Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Furilla.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Lisa. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I opened Practically Perfect Day Spa shortly after graduating from The Elaine Sterling Institute of Esthetics in September of 2010. I began just doing skin care treatments and waxing for my client’s. I soon added a massage therapist to help out. The location we were in was turned into a duplex at some point over the years and was located in a 1920’s historic home. About a year into the business I learned that the salon which was in the same building was planning to close. They closed pretty abruptly and left 3 lovely stylists with nowhere to go. They each had many years worth of clientele. I decided to pursue my dream a little further and agreed to take on the salon. We then became a full-service Day Spa and Salon.
The past 8 years have been pretty crazy! We grew very quickly and in 2016 I found out I was pregnant. I’ll never forget standing in our waiting area realizing we had completely outgrown our little house. The waiting area was packed. People were bumping into each other and the parking lot was full. Client’s began to complain about the parking. At that moment I realized we had to find a bigger location. In March of that year, I managed to convince the owner of 361 East Main Street to lease us the beautiful 1904 Victorian Home located right in the heart of Downtown Canton.
Being that I was pregnant, I knew I had a short period to complete the renovations before I was out of energy. I also knew I wasn’t going to accomplish much with a baby on my hip once she arrived. We quickly got to work! The home was previously a Mexican restaurant and we had a ton of work to do!
With the help of my biggest supporter and husband, Sean, as well as quite a few other awesome people, we completed the renovations and somehow managed to move into our new space. My husband is a music teacher and would race to the new location after school and concerts. We would work late into the night/early morning at a breathtaking pace. It was a huge feat, no doubt. We opened the doors on May 16, 2016, after only 6 weeks of nonstop renovations. The months after we opened were spent tweaking things, redecorating, hiring new employees, and working on client’s myself.
My 3rd amazing daughter, Agnes Rose, was born on September 22, 2016. Three hours after she was born I began hemorrhaging and nearly died after losing all of my blood. Dr. Angela Falany and the incredible doctors at Northside Cherokee Hospital miraculously managed to save my life. I couldn’t walk for weeks, and I was pretty much useless at home and at the salon for a long time. I have been very blessed with an incredible staff who all stepped it up and managed to take care of things while I came back to life. That was an incredibly hard time, and I thank God every day for my amazing support system.
Since then, we have renovated more of the space and have grown to now have 25 employees and utilize every bit of our 5000 square foot home. We offer Skin Care, Waxing, Massage Therapy, Lash Extensions, Nail Services, and Hair Services. We have also just added our new “Men’s Zone” which has a separate entrance in the back of the house. We will now be offering Barber Services, including straight razor steam shaves, specialty barber cuts, as well as men’s skin treatments.
We are constantly growing and always working to improve our location, as well as our client experience. We love what we do and hope that shows when you walk through our doors! Walking into the house should feel like walking into your home. Our goal has always been centered around filling every inch of our home with positive energy which in turn hopefully creates an experience that leaves the client feeling… well… Practically Perfect.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’ve been living for the past 8 years on a dream and a prayer.
There are always struggles with businesses, but I think mine was unique because of the amount of ‘on the job figuring out’ that I had to do. Given that I started the business the way I did, knowing really nothing about running a salon or the ins-and-outs of being an owner, I’d say that was a struggle.
I had to learn what each staff member needed in order to perform services, learn about products – how they work, what building licenses are required and how I was expected to somehow pull money out of thin air to keep the doors open. I had to learn marketing, scheduling programs, how to do payroll, pay taxes on time, manage orders – equipment – employees, and figure out how to maintain a smooth, drama free, positive environment (to match our mission). There was a lot to figure out!
Finding the right team full of positive energy, who were willing to support each other and deal with this crazy, growing business has been tough, but somehow we’ve managed to make it work!
All of these hurdles occurred while caring for 2 young daughters, getting divorced in my first year open, getting re-married, then getting pregnant and nearly dying after giving birth to my 3rd daughter. Now I am running the business with a toddler on my hip and 2 teenage daughters.
You asked for my obstacles, but challenges are all part of life. We all have our stories. I’d say it definitely hasn’t been super smooth, but I wouldn’t change it for anything! Life is a pretty incredible journey!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Everything we do centers around making people feel great. That’s such an important part of life! We believe that the way to get there is through being kind and positive.
As far as what we specialize in, that’s such a long list. There are many different layers to each category but we are a place that you can go to get numerous services done under the same roof. We offer skin care, waxing, hair, nails, and massage services. We’re known for offering full spa days that incorporate many wonderful services as well as having a fantastic staff who are all amazing at their craft!
I’m most proud of the environment we’ve created. Our staff is full of truly caring and loving people. It’s at the core of our mission as a team. A positive approach to life is so important. Things come at us in life, but the attitude that you present can really make such a difference.
I believe what makes us different is our approach as well as our beautiful historic home. We strive to make it inviting and comforting – a place that you want to be and keep coming back.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think we’re in a great place to start a business. Things are growing at a rapid pace and only getting better!
Contact Info:
- Address: 361 East Main Street Canton, Georgia 30114
- Website: www.practicallyperfectdayspa.com
- Phone: 770-704-5614
- Email: practicallyperfectdayspa@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/practicallyperfectdayspa
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/PracticallyPerfectDaySpa/
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/PracPerfDaySpa
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/practically-perfect-day-spa-and-salon-canton
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