Growth Factor® taught me to onboard new hires with a probational period, launch a model and ambassador program, and host an event!

I was able to generate $10K in revenue through Growth Factor® Framework by getting serious about raising my prices. I focused on putting a plan in place to increase service prices and added a new provider that helped my spa tremendously!

Since joining Growth Factor®, I’ve hired 2 new employees who have brought in over $13K in revenue! Daniela has taught me how to hire the right people and put them in positions to be successful!

The paid ads strategy learned in Growth Factor® was a game changer for our business! We were able to generate new leads and get bookings through the ads. We also hosted a successful event that helped us reach our $10K in revenue challenge.

After joining Growth Factor®, I hired a VA to manage my social media, I raised my prices, and I hosted an event that helped me generate $10K in revenue.

My spa hosted a fall open house event where we invited new and existing clients. During the event, we sold services, spa packages, offer promotions on gift certificates and products. It was a very successful event thanks to the help of Daniela and Growth Factor®!

I’ve been able to streamline all of my processes since joining GFF. No show policies are now part of our client protocol, plus a new onboarding process for hiring and training new staff. I also hired a new employee and raised our prices over the course of my time in GFF.

When I joined this class, I knew nothing. Absolutely nothing. I had mentioned before that I was totally screwed by my CPA. I had a home-based business in the past, but 2023 was my first year as a brick-and-mortar. I closed down the EIN I had and opened an LLC through a law firm. I used the same CPA that I had used in prior years, and I talked to him in February. He was going to set up my books “ASAP” and get back to me, but he turned me over to someone else in the company.

Long story short, they just kept saying, “Send me what you have.” I had no direction on what to do or how to do it. I kept asking, ‘What am I doing wrong? What was I supposed to do, and what was I doing right?’ But I never got a response, just “Send me what you have.”

The assistant told me to file $0 on my quarterly, so I ended up having to pay penalties and interest on all four quarters. I never got my books set up and sent back to me. The next time I actually talked to the CPA was in November. I sent him another email in January but got no response.

I cried for about three days, then found someone else to help me. I realized I would never be that vulnerable again. My lack of knowledge and putting my finances in the hands of someone whom I trusted but who didn’t reciprocate that trust almost shut my doors after one year in business. 

Never again. I will know exactly what I am talking about and what I can spend. It will take me a bit to climb out of this hole, but the lesson was learned. 

I was fearful that I would not figure it out, that it would all be a foreign language to me at the end of the course, that I would still not understand what was going on, and that my business would fail. I was afraid that I would realize that I didn’t know what I was doing and just have to close my doors.  

But that is not the case at all. Yes, I am still not a high roller and not generating a lot of income, but I am generating income this year. I know what I am generating on a monthly basis, which is so different from last year. I am moving the needle forward, and I know what I am looking for, thanks to the knowledge gained from this course. 

The financial statements were the most useful section of the class for me. I finally understand them, although it’s taking a while. I started using YNAB, which is also taking a while to set up because I am finding expenses that I didn’t realize I had. I am looking at ways to cut expenses. I am pretty frugal, but I was just not organized with my spending, using multiple credit cards, etc. I realized you don’t know what you don’t know. Now, I have narrowed it down to my business checking account and one credit card. 

I am thinking of setting YNAB up for Profit First so I can begin to implement it.
I believe that is the only way I will pay myself, so I might as well implement it from the beginning. I still have yet to pay myself, and I have got to start soon.

If you don’t know, you will know after taking this course. It’s a must for any small business or solo entrepreneur out there to have the basic knowledge of what is going on inside their business.

I am so thrilled that I was able to be part of this course. It was absolutely life-changing for me, and I sincerely mean that. I graduated in 2015 and have been taking massive amounts of continuing education classes every year in preparation for opening my business. I still was not prepared, although I thought I was. I have no clue how these new grads open a business right out of school. It makes me scratch my head. 

I am so grateful that I now know what I am doing when it comes to numbers. I still have a long way to go, but oh my goodness, I have come so far in just a month. It is unreal.

Thank you, Daniela and Nicole, for putting together such a useful class on finance for spas.

The main problem I have is that I knew I was not doing a good enough job managing my business financially, but I did not know there was a method that I could learn that would give me guidelines on how to implement it. 

My biggest hesitation in signing up for the class was that it would be time-consuming. I was delighted to find the books interesting and easy to read. It did not take long to read the first book because it helped me realize that I could learn to manage my money better and not feel so ashamed for not knowing what to do.  

Understanding the financial statements is something I kinda knew but not 100%,
so going through them with examples of businesses similar to mine was extremely helpful. Most classes or financial advisors I have met previously do not have an understanding of our spa expenses, so I knew it was important for me to know what to look for.

Learning how to use the “Profit First” financial assessment tool was easy and helpful in helping me realize where my finances are currently and where I need to adjust my allocations of money so I can be more sustainable in my business. I am now learning how to use YNAB to help manage my money by making a profit, paying myself, and managing my operating expenses. This will be a work in progress.

