Not hiring is risky business. 

Operating as a solo isn’t wrong, but it is limiting because it becomes seemingly impossible to imagine expansion or growth when you have to wear all the hats of being a business owner.

I’m not saying it’s not attainable, but it is not what I recommend or would ever put myself through as a CEO. 

Developing a team has changed my life for the better. 

In today’s solo episode on the Spa Marketing Made Easy podcast, I’m sharing the 3 keys to building a high performing team and reasons why my team has helped propel my business forward.

In this episode, I discuss: 

• How I’ve achieved freedom in my business by developing a team
• The training and development processes I’m using with my Growth Factor® coaches
• The reason why I gifted over $100,000 in 1:1 coaching calls to active Growth Factor® students
• Importance of standardization of processes when you have more than one provider

References Mentioned in Episode #360: 3 Keys for Building a High Performing Team

To keep the conversation going, ask questions, and connect with other like-minded aestheticians building thriving careers, click here to join the free Spa Marketing Made Easy Podcast community. 

Want to learn more about how Addo Aesthetics can help you? Book a call today.

Episode Transcript

You’ll often hear me talk about how entrepreneurship is like riding a rollercoaster.

Some days are up, and other days are down, but ultimately, the goal always remains the same – to build business around a life you love. 

My guest on today’s episode has entrepreneurship ingrained in her DNA. Growing up working in her family’s restaurant, Shirin Zakerion developed a knack for customer service and leadership at a young age.

(She’s been practicing entrepreneurship for a long time!)

As she pursued a career in the hair industry, she found herself thrust into the world of entrepreneurship that was disappointingly filled with burnout. 

But she persevered. 

Tune in to hear how she rediscovered her passion and commitment for haircare and is now running a thriving business that is authentic to herself and her business. 

Shirin’s remarkable journey, from burnout to rediscovery, is a testament to her resilience and a driving force behind her success.

In this episode, we discuss: 

• Shirin’s entrepreneurial and family background that led her into the hair industry
• The cause that made her take a hiatus from the hair industry
• How she rediscovered her passion that led her to opening her current salon
• Her focus on the customer experience touchpoints and how Mangomint has been an integral part of building this process
•  The importance of making business decisions that are in alignment with the problem you are trying to solve 

References Mentioned in Episode #358: Rediscovering Her Entrepreneurial Calling with Shirin Zakerion

• Connect with Shirin on Instagram
• Visit Shirin’s website to learn more about her work
• Listen to the CEO of Mangomint, Daniel Lang, on his first SMME episode, Episode #302: Increasing Your Spa’s Efficiency with Mangomint Co-Founder & CEO, Daniel Lang 
• Listen to Daniel’s second SMME episode, Episode #342: Learn the Latest Mangomint Updates with Co-Founder & CEO, Daniel Lang
• Learn more about Mangomint and sign up for their free 30-day trial where you can migrate your data and get the full Mangomint experience 
• Click here to watch a video demo of Mangomint or book a 1:1 demo call here
 

To keep the conversation going, ask questions, and connect with other like-minded aestheticians building thriving careers, click here to join the free Spa Marketing Made Easy Podcast community. 

Want to learn more about how Addo Aesthetics can help you? Book a call today.

Episode Transcript

Did you join us for our Spa Business Boost – Maui Fundraiser event last week? 

In this episode of Spa Marketing Made Easy, I’m recapping how the event went and just what kind of impact our community was able to make in the Maui community and relief efforts. 

( Spoiler alert: we made an incredible contribution and I can’t thank everyone who participated enough!)

Plus, in this episode I share a personal update on Maui and special thanks to our incredible event partners, as well as how you can still get in on the Spa Business Boost action.

In this episode, we discuss: 

• How the Spa Business Boost Event came together and what we were able to donate thanks your ticket sales 
• A special thank you and shout out to our sponsors and raffle partners
• What we’re currently doing to aid Maui relief efforts and what the community will continue to need as they rebuild 
• How you can continue to support the Maui community while growing your spa business 

References Mentioned in Episode #345: A Recap of the Spa Business Boost Maui Fundraiser Event 

• Purchase the training replays from the Spa Business Boost event with all the ticket sales continuing to go to Maui community 
• Give directly to the Maui Strong Fund
• Learn more about our event partners at Mangomint, Environ, and High Level Marketing 
• Listen to Episode #342 with Daniel Lang, the co-founder and CEO of Mangomint 

To keep the conversation going, ask questions, and connect with other like-minded aestheticians building thriving careers, click here to join the free Spa Marketing Made Easy Podcast community. 

Want to learn more about how Addo Aesthetics can help you? Book a call today.

