Lean Startup isn’t about being cheap [but is about] being less wasteful and still doing things that are big.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n We predict that the lean startup methodology will increasingly attract the attention of the spa industry in the coming years as businesses strive to increase revenue, decrease risk and work smarter rather than harder.<\/p>\n The lean startup approach is based on Eric Ries\u2019s best-selling book The Lean Startup: How Constant Innovation Creates Radically Successful Businesses<\/em>. This approach is about learning what your customers really want, testing your vision continuously, adapting, and adjusting before it\u2019s too late, irrespective of your industry. It is as relevant to multinational tech companies as it is to a therapist working out of her home, as what all these businesses have in common is a mission to discover a successful path to a sustainable business \u201cunder conditions of extreme uncertainty\u201d.<\/p>\n In this article, we use a spa industry case study to highlight five ways you can adapt the lean startup methodology to boost your spa business. We\u2019ve deliberately chosen an example of an established business using what can be labelled \u2018lean\u2019 techniques to establish paths to growth. We want to show that lean startup techniques are relevant to spa businesses at all stages, not just at their founding.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This spa chain favoured the European spa model and leveraged the continental heritage of its brand. Expanding into Asia, it planned to link continental sophistication with local heritage and wellness traditions. As part of the concept, they had one approved European product house partner.<\/p>\n In terms of layout, their spas had a separate \u2018luxury’ area for manicure and pedicure and a deep relaxation room, as well as a hydrothermal area, including a hammam room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Although the European-inspired concept was successful elsewhere, the spa chain ran into some problems in Asia. <\/p>\n 1. There was tough competition from local beauty salons that provided cheap manicures and pedicures that were performed very well. As a result, the spas hardly sold any manicures or pedicures as they couldn\u2019t compete with their quality or price. Also, in our experience, spa therapists are good at performing massages, and in some cases also facials. However, they generally perform manicures very poorly. This meant the spas had various square metres of spa that were not generating any money.<\/p>\n 2. No-one really used the deep relaxation room. Also, in China, especially Macau, these spaces were not very popular among the Chinese gamers. They much preferred to be in the casinos! Hence the deep relaxation area was another area that was underutilised.<\/p>\n 3. Guests didn\u2019t like the hammams at all \u2013 the idea of being on a hard marble table being \u2018bathed\u2019 by an Asian therapist was not very appealing. Furthermore, the fact that therapists didn\u2019t like performing this treatment also affected the experience guests received. The hammams were also poorly built because in Asia they were not used to these types of facilities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So, how could the lean startup approach help this international spa chain to optimise their business?<\/p>\n The lean startup has been applied to a wide variety of businesses and industries: manufacturing, clean tech, restaurants, and even laundry.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The spa operators had built spas in Asia based on their previous knowledge of what works in the industry and what their investors would support. However, their customers in Asia were not buying into the concept in sufficient numbers. They had not been given exactly what they wanted: they didn\u2019t like the hammams, they didn\u2019t really want manicures and pedicures that were more expensive than local competition and often not as good; and they didn\u2019t want to spend time in relaxations rooms when they could be playing at a casino!<\/p>\n Giving customers what they want is ultimately the best way to please investors, because you\u2019ll maximise your chances of delivering on your financial projections. As Ries says, \u201cRemember, if we\u2019re building something that nobody wants, it doesn\u2019t much matter if we\u2019re doing it on time and budget.