Inverness massage therapist arrived in Highlands with just £65

Every Monday, we ask small businesses key questions. Here we speak to Julia dos Santos, who runs Yin Yang Body Massage Therapy in Inverness.

She told us she would like to see more tax reliefs for the self-employed.

How and why did you start in business?

I am from the Cape Verde Islands in West Africa, and I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was 13, making and selling homemade jams – with coconut milk and dates – and tutoring some children in my community for a small monthly fee. My grandmother was a businesswoman and a great influence.

Education is very important to Cape Verdeans and we have close ties with Portugal, so on leaving school I went there to study. However, I felt lost, so I signed up with an agency to find a hotel job in the UK.

I had never heard of Inverness or the Highlands.”

Eight years ago this month, I moved to Badenoch and Strathspey to work in a hotel, speaking no English and with only £65 in my pocket. I had never heard of Inverness or the Highlands.

Six months later, I began an ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) course at Inverness College UHI, before starting a nursing degree course there.

Nursing proved to be very stressful, but I have always been really passionate about holistic health and complementary medicine.

Having had my first massage, I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do. So, in 2019, I dropped out of nursing and set up Yin Yang Body Massage Therapy in Inverness, at the same time studying for and receiving an HNC in business from Inverness College.

I wanted to keep myself on the right track and the college couldn’t have been more supportive.

Yin Yang Body Massage allows me to help people with their stress, while giving me a better work-life balance and the pleasure of being self-employed.

How did you get to where you are today?

I’m very determined and resilient, and this enabled me to start the business and then hold it all together during the pandemic, which couldn’t have come at a worse time. And I also know when to ask for help.

Who helped you?

Inverness College saw my drive and determination, took me under its wing and opened doors for me. I’m so grateful to them all there.

My best friend, Isolinda, has been with me from the beginning and she helps me with my finances – she’s an account manager in London and an international entrepreneur.

And Pauline Burnett of Highland Holistic Massage School is a fantastic mentor, always there with advice.

I’ve also received a lot of support from Business Gateway and my membership of the Federation of Small Businesses, and I highly recommend both.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever had?

“Just start” – don’t overthink things. Get stuck in and learn as you go.

What is your biggest mistake?

I joke that I’m a workaholic in recovery, but it’s true. I sometimes fail to set clear boundaries between caring for myself and others, and I burned myself out early in my career as a result. But all mistakes are learning opportunities and I’m getting there.

What is your greatest achievement?

Recovering my mental and spiritual health. I’m living my best life because I’m at peace with myself.

How is your business managing rapidly rising costs and what should government do to help?

I keep my operating costs low, while safeguarding clients’ health and safety.

I also now walk to work more and reduce my laundry costs by using more environmentally-friendly materials. The government should provide more support to small businesses in the first three years, especially through self-employed tax relief.

What do you still hope to achieve?

Personally, to run the Loch Ness Marathon in under five hours before the age of 40.

Professionally, to lead a team of like-minded people committed to doing good in the world, using my business as a platform.

What do you do to relax?

Enjoy a deep massage and running – I’m preparing for my first 10k of the year – as well as reading and writing. I’m also writing my first book about my healing journey in the Highlands.

What are you currently reading, listening to or glued to on TV?

Never Finished by David Goggins, the audiobook version. I discovered him online in 2018 and he’s been my virtual mentor ever since. I consume everything he puts out – his books, podcast interviews, social media posts and YouTube videos.