Over the years of growing my business, I’ve heard other business owners mention taking a couple of classes down at their community college, or going so far as to get their MBA to learn the ins and outs of owning and operating a business. 

 

Now I’ll start off by saying that I think you need to choose the method of learning that works best for you, and for some, that means going and sitting in a physical classroom with a real teacher standing directly in front of you.

 

However, I’m also a firm believer that you can get a solid business education on your own. 

 

In my entrepreneurial journey, that has looked like taking online courses, participating in coaching programs and masterminds, a lot of trial and error, and the tool that I’m talking about in this episode…

 

Books! 

 

With the rapid evolution of online learning and digital media, it’s funny how books can feel a little “old school,” but truth be told, they’ve stood the test of time, and the authors of these noteworthy and top-selling books have distilled the most critical pieces of expert insight on their subject that they can pass on to their audience in a nicely wrapped package, all for typically less than $30. 

 

Sure, they way we buy and consume books has changed, but every year more and more incredible books, especially in the realm of business, are published and chock full of expert-level knowledge just waiting to be acted on. 

 

So, now that I’ve professed my love of books for business education let’s get to the announcement you’re really here for: we’re starting a Business Book Club! 

 

Tune in to this episode to learn more about how our Book Club will work, how you can join in, and what our first read will be!

 

In this episode, I share: 

• Why books are one of the top business tools I’ve leveraged over the years to round out my business education 
• How to incorporate reading/learning time for your business skills even when you’re in a season of life that makes reading difficult 
• My announcement on the new Spa Marketing Made Easy Business Book Club and how it’ll work plus the first book club selection! 
• In addition to our first book club read, I also share my top 3 business book recommendations that I believe every solo aesthetician and spa owner should read 

 

Resources Mentioned in Episode #096: The Start of Business Book Club and My Top Business Book Recommendations 

• Join in on the Business Book Club inside the free Spa Marketing Made Easy community, click here to join
• Pick up a hardcopy or Kindle version of our first Book Club read, “You Are a Badass at Making Money” by Jen Sincero 
• Check out my other business book recommendations from this episode including:
• The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber – Hard Copy or Kindle 
• Profit First by Mike Michalowicz – Hard Copy or Kindle 
• Essentialism by Greg McKeown – Hard Copy or Kindle 
• The One Thing by Gary Keller – Hard Copy or Kindle 
• The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz – Hard Copy or Kindle 
• To learn more about our Growth Factor Coaching Program, click here to get in touch with me and my team
• New to the Spa Marketing Made Easy Podcast? Download our Quick Start Guide to learn more about tuning in, where you can connect with our resources, and how to leave a review. 
•  

*Some links in this post are affiliate links where I will receive a small commission upon purchase.

 

 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. 

 

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Maybe you studied, or are currently studying aesthetics straight out of high school. 

 

Or maybe you went and got a degree in something else or had a full career in another industry before finally pursuing your dream of working in spa. 

 

No matter where you are  in your journey to becoming or building your career as an aesthetician, there’s one quality that acts as the foundation for anyone who wants to be successful in this industry: passion. 

 

A passion for helping and serving people, to committing to your craft and continually refining your technique and skill set, and, if you’re like my guest on this episode, a passion for giving back and paying it forward. 

 

I’m talking about Jaclyn Luongo, who if you haven’t met at one of the countless industry events she attends and speaks at, is simply the epitome of being a well-rounded and highly educated professional and industry leader while also embodying the role of a student at heart.

 

In addition to being a licensed aesthetician, make-up artist, aesthetic instructor, beauty blogger and business consultant with over 20 years of experience, Jaclyn also has an impressive resume as a featured guest freelance make-up artist for Chanel for over 11 years, a Business Consultant for Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, a volunteer for the Look Good Feel Better Program with the American Cancer Society as well as a guest speaker for the Dress for Success Organization. Additionally, she currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Melanoma Education Foundation, has been a Program Advisory Board Member at Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics since 2009, and is also the Academy Director at the American Academy of Health & Beauty. 

