SMME #420 Building Strong Relationships with Your Vendors with Danielle Cobo

Here on Spa Marketing Made Easy, we’ve had numerous episodes covering the topics of building and nurturing client relationships, using events to draw in new clientele and provide exciting opportunities for existing clients to try new treatments and products, as well as how to select aligned products and partners, but diving into nurturing those vendor and partner relationships is something we’ve yet to cover in a dedicated episode. That’s why I’m so thrilled to have Danielle Cobo joining me on the mic for this episode, as she’s a rockstar at helping both Spa CEOs and aesthetic vendors go deep so they can build relationships that spur incredible results.  With over 15 years of corporate experience, including 7 years leading a high-performing team for one of the top Medical Aesthetic companies in the world, Danielle knows how to increase sales, productivity, and employee retention. Through keynote speeches, corporate programs, and one-on-one coaching, Danielle has taught thousands of people how to achieve their career goals with unstoppable confidence and live their best lives.  She’s also the best-selling author of Unstoppable Grit: Break Through the 7 Roadblocks Standing Between You and Achieving Your Goals, a mom to thrill-seeking 7-year-old twin boys, and a military spouse. From her professional prowess to her personal drive, she has a wealth of knowledge to share that I know will leave you feeling inspired and empowered as you work to grow and scale this year.  What you’ll learn during this episode: Why it’s critical to understand the perspective of your vendor partners, so you know how to leverage their skills and resources best  Key activities that help to make partnerships a supportive relationship that garners the best results  How to align your needs as a spa owner with the nature of your vendor’s role and understanding whether they’re a brand rep, consultant, etc.  Danielle’s tips for setting expectations and fostering a space for clear communication, as well as how to work together with your vendors to reach goals throughout the year Resources Mentioned in Episode #420: Building Strong Relationships with Your Vendors with Danielle Cobo Learn more about Danielle and her work on her website: www.DanielleCobo.com Connect with Danielle Cobo on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube Read Danielle’s book, “Unstoppable Grit: Break Through the 7 Roadblocks Standing Between You and Achieving Your Goals” Tune in to the Unstoppable Grit Podcast with Danielle Cobo Keep the conversation going inside the Spa Marketing Made Easy Community by clicking here.   IG / @addoaesthetics WEB / addoaesthetics.com YOUTUBE / @addoaesthetics LINKEDIN / @addoaesthetics   WANT MORE FROM ADDO AESTHETICS? Take just 5 minutes and find out YOUR biggest area of opportunity by taking my FREE Spa Business Assessment here → scorecard.addoaesthetics.com/ Join the Addo Professional Association (APA), an association dedicated to empowering women and strengthening their community by helping aesthetic professionals build meaningful connections with one another and fostering support and guidance to create businesses that align with the lives they love → www.addoaesthetics.com/addo-professional-association/ ABOUT THE SPA MARKETING MADE EASY HOST  Daniela Woerner is the creator of Addo Professional Association, a spa association for aesthetic professionals, founder of Addo Wellness Institute®, a revolutionary, hybrid-learning spa business training academy, and the host of the Top 50 podcast, Spa Marketing Made Easy. In the aesthetics industry since 2006, Daniela has consulted and trained with the top physician-dispensed brands and dermatologists as well as supported thousands of aesthetic professionals in our courses, trainings, and coaching programs. Daniela is on a mission to transform overworked aestheticians into spa CEOs, building a business around a life they love with the strategic systems needed for true freedom, flexibility, and financial growth. The Spa Marketing Made Easy podcast has over 400 published episodes, over 1 million downloads, hit the Top 100 in its first 10 months, and now ranks in the top 1% of all podcasts.

