Lindsay Reynolds

At 19 years old Lindsay Reynolds packed up and moved across the country from Ontario to Fernie, B.C. She loved the outdoor atmosphere of the area, but realized that she also wanted to find a career that she could pursue in the small town. After doing some research she decided to attend Aveda Institute in Victoria, as she had been introduced to esthetics during a high school experience in hairdressing.

As part of her program Reynolds was required to write a business plan, which created the initial idea behind Three Sisters Day Spa. After graduating, Reynolds spent four years working in the beauty industry before making her own business a reality. Today she enjoys sharing her passion and growing her business in Fernie

How did you come up with your business name?

It actually was the business name I chose in my final project at Aveda when I had to come up with a business plan. I chose Three Sisters just because of the mountain range in Fernie. I thought it was something that hit close to home and would stick with people who live in town as well as the tourist industry.

What’s the main thing you think you are doing right?

We’re accommodating. We always try to make our schedule work for people—coming in earlier and staying late, extending hours for people who need it. Also our team here is very welcoming. That’s the main response that we get from people, that it’s a comfortable place to come.

How would you define success?

It’s been a learning curve, that’s for sure. Especially at a young age. I was 25 when I started, and I look even younger . . . so just gaining respect from people (has been a sign of success). Gaining trust and being confident are both huge things. I definitely want to move forward and don’t want to move back. Also just putting in a lot of work and making sure that this is my number 1 right now.

How do you stay current?

Social media is something that I’ve found to be huge and I can thank my stepmom for that. She’s big into the advertising industry. So even Instagram—I follow spas from all over North America. There are lots down in California that kind of have the up-and-coming to give us new ideas. Even in a small town it’s neat to have those options to show people. Also magazines, everything like that. But definitely social media is a huge help.

What lesson have you learned to help you thrive in a challenging economy?

That’s hard because you definitely see it—especially in a small town with everything going on with coal and oil and gas. Local clientele is definitely huge for us—that’s what keeps us going all throughout the year. So we’re really lucky to have that base. (I would credit) the group of women that I work with every day. We have such a strong relationship that they’re very understanding of when things are going to be quieter and they might not be here as much or that when things are going to be really busy then they need to be here.

What book/podcast/ blog do you recommend?

I follow so many of them. One in Fernie that I really respect would be the owner of Freya. She has a blog and it just kind of gives you ideas of how to get yourself out there. Same with Decoro in town. Those kind of blogs are really fun to follow just to get ideas of how to reach clients.

What do you do for fun or in your downtime?

I’m a homebody (laughs). I spend a lot of time with my boyfriend and our pets. In the winter we do lots of ice fishing, snowboarding and quadding. In the summertime we spend lots of time camping and down at Lake Koocanusa.

When you were six years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a veterinarian. I’ve always loved animals and my father is a doctor, so it was kind of a respect for him combined with the love for pets. But I realized that I would probably take every animal home with me. It wasn’t really my calling, it was more of a dream than anything.

What’s the biggest risk you ever took?

One was probably moving out west at age 19. My brother was here, but I didn’t really know anyone else or what I was doing, so that was definitely a risk. Just moving away from home at a young age. And then with the business it has just been a financial risk. Especially, it’s not only me, it is my boyfriend who is tied into it with me. Even though he’s not involved financially, we are in this together.