Ep. 79 - What Q3 Taught Me

Q3 Check-In: My Biggest Business Win, Two Bold Experiments, and What's Coming in Q4

Every quarter I sit down and do a real debrief. Not the polished version. The actual version, what I tried, what surprised me, what I'm still figuring out, and what I'm carrying into the next 90 days.

Here's Q3.

The Biggest Win in Eight Years of Business

I hired two new estheticians going into Q3. Within one week of the second one starting, I knew it wasn't going to work out.

And here's the part I'm most proud of: I was ready to act on it.

Not in six months. Not after making excuses and giving chance after chance. Within two weeks, I had already told my husband I was going to let her go. Before I could even make the call, she texted me to say she was switching career paths.

Technically, she left on her own. But the win isn't about how it ended. The win is that I saw it clearly, decided quickly, and felt completely at peace with the decision. Five years ago I would have kept going, kept pouring in, kept hoping things would turn around. That version of me is gone.

Protecting the entire team, not just the one person in front of me, is the leader I've become. And that is the biggest win I've had to date.

Two Bold Experiments That Are Already Working

The first one sent people absolutely bananas when I mentioned it, so let me explain.

I removed the card on file requirement and the cancellation policy acknowledgment from our online booking process. Not from our business entirely but from the front end of the booking experience.

We are in a client's market right now. The client is in charge. And if a spa owner wants to deter people from even getting on the books, keeping a wall of requirements at the front door is a great way to do it.

Instead, I reworked our new client journey so that we reach out to every new client before they ever step foot in the spa. That outreach builds the relationship, confirms they're a good fit, and does more to prevent no-shows than any cancellation policy ever did.

The data so far: last August we had 17 new clients. This August we had 24. Same number of estheticians, same hours. We are on track to exceed last year's September numbers too. Two months of data isn't a verdict, but it's a direction.

The second experiment was stopping all phone bookings entirely. Every call now goes to a voicemail that redirects clients to our online booking or email. No more "leave a message and we'll call you back."

Here's why. Consumer data says the expectation for a returned call is five minutes. That is not a standard my team can meet while also turning over rooms, greeting clients, and doing laundry. The calls were being missed anyway. Now there's a clear system, a 24-hour email response window, and no dropped balls. Two weeks in and not a single complaint.

The Personal Shift That Made Everything Else Possible

My oldest started preschool in Q3. That meant a hard stop at 2pm every weekday, no exceptions, no "let me just finish this one thing."

What surprised me is how much it helped.

When I'm working, I'm fully working. When the alarm goes off, I'm fully present for my family. I'm sleeping better. I'm showing up more completely in every role. And I've stopped believing the thing a lot of spa owners believe, that more hours worked equals more success or more value.

It doesn't. What it equals is burnout, which helps no one, not your team, not your clients, not your family.

What's Coming in Q4

The Vagaro API project I keep pushing back is officially on the Q4 list. Holiday stocking stuffers are getting added to the front desk for the first time. A team member is going on maternity leave and I want her clients to feel completely taken care of in the meantime. And my remaining new esthetician needs to hit 80% booked so we can open up more of her schedule.

Everything is moving in the right direction. And I'm finally leading a business that feels like mine.

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Listen to the full episode of the S.P.A. Business Podcast for the complete Q3 breakdown, including the new compensation model being rolled out and the AI workflow that cut four hours of video editing down to ten minutes.