SMME #466 From Solo Esthetician to Spa CEO: How to Build a Team That Runs Without You

Summary

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Episode Overview

Title: From Solo Esthetician to Spa CEO: How to Build a Team That Runs Without You
Host: Daniela Woerner
Guest: Susan (Growth Factor community member, spa owner)
Release Date: January 12, 2026

This episode of the Spa Marketing Made Easy Podcast explores the journey of Susan, a solo esthetician who transformed her small solo practice into a thriving spa with a team that runs independently. Susan and Daniela discuss the practicalities, mindset shifts, and essential business strategies for moving from working solo to becoming a CEO who can step away from the treatment room. The conversation features real-world advice, encouragement for spa professionals at all stages, and insights into systematizing and scaling a service-based business.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Susan’s Journey: From Solo to Spa CEO

• Career Beginnings:

  • Susan has 13 years in aesthetics; 7 years in her own practice ([04:09]).
  • She started solo in a 250 sq. ft. salon suite in 2019, just before the pandemic.

• Navigating Major Life Changes:

  • The pandemic shutdown was a significant challenge soon after Susan expanded to a new space ([04:25]).
  • Becoming pregnant, she realized the limitations of a solo operation: “If I'm not working, I'm solo. I'm not making any money...” ([04:38]).
  • Listening to the podcast gave her courage and confidence to hire her first team member.

• Hiring Her First Employee:

  • Susan’s initial hire was timed with her maternity leave so the business could keep running ([05:44]).
  • She quickly realized the importance of systems: “It was like, just bring someone on and they should know what to do, right? Wrong.” ([08:26])
  • The experience highlighted the need for clear handbooks, training, and operating procedures.

Leadership Learning Curve

• First Lessons in Leadership:

  • Leadership was a new skill: “Leadership is a skill. You've got to be able to speak what you need... give constructive feedback...” (Daniela, [07:51])
  • Communication and boundaries are vital. “It's all about communication... they’re not mind readers and vice versa.” (Susan, [11:32])

• Employee Turnover:

  • Her first employee eventually left, but Susan saw the value in learning from each hiring and turnover experience ([10:29]).
  • “I learned a lot from the first hire in order to prepare myself for the second hire...” ([10:58])
  • It’s normal to go through multiple hires before building a strong team.

Scaling and Stepping Out of the Room

• Expanding the Team:

  • After more hires, Susan moved into a larger location, brought on additional estheticians, and eventually a receptionist when the front desk workload became overwhelming ([12:06]).
  • Adding a spa manager later helped systematize operations further ([19:00]).

• Transitioning Clients and Roles:

  • Susan gradually reduced her treatment hours, introduced clients to new providers, and eventually left the room entirely when returning to school ([14:12]).
  • “If you train your staff just as good as you are, they will be willing to go to someone else if they're getting the same exceptional care.” ([14:12])

• Dealing with Common Challenges:

  • The income dip and concern from stepping away is real; requires intention, strategy, and patience ([13:07]).
  • Ongoing client education and transition help maintain trust and bookings.

Evolving into A Spa CEO

• Newfound Focus:

  • With time away from day-to-day treatments, Susan could focus on marketing, brand development, and systems: “I thought that my systems were like fine tuned, but... there were a lot of holes in them.” ([17:17])
  • Daniela: “Systems are a lifestyle... It’s a misconception that you can just get everything in place and set it and forget it.” ([17:42])

• Vision for the Future:

  • Susan is attending nursing school to return as a medical provider, offering injectables and advanced treatments part-time ([15:41],[15:59],[20:20]).
  • Her aspiration is to move into a “med spa light” format, blending esthetic and medical services while maintaining her roots in skincare ([20:20]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Solo Esthetician Mindset:

  • “The delusion of, like, I'm gonna have this grand business by myself, and I'm gonna have it run while I'm not there – but that doesn't work like that when you're not in it and you're solo.” – Susan ([07:16])

• On Leadership Reality:

  • “You're not hiring somebody so you can be besties… You’re trying to serve a person. You’re trying to build a company together.” – Daniela ([07:51])

• On Systems and Scaling:

  • “So much of it is in our head, isn’t it?... If we don’t get that out of our head and onto paper so that other people can support us, we are just creating a giant trap for ourselves, 100%.” – Daniela ([09:13])

• On Transitioning Clients to Providers:

  • “If you train your staff just as good as you are, they will be willing to go to someone else if they're getting the same exceptional care.” – Susan ([14:12])

