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

Shelly , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

I decided to try to change the industry standard by not allowing tips or gratuity on all of my services. I believe the nation on the whole definitely has “tipping fatigue”. The only way to solve this is to charge what you feel is fair for the service or treatment and this way you don’t need to “count on tips” as part of your income. Why should we count on the generosity of strangers and our clients to make a living? Fair pay is the only way. From the client’s point of view, this allows for no math, confusion, awkwardness, or guilt as well as easier and quicker checkout. I choose what I feel is fair and that’s that. When my clients leave and ask if they can leave a gratuity or tip, I respond by saying “No tipping at The Spalette…only hugs, referrals or reviews” and send them on their way. This is nice for the client as they know up front how much each service or treatment is and there is no confusion. As a “solo esthetician” I get to make the rules and there is much more freedom than if i were a contract esthetician or employee. Do understand that at a day spa most estheticians have to count on gratuity for part of their income, which never felt stable to me.

Shelly , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have been a licensed esthetician since 2006. I have always loved makeup, and working with people in the service industry. I was previously a receptionist at a hair salon and there was a client who would come in and whenever she showed up I loved talking with her about her career. One day she said “I don’t know what you’re waiting for, you should enroll in esthetics school!” I promptly signed up and have loved this career since day one. It’s not always been easy. It’s a bit of a hustle to gain clients in the beginning but as long as you are doing your absolute best with every person, you will find success in this industry. I’ve worked in day spas and had two businesses in different locations. My first attempt at running a business taught me so much. Many mistakes were made and I learned some hard lessons. I was able to learn from them when I opened my second business. I am very proud of my beautiful shop, the treatments I offer, and the clients I have been able to maintain over the years. I hand picked my services and treatments so I only do services I believe in and am good at. I try not to fall for the latest gimmicks and trends and stay solid in my offerings. My online booking is easy for clients to book any time of the day or night, and the process for them is simple and fast.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I was happily working at a local downtown spa for six years with many wonderful and experienced service providers (which I learned so much from) when the pandemic started in 2020. My husband and I had just purchased a new home on February 29th, 2020 not far from where I worked and I took 4 days off to unpack and move. Shortly after I went back to the spa and then the pandemic shut the spa down. I found myself a little depressed and sad, as I am an extrovert and I thrive on other people’s energy. I along with another esthetician friend talked a lot about what this meant for us and our careers. It seemed very silly at the time to go to work for only a few clients a day and take the risk of getting covid. So when we were finally able to go back to work it just wasn’t the same. The rooms at the spa were small, with not much ventilation and no windows to open and very close contact with others. My friend finally said “You know Shelly, that office in the front of your house could easily be transformed into a spa with a little bit of construction”. And that is when The Spalette was born. Learning from my mistakes of my first business I tried again. And I am happy to say it’s been a dream! Who would have thought that as an esthetician I could say “I work from home”! My neighbors, family, friends and clients gave me so much encouragement. My skincare studio feels safe, cozy and working one on one with clients has absolutely been a dream come true.

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

Some of the things that helped me grow my business and my clientele are social media, and living and working in a downtown location where people frequently walk. They see my sign and wonder “what is a spalette?” This leads to lots of googling, and some future clients. Having my spa in my neighborhood is a great way for me to get to know my neighbors as well, some of whom have turned into the most valuable and loyal clients. I am also not afraid to ask my clients to tell their friends, family and co-workers about me if they enjoyed their service or treatments. I do this at the end of my checkout process. I tell them that referrals are the best way to grow my business. I find that wonderful and kind clients have wonderful and kind friends. I also prefer that they tell a friend or write a review instead of a gratuity. I believe that they truly want me to be successful. I also believe that the energy and love for what I do can be felt by them, so naturally they will want to tell a buddy about their service and send their friends my way, or purchase them a gift card for a birthday or holiday. As they love their friends some clients will even ask me to reach out to a friend who is going through a rough patch and tell them that a relaxing facial was gifted to them from a friend and I help them book their session and invoice the “anonymous” gift giver. When this happens I really pour my heart and soul into their service so they feel extremely rested and relaxed when they leave. I find this is one of the most special parts of my job. I find so much joy and happiness for myself when I am able to help someone through genuine TLC.

One of the best pieces of advice I once received was to pay someone to do the things you don’t enjoy doing. For example cleaning, laundry and social media. I find that the best way to accomplish these things that I’m not punctually good at, is to outsource them. I hired a part time person to do my social media posts. She weekly introduces skincare tips, my openings for the week, and other fun things like memes, photos, stories and new product alerts. Finding someone who is a good communicator and “gets you” and your personality is key! I also started to use a laundry service (POPLIN) that picks up my laundry at the end of the day and returns it the following day, beautifully washed, dried and folded which saves me a tremendous amount of time and energy so I can focus on my clients. Staying organized with your finances is also extremely important for me. I learned this the hard way! Now I have a dedicated credit card just for the business and that has saved me from headaches at tax time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thespalette.com
• Instagram: the spalette

Image Credits
Mandy Fichera