RUNNING A MODERN AESTHETIC CLINIC: MAKING SMART DECISIONS

Pure Perfection Clinic owner and medically trained nurse practitioner Sara Cheeney shares tips on how she runs her award-winning clinic.

After 14 years in the aesthetics industry, running award-winning Pure Perfection and having had skin troubles as a young adult, it’s safe to say this industry has given and shown me a lot.

Since winning ‘Aesthetic Nurse of the Year’ at the Safety and Beauty Awards in 2019, I received an everincreasing number of calls from those struggling to keep their businesses going during the Covid-19 lockdown. Giving out advice daily, I quickly realised how rewarding I found helping others with their aesthetic practices and so Clinic Success was born as an official aesthetic coaching business. I had previously done some strategy days for colleagues and loved every minute but the lockdown made me realise that so many need business support.

WHAT DOES A SUCCESSFUL CLINIC LOOK LIKE?

There are several key things you need in place to run a long-lasting, successful clinic. Success doesn’t just mean ‘busy’ either, it means profitable, it means attracting new clientele and it means a happy team too.

Here are a few things to consider when benchmarking your clinic:

• Do you have an active clinic success plan in place?

• Do you have a working marketing strategy?

• Do you have your dream team in place within the clinic?

• Are you offering regular staff training and appraisals?

• Are you nurturing your customer base?

• What are your lead generation efforts like?

• Do you keep a keen eye on the finances?

• Are you led by patient safety?

• Do you have intelligent systems in place that help you meet your goals?

REMEMBER WHY YOU STARTED…

On busy or challenging days, it’s always good to take a moment to reflect on why you started your business in the first place, and to re-find that much-needed motivation. I use a Dream Board system to help clients lay out their dreams for their business (and personal life!), to help build an action plan and start making them come true. We discuss everything, from lifestyle choices to financial goals, passions, and career goals too.

WHAT MAKES YOU ‘YOU’?

Next up, you need to define what makes you different and unique. What makes you stand out from the crowd and get ahead of the competition? Look at your USPs and what you can offer that the competition can’t or isn’t. Think about how you want to be, and how this may differ from your current situation.

FOUR SEGMENTS OF BUSINESS

In every business, aesthetic or not, four key segments need constant review, analysis, and planning. These are:

• Marketing – Look at your strategy, how this impacts your return on investment, whether to outsource or not, and analyse competitors

• HR – Think about staff training, team motivation, tactics for successful hiring and firing and how to deal with business adversities

• Finance – Management of your money is crucial and that means both profits and losses - look at budgeting and investments too

• Operations – Who currently runs the show in-clinic, and who should? What does your day-to-day clinic life look like and how can you align the team better and improve on facilities and supplier management?

WORKING IN HARMONY

Every successful businessperson has a coach to help them continuously grow, highlight opportunities, and remain accountable. Even those at the top of their game will find inspiration and room for improvement. A business coach gets to the root of where and why your aesthetic business is struggling and works with you to finally start re-organising and planning. “With you” is the key phrase here – we’re not here to take control away from you or to work for you. Instead, it is about building a positive relationship that provides you with regular, one-to-one support.

Ultimately, every business, be it aesthetic or otherwise, seeks help. Business coaches give you the focus back and help resolve the biggest problems in your aesthetic business, often solving some of the smaller snags along the way too.

FINALLY -WHY ME?

There’s a very simple, important difference between myself and other business coaches. I am walking in your aesthetic shoes on a day-to-day basis. Not only have I founded an award-winning clinic, but I also still own and run it, so I know how it feels to be a clinic owner in the current climate. I’ve had almost every business adversity happen to me, meaning I’ve already come up with successful strategies for overcoming them, that can be applied to your business too.

Email: sara@pureperfectionclinic.com, Instagram: @pureperfectionrossett, Facebook: @Purepclinic