• On the Ongoing Nature of Systems:

  • “Systems are a lifestyle. Just because you have a system doesn’t mean that it’s being used… Part of the role of the CEO is to be able to oversee and spot check, refine all of those things.” – Daniela ([17:42])

• Encouragement for Solos:

  • “Even if they want to stay solo, still do systems and still plan. If you’re not planning, then that’s when things can go wrong.” – Susan ([21:47])

• Resilience:

  • “A little bit of grit goes a long way.” – Susan ([22:54])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:09] Susan’s background & starting her solo practice
• [05:44] The limitations of working solo and the impact of maternity leave
• [08:26] Lessons from first hire and the necessity of systems
• [10:29] Early turnover and what Susan learned
• [12:06] Growth through additional hires and stepping back
• [14:12] Transitioning clients and stepping out of the treatment room
• [15:41] Nursing school and vision for med spa services
• [17:17] The surprise of still-flawed systems after stepping back
• [17:42] Daniela explains the ongoing, flexible nature of systems
• [19:00] Role of the spa manager in refining systems
• [21:47] Susan’s advice to solo estheticians
• [22:54] Resilience and encouragement for spa owners

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Final Takeaways

• Building a spa that runs without the owner requires intentional planning, clear systems, and a willingness to learn from mistakes.
• Effective leadership in a service business is an acquired skill—expect a learning curve and be patient with turnover.
• Systematization is not a one-time project; it’s a continual process requiring oversight and adjustment.
• Even solos who plan to stay independent should have systems and contingency plans.
• Scaling your spa gives you the freedom to focus on business growth and personal development—whether through advanced credentials, expanding services, or simply creating space for life’s surprises.
• Resilience, clear vision, and purposeful action can transform both your business and your quality of life.

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Transcript

[A]

Hey, real quick. I want to personally invite you to something very special happening next month. I'm hosting a spa CEO intensive on February 15th and 16th in Fort Worth, Texas. This is a two day in person event where we are going to be going deep into the sales and social phases of the growth Factor framework. We are essentially diving headfirst into the role that AI will play in these two phases. So we're talking automations, we're talking agents, all, all of the things. So if you've been curious about how AI can help your business grow, this is the event for you. Head over to auto aesthetics.com events, click on the In Person Events tab there and you will find all of the details for Fort Worth. I cannot wait to see you there. Hello, my dears. Daniela here and welcome to another episode of the Spa Marketing Made Easy Podcast. And you are listening to our 466th episode right now. Yes, we've been going strong Since April of 2018, sharing marketing strategies and business development for esthetic professionals. Today's guest has been a longtime listener of our show. She's been a member in our Growth Factor community and more importantly, she's actually implemented what she's learned to build a business around a life she wants to live. Now, I love sprinkling in positivity and possibility into your morning routine. So if you're listening right now, while you're doing your makeup or going for your morning walk, I truly hope that this episode makes your day just a little bit better. Now, before I jump in and play that interview, I wanna share a goal that I have myself this year. Now, I know that this is January, it's the time of resolutions and all of those things. And I'm not really like a resolutions or that type of girl. I've shared before. I pick kind of a word, like a theme. My theme this year is open. Being open to so many new possibilities. But we're going to hit 500 episodes on the show this year and you know, I want to hit 500 reviews. That's my goal. And obviously I want those to be five star reviews. So 500 episodes, 500 reviews, five stars. That would be a dream if I can make that happen. And you are the ones that can help me. So on my end, I am committed to bringing you so much value in this show that you can implement in your business week after week, month after month and year after year. And if you take the information from this podcast, just like our guest Susan has, and you implement it into your business, imagine the positivity and possibility for you as well. So if you're enjoying this show, please take two minutes out of your time, leave us a review, help us get that much closer to our goal. I would so deeply appreciate it. All right, so let's go ahead and play the interview with Susan, and I hope that you enjoy. All right, Susan, welcome to the Spa Marketing Made Easy podcast. I'm so happy to have you here and to share your story today, which was, like, such a. Such an uplifting. You sent us an email. It was like the most beautiful story of progression. And I was like, this is exactly like the. This is, like, the best email I got today. The best. Like, our whole team was so happy we shared back. So I'm excited to share it with the rest of our community.

[B]

Well, thank you. I'm excited to share it, too.

[A]

So why don't we start kind of at the beginning? Tell us, like, how did you get into the aesthetic space in the first place? What was your vision? What were those early years like for you?

