I was working in retail and I hated it, and I wanted to do something else, but no one would hire me to do anything else because I had been doing retail for so long. And I realized I needed another skill and I had been interested in massage off and on for a while. So I went to a massage school, and that’s all she wrote. My last day of school was my last day of my job I was done immediately. It’s financially a struggle. It’s been a real—it’s been a big struggle over twelve and a half years. Luckily I don’t have any children otherwise I would not have been able to take the path that I took. I made massage my full time job right out of the box even though—or out of the gate—I should say, even though I had no clients, no experience I just made myself available as many hours as possible and made it my full time job. But I had only myself to support. So when I hire people who are right out of school I make sure I explain to them what my path was. What I did. And if you cannot do it that way, if you have children, if you have things—if you need money, you need to have another job while you're building a practice. Don’t do what I did. It’s hard, it was very hard.
Jennifer Wood was born in 1973. Jennifer and her parents have both lived in Worcester their whole lives. Jennifer attended three different colleges, Franklin Pierce, Worcester State, and New Mexico University, but ultimately decided to pursue other interests. Currently, Jennifer owns her own massage business called Amethyst Point. In this interview, Jennifer reflects upon on how her massage business has been a financial struggle, but a recent move has made it easier. She speaks of how her staff is like a family and has helped motivate her through tough times. Jennifer touches upon how much her mentor, the former owner of her business, has helped her. Jennifer asserts that she has not been discriminated against as a female business owner. She says that Worcester’s greatest problem is being unable to make big change, is active politically, and gives advice to “keep your eye on the prize.”