Episode Transcript

In this week’s episode, we’re flipping the mic as I act as guest on my dear friend and client Mechelle Barras’ podcast, Mindset Great! 

If you’ve been a listener of Spa Marketing Made Easy for awhile, you’ve likely heard Mechelle’s story (and if not, be sure to go back and give it a listen – link below!), and I was honored when she asked to interview me on her podcast. 

And since we have so many new listeners who may not be as familiar with my entrepreneurial story, I hope this interview serves as a good introduction, and that you can walk away with a few nuggets of wisdom.

Because, as you’ll hear, one of my favorite business mantras is that “a rising tide lifts all boats,” and since I’ve certainly picked up countless lessons over the last eight years, I’m happy to be able to share them with you, my fellow CEO! 

In this episode, we discuss: 

• How I started my entrepreneurial journey and why I consider myself an “accidental entrepreneur”
• What support systems I’ve had and continue to put in place to be able to accomplish my personal and professional goals
• My approach to planning within my business and how my personal life serves as the driving force behind all my decisions
• Why I’m partnering with the Liberté Foundation to provide grants to women in the spa and beauty industry 

References Mentioned in Episode #281: My Entrepreneurial Journey – a Q&A with Mechelle Barras 

• Subscribe to the Mindset Great podcast and learn more about Mechelle and her work on her website and connect with her via Instagram @Mechelle_Barras
•  Listen to my episode with Mechelle, “Episode 256: Mapping and Fulfilling Your Goals for Greatness with Mechelle Barras”
• Learn more about the Liberté Foundation grants for women in the beauty industry by clicking here
• To keep the conversation going, ask questions, and connect with other like-minded aestheticians building thriving careers, click here to join the free Spa Marketing Made Easy Podcast community. 
 

Episode Transcript

Team-building and development is by far one the most challenging hurdles a spa owner has to face as they grow. 

Whether you started as a solo practitioner, as many spa owners do, or you began with a team, refining your leadership skills is an ongoing journey. 

However, as my guest describes in this episode, there is typically that one pivotal point that shifts your whole trajectory. 

Here to join me on this episode of Spa Marketing Made Easy is Desarae Marhofer, a passionate aesthetician entrepreneur with 15+ years of specialized skincare experience, which includes owning and operating a full service esthetics studio as well as an aesthetician school. 

Together we talk about her journey from solo to team leader to studio + school owner and what lessons she’s learned along the way in becoming the best leader you can be for your business and your team. 

In this episode, we discuss: 

• When Desarae jumped from being a solo to having her first team member and how that was the turning point for momentous growth in her skincare studio
• How holding back on hiring team members created missed opportunities and how she navigated retention troubles as her business and team expanded 
• The critical mindset shifts Desarae needed to make as the leader of her business to help shift the culture of her team and get them onboard with her bigger vision
• Her tops tips for developing those leadership skills internally and externally

References Mentioned in Episode #242: Developing Into the Best Leader for Your Business and Your Team with Desarae Marhofer 

• Connect with Desarae’s skincare studio, Beautiful You Skincare Studio, on Facebook and Instagram
• Connect with Desarae’s aesthetics academy, Beautiful You Skincare Studio, on Facebook and Instagram
• Join the Uncommon Beauty Facebook group
• Read “The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy
• To keep the conversation going, ask questions, and connect with other like-minded aestheticians building thriving careers, click here to join the free Spa Marketing Made Easy Podcast community. 

As a thank you for being a loyal listener to the Spa Marketing Made Easy podcast and for helping us to reach more aestheticians working on growing their businesses and creating a life they love, we have created a free resource portal just for you! 

It’s totally free to join, and for every 25 reviews we get on iTunes, we’ll add a new training video, PDF, tracker, or other high-value resource to help you grow your aesthetic business!

If you have yet to leave a review, click here to leave one on iTunes, and click here to access the free resources already unlocked! 

Episode Transcript

Think having an exit strategy only applies in corporate or for Silicon Valley start-ups? 

Think again! 

Even as a spa owner operating a small business, you need a game plan for what’s going to happen when you step away from the business, whether that be through reaching the traditional age of retirement or pivoting into purely the owner role without any of the operational work.

The beauty is that the future of your business is up to you, but the tough part is that if you want to see that future vision become a reality, you have to make a plan for it and start working toward it today, even if that end goal is still 10 years from now. 

In this episode of Spa Marketing Made Easy, I’ll be giving you some insight into how to think about your exit strategy and steps to take now to begin working towards it. 

