Goodbye Wrinkles, Hello Dysport

And They Put Up With Me.

I have entered the Golden Age of my life and I find that I am much more capable of seeing the goodness in those I work with.  I consider it golden because it is a precious commodity to work with people who have dedicated their lives to caring for others.  You see, I am the behind the scenes guy. I make sure payroll runs correctly. I meet with vendors and sometimes I fix the broken towel bar or clean a toilet. I find new ways to market the business while trying to build relationships with other downtown businesses. But that’s not what I really do.  I encourage. I dissect, I listen, I empathize and I sympathize. Sometimes I tease, some times I cajole. I do my best to make sure that my employees feel uplifted and empowered so that they will in turn do the same for our clients! The personalities found in Bella Visage fit the parallel world around us.  Yes, I work with the loving and the kind and the selfless. But I have spent years working with the not so loving or kind. I find it comforting to know that the Bella staff is some of the best at loving and comforting. And they put up with me!

“When a client comes to our spa, these are the people who take care of them:

The receptionists meet the client, make sure they are ready for their procedure, complete the paperwork, answer questions, and make certain the client is properly pampered and spoiled.  They clean and dust and put up inventory. And they put up with me.

Our Aestheticians are adept at counseling and instructing clients on the best skin care techniques. They offer world-class levels of service and professionalism. The right music, the right scented products, the right procedure for the client. The best sound in the world is for me to over hear a staff member and a client giggle at a conversation that no one else can hear. It provides me with a sense of satisfaction on many different levels. And they put up with me.

Our Nurse Practitioners make certain the room, the equipment, all the disposables, and every other detail has been covered.  They oversee that everything is checked twice, that everything is documented properly and that the right guidelines are followed every time.  They have spent years in school and specialized training. Their job is to ensure that we do everything right, every time, with no exceptions.  And they put up with me.

Our Massage Therapists put the clients at ease and then attends to them through every moment.  They listen if the client wants to talk and if need be just quietly massage away the build up stress from a client who has worked too hard or worried too much. They listen to their every breath and do their best to slow their heartbeat.  They make sure they feel safe and comfortable.  And they put up with me.

The people who directly help me with the endless back office duties are some of the best. From my Social Media “girl,” and events coordinator, along with my bookkeeper and accountant. They keep me grounded in truth and sometimes force me to look reality in the face. I also have a few downtown friends who have become my confidants. The ones I can go to when shit gets real. I simply could not do what I do without them. And they put up with me.

The truth is that the majority of our clients usually don’t even see me. They see the smiling faces of each one of our wonderful staff. The reason why I felt moved to share this with you, our clients and friends, is because of the love and joy that has been shown to Jeanna and I in the last several weeks, when our staff and friends learned that little Mike joined the Marines. Since we are a small business, but have become a large family, they know a lot about our home life. They are aware of some of the struggles that can occur in a blended family. You know, the daily real life struggles that occur when boy meets man and then man marries mom. Not always smooth sailing. Well I would be lying if I didn’t tell you just how proud I was to watch him make such a big decision to serve his country. Being the son of former Air Force retirees I am well aware of and proud of OUR military personnel. It was heart warming to hear the love and support from them. I have written before about our family business and how we are surrounded by people that have “IT”. The ones who know about your dreams and support you in the good times and the bad. They are the kind of friends who will provide us strength when they know Mike is struggling, so we can be his rock. They would take his anger or pain if it meant he would be at peace. They would pace the night with us if it meant he could get some sleep! They will let him know they support him every step of the way. And they also know that I will lead the pack. Someday I hope he will realize I was with him every step of the way. And in the end, through it all, he put up with me!”

BELLA GIVES BACK

WOW! Yes, I said it again and I will repeat it. WOW!!!

Last week’s blog was so well received that I’m a little nervous about letting our readers down. Just know that all of us at Bella Viságe appreciate your feedback and all the positive comments. As much as we love Carrie, we love giving back to Lakeland just as much and that’s why we formed Bella Gives Back.  Thanks in advance for your time.

 

For those of you who have followed Bella Viságe since we began this journey, you know that my only condition before jumping in and joining Jeanna and Shelli in this adventure was that we form a charitable arm of our business so that we could give something back to our community. The next step was to decide in what manner to do so. Ironically, my research into how we would pick the vendors and products for our spa played a large part in how I shaped Bella Gives Back.

Let me share two examples of what I mean.

 

 

RevitaLash was founded in 2006 by a man desperately trying to help his cancer stricken wife feel better about herself after the devastating effects of chemotherapy. This original, love inspired product helped repair her damaged eyelashes. Ten years later, each product in the RevitaLash collection revitalizes the natural beauty and inner spirit of all women.

Wonderful products with a wonderful purpose!

 

 

 

Farmhouse Fresh is a skincare company that markets its products in a whimsical way. Think “Chic fil a” meets glam.   What really helped us make the decision to use their products in the spa was the way they give back to their community. They have a farm where they shelter abused and abandoned animals. From dogs to cows, they love them all.

 

 

Just like RevitaLash and Farmhouse Fresh, we here at Bella Viságe have a heart for philanthropic endeavors. While the staff at Bella has a desire to enrich the beauty and lives of all of our clients, it has been my desire from day one to help others through our Bella Gives Back program. We have a page on our Bella Viságe website Bellavisagelakeland.com, that allows our customers to nominate worthy candidates for services that will help them. So far we have helped several young ladies with severe acne scarring on their faces. To see them walk through the door with their shoulders back and big smiles on their make up free face is a unique experience. We didn’t cure cancer or mend broken bones, but we changed how they see themselves. This month the winner of our monthly drawing is a young mother of two who lost her husband to cancer just six months ago. we had heard that the stress and grief of her loss was overwhelming her so we wanted to give her the chance to relax, unwind & rejuvenate.

