So, come January I was starting to build a little momentum, I found a great on-line service which would help you develop your design for a logo of sorts, and print your info on all sorts of things. Business cards, check! I had hosted 2 spray tan parties (one for my own close girlfriends, the other I was hired), and both were successful. I was getting more and more comfortable as time went on and I was trying out all the different brands I had purchased and was choosing my favorite. (Vani-T Fusion, expensive but looks good on just about anyone, one customizable shade). I also really liked Aviva's samples I had purchased, but since they aren't organic I don't want to make them my main brand. I have recently ordered some other great-sounding products from them, and can't wait til they get here.
Anyway, so I was well on my way, making a few bucks here and there. I was mostly getting people who were either going away or who had a special function to attend. I was crossing my fingers they would return in the Summer. -- My goal is at least 50% repeat customers. Anyway, February first I had been granted a day off from work and was planning a ski day with my kids, my sister, neice, nephew and my father. When we got there, I slipped on a patch of ice, and I knew right away my ankle was broken. Surgery, 6 weeks in a cast not allowed to weight bear, not able to work. Thank goodness I had sick time at work. It's now one month after the cast has come off, and I am just getting back to work as my job as head nurse of a Maternity/Peds unit at my local hospital. I did one single tan while I had my cast on, and I am glad I did not do more; it was hard to do well while hopping around! 
Now while I was laid up on my couch, my kids at school, myhusband either working or at school, I had a LOT of time to myself. So, I did a lot of on-line research to become even better at spray tanning. My goal after all is high-quality spray tans and I will accept no less. I also spent a lot of time making advertising products come alive on vistaprint.ca. And especially working on my website to make it shine. It definitely has evolved since I originally bought that great URL back in September. I also started my facebook page for Smart Spray Tan as well. All this stuff was cheap or free. I even have free banners with my Brand on it in case I am in a trade show or even a community parade -- hasn't happened yet but stay tuned for Summer!
My husband, love his heart, is supportive though I think he must be tired of spray tan talk. He has never said so, though. I do enjoy learning about it and talking about it, and the making money part, well that is part of it too. I am more excited about having something that is MINE, that I do well, maybe even better than others, and I have something extra -- I am PEI's first and only mobile spray tan business. I can't wait to find out what happens next.

I got my machine from a website in Australia where they seem to have this spray
tanning thing down pat. I know I proabably paid more than I needed to, BUT I am
very happy with my machine, and it fit into my budget. It sprays quickly,
quietly, accurately, and with hardly any overspray (I only use about 1 ounce per
client). And now, I have started playing with the dials on the gun so I can
start practising airbrush muscle definition, which could come in handy
eventually.
Anyway. I broke the machine the first day using it,
when I was trying it out on myself. It vibrated itself right off the counter and
on to the floor. I did not get any instruction manual at the time, and didn't
know this would happen. The good news was all I broke was the attachment to the hose, so
a new hose was all I needed, and I got one pretty quick for free from the
seller. Rule #1, put the compressor on the floor. check.
So
then it was time to practise. On myself, It is hard to practise on yourself,
especially your legs and back. I even hard a hard time doing my right arm
because I had to use my left hand to do so. So, in the beginning, my experiments
had me wearing long-sleeved shirts as my right wrist was always overdone.
Rule#2, pull away before you get to the wrist, and a little barrier cream can go
a long way
Soon I was ready for others to practise on. I did a
lot of reading and video watching, and communicating with other salon owners. I
put the word out to my friends that till December the tans were free. I had a
party with my friends, and gave everyone a spray tan. After about 10, I felt
pretty confident and the feedback I was getting was very positive. I was also
getting used to the different shades and characteristics of each solution... was
trying out 4 different brands at the time. I've discovered that you get what you
pay for here as well. The cheapest solution, although it was organic and deemed
"premium" just did not last as long as the others, but the color was good on me.
So, I continue to use it only on myself. The expensive ones rock. And yes, they
cost me more, but I am interested in quality spray tans. People on PEI are quite
convinced a spray tan means ORANGE. I'm trying to change that one tan at a time.

I started Smart Spray Tan in September 2011, did free practise tans on friends and family til December, and now I'm happily doing spray tans as a part-time home-based business. I'm a nurse by trade, the Clinical Leader ("head nurse") of Maternal Child Care Unit at Prince County Hospital in Summerside. I love my job. And, I never ever considered starting a business from the ground up, but here I am. I got the idea from a few things that had happened in quick succession. A friend had shown her newly acquired spray tan on Facebook that she had paid for on preparation for a wedding she was in. Normally, she is pale, but the spray tan was quite dark yet natural-looking. Then, another friend had been saying that her visitor from Australia could not readily find a place to re-spray her tan while she was on vacation on PEI. Apparently, spray tans are quite popular in Australia, as well as elsewhere in the world. Then, I saw an episode of "Dragon's Den" which featured a Toronto woman trying to get investments in her successful mobile spray tanning business. That was the part really did it for me, I started doing some research. For several weeks I researched all I could find out about airbrush tanning. I contacted the woman from the Dragon's Den to inquire about franchise opportunities ($10,000 -- yikes no thanks). I got a spray tan from a local spa -- did not like that she used one shade on everyone --dark--, it was ok, but decidedly orange on parts and uneven. I knew I could do better. I considered a spray booth, but they are megabucks, plus fixing it would be a nightmare I would suspect. So, I googled business plans and started writing one. The more I knew the more interested I became.
I once said to my husband during all this intense study ,"If you think this is crazy or stupid you need to tell me because I am going ahead with this if you don't." He was very supportive and still is. I registered my business name in September after much thought. Some other names?   iTan (taken), uTan (taken), TanGo (taken) and finally Smart Spray Tan. I had learned to come up with a name that says exactly what your product is so it is not mistaken as something else and people can google you easier. I also like Smart because of Smart Car, Smart Phone, etc. and I wanted my customers to feel "Smart" about the choice they had made. I felt pretty smart coming up with that actually! Once I had confirmation that no one in Canada had a similar business name, I registered my name with CRA. Next I started my website and purchased the URL www.smartspraytan.com . And then I was officially a business. It would be quite some time before I was ready to make money.
The fun was soon to begin!