Charlotte Ward of Silk Spa & Charlotte Talks on the O2E Business Academy
The creative dedication that typifies Charlotte Ward’s approach towards life’s ever-evolving journey frames anything she takes on, underpinned by a “you can choose which fork to use” attitude - even when all else seems like chaos.
When Charlotte embarked on the O2E Business Academy in 2019 with Craig Oliver and Donna Yeats http://themarketingconsultancy.co.nz/ she was in the throes of launching a new business venture, Charlotte Talks https://www.charlottetalks.co.nz/ and still fully involved with her established business, Silk Skin Spa https://www.silkskinspa.co.nz/.
What next when the gloss wears a little thin?
Having owned Silk Skin Spa for over ten years meant the glee of that first kiss was long gone. Not that Charlotte’s complacent; she truly values her beautiful salon and the people who help her run it, but as time goes on, sometimes prosaic wins over progress.
Her ongoing commitment to building Silk Spa’s client loyalty, upskilling staff, and achieving community and professional recognition is there in perfect portions.
But Charlotte’s not a goal setter; she’s an ideas person, a creative and one who doesn’t enjoy having her feathers trimmed. She’s the type of entrepreneur who needs to fly unfettered by routine.
The Academy offered her a chance to re-channel and satisfy that need, alongside the opportunity to add some architecture to her businesses. So, joining “wouldn’t be a bad thing to do” even though Craig was upfront about the value split she might expect (more for Charlotte Talks and less perhaps for Silk).
The Academy sparked Charlotte’s interest and as it could spur the start of a more organised way of doing business for both SME’s, she set off with her usual gusto.
Did she love it or what?
“It was fabulous!” Charlotte loved the Academy. She’s an extrovert who thrived in the group sessions (lots of chatting to be had!) and soaked up the messages of each industry-leading subject expert like the quintessential beauty sponge.
The Academy’s co-hosts were all-engaging professionals; it was refreshing, stimulating and a lot of fun to absorb, discuss and hash about new topics each month.
The speakers knew their audience, too. Most had done the homework to ensure their presentations and workshops were on point to reach home. Charlotte cites one slightly less relevant Masterclass and she was impressed when Craig and Donna were happy to transition this subject matter into a more accessible format.
This connection to participants is perhaps the piece de resistance of the Academy. Charlotte doesn’t like the word holistic (bit flaky) but the interrelation between subject matter, team, facilitators, and format just jelled. Drip-feeding tuition over the six months was palatable, and well-balanced with additional one-on-one sessions - and with no chance to hide behind group dynamics this private coaching with Craig gave Charlotte the (not quite so enjoyable) “kick up the butt” she needed to be accountable.
Putting structure into place and being accountable for that process is a challenge – even for the most pedantic. More used to winging things on a day to day basis, the Academy provided tools for Charlotte to analyse her planning techniques and realise that things come to fruition more smoothly when a) written down and b) actioned within a time frame and c) consolidated and revisited.
Charlotte’s moments of clarity included reminders that:
We actually do need a plan!
Goals are best written down
It's good to revisit values, mission statements, and start-up motives
You shouldn’t hope that marketing ‘just happens’
New strategies need scheduled time to be actioned and consolidated
In marketing, the ideological 6 degrees of separation is debatable
It’s a big mistake to employ your clone.
Getting really good bang for your buck.
One of Charlotte’s key motivations for joining the Academy was to adopt a more detail-oriented approach in advancing her businesses. That included looking for tips and insights as to how best reach her two very different market segments.
Donna Yeats’ http://themarketingconsultancy.co.nz/ marketing Masterclass delivered a mine-full of quirky, yet valid information based on her management and marketing experience worldwide. She corroborated and extended Charlotte’s current PR efforts by helping her refine the marketing for both Silk Skin Spa and Charlotte Talks to reach her desired clientele.
Donna also pointed out some fascinating differences between marketing in a provincial (possibly parochial/ traditional?) demographic as opposed to an international influencer-lead arena, and also the importance of speaking the language of a younger audience as it comes through.
Finances are a strength for Charlotte. The Masterclass on this subject reinforced that she was taking the right actions to protect and sustain her business model in this area. And likewise the personality profiling Masterclass, because a passion for team building is already inherent in Charlotte’s work culture. The class confirmed this, and she loved watching lightbulb moments happen for participants and share her experience in profiling implementation with her team.
Charlotte hasn’t been transformed as such but admits the potential is ready to be unfurled – helped by the employment of a long-desired PA. Ground level attention to practices such as goal setting, time management, and office procedure will free Charlotte to follow her business ideals … and for a creative like her, that freedom is a catalyst for growth.
O2E delivered a ROI as yet undefined in figures but certainly characterized by Charlotte’s new impetus and business focus. She states emphatically that Silk Skin Spa and Charlotte Talks gained 50-50 each from the Academy and she now has a platform to grow both.
Final words:
“The format of the Academy was perfectly balanced; stimulating, insightful, integrated and universally applicable yet also tailored. It filled in the gaps, gave knowledge to my business practices and I loved every minute.”
Charlotte Ward, Silk Skin Spa https://www.silkskinspa.co.nz/, Charlotte Talks https://www.charlottetalks.co.nz/