\u201d<\/p>\n The situation needed to be improved by finding out what customers in Asia actually wanted. I led the team that was tasked with finding paths to growth for the business and our first step was to find out what customers actually wanted.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, asking your spa customers what they want \u2013 whether this is a new miracle anti-ageing treatment or an expensive new health caf\u00e9 area \u2013 is not very useful because they rarely know. This chimes with Henry Ford\u2019s famous quotation: \u201cIf I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead, at the spas in Asia it was much more valuable to observe how customers (and therapists) behaved, as well as what they said to members of staff unprompted. Our observations were that:<\/p>\n a. The hammams were often out of order, or empty, and customers, as well as therapists, didn\u2019t like the treatment. This observation was confirmed by customer feedback.<\/p>\n b. The luxury nail lounge was underutilised because local competition made the spa pedicures and manicures seem expensive, and they weren\u2019t offering a better quality of service.<\/p>\n c. Some customers valued the European product house partner and showed off if they were a member of their shops and VIP membership. However, European customers were slightly less impressed. This is probably because some brands are positioned differently in Europe and Asia.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Using the Lean Startup approach, companies can create order not chaos by providing tools to test a vision continuously.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n Guided by user research, we had some great ideas about how to solve some of the spas\u2019 problems and find validated paths to growth. However, we didn\u2019t want to make the mistake of rolling out these ideas on a grand scale. This would be very risky and potentially waste considerable time and money.<\/p>\n Instead, we opted to try ideas out at a smaller scale, aiming more for what Ries calls a minimum viable product (MVP), where the impact of this MVP is measurable.<\/p>\n The advantage of MVPs is that although they can be rough round the edges, they can also be specifically tested on ‘early adopters’ \u2013 people who are more forgiving of mistakes and eager to give feedback. We had loyal spa customers who were happy to test out our ideas.<\/p>\n One of our first ideas, developed into a MVP, was to adapt the treatment protocols of the hammam treatment to our guests and therapists liking. Guests had liked aspects of the treatment, but not the immersion experience. So, we wondered if it would work for therapists to perform the black soap scrub and the rhassoul wrap on the treatment bed in a treatment room instead of the hammam. The guest could then shower themselves to take off the excess product in the privacy and comfort of a treatment room.<\/p>\n The advantage of this MVP was that it was quick, cheap and fairly easy to implement.<\/p>\n It quickly became apparent through customer and staff feedback, as well as in booking numbers, that this MVP was a success. However, we were also given feedback that a massage might make the treatment even more attractive. We offered this at a slightly later stage, and this proved a popular addition to the new treatment protocols.<\/p>\n We were now in a position to roll out this idea, because it had been tested with actual customers and staff and was \u2013 measurably \u2013 a success. However, if our idea hadn\u2019t worked out we could easily have pivoted and tried something else. This is the value of the lean startup approach, which suggests a quick navigation of the build-measure-learn product cycle.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of the lessons we learned on this project was that innovation can actually reduce the cost of failure. We\u2019d developed a completely new type of treatment \u2013 effectively a dry hammam plus massage! \u2013 but there was very little risk in rolling it out after we\u2019d validated the idea.<\/p>\n Although it can be good spa business practice to concentrate on increasing efficiency by driving down costs, large hotel chains and spas that solely adopt this approach may struggle in the current business climate and run into problems in new markets, as we saw.