Let’s face it: building (and growing!) a spa team is no easy feat… which is why it’s so crucial to know how to get started with your team growth action steps— and how to gracefully regroup if things go a little sideways.

As the blog accompaniment to the first Spa Business Mastery podcast of the New Year, I chose this topic as a way to remind all of us in the spa industry that your business (and business growth) truly has to start from the ground-up. 

My favourite analogy? That our spa businesses are like gardens, which means that we can’t enjoy the fruits of our labour without watering & nourishing those seedlings first!

So bookmark this page for future reference, relax those shoulders, and, before you continue reading, know that I’m offering a free spa team handbook outline to make the steps below even easier. 

Why? Because while 2020 was exhausting at the best of times, and 2021 will be much of the same, I want you to have the energy to keep being intentional with your business growth. And that starts with simplifying your team growth!

The “Getting Started” Part of Growing Your Spa Team

If you’re new to Kirsten Foss Coaching, then you may not know that I am all about “un-complicating” your life as a business owner. This starts with solid spa systems.

Whether you’re completely green to running a spa, a solo transitioning into being a team leader, or a team leader struggling with disorganization, this section is a can’t-skip. Even having just one squeaky wheel in your team is a red flag that you need to either put systems in place or reevaluate the ones you have.

Before anything else, ensure that your written documentation is in place. Developing or reassessing your spa team handbook, operations manual, and spa manager manual before jumping into any future steps is critical. These documents encompass:

• Step-by-step how-to’s of your common internal and client-facing processes

• General guidelines for how you want your spa run and represented

• How staff should behave and communicate, as well as protocols for hiring and firing

• Expected business outcomes

Not having these written documentations means that A) it is difficult to hold team members accountable, and B) all team behaviour expectations are entirely verbal, making them easy to misinterpret or forget.

Questions to ask yourself in this stage include:

• “Do I have written documentation in place for my spa business?”

• “If I do, am I acting on them?”

• “Are there policies or procedures that are unclear or missing?”

If you do not already have written systems in place, I highly recommend combining my free spa team handbook outline with author Michael Gerber’s, “The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It” to efficiently identify what pain points you have with your team and see where you are dropping the ball as a leader. After all, you can’t fix what you don’t know!

In short, having these written spa systems in place will make your life so much easier, both now and in the future. Simply updating your existing written systems or reviewing your written documentation with your team can do wonders to iron out any current frustrations.

The “Regrouping” Portion of Team Growth

Let’s break down the “regrouping” stage of team growth:

Revisit Pain Points

Just like how identifying team & client pain points during the starting-out stage is vital, revisiting them if things go awry is a non-negotiable. What pain points did revamping (or writing down) your spa systems not fix? Are the bad apples in your team still sour despite your initial efforts?

Be Prepared to Lose a Few Eggs From Your Basket

Something I reiterate to my private coaching clients who are grappling with team growth is that it is common to lose a few team members when in the “regrouping” phase. 

These losses are, more often than not, not losses at all, as they are typically team members who have been going against the grain of your spa biz the whole time! Remember: a loss like this just opens up space to attract more aligned team members.

Ask Yourself What the Chinks Are in Your Leadership

None of us are perfect, which is why it’s important to remain cognizant of our own shortcomings and how to counteract them. Whether it be a lack of confidence, weak communication, or even micro-management, anyone can become a better leader through consistent self-check ins and periodic goal-setting to keep yourself on track. No change is too small to make a big difference within your spa team, and that change starts with you!

Bonus: For Solo’s Planning on Bringing on a Team

If this sounds like you, then congratulations! It’s a leap I’ve seen many spa owners make via my spa owners-only private Facebook group, Spa Business Mastery.

My pro tip for you? Do yourself a favour and have a completed (as in, fully fleshed-out, zero weak points) staff handbook and operations manual before you start recruiting.

Trust me: it is an enormous change to switch from running things solely on your own to having a team behind you. While leading a team is a rewarding experience (I’d know; I worked as both a solo and a team leader during my time as a spa owner!), it’ll halve your stress if you have those systems be rock-solid before you have to start managing other people.

Not Sure How to Nail Your Written Spa Systems for Optimal Team Growth?

Not sure what goes into a staff handbook? Make sure to claim your free spa team handbook outline to help get your own team documentation completed in 2021!