Advice, direction, help! Let’s face it, we all ask for it at some point or another. So why does it seem so much easier to ask for it when it comes to our personal lives, yet we hesitate to seek this out when it comes to our businesses?
Let me give you a brief history of why I am a big fan of professional coaching:
My husband and I decided to start our own company, a health-club outside the Houston area, in 1999. In 2001, with success smiling down on us, we were able to expand our club and incorporate a 2000 square foot day spa inside. I took on the role of spa director. Heck, I’ve got business savvy and am a seasoned spa-goer, why couldn’t I be the spa director? Let me tell you…it was a learning experience with plenty of trials and a whole lotta errors!
After several years of ups and downs, I began to grasp the full scope that even though I felt like I was doing my best and working diligently, my spa was in the red. One month, after looking over our P&L’s and having my net revenue figure slap me in the face, I realized that the spa was surviving only because the main health club was supporting it. My spa would never be profitable if I was to continue to operate as I had been doing. The spa needed to not only be self-sufficient, but profitable.
Any successful and profitable business must operate with clear, precise systems. These systems include: position descriptions, vision/mission statements, compensation plans, marketing strategies, yearly marketing calendars and operational guidelines etc. If these systems are not in place and are not proven to be successful, the business as well as the decision maker will continue to encounter undue stress and hardship. At this point, many times the spa director/manager loses some inner confidence and new ideas may cease to develop, and inspiration becomes void.
This was exactly my story. I had exhausted all marketing avenues that would help drive revenue into my spa. After feeling inspirationally stagnant for several months, I decided to start investigating spa consulting firms. After speaking with several firms but not really connecting with any of them, I ran across InSparation Management on the internet. I placed a call to them, not imagining that anything they said would excite me. Boy was I wrong! Dori Soukup immediately took my call. She took the time to listen to my history and my struggles. I asked her about her experience and her proven track record and I was amazed with what she had accomplished. I knew after our first conversation that Dori was my new hero!
To make things short and sweet, EVERYONE needs a mentor, a coach if you will. Within one month (not kidding), my spa went from barely netting a revenue of 5% to netting over 20% with continued revenue growth thereafter. My initial investment with InSparation Management has been returned ten-fold. My spa now operates independently and successfully thanks to business systems, marketing strategies and operational guidelines that are now clear, precise and effective.
Stop the madness! And get a coach. Or attend leadership seminars like the Leap Ahead. Or join the CoachMe Program to keep you focused.
Today’s spa world is ever-changing and ever-growing. Ask yourself: Are you sinking or are you swimming? You as a business leader have so much to lose if you don’t ask for help, but so much to gain if you do. Coaching is your next step towards growth and success!
Leave a comment and let me hear about your coaching story.
