“I’m moving and selling my business”

Sending all of your clients a letter regarding your plans is an obvious necessity. I have moved out of state twice, opening salons in three different cities; Dallas, where I opened my first Carolyn Ash Skin Care business, then to Chicago, and finally to Boulder, Colorado. Along with letting my clients know I was moving, I also let them know that I had their best interests in my mind and that I planned to take care of them. How? By vetting and training the new owner(s) who would—hopefully—be giving them their facials.

Once you know your plans, you can start letting clients know as they come in for their facials. There will be less regular people who you might want to call or perhaps they are so irregular an email or letter is adequate to let them know your moving.
 

“I’m moving” letter to clients

Above is the letter I wrote to my Chicago clients to let them know I was not only moving, but selling my business. I give a small introduction to the new owner along with a bit about my plans. For any of my regular clients, this letter was simply a formality; I had long ago let these people know of my plans so this letter wouldn’t be a shock to them. For other clients who didn’t frequent my business but a few times a year, the letter did produce a stronger response.

As you can read in a future article, Tips for selling your business, with more details about putting your business up for sale, I arranged with the new owner to give my clients (her new clients) a first-facial discount. I recommended this for two reasons. First, I wanted my clients to feel like they were getting a good deal, considering I was leaving and they would need to get used to a new aesthetician. And secondly, I recommended the discount because the new owner should do this! A discount gives the new owner a chance to try her skills with my clients—her new clients. Without a discount, there is less incentive to come and give the new girl a go.

Not everyone will sell their business when they move. I remember when I received an email from an aesthetician announcing her salon’s anniversary and how grateful she was for her clients’ patronage. This seemed to be the reason for the communication, it was the only thing mentioned in the subject line of the email. However, and to me it was laid out as more of a side-note, she was also announcing a move out of town.

Everything you do in and for your business is up to you and is your choice. That I choose to do things differently than others is simply personal preference. From my perspective, moving out of town, away from your clients, is a special event—one that might be somewhat devastating for your clients. My recommendation is to treat it with respect and your clients as well. Try not to combine too many events in one announcement—especially if you’re moving away for good.

Below is a letter I wrote to let my clients know I was not moving out of state, but would be moving to a new location; a building I had just purchased to house my salon. I printed it onto my company stationary but here it is from my writing files without the logos and signatures that eventually were printed on each copy.

Directions to my new location

When I moved to Chicago in 2002, I kept my Dallas salon open although it was inevitable the office would close; I couldn’t keep up with two busy salons and my energy was spent in Chicago with my growing business there. On the bright side I had purchased the building the Dallas office was in at a very good price and was able to sell it 5 years later at a considerable profit.

This postcard was also just a formality since I had already talked with many of my clients over the phone as well as sent them a more lengthy letter about my plans to close the Dallas office. In other words, I didn’t just send out a postcard to announce the closing of my salon.

The same holds true in Chicago. I had many long-term, regular clients that I would never have considered simply sending an announcement to. If they weren’t due in for a facial where I could tell them my plans in person, I got on the phone and called all of the clients who were my regulars. I think this is very important. I had great conversations and heard many wonderful remarks from these supportive people. Not only did I want to say goodbye to my wonderful clients, I also wanted to assure them they would be in good hands with the new owner. Still, it is a transition that was hard for some to take.

One more point: When someone comes in for a facial, they are paying a lot of money, and I always feel this is “their time.” I called clients even when I would be seeing them for a facial soon so that “their time” in the treatment wasn’t about me announcing my moving-out-of-town news. Yes, when these people came in for their facials eventually, the subject was just that: about my move. But that was their choice. I actually had a few clients who didn’t use “their time” to talk about my plans. I love that they were able to compartmentalize, realizing their time was for relaxation. Kudos to them!

My point in this article is to say let your clients know in as personal a way as you can about leaving the business or moving out of town. These people helped build your business and it is important to treat them accordingly. I think it comes down to “do unto others.” If I was a regular client, I would want information from my service provider—a phone call or a chat when I was in for a facial—about a major change in her business, especially a move.