AFTER many bumps, and even some bruises, along her entrepreneurship journey, managing director of the popular MJ Body Concept Spa Juliet Thompson still jumps out of bed every morning eager to please her clients. The 52-year-old business owner and spa therapist has been making women feel and look beautiful for 25 years, a journey which began when she responded to a newspaper ad in 1999 looking for willing trainees.

“My friend and I went together and did the training for a new spa that was about to open up. To be honest, it wasn’t something I dreamed of doing. It was just something to do at the time. But once I started, I just fell in love with it. I love interacting with the clients. I have met so many amazing people over the years and one thing that has stood out for me is the importance of taking care of yourself, and the balance it creates for my clients,” said Thompson.

Noting that most of her clients are professional women, the seasoned spa therapist says managing a hectic life requires deliberate focus on self-care to cope with stress and avoid burnout.

“As women, we take on everything and everyone’s problems. We put ourselves last and if we’re not careful, we suffer in silence. I have learned to prioritise self-care. Some people may say it sounds selfish, but it’s not. You have to be good, before you can be good to others. When you’re on the plane and they’re giving you that emergency briefing, the flight attendant says you have to put on your mask first before you try to help someone else, even your own child,” Thompson asserted.

With this commitment to the cause and attention to detail, it’s no wonder Thompson has built a wide client base of customers, some of whom have been with her for more than 15 years. It is her clients that keep her motivated and inspired when the challenges of entrepreneurship arise. Recalling the early days when she branched out and started her own business, Thompson said navigating the hurdles of running a business and raising her daughter was only possible because of good support.

“My daughter’s father and her godfather were very supportive during the building phase of the business. They helped with pick up and so many other things. I have to give them credit for that. Big up also to Access Financial which was a great source of help when I needed to buy equipment and do so many other things in the business. They were also there again later when I needed to move to this location. Access is a blessing. The banks don’t really cater to small businesses. They want you to give them your first born and that’s ridiculous. Once you pay Access on time, you have no issues,” said Thompson, who jumped at the chance to partner with the microfinance entity on a recent initiative.

As part of employee engagement activities to promote well-being, Access Financial Services treated mothers on staff to spa services provided by Thompson and other business customers in the beauty industry.

“When I heard that they were doing this for their staff I was blown away. I have never heard of a company doing this for their employees and I think it’s a fantastic idea. It’s really impressive,” shared Thompson.

Buoyed by the passion to continue serving her clients, the beauty boss says she’s looking to expand in the next three to five years, starting with a strategy to recruit the right spa therapists to support the growth of the business.

“I’m exploring the option of finding people with the right personality and work ethic and train them myself. Full time spa therapists on my team have to love what they do as much as I do. They have to be passionate about their clients, and they have to understand that this is not just a job. We’re providing a vital service to women who come to us to feel beautiful, to decompress, to build their confidence so that they can go back out there and take on the world.”