<\/p>\n Steve Blank says in the Harvard Review:<\/em> \u201cAlmost every large company understands that it also needs to deal with ever-increasing external threats by continually innovating.\u201d<\/p>\n We\u2019d also learnt that a number of small-scale innovations could provide measurable results. These included the translation of key phrases from Chinese to English by the product house partner so that the Chinese therapists could learn how to better personalise treatments for their guests and recommend the right product.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We also learnt that the consistent use of young, blond models rather than middle eastern models, no matter how attractive, led to increased custom. In Asia, the blond physical type was viewed as more appealing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Instead of looking at cumulative totals or gross numbers such as total revenue and total number of customers, one looks at the performance of each group of customers that comes into contact with the product independently.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n Considering that the nail and pedicure aspect of the spas in Asia was not generating enough revenue, it would have been easy to conclude that it was a failure \u2013 and that the space should be used for something else.<\/p>\n However, just looking at top line figures doesn\u2019t always give you a good picture of whether a product is definitely failing (or succeeding).<\/p>\n The lean startup approach suggests looking instead at \u2018actionable\u2019 metrics that draw strongly on cohort analysis: We noticed that although Asian customers were not really interested in pedicures and manicures, European ex-pat customers were still a potential growth market, if we emphasised the clean and hygienic conditions of the spas. We changed the marketing angle accordingly, and made sure that only the best pedicurists and manicurists offered these treatments. We also offered preferential pricing and value-added promotion (this is a good way to grow your ‘test\u2019 group). As a result, we saw an increase in uptake from European customers.<\/p>\n In terms of measuring the performance of the spas, we also looked carefully at the drop-through or flow through rate, which is a KPI that is increasingly being used in the hotel industry.<\/p>\n It was no use for us to be generating an extra x% of revenue through our business optimisation strategy, if this extra revenue has not made the business grow in terms of profits.<\/p>\n The drop-through or flow-through analysis measures the difference, or variance, between profitability and revenue. There are many ways this can be done, but the way we measure the rate is to compare your current year\u2019s figures with those of last year\u2019s instead of only measuring yourself against your budget. This gives you a real picture of how your business is growing.<\/p>\n For more insights into how to accurately measure the performance of your spa, download our free guide: The Essential Spa KPI Kit<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The lean startup approach is a valuable way for spa businesses of all sizes to identify paths to growth. By emphasising the importance of finding out what customers actually want, as well as by proving this through MVPs, it reduces the risk of failure while offering all the advantages of innovation. However, it\u2019s probably fair to say that the lean startup approach is hardly revolutionary. Many of us on the business side of the spa industry have been using some of the \u2018lean startup techniques\u2019 for years without identifying them as such! That said, learning to apply this approach in a more strategic manner promises considerable returns for spa businesses, whether they are starting-up, expanding or stagnating.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n El enfoque empresarial lean no se trata de ser barato [pero se trata] ser menos derrochador y seguir haciendo cosas grandes.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n Nuestra predicci\u00f3n es que la metodolog\u00eda empresarial de lanzamiento lean atraer\u00e1 cada vez m\u00e1s la atenci\u00f3n de la industria del spa en los pr\u00f3ximos a\u00f1os mientras las empresas se siguen esmerando en aumentar los ingresos, reducir los riesgos y trabajar de manera m\u00e1s inteligente en lugar de m\u00e1s duro.