Three Reasons to Start Good Business Habits Early in Your Esthetics Career

How many of you are just starting your esthetics career-- either about to go to school, still in school, or just recently licensed? One of the best pieces of advice we can give you is to start forming good business habits NOW. You may be thinking-- But why? I'm still so fresh in my career that I have PLENTY of time to make some mistakes, learn things the hard way, not take this too seriously too soon! But is that really the attitude you want to ALREADY have?

Think about how much you have (or are about to) invested into school, how much time you are going to spend learning your craft during AND after school, and WHY you went into this career in the first place! Is this just a hobby? Or do you need this to be your livelihood? If being an esthetician is your main source of income (or will be), then do you really in your heart of hearts believe that you have time to waste and form bad habits that you'll have to un-learn later?

Here's the thing-- the idea of forming a few bad habits (maybe not posting consistently, or relying SOLELY on social media to market you, or not learning sales skills, or spending time on ineffective business activities instead of working on things that will actually GROW your biz, even if it's outside of your comfort zone) may not seem like such a big deal now. But as human beings, we often focus on convenience and what we want in the moment as opposed to what we want longterm.

In this day and age, our attention is turned toward one form of instant gratification after another. We don't even have to find a pen and paper to write out our shopping lists anymore ("Alexa, add eggs to the shopping list!"). Our brains have been wired to seek out the easiest route, which is not always the most effective or beneficial in the long run.

Perhaps you enjoy graphic design and you feel comfortable doing it, so when you aren't seeing clients you spend your time designing and re-designing your logo or website over and over again instead of reaching out to other businesses with whom you could collaborate. Or perhaps you tell yourself that you have plenty of time to learn how to rebook clients and you don't want to seem pushy as a new esthy, so you get into the habit of letting clients know they can just contact you when they're ready to rebook instead of getting them rebooked before they leave the current appointment. It's harder to change your habits later, even though you know they haven't been bringing you the results you want, when you're so used to doing a sloppy, shortcut, or ineffective job.

That brings us to point number 1: What you do now won't magically change once your business has grown. You won't wake up one day with the perfect words to rebook, upsell, or recommend product if you don't start practicing now. What you do today paves the path that your future self will walk along, so start acting like the future self you want to be!

Point number two is how you act now reflects how you see yourself. How you see yourself reflects how you act. If you choose now to start acting like "just" a new esthetician or "just" a small business, then that is the identity you will embody and begin to believe for yourself. That's also how others will see you, too, because we teach people how to treat us! So if you tell yourself NOW that you are new, but you have what it takes to be a 6+ figure esthetician, then you will start showing up as her and you will eventually become her!

Finally, number three is creating good habits before you need them is like a shortcut to success. When we are desperate for results, it's easy to act irrationally or without thinking, throw our boundaries out the window, work for free, or any number of other negative things! This behavior does NOT serve you as a person OR your business that you love! When you create the best possible habits for your business BEFORE you need them, you'll be calm, cool, collected, and, most importantly, EFFECTIVE when things get difficult and you find yourself needing to push harder! This will allow you to bypass SO. MANY. of the struggles that most new esty entrepreneurs experience (have you noticed that many of y'all are having the same problems but doing the same thing as the rest of y'all and surprised that you aren't seeing different results? It's the blind leading the blind, y'all! That's why you need coaching and support!). Many of the mistakes that are being made in the industry lead back to not forming proper business habits early on, even though they may require extra training, extra investment, extra vulnerability while asking for guidance and support. But let me ask you-- with everything you're putting into this spa business that you have or will have and already love so much, wouldn't all of that be worth it to ensure that you will be successful? Aren't you willing to put in the work and effort NOW to get you where you want to be LATER?

If you aren't, I highly suggest you do some personal evaluation and soul searching. Find out what is holding you back or what the root of your mindset is. Are there things you need to change in your life to motivate you and open your eyes to the urgency of doing your business right as soon as possible?

And if you are, KEEP GOING. Don't let the motivation and momentum you're experiencing fade away! Surround yourself with others who have the same motivation and momentum you have. Look for resources and trainings that will help you continue to grow. Get support and mentorship to hold you accountable and help you see clearly how your business can grow and do better! Looking for a spa mentor? Never thought of having one? We'd love to tell you more about our coaching program and see if it would be the best fit for YOU. Click here to apply for a FREE Esthetician Discovery Call so we can talk about what you're struggling with, what your goals are, and what you need to get you where you want to be!

In conclusion, it's never too early to start forming great habits as an esthetician! Even if you're in school, even if you're new, even if none of the other esties around you seem to care about it. Don't worry about what they're doing-- this is YOUR life and YOUR career. Do you believe that you are worthy of doing things well in order to get the best possible results?

Stay Spa Strong,

M'Lisa