In this episode we sit down with two of Canada’s leading entrepreneurs in the spa industry and take a close look a how each of them responded to the COVID-19 lockdowns, discovered new ways to innovate, and emerge from the worst of the pandemic lockdowns ultimately stronger than they were pre-lockdown.

Today’s Guests: Celine Tadrissi, and Elena Zinchenko

Celine Tadrissi is the founder / owner of Hammam Spa by Céla. With 2 locations in Toronto, Hammam Spa has been one of Toronto’s most beautiful and renowned spas since opening their first location 15 years ago.  Hamman Spa by Céla was recently awarded Canada’s Top Day Spa for 2021 by the London England based World Spa Awards.  Celine tadrissi is also the founder of luxury skincare line, Cela and sits on the board of directors of the Leading Spas of Canada, which is how we met.

Elena Zinchenko also on the board of directors of Leading Spas of Canada (and a former chair) is the spa Director at the luxurious TenSpa, which she helped launch 17 years ago in the beautiful Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg, in the province of Manitoba. Elena is also the business director of The Face Bar, also in Winnipeg, which she launched 2 years ago.  The Face Bar’s mission is to bring intensive skincare treatments and medical grade products to the public at affordable prices because top quality skincare shouldn’t have to be a luxury.

In this episode, we discuss:

1. How “remembering the why” of being in business provided a focus on where to innovate
2. How a commitment to top quality kept loyal clients guests coming back
3. How strategic collaboration with other brands helped to bring in new clients
4. Much more!

To Contact Our Guests:

Elena Zinchenko:

1. Click here to connect to Ten Spa
2. Click here to connect to The Face Bar

Celine Tadrissi

1. Click here to connect to Hammam Spa by Céla
2. Click here to connect to the luxury skincare line, Céla

To Connect with Pat Perdue

Twitter: https://twitter.com/patperdue

Website: https://www.patperdue.com

Few would argue that the luxury spa industry requires among the highest standards of guest experience in the world, in which every detail is (or should be) designed not just to please you, or relax you, but to transform you into your better self. 

Our guest today, Jean-Guy de Gabriac, is one of the world’s foremost authorities on luxury spas.

In this episode we discuss:

1. The role of “flow” in every spa
2. How designing the “guest experience” can begin at the architecture level
3. The secret of creating a lasting “wow” experience that keeps guests coming back
4. Much more (including World Wellness Weekend)

About our Guest, Jean-Guy de Gabriac

Jean-Guy de Gabriac is an award-winning advisor & educator on the art of crafting the spa experience.  Some of the most beautiful destination resort spas in the world have relied on Jean-Guy’s renowned insights to create that “wow” spa experience that keeps clients coming back. 

Jean-Guy is also the founder of World Wellness Weekend, which falls on September 18^th and 19^th this year (this is its 5^th year).  This year, over 130 countries, over 900 cities, and nearly 1,400 venues so far, have committed to participate in World Wellness Weekend this year.  In alignment with the UNITED NATIONS’ 3^rd Sustainable Development Goal, “Good Health & Wellbeing for All”, WWW inspires people around the world to enjoy healthy lifestyles through safe, free and fun activities and exciting special offers.  If you go to their website (which I’ll link to in the show notes), wherever you happen to be in the world, World Wellness Weekend connects wellness enthusiasts to nearby professionals through its geo-locator on their website.  If you’re a wellness professional, go and sign up.  It’s absolutely free.

Jean-Guy also serves as Conference producer of World Spa & Wellness Conventions (London & Dubai) ; he is the immediate past Chair of the “Supporting the UNs 17 SDGs” through the Global Wellness Institute.  He is a Board Member of the International Massage Association, and Judge at the World Spa & Wellness Awards.  Jean-Guy has contributed to over 300 articles in the media, and as of today, at least 1 podcast! 

Important Links and Contact Information

To contact Jean-Guy

Please visit his website: https://www.tiptouch.com/en/

To connect with Jean-Guy on Linkedin, click here

To Reach World Wellness Weekend:

wellness-weekend.org/">https://www.world-wellness-weekend.org/

To reach The Leading Spas of Canada Website

https://www.leadingspasofcanada.com/

To Connect with Pat Perdue

Twitter: https://twitter.com/patperdue

Website: https://www.patperdue.com

Super glad to be back with you!  I took some time away from the podcast during this pandemic. And now that I’m back and this is going to be a GREAT show for you!