[B]

So I have been in aesthetics going on for 13 years now, so seven of those have been in my own practice. I started solo back in 2019 in a small little salon suite, about 250 square feet, just me. And it kind of just kind of like, progressed from there, and I moved. This was right before the pandemic, so it was a very scary time. So right before the pandemic, I had moved into another space, and then it kind of all just shut down. And so I made it through that, and then I ended up getting pregnant with my first child after we got married, and I was like, I don't know what to do. Like, if I'm not working, I'm solo. I'm not making any money. I didn't really have, like, a savings like that. It just wasn't something in my thought process at the time to have something like a savings account to be prepared for a baby or if I ever get injured or anything like that, really. And I had followed along on the adult aesthetics podcast, and I'd be listening to the podcast as I'm flipping my rooms, having my cancellations or any downtime. And it. Honestly, that's really what gave me the courage to do my first hire and confidence to do my first hire because I'd never really thought about that before. And so when I was about to go on maternity leave, I started looking and I hired my first person, and that was my first esthetician that I brought on, and she was going to be working while I was on maternity Leave.

[A]

I think, you know, it's such an interesting point because the schools and. And not to downplay anything with the schools, but I think that they really encourage people to go solo. They kind of lead with that. Of, like, you can make all this money and you can be your own boss, and. And that's great. Like, I. I feel that entrepreneurship is such a. An opportunity and a gift, and I would never want to discourage anybody from doing that. But to go solo right out of school, I mean, there's so much that we're learning in just our craft, in just our technique of. And then if you throw in there, like, how do you run a business? Because that's a whole other thing. It's challenging.

[B]

And.

[A]

And so I love that, you know, you had time to go solo, and that's. That's good, but we're not. It's almost like solos are thinking about it as a job, like, that's their job, and like, oh, I'm just gonna take time off. But you don't get paid vacation, and you don't get all of these. These other things that it's like, no, this is actually. This is a business.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Got a lot of other things to be thrown in there.

[B]

So.

[A]

So you kind of. Were you thinking that, or were you. And it was the podcast that kind of said, hey, I need to hire or I'm sure the baby. And, like, the reality of life setting in was like, oh, wow.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. I think it was, like, a mixture of all of it, to be honest, because it was like, the delusion of, like, I'm gonna have this grand business by myself, and I'm gonna have it run while I'm not there. But that doesn't work like that when you're not in it and you're solo. And so it was that. And then, like, what am I gonna do for six months? Like, I can't take six months off if I don't have income. It was all of it, I would say. Yeah.

[A]

So what was the. And then just throw a pandemic in there.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

So once you hired your first person, I mean, did you go through, like, leadership is a skill. You've got to be able to speak what you need. You've got to be able to have boundaries and be able to be kind, but also be able to give constructive feedback because, like, you're not hiring somebody so you can be besties. It's like, you know, you're trying to do. You're trying to serve a person. You're trying to build A company together. You're trying to make money, right?

[B]

Yes. Yeah. And that was a huge learning experience for me because so I brought the esthetician on, and at the time, so it was like, oh, just bring someone on and they should know what to do, right? Wrong. And so I went on maternity leave. And yes, the business was kept afloat, but there were so many little things that went into it, like, I need a handbook. I need to train her. She doesn't know exactly what I'm thinking, so I need to tell her step by step. Like, this is the process that we do every day. This is how you close. This is how you open. This is how I would like for you to talk to the clients and all that stuff. And it was me just bringing her on, like, we're good. And then quickly finding out there's a lot more systems that have to come into play for it to work and be smooth.

[A]

So much of it is in our head, isn't it? You don't realize, like, how much you're doing on autopilot and how much. And that's what they talk about when they're talking about decision fatigue and the exhaustion. Just like the mental exhaustion of. Because you also. You have a new baby at home, you're running a household. There's all kinds of. Like, I remember when my. So my son was born, April 2020. So I had a newborn, but he was my second. But there's still like sleep schedules and eating schedules and who washed the bottles? And do you know, there's all of that that's taking up mental space. I nursed, so I had, like a pumping schedule also that you're, like, throwing into the mix. The eating. Did they eat this? Did they poop? You know, it's like everything's going on while you're also still thinking of the details. And I. I find that if we don't get that out of our head and onto paper so that other people can support us, we are just creating a giant trap for ourselves, 100%. So did that. Is that gal still with you or did you have some turnover? How did that.

