Even the most profitable companies reach a point where they ask, “How do I get my business to the next level.” For some spas or massage practices, the answer is clear. They may opt to add new state-of-the-art health products, including those with CBD, or new treatments that meet clients' or customers' evolving needs. Others may decide to buy another business to bring on complimentary service or expand geographically.
If you are at the point where it’s time to seriously decide how you want to take your business to the next level, you may be feeling a mix of excitement but also fear. Especially if things are going well, you have a lot to risk by making a big move. Simultaneously, there’s an old axiom about business needing to “grow or die.” Though some refute that belief, most agree that you need to improve your business proposition to remain relevant to your clients and customers.
To successfully take your business to the next level, here are some of the steps you want to take:
Evaluate where you are:
Assess your current situation in terms of offerings, competitive advantage, marketing effort, etc. As you move to the next level, you’ll need to focus on changing or improving some areas more than others.
Decide where you want to be
Put a stake in the ground where you want your business to be. Be thorough in clarifying all the points of your goal to clear what success looks like. You also want to share your goal with your team so that you get buy-in from everyone involved in helping you move to the next level.
Address areas that need shoring up
If you want to offer more services such as aromatherapy massage, determine if additional training is required for current staff or if you need to bring in someone who already has the expertise.
Reorganize if necessary
Even if you don’t add additional staff, you may need to reorganize your team, assigning new responsibilities to each member to make transitions seamless.
Change processes where necessary
It’s not only your team that may need to be reorganized. You also may need to change processes. For example, taking your business to the next level may require more e-commerce options for clients to purchase retail products online. Or, if you don’t already provide online scheduling, now may be a good time to consider enabling clients to book their visits themselves online. Text messaging clients as reminders about appointments may be another way to ensure clients show and alert them about treatment specials and retail sales.
Enhance marketing
As you expand offerings or make changes in your location, you’ll need to let clients know. In your marketing outreach, be very clear about how you have changed your business and why. Emphasize benefits to the client.
Taking your business to the next level will take a lot of thought and time. Don’t feel compelled to rush through the process.