Now that COVID is becoming part of our history, things are OPENING UP!  We have the pandemic on the run!  People are thinking about what it’s all going to be like when we can start calling things “normal.”

One of those things is going to be weddings!  Remember those?  Lots of people, two of whom are pledging their life-long love and devotion for each other, and then there’s drinking, and dancing, and all-around partying?  Yeah!  That was actually a thing!  We did that!

I know a few couples who have actually put off getting married because they wanted to have that “thing,” and now people are really starting to think about making it happen.

Our guest happens to be one of the larger wedding entertainment companies in the New York / New Jersey area.  So, if you want to talk about big weddings, amazing entertainment (where the musicians are often Broadway performers), these are the folks who set that up.

And this podcast is about all things Customer Experience, so what is one of the most intense customer experience situations around?  Weddings!  Our guest, Mike Saulpaugh, has a really interesting take on what it means to deliver a great customer experience.

About our Guest, Michael Saulpaugh

Michael Saulpaugh is Managing Partner at Elegant Music Group, based out of Montclair, NJ. In addition to his 18 years in the events and entertainment industry, Michael has a professional background in creative advertising. His work has been featured in Adweek and BuzzFeed has called him, “hilariously clever.”  Michael, as you’ll hear, is all about leveraging the experience of the customer to drive business growth, and was selected to and is now a contributing member on the Forbes Business Council.

Elegant Music Group Website: https://elegantmusicgroup.com/

To connect with Pat Perdue:

Instagram: @pat_perdue_brand_strategist

Twitter: @patpatperdue

SHOW NOTES Traditional retail has been on a slow, but steady decline for probably the last decade.  So much so that retailers were getting super creative to find a way to bring you into the store.  In-store mini concerts, dining options like great coffee shops or pop-up kitchens, were becoming a trend in some of the higher-end stores.  And then – you guessed it – COVID-19 hit and the way we used to shop is pretty much history.So, since you probably can’t go to that favourite store of yours, or maybe these days you’re less inclined to, what if there was a way to somehow bring that in-store magic to you, in the comfort of your home?Today's guest, Oscar Sachs, is the CEO and co-founder of Salesfloor.  Salesfloor empowers store associates to provide the personalized service customers love by connecting store associates to shoppers both in-store, and online.  Think Facetiming with your favourite sales associate right there in the store.  Salesfloor has over 45,000 associates from leading retailers in apparel, beauty, jewelry and baby items and toys.   Salesfloor is redefining the role of store associates in N. America, and globally.  And with retail trending how it’s been trending, simply put, they’re the future of retail. About Our Guest Oscar Sachs Oscar Sachs is the CEO and co-founder of Salesfloor.  Formerly a retail executive responsible for store operations at the Aldo Group and Best Buy, Oscar led some of retail's earliest omnichannel initiatives to create a bridge between the online and bricks and mortar retail worlds. Oscar Sachs is the founder of several successful start-ups in the retail digital space, such as Ad Splash Media, the first company to develop a digital media program for the top online ecommerce sites. Oscar earned his MBA degree from McGill University.For the Salesfloor website, click here. Leave us a review on iTunes I really appreciate all the support I've been receiving on this podcast! Thank you! If you want to leave a rating and review on iTunes, that's always helpful for people to find the podcast. Click here to leave a rating / review on iTunes Contact Pat Perdue on Twitter I always love hearing from folks on Twitter. Click here to send me a Tweet: @PatPerdue Thank you for listening.

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Let’s say you ran a business.  I’m not going to tell you what kind of business.  I’m going to let you guess.

In this business, your customers spend a lot of time, and consideration choosing which of your products they’re going to buy from you.  Often they select only the components, and leave you to assemble it in its final form.  There’s often a lot of emotional investment involved in making their decision.  And needless to say the final result has got to be perfect.

In choosing the component parts, your customers can choose among hundreds of options, and leave it to you to put it all together.  To add to the complexity of this business, you never really know how busy you’ll be.  That said, all of your inventory needs to be completely rotated about every three days.  After about 3 days, you can’t use it.  And finally, your customers will often never see what they finally buy.  They select the components, pay you for them, and the work you’ll do with them, and walk away, and it’s your job to make sure they somehow feel good about their choice to work with you, without seeing what they actually bought!

How are you possibly going to keep those customers coming back to you?

