DOING BUSINESS IN
THE GREAT LAKES
HELP FOR BUSINESSES
LIVING and WORKING
FACTS and FIGURES
LINKS and CONTACTS
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Case Study - Margaret Leigh Beauty Therapy
 Margret Leigh moved to Forster from Sydney 11 years ago after her mother retired to the Great Lakes area. A trained and experienced beauty therapist, Marg was looking for a lifestyle change as well as wanting to be close to her family. Marg worked for several months in the beauty industry in the Great Lakes area in order to conduct solid research into whether another beauty therapy business in Foster would be a viable option. In November 1997, Marg opened her business - 'Margaret Leigh Beauty Therapy'.
Nine years later, Marg's business is still going strong. She has expanded and now employs one full-time and one part-time member of staff - both of which are local to the Great Lakes area. Her business now shares premises with a local hairdressing salon.
Looking to the future, Marg is conscious of increasing competition in the beauty sector and is focused on maintaining her market share rather than expansion. She sees opportunities resulting from the continued increases in population which, she says, has become very apparent over the last 2 years. As well as increasing number of retirees coming through her salon door, Marg has also seen a significant increase in the number of 35 to 55 year olds and believes that their numbers are increasing across the area as the 'Sea Change' phenomenon takes hold.
Marg's tips to anyone considering establishing a business in the Great Lakes area are:
- Do your homework!
- There are many business opportunities out there which rely upon tourism. These can often be very seasonal, so make sure that you realistically factor this into your financial planning.
- Good customer service can make or break a business. Make sure its one of your key criteria when recruiting or training staff - no matter what your industry!
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