Ep. 20 “We love your business but...”
Today we're diving into a topic that might hit close to home. Literally.
What happens when your spouse starts asking if your spa is really worth it?
This came up on a coaching call with one of my favorite clients. She's five years in, working her butt off, pouring everything into her spa. And when she looked at what she was taking home, she realized: This is not enough. This is not what I thought it would be.
Her husband, who has always been very supportive, gently said, "I love your business, but when is it going to pay off?"
And I just sat there nodding because I have been there too.
It is so real and so raw. And I know that if I've been through it, if my clients are saying they've been through it, then the odds of you also being in it right now (or having gone through it, or going through it in the future) are pretty high.
So let's talk about it.
The Five-Year Reality Check
This is a big reason why not a lot of businesses survive past the five-year mark—you have to make that decision: Is this worth it or not?
Year one: All about survival. Year two: You get a little momentum and you're like, "I could totally do this." Year three: Maybe you hire. Year four: You're deep in it.
But by year five, you look up and you're thinking: "Okay, I have the team. I'm fully booked. I have loyal clients. I should be making more."
And yet your take-home pay doesn't reflect the work you're doing. You're not paying yourself what you deserve.
That's so frustrating. But it's even harder when someone you love notices it too.
The Spouse Conversation No One Really Talks About
This is deeply personal. I can absolutely understand it to be.
But here's the truth: Your partner wants you to be happy. They see how passionate you are. They've watched you build this from scratch. They've even helped you do it.
But they also see the late nights, the skipped meals and skipped weekends, the stress.
And when the numbers don't add up—when your business is generating $250,000 a year or more but you're barely bringing in anything—that's when you have to start wondering what's going on.
And that's when your spouse tends to ask questions.
Not to shame you. Not to make you quit. But because they're scared too.
They're scared that all this sacrifice might not pay off. And honestly, you're probably wondering the same thing.
It's all very, very normal.
What Do You Do With This Question?
If this is where you are, if you're asking yourself "Is this worth it?" I want you to know something:
You are not alone. You are not failing. And your spa can be wildly profitable—but it has to be reconstructed and restructured to support you.
We have to start with these questions:
How much do you want to take home? Not how much you need. But how much do you want to take home monthly?
What would your spa need to generate and retain to make that happen?
What is getting in the way of that right now? Are you underpriced? Overspending? Do you have an underperforming team?
These numbers will give you SO much clarity. And from there, you can make changes that support you, your business, AND your family.
My Own Spouse Conversation
There was a season where my husband and I had this exact same conversation multiple times. I would say it happened for maybe a year or two where we were really truly wondering.
He wasn't unsupportive. He was just tired of watching me run myself into the ground for crumbs.
And honestly, so was I. I was tired too.
That was the moment I decided to get serious about my pay.
I shifted so many things in my business, including my mindset:
I restructured my team
I started tracking profit, not revenue
I started making what I took home a priority
I created 90-day goals for my team and held them accountable
And now? I make more by working less. My business supports my family, not the other way around.
You can do this too. I have zero doubt that you can do this too.
I know because I've done it. I've helped my clients do it.
If This Episode Is Stirring Something in You
Maybe a little bit of guilt. Maybe a little bit of hope.
Please, please know this:
You are not behind. You are not alone. And it is not too late to build a spa that pays you what you're worth—and even beyond that.
Ready to create a financial plan that works for you, your spa, and your family?
Fill out this intake form to book a discovery call with me. Let's sit down together, look at the numbers, and create a plan that actually works. Because you did not build this business to survive. You built it to thrive. And I would love to help you do that.
