thought was really fun that did live music, not sure if it is there anymore. I would also make sure they got to see our glorious sunset.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Natalie Palomartinez for the Shoutout connection Tracy Bomar fellow massage therapist and owner of Path to Peace Massage

Maia Lee fellow massage therapist and owner of the “sister” company to mine In-Home Tucson Massage

Mysti Guymon, marketing specialist

Rebecca de Acevado, Dehlia Lowery, Emily Dziedzic of Rock Your Massage Practice

Website: www.sonoranmobilemassageandbodywork.com

Instagram: sonoran_mobile_massage

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sonoranmobilemassageandbodywork

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sonoran-mobile-massage-and-bodywork-tucson

Image Credits
Paola Montoya