**VENUE RENTAL NOT AVAILABLE STARTING JAN 1, 2022 to MARCH 31, 2023.

Who are we?

Executive Spa Group (ESG) is a community beauty industry resource centre.

In the past, we have served our community with employment programs that helped individuals join the beauty industry. Our goal has always been to cultivate Alberta’s beauty industry by promoting skills training and work experience.

Our primary role with individuals is to provide solid career and employment plans, therefore, collaboration with educators and employers is key!

We collaborate with educators.

We connect individuals to educators using multiple methods , for instance, our TRAINING 411 directory. This is an online resource dedicated to inform individuals of their beauty industry training options. In addition, we can provide educators with recruitment services to help them fill classes.

A venue for educators.

We encompass 2,000 square feet of space equipped for classroom and technical training. Therefore, ESG is the venue of choice for educators.  Take a virtual tour of the facility.

Our venue hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 9am-5pm. Extended hours/days are available.

While our venue is fit to deliver a variety of esthetics and medical esthetics courses.

Edmonton Venue Location

Executive Spa Group is located in the historical yet trendy neighbourhood of Old Strathcona.

Located minutes away from downtown Edmonton, Old Strathcona is a busy, centrally-located neighbourhood. Furthermore, it offers you and your students many amenities. For example, parking, transportation, restaurants, etc.

After training hours, you can enjoy the remarkable food and drink scene Whyte Ave has to offer.

Spend the night on Whyte.

Enjoy VIP treatment with our hotel partners when you choose ESG as your Edmonton venue. Ask us about special rates provided to our guests by the Metterra and Varscona hotels on Whyte. In conclusion, ESG is the obvious choice for your venue rental!

Things to do in Edmonton during your visit.

• Take a stroll down Whyte Ave. Ten (10) blocks of shopping, dining, service and entertainment experience peeking out of every corner!
• Visit The Muttart Conservatory– more than 700 species of plants in 3 climate-regulated biomes. Great for nature lovers!
• Walk the New Walterdale bridge. A beautiful sight at night!

EXECUTIVE SPA GROUP 
Beauty Industry Resource Centre 
(780) 604-2772 
info@executivespagroup.com

Matt M., owner and operator of Practical Esthetics shares his advice on operating a beauty industry business from home.

So Matt, how and when did you decide to join the beauty industry?

I’ve always been interested and loved the beauty industry personally, I was known growing up for the only guy with flawless brows. I got my university degree, did that career for years but was really unhappy with my life and dreaded going to work. A change needed to happen and I needed to be happy.

Yes, you can change career paths even at 30 years old!

Matt M.

Do you have a specialty? If so, why did you choose that specialty?

A friend of mine told me about body sugaring and how she goes to a home business for it as well as how much she paid per session. The gears got turning.

Being part of the LGBT community, I know many men and trans people have a hard time getting hair removal services because many providers will not service men or people who were assigned male at birth.

I’m personally comfortable with accepting everyone so this was a HUGE demographic that was untapped. Along with a large number of men (as well as some women) simply aren’t comfortable going to a woman for their services.

What are your favourite benefits of having a home business?

 WRITE 👏 OFFS👏 Home businesses drop your living costs significantly. Internet, electrical, gas, rent/mortgage, lawn maintenance… you name it, odds are it’s connected to your home business in some way and can be partially written off come tax time. Everybody likes keeping more of their money right?

Another benefit is I can work whatever hours because I’m always “at work” so accepting a client at 9pm on a Sunday night because her wedding is coming up and her photographer had to last minute reschedule… That can happen. I set boundaries but am also able to be a better service provider due to flexibility.

What challenges have you faced as a beauty Industry home business owner?

Biggest challenge of me being in the beauty industry… I’m a dude. I hate to pull that card but it’s been thrown in my face many times. Another hurdle of having a home business regardless of gender is being taken seriously.

There are too many people who fly by night and give home “businesses” a bad name. Keep yourself professional and treat your business as your business. Greet your clients in your uniform, make sure everything is spotless and try to remove the “home” atmosphere for a place of business.

What is your advice for beauty service providers considering starting their own home business?

Make yourself professional. Having a good website is HUGE! Make sure your SEO is optimized to the nines and the site is easy to navigate as well as interact with.

Make sure you’re registered, insured and inspected. Get your name out there any and ALL ways possible. If you’re not on a main road with lots of traffic, people won’t know you exist and you will flop. Advertise wisely, pinch pennies, get flyers and business cards made (I have little lexan stands to put flyers and business cards at other relevant businesses so we can work together).

Have 3-6 months of living expense money ready at hand or keep another job. It takes a while to build a client base to turn a profit. It will be slow but if you are persistent, you can make it successful.

Google reviews are priceless! Yelp is a waste of money and a trap. Always look for free/inexpensive ways to advertise and shamelessly plug your business whenever you can as well.

EXECUTIVE SPA GROUP
Beauty Industry Resource Centre
(780) 604 2772

Hiring apprentices in your salon can be beneficial. Here are some FAQs employers have when considering hiring apprentices versus licensed hairstylists.

Can I hire an existing staff member as an apprentice?

