Complexions Wins Salon of Distiction from SALON TODAY magazine

Just received notice from Salon Today magazine that we are one of the winners for the 2009 Salon of the Year contest. We were voted as a Salon of Distiction. I am really excited about this honor. There were over 100 salon’s entered from around the world. The designs were amazing for all the salons. I am very pround to be listed among the other winners. Check out the June issue of the article.

Reaching Gold LEED Certifiction for New Construction Means more than you can imagine!

Reaching Gold LEED certification  means more than you can imagine. When we first started out with this challenging process, we met people who thought we were crazy. We were discouraged by some who thought the task was far to difficult to accomplish for a small busines of my size and to expensive to achieve .  They told me that I didn’t have to become LEED certified just to call myself a “green spa” .  But to me it was more than calling ourselves a green spa.  LEED is a score card through the US Green Building Council which proves your authenticity.  Not many people can say they are LEED Certified.  They were right about one thing, I didn’t have a huge budget to pay for the professionals that ordinarily do all the research and work to achieve this status. But that thought is exactly what made this such a rewarding feat. In order for us to accomplish this Gold LEED certification, we had to do the work ourselves. That very thing is what makes this project so unique and so personally rewarding. My brother, my father, myself and even my two boys contributed to the success of this project. We did the research and the grunt work.  We sorted the metal studs, wire, electrical parts, ceiling tiles, and more. We were the ones who actually “got our hands dirty” and measured walls, marked out the floors, researched the materials and ran around to all the different suppliers researching what was available to us.  We had to learn the LEED process and requirements all while doing the actual work.  We were the ones who worked the hardest and achieved our personal goal.  At first we were completely overwhelmed with everything but in the end, the challenging process is what makes this so personally rewarding.  We didn’t just pay someone else to do the work, WE did the work.  So now saying we achieved Gold LEED Certification for New Construction really means WE ACHIEVED our dreams. ….-we became the FIRST  Gold LEED Certified New Construction Spa in the country.

Changing the focus of our Spa Services

Complexion’s has always been a spa that focuses on the wellness side of the services that we offer but now more than ever we are very careful with how we send this message to our guests.  We do not use words like pampering and luxury.  We have started to explain the benefits of our services along with words like affordable, de-stressing, promoting wellness, mental clarity and more.  We have also committed to continuing our “sparties” on the third Thursday of every month.  This has proven to be a wonderful way for our guests to experience a complimentary sampling of a “featured” vendor or service.  We charge our guests a $25.00 reservation fee which assures they will commit to coming in and they can apply that money toward a retail purchase made that evening for the “featured” product.  We also give our guests a 20% discount on booking their appointment for the full experience of the featured service.  Another wonderful service we have offered to our menu in a 6:30 Metta on the Mat (metta means loving kindness in Thai) morning class.  This is a way for our guests to greet the day with a gentle stretching and meditation.  What a wonderful way to start the day.  We offer fruit, yogurt, tea, and full use of our steam room, sauna, and shower facilities.  This has not only opened up a new influx of clients new to our facility, but it also generated additional income for us at a time that we normally did not have any income.  We are using our relaxation room which is a green house so you can see the sun coming up.  It’s just wonderful.   Even in this economy, there are ways for us a spa owners to get creative and to get back to the true meaning of spa services.  It has always been and should be about the wellness.  I completely disagree with spa services being pampering ……..this is our opportunity as a spa professionals to get back to the origins of the spa industry…..

NYSERDA Loan Fund Application Process

At one of our SAIC and NYSERDA meetings we learned about the NYSERDA LOAN FUND.  It was an opportunity for us to reduce our mortgage rate by 4 interest percentage points.  In order to move on this we had to  fill out an application at the start of the project.  We also had to have the bank preapproved and they also submitted an application as our bank.  As the project proceeded we  had to compile all of our expenses and supporting documentation along with receipts for the total cost of the project.   Everything that we used in an effort to attemp LEED certification qualified under the loan fund.  This included consultants that we used, cost of construction as well as the materials cost.  We were able to apply approximately $800,000. of our costs to the loan fund. 

We scheduled a final meeting with NYSERDA and presented them with a completed binder categorizing everything for them.   It took several weeks for them to review all the documentation and receipts.  They asked some final questions and then we waited. ….. We finally got word from them and we have been approved.  It is amazing.  They sent a check to our bank and reduced our interest rate 4% points.  This greatly reduced our monthly mortgage payment and greatly eased the strain of expenses for us.  This will save us thousands of dollars over the life of our mortgage.  The loan money comes from fines that are paid by the companines that are penalized for not following  the strict rules and regulations that protect our environment.  It then goes to help companies like Complexions,  do the right thing and to set an example for others to follow suite.  I feel strongly that opportunities like the one that NYSERDA offers are wonderful incentives for businesses to persue.

Some Challenges with Going Green

I began the project of building Complexions Green after going to a business meeting with my sister in law in Florida in May of 2006.  When I returned, I discussed my ideas with my brother Tony who is a structural engineer.  He was interested with the concept and knew just who to contact.  My father has also been in construction for more than 40 years and knew the challenge that lay ahead.  I didn”t  have a huge budget to work with so the thought of adding more to our costs was not what he wanted to hear.  He was in the commercial side of construction and had a very good handle on the cost of construction. He managed very large commercial buildings like the Albany Airport.

