We recently connected with Marnina Reid and have shared our conversation below.

Marnina , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I originally had a small massage therapy and somatic therapy practice. One that was building slower than I would have liked. I still needed to have a side job to survive financially. I was subleasing a space in a suite with two other more seasoned practitioners and colleagues that had well established businesses that were thriving. One day in the summer of 2018, Charlene Handel (Owner of Skin Fitness Etc). said to me that she wanted to retire and thought I should buy and take over her business. “Huh?” I thought. “I’m not an esthetician.” I was a longtime client and colleague of Charlene’s. She gave the most marvelous facials and had the best organic, edible products on the market today. She had helped me a lot with my skin and I always admired her. We met in a business networking breakfast meeting, and she’d since invited me to different business networking groups where we’d both promote our businesses. At that time I was subleasing space from her in the same suite as where her office was.
The idea of taking over her business was a lot to digest. How would that even work? Would I be successful? Would her clients even feel comfortable with me? It felt like a huge risk. But her services were so good, and I believed in her holistic approach to skincare.
After some down time to think and consider what it would take to follow through with this, the biggest part of this was that I would need to go to Esthetican school in order to get the license to do skincare, This is a 5-7 month full time program.
I decided to take the leap.. I wanted to make the shift. I was passionate about what Charlene’s business offered since being a committed client, I was well aware of how wonderful her offerings are. I still felt so scared that I wouldn’t end up with any clients, but moved forward anyway. We met with an attorney, drew up our business agreement, I started school, and we started planning the take over process. Charlene wanted to officially retire before July 1, 2019. I busted my butt to complete the esthetician program as quickly as I could. I stayed for after hours classes so I could speed things up. I ended up getting it done in 5 months, then completing a month of training with Charlene, and finally taking the CA state board exam exactly one week before the official start of the change over. It was a lot, but I’m so thankful I did it. The esthetician part came easy because of my holistic health/ massage therapy background. Now, I get so much joy and fulfillment from my business especially because I’m still doing my original work, and now it’s streamlined together. I love sharing that joy with each client that walks through the door.

Marnina , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Twenty one years ago I was interested in holistic health from a young age because of my own personal health issues and I looking for alternatives. I was eating foods that my system didn’t digest well, This was way before gluten and dairy free was trendy or popular. I was also emotionally not feeling well. I was interested in going to a small holistic school in San Diego, called Body Mind College, and from there I became a Holistic Health Practitioner, Massage Therapist, and Somatic Practitioner. I spent a few years building a small practice went through many ebs and flows with that. It wasn’t until July 1, 2019 when I took over Skin Fitness Etc. and combined it with my other services where I started becoming much more successful in terms of amount of business I was doing and results that were finally showing up for the clients.
I can help solve many problems for people such as:
*clearing and activating healing for anxiety and depression
*I can support someone going through a transition
*Activate healing of old patterns and traumas from the past from the root cause
*support the healing of injuries working out tight areas in back, neck, shoulders, or extremities
*clearing up acne with therapeutic non-invasive facial treatments using edible organic ingredients and products
*anti-aging skin treatment that focus on firming, lifting, tightening, lightening, and brightening any skin type including mature, and rosacea prone skin, all with organic and edible ingredients and products
* I also sell and provide organic skincare products by Elina Organics.
I’m most proud of all the care that is put into all services and the results recieved. It feels amazing to make a difference or support a shift in someone’s life or day whether small or large. It’s fun and inspiring to see healing in action on different levels and in creative ways. It instills hope in an uncertain world. It gives people a much needed break from their lives for self care.
Skin Fitness Etc. has become a true healing haven. One can have a whole retreat day, where they will literally receive healing from the inside out. Clients can get a custom massage, facial treatment, and then have a somatic therapy or quantum energy session that will work on healing emotions, mind, spirit and beyond. They leave feeling refreshed and renewed, with glowing skin. The intention is to make it one of the best days of their life that is restorative and a safe space just for them.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

The quality of connection you make with the client is the most important thing. Being willing to take time with them, give them what they need, ensure that they are receiving a quality product or service. Having gratitude for them everyday is important, because without the clients there is no business.
At the same time, doing the best you can to let go and not attach to whether they come back or not is key and takes practice.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for me has been word of mouth referrals.. The best referrals are from current clients that are wonderful and refer their equally wonderful family members or friends. Being on Yelp and actively asking clients for reviews has also been incredibly helpful in bringing in growing the clientele.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.skinfitnessetc.com
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/skin-fitness-etc-solana-beach?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)