After a whirlwind 2024 (and the wild ride to the start of 2025), you might feel a little scrambled and perhaps a bit anxious about where this year will lead as we navigate economic shifts. That's why I brought back my good friend and personal Meta ads expert on speed dial, Tara Zirker, who will help put your mind at ease about your marketing and how paid ads fit into the picture.  Tara is an advertising expert with over 10+ years of experience running ads for clients across a wide array of industries and with a variety of budgets. She is also the founder of Successful Ads Club, where she has taught thousands of business owners to rapidly scale their revenue through the power of Facebook and Instagram ads. In today's episode, we're talking about the current paid ads landscape, what to expect in the year ahead, how to claim your slice of the pie, and how to set yourself up for ad success. Whether you've never put a single cent behind ads or you're a seasoned spa owner who currently leverages them, there are tips and insights for every skill level in this episode! In this episode, we discuss: Recent big changes to Meta and how that will affect business owners leveraging paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram  Policies to be mindful of to keep your ads up and running and predictions of what to expect in 2025 Tara’s top tips on building a successful ads stack and what stands to be your biggest competitive advantage in the year ahead Utilizing the power of AI in your advertising creative process  The four key types of ads to build into your successful advertising foundation To read the full show notes for this episode, visit: https://www.addoaesthetics.com/podcast/ep419 Keep the conversation going inside the Spa Marketing Made Easy Community by clicking here.

Hiring on a unicorn, or building a whole team of them, isn’t about narrowing in on uber-unique people who possess the “just right” combination of skills to help you succeed in your spa business. Actually, building a Unicorn Team is about getting ultra clear on your brand and the values that drive it.  From there, you’re able to navigate, motivate, and communicate as the Unicorn Leader you are, and thus, rally and lead other Unicorns who want to build your brand with you, too. Here to walk us through the foundation of that innovative process is Jen Kem, the author of the new book, "Unicorn Team: How to Rally the Right People Around the Next Big Winning Idea that Changes the World.”  Named Forbes' top brand strategist, Jen’s company, Master Brand Media, represents influencers, celebrities, CEOs, experts, specialists, authors and speakers to get seen, heard and paid more through brand management, team optimization and corporate brand collaborations. With a focus on the four essential areas for brand success called Brand T.I.M.E. - Team, Identity, Messaging and Experiences - Jen and her team of Strategizers and Mobilizers have advised over 400,000 leaders to grow their brand, expand their businesses and lead teams who "get" their mission and follow-through on their vision.  In her upcoming book, "Unicorn Team,” she outlines the frameworks for everyone to leverage the concept of Brand T.I.M.E. so that they can make the next level impact they know possible. In this episode, we discuss:  Why your team is a critical piece of the entire brand experience you’re building (yes, solo aestheticians, this applies to you, too!) Overcoming your team building objections and embracing your own unicorn role in boosting your confidence as a leader Donkey vs. unicorn behavior and getting clear on what you’re looking for in your unicorn team members  Crafting a team and process that are linked to your values and brand, and support your path to sustainable scaling  To read the full show notes for this episode, visit: https://www.addoaesthetics.com/podcast/ep418 Keep the conversation going inside the Spa Marketing Made Easy Community by clicking here.

Raise your hand if you’re wearing the majority of the hats and spinning all the plates in your spa business. If you’ve raised your hand high, I’ve got no doubt you’ve pondered bringing on more support to help you lighten the load. The question is, can you afford to bring on that support? In this episode, I’m exploring some of the key considerations you should make when looking to bring on more support, particularly through a VA, and how you can navigate hiring hesitations and hang-ups that are holding you back from getting the support you need to scale to the next level.  In this episode, you’ll hear: Why hiring doesn’t have to be as big of a leap as you might be anticipating and how to begin dipping your toe in the hiring waters What a VA as is and how you can utilize them to begin offloading tasks from your plate  The initial steps for finding and onboarding your rockstar VA An exercise to get you crystal clear on what tasks and areas you need to recruit support To read the full show notes for this episode, visit: https://www.addoaesthetics.com/podcast/ep417 RSVP for the Addo Professional Association webinar with Keren on January 28, 2025 at 12 p.m. EST all about “Employees vs. Contractors — What You Need to Know as a Spa Owner” Keep the conversation going inside the Spa Marketing Made Easy Community by clicking here.  

