I’ve been writing about the dangers of Discount Sites more than a year. My first blog post on the subject “Groupon Gripes” featured opinions from industry experts concerned with the long-term implications of deep discounting. Since that time, the trend towards discounting has only gotten more pronounced. The 2011 Global Spa Report by Coyle Hospitality Group […]

If not every day then probably several times a week, you have the opportunity to visit a highly successful retailer. By my definition, that is a retail location that maximizes the revenue per square foot on a consistent basis. No doubt you have been in a drug store, a local grocery store, or even a […]

I was speaking with a close friend the other day about my passion for writing, and during our conversation she informed me that I am a “technical writer”.  I know my work doesn’t always attract an audience looking for “light” reading, but I didn’t know my style of writing actually had a name.  I have […]

For years, we had a department at Preston Wynne we called “housekeeping.” I don’t know why or how this name was chosen, because I remember that at first we called the folks who did this job “spa attendants.” It was difficult to find Housekeepers, thought we did have one person who was with us in […]

Well, we’ve decided to dance with the devil and start a paid listing for our 27 year old Bay Area day spa on Yelp. After our first month, the preliminary results are…uh…in. My representative, a very affable and informed young woman named Ali, forwarded the stats to me today. Views of Preston Wynne Spa’s listing […]

The Wall Street Journal Headline reads, “Retailer Turns in Loss on Increase in Markdowns.” They’re referring to Talbots, which over the past three years re-imagined its famously frowsy fashion label. Despite some high profile successes in 2010–Michelle Obama wore a flowered Talbots dress, reportedly spurring catfights over the item in stores–the Chief Creative Officer has […]

What is a brand?  In technical terms, the American Marketing Association defines a brand as a “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.”  While this is true, there […]

Last week, French Skin care company Clarins launched a Facebook game called Spa Life. A virtual world populated with avatars, Spa Life is a time management game that recreates the challenges of running an actual spa. Players must manage an ever-increasing flow of visitors in search of facials and pedicures. The Clarins brand is not […]

I remember when I first joined the spa industry 12 years ago while consulting with Pevonia and getting ready to launch my first Spa business educational program.  I thought the best way to promote it would be via email.  So I set up a meeting with Pevonia’s IT department. I was excited about showing them […]

I think many of us waste too much time on negative thoughts, and even how we will cope with situations that haven’t even happened…and may not ever happen… I attended an educational event awhile back, which was a weekend getaway centered on higher ground leadership. I participated in numerous workshops that weekend, but this one […]