We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Michelle Davenport. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Michelle below.

Alright, Michelle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. The more we talk about good leadership the more we think good leadership practices will spread and so we’d love for you to tell us a story about the best boss you’ve had and what they were like or what they did that was so great?

I’ve had TWO bosses that were amazing and taught me different lessons in life. My first boss out of school, Fred Trimble, was a boss that saw something in me and believed in me. I was an Event Management Assistant (he was a Senior Event Manager) and anytime he had an important meeting, he would tell me to put my business jacket on and follow him. He never looked at me as an inferior and taught me SO much about the importance of business relationships. Plus, he was a happy person naturally, so it was nice coming into work everyday and spending time with someone positive.

After Fred left the company, I was quickly mentored by David Cronin. David was a go-getter (pure definition of a fearless leader), went against the grain to make changes and led many teams to national awards within the company. David, similar to Fred, saw something in me and wanted to share his knowledge of the industry with me while he was in his position. He gave me specific projects and even created a role for me within the company to cater to a need that wasn’t met at our specific property.

I think at a young age (I was in my mid-twenties at the time), you jump into a role and just try to keep your head above water while you learn the environment of a workplace. Although I can usually fend for myself, there is nothing better than the feeling of someone believing in you and creating opportunity when they don’t necessarily have to. Something as small as “come with me…I want to teach you something” goes such a long way…at any age really. I thank both Fred and David for seeing something in me that maybe at the time I didn’t see…but now looking back makes me smile. Thank you :)

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My husband was a client of the Woodhouse Spa (Denver location) and would buy me gift cards for birthdays/holidays. He became interested in the brand and we both flew to Texas where headquarters were located (at the time) and we were hooked! We signed our franchise agreement in July of 2014 and opened our first location in May of 2015. Woodhouse Spas offer a luxury spa experience to local clientele with wine/tea, plush robes, relaxation rooms, the BEST service providers and services offered AND high-end retail in our boutique. Once you find YOUR Woodhouse…you will be a guest for life! We have employees and guests that have been with us since day #1 and we wouldn’t want anything more. We wouldn’t be in business without our loyal team and clients…THANK YOU!

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

Well…my co-founder (now husband) was a friend of my sister’s and I used to visit Colorado from Chicago. I had met him back in 2005 and he was nothing but engaging and hilarious, but we both had other partners in life at the time so became friends. We both attended my sister’s wedding that September and I caught the bouquet and he the garter (no joke!), and even though we had undeniable chemistry we realized it wasn’t the right time for us in life. Fast forward five years later, I moved out to Colorado to start a family business with my brother and ended up at the same party as DJ! He asked me on a date to P.F. Changs in Loveland that next Tuesday…and the rest is history!

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

Oh man…just a few months into our business I had processed payroll and one of our employees had reached out to me and informed me her paycheck was the same exact amount as two weeks prior. With our services providers working different hours and receiving different tips…this was almost impossible. I freaked out for a few minutes, realized I had ran the wrong report for payroll and paid everyone the wrong amounts. I contacted my payroll company and it was too late…they received the wrong paycheck as well as the correct paycheck (I had to re-process our payroll obviously) and had to hope and pray that no one cashed both checks and fled town before the incorrect amount was drawn out of their accounts. All worked out and I had learned a GOOD lesson in life…always check the dates on your reports before you process payroll.

Contact Info:

• Website: southglenn.woodhousespas.com and boulder.woodhousespas.com
• Instagram: woodhousespa.southglenn and woodhouseboulder
• Facebook: Woodhouse Spa Centennial – Streets at Southglenn and Woodhouse Spa – Boulder
• Linkedin: Michelle Davenport