My brother arranged for a meeting with SAIC and our architect.  When I walked into that meeting and saw the number of people sitting around the table, interested in our project of building Complexion Spa Green, I immediately knew we were on to something very big. There were people from SAIC,  NYSERDA, Taitem Engineering, Karpman Engineering, our architect’s office, my father, my brother, and myself.  Our initial meeting consisted of them asking  many questions about how Complexions was run and operated.  We then went through a cheret where we evaluated the possibilities of the 5 different categories associated with LEED certification and what was entailed. We learned about the incentives available through NYSERDA’s Loan Fund and what we needed to do in order to achieve those incentives.  That meeting took several meetings and my brother, father, and myself left there a bit over whelmed.  Most companies who “go green” and attempt LEED certification have a team of engineers and architects who work together to accomplish this process.  We gave it much thought, and with some resistance from my father, the numbers guy knowing this would blow our budget,  we decided to move forward.

If I did not have a brother who was an engineer and a father with as much experience as he has managing construction projects and budgets, I would never have been able to complete this as a small business with a limited budget.  The added costs of consultants, engineers and architects would have been cost prohibited. For this I am eternally grateful to my brother Tony, who handled most of the documentation and research as well as my father who managed the day to day operations of the construction to be sure the contractors where holding to the strict requirements of going green.  This was very challenging because there are not many people well versed in what is required.  Trust me when I tell you every detail had to be paid attention to.  From the paint cans being used, the adhesives, the waste removal,  the air quality during construction and more.

My next blog will be about how we managed this for the next 7 months of construction.

The Balancing Act of Being a Mom and Owning a Business

Wow, does it become extremely exhausting at times.  The day to day tasks that are so routine.  I love my boys so of course they come first, but then there is the pressure of getting everything done at the spa.  My days are so regimented and planned out.  I get up, I get the boys up, breakfast for them and my husband, and off to work.  I have a little time to get myself ready to face the day at the spa.  It takes me 15 mintes to drive  to work.  The minute I walk in, it’s ‘non stop busy!  If it’s not an employee asking me a question, it’s a sales person on the phone, a customer that wants to see me, and phone calls that need to be returned.    So many people ask me how I balance it all.  I am truly exhausted.  When I finish work, I have to get to my boys school to pick them up, then make dinner, prepare lunches for the next day and get them to bed.  There usually isn’t much time left over for me.  I do somehow manage to work four workouts in every week.  They are a special break for me, just me.  When I do sit down, at the end of the day, I can feel my self sigh slightly with relieve that the day is over and I can rest for a few hours.  The crazy thing about this all is that I love my work.  I only wish there were a few more hours in the day.  Every minute is accounted for and there isn’t much wasted time left over.  When you own your own business you never really leave it when you walk out the door………

Inspiring Words From John Wooden

Two years ago I had the honor of hearing John Wooden speak at an ISpa conference in Los Vegas.  He slowly walked out onto the stage with a cane and sat in a wing back chair and spoke for about 90 minutes.  He spoke of the life lessons he taught his basketball players.  There was not a dry eye in the house as he talked so passionately about his coaching philosophies that apply to really any situation in life.  Whether it is playing on a sports team, using it in business, or simply daily living.  What really stuck with me was his discription of what success means.   ” It isn’t the winning or the loosing that matters, but whether you gave it your best shot”  The outcome isn’t what matters but how you got there that does.

I was in my sons school the other day and I spotted the VSH tape on the shelf in my sons guidance couselors office.  He offered it to me to borrow.  I watched it with my sons and husband.  I really enjoyed hearing him speak once again.  He talked about his pyramid of SUCCESS.  When I heard John Wooden speak in Los Vegas, I bought his book for my son.  I hope one day, as he matures, he will read that book and find those inspirational words as encouraging as I did.  Each block of the pyramid has a special meaning.  Simple meaning, but very powerful!

Yesturday, I used that VHS tape one more time before returning it to the guidance department at my sons school.  I used it during our monthly staff meeting and we talked about the fact that we are only as good as our last client we take care of…  Are we doing the best we can each and every time we have the privilege of performing a spa service for one of our guests!  It was a motivating meeting.  I plan to use Mr. Wooden’s book for future meetings.  I think we can all learn very valuable lessons each step of the pyramid.

How does a Small Business Plan for a Slow Economy

We’ve been open for 21 years and now more than ever, we have to plan for the future growth of our business. I like to section out my year quarterly and develop marketing strategies for each. Based on the success of the previous quarter, we can modify and make adjustments for the next quarter. With the slowing of the economy, we have to watch this even closer and get more creative with our strategies.  Fortunately in the beauty industry our clients still choose to get a hair cut, take care of their skin, and unwind with a relaxing massage. They do however have a choice about where they want to go and what they are still willing to pay. At our monthly staff meetings, we have discussed the importance of top notch customer service. We need to, more than ever, make our guests experience with us a memorable one, that leaves them wanting to come back for more.  You are only as good as your last client… Are we giving them our best?