Women’s Networking, Wellness and Serious Fun Take Hold in Salt Lake City

Once again, we’ve just finished our monthly women’s social networking event, the Urban Lifestyle Women’s Exchange, held at a fabulous downtown wine bar called Panache. I’m just fresh off recovering from the evening of enthusiasm, guerrilla networking, and empowerment. Whewww! It was great to see true exchange and collaboration at work with some quality women in the community. Plenty of connections were made, possible deals coming together, and friendships being forged. If you want to increase your media and emotional intelligence quotient, this is one place to find some camaraderie and ramp up your marketing efforts. We had several great businesses on hand as vendors with products to sell, services to offer, and even mini paraffin hand treatments by local Essensuals Spa. You can’t beat being a little pampering after a day at work, running a business or a even a household. A heartfelt thank you to all of you! Here’s what one vendor had to say……

“I’m starting a new business and wanted to find a place where I could meet people in my market, be social and enjoy myself. The Urban Lifestyle Women’s Exchange allowed me to talk one on one with people about my retreats, coaching and speaking services. High impact.” Cristina Collins, The Coaching Alliance (759-2297)

Check out video highlights of our evening’s activities.

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It’s important for us to manage our lives with passion, seeking out what we love and making it a success, what ever it may be. As I’ve said before, it’s worth repeating here, not every human exchange needs to be for profit, sometimes it can simply be for the value of the exchange. Here’s to wishing you all healthy success, and we will see you at the next event, September 26, 2007. You’ll have to attend to see what surprises we have in store for you this time. It’s always a mix of new vendors for our mini marketplace meets girl’s night out. We are also fast gaining media interest, and we encourage media to contact for more information and a complimentary attendance certificate.

Thanks to all of our vendors, giveaways, attendees and supporters;

Hashi-Mashi

Essensuals Spa

Transform

Studio Soiree

Domes for the World

Kara Clapp

Tiffany Johnson- Executive Escapes (573 1575)

Cristina Collins – The Coaching Alliance (759 2297)

Anitra Patane -Arbonne Distribution

Sonia Thomas – Wellness Camps and Feng Shui

Investing In Yourself

We Deserve Personal Health and Success

I don’t know about you, but after all the travel to spa expo’s, tradeshows, trainings, and networking events, I’m ready to just settle in to a nice retreat somewhere and leave the world behind. I don’t want to hear about work, clients, or projects that need finishing, just focus on the ability of the mind to meditate and heal the soul. Sounds fabulous right? I haven’t made it to the retreat yet, as I’m still working away, but it is on the task list. I’d even accept a retreat boot camp at this point.

I know many of you can relate when it comes to needing a mental or physical escape from our everyday work, helping, healing, and focusing on others. In our industry there is always a focus on better ways of doing things, inundating clients with luxury, and increasing the authority of our industry. What do you do to release body and soul? I’d love to hear from those of you who have a working solution for yourself, provide getaway’s and so on. I am all for supporting the virtual viruses called online networking. Feel free to post them here. In the meantime, I’ve touched base with some international affiliates who can help me, you and your clients with some much needed rejuvenation.

WELLNESS & YOGA RETREAT in COSTA RICA SEPT 2-9 OR 9-16 2007

I first touched base with fitness and health guru, Sunita Bhatia in 2004 in Costa Rica. As you probably know from previous entries or visits to my site, I spent a significant amount of time in spa development in Central America and have created some strong alliances that allow places like Spa College and other training providers to expand internationally. Sunita is a dedicated professional to bringing about change in the lives of others in her retreats and everyday work as a fitness instructor. She has began to expand her life philosophies by providing wellness “hideaways” for individuals, groups, corporate retreats etc. Feel free to check out the link above or contact her directly for detailed information on how you can make the most of a tropical wellness retreat. One I can assure you is well deserved. You have my permission to throw everyday logic and justification to the wind, and enjoy. There are times when we go full speed ahead until we wear ourselves out, not even knowing it, and the body literally needs a rest. We spend a noteable amount of time, energy and financial investment in industry training, and knowledge. Though training is key to success, I say it’s time to also make an investment in our holistic selves, to unlock our real potential. This means, enjoying the very thing we market; health, nutrition, massage, meditation, dance, spirituality, personal talents, and physical, emotional and mental release. It may sound like a lot, or maybe those things don’t even appeal to you for personal relaxation, in that case find the very thing that does provide you relaxation and refreshment with some introspection and go for it.

