Spa Marketing Made Easy Podcast – Episode #464

Title: Stop, Start, Continue: The CEO Planning Exercise That Will Transform Your Spa in 2026
Host: Daniela Woerner, Licensed Aesthetician
Release Date: December 29, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Daniela Woerner dives deep into her favorite annual planning tool: the “Stop, Start, Continue” exercise. She guides spa owners on what to stop doing, what to intentionally start, and what to continue doubling-down on for unprecedented growth in 2026. Drawing from her extensive experience coaching over 1,700 spa owners, Daniela keeps it real—sharing practical strategies and delivering thoughtful tough love for spa leaders ready to break through revenue plateaus and embrace the CEO mindset.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What to STOP Doing – Strategic Subtraction

(00:56-19:40)

• Stop Making Decisions Based on Short-Term Comfort

  • Many spa owners avoid necessary but uncomfortable actions (like price increases or hiring key staff), leading to missed long-term gains.
  • "Every time you make a short-term decision based on comfort, there’s an opportunity cost. You’re choosing to stay exactly where you are." (05:00)

• Stop Trying to Be Everything to Everyone

  • Over-extending service menus or people-pleasing with staff leads to diluted brand, operational mess, and lack of strategic focus.
  • "The brand that does everything is the brand that does nothing." (09:45)
  • Get specific about who your ideal client is, and niche down to build authority.

• Stop Operating Without Clear KPIs

  • Many spa owners base decisions on feelings rather than hard numbers, failing to track cost per treatment, retention rate, or marketing ROI.
  • "If you don’t have clear KPIs, you’re making decisions based off your feelings, not data." (15:12)
  • Emphasis on building a simple dashboard and consistently tracking a few impactful metrics: revenue, profit margin, client retention, average ticket, client acquisition cost, team productivity.

• Stop Underinvesting in Your Own Development

  • Owners often fund team and tech, but skip investing in their own CEO skills.
  • "Every dollar you put into becoming a better leader has an exceptional return on what you can build." (19:02)

2. What to START Doing – Intentional Addition

(19:41-39:34)

• Start Treating Yourself Like the CEO You Are

  • Block out dedicated CEO time—at least half or a full day per week—for strategic work, not just admin tasks.
  • "Every hour you spend on high-level strategy creates exceptionally more value than another hour in the treatment room." (21:32)

• Start Getting Comfortable With Tough Conversations

  • Leadership means offering clear, constructive feedback and accountability, even if it’s uncomfortable.
  • Quote from Brene Brown: "Clear is kind." (26:25)
  • "If you’re not giving feedback and helping your team understand their full potential, you’re doing them a disservice." (27:00)

• Start Implementing Paid Advertising (Strategically)

  • Move beyond organic and word-of-mouth; develop a data-driven, test-and-optimize approach to paid ads.
  • "Treat [ads] as a learning investment, not just an expense...Start with one platform, usually Meta (Facebook and Instagram), and test, track, and optimize." (31:02)
  • Importance of aligning ad offers with your niche and tracking cost per lead.

• Start Delegating Based on Highest Value Activities

  • Identify your top three high-value CEO activities; everything else should be delegated, automated, or eliminated.
  • "Every hour you spend on these $10-an-hour tasks, you’re not spending on the thousand-dollar-an-hour CEO work." (36:00)
  • Build a delegation roadmap and take the leap to free yourself from low-impact tasks.

3. What to CONTINUE Doing – Doubling Down on Wins

(39:35-46:46)

• Continue Building Recurring Revenue

  • Memberships are crucial for spa scalability, stability, and stress reduction.
  • "Recurring revenue is the foundation of scalable businesses—it’s predictable cash flow that lets you make better business decisions." (40:25)
  • Make memberships a major initiative if they aren’t already implemented.

• Continue Investing in Your Team’s Development

  • Regularly allocate budget and time for your team’s continued education and certifications.
  • "When you invest in your team, they feel valued. When your estheticians can confidently perform advanced treatments, you can charge premium prices." (43:30)
  • Develop internal leadership and culture—it drives retention and spa value.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone:

  • "You’ve got to rock the boat, so to say, if you want to scale. You’ve probably heard me say before: entrepreneurship is the greatest lesson in personal development—apart from being a parent." (06:42)

• On Brand Dilution:

  • "The brand that does everything is the brand that does nothing." (09:45)

• Giving Feedback:

  • "If I am not giving them that critical feedback and helping them understand their potential, I’m doing them a disservice." (27:00)

• On CEO Time:

  • "This time is dedicated CEO time—non-negotiable—where you are not in the treatment room, you are not answering client questions, you are not putting out fires. It is for strategic work only." (22:10)

• On Delegation:

  • "You are not going to be able to scale if you are still the bottleneck in your business. Build that delegation muscle, start with one thing, and get comfortable with the discomfort of letting go." (37:45)

• Implementation Over Information:

  • "You don’t need more information. You need implementation. If you read a book and get the knowledge, but don’t actually apply it, you just wasted ten hours of your life." (45:05)

Action Steps for Listeners

(46:47-end)

Daniela encourages listeners to:

• Write down one thing they will stop, start, and continue—don’t feel compelled to tackle everything at once.
• Put an actual implementation date on the calendar—“Not someday. Not on the shelf. Make it real.” (46:15)
• Remember: "You have what it takes. You’ve already proven that by building what you have. Now it is time to take it to the next level." (45:48)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:56 – Introduction to the Stop, Start, Continue framework
• 05:00 – The cost of comfort-based decisions (Stop #1)
• 09:45 – Niche focus and brand dilution (Stop #2)
• 15:12 – Embracing KPIs and data (Stop #3)
• 19:02 – Investing in personal CEO development (Stop #4)
• 21:32 – Blocking CEO time (Start #1)
• 26:25 – Tough conversations, leadership, and Brene Brown (Start #2)
• 31:02 – Paid advertising as investment (Start #3)
• 36:00 – Delegation and the CEO's highest value (Start #4)
• 40:25 – Memberships and recurring revenue (Continue #1)
• 43:30 – Team investment and culture (Continue #2)
• 46:15 – Committing to implementation
• 45:05 – The power of actually applying knowledge

Tone & Style

Daniela’s delivery is warm, encouraging, and direct. She uses real-world examples, tough love, and motivational reframing to push listeners into real, sustainable action—always with a focus on data-driven choices, clarity, and CEO-level leadership growth.

For spa owners serious about scaling in 2026, this episode is a must—not just for its executable advice, but for its emphasis on mindset, personal growth, and unwavering action.