“Hi Greg,
I don’t think I have ever worked as hard in any business I have either owned or worked for, as I have done in this one… so I’m certainly pleased to share with you some of our recent successes, which are the result of tireless endeavour…
Having succeeded in being the salon that everyone in the area copies, over the last year-and-a-half I have been approached by 4 local spa and salon owners who wanted me to buy their businesses, which if they had been any good I would have… But I’m sure you’re over the stereotypical salon, so I won’t bore you with details.
At the beginning of the year, quite unexpectedly, I received notification that our Lady At Bay therapists had been judged Sydney’s best for 2010 and last week we won the Mosman Daily Small Business Awards again as North Shore’s BEST Anti-Ageing & Beauty Centre… I must say, it’s very gratifying, when you’ve worked hard to achieve excellence in everything you do, to get recognition from customers, shadow shoppers and independent business analysts from the NSW Department of Industry & Investment.
Attached you’ll find a copy of our November newsletter – one of these is mailed to every client each month at the beginning of the month and they are loved by staff and clients alike, one of whom told me she files them because of the interesting articles. These take hours of research and, because I’m pedantic, hours of proof-reading and jiggling with layout. This is in addition to the systemized direct and email marketing, SMS campaigns, new client letters, referral letters, newspaper advertising, window marketing, in-salon posters, leaflets… and on and on it goes.
It has taken 7 years of dogged determination and relentless focus to implement everything that you have preached and to systemize everything in the Toolkit and an infinite amount of patience to cut through the crap that I’ve had to deal with in terms of staff… same things you and all your members experience… no different.
BUT…. it’s the commitment to learn from mentors, to learn from experience and to learn from failure that determines success! One day you pull your head up, settle your bum down and realise… crikey… I’ve built a really substantial and successful business… one that’s absolutely bursting at the seams to multiply and grow.
So that’s the beginning…
I’m now looking forward to the next part of the journey… with you and the Team at Worldwide Salon Marketing there by my side.
Kindest regards and deepest respect,
Lesley Morgan-Wesson
LADY AT BAY
PS: In this industry, you’d be better off working hard to be the best employee you can be, rather than being a lousy worker who has subsequent problems with the boss and then with stars in your eyes you go and get into a business that you don’t have the ability, focus, endurance or cash for.