Amani Nicol Wellness Makes a “Pandemic Pivot to Prevention”

While every industry has been impacted by the COVID pandemic in some way, few have been disrupted as intensely as those dependent on in-person services, such as in the Beauty & Wellness space. In the face of these challenges, small business owners have stepped up and found innovative new ways to serve their community. One such business owner, and a Groupon merchant, is Nik Sweeney, National Board Certified Health Coach and founder of Amani Nicol Wellness.

Amani Nicol Wellness is a women’s holistic wellness spa featuring infrared sauna and vibration therapy, ionic foot detox baths, eyelash extensions, noninvasive body contouring, and health coaching. Nik Sweeney participated in our National Women’s Small Business Month programming, and recently spoke with us about how she has used this period to reinvent and expand her business.

New Certifications And A Pivot To Prevention

How did you start Amani Nicol Wellness, and what motivated you to do so?

Amani Nicol Wellness has been supporting healthy change for women since 2011, but I’ve been an entrepreneur all my life, I loved the idea of business as a kid. In elementary school I sold candy and even set up a club with membership dues. I went on to spend a lot of time in corporate America, until a light bulb went off that I could take that experience and instead focus on Amani Nicol Wellness.

For me, my first experience with Zumba in 2011 was a turning point. I wasn’t into it at first, but I saw an opportunity from how many women attended. I saw that with the ability to inspire women, an innovative approach, an origin story — with these things you can not only make money, but help women support each other. That’s when I made Zumba my side hustle.

From there I was like, what’s next, so I started asking about nutrition, all that. In 2016 I got a nutrition certification for health coaching. I trained in basic nutrition concepts as well as how our minds process the ability to change, because it’s not just about exercise and diet, but about change as a process. So, if corporate America doesn’t appreciate you, do something for yourself.

Then I had some health issues of my own, which led me to develop the Beautifully Well program, an integrated holistic approach utilizing self-care to develop healthy habits in a spa-like atmosphere. I opened my first holistic wellness spa utilizing this approach in 2019.

Since COVID hit, other health issues have still persisted, so there’s still demand, but there’s been a major pivot, you could say a “Pandemic Pivot to Prevention.” So, I decided to develop a wellness suite digitally.

I saw that simultaneously, we’re dealing with both COVID and also the diabetes crisis. I’m passionate about that, because I was pre-diabetic myself. That’s why I got certified for diabetes prevention, and we’re now officially considered non-essential workers for public health — not a fancy spa with ideas, but an advocate for community health and dignified treatment with no judgement. COVID has put Amani Nicol Wellness on the same list as Johns Hopkins and others as “agents for public health.” That recognition allows for further support because we’re Medicaid-approved, and now I can support women virtually wherever they are.

Now that we’re several months into the pandemic, what new pivots have you had to make? What are you learning right now?

Our brick and mortar location closed but we needed to still serve people, we couldn’t just wait. So in April we pivoted in several ways.

1. We went virtual to make more use of our coaching services. We found a platform that can give our clients 24-hour access to our content.
2. We developed an evidence-based curriculum, with a CDC-recommended diabetes prevention program.
3. We opened up to receiving support from the Small Business Administration, women’s centers, and so on. As things change we have to evolve alongside them, we have to make sure our business is future-oriented. So we leveraged resources for minority-run businesses, no-cost programs, and such.
4. We restructured our brick and mortar program, taking into account new safety and sanitation guidelines. Supply costs and other costs were up, and the number of clients we could see went down, so to still be practical, we had to change how appointments are scheduled, change the rooms, change the number of people per room, eliminate walk-ins, and so on.

When and why did you become a Groupon Merchant? How has it impacted your business?

I used Groupon personally before becoming a merchant. When we opened, business was slow, and it wasn’t easy. I hadn’t set aside time for marketing, so when Groupon reached out, it just made sense. They showed me that a marketing campaign didn’t need to be difficult or expensive, because Groupon already had the client base and could give us visibility and increased site traffic for services which are still new and not yet on people’s radar.

We’ve been thrilled to have you on our National Women’s Small Business Month programming. What has this celebration meant to you during this period?

Before this, many of us didn’t even think about how capital- and resource-deficient we are, because we’re too busy just doing business. This has been a very revealing period, a wakeup call. There are so many businesses that could help the community so much, but they lack resources. We didn’t realize it until COVID came and the resources came and went.

Then that’s when the research happened. There are now so many resources, programs, coaching groups, etc. We got the message: there are resources, you just have to know where they are. For example you have a company like Groupon that partners with other organizations to bring together people who look at business differently, invites them to these panel discussions where they can connect afterward, gets them to talk and share resources.

These things reach way beyond just that panel discussion. It’s about the relationships and the resources you come away with. Some of the women who attended as viewers have reached out to me since the panel. Those discussions help get female owners to pursue certifications, which is a topic many don’t want to think about. But now we can support each other anywhere because we can do it digitally.

What would you say to another merchant considering signing up to work with Groupon?

Just do it. First, realize you have nothing to lose. Second, have a serious conversation about what you need for your marketing. Even if you think you’ve got it all, who’s to say you can’t add another layer? You have the opportunity to reach so much further than you can on your own, even just in terms of social presence. Groupon is beyond just an ad campaign you would run for a specific service or product. It gives you access to affordable marketing. You get more reach, with more people, much faster than we could get alone.

I told the other women at one point in the event, if you’re at a point where you’re wondering if it’s even worth restarting, go back to your reason, your “why.” Then with that in mind, look into the resources out there, because this is definitely a time of opportunity in business if you know where to look. Consider becoming a Groupon Merchant, and look into local and state government no-cost programs. It’s gonna be a roller coaster, you’re going to have to work for it, but that’s just business. Now is the time.