 

Clearly, Jaclyn is a woman who knows how to not only identify and create opportunities for her career but also go deep in her niche to carve out her expertise and pave the way for her to become the industry leader she is today. 

 

In this episode, we’re discussing the ways in which you can navigate your path to become the expert in what you’re most passionate about, while also remaining open to the endless opportunities that abound. 

 

In this episode, we discuss: 

• Jaclyn’s career journey and how she got to where she is today, which is the Academy Director at The American Academy of Health & Beauty
• How to begin navigating the many avenues you can take with a career in aesthetics 
• Why it’s crucial to remain a passionate learner and continue to seek out education, especially in the realm of business 
• Various ways to dive deep into your niche while staying open to the evolution of the industry 
• Why passion acts as the fuel for a successful career that allows you to pay it forward

References Mentioned in Episode #094: Committing to Life-Long Learning and Finding Your Aesthetic Niche with Jaclyn Luongo

• Connect with Jaclyn through her website, and on Facebook and Instagram 
• Learn more about the Growth Factor Framework program and get in touch with us to apply

 

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. 

 

[ Subscribe to Spa Marketing Made Easy on iTunes ]

It’s not uncommon for the foray into entrepreneurship to be less like a swan dive and more like a cannonball. 

 

You’re making moves, and you’re making them fast, all in the hopes of building up enough momentum to get your business off the ground so it can soar.

 

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with making quick moves when it comes to launching a business (life’s too short to sit around and wait for the right decision to present itself). 

 

And sometimes life circumstances mean you don’t have time to plot out every move in your business before taking the leap. Sometimes you just have to GO. 

 

However, even if you may not have time to spare, that doesn’t mean you should sacrifice stability.  

 

You need to build your business foundation on solid ground if you want to have success and longevity, and that’s where the Growth Factor Framework comes into play. 

 

What’s the Growth Factor Framework?

 

So glad you asked! 

 

Over the years I’ve discovered that every successful six- and seven-figure spa is built upon the same core pillars that give it strength and stability, which then allows for scale, and it’s these pillars that make up the Growth Factor Framework. 

 

Entrepreneurs with successful (i.e. profitable) businesses don’t end up there by accident, they get there with a purpose and a plan, and whether you’ve yet to take the dive into spa ownership or you’re all-in and struggling to keep your head above water, it’s never too late, or too early to get down to business basics and make sure that you’re giving your business the foundation it needs to thrive. 

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The three core pillars inside the Growth Factor Framework
• What it actually takes to make a million dollars of revenue in your business 
• Why building a team is integral to your success and where to start with your first hire 
• Where the spa industry is headed and how following the framework will ensure you’ll have a business foundation built to last 
• How to calculate your Lifetime Customer Value and how this plugs into the bigger picture of your business’ current and future growth

 

References Mentioned in Episode #090: Building a Successful Spa with the Growth Factor Framework

•  Read “The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It” by Micahel Gerber
• Learn more about Post With Purpose, a membership to help you master your spa social media
• Get more industry insights and data via Statista
• Subscribe, rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts

 

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. 

[ Subscribe to Spa Marketing Made Easy on iTunes ] 

As aestheticians, we share touch and personal connection with our clients, which means that energy exchange plays a huge role in our client experience. 

And if we come to our work with our energy unbalanced, or we find our energy affected by that of a client, it’s critical that we’re able to recalibrate and realign with a lighter, brighter energy. 

Now, before I go on any further, let me give a disclaimer if you’re reading and you’re thinking this sounds a little too “woo woo” for you…

Listen, I get it.

Although energy work is still relatively new to me having only become aware and slowly immersed in it over the last couple of years, it’s still something I’m discovering and wrapping my brain around.

But what I’ve realized in recent years is that these topics of energy work, inner work, and mindset, aren’t “woo,” it’s real, it’s science, and it’s totally within your power to shift if you’re willing to approach these concepts with an open mind and heart. 

So, with that said, I want to introduce you to my amazing guest on this episode of Spa Marketing Made Easy, Lisa Gornall. 