When you have a big vision for your business and loftier growth goals, it can be tempting to put yourself on the back burner as you forge ahead with business development.  But I’ve got an important thing to share, and while it’s not a secret, it’s not the newest, sexiest marketing tactic, AI tool, or aesthetic equipment/offering that will get you there. Nope, it’s all about what’s going on upstairs in your beautiful brain. Mindset, my friend – in this episode, I’m sharing the mindset hacks that have helped me grow year over year as I’ve learned to lean more into them and refine them.  If you’re determined to make this year or quarter your best yet, start with what’s in your head. Let’s get into it! In this episode, I go over:  My path with personal development and the top mindset tips that I’ve utilized while building upon my goals year after year  and recasting my vision as I grow my life and business  Why I believe everything after your first $100,000 year as an entrepreneur is mindset How routines, your health and well-being and your spirituality play into your business and ability to stretch yourself further as you work to build your business  To read the full show notes for this episode, visit: https://www.addoaesthetics.com/podcast/ep416 Keep the conversation going inside the Spa Marketing Made Easy Community by clicking here.

For aesthetic experts and most entrepreneurs, the legal side of business immediately makes shoulders rise and muscles tighten. We get it. If all is well and good, the legal stuff is supposed to be boring, and that’s how we want to keep it by ensuring that you’ve got all your legal ducks in a row as we kick off a new year!  Keren de Zwart is here to help us sift through it. She is the founder and CEO of Not Your Father’s Lawyer, her law firm, which was born from a desire to serve the needs of entrepreneurs and small businesses by replacing the outdated billable hour model with flat-fee pricing.  With fifteen years of experience in corporate transactions, Keren has worked with every type of business, from side hustlers to raising millions of dollars and taking companies public. In this episode, she’s helping us fill in the gaps on everything we need to know from a legal perspective, especially at the start of the year.  In this episode, we discuss: Your go-to resources for finding legal information specific to your state and why it’s beneficial to have a go-to lawyer or legal resource to ask questions more specific to your business  How to protect your aesthetic practice’s intellectual property (IP) without a non-compete and the legalities around non-competes Keren’s insight on business entity elections and some key questions to consider when deciding what’s right for your business  The importance of having an internal advisory team and who should be on it, plus insights on BOI reporting and other annual reports  RSVP for the Addo Professional Association webinar with Keren on January 28, 2025 at 12 p.m. EST all about “Employees vs. Contractors — What You Need to Know as a Spa Owner” To read the full show notes for this episode, visit: https://www.addoaesthetics.com/podcast/ep415 Keep the conversation going inside the Spa Marketing Made Easy Community by clicking here.

The aesthetic and wellness industry is rife with “trends,” and while some may have thought this service would be a flash in the pan, market and consumer data shows that integrated aesthetic and wellness services are here to stay with potential for massive future growth.  One of those integrated services is IV therapy. While it’s not a service every spa can or should do, it does provide an incredible opportunity for those aesthetic and healthcare practitioners who are equipped to add value to your clientele. Joining me on the mic to discuss IV therapy is my guest, Jenn Plescia, DNP, APN,FENP, the founder and CEO of IVs by the Seas, an in office aesthetics and mobile IV hydration practice in New Jersey.  Beyond being a successful entrepreneur with an inspiring business origin and growth story, Jenn is a board certified Family and Emergency Room Nurse Practitioner who received her Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from Rutgers University in 2017, and she has over 10 years of Emergency Medicine and Urgent Care experience.  Jenn believes in treating patients as an entire entity and identifying the root cause of their health care ailments and aesthetic needs so she can help optimize your health and wellbeing from the inside out.  Whether you’re someone who desires to or is qualified to bring IV therapy into your aesthetic business, this episode is a great listen for any aesthetic professional as they consider bringing new therapies or equipment into their practice, or finding the right businesses to partner with and recommend should your clients be interested in receiving IV therapy.  In this episode, we discuss:  Jenn’s origin story of how she began offering IV therapy and hydration as a service during the pandemic and how her business quickly took off thanks to connections, referrals and social media  The things every aesthetic practitioner or Spa CEO should know before bringing IV therapy into your practice and why it’s critical to have a close relationship with your medical professional you’re bringing on board The ins and outs of navigating potential emergencies and how this informs hiring and team building decisions  Why Jenn prioritizes digging into the science of her clients lab work and the importance of tailoring IV treatment plans  Plus, Jenn’s insights on profit potential, crafting an incredible client experience and aesthetic atmosphere, and key legalities and liabilities to consider To read the full show notes for this episode, visit: https://www.addoaesthetics.com/podcast/ep414 Keep the conversation going inside the Spa Marketing Made Easy Community by clicking here.  

