Translate
Body for Me Mini Spa, Latasha Jackson
Transitioning out of a pandemic crisis, serious health and safety issues, quarantines, and shutdowns, we continue to observe inspiring new small business start-ups led by women. Entrepreneurs are choosing to be the masters of their own destiny.
As a full-time employee in the financial industry, a mother, and a wife, Latasha Jackson understands how self-care can easily become neglected. Establishing a place of peace, relaxation, and positivity for people looking to reinvest in their well-being became Latasha’s motivation. She decided to begin a business as she continued to see a void for women and men alike who needed to put more focus on themselves.
This led to the creation of Body For Me Mini Spa, providing a one- to four-hour vacation close to home compared to a ‘staycation’ for a full day or weekend at a resort or hotel spa. Latasha describes her space in West Chester, PA, as a ‘tranquil facility’ where clients can release the stress of everyday life through a variety of non-invasive customized services including therapeutic facials, waxing, detoxing, body contouring, and wraps.
Latasha knows her customers well. She has interacted with every one of them personally to address their needs for overall wellness. The spa’s objective when working with clients is not just about physical appearance, but also about creating goals for healthy eating, exercising routines, and managing stress relief because mental health is extremely important, as well. Body For Me clients are looking for some type of sustainable change for the better. This is a broad audience and, to meet the demands, Latasha collaborates with local nutritionists, gym owners, and other small businesses with similar goals to get her clients the guidance they need.
Opening in April 2021, a major achievement has been sustaining the business through a time of uncertainty with COVID-19. The business is in its third year of full operation open on Thursdays through Saturdays. With Latasha’s diligence and careful planning, Body For Me is headed in the right direction for continued operations in the coming years.
The Path to Success
The decision to launch this business concept required insight, creativity, and courage. In 2020 and early 2021 local businesses were closing, unemployment rates were very high, and Latasha wasn’t sure what the future held. She and her husband decided this was the right move and there was no better time for self-care than when everyone in the world was under significant stress. Success for her was getting the doors open before the Summer of 2021.
When asked why she felt so sure about this timing, Latasha shared: “Before we opened, costs and prices increased significantly in all spas and other categories. I was able to start up my business with this market situation in place. My price was my price.” Customers valued these services, and wanted to do business with someone they could trust who had quality products, well-trained staff, and was compliant with the guidelines for additional cleaning and safe distancing between work areas. Having a small comfortable space where clients were on a first-name basis with confirmed appointments was an advantage. Latasha capitalized on the learning opportunities open during the pandemic.
As time went on Latasha has been able to build a loyal client base with most guests completing at least two visits as well as referring friends. Google reviews and in-person feedback are very positive – ‘personable,’ ‘transparent,’ 'practical recommendations,’ and so nice ‘to be greeted by name.’ Latasha has created an environment that is just what her clients need.
The sad reality of the pandemic eventually hit home. In the Fall of 2021, Latasha lost her uncle to COVID and her mother to other health complications. The virus was spreading at record rates through the Winter holiday season. The pressure of the business slowing down and her overwhelming grief caused Latasha to consider closing the business. For several weeks she was struggling to stay motivated, avoiding conversations with current clients, and not taking on any new ones. In January 2022, Latasha started thinking about how much she had put into the business, and how proud her mother would be of her determination. With the support and help of her husband, Latasha refocused and started pushing through!
In the meantime, the staff kept things going at the spa with current clients. She went through her contact list and sent one-on-one personal emails and text messages to reassure them of the strength of Body For Me Mini Spa. She shared her loss with her customers, recognizing that they had been transparent with her about their personal lives. Although she continued to process life without her loved ones, Latasha got back to the office to finish what she started, catching up on the accounting and resuming her work to attract new clients.
Latasha created a ‘tranquil’ space to help clients manage the stress of everyday life through the pandemic with SCORE’s guidance.
Latasha contacted SCORE in February 2021 wanting to open a med-beauty spa and already had a name: Body For Me Mini Spa. SCORE mentors, Leslie Swope and John Lippman, served as her sounding board from the very beginning of her concept development. They reviewed potential spa locations she was considering for her business as well as the hiring process, which were very important since Latasha holds a full-time job and is not able to be at the spa all the time.
