What is Spa Business Building?
If you're wondering what Spa Business Building is, this episode is for you. I'm taking you on a little behind-the-scenes of how my journey began as a spa business owner and what led me to start Spa Business Building.
Welcome to the Spa Business Building Podcast, your go-to destination for turning your passion as a beauty or wellness professional into a successful and profitable business. I'm Tiffany, your host. I'm a mom, wife, licensed esthetician and massage therapist, and enthusiast of all things business building.
Not too long ago, I took a bold step into entrepreneurship, embracing the roles as a wife and mother of two while venturing into the spa industry as a solo practitioner. Armed with nearly two decades of expertise as a licensed esthetician and massage therapist, my passion for the spa industry fueled my determination to succeed despite having zero business experience and no client base. I created Spa Business Building because I've been in your shoes.
I faced the challenges, celebrated the victories, and learned invaluable lessons along the way. Now I'm here to share my insights, strategies, and the insider knowledge that transformed my own business. In the Spa Business Building Podcast, we'll deep dive into all things Spa Business Building Spa Business related, from effective marketing strategies and client retention secrets to building solid business systems.
I'll bring in industry experts, successful entrepreneurs, and share real life stories to inspire and guide you on your journey. So whether you're a solo esthetician, spa owner, or someone dreaming of entering the world of wellness, this podcast is for you. So subscribe now so you don't miss out on the valuable insights that will take your spa business to new heights.
Get ready to unlock the secrets of spa business building and embark on this exciting journey together. Your thriving business awaits. Hello, spa business besties, and welcome to the Spa Business Building Podcast.
I am Tiffany, your host. And in today's episode, we are going to talk about what spa business building is. I'm going to give you the rundown, tell you exactly how it all began, how my career started, and what led me to build this new business of spa business building.
So I became a massage therapist and esthetician nearly two decades ago. I graduated from the massage therapy program in 2005, and I graduated from the aesthetics program in 2012. So in 2015, I decided that I was ready to be my own boss.
I had always dreamed of owning a spa, and I wanted to start out as a solo entrepreneur before I decided to add employees. So I rented a small rental suite in a salon suite. My son was 10 months old, and my daughter was three years old.
And I was also a wife, so my husband is a firefighter. So I needed more control of my schedule because when he works, he's gone for 24 hours at a time. And I wanted to be home with my children when he was not home.
And we didn't have family in the area to help us with daycare, so it was dependent on my husband and I. So I wanted a schedule that I could have off on the days when he was working and not have to have such a rigid and strict schedule. And I didn't want to work weekends, and most places or employers that I had worked for required weekends, holidays, you know, all of that stuff.
And I just had no control of my schedule, and I had no control of what I made. So I wanted to be my own boss. And I think that most solo estheticians or, I mean, any solo service provider who goes out on their own can probably relate to wanting to have control of their schedule and control of their finances and control of the services that they provide.
So I started my business in 2015. I had no client base. I wasn't taking any clients from the spa that I was at.
I had only lived in the area for about a year, so I didn't have a lot of friends. I didn't have any family to pull from, but I did have clients. I was really successful at repeat clients.
I was successful at selling retail, so I had a lot of experience in that way, and I felt confident in my skills, and I was ready to be on my own. I was passionate and determined to succeed. I had no business experience.
I had management experience, but I didn't really know everything that it is. I didn't know what it entailed to own a business. I had gone to school.
I had some college credits for business administration, so I had a little bit of bookkeeping and some other back-end business type of courses, but I don't really think that that prepares you for being your own boss and a solo entrepreneur. So I decided that it was time, and I launched my business. And about three years into being in a salon suite, I decided to move into a bigger space with a few rooms, and I wanted to grow my business and start hiring.
I was fully booked, and I had quite a long wait list, and I had new clients' acquisitions nearly daily. So I knew that the need was there. So that was in 2018, I believe.
So I moved to a bigger space, and I had hired an employee, and it was going really well. And then I decided that I wanted an even bigger space. So my landlord decided to give me their space, which had multiple rooms.
It was 1,700 square feet. And I signed the lease on that, and COVID hit. So literally, the month of lockdown is the month that I had signed the lease.
So I signed the lease, and then shortly after, we were locked down with COVID, and that lasted about three months. And in that time, my employee decided that she didn't want to come back to work, which is totally understandable. Everything was just so uncertain, but I had no choice but to continue working.
So once we were able to be back in service, I started offering my massage services, and once I was able to offer skincare services, then I did that as well. I worked about a year by myself with 1,700 square feet. I had six treatment rooms, and I was the only one working.
So I was paying the rent, paying all the supplies, utilities, everything on my own, and I was quite busy at the time. I would have to say I don't think a lot of massage therapists were taking clients at the time. So I was quite busy.
All of my clients wanted to come back and see me, and people just really wanted those services. Everybody was stressed out, and it was really great. And then fast forward to 2022, I hired another massage therapist, or no, I'm sorry, an esthetician, and then she had decided that it just wasn't right for her.
I had hired her on a part-time basis, which was kind of what I worked, hoping that we could move her into a full-time basis. But it didn't work out, and I was absolutely bummed. So I decided that I needed to take a deep dive into what was going on, what I wanted from my business, and I realized that I really loved coaching and mentoring and teaching my employees, that I really loved watching them succeed and grow their client base and learn new skills.
And that became my passion. And while I really loved doing the services on clients and making them feel good about themselves and teaching them about skin and helping them relax, I really loved the teaching, coaching, mentoring side. So I decided that that's what I was going to lean into.
So while I was still taking services, I wanted to add coaching and mentorship into my list of services. So I decided to open the Spa Business Building. And so that's what I have been doing.
I have been just trying to show up and build that know, like, and trust. So while I am coaching other spa businesses, estheticians, massage therapists, lash techs to build their clients, I am also building my clients for Spa Business Building. And you can watch me along the way.
It hasn't quite been a year yet since I decided to embark on this new journey of Spa Business Building. But I hope to take you with me, and I hope that we can grow and learn through all of this together. And you can watch it all happen live.”
So I will keep you updated in growing my business. And I hope to help you grow your business as well. So that is it for today, my friend.
That is how it all began, where I started and where I am now. I will say that my business is still thriving. I am fully booked.
I do have a wait list. And I want to teach you my skills, my insight, my strategy on what I did to market and grow my clients, retain my clients. I also think that building foundations for your business is vital.
Knowing your numbers, having excellent customer service skills, and creating that elevated service experience for your guests is so crucial for a business. It's not just marketing, it's also business systems that keep your business running. And I know that with the shutdown of COVID and transitioning my business from a single room to multiple rooms and growing in so many ways, and having these structures in place for me, it has kept my business thriving.
And I want to teach you this, teach you my insights, and I hope that you can come along with me on that journey as well. So that is it for today. Thank you for joining me in this introductory episode of Spa Business Building.
If you enjoyed it, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your fellow beauty and wellness warriors. Until next time, stay inspired, stay fabulous, and keep building those spa business dreams.
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