Banding Together for Health and Success

I’m happy to introduce Sunita here, because I believe in what she is doing. She will also be one of the ongoing affiliates of Spa College. Providing combined experiences and expanded services to offer our students, practitioners’ and clients a wide range of trainings and retreat locations. Keep your eye out for further announcements on our upcoming retreats in Costa Rica, Thailand, and other national locations. If you’d like one in your city, let us know.

Before I sign off, and sign myself into an exclusive escape, I thought I’d introduce you to one more key affiliate who has created an alliance with the professional trainings provided by our company Spa College. Manish Patwardhan, is an aruyvedic provider based in India. He works in educational, and consultative services for spas, along with exporting aruyvedic products. We have come together to assist in providing various training opportunities in the U.S., India, and other key locations, once again expanding our services and ability to give our trainees what they need. Manish provides some of the modalities below, along with advancing his curriculum to include Spa College, Spa Essentials Training, Advanced Spa Treatments, Protocol Design and Spa Treatment Management among others. You can check out some of the current Indian based modules below. I hope you’ve enjoyed this exploration into options for health and wellness, and take my advice on really investing in yourself. If we take ourselves too seriously, it can throw us off balance. If we think that the world will come to a halt if we take time out for ourselves, just try stepping away from a project or decision for a while, to see how  a new perspective will naturally  arise. Happy relaxing.

Modules Provided by Manish:

1. Introduction to Ayurveda

2. Introduction to Ayurveda Massage

3. Ayurveda Massage

   • Basic Massage Strokes

   • Massage Strokes: Back, Abdomen, Chest, Hands. Legs, Feet. Head.

4. Ayurveda Marma Massage

   • Marma Points

   • Importance of Marma Massage

   • Techniques of Marma Massage

5. Ayurveda Body work:

   • Different Body work techniques

   • Shirodhara

   • Kati Basti

   • Hrud Basti

   • Netra Basti

   • Janu Basti

   • Nasya

   • Pizzichil

   • Chavitti

   • Udvartana Massage

   • Pinda Sweda

6. Ayurvedic Oils & Ghee

   • Preparation of Ayurvedic Oils & Ghees

   • Therapeutic Uses of various Ghee & Oils

7. Some Important Conditions & Ayurveda Massage techniques

8. Health, Hygiene & Ethics during Ayurveda Massage

New Events, Hide aways, Retreats, and Seminars on the way.

I’ve been somewhat remiss on writing in the last few weeks, as I’ve been pulled away from my favorite blog spot with on site spa trainings and some final book editing on  our two e books.  I hope you enjoy the business tips below, and keep a look out for additional updates on our affiliates, events, wellness retreats and spas this week. As always if you have a suggested topic or questions feel free to let me know. Happy blogging.

Do You Use The Magic 8 Ball For Answers to Your Business?

Eight is Enough
I’m sure we’ve all got fond memories of playing with the magic eight ball in our former years, or maybe it was yesterday for some of you. Don’t worry you will not be judged for your passion or trepidation for seeking the wisdom of the eight ball. In the past, we needed answers to real pressing questions, like who was Joe Schmoe going to ask to the prom, or who would be voted most successful in ten years. I don’t really remember what the questions were, but it sure was fun to play with. In today’s spa business, everyday operations are far from playing a game, or leaving things to chance for that matter. Though our questions today may vary somewhat from previous years, we still have the desire to seek good advice in order to turn our data into decisions. Where do we get these answers? If you run a spa, resort, private practice or other business, or are looking into launching one, you may sometimes feel like the only option you have is looking to the eight ball for answers to real business questions. Don’t get discouraged, there are other tools out there to help you dump the eight ball for good. Get the tools you need!