Latasha had done a lot of research on the industry and had started a business plan. Leslie and John worked with her on updating her plan and reviewing revenue and expense estimates. They discussed her assumptions. The SCORE mentors asked questions to check for reasonableness and sustainability. Latasha appreciated the challenging discussions about the financial outlook, what she endearingly calls ‘the tug of war’, and pushed back to be more realistic and practical. Latasha attended free SCORE workshops and used some business templates. Leslie invited
her to the annual Women’s Entrepreneurship Conference co-hosted by SCORE and West Chester University. She met with a QuickBooks expert introduced by John and shifted her bookkeeping schedule when she learned about “the importance of balancing the books ongoing – weekly, monthly, quarterly.”
Latasha and her SCORE mentors worked together as a team. Several notable milestones included hiring her staff, signing her lease, purchasing equipment, and building out the interior of her space. She had to determine the best software package to use to manage her business as well as regulatory and license requirements.
Another important accomplishment was figuring out her marketing strategy. This proved to be a valuable learning experience. Latasha started out working with a marketing consultant to develop her social media campaign. This approach had a very costly monthly subscription and was not manageable for a startup. After discovering the expense of a monthly marketing service was unsustainable, Latasha made a one-time investment in another marketing company that exposed her to other business owners, open forums, and self-monitoring of social media campaigns. This program gave her invaluable knowledge and was more cost-effective than the previous services she originally was using. In addition, collaboration with other business owners and colleagues for marketing ideas to pull into her strategy has been beneficial.
Through SCORE’s network, she connected with a West Chester University intern who helped with her marketing plans. The intern provided a detailed marketing analysis that compared Body For Me to local competitors, highlighted areas of opportunities such as adding more services, and identified some key company strengths. In addition, the intern offered ideas such as live reviews, posting before and after pictures of spa services, and social media campaigns to improve engagement.
Latasha also had some financial decisions to make. She was renting some of her equipment that came with a hefty price tag. After reviewing her monthly financials, she decided it would be best to buy out her equipment with a loan. The savings in monthly expenses were significant and immediate. She also was able to use apps to help her post social media content, resulting in more savings. These two strategic choices were major contributors to reducing overhead costs and getting closer to her financial goals in 2022. Latasha is focusing on revenue growth now that her expenses have been reduced and looking for 2023 to be right on target.
Today
In the beginning, Latasha approached many friends and colleagues to commit to her services. This allowed her to have clients from Day 1. The spa opened on April 15, 2021, and year-to-date revenue growth is very encouraging at +22% and increasing an additional 3% for this year. The outlook for 2023 is strong.
The West Chester location is working well on several fronts. It is conveniently located for customers with ample free parking, a short commute to and from Latasha’s full-time job, and a private office space as well. Body For Me offers all the non-invasive services: CryoSkin procedures for slimming and toning, as well as reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, a variety of facials, waxing, V-steam, and a specialty branded product line of soaps, and skincare products. For larger packages, Body For Me offers The Cherry Payment Plan, a third-party financing program with a quick and easy online application and approval to pay for spa services over time.
Latasha tells us how important it is to be ‘solution-oriented’ stating, “There will be some fears as a result of the COVID experience, such as inflation, the recent banking crisis, and more.” The three-day schedule and the exceptional service at a premium price are enabling a steady increase in referrals and new clients. Latasha is hopeful and has already achieved many of her goals.
Areas of opportunity include continuing to evolve the business marketing strategy and searching for new collaborations. Partnering with non-competing business owners at local gyms and engaging with experienced nutritionists to customize healthy meal recommendations for clients help to attract new customers and multiply success at Body For Me Mini Spa.
There is a priority list of 2023 goals and future plans, including new social media programming, compelling testimonials, more pop-up shops in the community, and events on-site.
To celebrate the two-year anniversary, Latasha invited her customers and community partners to a two-year anniversary celebration on April 15, 2023. During this time Latasha shared some of the new things she would be offering including memberships, a loyalty program, and a referral bonus.
Paying It Forward
Latasha has been a highly motivated and driven SCORE client, who has accomplished much in a short time. She shares important lessons learned for those considering a small business startup:
-
“You have to spend money to make money. As an independent startup business, you have to use your money to build brand awareness. People don’t know who you are so you have to put yourself in a place to be seen.”
-
“Networking is a must: spending time in the community your business is in, and having conversations is imperative to your success. Also, supporting the other businesses in the area is a great tool for building partnerships.”
-
“Patience is Key – Every day is not going to be a win. You have to grow over time and build your reputation.”
-
“Failure is a learning opportunity. Use feedback and/or critiques you receive to get better.”
Business Strategy Planning, Sales, Marketing, Public Relations Areas of Interest: Leadership...
I have experience managing industrial construction projects and serving as an area operating...
