We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Felicia Brown a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Felicia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?

When I first became self-employed, I was an eager, hungry, driven massage therapist. I was passionate about my work and very successful. However, I worked all the time, seeing saw almost twice the number of clients per week as the average massage therapist. Time off for a vacation seemed impossible.

Growing that business into a spa and employing others only increased the number of hours I worked. My business was basically my life. Though I was able to sneak away for a few trips here and there, the stress of being away for more than a day or two was hard on me and my team. Eventually I got burned out and sold my spa. I’ve had two more (and managed a third) since then and have learned a lot.

Over time, I learned that the best way for me to be able to take time away from my business – whether for a vacation or just to have a life – is to set it up not to need me. In other words, if you own a brick and mortar, put automated systems in place and teach people how to do their job without you peering over their shoulder every moment. This can be trickier if you provide services which require you to be in the same place as your clients. However, with good systems and people in place, this too can be workable.

Now my business is focused primarily on consulting, coaching, writing and online sales, all of which allow me to work from almost anywhere. In 2023, in addition to several long trips, I basically travelled for 7 1/2 months without being on vacation per se. By tapping into another passion of mine – animals – I actually did most of it very inexpensively by pet and house-sitting in areas I wanted to visit.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’ve been self-employed a massage therapist since 1994 and opened my first office, which later became a spa, in 1996. Whether as a massage therapist, coach, consultant or educator, I love helping people solve their problems and come up with solutions no one else has been able to. I also love making people feel cared about, loved and special, so the massage and spa industry have been a perfect fit for me!

I developed an immediate passion about marketing and had experiences in sales and customer service, so I got busy very quickly. Word spread of my success and I became an instant mentor to others in my area and industry. Since then, I’ve written for national trade publications, spoken at industry conferences, and provided mentoring and guidance to other professionals.

I’m also very creative and have written a number of books on marketing,  personal growth, and healing, as well as two children’s books featuring my creative muses, The Dream Team Ducks.

What I am proudest of is helping people succeed. I believe I help people most by providing an outside, objective, experienced and creative perspective to enhance their business ideas and endeavors. I love troubleshooting and brainstorming to find options they can embrace. With their help, I’m able to assist my clients in shifting their mindset and move through blocks which have previously held them back. Knowing that my support, consulting and mentoring has helped someone reach their goals or change their life is the best feeling ever!

Conversations about M&A are often focused on multibillion dollar transactions – but M&A can be an important part of a small or medium business owner’s journey. We’d love to hear about your experience with selling businesses.

Selling my first business was an emotional journey which started years before the actual sale came. Much like daydreaming about a vacation, I would fantasize about someone buying my business so I could escape the day-to-day stress. Though there were many lessons, the ones that came after I sold the business were what I was least prepared for.

First of all, I was unaware how much of my identity was tied to owning my business. Though I had grumbled a lot about all of my responsibilities, many of the feelings I had after selling were more akin to grief than relief. This caught me totally by surprise as did the sudden lack of control I had about how things were being done in the business, which I worked in for more than a year after it was sold.

Secondly, even though I didn’t leave the business immediately, I also felt a lot of guilt for somehow “abandoning” my team by selling. Though not logical, this guilt led me to make several future business decisions including opening another spa – something I’d sworn I would never do – and which I might not have done otherwise. Never say never!

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

One of the most crucial assets in a successful business is a great team. When starting up, it may feel challenging to be able to “afford” good people. I’ve been there. However, I’ve have found again and again that the right people are willing to buy into your vision and grow with you if you create an environment in which they feel appreciated, supported and able to grow. As such I’ve been really fortunate in having fantastic team members, especially in my last spa.

I attribute this to a few factors:

1) Being really clear about what I want and need in an ideal team member.
2) Communicating my vision for the culture, services and outcomes we are co-creating together.
3) Being consistent with what I promise and deliver.
4) Recognizing and celebrating the value and worth of every person.
5) Treating each person with respect and love – always in all ways.
6) Cookies and snacks in the breakroom also help!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.FeliciaBrown.com
• Instagram: felicia.brown.author
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FeliciaBrownLMBT
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/feliciaebrown/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/FeliciaBrown
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpyIXe4K0c-kkW-rvKGsQRw
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@feliciabrownauthor