<\/p>\n El enfoque de lanzamiento lean est\u00e1 basado en el best-seller<\/em> de Eric Ries The Lean Startup: How Constant Innovation Creates Radically Successful Businesses<\/em>. Este enfoque trata de comprender lo que sus clientes realmente quieren, poniendo a prueba su visi\u00f3n continuamente, adapt\u00e1ndose y realizando ajustes antes de que sea demasiado tarde, independientemente de su industria. Es igualmente relevante para las empresas hoteleras multinacionales que para un terapeuta que trabaja desde casa, dado que lo que todas estas empresas tienen en com\u00fan es la misi\u00f3n de descubrir cu\u00e1l es el camino del \u00e9xito para un negocio sostenible “en condiciones de una incertidumbre extrema”.<\/p>\n En este art\u00edculo, utilizamos un caso de estudio de la industria del spa para destacar cinco maneras c\u00f3mo usted se puede adaptar la metodolog\u00eda de lanzamiento lean para impulsar su negocio de spa. Deliberadamente, hemos elegido un ejemplo de una empresa ya establecida que utiliza t\u00e9cnicas que se podr\u00edan denominar “lean” para fijar trayectorias de crecimiento. Queremos demostrar que las t\u00e9cnicas de lanzamiento lean son relevantes para las empresas de spa en todas sus etapas, no s\u00f3lo en su fundaci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Esta cadena de spa ha elegido el modelo de spa europeo y ha aprovechado la herencia europea de su marca. Al expandirse a Asia, planific\u00f3 combinar la sofisticaci\u00f3n europea con las culturas y tradiciones locales de wellness. Como parte de tal concepto, ten\u00edan que tener una marca de productos spa europea.<\/p>\n En t\u00e9rminos de dise\u00f1o, sus spas dispon\u00edan de un \u00e1rea separada de “lujo” para manicura y pedicura y una sala de relajaci\u00f3n profunda, as\u00ed como de una zona hidrotermal, incluyendo un hammam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Aunque el concepto de inspiraci\u00f3n europea hab\u00eda tenido \u00e9xito en otros lugares, esta cadena de spas se top\u00f3 con algunos problemas en Asia. <\/p>\n 1. Hab\u00eda una dura competencia por parte de los salones de belleza locales que ofrec\u00edan manicuras y pedicuras baratas y bien hechas. Como resultado, los spas casi no vend\u00edan ninguna manicura ni pedicura, ya que no pod\u00edan competir ni con la calidad, ni con el precio. Adem\u00e1s, seg\u00fan nuestra experiencia, los terapeutas de spa son buenos dando masajes y, en algunos casos, tambi\u00e9n tratamientos faciales. Sin embargo, por lo general, no realizan tan buenas manicuras y pedicuras. Esto significaba que los spas dispon\u00edan de varios metros cuadrados de instalaci\u00f3n que no generaban ninguna ganancia.<\/p>\n 2. Nadie realmente utilizaba la sala de relajaci\u00f3n profunda. Adem\u00e1s, en China, especialmente en Macao, estos espacios no fueron muy populares entre los jugadores chinos. \u00a1Prefer\u00edan mucho m\u00e1s estar en los casinos! Por ello, la zona de relajaci\u00f3n profunda era otra \u00e1rea infrautilizada.<\/p>\n 3. A los clientes no les gustaban nada los hammams – la idea de estar en una mesa de m\u00e1rmol duro y dejarse ‘ba\u00f1ar’ por un terapeuta asi\u00e1tico no les resultaba nada atractiva. Por otra parte, el hecho de que a los terapeutas no les gustara realizar este tipo de tratamiento tambi\u00e9n afectaba la experiencia que los clientes recib\u00edan. Adem\u00e1s, los hammams estaban mal construidos ya que en Asia no est\u00e1n acostumbrados a este tipo de instalaciones.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Entonces, \u00bfc\u00f3mo podr\u00eda el enfoque de lanzamiento lean ayudar a esta cadena de spa internacional a optimizar su negocio?<\/p>\n El enfoque empresarial lean se ha aplicado en una amplia variedad de industrias: fabricaci\u00f3n, teconolog\u00eda limpia, restauraci\u00f3n e incluso lavender\u00eda.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Los operadores de spa hab\u00edan construido spas en Asia seg\u00fan su conocimiento previo de lo que funciona en otras partes del mundo y seg\u00fan lo que sus inversores respaldar\u00edan. Sin embargo, a sus clientes en Asia no les convenc\u00eda el concepto, en n\u00fameros suficientes. No se les hab\u00eda dado exactamente lo que quer\u00edan: no les gustaron los hammans, no quer\u00edan manicuras ni pedicuras m\u00e1s caras que las de la competencia local y, muchas veces, ni tan buenas; \u00a1y no quer\u00edan pasar tiempo en salas de relajaci\u00f3n cuando pod\u00edan estar jugando en el casino!