From years of experience in the health industry, Emily Warner recognizes that people are overstressed by their jobs, phones, and mental and physical health problems. Her mission is to provide stress relief for individuals who desire non-medicated options. As a person who has suffered from chronic pain, Emily wanted to offer alternatives that have worked for her to the community. Gnamma Spa is the Sauk Valley area's first floatation spa with yoga classes available.
Challenge: Emily first came to the Illinois SBDC at Sauk Valley Community College in September 2022. She had thoroughly researched her business idea but needed assistance on how to start.
How Illinois SBDC helped: During the first session, Business Advisor Pam Clodfelter met with Emily to provide her with our services and learn more about her business goals and aspirations. Pam discussed attending the "Starting a Business in Illinois" webinar and completing a business plan to help Emily identify the demand and cost of running a spa.
Result: Emily completed the webinar training, developed her business plan, and successfully secured funding for her spa. The business property was acquired in March 2023, and remodeling has begun to make Emily's vision into reality. When asked about her experience working with the SBDC, Emily shared, "Working with Pam of the SBDC wasn't what I expected. I thought this was a person who was supposed to have all the answers to tell me how to get where I wanted to go. She didn't have that, but I realized it was because only I knew where I wanted to go. She had the questions, so I could figure out my own road to get there. The experience reminded me of a quote I read "You cannot teach a man anything. You can only help him discover it within himself" — Galileo Galilei."
Learn More: To learn more about Gnamma Spa – the area's first flotation spa, visit their website at gnammaspa.com, social media pages on Facebook and Instagram, or stop by the spa at 221 W Everett St in Dixon, IL.