Hopefully when you decided to become an aesthetician, your main deciding factor was your passion; Passion to help others look and feel better. It’s no secret that having passion for what you do is a major factor in an overall success formula. And, when you combine passion with skills, your chances for success are even greater, but your formula remains incomplete.
You need a solid investment program - an investment into the future of your career path, and what better than continuing education and advanced education. In the ever changing face of beauty products and beauty systems, it’s become even more crucial today for aestheticians to stay on top of their game.

Cultivating your entrepreneurial spirit is vital to your success as a spa owner. You can become a successful entrepreneur if you have motivation, willingness to learn, and a positive spirit. The motivation to starting your own spa requires an entrepreneurial spirit, a spirit that is within each of us. For some, it may be a dying ember that needs to be sparked, while in others it may be a passion that cannot be extinguished.
The desire for money alone is not a strong enough reason to start a business. Any business, large or small, needs to make money to survive and grow.

Communication is key in any relationship: our husband, wife, family, and friends. It is paramount in your business relationships as well.
When was the last time you sat down and actually sent a hand written thank you note to a new or regular salon/spa guest to thank them for their business? In these days of cell phones, World Wide Web, Blackberry (which I thought was only a delicious fruit), iPods, e-mail, and all the multi-tasking we do, handwritten communication like writing notes, letters, and cards is slowly becoming a lost art.

Bosses! Just saying the word can send chills up one’s spine. Our direct supervisor is the one person who can be the biggest ally in our career or make our lives miserable. When it comes to employment, there will always be someone there who is the boss!

The Cheerleader
Some bosses are always nice and happy with a peppy, cheerleader-type attitude. They don’t like confrontation. If someone takes a problem to them, they tend to listen, nod their heads and say “yeah, yeah”, but nothing gets done.

Imagine this scenario… you’ve had a long day behind the chair with facials and bikini waxes scheduled one right after another. Your feet are tired; your neck hurts… even your hair feels like complaining. You’re dying for some relaxation and pampering of your own and can’t wait for your next appointment with your favorite massage therapist. Now towards the end of your shift, you’re sitting in the break room waiting for your last client… finally. As you sit there, rubbing your temples trying to keep a headache from creeping on, you feel a set of hands on your shoulders unexpectedly.

Most aestheticians love their job; they live, breath, and constantly discuss their work. Their vacations are spent at skin care shows, and their gifts to friends and family are free treatments. But they usually have a favorite service they do, and most have at least favorite one that they dread when they see it on their book. During my research for this article, I asked aestheticians across the country about their favorite and least service services to perform.
Who knew that there would be an aesthetician out there whose favorite part of her services is to sell home care?

What’s new? What’s now? What’s hot? What’s not? Have you asked yourself these questions lately? If you’re looking to sustain, grow, or expand your business in 2008, these questions should be on your mind. I started thinking about this in June of this year!
As this year comes to an end and the new year approaches, it is an important time to evaluate where you are and where you want to go. Let’s take a closer look at this by answering this question: When reviewing your current treatment offering, what are your cash cows, stars, question marks, and dogs? Let me explain.

Does Your Spa Speak the Right Language?

Busy, but not too loud. Elegant, yet affordable. Relaxing but invigorating. It might be difficult, when thinking of your spa’s environment, to find a happy medium. Finding that perfect environment, one that speaks to all clientele – returning clients and newcomers to the spa experience, might be a daunting task.
It’s possible you’ve seen your ideal workplace…imagined the ambiance of the spa that you’ll call home, talked about it with fellow workmates.

A good training manual is worth its weight in gold, or at least good old U.S. currency, since solid education is key to solid profits. A great training manual must be pure “take-away” for the readers—it’s all immediately applicable information, which will make your cash register buzz faster than the speed of sales.
The purpose of a training manual is to first set the standard for service, based upon the company vision, then to lay out in actionable steps how that standard may be achieved and surpassed daily for optimum team achievement.

If you have tried repeatedly to get a focus on customers, customer loyalty, and customer profitability inside your organization with less than stellar results, you’re far from alone. Most companies jump in without evaluating how the organization works together, whether the CEO is truly committed, and if the patience exists for the long road ahead. These are the key issues that usually get in the way of making progress. See if you recognize any of them in your organization.