Choices
To start, let’s take a look at what we should be looking for. There are many places to get what you need for everything from CPA’s, E store set up, to seminars and training. All necessary things to create a fluid organization. Whatever mode of information you choose to seek or tools to add to your resources, there are a few main rules to use as indicators to help you analyze your business intelligence.
Tradeshows, for example have always been a place for people to look to for industry trends, leaders and information gathering. There are so many national, and international spa related conferences, with more emerging, that it could be a full time job just to attend them all. However, the reality is, the average person attends one spa conference per year, and for many it will be a first. Time away from work, travel, expense, accommodations and association fees, among other things deter us from becoming serial conference attendees. Another issue that seems to have arisen is that there is a lot of repackaged information out there that can leave us with a feeling of unmet objectives. Though there is plenty of valuable information being provided in these areas, at times it can seem uninspired. How many times have we attended a trade show, seminar, or class with high hopes and lots of promise and left with little change? I can say from personal experience….plenty! There is so much repeated information out there, and promise of offers, so many choices and options, I may be difficult to even know where to start. I didn’t want to hear a repeated versions of the same thing when I sought out training or information for my business, so I stared to research common patterns and mistakes, to put together seven top standards to set the scene for business planning.

This information is not about comparing tradeshows or trainings, but to help you avoid some pitfalls. Here are seven top indicators for a good business flow of control for business owners, operators, and our favorite, therapists and healing arts professionals;

Rule of Seven

• Efficiency-Simply put, this is creating methodology that allows you to go further with fewer mistakes and fewer unknowns. BUSINESS BUILDER; If you have internal processes reevaluate them for gaps. It’s always better to create additional action oriented mini steps within processes that identify the small things and increase long term efficiency.
• Empowerment-Recognize your strengths and weaknesses. We all have a yin and yang. If we can recognize our “anti” successful patterns, processes and moods, we can identify the right opportunities that empower us. BUSINESS BUILDER;Network and create relationships for yourself and your clients, and create ongoing milestones that meet your personal goals.
• Controlling Costs- Become very comfy with your balance sheets, profit and loss statement and cash flow. Manage it correctly. BUSINESS BUILDER; Cash flow does not necessarily equal profit. Cash flow indicates when expenses are due and sales increase. Understanding the control of discretionary expenses is key to knowing profit and loss.
  
• Negotiating- Negotiating is about boundaries. BUSINESS BUILDER; Knowing what your willing to accept and have an outcome in mind. Rather than negotiating with conflict, ensure starting from a common ground and convey a positive persuasive attitude that results in both parties leaving with an agreeable offer.
• Your Pipeline- In line with efficiency you will need to make continue to drum up business for your bottom line. BUSINESS BUILDER; Your “sales face” should always be on with your clients and engaging them in an educational and pre determined product purchase mentality. Your pipeline, or interested clients, and consumers, and ability to reach them should always be full with potential clients and sales.
  
• Marketing Effectiveness-Who are your reaching and where? You need to track your new clients, referrals etc. BUSINESS BUILDER; Get your potential clients excited about your public relations with creativity, good service and professionalism. But make sure to measure where they come from. Develop a to do task list with marketing campaigns that will ensure your ability to show their success. This can be with a code on emails, discounts, postcards etc., to indicate the affiliate, or reference. You can create graphs, charts etc., to measure long term goals, even some spa management software includes this.
  
• Balance- Meet you and your employee needs with work-life-future balance. This includes motivation, healthy environments,safety and recognition. BUSINESS BUILDER; Create less stressed employees, better retention, higher morale and streamline management with strict policies for work-life-future balance. Offering flexible work schedules and creative incentives and benefits can increase overall business balance. Some people offer flex schedules, shared work schedules, onsite gyms, daycares, along with employee benefits.  In our industry we don’t always have the same opportunity for these types of incentives but can be aware of the tale tell signs of an off balance work environment. Indicators; employees with many emergencies, sickness, and  needed time off, high turn over, employee burn out and/or overtime. Tailor your policies to your spa or work environment.

This is some practical advice that has been good to me in my business growth, and I hope can help you in your own needs, or maybe a little encouragement through your day when you need it. Coping with everyday stressors and growing a business takes passion along with making the right choices for yourself, while respecting others. So instead of taking chances with your business and rolling the magic ball, make an active investment in seeking out the tools, professionals, and training needed to skyrocket your spa or spa related business to success.

Give Me Five Minutes To Prove You Can Make A Difference

We’ll Show You How to Maximize Your Inner Beauty by Helping Others

July, 2007 Salt Lake City – What do the indigenous people of Costa Rica, a non profit organization, and an international wellness consultant, have in common​? For starters the belief that a sustainable future is important and reachable. Two very different Salt Lake Companies have combined forces for one common theme. Combining wellness with wisdom. Part of that theme, takes us to helping the tribes of Costa Rica.

