pany that uses Great Salt Lake salts in a variety of its products , including bath bombs and mineral soaks . It makes a variety of products ( including CBD products ) for Sego Lily ’ s services . Now , the product maker has become Sego Lily ’ s biggest partner . The relationship is highly collaborative : Ojavan creates local products unique to Sego Lily in order to meet the spa ’ s needs . “ We can go to them and say , ‘ Hey , we ’ re thinking about doing XYZ ,” says Draper . “ And they ’ ll say , ‘ Okay , give us two months and we ’ ll find a way to make that for you .’ It ’ s really fun for both of us and it ’ s a partnership with benefits for both of us .”
Making It Work As Draper alludes to above , an effective partnership has to benefit both partners , and the best thing you can do in any partnership is to make it as easy as possible on the other person , according to Draper . “ Think about the other person , because if you can make it about them , they ’ ll reciprocate and they ’ ll make it about you ,” Draper adds . “ Sometimes we get so caught up in our own agenda that we forget that other people are involved — that there ’ s another human on the other side .”
Beyond that , the biggest risk to a successful partnership is , simply put , the failure of the partner ’ s business . New local businesses can be unstable , so it ’ s wise not to put too many eggs in one basket . “ The biggest threat is just that your partner might go under ,” comments Lewis . “ Other than one partner that decided to no longer run the business , we ’ ve been pretty successful and consistent with our partners .” n
“ I learned that I need to partner with a variety of different vendors and to find local vendors like seamstresses and designers who can design custom items for our members .”
— JILL BARRON
Quick Questions with Mia Kyricos
Pulse asked Mia Kyricos , the president of Kyricos & Associates and former global head of wellbeing for Hyatt , for her input on the most and least effective kinds of partnerships , plus her top tip on how to exit from a partnership with grace .
Pulse : What are the most effective partnerships , generally ? Mia Kyricos : The ones that are the timeliest . Right now , I think about schools and educators . I think of healthcare workers . I think of police departments . It would be pioneering for a local community spa to go into those places or even have curated products for them based on the nature of their jobs — reaching out to the underserved communities that feel spa is not for them . The other one that comes to mind are residential communities , condos , et cetera . Spa should be the bridge to these groups and communities that don ’ t feel seen or supported .
P : On the flip side of that , what often doesn ’ t work out the way one might hope it would ? K : Technology-based partnerships . I think it ’ s great from an operational standpoint , but I ’ ve often seen that spas go too far . Even something that ’ s as little as putting an iPad out in the reception area , or having customers access an app or digital fitness service , can feel out of place in a spa . People are so thirsty for the power of touch , and spa is a chance to disconnect from devices . It ’ s not that there ’ s not a place for technology , particularly in urban spas or those that cater to business travelers . But I do recommend considering partnerships that place technology in the spa carefully , because there is a time and a place — and I don ’ t think we ’ ve always picked the right time and place .
P : What should spas keep in mind when ending a partnership ? K : Always part ways with love . It sounds ridiculously cheesy , but the reality is that too many times those partnerships break up in a negative way , and that shines negatively on everybody . At the end of the day , both partners have a business to run , and a partnership that made great sense at the start might make less sense five years later . So , find a way to part with love .
JANUARY 2022 n PULSE 29