Being the boss of your own business comes with a lot of perks like setting your own schedule, working your spa and space you want, having unlimited earning potential…

Having that kind of freedom is why most spa owners venture into entrepreneurship in the first place, but with that freedom, especially over the financials, can come a lot of stress from not understanding the bigger money picture of your business. 

From how much you should pay yourself to how much you can realistically pay your team (and how much money is needed to continue growing that team sustainably), how are you supposed to know how those numbers should shake out?

That’s exactly why in this week’s episode of Spa Marketing Made Easy, I’m sharing a simple breakdown of how to assess and allocate the money you have coming in and going out so that your spa can not just survive now, but thrive in the long-term to meet your bigger dreams and vision.

In order to truly own the role of Spa CEO, you have to not only intimately know your numbers, but also understand the flux and flow of your finances so you can always keep your finger on the pulse of your business’ lifeblood. 

(Yes, we’re in this to help our clients feel their most beautiful, confident and radiant, but let’s not shy away from the fact that you and your team deserve to get paid well for that work and see the financial fruits of your labor.)

Business is about profit, so let’s talk money, honey and get your numbers in gear to help you build a life and business that you love. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•  How to make financial decisions through the lens of understanding what our businesses can currently afford  
• Why I use the Profit First method and the specific breakdown I recommend for spas to follow
• What factors you need to consider when it comes to your personal and lifestyle goals and how they impact the financial choices you make in your business
• How getting a strong grasp of your spa’s financials allows you to understand what you can afford in the now and future cast that into meeting your bigger future vision

References Mentioned in Episode #296: Understanding What You Can Afford in Your Spa

•  Listen to Episode #225: Becoming a Profitable Shareholder of Your Business with Mike Michalowicz
• Check out the book Profit First by Mike Michalowicz 
• Listen to Episode #284: The Spa KPIs and Metrics You Need to Know to Grow
• 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

Wish you could peek behind the curtain on what goes into hosting a wildly successful spa event? 

Lucky for you, in this episode of Spa Marketing Made Easy, I’m talking with Kerri VanEe, one of my Spa CEOs from my Growth Factor Framework program about all the ins, outs, ups and downs of hosting her first spa event, which resulted in a whopping $90K in revenue that came in during the event and in the months to follow. 

If you don’t have the pleasure of knowing Kerri from inside the Growth Factor Framework community, you should know that she’s an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner who has spent the last 20 years in the healthcare field, and she opened Essence Aesthetics and Health, a medical spa in a small rural Iowa town, in March 2021. 

That’s right, smack dab in the middle of a pandemic. 

At Essence Aesthetics, Kerri and her team of Registered Nurses provide personalized medical grade aesthetic treatments as she works to empower her clients to show up more confidently and as their best selves. 

And after just 14 months of being open and hosting her successful birthday celebration event, which is what we break down in this episode, she is currently doubling her team. 

It goes without saying that Kerri’s a bonafide businesswoman, and the lessons she’s sharing in this episode are a must for Spa CEOs at every level to take note of.  

In this episode, we discuss: 

• How Kerri launched into owning her spa in the middle of the pandemic and what her goals looked like before settling on running an event
• Kerri’s backstory to the “why” behind her event and how she began to set the framework for what her event would look like
• What planning for the event looked like in terms of timeline, team, marketing efforts 
• How her event took shape including the offer and what the event entailed, and of course, the results! 

References Mentioned in Episode #293: Creating a $90K Cash Infusion with Her First Spa Event with Kerri VanEe

•  Learn more about Kerri’s spa, Essence Aesthetics, via their website, and connect with them on Facebook and Instagram
• Listen to Episode #251: Hosting 5-Figure Spa Events with Taylor Moody
• Listen to Episode #267: Scaling from Solo and “Doing it Scared” with Allison Cremona
• Listen to Episode #290: The Biggest Mistake Spa Owners Make When Hosting Events
• 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 

You know that hosting an event for your spa can lead to a nice cash infusion, but you also know that an event has the potential of costing more than it brings in – in money, time, and energy. 

Sure, there’s plenty of marketing you can do to take your best shot at making your event a success, but when it’s all said and done, you’re still afraid that hosting an event could be too much of a roll of the dice. 

