When I tell people about skoah Boston, I almost always receive two responses.  First, the person I’m talking to will say “that sounds like a really cool idea….I cannot wait to check it out” or something to that effect.  Then, almost without exception, they will ask, “Why did you decide to do this?”  For me, that question is really two questions in one.  Why did my husband and I decide to start our own business and why did we decide to bring skoah to Boston?

The answer to the first question is pretty simple.  I have always wanted to start my own business and to be my own boss.  On top of that, I really love the idea of being a “shop-keep.”  Starting up a new business has not always been easy, but at the end of the day, all the hard work I put in goes towards building something I can point to and say, “Look…I made that.”  In my former life as a corporate attorney, that was never possible.  All I needed was the right product or concept to help me realize my dreams, and skoah fit the bill perfectly.

As for why skoah, that was an easy call.  From the moment Jay and I first set foot in the skoah store in the Yaletown neighborhood of Vancouver, we were both blown away.  This was like nothing else we had ever seen or experienced.  “Personal training for your skin” is more than a cute tag line (although it is pretty catchy), it’s a commitment by skoah to make sure that its customers are receiving a personally customized experience combining the best service and products possible so that each customer will achieve better skin.  The simple, yet powerful concept, combined with skoah’s commitment to quality and results hooked both of us.

At dinner the night after our treatments, Jay mentioned he thought skoah would be a perfect fit for Boston.  I agreed.  Folks in New England don’t want a lot of fuss and extraneous nonsense and they definitely don’t want a pretentious attitude.  They want straightforward products and services that deliver results in a friendly, relaxing, approachable environment.  And that is exactly what skoah is all about.  We both realized that this was the company I had been looking for to help me realize my entrepreneurial dream.  I reached out to Chris and Andrea Scott, the founders of skoah, and now, just shy of a year later, Jay and I are poised to open the first skoah location in the U.S.

Looking back at this year, I realize how incredibly fortunate I am to have received the support necessary to allow me to follow my dream.  My husband and family have been my biggest cheerleaders and have stood with me every step of the way.  When I hit and tripped over those bumps along the road, they were there to pick me up and set me on the right path again.  And as for business partners, you could not ask for better than Chris and Andrea.  They have allowed me to take a little part of their dream and run with it to make it my own.  I could not have done this without their support, advice, wisdom and help.  Thank you to each of you who have helped make this possible.