Have you guessed the kind of business I’m describing?  It’s a florist.  Think about it.  Think of those times you’ve ordered flowers.  You may never see the final result unless someone sends you a picture.  So what is it about that that makes it a great experience for you?  Now to add even more complexity to that….What if you’re the founder/ceo of one of the largest florists in New York City, serving all of the major hotels, where you have to get it 100% right every time?  Managing that kind of complexity is trickier than any juggling act I think I’ve ever seen.  

And our guest today, Nic Faitos, let’s just say he’s damn good juggler.

About Our Guest

Nic Faitos is the owner and founder of Starbright Floral Design, Inc. He goes by the title of Senior Partner, and he started the company in 1994.

Prior to Starbright, Nic has lived, worked and studied in California, Greece, Florida before finally settling in NY.  Nic has always been entrepreneurial, and his career has included publishing, technology and financial sales.  But it makes sense that he found his home in NY.  Nic is part of that enery, that sparkle, that puts the pizzazz in NY.  If you’ve been to NY, you know what I’m talking about.

Nic’s dedication to this industry, and as well as his dedication to delivering a five-star service experience, helped set a new standard for the floral industry.  Specifically in his interactions with hoteliers, travel and tourism, which is a market he soon dominated.  We spend some time talking about that.

Since its start in 1994, Starbright Floral Design has grown from a single employee to seventy-five non-seasonal team members. Never has the company experienced a down year in revenue and is by every measurable standard the largest and most well- known floral brand in New York City.

Nic has been featured on ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, Crain’s Business and at a presser with former Mayor Bloomberg, and now, this podcast.

Nic and I connected over Zoom late this summer.  And we started our conversation talking about what has set Starbright Floral Design apart from other florists, and what has made them the florists of choice for hotelliers in NY who have the highest standards in the world. 

Click HERE to visit Starbright Floral Design

Leave us a review on iTunes

I really appreciate all the support I’ve been receiving on this podcast! Thank you! If you want to leave a rating and review on iTunes, that’s always helpful for people to find the podcast.

Click here to leave a rating / review on iTunes

Contact Pat Perdue on Twitter

I always love hearing from folks on Twitter. Click here to send me a Tweet:

@PatPerdue

 

SHOW NOTES Let’s say you ran a business.  I’m not going to tell you what kind of business.  I’m going to let you guess.In this business, your customers spend a lot of time, and consideration choosing which of your products they’re going to buy from you.  Often they select only the components, and leave you to assemble it in its final form.  There’s often a lot of emotional investment involved in making their decision.  And needless to say the final result has got to be perfect.In choosing the component parts, your customers can choose among hundreds of options, and leave it to you to put it all together.  To add to the complexity of this business, you never really know how busy you’ll be.  That said, all of your inventory needs to be completely rotated about every three days.  After about 3 days, you can’t use it.  And finally, your customers will often never see what they finally buy.  They select the components, pay you for them, and the work you’ll do with them, and walk away, and it’s your job to make sure they somehow feel good about their choice to work with you, without seeing what they actually bought!How are you possibly going to keep those customers coming back to you?Have you guessed the kind of business I’m describing?  It’s a florist.  Think about it.  Think of those times you’ve ordered flowers.  You may never see the final result unless someone sends you a picture.  So what is it about that that makes it a great experience for you?  Now to add even more complexity to that….What if you’re the founder/ceo of one of the largest florists in New York City, serving all of the major hotels, where you have to get it 100% right every time?  Managing that kind of complexity is trickier than any juggling act I think I’ve ever seen.  And our guest today, Nic Faitos, let’s just say he’s damn good juggler.About Our GuestNic Faitos is the owner and founder of Starbright Floral Design, Inc. He goes by the title of Senior Partner, and he started the company in 1994.Prior to Starbright, Nic has lived, worked and studied in California, Greece, Florida before finally settling in NY.  Nic has always been entrepreneurial, and his career has included publishing, technology and financial sales.  But it makes sense that he found his home in NY.  Nic is part of that enery, that sparkle, that puts the pizzazz in NY.  If you’ve been to NY, you know what I’m talking about.Nic’s dedication to this industry, and as well as his dedication to delivering a five-star service experience, helped set a new standard for the floral industry.  Specifically in his interactions with hoteliers, travel and tourism, which is a market he soon dominated.  We spend some time talking about that.Since its start in 1994, Starbright Floral Design has grown from a single employee to seventy-five non-seasonal team members. Never has the company experienced a down year in revenue and is by every measurable standard the largest and most well- known floral brand in New York City.Nic has been featured on ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, Crain’s Business and at a presser with former Mayor Bloomberg, and now, this podcast.Nic and I connected over Zoom late this summer.  And we started our conversation talking about what has set Starbright Floral Design apart from other florists, and what has made them the florists of choice for hotelliers in NY who have the highest standards in the world. Click