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

• Why delegating and releasing yourself of the busy work in your business is the key to unlocking your time freedom
• What you can do to get busy work off your plate and a step-by-step walkthrough on how to delegate one of the biggest time-wasting tasks in your business
• How to determine your exit strategy and what needs to be factored into your plan 
• Why having an exit strategy is for every business owner, even if you never plan to sell 

References Mentioned in Episode #241: Focusing Your Efforts for Efficiency to Meet Your Exit Strategy

• Read the “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey
• Find a virtual assistant via 90 Day VA with Esther Inman

• To keep the conversation going, ask questions, and connect with other like-minded aestheticians building thriving careers, click here to join the free Spa Marketing Made Easy Podcast community. 

As a thank you for being a loyal listener to the Spa Marketing Made Easy podcast and for helping us to reach more aestheticians working on growing their businesses and creating a life they love, we have created a free resource portal just for you! 

It’s totally free to join, and for every 25 reviews we get on iTunes, we’ll add a new training video, PDF, tracker, or other high-value resource to help you grow your aesthetic business!

If you have yet to leave a review, click here to leave one on iTunes, and click here to access the free resources already unlocked! 

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

While many spa owners and aestheticians differ in their niches, specialties, and goals for their career, if there’s one thing most of us have in common, it’s that we’re a big group of Type-A, high-achievers. 🙋🏻‍♀️

Now, I believe that largely boils down to the nature of aesthetics as a science and practice (you have to be someone that strives for results and can see the big picture as well as the minute details), but what often makes us outstanding aestheticians, doesn’t translate to other areas, particularly that of being focused CEOs. 

Yes, CEOs are almost always “high achievers,” yet the difference between the practitioner and the CEO is that a practitioner is typically stuck in the weeds due to a lack of planning or systems. 

Thus, those high-achieving tendencies actually leave us burning the candle on both ends, and eventually burning out. 

However, that doesn’t have to be your truth or reality, and as my guest on this episode of Spa Marketing Made Easy exemplifies – we can achieve a variety of big, audacious goals when we intentionally step into the role of leader and invite balance between our careers and home lives. 

So who is my Wonder Woman of a guest you ask? 

Introducing Dr. Gina Charles – she is the CEO of Serenity Aesthetics & Wellness, a boutique aesthetics practice in Philadelphia, as well as the co-founder of Ade & Gina Studios, a wedding makeup and photography studio she operates with her husband, as well as being a wife and mom to two young children.

Essentially, Dr. G is a prime example of what’s possible as a high-achieving woman. 

Tune in to hear her unique path to her career in aesthetics and what steps she takes to effectively and efficiently stay on top of her game. 

In this episode, we discuss:

•  How Dr. Gina got her start in the world of beauty business ownership while simultaneously completing medical school and how her two passions of medicine and makeup have fused together to create a truly purpose- and passion-driven company
• The key steps in her process to set and ensure that she’s successfully meeting her lofty goals for her life and businesses
• Dr. Gina’s top tips for calendar management and home-based systems so that she can be fully focused on family when not at work 
• Why leadership and delegation is such a critical piece to a high-achievers’ success and the mindset piece that keeps Dr. Gina ground through her journey to achieve new benchmarks

References Mentioned in Episode #240: Balancing Business and Family as a High Achiever with Dr. Gina Charles

•  Connect with Dr. Gina Charles via her personal brand website
• Connect with Dr. Gina’s Boutique Medical Aesthetics Practice, Serenity Aesthetics & Wellness located in Philadelphia, PA
• Follow @drginacharles on Instagram and on Facebook
• Follow @serenityaestheticsandwellness on Instagram and on Facebook
• To keep the conversation going, ask questions, and connect with other like-minded aestheticians building thriving careers, click here to join the free Spa Marketing Made Easy Podcast community.

As a thank you for being a loyal listener to the Spa Marketing Made Easy podcast and for helping us to reach more aestheticians working on growing their businesses and creating a life they love, we have created a free resource portal just for you! 

It’s totally free to join, and for every 25 reviews we get on iTunes, we’ll add a new training video, PDF, tracker, or other high-value resource to help you grow your aesthetic business!

If you have yet to leave a review, click here to leave one on iTunes, and click here to access the free resources already unlocked! 

Episode Transcript

00:00

You’re listening to the Spa Marketing Made Easy Podcast where we share simple, proven strategies just for spa industry professionals to help you get more clients in the door so that you can create a life you love. I’m your host, Daniela Woerner licensed aesthetician and spa marketing strategist. 