<\/p>\n Darles a los clientes lo que quieren es, en \u00faltima instancia, la mejor manera de complacer a los inversores porque va a maximizar sus probabilidades de cumplir con sus proyecciones financieras. Como dice Ries, “Recuerde, si construimos algo que nadie quiere, no importa mucho si lo estamos haciendo a tiempo y dentro del presupuesto.”<\/p>\n La situaci\u00f3n deb\u00eda mejorar descubriendo lo que los clientes de Asia realmente quer\u00edan. Yo dirig\u00ed el equipo que ten\u00eda como tarea encontrar trayectorias para el crecimiento de la empresa, y nuestro primer paso fue averiguar lo que los clientes realmente quer\u00edan.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sin embargo, preguntarles a sus clientes del spa lo que quieren \u2013 un nuevo tratamiento milagroso anti-envejecimiento o una nueva \u00e1rea con una cara y saludable cafeter\u00eda – no es muy \u00fatil, ya que rara vez lo saben. Esto concuerda con la famosa cita de Henry Ford: “Si le hubiera preguntado a la gente lo que quer\u00edan, hubieran dicho caballos m\u00e1s r\u00e1pidos.”<\/p>\n En cambio, en los spas de Asia fue mucho m\u00e1s \u00fatil observar c\u00f3mo se comportaban los clientes (y terapeutas), as\u00ed como lo que les dec\u00edan a los miembros del personal de forma espont\u00e1nea. Nuestras observaciones fueron que:<\/p>\n a. Los hammams sol\u00edan estar fuera de servicio o vac\u00edos y, a los clientes, as\u00ed como a los terapeutas, no les gustaba el tratamiento. Esta observaci\u00f3n fue confirmada por las opiniones de los clientes.<\/p>\n b. El sal\u00f3n de manicura y pedicura estaba infrautilizado porque la competencia local hac\u00eda que las pedicuras y manicuras del spa parecieran caras y no ofrec\u00edan una mejor calidad de servicio.<\/p>\n c. Algunos clientes valoraban la marca de productos de spa europea y exhib\u00edan sus afiliaciones a sus tiendas o el pase VIP. Sin embargo, los clientes europeos quedaban un poco menos impresionados. Esto era probablemente as\u00ed porque algunas marcas se posicionan de manera diferente en Europa y Asia.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Guiados por las investigaciones sobre el usuario, ten\u00edamos algunas muy buenas ideas sobre c\u00f3mo resolver algunos de los problemas de los spas y encontrar trayectorias validadas para el crecimiento. Sin embargo, no quer\u00edamos cometer el error de implantar dichas ideas a gran escala. Ello ser\u00eda muy arriesgado y, potencialmente, podr\u00edamos perder mucho tiempo y dinero.<\/p>\n En su lugar, optamos por probar las ideas a una escala m\u00e1s peque\u00f1a, teniendo por objetivo lo que Ries llama un producto m\u00ednimo viable (MVP, seg\u00fan sus siglas en ingl\u00e9s), donde el impacto de este MVP es medible.<\/p>\n La ventaja de los MVP es que, aunque pueden ser poco sofisticados, pueden ser probados espec\u00edficamente con los ‘primeros innovadores’ \u2013 personas que toleran mejor los errores y que tienen ganas de dar su opini\u00f3n. Ten\u00edamos clientes leales del spa que estaban encantados de poner a prueba nuestras ideas.<\/p>\n Una de nuestras primeras ideas, desarrolladas en un MVP, fue la de adaptar los protocolos de tratamiento del hammam al gusto de nuestros clientes y terapeutas. A los hu\u00e9spedes les hab\u00edan gustado ciertos aspectos del tratamiento, pero no la experiencia de inmersi\u00f3n. As\u00ed que nos pregunt\u00e1bamos si iba a funcionar que los terapeutas realizaran la exfoliaci\u00f3n con jab\u00f3n negro y la envoltura de rhassoul en la camilla de tratamiento en una sala de tratamiento, en lugar de en el hammam. De esta manera, el hu\u00e9sped puede ducharse \u00e9l mismo para eliminar el exceso de producto en la privacidad y comodidad de una sala de tratamiento.<\/p>\n La ventaja de este MVP era que se podr\u00eda implementar f\u00e1cilmente, de manera r\u00e1pida y barata.