Susan Keefe
age 40 | committed relationship with one daughter | owner of Clean Slate Spa | Brookfield, WI
What’s the one thing you want in your spa, but don’t have? I strongly believe that as lasers become technologically more sophisticated and more affordable to the average client as a method of hair removal, the spa industry may experience a drastic decrease in their waxing business. I would like to stay ahead of the curve and be able offer laser hair removal on my menu of services in the near future.
What are you most proud of? I am most proud that about seven months ago I was brave enough to take the leap and leave a salon that I had worked at for seven years to open my own small day spa. In this crazy and scary economy, it has been exciting and I look forward to the challenge of growing my own spa business, as well as working with other spas as a consultant.
How many hours have you dedicated to continuing education since you’ve graduated? Since the aesthetics field is continuously changing and becoming more complex, continuing education is a vital part of staying on top of new techniques, ingredients, products, and equipment. Continuing education in aesthetics is a broad spectrum of different activities, programs, and classes, so I couldn’t give you an exact number of hours I have spent honing my skills, but it’s been a lot!
What networking strategies have been successful for your spa? I am involved in a variety of local organizations and groups that my target markets are active in. Because I have established relationships with the other members (who then become clients) and strongly believe in the cause, it’s a win-win for everyone.
What helped you to understand how to effectively retail your products? Being successful at retailing is all about creating a relationship with your client that is built on trust. If your clients trust you, they will buy from you!
What information did you learn after you started working that you wish you had learned in school? I learned shortly after getting out of aesthetics school that you have to possess a confident personality to be successful in this industry. You have to be mature, self-assured, articulate, a real go-getter, as well as have exceptionally good time management skills. These are not necessarily skills you can teach in beauty school, but I think that if the maturity level isn’t there, budding aestheticians might have a very difficult time making it in this field. It’s so much more than just doing facials and applying makeup to be a success.
What types of marketing give your business the best exposure for the money? Offering the Clean Slate Spa VIP Client Rewards Program as a way for me to give back in the form of free services and gift certificates. I want to be able to express my enormous appreciation to the exceptional individuals who have supported and promoted Clean Slate Spa. This type of marketing is the best money can buy.
How do you feel about mandatory continuing education for license renewal? I’m not opposed to mandating continuing education for license renewal at all. Why wouldn’t any aesthetician want to take any opportunity to learn more about this industry when courses are available? This makes us not only more knowledgeable about the field, but also makes us better aestheticians to our clients.
What’s your biggest distraction at work? One of my biggest attributes is my ability to stay focused on the tasks at hand. It’s hard to get distracted when you’re constantly multi-tasking.