00:22

Hello my dears, Daniela here and welcome to the Spa Marketing Made Easy Podcast. Hey, have you marked your calendar for this Aesthetic Marketing Seminar online event. It’s happening September 20th and 21st. And you do not want to miss it. If you are a Growth Factor student, Spa Retail Rockstar student or Post with Purpose student you get a free ticket, nothing you need to do, we’ll be sending out information as it gets closer. But our AMS is known to be packed with actionable to-do’s and strategies that are working right now. To take your business to the next level, we never teach the same information twice, we focus on what is working now, what’s going on right now that you can do to take your business to the next level. Now if you’re not a student of ours and you’d like to attend, you can grab a ticket for only $97. And while all the material both days will be taught live and we encourage you to attend live, you will be getting the recording so you can go back and review the material as often as you’d like. Save the date now and more information will be coming very soon. That’s September 20th and 21st. 

01:35

Okay, so I have a really great interview for you today. Have you ever met someone who almost seems superhuman? Someone that you’re saying, Oh my gosh, how do they do it? Well, we all have we all have those people in our lives. And today’s guest is certainly a high performer. Her name is Dr. Gina Charles. I’ve been following her on Instagram for a while I love her messaging. I always feel uploaded, uplifted, uploaded from her post. She is a lover of systems. So of course, we are going to be best friends. Dr. G is a physician, she owns serenity and wellness medical spa in Philadelphia. She owns a photography and bridal makeup business with her husband. And she has two little kids like little like the same age as mine. So of course, I was like, Oh my gosh, how is this woman doing everything and looking beautiful and rested at the same time.

02:34

So I wanted to bring her on to share her story because I think obviously what she’s accomplished is very impressive. But I wanted to uncover the way that she thinks the actions that she takes both in her personal and professional life to accomplish these goals, right? Because being an entrepreneur, it can feel so overwhelming sometimes. And especially when you throw family and other responsibilities into the mix. So what are these individuals? What is she doing to accomplish these big goals? What is she doing differently? How is she thinking how she acting, what she’s spending her time doing? Those are the types of things that we chatted about in this interview. And of course, I was not surprised when she started telling me about the very clear systems and processes that she uses both in her personal and professional life. So let me just do a quick read of her bio, and then we’ll jump right into the interview. 

03:30

So Dr. Gina Charles also known as Dr. G is a Board Certified family physician, entrepreneur, skincare expert and fierce advocate for women’s health and wellness as a respected voice in the medical and beauty community educating diverse audiences. Dr. Gina serves as a mentor for women in STEM, particularly in the areas of health and beauty. She got her start in the beauty industry several years ago during medical school, where she would do bridal makeup as a side hustle as well as provide makeup services to breast cancer patients as a pick me up. Currently Dr. Gina is the CEO of Serenity Aesthetics and Wellness, a boutique esthetics practice in Philadelphia where she’s fused her love for beauty and medicine. Additionally she and her husband own and operate aid and Gina studios, a wedding makeup and photography studio They have two children ages five and one when it comes to entrepreneurship and life in general Dr. Gina believes in putting systems in place so the work is executed effectively. Okay, amen love that. Alright guys, so enjoy this interview. Be sure to follow Dr. G she’s got some awesome post on Instagram. And let me know if you have any questions just tag us over in the Spa Marketing Made Easy Facebook group. Alright, without further ado, let’s play that interview. 

04:51

All right, Dr. G. Dr. Gina Charles, so excited to have you here on the Spa Marketing Made Easy Podcast you have such an incredible story. I know that our listeners are just going to be wowed. And I love to have stories of other women who are doing big things, to show that it’s possible. Right? It’s you can have a great career, you can have a family, there’s ways to do it and ways to approach your life to get the things that you want. And and I’ve been following you on Instagram for I would say that you’ve been popping up in my feed for at least a year now. And I love your posts. I love your messaging. I love. I feel so aligned with the things that you’re saying I see the post. I’m like, Yes, that’s so. So I was so excited when you agreed to come on as a guest on the podcast.

05:48

Thank you for having me.

05:50

Yeah. So tell me, tell me a little bit of background of, you know, how did you get into? So you’re a physician? Did you always know that you wanted to do kind of the wellness route? Or did you want to get into family practice first? Like, how did you blend all of that?

