Be Strategic — You must have a well-thought-out business plan with a concept. When I started my first spa, I had a very long specific business plan. It took me six months to write it. I had to work with other professionals, conduct intense data gathering, spend hundreds of hours doing market research, focus groups etc.
As a part of our series about “Five Things You Need To Know To Succeed In The Modern Beauty Industry”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Christina Kesaris-Tardi.
Bringing more than 15 years of experience, Christina Kesaris-Tardi is a visionary in the beauty and wellness space. She is the founder and CEO of the luxury wellness brands eséna Facial Bar, eména spa and eséna skincare. Based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Kesaris-Tardi was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and is a first-generation Greek American. Her entrepreneurial spirit led her to pursue her passion for business at Babson College.
eséna Facial Bar, designed for today’s fast-paced lifestyle with express 30-minute treatments, operates with a concept similar to a blow-dry bar but focused on skincare and head spa treatments. eséna Facial Bar delivers luxurious, express treatments that fit seamlessly into busy schedules. Serving the greater Fort Lauderdale area, it offers high-quality, lavish facial and head spa services in an open atmosphere tailored for individuals on the go. Exclusive eséna skincare and haircare products are used in all treatments and are available for purchase along with other unique wellness and beauty products.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
It’s an accumulation of things. My dad was an immigrant who came from Greece with very little and became a successful entrepreneur (mainly pizza shops in New England). He was a real boss and so growing up I always knew I wanted to be a boss and run my own businesses, like him. I attended one of the top entrepreneurship schools in the country, Babson College, to further my skills in business ownership and management with a focus in real estate investments. When I graduated from Babson, I had a desire to venture out to a sunnier place where I could escape the family business obligations and carve my own path.
In 2002, I fax-blasted my resume and got an interview for a real estate firm in Hallandale Beach. I took the job and moved down to Aventura, FL. I quickly realized that job was not a good fit and in a hurry to make money and afford my rent (jobs were scarce in 2002 due to the internet bubble crash), I humbly answered an ad in the paper for a commission-based, door-to-door sales job selling vouchers for discounted deals at local spas like the Contour Day Spa and game tickets for Florida sports teams like the Panthers and the Miami HEAT.
Between my 3.3 GPA at a top entrepreneurship college and some door-to-door sales experience, I had earned the credentials needed to apply for a Pharmaceuticals Sales Rep position. Back in 2004, before social media and crypto and all these new ways to make money, a job in Pharma sales was considered a prestigious career with great pay and benefits, so I was very excited. In 2007 due to territory realignment, I was let go from my corporate sales job as a pharmaceutical rep. Over the course of the three years, I had become pretty successful in my territory and grown a significant network. My territory was Miami Beach and the Downtown Miami area and so driving around those areas and networking with local professionals every day, made me see that major real estate development was about to occur in those areas, and I wanted to be in the mix of all the growth. At the time I was let go, I was the number two sales rep in the nation at my Pharma company, so my healthy payout bonus and a six-month severance package afforded me some time and income to decide what I wanted to do next with my life and my career.
Eséna Facial Bar is conveniently located in the heart of Oakland Park, just minutes from downtown Fort Lauderdale. Our VIP Membership is ideal for busy professionals, beauty lovers, and wellness seekers who want visible results—without the guesswork.
Address: 3236 NE 11th Ave, Oakland Park, FL 33334
Phone: (954) 256-4996
Email: info@esenafacialbar.com
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