Melanie Gleeson and Belinda Fraser started their day spa business back in 2000 after becoming friends at high school.
At the time Gleeson says there weren’t a lot of spas in the market. While there were traditional beauty salons and massage clinics there was nothing that combined the two.
Now there are 88 Endota spas around Australia and the business turns over more than $40 million a year. Gleeson took some time out to chat to SmartCompany ahead of her keynote speech at the upcoming League of Extraordinary Women conference.
Mornings
Gleeson has two children and her mornings are typical of many working mothers.
“I get up at about 6.30 and 7 and the kids are already up or I get them up and we have a bit of a cuddle in the bed then we start the day,” she says.
“It’s all about getting them ready for school, making lunches and having breakfast, and my husband Pete helps a lot as well.”
Gleeson has two sons and she then sends one off to school and the other to his grandparents before heading into work.
Over the course of the morning Gleeson also keeps an eye on her mobile and emails.
“I can’t resist,” she says. “I check a little bit in the morning and at night.”
Daily life
Gleeson says there’s no typical day for her at Endota.
“Sometimes I’m in the office, sometimes I’m visiting the spas. At the moment I am doing a fair bit of travel for our therapist recognition nights,” she says.
“I love getting out and chatting with the girls who are the ones doing the treatments and finding out how they are going.”
Gleeson says franchising Endota has really driven the business’ success.
“The fact that we have business owners in the spas makes a massive difference I think,” she says.
Gleeson also says Endota has set itself apart by creating a friendlier atmosphere in its spas.
“When we first started the day spas that existed were quite intimidating, they were generally within hotels and very opulent with excessive fit outs. We made them a little bit more down to earth.”
Gleeson doesn’t crunch the numbers on Endota each day; instead she focuses on finance at her weekly meeting with Endota’s chief financial officer.
“We look at our three income streams: treatment income, retail income and gift voucher income,” Gleeson says.
Usually, Gleeson has lunch at her desk and regular team lunches are highlights.
“Once a week we down tools and have a group lunch in the office, which is really nice,” she says.
“We’ve had a great company come and cater for us called Dynamic Foods and sometimes we do make your own lunch with sandwiches.”
Another perk for head office staff is a weekly exercise session.
“On Wednesdays we have a personal trainer come in and one week she does yoga with us and another Zumba,” Gleeson says.
Gleeson tries to leave the office at about 3.30pm in order to pick her son up from school.
“Then I go home and have a couple of hours with the boys and then get back on the email,” she says.
“The majority of the people at the Endota head office are women so we often have kids in here during school holidays, we are pretty flexible with those things because we are all in the same boat,” she says.
“It really takes a village to raise children and I don’t know how people manage to do it without support.”
Leisure time
Gleeson doesn’t have that much time to indulge in the relaxation that her business is based on.
“It used to be a luxury going to a day spa but in the 14 years we’ve had Endota it is really something people do regularly now because they need the time out,” she says.
“The only two times you turn your phone off are at a cinema and a spa.”
Gleeson’s new way of unwinding is playing Lego with her son.
“It’s great when I get on the floor and try to build it with him and don’t have my phone on,” she says.
“When you try to work and do kids at the same time, you can’t do either properly, so you just get annoyed.”
Gleeson also practices yoga and each night she does a guided mediation on her iPod.
“I fall asleep and I never get to the end of it, it just plays into my subconscious,” Gleeson says.
Future
Gleeson and Fraser want to continue growing the number of Endota spas with an “elusive” goal of 130 spas which they set “all those years ago”.
The pair are also increasing Endota’s retail offering and the services offered.
“We’ve seen a bigger move into organics and certified organics and for us as a company the manufacturers have got better with organics. We are producing a far superior organic product now,” Gleeson says.
Endota is also focusing on the anti-ageing market with the introduction of micro hydra dermabrasion treatments, but the business doesn’t plan to offer botox or other invasive treatments.
“We’ve gone down the track of enhancing what you have as you age. We haven’t gone down the path of injectables and piercing the skin,” Gleeson says.