This year has been challenging for many spa owners and aesthetic professionals. Given economic uncertainty and market trends, we will likely have another challenging year ahead. However, there’s still plenty of opportunity to tap into and ways to get creative so your business can thrive.  Remember, some of the most long-lasting, iconic companies have been built during economic downturns. While it may feel like an uphill climb, keeping the course and working to prioritize profit can yield fantastic results and growth.  In this episode, I’m going to provide you with six high-profit spa services you can leverage in 2025 and beyond. These services provide you with plenty of profit margin so that your business can stay stable or grow, even if you experience seasons of slowdown.  In this episode, you’ll learn:  The booming growth of new sectors within the aesthetic market and how you can harness them as a medical spa How to build recurring revenue into your services and creative ways to build in more add-one service revenue and boost retail sales with your service offerings  Key cost considerations as we move into 2025, as well as tips for targeting new demographics  To read the full show notes for this episode, visit: https://www.addoaesthetics.com/podcast/ep413 Keep the conversation going inside the Spa Marketing Made Easy Community by clicking here.

Social media success thrives off of authentic, real-time content. Still, a business owner building a brand needs an extra edge of professionalism and polish than your everyday social media user or influencer. You need to showcase your space and services and tell a story that emotionally resonates with your ideal clients so they can easily decipher whether you're the expert to help them achieve their goals.  So, how do you do that? One piece of the puzzle is crafting the right visual narrative, which I'm discussing with my guest on this episode, Brianna Shrader.  Brianna isn't just the creative visionary behind Shy Heart Studios, a leading Orange County photography powerhouse; she's a testament to resilience and the power of reinvention. After pivoting her photography to focus on personal branding during the pandemic, Brianna found a new era of success for her studio that has helped her grow her team, revenue, and impact.  With a relaxed, fun-filled approach that allows clients' true personalities to radiate, Brianna's talent transforms fleeting moments into treasured heirloom artwork, with her authentic images reflecting the heart and soul of countless families, couples, and brands. In this episode, we discuss:  Why Brianna made a business pivot into personal branding photography and how this area of photography is different than your standard portrait session Showing up on social media with your content topics and your visuals as a business owner vs. a typical social media user  What to expect when working with a photographer for branding photography and the process of capturing visuals that will get you an ROI and how to measure it To read the full show notes for this episode, visit: https://www.addoaesthetics.com/podcast/ep412 Keep the conversation going inside the Spa Marketing Made Easy Community by clicking here.

No matter what the tides of business may bring or the economy's fluctuations, finding strategic solutions that allow you to expand your spa's margins is always something to explore. That's why I'm so excited to dive into the power of Tippy with you on today's episode!  Together with Tippy sales team manager Marci Zerbe, we're diving into all the details of how the Tippy platform and variety of products allows gratuity-based industries such as spas and salons to save BIG on credit card processing fees (we're talking savings of $20-, $30-, and $40,000 per year) as well as bolster their team retention along with a host of additional benefits. Whether you're looking for a fast-tracked way to shave thousands off your annual business expenses, or tipping has been a touchy issue in your business due to "tip creep," you won't miss this episode!  In this episode, we discuss:  The key benefits of bringing a tool like Tippy into your business beyond the obvious (i.e., significant savings on credit card processing fees) How Tippy helps do the heavy lifting during tax time and makes running reports simple and easy  The 101 of how Tippy works to save you on fees and how their platform solutions naturally help build tipping trust with your clientele  A special deal on Tippy for Spa Marketing Made Easy podcast listeners! To read the full show notes for this episode, visit: https://www.addoaesthetics.com/podcast/ep411 To get started with Tippy free for your first year, visit our special Spa Marketing Made Easy listeners’ link to start saving!  Keep the conversation going inside the Spa Marketing Made Easy Community by clicking here.