06:11

Sure. So it’s actually interesting. When I was in medical school, well, actually, before medical school, I would assist a friend of mine in weddings. So I was in graduate school at the time, and she was doing bridal makeup, and I would just go and help her clean brushes and things like that just to make some extra cash during graduate school. And then I started learning how to do makeup application during that time. And then by the time I got to medical school, I started doing makeup on cancer patients as a pick me up, just to help boost their self esteem, because there have been studies that show that beauty care really do help with patient satisfaction, as well as outcomes. So I started doing it with cancer patients. And my husband, who is a professional photographer, wedding photographer, had a wedding and they need a makeup artist. So he’s there. Well, Gina, can you do the makeup for this bride? And I’m like, well, I’ve never done a bride’s makeup before. And I love a challenge. So I said, Yes, I’ll do it. So I did the bride’s makeup. And it was amazing. I got great reviews from her and her family. And from then I started doing makeup. On the side as a medical student working alongside my husband, and one of my friends in medical school. She said, You know what, in a couple years from now, I can see you having a med spa. And I said, What is that? I don’t know what that is. And she explained what a med spa was. And I said, Oh, God, that sounds so cool. And at the time, I didn’t really put too much thought into it at all. I knew that I wanted to go into family medicine, because I love the variety of Family Medicine as a family doctor, I’m able to see a variety of patients from the young ones to the older ones, I can do women’s health, and still have a great mix within my practice. So that’s why I went into family practice. And then it just so happens that several of my brides were asking for help with skin and getting their skin prepared for weddings. And I decided you know what, I need formal education. So I am a licensed physician, let me go and take the necessary coursework, I enrolled into several courses and aesthetics and skincare and business to really be able to provide my clients with optimal service. So they were able to get makeup, makeup application, they were able to get skincare, get started on a skincare regimen, get started with a treatment plan. And I was able to follow their journey for several months leading up to their wedding and even after their wedding. So that is how my love for beauty kind of transformed into this business where I was able to fuse the passions of medicine, makeup, beauty into one. So…

09:23

Do you realize what a unique skill set that is? I mean, because you have the the right like I’ve met I’ve worked with so many physicians over the past 15 years that I’ve been in this industry. And physicians tend to be incredibly skilled at a specific thing with quality care with their patient, right. But they’re typically not great business people. They’re typically not creative, right? So and they typically don’t know very much about skincare. Especially it’s like derms know how to solve the problem, they know how to treat the condition, but when it comes into understanding skincare ingredients and building regimens, they, they have to learn about it. And for you, you have this incredible like you have the the knowledge of and training of being a physician and understanding how the body works. But you also have the artistic side of understanding, you know, the makeup, the beauty, the aesthetic, so it is like this perfect, perfect mix, which is so, so interesting to me. I love that. I love that. 

10:39

Okay, so you have the you have a wellness center in Philadelphia, you have your photography business, you also have a five year old and a one year old. So tell me, you are clearly someone who knows how to get what they want. So how do you how do you set goals? How do you? How far in advance? Are you planning for things like when you were going to medical school? Was that only what was on your mind? or How are you saying like, I want this for myself? And here’s what I’m going to do to create it?

11:14

Right. So that’s actually a really good question. In order to effectively put all of these things into place that I’ve done over the years, I had to set goals. And I set daily goals, monthly goals and annual goals. And this is something that I continuously do. And the goals are typically something that is measurable. And oftentimes, I am going back and checking, have I done this? Have I done that? How can I improve? So when it comes to the family, same thing, I knew that I did not want to start a family during medical school because I really wanted to just focus on my studies. But during residency, we got married. And, you know, we decided to start a family then. So I had my daughter in my cheap year. And having children as you know, can be difficult with managing a business, I belong to businesses. So I’ve definitely had to put quite a few systems in place. And this year, especially after having my son, who’s now 13 months, put systems into place so that I can still provide attention to the children, my husband, and then business.

12:37

So when we’re talking and you know, this is my love language here as we’re getting into systems. But as we’re talking about being a present mom, because I see on your Instagram too, like you’re out, I just saw you like hiking up a waterfall like the whole thing. And you have to have systems for even for like, what’s for dinner? How are we going to do our grocery shopping? How are we going to do time management, like all of your systems for your personal life, but also for your professional life? And, and really understanding and I’m curious what your thought processes are how you do calendar management because I know so many of our listeners out there saying I have these goals, I have these dreams, I have no time because my kids, are because of my current job or whatever it is. There’s always like some level of excuse. But you hear that quote, like we all have the same number of hours in a day is Oprah. Right? And it is time is… yeah. So how do how do what’s the difference in the way that those women have built their dreams and follow their dreams? Right? Because they all everybody starts out as just a normal person. It’s choices that we make and how we choose to spend our time. And they’re still normal people, they just have managed they they have a talent and they’ve been able to capitalize on that talent. Every single person listening to this episode has a talent, right? It’s doesn’t mean that you have to be a movie star or a singer or whatever. It’s how are you going to capitalize on your talent manage your time to reach your specific dreams yours going to medical school having a family right like that’s a it’s a big piece and understanding thought process and and choices and maybe it’s an accountability question. I don’t know. What do you think?

