Birthdays are a time for reflection, so how did Muscle Freedom’s story begin? When we moved to Melbourne three years ago, we literally had nothing but the clothes in our suitcase. We had been backpacking around the world for three years and had spent most of our savings on travel. In fact, we were so broke when we stepped off the plane from London, we lived with my family for four months in Bright while we got on our feet.

When my wife, Milly, was offered a job at a newspaper in Melbourne, we decided it was time for a fresh start and for me to open my own remedial massage business. We packed up our stuff (our suitcase, that is) and hit the road in our $1200 Ford Courier (good old Douglas), unsure about what the future held.

The first hurdle was choosing where to base my remedial massage business, but as soon as I drove down Bluff Road, I instantly fell in love with Black Rock. There was something special about this Bayside village, and I knew it was where we were destined to be. In the months before we opened, there were many sleepless nights trying to organise everything from council permits to marketing, but it all came together in the end and we opened for business in May, 2014.

Like most business owners, I tackled a rollercoaster of emotions in those early weeks – excitement to finally be open, and anxiety about how the business would go. But it turned out my worries were for naught, and soon we began to develop a loyal network of clientele.

Three years on, I am extremely proud of how Muscle Freedom has grown. We are lucky enough to have some of Melbourne’s best remedial massage and myotherapists among our team, people we consider dear friends. Our clients never fail to inspire us, from the elite athletes performing at the top of their game, to the everyday people who know that their health is their greatest asset, one which deserves investment. And to top off a great three years, last month we opened a brand-new remedial massage clinic – a feat I might not have dreamed possible when driving down the Hume all those years ago. But there you go, dreams really do come true. Now, all that’s left to say are two words… thank you!