[B]

Yeah, so, no, she is not currently with me. There was a parting of ways. It just didn't work out in the end. And that's okay. It's, you know, it's not always going to work out, which I've learned, and you'll just move on. But the person that I did hire after, she is still currently with us because I learned a lot from the first hire in order to prepare myself for the second hire. So that one went a lot better.

[A]

Yeah. And honestly, that's great. Like, I will often see people that go through 3, 4, 5 times of turnover before they really understand every piece of. And it's not. That's actually normal. It's nothing to feel bad about. And it's. It's a learning process. Just like, you know, we have to learn how to do a particular service or treatment. We have to learn how to lead. We have to learn how to find our people and communicate effectively with our people.

[B]

100%. Yeah. And it's all about communication. I feel like if, like you said, like, if you aren't communicating with your team and telling them your needs, they. They don't know they. They're not mind readers and vice versa.

[A]

So, okay, so you came back, you hired. You know, you had the turnover, you came back from maternity. Walk me through kind of the process because I know you have much more than one employee now. So tell me kind of the next steps of growth in the business.

[B]

So after that hire, I. We actually parted ways about. I would say it was like a year into her employment. So then hired a new esthetician that's still with us. And then we were both working. I was still in the treatment room at the time, and so I wanted to expand a little bit. So I moved actually across the street to a larger location and then hired my second esthetician. So there was three of us on staff, and that also didn't work out for some reasons and then hired someone else and that worked out. And then hired a receptionist because it was just kind of getting too busy where I couldn't take on the responsibility of the front desk and either could the girls. And we had like 30 minute turnaround time, so I wanted to shorten that. So we brought on our receptionist and then I stepped back out of the room and. And it's just been kind of going since then.

[A]

So talk to me about the experience of getting your providers busy. And also because are you in the room at all now or are you totally out? Okay. So that I always. I feel like there's a sticking point when you have a solo, and I usually see this somewhere between 25 to 35,000amonth. The provider, the owner of the business, is still in the room, but they don't want to hire support because they're the primary revenue generator. But then you've got to get your other providers busy and you. It's like this cycle of like, well, I need help, but if I get out of the room, then the revenue is going to go down because I'm the only one that makes the revenue. So it's this kind of like very. It has to be a very intentional and strategic dance to be able to hit those milestones. And it sounds like you've done it well in terms of getting your providers booked and also getting yourself out of the room. Because there's also clients and patients that say, like, hey, I only want to be with you, I don't want to be with anybody else.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, there was a few points of that. So I knew at some point that I wanted to go back to school. And in order to do that, I did try to juggle it both at one time and found that was very difficult to do. So then after realizing that, I knew I had to get out of the treatment room. And what I started to do was tell my clients one, that I was going to be stepping back. And I shortened my hours a lot and then started introducing them to my other providers. And there's always the worry like, oh, they want to see me, they only want to see me. But if you train your staff just as good as you are, they will be willing to go to someone else if they're getting the same exceptional care. So I started transitioning most of my clients to my other estheticians, which they're still seeing them today. And then I just kept shortening back my hours, back my hours. I actually hurt my hand and then just kind of had to get out of the treatment room completely. And so that was like the, the final step of that. And then I completely stepped away. Just started doing back at business, the school and then keeping them booked. That's always a constant. It's a worry because, like, if they're, you know, not booked again, you know, it's just a business owner kind of worry thing. But keeping them booked is priority. We do a lot of marketing, social media ads, referrals are really big in the community that we're in. So that's been great too.

[A]

So you're in nursing school?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

You just said school. We didn't say nursing school. So is the plan for you to go back into the room as an injector or as a, you know, what, what is the vision? Why did you want to go to nursing school? Yes.

[B]

So the vision is for myself to come back and do aesthetic treatments such as like Botox fillers and things like that. I, I knew I wanted to, to get back in at least like part time, like one or two days a week doing that Because I still love seeing people and interacting with them, but just I want to elevate the services that I provide to them though.

[A]

So as you've stepped out of the room, I know you, I know you've got nursing school, which is, you know, a big thing in itself. What were you the most surprised about? Because I know when a lot of times when people step out of the room, they're like, well, what am I supposed to do now? What am I supposed to do? And there's actually like, once you really get into it, you mentioned social media ads, there's like brand development, there's online presence, there's marketing, there's getting out in your community, there's team development, fine tuning your systems. There's all of these aspects that are not even on your radar when you're full time in the room because you're just focusing on fulfillment. So what were the biggest surprises for you in terms of, oh, wow, like now that I'm out of the room, I can actually focus on these things as well.