14:35

So? It’s, it’s, um, definitely multifactorial. So the first thing is, when it comes to personal or business, you definitely want to start with taking inventory. Taking inventory of the things that you need to get done. So whether when it’s personal things that you need to get done at home, literally making a list when It’s professional in your business, making a list of all of the tasks that you have to do. Now, when you look at all of these tasks, you, you then want to prioritize Oh, well, what’s really important to me? What do I not? What do I not want to do? And you start to prioritize things, okay, so these few things are important to me. And I really want to get these done. These are important, but they’re time consuming. And I really don’t feel like doing that. And then you start to look at ways that you can delegate those tasks. So for me, food shopping, I know it’s important, but it’s not something that I really want to do, because it’s going to take one to two hours. So in our household, what we’ve done is, my husband will sometimes do the grocery shopping, or we’ll order everything online and do pick up. So we don’t necessarily have to spend one to two hours in the Supermarket and Costco. So the same thing in my business, I look at certain tasks that I need to get done. And see, well, for example, social social media. 

16:16

Social media is a huge part of marketing. Some people love to sit on Instagram, and Facebook and LinkedIn and Twitter, and respond and post etc. But if you have your business, and you have these little ones, you may not have time to spend on social media. And I have learned that because I’ve learned that when I spend so much time focusing on social media, that it’s taking time away from, you know, going on a trail with my children, or even sitting and watching Netflix. So something that I’ve done is delegate to a social media manager, someone who can post from the business for me, so that I could spend more time with the family. So when it comes to your love language systems, I think the number one thing is taking inventory and then delegating based on the inventory.

17:09

Now I was listening to a really interesting podcast, it was Rory Vaden, who was a guest on Lewis Howes podcast. He’s been I’ve heard him speak a couple of times. But he has a, he has talking about a new way of thinking. So you’re saying in the 50s, we started worrying about efficiency. And then in the 80s and 90s, Dr. Covey, Dr. Stephen Covey, the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, he talks about importance and then prioritizing what’s urgent, what’s important and kind of listing out how we are productive and make our choices. And today he’s, he’s been studying Rory has been studying multimillionaires and billionaires who have accomplished great things and really trying to understand their thinking. And what he was saying is that these people that have accomplished such great levels of success, whether you’re a professional athlete, whether you’re a business owner, what you know, just in whatever your arena is, they’re thinking about, what can I do today, that’s going to give me more time tomorrow. So focusing on anytime that you can create a system for something, anytime that you can automate something. And I think the problem that so many people get stuck in is, it’s only gonna take me five minutes. So I’ll just do it myself. So have you ever had that struggle of, it’s only gonna take me five minutes? I’ll do it myself? Or how do you know like, cake, I’m going to, it’s going to probably take me some time to train my social media manager. But I know that that’s going to give me more return once I get them trained.

18:54

Yeah, so I definitely struggle with that initially in business. I thought that I could do everything myself. And as most solo entrepreneurs do, when starting a business, you think that you can do everything yourself, this is only going to take five minutes, this will take 10 minutes. But when you look at the list of tasks that we have to do, that five and 10 minutes, adds up to about 12 to 13 hours in the day. And after a while you find yourself burning out, and burning out within your business. And that’s something that we don’t want to do. Right? So I learned that earlier on and I said, You know what, I’m going to have to put something into place so that I’m not burning out in business, you know, when it comes to writing my blog posts or updating my website, do I necessarily want to do that all the time? No. So I have someone who can update the website who manages the website throughout the year. I have someone to do the email as a virtual assistant, who does the email listing on newsletters and things like that. So, again, looking at that list, I was able to delegate tasks to various people on my team. So that is not all falling on me, because I saw myself burning out in the beginning. And I said, you know, you’re going to fail at business, if you want to do everything yourself, and I am a type A personality. So initially, I wanted everything done my way I want it to be done, right. But the good thing about leadership is that you need to be able to choose the right person for the task, and be able to relinquish control, that is the only way that you are going to be able to scale your business and get to that CEO level where you’re more so thinking about the vision, as opposed to working in your business business, like a workhorse all the time.

20:56

I couldn’t agree more. 

20:58

And trust that person. You know, granted, it’s trial and error, you think you find the right person, and then you find that you have to make some adjustments. But over time, you know, you will be able to communicate your needs, your expectations, and work with that person.