Rather than making the move of hosting an event for your spa a marketing coin toss, tune into this short and sweet episode of Spa Marketing Made Easy where I’m sharing the number one mistake to avoid so you can kick off planning an event so that it’s a smashing (i.e. highly profitable) success! 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•  The number one mistakes spa owners make when planning to host an event in their spa 
• Questions to ask yourself when planning your spa event 
• How to tie your business goals to the offer you’ll present at your spa event 
• Evaluating the success of your event based on the timeline that aligns with your goal 
• How the planning process and marketing differs based on your event goal

References Mentioned in Episode #290: The Biggest Mistake Spa Owners Make When Hosting Events

•  Listen to Episode #251: Hosting 5-Figure Spa Events with Taylor Moody
• Listen to Episode #267: Scaling from Solo and “Doing it Scared” with Allison Cremona
• Learn more about the project management software we use at Addo Aesthetics; monday.com
• 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. 

Social media tends to be the hot topic when it comes to digital marketing, and while it is a crucial pillar in your overall marketing strategy, there’s another pillar that is equally as important, but is often overlooked – but not today! 

I’m talking about SEO aka Search Engine Optimization, and here to discuss it with me on this episode of Spa Marketing Made Easy is Caitlin Strempel. 

Caitlin is an SEO expert and marketing success coach who helps business owners get to the top of their industry by getting to the top of Google and found online at her company, Rising Ranks Digital. 

Caitlin has worked with locally-based businesses all the way to large-scale global brands such as Under Armour, Lexus and more, and she’s proud to have a 100% success rate at getting her clients to the first page of Google, which is something she’s going to share her top tips on in this episode. 

Whether you’re a spa owner who has no idea what SEO is or the faintest idea of how to get it to work, or you’re a tad familiar, but know you could beef up your efforts to gain better traction on Google, this episode is a must-listen! 

In this episode, we discuss: 

•  What SEO is and why it’s especially important from a local business perspective
• The first step to getting started with honing in on your SEO efforts and Caitlin’s top recommended tool to use 
• Using organic SEO efforts alone and alongside a paid Google ads strategy 
• When spa owners should look into investing more time, effort and money into ramping up their business’ SEO 

References Mentioned in Episode #289: Using SEO to Rise the Ranks of Google with Caitlin Strempel 

• Learn more about Caitlin and her company Rising Ranks Digital on her website 
• Connect with Caitlin on Instagram 
• Check out Caitlin’s top recommended keyword research tool, Ubersuggest 
• Listen to Episode #219 of Spa Marketing Made Easy: Getting Found through Search and SEO with Neil Patel
• 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

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As you work toward becoming a Spa CEO and putting the systems and structure in place to allow your business to thrive without your hands being the one to turn the gears, something becomes abundantly clear; your money, when leveraged, can begin earning on its own. 

Now, there are plenty of ways to create this leverage, but one way that spa owners in particular can benefit from is owning the space where you operate your spa aka commercial real estate. 

Here to talk with me about it in this episode of Spa Marketing Made Easy is Annette Walter, the CEO of Timber Industries, which is the largest 100% women-owned pallet, crating and lumber distributor in the U.S., as well as iEvolve Consulting, a growth, strategy and operations business coaching firm. 

In this episode, we’re diving into the topic of investing in commercial real estate to help diversify and grow your wealth, and if this topic has you feeling a little hesitant (as in the “who am I to…” variety), this episode is especially for you.  

And if owning your space, or future space, has ever crossed your mind, I know you’re going to love this conversation!

In this episode, we discuss: 

•  How Annette broke into the world of commercial real estate and why now might be the best time to begin your foray into this space
• The 101 on how financing and real estate transactions work in comparison to residential real estate and what the pathway to owning commercial real estate looks like
• Who you should have on your internal advisory board to help you make the most sound financial decisions both personally and professionally
• What you need to have to begin looking into commercial real estate opportunities – spoiler: it’s not as intense as you think! 

References Mentioned in Episode #288: Breaking into Commercial Real Estate with Annette Walter

•  Learn more about Annette’s operational strategy and business coaching company, iEvolve Consulting, visit her website 
• Connect with Annette on Instagram, LinkedIn, and 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. 

