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Interim Spa Director Services

iSPAD is here to solve a growing problem in the spa industry:
What to do when a spa management gap arises during pre-opening or post-opening operations?

 

The Solution:
Hire iSPAD to provide expert assistance as an Interim Spa Director.

Dear Nicolay,

I am truly amazed at the short amount of time you spent with us (only four weeks) and the vast amount of work you have completed in that time... Most importantly you have given us new revitalized energy to keep our business alive and for that I am forever grateful. Tammy Bennett DOM Orlando, FL

 

Core Competence:
iSPAD offers solutions to all your needs of interim spa management:

Pre-opening / opening spa director

Interim spa director

Repositioning spa director

 

The Facts:

Unprecedented and uninterrupted expansion in the spa industry

Fundamentally different requirements of pre-opening and post-opening operational spa management

Lack of qualified pre-opening, opening and operational spa directors

Risk of qualitative drop during temporary management loss.

 

"Do not rush into hiring a new spa director! Consider outside assistance  

 

As the spa industry continues to expand at double-digit rates the acute lack of trained, experienced and suitable spa directors / operational managers becomes a growing challenge. The gap that arises between demand and fulfillment can and must be bridged.

Spas are no longer exotic enterprises. Investors and operators want concrete results and apply benchmarks previously only used to forecast and evaluate traditional operations. Comparative analysis and precise financial goals are becoming possible with unified accounting, measurable outcome and access to substantiated statistical information.

As an owner, operator, consultant or general manager / director who wants to establish a spa in the context of a four or five star resort, condo-hotel or lifestyle real estate development that not only delivers features to enable a competitive positioning of the property - but also is a profit generating entity unto itself, you may find yourself in a less than satisfactory position in filling a spa management position.

 

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The Challenge

Here are a few scenarios that you might be encountering:

You have moved from the drawing board to construction. You are challenged with finding a spa director to come on board to help check the status of FF&E, OS&E, develop a treatment menu, calculate pricing, chose product lines, hire staff, set up a training schedule and punch down to the grand opening where everything will transition smoothly into daily operations. Your pre-opening budget allows for filling the spa director position months in advance but you need someone who is not only experienced - but fully self-contained and motivated.

You are moving rapidly towards opening. The candidates you have interviewed have not had any previous pre-opening experience but you feel one candidate would be the perfect fit once everything is up and running. You would like to retain this candidate but are concerned they might burn out under the pre-opening and opening phase.

The spa director who opened your spa has been invited to manage another opening after being with you for 6 months. They feel that they would like to take in this challenge and need to leave in 2 weeks. The one thing you need in order to find a suitable successor you do not have: Time.

Your spa director has given notice and you feel that promoting from within would upset the balance and that you would be actually compromising quality in order to ensure continuity rather than having a management gap while searching for the right replacement.

You feel that professionals from other areas are all of a sudden becoming "spa experts" * without knowing the complex operational needs to warrant long-term success. Or you feel that vendors might not be designing equipments specifications, opening orders and service procedures that will be most suitable for your operation.

Your spa has been open for a few years and you feel it's time to reinvent your spa, find a new identity, reconnect with core values, reconnect with clients and give success a boost.

*Including architects and engineers, designers, contractors, sub-contractors, hotel directors...

These and other scenarios are becoming more and more common.

 

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Choices

We suggest dividing spa directors into 3 distinct types based on the challenges of the position:

 

A: Pre-opening / opening spa director

Pre-opening spa directors are attracted to the unknown, the challenge, the frontier. I like to call them the "pioneers". They have to be visionaries and be able to imagine processes before they might even have a facility. They have to have a firm foundation in all operational aspects while envisioning the unique features they will create and orchestrate. They need to be able to transfer the philosophy of the project to future therapists and service providers. A practical fundamental understanding of the core services is essential. Pioneers rarely stay when the excitement has worn off. They feel under-challenged and if they do stay they feel the compromise. Given the opportunity they will seek a new frontier.
Opening spa directors have the best of both worlds but are more likely to succeed if they were involved in the pre-opening process. Their challenge is to transition from theory to practice without a hitch. They establish operational procedure based on the operational reality expanding into full capacity.

 

Type B: Interim spa director - The power in the middle

When spa directors give notice there is rarely enough time to find a qualified successor. Finding the right person can take months. During this time one of the biggest risks that are taken is to allow this vacuum to be filled by temporarily promoting under-qualified staff or by burdening another department manager with this task.

This can result in:
Loss of key staff and a drop in staff morale.
Inertia, loss of momentum, loss of key relationships.
Damaged public image due to rumors, lack of clear communications.
Loss of current and future revenue and profit.
Under performance and a drop in service quality.

Type C: The repositioning spa director

The repositioning spa director has the ability to get everyone on board with a new vision. In a repositioning the talent lies in breaking with old patterns while establishing a new spirit.
All positions are vital for the continued success of an operation. Due to factors of acquired experience and personality type it is very rare to find a candidate who will flow through all positions with equal success and gratification.

And ultimately you will be looking for a suitable candidate:

 

Type D: The permanent spa director

This personality type is the one who thrives on consistent procedures and enjoys fine-tuning the process, developing long-term relationships and is resistant to sudden change. I call them the homesteaders. They are the ideal candidates when the operational foundation has been laid.

 

All positions are vital for the continued success of an operation.

Due to factors of acquired experience and personality type,

it is very rare to find a candidate who will flow

through all phases with equal success and gratification.

 

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Coaching and Mentoring

An independent voice can be extremely helpful when implementing goals, making significant decisions or navigating unexpected roadblocks.

Nicolay,
"I wanted to take the time to Thank you for the great ideas and for your time. I’m so thankful you were able to make it and help me get our spa on the right track. I really feel this was worth it, every moment spent was well spent.  I also received positive feedback from our staff about the training and the meeting we had… Thank YOU so MUCH for all the help." Maria Uribe, Miami FL

 

Coaching can be requested for a certain time-period, project or issue and is offered by teleconference or onsite or as a combination of both. This could be for example: Reviewing a business plan, hiring staff, reviewing equipment supplies orders or developing a standard operating procedure manual. Coaching fees include research and development as well as review by teleconference or onsite or both.

 

Mentoring is our most in demand program and is a built around our Health and Wellness Business Mentor Manual combined with regular one-on-one teleconference sessions (anywhere from 4 to 8 times a month).

The mentoring program is designed for the owner/operator and/or director who wishes to either build his or her business step by step covering all the topics needed to run a successful spa / salon business or would like to single out a particular area they feel needs attention for example: Budget Development, Standard Operating Procedures or Staff Training.

This process is an ideal way to plan your business from scratch or re-vitalize your operations and re-focus energy on core issues. In a weekly or bi-weekly teleconference we address the essentials of running a spa/salon business in sequence or as needed.

 

What you will appreciate about both these options is that they are tailored your specific needs and budget. They can be as intense or as focused as needed. We set very specific agendas for each session whether they are within a coaching or mentoring program .

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Teleconferences can be planned as conference calls if experts or additional participants are required.

 

One more time an overview of our coaching and mentoring programs:

Coaching: Pre-arranged time spent on a particular issue.

Mentoring: Structured path either as complete program or focused on a particular theme. Teleconference weekly or bi-weekly.

 

For an immediate response email or call Nicolay Kreidler at +1 415 515 9262 or find out more.

 

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