Nicole was very responsive and answered all my questions. She is highly skilled at understanding the variations of spa businesses, whether you’re a solo esthetician or a larger spa business with multiple locations.

I definitely feel better about managing my esthetics business now that I have started this process.  I would have liked to spend more time diving into setting up YNAB and how to implement it going forward, so that leaves the door open for me to follow up with Addoaesthetics and Nicole to get more guidance.

It will not happen overnight, but at least I don’t feel so bad about my spending habits now, and it is manageable.

Debbie Brewer is the CEO of Beauty Brew Med Spa, a full-service wellness and beauty spa in New Jersey.

A sentiment I’ve often shared is “it’s never too late to start,” and Debbie is a beautiful example of just that by kickstarting her entrepreneurial journey after raising three incredible daughters as a stay-at-home mom for 20+ years.

Once her kids were grown, Debbie began pursuing her passion for aesthetics, and through partnering with Dermaconcepts, the exclusive distributors of Environ Skin Care in the United States, to help supply her spa’s retail and treatment protocols, she also entered the world of Addo Aesthetics through our strategic partnership with DermaConcepts.

Initially working through the Sales Factor program, and eventually building up into the full Growth Factor Framework program, Debbie has seen tremendous success in her spa’s growth — going from $0 to $180K in six months!

From starting her client base from scratch, to hosting an event within a couple weeks of opening up her own location, to sharpening her retail sales skills, Debbie is the epitome of an action-taker, and she’s got the results to prove it.

*Dermaconcepts and Addo Aesthetics have a partnership allowing spa owners to gain business growth training alongside their investment in Dermaconcepts skincare science and retail. Be sure to ask about this partnership when booking a call with a member of Team Addo Aesthetics.

Licensed aesthetician, multiple business owner and self-proclaimed women’s activist Andrea Klien retired herself from her spa after just 18 months as a solo aesthetician.

The successful spa CEO and former Addo Aesthetics student launched her spa’s brick and mortar location at the end of 2019, and since then she has completely removed herself from the treatment room.

Andrea started her career by going to beauty school at age 34 and, in less than nine years, built a seven-figure day spa that she was able to retire from so she could focus on her life’s purpose, the Liberté Foundation for Women.

Andrea now travels the world documenting women’s stories of freedom and entrepreneurship, and through her nonprofit, Andrea is able to share the gift of freedom through grant giving to female small business owners around the world.

Andrea also launched her own skincare brand that’s helping women across the globe. She first came to Addo Aesthetics in 2020 and has worked with CEO Daniela Woerner one-to-one for about three years. She credits investing in coaching at Addo Aesthetics and surrounding herself with other women on a similar path in business to her business success.

“The only way I accomplished all of those meaningful things was to step out of the treatment room and feel no guilt and own it like a CEO. Otherwise, I would not have progressed. I needed to make some big CEO decisions and it was uncomfortable but there were some big things I wanted to achieve.” Ms. Klein said.

Andrea’s 18-month journey from solo aesthetician to spa CEO shows exactly what is possible in business if you step outside the treatment room.

Growing up near San Francisco in California, Amanda Luisa knew she wanted to take the best parts of the state and put them into her spa in Central Illinois.

“I love pulling my favorite parts of Cali and putting them into my business,” she said.

Apart from her husband and two fur babies, Amanda’s pride and joy is her vibrant three-room day spa, The Beach House Skincare and Spa, which she first opened in 2019.

Beach House Skincare and Spa is a woman-owned company dedicated to inclusivity and community, which has recently seen year-on-year growth, with the expansion of the business to a team of five.

“Before Addo I was so overwhelmed because I didn’t have a team, I was beyond burnt out, and I was not paying myself. It felt like I was spending every second working and I wasn’t seeing any of the reward,” she said.

“Now I’m paying myself and my team well, and that feels really, really good. I have a system for everything in my business which creates stability and a stellar team culture because everyone is on the same page on what happens, and when and how it happens.”

The Beach House Skincare and Spa is an ally for the LGBTQ+ and POC community and Amanda’s made sure to make her company values of safety and kindness ring true across every aspect of the business.

A skincare professional for more than seven years, Amanda loves a simplified beauty routine, which she enjoys sharing with her clients, and her passion lies in helping her team develop their skills to better help the Peoria community on a larger scale.

Amanda first began working with Addo Aesthetics after signing up for Spa Retail Rockstar and then applied for Growth Factor Framework for two years.

“It was incredible. I’ve been able to lead my team with confidence and now when something goes wrong I see it as an opportunity instead of a disaster,” she said.

Amanda says she’s proud that she’s become a leader to her employees and her broader community, while also creating financial stability for herself and her family.

“As a result of working with Addo, I no longer feel like a fraud and I am able to contribute to my family financially. I finally have the confidence to embrace my new title as Spa CEO,” she said.