Episode Transcript

Anyone who has done their thorough research on technology solutions for their spa knows there is no shortage of tools to choose from. 

The good news is that you have a plethora of choices, the bad news is that you have to sift through them all! 

In an effort to help you with the sifting, in this episode of Spa Marketing Made Easy, I’m chatting with Willem, who is Head of Appointments and Messengers at Square. 

Square helps businesses across the globe more easily run and grow their businesses with its integrated ecosystem of commerce solutions, and Square Appointments provides an all-in-one POS booking solution specifically designed for the beauty and wellness space. 

In this episode, he’s answering all my questions on what Square is capable of so you can get the real 4-1-1 if it’s the best software solution for you and your business. 

In this episode, we discuss: 

•  What Square brings to the table as an all-in-one software solution for spas and salons 
• The key services that Square provides that are critical for your brick and mortar success
• Square’s capabilities for integrating with your digital marketing and online storefront 
• Square’s varius tech functionalities around advanced marketing techniques, selling capabilities, customer relationship management, and more

References Mentioned in Episode #280: Systemizing Your Sales and Marketing with Square

• Learn more about Square by clicking here 
• Follow Square on Instagram
• 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

Between new platforms showing up on the scene, constant algorithm shifts, and only so many hours in the day, cracking the code on social media can feel like playing a game where the rules change every time you get to a new level. 

While some of those things have truth, the good news is that the key to social media success and creating content your ideal clients and customers actually want to engage with is actually based on a single rule: create great hook points. 

Here to break down this concept with me on this episode of Spa Marketing Made Easy is Brendan Kane, an outside-the-box thinker, speaker and author who empowers brands to scale by helping them stand out and beat competition in crowded and oversaturated markets. 

Brendan is the author of the international best-selling book ​One Million Followers​ and the newly released ​”Hook Point: How To Stand Out In A 3 Second World​,” as well as the founder and CEO of the Hook Point agency. 

Brendan has worked with hundreds of individuals and brands including MTV, Taylor Swift, and Rhianna. 

Tune in and take note, this is an episode chock-full of tips you’ll want to put into action today! 

In this episode, we discuss: 

•  Brendan’s backstory on how he broke into social media and how that journey brought him to building a following of 1 million people 
• Why it’s critical in today’s media landscape to be able to grab attention effectively 
• The true purpose of the algorithm and why we it’s not the number one thing we should be concerned about with our social media marketing strategy 
• The 3 key factors that define a successful hook point and how we can start creating them in our marketing and social media content  

References Mentioned in Episode #279: Using Hook Points to Drive Social Engagement and Results with Brendan Kane

• Get Brendan’s latest book, “Hook Point: How To Stand Out In A 3 Second World​”
• Learn more about Brendan’s work via his website and connect with him on Instagram @brendankane 
• Get Brendan’s other book, “One Million Followers: How I Built a Massive Social Following in 30 Days”
• 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. 

Join the Aesthetic Marketing Seminar, the premiere spa marketing event of the year, on May 16 + 17, 2022 to learn the most relevant strategies and systems that today’s spa owners need to shift from biz chaos to Spa CEO. 

[ Learn More + Get Your Ticket to the AMS  ] 

Episode Transcript

A system for your systems? 

I know, it sounds like systems inception, and maybe it is, but it’s also the critical key that unlocks the ability to truly have a systems-based business. 

Because here’s the thing, you can have systems documented here and there and you could even have a decent number of SOPs being utilized inside your spa…

But what happens when a piece of the process changes? 

Or someone new gets hired? 

Or a new system needs to be created? 

In this episode, we’re diving into the process of crafting a system for your systems. 

By having an overarching system for ensuring and overseeing how to create, develop, and nurture all the other systems in your spa, you’re providing the ultimate structure for continual systems-based success for not only you as the Spa CEO, but also your existing and future team members as well as your business. 

