Ep. 18 - Your Spa Runs On You (And That’s The Problem)

Your spa runs on you. This might not seem like a bad thing at first because you care. You're the hardest working person there. You're probably the one who built this spa from the ground up.

But if every decision, every schedule change, every emergency, every supply order, every client complaint still comes to you, that is not sustainable. It's definitely not scalable.

If you're feeling like you're the glue holding everything together, then this episode is for you. This tells me that you are the bottleneck.

Signs That Your Spa Is Too Dependent on You

• You can't take a real day off without your phone blowing up

• You approve every schedule, every time-off request, every product order

• You have team members, but you're still the one solving all the problems

• Your team depends on you for emotional reassurance, not just leadership

• You're in the treatment room for 30+ hours a week AND running payroll AND answering DMs

That is not how the CEO of a business operates. That's how—and I say this with love because I used to do it too—that's how someone who's stuck operates.

Why This Happens (And It's Not Just Your Ego)

This happens for a few reasons:

1. You Don't Trust Your Team Yet

You haven't seen them make good decisions without you, so you over-function. You're hyper-independent and not able to really trust others to do their role.

So you don't give them the opportunity to prove to you that they can do it.

2. You Haven't Created Systems

You haven't created some type of checklist or video explanation because you think it's faster if you do it yourself.

This is the thing I personally believed all the time: "It's just faster if I do it myself."

3. You Think Clients Will Leave If You're Not Available

The spa was built on you. This is especially difficult if you ARE the brand. If your name is on the business, that's really challenging to say you're not available.

4. You're Maybe a Little Addicted to Being Needed

Don't hate me for this one. That one kind of stings a little bit. I know it did for me.

The Result of All of This

You feel stuck. You feel trapped, exhausted, maybe even resentful of the team or the clients you once loved. You dread going into work because you can't imagine doing another day of this.

But the good news is that this is not a permanent problem. It's absolutely solvable and figureoutable.

It's a system and leadership problem, which means it's fixable.

How to Start Pulling Yourself Out of the Center of Your Business

There are three ways to start shifting this heavy load.

1. Make SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures)

This is the biggest one I recommend starting with because it's easiest.

SOPs are key to consistent delegation and results.

Document how you want everything done—from the order you turn on the lights, to how you handle rebooking, to how you respond to common complaints. Every little nook and cranny.

You're not going to get every single thing done perfectly the first time. But that's the beauty in SOPs: They will never be finished. And that's something you just have to accept.

You're constantly improving, constantly updating, because YOU are constantly improving and updating.

2. Give Ownership to the Right People

Very often I see an owner give the job of spa manager to their esthetician. And now that esthetician not only has a full book of clients, but they have to do a full-time job of being a spa manager as well.

They can't do it all. You shouldn't have to do it all.

Maybe your senior esthetician can mentor new estheticians, but she's staying in her department. Maybe your front desk can track supplies or inventory.

Start small, but you have to start. Give ownership of tiny little tasks you can hand over to someone else in their own department.

3. Make Decision-Making Part of Their Job

Give them the power to think critically. Give them a framework. Give them a parameter.

Examples:

• "If it costs less than $50, you make the call. Use your better judgment and handle it."

• "If a client is unhappy, always offer this thing."

• "If you're at the end of your day and you have an extra towel from a facial, you can use that towel on your very last client to wash their face and show them what it's like to get a facial—give them a little taste."

Teach them how you think so you can stop being the only thinker in your business.

You want to empower your team. You want them to walk beside you and help you be great. And they cannot be great if they haven't been given the opportunity or permission to be great.

If anything, it's going to make them feel like, "Oh my gosh, she believes in me. She trusts me. I can't believe I get to have this job where my boss trusts me to do this." It empowers them and they love it.

This Doesn't Happen Overnight

If you can take just one responsibility off your plate each week, you will feel this shift most likely within a month.

Can you imagine taking four things off your plate? How amazing would that feel?

If your spa is only running when you are there, it is not a business. It's a job with really fancy wallpaper.

You deserve that white space. You deserve to step into the role you're watching other spa owners step into. You deserve to breathe, to create space for exciting new possibilities.

And you can't do that when you're running on E.

Your Next Step

If you're ready to restructure your team or get some real support, I would be so honored to do this with you.

Ready to build systems so your business can run without you?

Fill out this intake form to book a discovery call. Let's create the systems and structure that give you your life back.