We dream of becoming an owner, of wanting to have our very own Spa (or business). I've met a lot of individuals that pursue this dream. I've worked with a few that have accomplished the dream and during my consulting years I've assisted many others that tried to fulfill the dream and somehow, somewhere in the process they realized that it was not what they had dreamed about.
Having your own business could be very time consuming. It could be very fulfilling and it could also bring frustration, endless hours and a never ending feeling. You cannot take a vacation from being an owner, especially if you are the manager or if you are working as a technician in your own business. A book I always recommend to those wanting to own their business is "The E-Myth Revisited" by Michael E. Gerber. This book is especially beneficial to those that are making the transition between being a technician to being an owner. Gerber says that 40% of small businesses fail in the first year and of the ones that survive the first year, 80% fail in five years. Gerber goes on to share with us that the small business owners that fail have a number of similar characteristics while those who succeed do not succeed because of luck, brains or money but because they take a completely different approach to their business. Those that succeed do so because they create a foundation, a serious business foundation. Even though the book was not written for the Spa Industry, it applies to any business, it is about ownership. He explains to us that most small business are started by "technicians", meaning someone that is skilled at something and enjoy doing that something. Anyone from a computer programmer, to a baker, a hairstylist, dog groomer, etc. He says that when these technicians strike out on their won, they continue doing the work they are skilled at, creating a job for themselves, not a business and forgetting to plan and oversee all the aspects of running a business. This is exactly what is happening in our industry over and over again.
I'm in the process of reading E-Myth again and a few other books. I started the journey of becoming a partner in a brand new Spa and I am also the Executive Director. With the current economy and the constant news of business closing I wanted to make sure that Rome is a success. How do we avoid being the owner that creates a 'new job' for ourselves instead of creating a company? How do we avoid being part of the failure statistics? One of my partners believes that there are no guarantees, and I partly agree with that statement but I believe that you can plan for success, instead of letting things happen on their own and hope for success.
I've learned that you need to have a solid business foundation with a growth plan for your business. Unless you have enough money to create your dream Spa and hire enough experts, (from consultants to a great Spa Director to all the technicians you will need), you will probably have to be the Owner/Director or Owner/Technician. This requires you to make sure you set yourself up for growth and replacement of you in your technical capacity. You are planning to avoid feeling as many owners do; exhausted, disappointed, frustrated and wondering why did you become a Spa owner at all. If you believe this is your passion and that you have what it takes to be one of the ones that succeed then ensure your success and your sanity by taking the time to set up your foundation the right way. Would you build a house without planning, creating blueprints, agonizing over designs, fixtures and cost? Same with a Spa, you shouldn't own one without studying, analyzing, planning, creating, master planning, setting it up as a 'real business' with policies and procedures, business plan, marketing plan, standard operational procedures, job descriptions, and retail campaigns, etc. etc.
What to do first? Read some books, go to trade shows and attend some lectures, especially the ones on the steps to open a Spa, etc. Find FREE resources, such as this Blog, with tidbits about the industry and advise from the reasons why you need Job Descriptions to Interviewing guidelines to Menu Writing and much more. Find out if your local Chamber of Commerce or the Small Business Bureau offer seminars on how to set up a business, how to write a business plan and permits needed, etc. The internet offers unlimited resources and knowledge, take the time and take advantage.
I also recommend the Day Spa Association and the International Spa Association as the best trade organizations with resources, referrals or recommendations that are very helpful. If you already have business knowledge, education or experience then you probably feel that you can skip some of the research or the learning....maybe-maybe not. This industry is different, has a different history and it is forever evolving. I believe that the more you know the better equipped you will be for success. However knowing and doing are two different things; we need to learn and we need to execute the lessons learned; we need to recognize our strengths and our weaknesses; we need to use our talents fully and find expert help to compensate what we don't know. We also need to be passionate about our dream and want to be successful to get there.
As Vincent T. Lombardi said; "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will."
Always wishing you success in your endeavors....
Stay tuned.....
Written by Zahira J Coll, all rights reserved, the content of this article, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author.
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