21:16

For me, it was getting my team, if they can do it, 80% as good as I can. That was my initial measuring point. Now my team does everything way better than me. So it’s like you, they get you, yeah, you train them. And then they’re doing that task over and over and over again. And they become much better than you at doing that task. There’s things in my business today. Granted, we’re seven years in, but there’s things in my business today that I don’t even know how to do it, I could go and find a system of how to do it, but I wouldn’t know how to do it, because my team has ownership. And that is what I personally believe gives you the freedom that so many entrepreneurs are looking for, they think, Oh, I’m going to start my own company, I’m gonna have this freedom and flexibility and financial growth. And if you’re holding on to, I need to do everything myself, you’re trapping yourself in a little box of, you know, never having that time to go hike on waterfalls with your kids, or, you know, like, I know, my son’s 15 months, and going through the first year of a baby to begin with. And then during a pandemic, and you know, dealing with the social, like, how do we socialize our kid? And how do we make sure that they get the germs that they actually need without getting bad germs, because they’re building their immune system as well, right. So it’s like, there’s so many things, and run a business when the world is in this state, there’s to be able to, I was so grateful this past year that I am an entrepreneur, and that I do have a team. Because when my son needed me and my daughter during this, just, you know, whatever you want to call it time, I was able to go if my son was having a really hard day, I could say you know what, I’m not going to work today, I’m going to go downstairs, and I’m going to spend time with him because he needs me. And that is my top priority. And that’s something that in most jobs you can’t do. Right. So to be able to get to that space where you can create that for yourself. That for me is priceless. That’s more important than any amount of money I can make is having that true freedom, time freedom, that time freedom. And that lifestyle freedom, you know, is just so so important. I think that’s why I love systems so much is because I value that more than anything. 

23:53

So that’s also a great quality of a leader.

23:57

Is is what? passing, passing control to their team that says, oh, put systems in place. Yeah. So where do you find that two things? I’m really curious about where do you find inspiration for yourself? Like what inspires you? Are you are you scheduling time into your week to read books to you know, attend different trainings, like, spend time in nature, whatever, whatever it does that inspires you? How do you plan for that? And let’s just let’s ask that first. And then my next question is going to be how do you hold yourself accountable? Because it’s so easy as women, to put our kids to put our family to put our clients anybody in front of ourselves and what our goals are?

24:51

Yeah, so that’s actually a really good question. And it’s something that as a wife, a mother, a business person, physician, it’s a constant battle. Because on the weekends, I look at the week ahead, I look at my schedule, I look at my calendar, I’m really big on having my book with a calendar as well as my Google Calendar. And I look at that, to see what days I have nothing to do, I made sure that there’s one to two days in the week where there’s nothing. And that is when I actually have time to myself, if there’s something to do that day, I find that I end up doing more things that day. And I’m not able to do for myself. So for instance, maybe a Friday. And if I’m not in the office, if I’m not seeing patients at the time, and my schedule is blank, I’ll do things like go swimming, I started taking it, I took up swimming this year, so that I could learn how to swim. And if it’s not swimming, it’s just going outside, taking a walk around the block, you know, or going for a drive.

26:08

She like to do something physical. 

26:12

Yeah, being physical. I love dancing. Sometimes I come down here to my office at home and dance what my daughter wants to join me because she loves dancing as well. 

26:21

We have all kinds of dance parties at our house. 

26:25

Right, right. And it also burns them out a little bit so they can take a nap later. When it comes to reading books, I will tell you that I have not been able to read as many books as I would like. But I do listen to several audiobooks. And I listen to audiobooks on my drive. I’m a subscriber to to Audible, so I will listen to books on my drive. So that’s how I get a bit of books. And then in terms of in terms of reading articles, and things like that. I’m always reading articles, believe it or not 2am, 3am when I read the articles, when my son wakes up to nurse, so I’ll just be nursing and I’m reading, you know, just a random article on my phone at the time. 

27:22

Wow. 

27:23

So is he’s just waking up once in the night?

27:27

Yes, he wakes up once in the night. It’s around the top of that my daughter. So we are training her to wake up at night to use the bathroom. So it’s around the same time that she wakes up to use the bathroom. 

27:41

Wow.

27:42

It’s a little pop hour.

27:45

Good for you. I nursed until Luca, my son’s name is Luca, I nursed him until 13 months. And then I was like, Okay, I’m done. That’s all I can do. And the I mean, I know it’s so important. And I’m so supportive of women that can go longer than the year. But for me that was that was such a freedom to sleep through the night, through the whole night and not have to wake up to to nurse.

28:15

It’s I’m looking forward to that as well. I’m totally looking forward to that. My daughter went 26 months. I don’t know how long this one will go. But I am looking forward to sleeping a full night. It’s been 13 months.

28:30

But I love that that that’s the reality is like, because there’s so many people out there that’s like, Oh, you know, I can’t because of this, like, you went through medicine, medical school, you have two businesses, you’re still waking up in the middle of the night. Right? But you’re doing it you’re making it happen. So I guess what do you felt like you said, you go outside and take time for yourself? You’re listening to books on Audible. What do you feel like is your biggest driver? What? What is your? What keeps you going every single day? Is that the love of working with patients? Do you have kind of bigger goals that you’re wanting to accomplish for yourself? Are you trying to teach your kids to be the best version of themselves? Like what is it that motivates you every single day? To be a high achiever is just something you’re born with? Or my husband and I have this conversation quite a bit. Can you teach drive? Right? It’s where does it come from.

