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 Client Care
7 min read
Every business owner that survives the critical early years in operation will arrive at a point where the physical expansion or remodeling of the original location seems like a reasonable idea. Client growth beyond your ability to serve as currently built, cramped working space for a larger spa team and the desire to add new treatment options, all may foster the desire to redesign your spa's layout and look. Besides, that once-vogue Tuscan theme with its faux finishes and terra cotta accents may now seem ancient indeed to your regular and newer customers. Read More
- Published in Client Care
6 min read
It’s always been your dream and you know now is the right time to make it happen. You have researched and planned and prepared and at this point there is only one thing standing between you and the doors of your spa – money. You envision a waiting list of clients, a talented and attentive staff, and because of your success you will be profitable early on and be able to pay back your loans early! You are sure that because your business and marketing plans are so well designed, you will have multiple lenders ready to offer you the money you need to launch your spa into business. Read More
- Published in Marketing
11 min read
At the onset of a design or re-design of your skin care facility you may want to assess or reassess your vulnerability to Mother Nature. It is a very real threat accompanied by the fear of loss of income, loss of wages, workplace disruptions, structural damage, and sometimes injuries and even death. What is a business owner to do? What is an employee to do? How do you plan for such disastrous scenarios? Many spas and salons are caught off guard when destructive weather takes power lines down and damages their businesses to the point of not being able to work at all. Read More
- Published in Insurance & Legal
10 min read
Some patient diseases such as skin cancer or acne are especially well-suited to co-management between a dermatologist and an aesthetician. The physician may see the patient, but typically it is for a shorter amount of time and the patient is usually referred to the aesthetician, who can educate the patient on medication use, make sure follow-up appointments are kept, and help the patient with the psychological aspect of the disease. Because aestheticians scrutinize the patients skin, they are also more likely than the nurse or even the dermatologist to notice and question potentially cancerous lesions. Read More
- Published in Client Care
7 min read
In a 16-year career as a licensed aesthetician, nothing made the experience more rewarding than the people I was privileged to serve. And, while some clients were more memorable than others (for every conceivable reason) a notable handful unintentionally left valuable, indelible lessons for which I’ve long been grateful. Those accidental teachers might never have been encountered in any other career—the cyclical visits or extended time together in safe seclusion—an uncommon characteristic of most working environments. We may meet and touch thousands of people during the full term of our professional lives so it would be a wonder that a few of them wouldn’t somehow alter the course of it slightly or substantially. Read More
- Published in Business
8 min read
I’m a big fan of imperfection. Believe it or not, I view imperfection as the ultimate goal of a professional skin care practice. This may come as a jolly surprise to my employees, who know that my management style is hardly laissez-faire. I have a fixation for hospital-cleanliness, for instance. To paraphrase the great Robert Duvall character in Apocalypse Now, I love the smell of Windex in the morning. Clutter bugs me, and I don’t know how otherwise reasonable people can work in it. Until quite recently, I could not tolerate denim worn in the office (I’ve never been a fan of “Casual Fridays”), because I thought it brought out the most slovenly tendencies in people. Read More
- Published in Business
7 min read
These days, it's easy to get distracted. The real trouble is, the distractions take our attention from the issues which really count-client service being key among these. We are such sensory beings, and barraged as we are with marketing messages, a simple trip to the store may turn into a phantasmagoric trip down the rabbit-hole. When I buy groceries, I will often see shoppers, apparently from other places, who cannot hide their amazement at the shampoo aisle of my local supermarket. Has washing your hair ever involved so many decisions? The same goes for purchasing a pair of blue jeans. Read More
- Published in Business
7 min read
These days, it's easy to get distracted. The real trouble is, the distractions take our attention from the issues which really count - client service being key among these. We are such sensory beings, and barraged as we are with marketing messages, a simple trip to the store may turn into a phantasmagoric trip down the rabbit-hole. When I buy groceries, I will often see shoppers, apparently from other places, who cannot hide their amazement at the shampoo aisle of my local supermarket. Has washing your hair ever involved so many decisions? The same goes for purchasing a pair of blue jeans. Read More
- Published in Client Care
6 min read
Technique. This is a sacred word to skin therapists. To begin with, it's French-more on that in a moment. For generations, technique has been the skin care profession's raison d'etre-oops, I mean entire reason for being. Mastering the traditional posture, movements, and protocol defined the very essence of being a skin therapist, similar, let's say, to the discipline of a classical ballerina or a Cordon Bleu chef faceting perfect, six-sided baby carrot nuggets. But here's the big news: technique is not enough. Read More
- Published in Business