SHOW NOTES About Today's Episode What would it take for you to go to a brick and mortar, say clothing store.  Would you browse through the clothes on the hangars?  Would you try stuff on?  Stuff that other people might have tried on?  And what would THAT be like?  In a small change room that someone else had just left?  Being all breath-y and everything?   While a year ago you may not have given it a thought, today, it might set off all kinds of alarm bells for you.  What we look for in a retail experience is fully, and perhaps forever, transformed.  These are historic times. In Today's Episode We Discuss: * What brands need to do TODAY to stay competitive in the new post COVID-19 economy. * What does the future of retailing look like? * The key approach that's allowing retailers to deepen their relationship with their customers. Today's Guest Ann-Marie Clendenin is a top leader of some of N. America’s most iconic brands, with a solid track record for driving massive retail growth globally through traditional expansion, as well as Omni channel (which basically means connecting meaningfully with your customers on every channel possible – brick and mortar, online, social, heck – graffiti on the side of a wall if that’s how your customers want to communicate).  Ann-Marie’s career spans 30 years, and if anyone is poised to think retail, outside of the box, it’s our guest today. Ann-Marie's leadership extends to The Limited, Ann Taylor, Aeropostale and most recently, holding executive roles as Global Head of Retail and eCommerce Operations for Kate Spade and President US Retail for Aritzia. At Kate Spade, Ann-Marie drove physical store expansion, tripling the business from 68 stores to 225 stores in North America and from 445 to 680 stores internationally, while scaling volume from $300M  to $2.1B. With responsibility for 3 brands and 6 channels in Kate Spade, Jack Spade and Kate Spade Saturday, she Architected and drove a 13 pronged Omni Channel Solution with more than $350M in sales. Ann-Marie is also an expert on "clientelling" – which is kind of like how it sounds.  Rather than subjecting your “customer” to individual transactions, clientelling is about creating retail clients, which means a much more profound relationship than the individual, and often forgettable, transaction at the cash register, and the result is lifelong brand relationships and phenomenal, individualized customer experiences.  You can just imagine that this is a disruptive force in traditional retail.  So who better to re-envision and disrupt retail today than someone who’s been doing it for 30 years. For Further Listening on the Importance of Brand Reputation Click here to listen to my interview with Stephen Hahn-Griffiths from The Reputation Institute on the importance of safeguarding the Brand Reputation. Leave us a review on iTunes I really appreciate all the support I've been receiving on ...

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Today we have two guests: Henry Iversen, Chief Commercial Officer and Co-Founder of Boost.ai (one of Norway’s leading Natural Language Processing AI companies, and Ramtin Matin, Lead Technological Strategist at SpareBank 1 SR-Bank, one of Norway’s oldest, and most respected, financial institutions. Specifically in today’s episode we cover:

The crucial role Boost.ai has had in helping SR Bank stay in contact with their customers, with zero wait time, even during the COVID-19 pandemic (when other companies force their customers to wait hours to speak with a customer service representative

1. The difference stages of Artificial Intelligence, and how understanding this can guide your organization today, and in the future.
2. The pretty surprising ease with which the Boost.AI solution can be deployed (Hint: It’s way easier, and way less expensive, than you might think)
3. We also get to learn how nice Norwegians are! (in case you didn’t already know that)

About Our Guests

Henry Vaage Iversen

Henry Vaage Iversen is a Co-Founder and the Chief Commercial Officer at boost.ai, a Norwegian-based software company specializing in AI-powered customer interactions. Boost.ai is the inventor of the world’s most complete software for building, implementing and operating virtual agents powered by conversational AI technology. Henry was instrumental in establishing key relationships with the company’s early clients, helping to cement boost.ai as a major player in the Nordics. Today, Henry continues to flex his business acumen, fostering existing relationships while expanding boost.ai’s vision for conversational AI into new markets. When not at home in COVID-19 isolation, Henry is based in the company’s US office in Los Angeles where he leads boost.ai’s global sales team.

Henry holds a Master’s Degree in strategy and management from the University of Stavanger.

Ramtin Matin

Ramtin is Lead Technological Strategist at SR Bank, and is an authority on implementing technology that helps drive efficiency while maintaining the company vision.