Yes, for example, you may choose to promote your receptionist. Some people may even say that its a good idea to promote your receptionist/assistant/etc. This is because taking on an apprentice is a long term commitment and investment.

How much supervision is an apprentice required to have?

The supervisor has to be a certified hairstylist. This person will be a mentor and should have the qualities to mould the apprentice with correct technical skills and theoretical knowledge amongst other things.

Your apprentice must complete 1450 hours during their first period (12 months) and another 1450 hours on their second period (12 months)

You can stretch this out how it best works for you, but this works out to 30 hours per week on average.

Can an apprentice offer services at my salon before being licensed?

Yes, they can offer the services you teach them as they practice their skills. Your apprentice will have to enrol in technical training at some point during each period (start dates vary), but you can teach them the skills you want them to learn in the mean time.

What is the application process?

Your apprentice must apply online. There is a $35 apprenticeship application fee. After, you will receive an email asking you to complete the employer portion of the application.

A contract will be created from there which will be signed by both of you and voilà, you have an apprentice.

Find your apprentice!

You can use our job bank to search for your next apprentice!

EXECUTIVE SPA GROUP

But not just any beauty PRO…

Meet Claudia, a strong, independent, ambitious individual who has made her self-employment goal a reality.

Claudia has been a licensed hairstylist for 13 years. She studied Hairstyling at MC College and proudly earned her diploma in 2006. Throughout the years, she gained the experience and confidence to be her own boss!

Claudia opened her very own salon, Claudia’s Beauty Shop. She states, “My salon is meant to feel private, comfortable and family friendly, with competitive pricing.”

Though Claudia trained in all areas of Hairstyling, including haircutting and chemical texturing, it is the magic of hair colouring that drives Claudia in her business.

“I’m in the business of beauty and Hair therapy (Hairipy).”

-Claudia, Owner of Claudia’s Beauty Shop.

Storefront vs. Home Business

The two main types of beauty businesses are storefront and home businesses. While a storefront beauty business can grow large with many departments and staff to manage, it is home business owners that can truly be called self-employed.

In our Salon/Spa Startup course, we teach students the tools necessary to manage a beauty business, however, having the right tools is only half the battle. The other half comes from within. It takes discipline and perseverance and time to win the game of business.

Home businesses offer the flexibility craved by many of us. The ability to work from home is an attractive quality. For one, transportation to and from work is no longer a matter. You save money in gas/transit, but most importantly, you save time. Time to spend on the kids/house/yourself/etc.

“My favourite benefits of having a home business is the freedom of scheduling appointments to suit my life.”

-Claudia

Self-employment is not for everybody.

While the benefits of being self-employed outweigh the ongoing work (if you’re doing it right), don’t underestimate the challenges you will face, these will turn into lessons learned.

Challenges of self-employment.

Claudia has faced some challenges in her ever-growing career. One of the biggest challenge she has overcome is learning how to be independent and accountable From paying for her ongoing education to staying up-to-date on new hair techniques, she is responsible for every aspect of her business.

“I have no other hairstylist in my home salon to be inspired by. I am responsible for all costs incurred by the salon. I am responsible for cleaning and maintenance.”

-Claudia

Advice from a PRO…

Claudia believes all beauty providers should work/apprentice in a storefront salon/spa before making the decision of opening a home business.

“There is so much to learn in the beauty industry beside techniques. Working in a multiple stylist environment you’ll learn how to work with multiple personalities, how to manage time.”

-Claudia

We couldn’t agree more with Claudia! Working with and learning from others will show you different ways of thinking and problem-solving.

“[Working in a storefront first teaches you] how to problem solve, how a salon works financially. You can learn how to be a mentor. How to sell products, services. All the fundamentals of becoming a successful business owner.”

-Claudia

How do I become a Hairstylist?

Visit TRAINING 411 to learn more.

EXECUTIVE SPA GROUP

Edmonton Economic Recovery Grant

The Edmonton Economic Recovery Grant can help your business recover from COVID-19. One of the lessons learned from COVID-19 is that it is important to have an online presence and to be able to sell online.

The average online store saw a 500% increase during COVID-19.

This makes perfect sense! We were all on lockdown, yet customers still had a need for their products to tide them over while unable to get their regular beauty services. Businesses that had an online store were able to stay afloat as they had another source of income besides services. We want to take this opportunity to give a shoutout to Binary Logic whose support during COVID-19 was incredible.

Applying for the grant.

You can apply for this grant in one of two phases. Phase 1 goes from June to December 2020 and consists of microgrants of up to $1000. Applications are accepted weekly. Phase 2 consists of larger grants of up to $25K.

Applicants can apply only once for either phase 1 or 2. You must have a valid business license to apply.

One of the core criteria of the Edmonton Economic Recovery Grant is business transformation and economic diversification. The grant cannot be used for rent/lease/mortgage, payroll, membership fees, permit fees, debt reduction, retroactive costs, insurance, and other similar expenses.

Matching the grant.

Before you get too excited, there are eligibility requirements to this grant, one of them being that you have to match the amount of the grant you apply for.

Other ways for beauty industry business to use the grant.

You can use this grant to purchase masks, gloves and other safety equipment to keep your staff and clients safe.

EXECUTIVE SPA GROUP