<\/p>\n Pronto se hizo evidente, a trav\u00e9s de los comentarios de los clientes y del personal, as\u00ed como en el n\u00famero de reservas, que este MVP fue un \u00e9xito. Sin embargo, tambi\u00e9n nos comentaron que un masaje pod\u00eda hacer que el tratamiento fuera a\u00fan m\u00e1s atractivo. Ofrecimos esta opci\u00f3n en una etapa un poco tard\u00eda y result\u00f3 una adici\u00f3n popular a los nuevos protocolos de tratamiento.<\/p>\n Ahora est\u00e1bamos en condiciones de implantar esta idea ya que hab\u00eda sido probada con clientes reales y personal y fue \u2013 de manera mensurable – un \u00e9xito. Sin embargo, si nuestra idea no hubiera funcionado, f\u00e1cilmente podr\u00edamos haber cambiado el rumbo e intentar otra cosa. Este es el valor del enfoque de lanzamiento lean, que sugiere una navegaci\u00f3n r\u00e1pida dentro del ciclo del producto de construcci\u00f3n-medici\u00f3n-aprendizaje.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Una de las lecciones que hemos aprendido en este proyecto es que la innovaci\u00f3n puede, de hecho, reducir el costo del fracaso. Hab\u00edamos desarrollado un nuevo tipo de tratamiento \u2013 efectivamente, \u00a1un hammam seco m\u00e1s masaje! – y exist\u00eda muy poco riesgo en su implementaci\u00f3n despu\u00e9s de haber validado la idea.<\/p>\n Aunque puede ser una buena pr\u00e1ctica empresarial en los spas el hecho de concentrarse en aumentar la eficiencia mediante la reducci\u00f3n de costos, las grandes cadenas hoteleras y de spas que \u00fanicamente adoptan este enfoque pueden tener dificultades en el actual clima de negocios y enfrentarse a problemas en nuevos mercados, como ya vimos.<\/p>\n Steve Blank dice en el Harvard Review:<\/em> \u201cCasi toda gran empresa entiende que tambi\u00e9n tiene que lidiar con las cada vez mayores amenazas externas innovando continuamente.\u201d <\/p>\n Tambi\u00e9n aprendimos que una serie de innovaciones a peque\u00f1a escala podr\u00edan proporcionar resultados medibles. Estos inclu\u00edan la traducci\u00f3n de las frases m\u00e1s importantes del chino al ingl\u00e9s por parte del socio de los productos de la casa para que los terapeutas chinos pudieran aprender c\u00f3mo personalizar mejor los tratamientos para sus clientes y recomendar el producto adecuado.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tambi\u00e9n aprendimos que el uso constante de j\u00f3venes modelos rubias, en lugar de modelos de Oriente Medio, independientemente de lo atractivas que fueran, implicaba un aumento de clientes. En Asia, el f\u00edsico tipo rubio es considerado m\u00e1s atractivo.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Eric](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spa-balance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/3-lean-startup-image-e1418740415878.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a>The case study: an international spa chain that expanded into Asia<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a>Main problems<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n
1. Give customers rather than investors what they want<\/strong><\/h4>\n
2. Observe real customer behaviour rather than asking hypothetical questions<\/strong><\/h4>\n
3. Test hypothesis \u2013 even if they are industry best practice<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n
4. Innovate, while reducing the cost of failure<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/a>5. Measure what matters \u2013 and avoid vanity metrics<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n
\n\u201cInstead of looking at cumulative totals or gross numbers such as total revenue and total number of customers, one looks at the performance of each group of customers that comes into contact with the product independently.\u201d<\/p>\nConclusion<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n
\n<\/a>Estudio de caso: una cadena de spa internacional que se ha expandido a Asia<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a>Problemas principales<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n
1. Dele a los clientes, en lugar de a los inversores, lo que quieren<\/strong><\/h4>\n
2. Observe el comportamiento real del cliente en lugar de hacerse preguntas hipot\u00e9ticas<\/strong><\/h4>\n
3. Ponga a prueba las hip\u00f3tesis- incluso si se trata de las mejores pr\u00e1cticas de la industria<\/strong><\/h4>\n
4. Innove, al tiempo que reduce el costo del fracaso<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a>