Being open to having a mentor help you, or being a mentor to someone else, can have a lasting and profound impact on yourself and others. Fortunately, for me, I have had some truly amazing mentors. In June 2010, I took over the Spa Industry Association (SIA) from industry icon, Hannelore Leavy. Hannelore had spent most of her life supporting and nurturing the spa and wellness industries. She was a pioneer in our business and founder of the Day Spa Association (DSA) and SIA, originally the International Medical Spa Association. Hannelore put her heart and soul into the industry, and she always brought that same drive to our mentorship.
However, Hannelore was not my first mentor. I got my first mentor in 1988 during my first trade show in Minneapolis. I was sitting at my vendor booth and the show was emptying out for lunch. A man approached me and asked why I hadn’t headed to lunch yet. I responded with my “I’m new” story, which started a year-long mentoring by the man who was the keynote speaker that day, Mark Victor Hansen, co-founder of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. He wasn’t looking for anything from me, rather, he just wanted to help me get started on the right foot.
Shortly thereafter, I attended my first International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conference (IECSC) in New York City and met Terry Ettkins, owner of Teka Fine Line Brushes. We hit it off right away and Terry became another mentor for me.
I quickly learned the strong lesson and the importance of supporting others while not seeking or asking for anything in return. It’s nearly impossible to think of everything yourself or surround yourself with enough good people to come up with all the ideas that lead to success. Companies are built by great leaders and owners, great staff, luck, and a few other items in the stew, including a great mentor, advisor, confidante, or consultant. Having a strong mentor who can help you navigate the sometimes stormy seas of starting a new business or launching a new product or technology can be invaluable to your eventual success. The mentor-mentee relationship requires a commitment of time and energy by both parties, but it’s well worth it.
Over the years, I ran New Life Systems and Lotus Touch, acted as a consultant, and took over the SIA. I’ve done my best to not only have mentors, but to be a mentor, as well. In order to be successful not just in business, but in life, you need to keep learning and be willing to pass on what you know to help others learn.
Since 2010, Allan Share has been the president of the Spa Industry Association (SIA) and an acknowledged leader in the spa industry. He has been a manufacturer, distributor, and consultant in the spa channel for 34 years and currently is the unofficial (and unpaid) mayor of the spa channel. You can reach him at [email protected].