Q. Wendy, you are the president of American Leisure, which we in the industry know is an international leader in the fitness, spa, and recreational facility industry. What has prepared you for this role?
A. My educational foundation is based upon a degree from the Fashion Institute Of Technology. There I learned a lot of theory about marketing and merchandising. In the long run, though, hands on experience has been my best and most important teacher.
Q. And how did your job experience in the fashion industry prepare you for your success in the spa industry?
A. The very bottom line is that I learned how to grow a business, and we grew that business over 500% in six years. My experience taught me something that shaped my management style forever. I learned very early that forming nurturing relationships with our customers (Buyers then, Spa Owners now!) was the way to help them satisfy and increase their profits. My philosophy in business is based upon the creation and fostering of mutually beneficial relationships. It is my belief that this has translated into the success of American Leisure, and of course contributed to my personal success.
Q. Wendy, am I asking you too many questions about the early days? I haven’t forgotten that you’ve already been a general manager at American Leisure.. been the executive vice president of New Business Development.. are on the Advisory Board of the Day Spa Association and are today, at the age of 45, the president of American Leisure and a recognized international expert and leader in the field – and that we are now in the year 2001!
A. [laughter] But it really was the lessons I learned by paying attention in the early days that taught me the nuts and bolts of sound, client-centered management. Let me tell you a funny story. While I was working full time in the garment district, my husband and I took it into our heads to buy a supermarket under the Williamsburg Bridge. Ah, youth! Anyway, we stayed open 7 days a week from 6 am to 10 PM. And speaking of learning the nuts and bolts of a business, my roles were cashier, bookkeeper, stock clerk, front end manager, produce person, and general manager. I was also the Complaint Department, of course! And this is what I think made me, and I say this in complete seriousness: During the day, as a credit manager of a garment manufacturer, I learned capitalism! And at night, in our neighborhood grocery store, I learned that companies are made of people, and that each one of these people plays a role in the functioning of a business. And I learned that if I was going to be a success, part of my job would include getting to know each of these human beings, discovering what their needs were, and what their strengths were, and, most fundamentally to my work today, how to recognize and bring out these strengths.
Q. How do you use these early lessons today, at American Leisure?
A. I understood early that what would profit the spas I managed would be what might be called the exact opposite of a cookie-cutter approach to clients. Every client is a special individual, and it is up to us to know that client well enough, and personally enough, to know what services will make our client happy.
Q. Now we understand how you learned marketing, managing and people skills. Bring us up to date. What does Wendy Bosalavage offer that helps keep American Leisure and its clients on the cutting edge?
A. I stay out there. I see to it that we know everything our competition is doing. I’m in touch with industry trends and more importantly I see to it that I am in a position to anticipate trends. American Leisure has anticipated every important trend in the fitness industry. We provide our expertise in concept design, finance, development, marketing and managing. I think one of the most important things I do is to foster and maintain productive and creative relationships with my staff and with my clients, staying in close touch with them in a real way. My clients never lose sight of the fact that if we are doing our jobs right, their consumers are going to be happier people with improved lives. That idea is central to me, and it is motivating and ultimately satisfying to our clients. And of course there is the all-important bottom line. Are we fiscally sound? Is profitability increasing? If we all work together, and work smart, the answer will be Yes.
For further information please email: amerleisco@aol.com
THIS PROFILE HAS BEEN SUBMITTED BY THIS MONTH’S SPA PERSON AND IS BEING PRESENTED AS GIVEN TO THE DSA. STATEMENTS AND CLAIMS MADE DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE DAY SPA ASSOCIATION AND WE DO NOT TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OF THE CONTENTS.