Lisa is a spiritual medium, healer, and coach, and uses her natural-given abilities to intuitively empower successful female entrepreneurs like you to reclaim your time, relationships, abundance and energy and live a fulfilling and balanced life.

After recording this episode, Lisa shared her intuitive and energetic gifts with me, and it resulted in a calm that washed over me like I can’t even describe. She’s the real deal, and I can’t wait for you to soak up all of her takeaways in this episode. 

I know you may be in the habit of listening as you commute to work, or as you cook or clean, but I highly encourage you to listen or re-listen when you’re in a space where you can be still, turn inward, and apply some of Lisa’s teachings as she explains it to really allow yourself to feel the energetic shift in real-time. 

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

• Lisa’s background in energy work and spa, as well as what energy work is and how it differs from other energetic practices such as meditation
• A simple process for calming and balancing your energy at the start and end of your day and in between client sessions 
• How to change the composition of our energy and shift into the power of positivity to clear and release  negative energy 
• Why we need to operate in a place of abundance and presence rather than fear and lack 
• How being in tune with our energy and mindset gives us insight into the growth of our businesses and careers and how it impacts our personal and family lives

References Mentioned in Episode #087: How to Recalibrate Your Energy and Invite Abundance into Your Life with Lisa Gornall

• Learn more about Lisa and her work as a spiritual medium, healer, and coach on her website 
• Discover Lisa’s newest book, “In Light & Love” and don’t forget to share a pic of you listening to this episode and tag us for your chance to win a copy! 
• Connect with Lisa on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube
• Learn more about the work of Shawn Achor and Brené Brown 

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.

Stop doing $10 an hour tasks in your business.

Stop doing $100 an hour tasks. 

So, what are the tasks you should be doing in your business? 


The $1000 an hour tasks. 

Now let me momentarily backpedal because I already know what you may be thinking…

“$1000 an hour tasks…what are those?!”

“I don’t have the revenue to stop doing $10 and $100 an hour tasks; I’m just barely keeping up!”

“I know I need help, but I don’t know the first place to look.”

Well, sit back, pull up an earbud, and fire up your notes app because in this episode of Spa Marketing Made Easy, I’ve got you covered on all things hiring a VA.

If you’re not familiar with the term VA, it stands for virtual assistant and let me tell you; they are a game-changer for the burnt-out, overworked, run-ragged business owner.

(Even if you’re not burnt out, you can still use a VA because they help you continue to stay sane and help you sustain growth as you scale your business!)

Virtual assistants are the key to setting yourself free from tasks that don’t fall within your zone of genius (aka the $1000 an hour tasks) so you can pass off the to-dos that take you forever to cross off to someone who can do them in mere minutes thus saving you a ton of aggravation and getting you a massive return on your investment.

However, as you get searching for a virtual assistant, you’ll find there is no shortage of potential hires to choose from.

In this episode, I’m sharing with you my top tips, tools and resources for finding your perfect fit VA, getting them set up and ready to roll, and creating a system so they can help you achieve your mile-markers for success.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How you and your business can benefit from bringing on a virtual assistant (VA)
• What a VA is and what types of tasks they are equipped to handle 
• What to consider concerning pricing, hours, and hiring locally, domestically, or internationally 
• Tips for finding and working with your perfect fit VA 
• Resources for where to begin searching for virtual assistant help

References Mentioned in Episode #085: How to Hire a VA and Reclaim Your Time

• Check out sites such as Hire My Mom, Cloudpeeps, Upwork and Freedom Makers to find a VA 
• Find international VAs in the Philippines 
• Use tools like LastPass, Canva and Google Drive to collaborate and share access to materials 

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. 

There’s an old sentiment when comes to business relationships and how it predicates your success…

“It’s all about who you know.”

While this is true to a degree, because knowing who influences various areas of your community is essential in knowing how to leverage your relationships to be mutually beneficial, what’s more important is how well you’re getting to know people. 

How much effort are you putting into nurturing your relationships?

What are you doing to invest in your existing relationships to make them stronger as well as develop new relationships?