[B]

Yeah, I think the biggest surprise would be, I thought that my systems were like fine tuned, but how many loose screws there were. So I had the systems in place, but as I started to have time to look at them and kind of reevaluate them is that there were a lot of holes in them. So I think that was the biggest surprise because I was like kind of set it and forget it. And that's. That's not true.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, systems, that's such a great point because it's, we talk a lot about how systems are a lifestyle. A lot of times when people are in our programs and we will set out, you know, we'll do this calendar and it'll be, you know, you create these 18 month plans that you're executing in quarters and they'll be like, okay, well this month I'm going to get all my systems in place. And I was like, okay. It's, I mean hundreds of people have said that it's not. And it's just this misconception that you can just get everything in place and set it and forget it. And it's true that like once you have a good working system and you've also built the culture in your company that we follow, we are a systems based business. We. Just because you have a policy doesn't mean that it's being enforced. Just because you have a system doesn't mean that it's being used. And so part of the role of the CEO is to be able to Oversee and spot check, refine all of those things. And I think that that's so apparent when you step out of the day to day, the fulfillment, and really take a look at what it is that you've built.

[B]

A hundred percent. Yeah. And I wouldn't be able to have done that unless I stepped out like that. Because even half in, half out, you know, you're still juggling, you know, your life and treatments and clients, and then you're trying to do the business end. And it's just, it's a lot. And I do have now a spa manager who also helps with refining the system. So that also is a great deal of help.

[A]

So how are you. When you were talking with your clients about stepping out of the room, were you sharing that you were going to nursing school or were you just. Okay, so that made it like an easier thing, like, hey, listen, I'm, I'm, you know, really wanting to elevate our experience. I'm going to be going to nursing school. I'm going to pass you to this person, et cetera.

[B]

Yes. Yeah, they knew and they're excited. They, I mean, they still ask. I'll see them in passing and we'll chat. We're all very excited.

[A]

And so I imagine you'll have to do, you know, some aesthetic training also once you get out. And. Yeah. Before introducing that. So do you have a vision of going like, full blown med spa? Are you wanting to do what I call med spa light? What do you feel? What's your, what's your goal?

[B]

I think the vision right now, it would maybe would lean more towards like med spa light. Just because I'm still an esthetician and like, skin is still like my heart and soul, so everything I feel like, stems from that. So maybe just light right now I'd love to, like I said, introduce like the Botox fillers and maybe a nice laser for some resurfacing. But that, that's the vision right now.

[A]

But who knows?

[B]

It could involve. Evolve into more.

[A]

Yes. Okay. So for our spa owners that are listening, that are out there right now, I would love any insights that you want to share, because I think that, number one, there's so many solos out there that are in that place, like, oh, what if I want to have a baby? Or what if I hurt my hand? Or what if I. Something comes up that you're not able. And I'm actually in conversation with a lot of women who have been in the industry for 20, 30 years, and they're physically, like, their bodies are Just, I can only do this many facials because my body just won't allow it. And so it's a, it's a physical work, you know, if you're, if you're. Especially with your hands. And so what is your advice for someone at that stage? Solo? Because there's a lot out there that say, I just want to stay solo. That's what I want to do.

[B]

Yeah, I. I think some good advice, even if they want to stay solo, is to still do systems and still plan. Because I feel like if you're not planning, then that's when things can go wrong. Of course things can go wrong even if you do plan, but you'll be a little bit more prepared on that side. You know, if you do want to have a baby or if you do hurt your hand and things like that, you just always have some kind of, like, safety behind it.

[A]

Yeah. Wonderful. Well, I hope that everybody listening just takes a little bit of inspiration. I. I love hearing from spa owners, especially spa owners that started during the pandemic, because, my gosh, like, that the past, like, 5ish years have been the craziest years in our industry. I've been here for 20 years, and I'm like, the last five years have thrown so many curveballs, and it's so inspirational to hear spa owners that are, like, knocking it out of the park, continuing to grow, continuing to evolve, even with those things. I feel like if you can make it through those things, you can make it through anything.

[B]

Yeah. A little bit of grit goes a long way.

[A]

So good. Well, thank you so much for sharing your story. I know it's going to touch so many estheticians and spa owners out there. And congratulations on all that you've put accomplished. It's really wonderful.

[B]

Thank you.