With more than 13 years of professional experience Ramtin’s main area of expertise is within the intersection of technology, strategy and business development. He has a broad industry background from more than 10 years of consulting ranging from industries such as banking, insurance, telco, public, utility and transportation.

He is a seasoned professional and thought leader on topics such as digital transformation, technology, strategy and in general how to use technology as an enabler for driving change, both internally and externally.

Leave us a review on iTunes

I really appreciate all the support I’ve been receiving on this podcast! Thank you! If you want to leave a rating and review on iTunes, that’s always helpful for people to find the podcast.

Click here to leave a rating / review on iTunes

Contact Pat Perdue on Twitter

I always love hearing from folks on Twitter. Click here to send me a Tweet:

@PatPerdue

Thank you for listening.

SHOW NOTES Today we have two guests: Henry Iversen, Chief Commercial Officer and Co-Founder of Boost.ai (one of Norway's leading Natural Language Processing AI companies, and Ramtin Matin, Lead Technological Strategist at SpareBank 1 SR-Bank, one of Norway's oldest, and most respected, financial institutions. Specifically in today's episode we cover: The crucial role Boost.ai has had in helping SR Bank stay in contact with their customers, with zero wait time, even during the COVID-19 pandemic (when other companies force their customers to wait hours to speak with a customer service representative * The difference stages of Artificial Intelligence, and how understanding this can guide your organization today, and in the future.* The pretty surprising ease with which the Boost.AI solution can be deployed (Hint: It's way easier, and way less expensive, than you might think)* We also get to learn how nice Norwegians are! (in case you didn't already know that) About Our Guests Henry Vaage Iversen Henry Vaage Iversen is a Co-Founder and the Chief Commercial Officer at boost.ai, a Norwegian-based software company specializing in AI-powered customer interactions. Boost.ai is the inventor of the world’s most complete software for building, implementing and operating virtual agents powered by conversational AI technology. Henry was instrumental in establishing key relationships with the company’s early clients, helping to cement boost.ai as a major player in the Nordics. Today, Henry continues to flex his business acumen, fostering existing relationships while expanding boost.ai’s vision for conversational AI into new markets. When not at home in COVID-19 isolation, Henry is based in the company’s US office in Los Angeles where he leads boost.ai’s global sales team. Henry holds a Master’s Degree in strategy and management from the University of Stavanger. Ramtin Matin Ramtin is Lead Technological Strategist at SR Bank, and is an authority on implementing technology that helps drive efficiency while maintaining the company vision. With more than 13 years of professional experience Ramtin’s main area of expertise is within the intersection of technology, strategy and business development. He has a broad industry background from more than 10 years of consulting ranging from industries such as banking, insurance, telco, public, utility and transportation. He is a seasoned professional and thought leader on topics such as digital transformation, technology, strategy and in general how to use technology as an enabler for driving change, both internally and externally. Leave us a review on iTunes I really appreciate all the support I've been receiving on this podcast! Thank you! If you want to leave a rating and review on iTunes, that's always helpful for people to find the podcast. Click here to leave a rating / review on iTunes Contact Pat Perdue on Twitter

SHOW NOTES Today's guest is Raymond Reddy, co-founder and CEO of the highly successful Ritual - which enables social ordering from restaurants in major cities across North America, The UK, and Australia. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about: a) How digital in traditionally non-digital industries, like food pick-up and delivery, can have a transformative effect on the overall customer experience. b) How digital ordering is transforming the fundamental design of the restaurant, and how Ritual helps their restaurant partners create space that maximizes flow, prevents line-ups, and improves the in-store customer experience. c) How specific, customer-by-customer, and order-by-order data, can help restaurants survive in hyper-competitive markets, and how working with Ritual can help them. d) Much, much more... About Our Guest, Raymond Reddy Raymond Reddy is the co-founder and CEO of Ritual.  Prior to Ritual, Ray co-founded the mobile commerce company PushLife. In 2011, Google purchased PushLife and Ray joined the Google team, leading mobile product management for shopping and commerce. Ray soon recognized the potential of better leveraging a social application to unlock mobile commerce and thus, Ritual was born. Click here to visit Ritual Leave us a review on iTunes I really appreciate all the support I've been receiving on this podcast! Thank you! If you want to leave a rating and review on iTunes, that's always helpful for people to find the podcast. Click here to leave a rating / review on iTunes Contact Pat Perdue on Twitter I always love hearing from folks on Twitter. Click here to send me a Tweet: @PatPerdue Thank you for listening.