Now, if you’ve listened to even a few episodes of Spa Marketing Made Easy that feature guest interviews, you’ve probably noticed a pattern: all my guests are people I’ve personally connected with or met and developed a relationship with before having them on the show. 

Whether it’s meeting them through my coaching or mastermind groups, business events, or working relationships, our connections are what drive our conversation forward. 

And in this week’s episode, I’m talking with another one of my connections made through my coach, Rachel Perry, who is also a coach herself, as well as one of the sweetest and funniest people I’ve had the opportunity to chat with. 

Today we’re exploring the benefits of business relationships both with clients and with other business owners, and how the power of relationships isn’t so much about the who, but rather the how in how you approach developing relationships with everyone within the sphere of your business. 

Whether you’re brand new in business, you don’t own a business but are working to grow your clientele, or you’re well-established, but looking for new opportunities to expand in your career, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.  

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why investing in finding and nurturing entrepreneurial relationships is important and necessary 
• How to create stronger client relationships that make a client feel valued and how that benefits your business in the short- and long-term
• Simple ways to keep track of your relationships and why you should be keeping track
• The differences in approach to developing relationships with clients vs. fellow business owners 

References Mentioned in Episode #083: Exploring the Benefits of Business Relationships with Rachel Perry 

• To learn more about Rachel, click here to visit her website and connect with her on Facebook and Instagram 
• Tune into Rachel’s podcast, Making the Leap 
• Listen to Episode #008 of Spa Marketing Made Easy: Grow Your Clientele With Gift Card Marketing

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.

When I speak with aesthetic experts who have recently taken the leap to start their own aesthetic business whether it’s as a solo practitioner or a spa with a team of aestheticians, one of the most common questions I get asked is, “how do I build a business that lasts?”

We’ve all heard the stats: 20 percent of small business businesses fail in their first year and 50 percent within five years. 

It’s not exactly a hopeful statistic when it comes to longevity, and that’s why I love to share stories like those of my guest on this episode of Spa Marketing Made Easy, Shannon O’Brien. 


Shannon is an industry vet with over 17 years of experience where she has started and grown not only a successful day spa in Tahoe but has also moved on to a new area, launched again as a solo practice and built it up with a team and a boutique to boot. 

She knows what it takes to build a business from the ground up, scaling her team and services, and building a brand that will be successful for the long haul, but this journey didn’t come without its bumps in the road. 

In this episode, Shannon and I are getting vulnerable on what it looks like to navigate the entrepreneurial journey through tough seasons of life and how you can find beauty in the breakdown to help you build your business to the vision of success you hold, and even beyond your wildest dreams. 

Today, Shannon is the founder of iSugarUniversity where she is bringing sugaring education and community to the online space, and I’m so excited for you to hear her inspiring story of how she arrived to where she is today. 

I know her story will give you hope, especially if you’re in the midst of a rough patch of life or business, but even if you’re not, her story is a case study in the grit and perseverance needed to succeed, and is chock full of takeaways that will help fuel your growth personally and professionally. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Shannon’s evolution as an aesthetician who owned a successful day spa and moved to a whole new city to start over 
• How Shannon discovered sugaring, how it compares to waxing, and why it’s a beneficial treatment to be able to offer your clientele 
• Shannon’s top tips and mindset shifts for navigating difficult seasons of life and business-ownership to build the dream you envision for your life
• Why finding your focus is one of the most critical entrepreneurial skills you should develop 

References Mentioned in Episode #082: Finding Beauty in The Breakdown with Shannon O’Brien of iSugarUniversity 

• Learn more about Shannon’s iSugarUniversity and Sugar Tribe by visiting her website
• Connect with Shannon and iSugarUniversity on Instagram 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. 

Silver linings, looking on the bright side, glass-half-full…however you coin the idea of optimism, what you’re actually doing is choosing to be positive. And yes, positivity is a choice.

While being positive isn’t a marketing strategy per se, when embraced and embodied, the power of positive thinking has true, scientific evidence of improving not just our day-to-day lives, but long-term happiness and sustainable business success.  