Thank you Dr. Brienkenhoff for your inspiration. Thank you Farmhouse Fresh for reminding me that giving back can be fun with a light hearted twist. Thank you Lakeland for supporting our Bella Gives Back.  You are the reason we can continue to love and support those in need.

Why locality is the heart of Bella Visage – Part 2

Bella Visage lakelander Jeanna ParkerFirst, we offer our sincere thanks for your interest in the Bella Viságe blog. In this post we’ll share part two of our story and why we absolutely love being a part of the downtown Lakeland community!

Our Website

After we had hired our lead aesthetician, Carrie Bradshaw, she heard the three of us discussing our want to build a website. We had already narrowed our list down to three companies, all of which are great choices, and some of them I even consider friends. It was then that Carrie mentioned two of her best friends were website designers and worked in downtown Lakeland. The next day we were sitting in the office of Mosier Data, meeting Brook and TJ Alcock. Carrie had told them about our spa and they already had some ideas to share that matched our vision. We never looked back. The job they have done for us far exceeded our expectations, and we now consider them friends, too.

Fixtures & Furnishings

Just a short walk down Traders Alley and a quick turn up Kentucky Ave is a very charming store, Simple Vintage. We were in a pinch one day and needed some finishing touches to be completed on several of our pieces we were going to use in the spa. Enter Nicki and Kim. The very next day they showed up and completed our pieces. Being lovers of all things vintage and shabby chic, we felt as if we had found heaven via downtown Lakeland in their store. Now Bella Visàge is peppered with furniture and fixtures that we found at Simple Vintage. We absolutely love their vibe!

The Lakelander

While there are many downtown businesses that have supported us and welcomed us with open arms I want to mention one more that has stepped to the plate, The Lakelander Magazine. Jeanna has known Curt and Deb Patterson quite a few years, from church. I met Curt several years ago and knew he was the “Lakelander guy.” One morning I was heading down “The Alley” and Curt comes out and we start chatting. I tell him that we are opening a spa in a couple of months, and since that moment Curt and Deb have supported us and prayed for us.

Thank you downtown Lakeland!

All of us at Bella Viságe are very thankful for the warm welcome that we have received from all of our downtown Lakeland neighbors. Thanks for taking a few minutes of your time to get to know us better. Talk to you soon.[/fusion_text][/one_full][separator style_type=”none” top_margin=”10″ bottom_margin=”10″ sep_color=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”” class=”” id=””][images picture_size=”fixed” hover_type=”none” autoplay=”no” columns=”5″ column_spacing=”13″ scroll_items=”” show_nav=”yes” mouse_scroll=”no” border=”yes” lightbox=”no” class=”” id=””][image link=”#” linktarget=”_self” image=”https://bellavisagelakeland.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/bellalakelander-1.jpg” alt=””][image link=”#” linktarget=”_self” image=”https://bellavisagelakeland.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/simplev-300×170.jpg” alt=”simple vintage lakeland”][image link=”#” linktarget=”_self” image=”https://bellavisagelakeland.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/10923507_898029156922594_3800744987296365622_n.jpg” alt=”TBA Marketing TJ Brook Alcock “][image link=”#” linktarget=”_self” image=”https://bellavisagelakeland.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2016-04-28-at-7.19.18-PM.png” alt=”lakelander magazine bella visage”][image link=”#” linktarget=”_self” image=”” alt=””][image link=”#” linktarget=”_self” image=”” alt=””][image link=”#” linktarget=”_self” image=”” alt=””][/images]

Bella Visage Y Design Co Lakeland

Why Locality is the heart of Bella Visage Lakeland

Bella Visage Y Design Co Lakeland

 

 

 

 

Welcome!

This is the beginning of our blog where we are going to post on skincare, rejuvenation procedures, massage therapy and general health and wellness. However, in our first few blogs, we’re going to share some of the things that have happened to allow us to open Bella Visàge. At first glance you might think, “What does an article on business relationships have to do with skincare?” But locality is the heart of Bella Visage and well, if you don’t have the basics in place you can’t be successful.  For example, we can provide you with the best skincare products in the world, but if you continue to put the wrong things into your body, you won’t get the results you are looking for. The same thing would’ve happened if we didn’t get the base of our business built with strong, reputable, local partners; we wouldn’t be able to serve you.

Our Logo

With that in mind, let me share a few of the things that have taken place. When we started to put together the idea of Bella Visàge, we knew that there was a specific look, feel, and brand that we wanted for the spa. We also knew that we didn’t have the time or ability to do it on our own. Enter Y Design Co. I’d met Jared and Katie Yates several years ago through Lakeland Business Leaders. Knowing that Jared created logos, he listened to us as we shared our vision and ideas for the space. We explained how we were going to use specific furniture, doors and fixtures that had been saved from my dear friend Joe’s house, and about why we chose to use some antiques from our own house.

Local helping Local

Jared began his design process, he spent time with us in the spa as it was being renovated. After several  weeks he shared the fruits of his labor, and wow! We absolutely loved the completed work. The concept, the colors, the fonts, the BV monogram. It was all better than what we ever thought. Our logo and overall brand identity is the first interaction the public has with Bella Visàge, whether it’s on our front door, our shirts or our website, and we are proud to bear the image Jared crafted for us. His vision has become one of the first pieces of the intricate Bella Visàge puzzle.

The Heart of Lakeland

It really is a great example of how a small business can work with another small business to help them get started on the right foot. Y Design Co. is firmly planted in the heart of Lakeland (Jared’s a native Lakelander) and is active in the Lakeland business community. Thanks, Jared and Katie, for your hard work and support!

Stay tuned for our next blog where we’ll introduce a few more of our great downtown partners and friends!