Owning a business is not always a smooth ride. In fact, there are bumps in the road around every corner, or so it seems at times. But as a spa owner, manager or service provider, it is imperative that the unexpected ups and downs - the surprises and curve balls that come our way throughout the day - do not impact our guests or their experience while in the spa in a negative way.

So what does a company do when their entire business environment disappears? At the recent ISPA show in November, Eminence Organic Skin Care's  entire trade show booth was lost in transit. Thus they were left without their usual place of doing business for the entire show. Can you imagine what kind of problem this would be to handle?

But instead of freaking out about it, the folks at Eminence decided to have a little fun with their predicament. So at all four corners of the space where their actual booth should have been, they posted these signs with a picture of their missing booth - and a few Elvis impersonators:

 
They also created a new "booth" with the help of a little fabric and creativity and a very smooth running show environment. I was really impressed!

The point is, that a disaster on your end does not have to create a disaster for their clients. In fact, your "problem" can be used as a way to create positive buzz about your company and staff. I'd be willing to bet that their grace under pressure also created some additional sales and goodwill for Eminence.

The next time you have an unexpected problem at your spa or practice, think about how you can deal with the situation effectively, creatively and gracefully - with or without the Elvis impersonators