Outsourcing & Out "Sourcing" Spa Leadership

Summer at the spa means many of you are incredibly busy this time of year. And every year, I hear from spa owners who are incredibly stressed and can barely take it anymore - some of whom are seriously considering selling their business or quitting because it’s all just become “too much”.

If you don’t have efficient spa business systems in place, it can absolutely feel like you’re spinning your wheels; working way too much and way too hard. When you add all of the spa owner responsibilities (on top of an already busy season) at a time of year when you probably want some free time as well, it can, and has for many, push you over the edge.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Today I want to share with you two methods of outsourcing that can help you gather your energy and re-align with your purpose as a spa owner and leader.

Outsourcing & Out “Sourcing”

Outsourcing

If you are a solo spa owner and have a full clientele, you are most likely trying to leverage your earnings by being in the treatment room as much as possible. You may also be noticing that you don’t have time to do things like email marketing, social media, accounting and bookkeeping, or cleaning. At some point, you will have to start delegating some of these jobs out if you want to be working in your zone of genius because that is where your earning potential is.

For spas with teams, if you don’t have business systems in place you’ll never be able to grow your team or leverage your sales to any significant level. There’s just too many moving parts to grow effectively without them.

Many spa owners mistakenly think that when they delegate a task, they simply hand the job off to someone and expect it to be perfect. But it doesn’t work like that. It’s unrealistic for you to delegate a task and expect it to come back exactly how you want it if you just dump it on someone to complete unless you’ve provided detailed, written instruction with clear expectations for outcomes. Bottom line: you are responsible for creating a system of success to support the team member who is completing the task. What this means is that you must lay out expected deliverables, due dates, and a process for communication. This is what I mean when I talk about systems mimicking the The Flywheel Concept. You just need little pushes to sustain results after the system is created.

Once you have a system in place for outsourcing your tasks, you want to book time (definitely not nearly as much time if you were still doing that task) into your schedule to monitor progress & keep up with your end of the process.

Out “Sourcing”

Success in business is an inner game, so I can’t leave out the tactics that support our mental health, creativity & resilience.

When you are connected to your faith, inner self, or Source Energy, you are tapping into an energetic resource that supports your heart, soul, mind, and body. Entrepreneurship is an inner game, and if you want to work at your full potential, embracing Out-“Source”ing can be a powerful tool.

Out “Sourcing” means many different things to different people. Maybe you want to connect physically with yourself through movement or exercise, or perhaps Out “Sourcing” means going to church, or mindfulness and meditation. It could even mean going for walks in nature or reading self-help books. But it also means that you will have to look at the uncomfortable parts of yourself that you have been shying away from. However, when you find a way to connect with yourself, faith or Source Energy in a peaceful, mindful, healing and supportive way, it sets you up to be able to handle whatever happens at work a lot easier.

As much as you may think you can just white knuckle your way through your spa business, you can’t, nor should you have to do it all by yourself. Regardless of how you chose to gather energy through outsourcing or Out “Sourcing”, this is a critical piece of awareness to reaching your full potential.

I invite you to look at the areas within your spa business that you could outsource to help you save time and aggravation. But I also encourage you to look at areas of your life where you can Out “Source” for self-care. What can you bring into your life that brings you energy? And what can you remove from your life that is taking energy away from you?

“As a service provider you are a natural “Giver”, but when you give at the detriment of yourself, you are giving at the detriment of your business.“ - Kirsten Foss

If you need help creating systems for outsourcing tasks in your spa in order to open time and energetic space, please contact me. We can chat about systems you need in your spa business to help you prioritize yourself and find peace of mind at work and home.