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When Damien Zouaoui and Jessica French, house owners of Oakwell Beer Spa, dropped every little thing to begin a small enterprise, they had been on the lookout for a grand idea, a singular enterprise mannequin primed for progress.
Whereas touring the globe, they got here throughout every kind of inventive companies, from hedgehog cafés to Airbnb options in camper vans. However one specifically hit dwelling: a beer spa they visited within the mountains of Zakopane, Poland. Whereas soaking in a soothing tub of barley and hops, proper subsequent to an all-you-can-drink faucet, Damien and Jessica talked in regards to the potential for the favored European exercise and the best way to translate it for an American buyer base.
“In America, we realized that [the spa industry] may be very transactional and is actually centered on a particular viewers. You’ll want to be wholesome. You’ll want to be rich,” Damien mentioned. “We made a promise to ourselves… that we create an inclusive house the place everyone seems to be welcome. Let’s break the stigma that the day spa was meant to be for a particular viewers, maybe ladies, in America.”
Settling in Denver — a U.S. capital of journey, wellness, and craft beer — Damien and Jessica started to convey their imaginative and prescient to life. Surroundings was an enormous piece of fostering a way of inclusivity. Oakwell’s lovely inside design steers away from the white and sterile spa aesthetic, creating an approachable and intimate atmosphere. The spa even gives a wide range of therapy choices for non-beer lovers, together with wine and cocktail baths.
Oakwell’s accessible and comfy environment was a key piece of the expertise for reviewer Jessica Ok., a first-time beer spa goer.
“The minute that you just stroll into this institution, you are in awe with the gorgeous inside design and greeted by the pleasant workers,” her overview reads. “Earlier than our spa, we loved the complimentary snacks and made our strategy to the superb self-serve beer wall. The beers provided are native, and if you happen to’re not a lot of a beer drinker like I’m, there are alternatives of wine and rosé. Beer Spa is a singular idea, and I liked each second of it.”
As a result of Oakwell’s enterprise mannequin is so distinctive, evaluations are an important a part of spreading the phrase and finetuning providers. Damien and Jessica acknowledge that the novelty of their thought could cause apprehension, and so they recognize company like Jessica Ok. who take the time to share their expertise.
“Good, dangerous, this isn’t the purpose [of reviews]. The purpose right here is to assist us to do higher and at all times enhance providers. I at all times bear in mind… ‘Okay, there’s two methods [to go about receiving feedback]… We take it personally and reply personally, or we take it professionally by stepping again.'”
Damien and Jessica reply to company’ evaluations each time they obtain suggestions. Nevertheless, as an alternative of replying immediately, they put plenty of thought into how they will navigate any criticism, usually calling company personally to speak about their expertise earlier than responding publicly. They’ve crafted this overview response technique by trying on the approach different small companies deal with essential suggestions.
“I believe usually the enterprise needs to show that the visitor was incorrect or shed extra gentle on the state of affairs. Perhaps, ‘Oh, nicely, the company did not observe our insurance policies and so they did A, B, and C incorrect, and also you’re deceptive on this overview,’ and it actually doesn’t look nice,” Damien mentioned. “It doesn’t make the visitor really feel like [they’re] going to be heard if there’s a grievance or a difficulty. It feels very aggressive and combative. And that is one thing that is actually necessary to us—that everybody’s suggestions is legitimate, whether or not they had been in the fitting or incorrect.”
Whereas they’ve acquired some essential evaluations, the spa has 4.9 stars on Yelp and practically 400 evaluations, due partly to the prioritization of hospitality. Prospects are generally known as “company,” their names are realized, and the main points of their anniversaries and celebrations are prudently famous. The skilled, full-time workers has performed an enormous function lifting the enterprise off the bottom. By the point an worker begins serving company, they’re an professional on Oakwell’s beer lineup and geared up to assist clients lean into the comfort of the expertise.
Oakwell’s top-notch customer support has led demand to exceed provide. With a rising waitlist on their palms, the following step for Damien and Jessica is opening a brand new location in South Denver to accommodate their company within the southern suburbs. The brand new location is projected to open within the fall of 2024.
The house owners hope this enlargement will likely be adopted by different areas throughout the nation, each company-owned and franchised.
“It was at all times our plan from the start to construct this with the intention to scale. We did not wish to simply run a mom-and-pop, single location for the remainder of our lives,” Jessica mentioned. “Once we selected this idea throughout our travels, so much was behind it.”
Along with the significance of making a cushty surroundings with high-quality customer support, Oakwell Beer Spa believes:
- On-line evaluations are a key approach to assist clients study your small business and handle expectations, particularly if in case you have a singular enterprise mannequin.
- It is necessary to take a step again when responding to evaluations. Taking the time to know the shopper’s facet of the story generally is a useful approach to enhance enterprise operations.
- Enterprise concepts are in all places. Look outdoors your rapid environment for alternatives and take into consideration how one can make these concepts match inside your neighborhood.
Hearken to the episode under to listen to immediately from Damien and Jessica, and subscribe to Behind the Evaluation for extra from new enterprise house owners and reviewers each Thursday.
Accessible on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pandora, and Soundcloud.
