7 min read
When Sarah Hughes skated off with the gold medal, she pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history. Her surprisingly simple secret? “I didn’t skate for a gold medal. I went out and had a great time.” Athletes say it all the time: “I just went out there and had fun.” And, admittedly, they do look like they’re having a great time. Fortunately, fun isn’t the sole province of superstar athletes. It can work for the rest of us in the skin care industry, too. The link between having fun and business success has been proven in countless studies. When we’re having fun on the job, we are more creative and more productive. Read More
- Published in Employee Relations
8 min read
For many of us, it was a complete surprise to learn upon graduation from aesthetics school that we were not adequately trained to compete in the rapidly-changing world of aesthetics. We discovered that we were entering our new careers without the competitive edge. To make matters worse, we found that the field of aesthetics was under increasing attack by the medical profession… and for good reason. Under-trained aestheticians are making mistakes and people are having bad experiences, sometimes even resulting in injuries. In the age of “Extreme Makeover,” feeling good about ourselves has become a lot more complicated. Read More
- Published in Spa Highlights
12 min read
Aesthetics has come a long way in the U.S. since licensed professionals had to spell ‘aesthetics’ for those who asked ‘what do you do?’ Clients know what aesthetic services are now, and many have placed them firmly into their lifestyle must-haves. Due to this populartity, aesthetic schools are filled with students excited to join our profession, and committed aestheticians graduate with the fundamentals for practicing basic skin care. But is this basic education enough? Our services and our businesses have become more complex and many believe require higher levels of education for the safety of our clients and to just stay in business. Read More
- Published in Continued Education
11 min read
Spas come in all shapes and sizes from the mega resorts to the independent day spas; well so do clients and their needs. Are you prepared to meet the needs of all your clients? Young, mature, pre-teen, petite to large size clients are all looking to spas for waxing to massage but are you prepared. I know you are thinking YES… but while many spas are prepared for the average size clients many are not prepared for ALL. There are many things to consider including ADA requirements, equipment strength, and therapist etiquette. Read More
- Published in Client Care
10 min read
Only a generation ago, children were to be seen and not heard. Now, young people who might have been dismissed as “kids” back in the 20th century are proving to be the most powerful segment of American society in terms of establishing and driving brand dominance in the consumer marketplace. Rather than viewing consumers under the age of 21 as simply future-tense buyers, the fact is that national purchasing trends across the board in fashion, beauty, food and lifestyle choices are shaped largely by teens and ‘tweens. Fierce brand loyalties to a specific label form younger and younger, as children are barraged with marketing messages from infancy, and often acquire personal income well before high school. Read More
- Published in Client Care
5 min read
When I was starting out, many misconceptions surrounded acne. The fact is that anyone and everyone can experience acne in some form. And more of us do have at least one or two acneic episodes in our lives, and not necessarily during our teen years or even our early 20s. Adult acne is on the rise, and because most of our industry's skin care clientele is female, I can say that many women are experiencing acne when least expected it. This poses a challenge to today's skin therapist-one which really wasn't faced by past generations of skin care professionals. Read More
- Published in Business
5 min read
When I was starting out, many misconceptions surrounded acne. The fact is that anyone and everyone can experience acne in some form. And more of us do have at least one or two acneic episodes in our lives, and not necessarily during our teen years or even our early 20s. Adult acne is on the rise, and because most of our industry's skin care clientele is female, I can say that many women are experiencing acne when least expected it. This poses a challenge to today's skin therapist-one which really wasn't faced by past generations of skin care professionals. Read More
- Published in Business
8 min read
Selling spa products is like exercise: you know it's good for you and you feel better when you've really got it going. Ah, but when you fall off of the routine it can be hard to get back in the selling groove. Sometimes, it simply takes a short-term challenge that is fun and achievable to get back on track. Committing to do local 5K walk or run can magically provide the push you need to get you to the gym. Likewise, committing to an achievable goal can get you out of your retail rut and on to improving the health of your business. Read More
- Published in Business
11 min read
If I had to identify one large knowledge gap in the skin care industry, I think it’s in the area of retail sales. Yes, there is a wealth of product knowledge training available, but very little in the way of customer psychology and sales technique. Knowing what to recommend is not the same as knowing how to sell. Aestheticians are in a tough bind because of this shortfall. On the one hand, it’s probable that no one has ever taught you how to sell products, and yet on the other hand there is an expectation that you’re supposed sell a lot—whatever that is. Read More
- Published in Marketing
8 min read
There is truly nothing more important than education to the success of any business, especially in the skin care industry. Manufacturers may tend to forget this-they think that their potential success rests with their products. Actually, the key is in the education of the people who use their products. I have dedicated the past 30 years to the education of skin care professionals. But here's what I've discovered: our clients also need to be trained. In fact, they are badly in need of a sort of Client Boot Camp. I agree with the great Dr. Samuel Johnson, who said that "A little learning is a dangerous thing." Read More
- Published in Business
