Ep. 56 - Three Ways To Fill Your Books

The Only Three Ways to Fill Your Books (And How to Pick the Right One)

If things have felt slow lately, you are not imagining it. I hear it from spa owners all the time right now. And if you just hired someone and the books dipped at the same time... that is one of the most stressful feelings in this business.

So today I want to talk about the only three ways to actually build your clientele. Because there are only three. And once you understand them, everything gets a lot clearer.

You can build it, borrow it, or buy it. That's it. Let me walk you through each one.

Build It

Building your audience means growing organically. SEO, social media, referrals. No money required, just time and consistency. It is the slowest method but it is also one of the most reliable. The clients who find you this way tend to be some of the best you will ever have because they sought you out intentionally.

This is a long game. But if you are consistent, it compounds in a really powerful way over time.

Borrow It

Borrowing your audience means you're tapping into someone else's community. Local yoga studios, hairstylists, boutiques, school communities, mom groups. You're essentially getting introduced to people who already trust the person referring them your way.

This is how I built my books when I first opened. Within about 90 days I was completely booked solid and outgrowing my space. It works fast. But it does take real effort and real time. You are trading your energy and sometimes gift cards or your services in exchange for that reach.

And honestly some of my favorite borrowing has come from just being a human in my community. Connecting with a fellow mom at a coffee shop. Holding the door for someone pushing a stroller. Those small moments of genuine human connection are the foundation of borrowed audience done right. Especially right now as everything moves faster and more digital, being a high touch, real human being is genuinely one of the best marketing strategies you have.

Buy It

Buying your audience means paid advertising. Meta ads, Google ads, local publications, podcasts. This is the fastest method but it costs the most. And it only works well when the funnel behind the ad is set up properly. Throwing money at a boosted post without a strategy is not buying your audience. It's just spending money.

When it's done right though, with the right person helping you run it and the right foundation in place, it can be incredibly powerful.

The Most Important Thing to Understand

Here is where most spa owners go wrong. They try to do all three at once. And when you spread yourself across all three, you water down the effect of each one and nothing gains real traction.

Pick one. Just one. The one that fits your actual capacity and your business's finances right now. Not what's trending. Not what someone else is doing. What your business can actually sustain.

If you're extroverted and love connecting with people, start borrowing. If your finances are in a good place and you want fast results, explore buying. If you're in it for the long game and have time to be consistent, build.

Your capability is never in question here. You only have so many hours in a day and you need to be smart with them.

I've used all three in my business. And I got to where I am by mastering one, getting it on autopilot, and then moving to the next. That process took years. This is not a 20 minute fix. Information is not transformation. The work still has to happen. But when you do it with intention and you stop trying to do everything at once, it works. I promise you it works.