Tune into this episode to hear:

• Why mindset is a critical piece of success and happiness in life and business
• My personal story of how positive thinking has directed my entrepreneurial journey and my approach to taking on challenges and struggle for beneficial outcomes
• The science behind positive thinking and the tangible numbers to prove how impactful it can be in your business
• A simple practice you can begin doing now to immediately begin shifting your mindset into a place of positivity and possibility

 

To join the Spa Marketing Made Easy community on Facebook and receive more marketing insights, support, and feedback, click here.

 

Today’s guest is a little different than my usual interviewee in the sense that, yes, she is a successful business owner, but the topic of her business isn’t what we’re discussing.

 

Instead, we’re diving into the money mindset that helped her achieve her success in life and business.

 

Meet Tamiko Kelly; she’s the founder of Sleep Well, Wake Happy, where she helps mamas feel like themselves again and improve their baby’s sleep through the night, which is actually how I began working with her when my daughter struggled with sleeping (not anymore!).

 

Tamiko has been instrumental in helping me create the business and baby balance that works for our life and my work, and as I got to know her, I found her attitude and reflections toward money to be profound in a way that I know many aestheticians need to hear.

 

Now let me address what could be the elephant in the room for you…

 

I know being in such a caring profession can make the idea of money feel sticky or out of alignment. After all, you’re here to serve and heal, right?

 

Before we go any further, you have to know this: you can help heal people and still be financially successful (whatever that means for you). Those two things are not mutually exclusive.

 

You can do both, and based on personal experience I can also confirm that is only the case if you have done the work to develop a money mindset that acknowledges your value and reframes your money outlook from one of scarcity to abundance.

 

And that’s what Tamiko is going to shed light on today you hear her money mindset journey along with her top insights for developing the mindset that will help you win big in business.

 

So, we may not be talking about sleep in this episode, but I think by the end of listening you’ll sleep better knowing that the success you desire to achieve lies within your control and reach.

 

 

In this episode you’ll learn:

 

• Why just “charging more” isn’t the fix for earning more and how there’s more profound work to be done
• How you can prepare yourself to be ready to receive and be resilient in breaking new blocks through your evolving money mindset journey
• What it takes to create boundaries that allow you to unblock the things that could be holding you back from receiving new energy around earnings

 

References Mentioned in Episode #054: Developing Your Winning Money Mindset with Tamiko Kelly

 

• Learn more about Tamiko’s work at Sleep Well, Wake Happy and sign up for her free (game-changing) online workshop: The 3 Step Process For Teaching Your Baby To Sleep All Night
• Connect with Tamiko on Facebook and Instagram
• Learn more about “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne
• Read “E-Squared: Nine Do-It-Yourself Energy Experiments That Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality” by Pam Grout

Vulnerability, fear, self-compassion, judgement…these are all things we tend to face, especially as women, but even more so as entrepreneurs and aestheticians carving out our own definitions and pathways to success. But just because we face them doesn’t mean we’re doing the crucial work of moving through or with them, and that’s why I’ve brought on today’s guest, Julia Kristina.

 

Julia is a registered clinical counselor and the founder of Julia Kristina & Associates where she and her team help their clients process and breakthrough their emotional barriers brought on by anxiety and depression, stress and overwhelm as well as self-esteem issues, and grief and trauma.

 

Julia believes that we need to stop shying away from looking at and talking about the deep things that make us tick (and tock) as human beings, and doing so doesn’t have to be awkward or uncomfortable. In this episode, we discuss how we can begin bringing down our emotional and mental barriers to allow ourselves to be happy, healthy, and prosperous entrepreneurs.

 

In this episode you’ll learn:

 

• How the core of your entrepreneurial success is tied to your willingness to be vulnerable
• Why you might be subconsciously sabotaging yourself and how to unblock the emotional restrictions holding you back
• Why you need to get curious and questions for reflection to help you transform fear into confidence
• What it means to be self-compassionate and how that ties into practicing self-care