How to Grow a Med Spa From Salon Suite to Sellable Business

Catherine Marben (00:00):
You can learn so much from someone else's path and you're not going to follow someone's path exactly. Everybody has a little bit of a pearl that might help you in your own and don't wait to ask for help. Don't wait.

Jessica Hunter (00:24):
Hi, I'm Jessica Hunter and we're back on the Aesthetic Appeal podcast today. We are at The Aesthetic Show here in beautiful Las Vegas. And I am super, super excited because today we have Catherine joining us who is a long term client. I have known Catherine, I don't know.

Catherine Marben (00:42):
I feel like it's three years now.

Jessica Hunter (00:43):
It's a while.

Catherine Marben (00:45):
Yeah.

Jessica Hunter (00:45):
And Catherine, I think this is going to be a really nice opportunity for her to just share a little bit about her journey, where she's come from and sort of like what it's looked like for her to transition as a solo provider in your own space and now building out your own new, brand new clinic and all the struggles that go. So Catherine, I'd love for you to just share a little bit about how you got started and sort of what led you to that path to open up your own space that is opening right away. Tell us a little bit about that journey.

Catherine Marben (01:19):
So I'm so excited to be here. Thank you so much for having me. First of all, Catherine Marben. I own Profile Aesthetics in Scottsdale, Arizona. And I started as Catherine M. Aesthetics, which I think is an important part of my journey. I had this passion for aesthetics, but I think like so many people, I just wanted to work three days a week out of a salon suite. And that quickly evolved. I became very well educated injector of the community. I felt like that was the only way I could stand out. But with that came business growth. And for me, I just wanted more. So it was this strategic journey of taking my name out of the business and trying to build the business into something that would be sellable one day. And I started that journey by myself. So I kept my overhead low.

(02:14):
I always rented either a salon suite or a small room out of perhaps a surgeon's office or a medical spa with the ultimate goal to purchase a building and build out truly what we wanted at that time, Catherine Aesthetics to be now Profile Aesthetics. That was kind of my first step of rebranding, but it did. It came to a point where I knew that being a great injector wasn't going to be enough for this. I needed to reach out to you. And so getting that consultant really helped me to look at the whole ecosystem and be honest with myself that I don't know what I don't know. And it was a big feat to invest in that.

Jessica Hunter (02:57):
Absolutely. I think when we met, you had a really nice thriving business in your space. You had the room at, I won't say, but at the Salon Suite, you had a really loyal clientele. Your head trainer for a bunch of the different vendors. And I knew that you had that ability to be able to retain clients and really be able to deliver an amazing customer experience. But I think you very similar to a lot of my clients, like when I think about my interactions, initial reactions with that with you, it was sort of like, okay, how do I become that entrepreneur? How do I build out a financially feasible business? And so what do you think was the biggest challenge that you had from moving away from sort of that salon suite to, okay, how do we grow and scale into something a little bit more long term?

Catherine Marben (03:49):
I think for me, it was getting away from these emotional decisions. You have a tendency to scroll on social media and see what's the Med Spa next door doing or they're running a special care. And so it gives you this anxiety or this panic that perhaps you should be pivoting that way to, it seems like it's working for them. And you make these emotional decisions for your business rather than informed decisions based off of sure ROI. And I think that, especially with AI these days, we can find ROI. We can find out how to find our ROI. But what I didn't know is what is the benchmark? I have the ROI. What should it be? What's healthy? And so when I brought you on, I was able to learn that. I was able to learn how to use a flow sheet, which I did not.

(04:42):
I'm a nurse. I'm not a business person. And you just made that so seamless. And then it really just came together like, yes, here is what you're actually earning after you put everything in. It's not just consumables. And then what is the benchmark? And something that I share now with my students is when you think about the cost of a good and a lot of us, I think use a rule of thumb, we just double it. And I tell them, that's great. So now you just sold that. You have enough money now to pay the credit off that you just purchased it with and buy the next one. So where's the money left to grow? And so when I hired you on, you made sure that my margins were enough to pay the product off, buy the next one and then be able to scale the business. And that was so important for me.

