My friend and colleague Nina Howard of Bellanina Day Spa and the Bellanina Institute recently wrote on the Day Spa Association Blog about using checklists to manage and run your business effectively. She credits Michael Gerber, author of The E-Myth and The Emyth Revisited with the idea that has helped her organize and automate her spa business and training center, Bellanina Day Spa and the Bellanina Institute.

Click here to read her whole post.

(And be sure to be a part of the FREE interview I am doing with Nina on Monday, July 21st. We'll be talking all about the Bellanina Facelift Massage and why you should consider offering this amazing facial treatment to your spa or practice. More details to follow soon!)

Here are my comments to Nina's insightful column:

Hi Nina -

How right you are about spelling out every detail and task for your entire staff! One of the things that Gerber talks about in the E-Myth is how entrepreneurs are sometimes surprised that the people working in their business don’t seem to intuit exactly what needs to be done or do things in quite the same way that the business owner would. This obviously causes some frustration and creates the urge in some owners to try and “do it all.” This is not only impossible but is also a major mistake.

Part of this problem is probably due to less than stellar communications from the spa owner to their employees, I’m afraid. After all, they/we are pulled in so many directions and often in the treatment room themselves that they don’t make time or have the energy to clearly articulate their vision to the staff.

And being that the owners are often busy visioning/thinking about the business goals in their heads, they sometimes forget that their plans and dreams must be shared with everyone on their team in order to see those dreams brought to reality.

As you’ve told me before, Nina, it is so easy to put your attention first on the “bloody body” in front of you - think ER/triage/damage control dear readers - that it is easy to lose sight of the importance of the PLANNING and DETAILS.

But as you suggest, Nina, by putting some very worthwhile time into articulating what must be done to keep the wheels of your spa business turning, you are both empowering your staff to take charge of the details AND planning for your own future and sanity.

And if you can let go of the reins every once and a while, you are also insuring that the business can and will run smoothly whenever you are away from the helm.

Check out The E-Myth Revisited  and some of Michaels other resources for yourself. The E-Myth Revisted is a GREAT read and a MUST READ for every small business owner or entrepreneur!