If you want to get (or keep) operations humming along and maintaining your business’ progress as a well-oiled machine, this episode isn’t to be missed! 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•  What it means to have a system for creating your systems and why this is a critical piece to running a true systems-based business
• The mindset shift you need around systems to make this process work for you in the long-run and the quarterly practice you need to put on the calendar to make your systems goals a reality
• A breakdown of how we organize, update, and manage our systems so that they evolve alongside the evolution of the business and help us to continue to grow and operate efficiently 
• My top tips for keeping up with and evaluating your systems as the Spa CEO

References Mentioned in Episode #276: Why You Need a System for Systems Creation

•  Use the Loom screen-recording tool to help take the heavy lifting out of systems and SOP creation
• To receive a copy of our Spa CEO Quarterly Review Worksheet, comment “Q1” under this video in the Spa Marketing Made Easy Community or send us a DM with “Q1” in the message on Facebook or on Instagram
• Learn more about the Growth Factor Framework program
• 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. 

Join the Aesthetic Marketing Seminar, the premiere spa marketing event of the year, on May 16 + 17, 2022 to learn the most relevant strategies and systems that today’s spa owners need to shift from biz chaos to Spa CEO. 

[ Learn More + Get Your Ticket to the AMS  ]

Episode Transcript

Did you think direct mail marketing was dead?

Anything but, my friend! 

Although the massive social media platforms we all know and love have dominated the marketing landscape for the better part of the last decade and brought amazing ROI, the reality is that in our current world, these digital platforms are NOISY! 

So, how do you differentiate and diversify when it comes to reaching your audience and spending your marketing budget? 

Dave Fink, the CEO and founder of Postie and my guest on this episode of Spa Marketing Made Easy, is here to answer that question and share how he is reinventing direct mail marketing for a digital world. 

Dave thinks the best-kept secret in marketing is hiding where you least expect it — your mailbox. And with a 20+ year career where he’s generated hundreds of millions of dollars in ad revenue and powered viral sensations like Dollar Shave Club and a number of successful celebrity brands, it’s fair to say that he knows the key to doing things differently. 

In this episode, we’re diving into how today’s direct mail isn’t an old school cash trap, but can be the strategy that leverages your marketing budget in the long-term. 

In this episode, we discuss: 

•  The benefits of using direct mail within your spa’s overall marketing strategy and how it differs from the direct mail from the last decade(s) prior
• Why direct mail naturally provides for a longer marketing window and why it’s particularly beneficial for brick-and-mortar based businesses
• The key things brands that are excelling with direct mail marketing strategies are doing to make their marketing pieces stand out
• Weighing the benefits and drawbacks of social vs. direct mail and how to get started with implementing a direct mail marketing strategy into your business

References Mentioned in Episode #270: Differentiating with Direct Mail with Dave Fink

•  Connect with Dave on LinkedIn and learn more about his company, Postie
• Learn more about conducting direct mail campaigns via the USPS
• Obtain direct mail marketing lists using tools like Epsilon, Axiom, or Experian
• 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

You’re creating content for social media, running Facebook and Instagram ads, and sending emails about your promotions, but it seems like all you hear is crickets (and you’re tossing your ad dollars and marketing resources out the window). 

Here’s the scoop: although sales can come from those who randomly find you online via social media or a search engine result, that’s not the most sure path to sales success. 

Your best method for ensuring that you actually capture your audience and convert them into a sale that’s not based on chance is by crafting a sales funnel. 

In this episode of Spa Marketing Made Easy, you’ll learn what a sales funnel is, why they’re critical for conversion and how to get one built so you can stop relying on chance for sales and start seeing predictable revenue flow from your marketing efforts. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•  How funnels help support your client journey and how it provides a more secure structure for obtaining leads and sales
• The big picture overview of a typical funnel and some variations on how you can structure your funnel according to your spa’s specific offer 
• My top tech tools for building out your funnel and what elements you need to have dialed in to see sales funnel success 
• My tips for troubleshooting your funnel as well as conducting tests and making tweaks that optimizes your funnel for the best results

References Mentioned in Episode #266: How To Create a Sales Funnel For Your Spa

• Create landing pages and automated email sequences in ConvertKit (affiliate link)
• Create a quiz funnel using the Interact Quiz tool 
• Use Linktree to add a link to the entry point of your funnel on social media 
• Explore the Addo Aesthetics Brand Photography Inspiration board on Pinterest
• 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