Kristen Marie Haines
age 32 | married | spa owner | New York City, NY
What networking strategies have been successful for your spa?
I love to meet new, talented people; it’s one of the reasons I chose this profession. When I am expecting a slight downturn in business, we plan a party centered around wellness and self esteem. Our top 50 clients make up 80 percent of our annual revenue, so we invite them to a customer appreciation party, plus a friend who has never been to [our spa] Euphoria. For instance, we have hosted a wine tasting event in honor of our “Chardonnay Massage.” For our one year anniversary party, one of the nicest people I have ever met, Clinton Kelly, hosted a makeover event and we featured signed copies of his book, Dress Your Best. Dr. Matthew Schulman, board certified plastic surgeon of Madison Avenue Plastic Surgery and Medical Director of Euphoria Spa held a seminar and demonstration of botox and restylane injections. In February we [had] a winter warmer spa sampler party and partnered up with Katie Campbell, owner of True Boutique. An onsite tailor custom fits denim or anything else in the store-before you walk out the door.
Hosting customer appreciation parties are fun and generate a little buzz. I love introducing our clients to each other because they are all such amazing people who tend to live right near each other, so it’s also a networking event for them! There is nothing like word of mouth to build a solid business.
How have you stayed motivated throughout your career?
People. My staff and clients. They keep me upbeat and help me continue to build the business on a daily basis. Ideally, I like to hire everyone I meet that inspires me and that is talented and qualified in their field. Therefore, I surround myself with people who truly believe in me, and who I believe in with all of my heart. After all, they comprise most of your day! I learn so much from my staff; it’s unbelievably exciting for me to grow as a person each day.
I feel like giving love and receiving love in almost any capacity is not only the key to happiness in life, but also creates a warm, friendly, and prosperous spa environment. I find there is absolutely nothing more rewarding than meeting wonderful clients who are open and receptive to our services. A visit from a loyal client immediately lifts my spirit on a day when I feel down or frustrated. I think it’s equally important to be able to ride the waves of owning a business, both the highs and lows. It’s nice to make my parents proud, too.
How do you feel about mandatory continuing education for license renewal?
I am a proponent of MCE because I believe it improves competence and protects clients from professionals who lack quality in their work. The nature of the aesthetic business is that it’s constantly changing and evolving as we learn more and more about the skin, health, and wellness. Therefore, it is necessary to keep educating yourself in order to provide exemplary service. I believe everyone should be responsible for providing their absolute best to each and every client. The bigger question here is how do we create a fabulous program that is the same across the board and focuses on ALL aspects of the business and professionalism? For those practitioners who are against MCE, I would have to ask why? I feel that participation in the programs will not only enhance the norm, but may help weed out those unmotivated and self righteous employees. It’s like anything in life; you are only as good as your last service!
