Guests visit your resort or spa to relax and enjoy the services and hospitality your business provides.

But as a business owner or manager, you know that beneath that calm, luxurious exterior, running a thriving resort or spa takes a ton of hard work.

Don’t stress.

Here are three small business practices you can put in place to make sure your resort or spa keeps on humming like a well-oiled machine.

You might even get your own opportunity to relax!

1. Know Exactly Who You’re Hiring

No matter how beautiful or luxurious your location and facilities, spas and resorts run on people.

Your guests will quickly forget about the view or how comfortable their room is if they have an unpleasant experience with your staff.

Not only are you likely to end up with an irate client, but you might also receive a negative online review that can devastate your business.

It’s crucial to thoroughly vet anyone applying to join your team before you hire them.

Plenty of candidates look good on paper, but even credentials for professionals like licensed massage therapists can easily be fake.

Checking references — preferably by phone — is essential. But the only way you can be genuinely confident that someone is who they say they are is by running a background check.

Comprehensive background checks from ScoutLogic can screen everything from an applicant’s employment and educational history to criminal records, credit reports, and more.

Don’t make a bad hire and put your business at risk.

2. Bring on a Bookkeeper From the Start

It may sound hard to believe, but it’s easy for business owners and managers to get swept up in day-to-day operations and take their eyes off the books.

Analysts report that 50% of small businesses fail within five years. A staggering 20% went under in year one. The number one reason they fail is cash flow and lack of funding.

No matter how wonderful an experience you offer your guests, you need to make enough money to keep on the lights. And hopefully, a lot more than that, these tips from Quick Books may also make your book keeping easier.

Accounting software like Xoom and Quickbooks are great for reconciling your checking account. But when it comes to managing cash flow and forecasting potential shortfalls, apps are no substitute for an experienced professional bookkeeper or accountant.

Even if it’s only part-time, hire a reliable bookkeeper from the start.

3. Target the Right Customer

No spa or resort can be all things to all people.

Before even opening your doors, it’s vital to know your target audience.

Having a clear idea of the kind of customer you’re looking to attract should inform virtually every decision you make, from the services you offer to the prices you charge, from interior design to branding and marketing.

If you don’t have a thorough understanding of your ideal customer, you’re putting yourself behind the eightball from the start.

Even well-established resorts and spas must consider the desires of their best customers before making any significant changes. Otherwise, they risk alienating the very people who’ve made the business a success.

The best way to understand your ideal customer is through building customer personas.

At a bare minimum, a useful customer persona should include attributes like:

• Household/disposable income
• Age range
• Location

You can find some solid customer persona templates to get you started  here.

No matter what stage your business is at, it’s always valuable to build customer personas — and update them as your company grows.

Final Thoughts

The focus of a successful spa or resort should always be on delivering outstanding customer experiences.

But that doesn’t mean you can take your eye off the ball when following business best practices.

Follow the three steps outlined above, and your spa or resort business should be in good shape for success.