29:38

So I love seeing others happy. And I love seeing results. I’m really results driven. So and I’m a problem solver. So I think my drive comes from being able to make an impact in other’s lives. Whether I I’m getting up, and I’m going to see patients. And it’s like, Okay, well, I’m going to suture today I’m going to, you know, I’m going to cast today or something like that, or I’m going to improve this hyperpigmentation or these wrinkles. Today, I’m doing something to service someone else. And their outcomes is what drives me.

30:21

That’s beautiful. That’s beautiful. I, I have a feeling that there’s something special inside of you too, though, because it’s, it’s you are clearly a driven person, right? Like you don’t have multiple businesses, you don’t go through medical school without having that push or that drive. I wonder. Tell me about your self care. Because you have a lot of you know, you, you’re very passionate about women’s empowerment. That has to lead to a healthy self confidence. Do you believe that that believing that you can really helps you achieve those things? Yeah.

31:08

Yeah, I love that I do affirmations with my daughter every single night for her. 

31:08

Absolutely. The thing you you have to believe in yourself in order for you to achieve these things. And I start the day off with positive affirmations. And I learned this from one of my, from a mindset coach years ago when I did on mindset coaching. And initially I was, you know, I was like, Okay, well, I’m just saying these positive affirmations. But after a while, I owned those affirmations every day. And it was empowering me. So now I am on my drive, going into the office, going into the clinic, and I am affirming positivity into my life. So that when I’m when I walk in, I’m not crabby, I am smiling. You are going to get a great version of me because I started my day off. Granted, there are some days that I wake up and I’m just like, last night was terrible, these kids. You know, it can’t always be perfect, right. But positive affirmations have played a huge role in just giving me that empowerment. 

32:20

Yeah.

32:20

Yeah, yes, we have reasons for my daughter as well. It’s so interesting to hear her say her, say her affirmations at night with her little voice. But it’s definitely going to mean something when our daughters get older. And they have an interview for these jobs. You know, stand in front of boardrooms, etc. and give presentations to classmates. they’ll remember those nights and they will walk in there feeling affirmed. 

32:50

Yeah, so true. So in wrapping up. What advice do you have to business owners out there who have these big dreams? What if they’re feeling kind of overwhelmed, stressed? Or like maybe they can’t do it? What if you were ever in their shoes? Like what do you do? What advice do you have any? What are what’s an affirmation that you were that worked very well for you. 

33:19

Okay, so in terms of advice, I would say. One, take inventory of all of the tasks that need to get done in your business. Two, delegate those tasks, or prioritize and prioritize those tasks. Three, schedule the tasks to be done throughout the week, not all in one day, and save at least 30 minutes of your day where you are going to block off just for you. The 30 minutes is critical each day. It can be a nap, it can be listening to music, it can be taking a walk outside, that is going to help you to refuel. You cannot always be inundated in your work, emails, spreadsheets, marketing, and making plans for your business. You have to take a step back to refill your cup so to speak. And when it comes to affirmations, I am doing the best that I can and I honor where I am today.

34:40

I love that, I’m doing the best that I can and I honor where I’m at today. Because we’re all it’s it’s all a work in progress every single day.

34:52

Yeah, and I love it. Absolutely. A lot of times we look at others on social media, you know comparison is that the the thief of joy And a lot of times we look at other people in their businesses. And we’re like, oh, well, I’m not there yet, or, Oh, I should be doing this. No, you’re doing great right now. Enjoy where you are. So that is one affirmation that has really helped to center me so that I’m not comparing myself to everyone, and realizing that I am on this journey, and embracing where I am on the journey and knowing that I’m doing the best that I can right now.

35:26

I love that. I love that. So where can people follow you stay in touch with you? I mean, I know I love your Instagram. But is that the is that the best place?

35:38

Sure, so people can follow me at Dr. Gina Charles on Instagram. If you are into skincare and aesthetics, you can follow at Serenity Aesthetics and Wellness on Instagram and Facebook. And to get in contact with me you can find me at www.drginacharles.com.

35:58

Perfect and we’ll include all those links under the show under the show notes. As always, if you want to keep the conversation going, please head on over to the Spa Marketing Made Easy Facebook group and we’ll catch you on the next episode. 

36:12

As always, if you want to keep the conversation going, I want you to head on over to the Spa Marketing Made Easy Facebook group. The number one free resource out there for aestheticians focused on business building. We’ve got weekly marketing tips, a monthly goal setting and planning session, monthly aesthetician business book club, plus a community of thousands of estheticians committed to business building in the spa industry. I’ll see you there.