Rebecca South, Managing Director of Domes for the World (DFTW), and Liz Galloway, Principal of Lotus Effects LLC, have launched a common theme in their companies, “Inner Beauty Comes from Helping Others.” Promoting this both in their independent companies and their strategic partnership to create awareness for sustainable living. The mission of DFTW is to build affordable and long term housing for developing countries. Not just “housing” but DOME shaped Eco Shells. This EcoShell technology ensures homes can be built using 50% less material than other construction methods, without consuming local resources, or increasing deforestation. Not only is this a necessary, modern approach, but an exciting concept!

DFTW has progressed in leaps and bounds both locally and internationally, and continues to gain support. Part of the strategic partnership of these two companies, is increasing that support and involvement from YOU. South and DFTW was recently introduced at a local women’s networking event, the Urban Lifestyle Women’s Exchange in downtown Salt Lake. Outlets like this can help increase awareness and networking, along with helping you maximize your inner beauty and make a difference for someone in the world. “We maintain that as an individual or group we can make a difference in a stranger’s life.” says Galloway when talking about her interest in the project and promoting inner beauty. Galloway goes on to say “I work in an industry that is wellness and beauty focused, but this needs to be more than the physical.”

Bring out your inner beauty, and help support DFTW. What can you do? A promotion has been set up with an organic skincare company, hand made in Costa Rica. Each time you purchase products from any of their lines, these generous business owners, will provide 25% of total sales for the project development in Costa Rica. To purchase contact info@rawbotanicals.com, or www.rawbotanicals.com. You can also donate directly to Fundieco, the indigenous organization in Costa Rica (www.fundieco.com) or  DFTW, www.dftw.org . You can also join us at the social networking event each month, and talk to us in person to join the inner beauty movement. (www.thelotuseffects.com/events.html) This is one country and one route, but the reach of DFTW is worldwide, with successful projects in other countries already under it’s belt.

As our world grows more chaotic and we ourselves are unsure of how to create change, it should be in the forefront of our minds to seek out opportunities that sustain the interconnectedness of all of our lives, familiar and foreign. This project directly promotes that sentiment. Opportunities are made, not taken. Will you help support a sustainable future?

For questions, comments, registration and suggestions you can contact Liz Galloway at contact@thelotuseffects.com, or Rebecca South at rebecca@dftw.org Your input is welcome.

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Join Us at the Spa and Resort Expo. in New York

Want to join some of the best in the industry, and enjoy a unique conference in the heart of Manhattan? Find out more about the Spa and Resort Expo September 8-10,  that merges both the traditional and medical elements of the spa industry.  I will be on hand at the “Spa Sanctuary” providing mini massage treatments, for the extended days before and after my September 8th presentation for the massage therapist manufacturer class. This sanctuary event is presented by Scrip Spa Supply and will be supporting a charity for skin cancer research.  While not providing a great escape for conference attendees, I will be be networking with industry leaders and touring some of the local spas. I will also be providing a CEU class for massage therapists, sponsored by Sabai Spa and Bio Freeze, on the 8th from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.  with the headlining class “Latest Trends and Timeless Sacred Bodywork for the Massage Therapist”

Here are a few of the highlights you can expect of the upcoming conference:

Global Spa Panel

Spa Director’s Panel

Spa Sanctuary

Manufacturer’s Workshops

Natural Foods Area

Educational Classes

New Product Showcase

I would love to see you in my classroom, however if your not a massage therapist, now worries, as you will have a wide range of educational options to choose from. A few interesting topics that seem to be driving industry direction are successful spa start up, age management, medical spa management and well women education.

Event background: An annual show presented by Reed exhibitions, a leader in event organization, managed by Eileen Baird (212 966 0024) and promoted by Nancy Trent of Trent and Company. For more visit, http://www.spaandresortexpo.com, and http://www.medispaexpo.com.

I hope to see you all there. Don’t hesitate to let me know your own suggestions regarding this expo or others, your interests and expectation on return, and  your post event experiences and suggestions. I will post them here. Let’s chat!