Jessica Hunter (05:36):
Yeah, definitely. I think that's probably the number one thing I would say I see is just not really knowing the financial landscape behind the scenes for business owners. And you're so busy delivering the patient care, giving that great service. And that's your wheelhouse. That's your comfort level. And so I totally understand that. And it is more common than not. So when we think about your journey too as now you're opening up your space and how big is it?

Catherine Marben (06:03):
It's 2,600 square feet.

Jessica Hunter (06:04):
Wow. And how many rooms?

Catherine Marben (06:07):
It's five working rooms. We have a large conference room. We have a lobby that we'll have also students in. We'll be able to set up a ton of tables. And then we have the most incredible admin area we're so excited about.

Jessica Hunter (06:18):
That's so amazing. It's so great to see you go and take that next journey.

Catherine Marben (06:22):
Yeah. Thank you.

Jessica Hunter (06:23):
Yeah. What do you think is the number one challenge that you had to sort of overcome maybe even mentally to get there where you were like, I want to do this. Hat was really holding you back do you think that other people that are listening to this could really relate to?

Catherine Marben (06:38):
I think that's such a great question. There's so many things that I can say held me back for a while. I think the easiest one to think about is how much that costs. It costs a lot. And I think just realizing and trusting that you have to spend more to make more and that is an investment. It's an investment into the company. It's an investment into our clients, into our staff. And that is something that I feel like as long as I just keep trudging forward, there's no way this can fail. I feel like bringing you on and bringing on the incredible staff that I have, there's no way I can fail. And so I really truly believe in that and I look forward to it. I think something that's challenging for me is trusting that it's time for more staff.

Jessica Hunter (07:30):
Yeah, for sure.

Catherine Marben (07:32):
And just trusting that I can't do it all.

Jessica Hunter (07:35):
Yeah. And I think as a solo provider, you're so used to doing it all.

Catherine Marben (07:38):
Totally.

Jessica Hunter (07:38):
Yeah. So how do you know, like how have you gauged when you're at capacity or when your team's at capacity and you think that you need to branch out and hire someone? Is there something that you sort of like utilize to give you that indication that it's probably time?

Catherine Marben (07:55):
Well, we do weekly meetings and I think that culture is such a huge thing for profile aesthetics. And I do a pulse check each week. How's everybody doing? Are you still on board? Are you still team profile? And they're honest with me and I think I've given them room to be very frank and honest with me. And we are at a time where I hear I'm pushing in the seams, but let's wait for the renovation to be done. And I know I'm pushing the seams, but I think too, it takes a little bit of self-awareness to know that I'm not the smartest person in the room. I own the business, but I know that other people currently that work for me, but also that don't work for me yet, they know more about some of this stuff. So when is it time to bring them in and unload a little bit off my plate, but also get better results with somebody who knows how to do it better?

Jessica Hunter (08:46):
Right. Yeah. And I think you and I have talked a lot about this in terms of when we're talking about hiring for the right services. It's really about the people that have done it really well have sort of hired people that are special and they're kind of niche in their specialty. And that really goes a long way in our industry to have somebody who's, that's their bread and butter. They know the ins and outs and they can really dive their teeth into that. Not just the experience, but then how are we engaging with them, communicating to them, retaining them? All of those things are so important. It takes a lot of time.

Catherine Marben (09:19):
It does take time. And I feel like I look at that as the same way I looked at when I finished my, I think all of us has done a two day and learn how to do injectables training programs. Some of us not all go on to an aprenticeship and then we're just thrown to the wolves. It's a wild west out there. And I really took it upon myself to invest in training with the best providers in the world. And I looked at that as a fast track past their mistakes. They have their big name for a reason. They've had so many trial and errors and I'm lucky enough to invest and sit shoulder to shoulder with these people and bypass all of that. And I look at that in the staff that I bring on Profile Aesthetics as well. And perhaps we are going to offer them a higher rate of pay, but again, you're getting that investment back in routine in not having to babysit and happy clients.

Jessica Hunter (10:13):
Yeah. And the consistency is so important, right?

Catherine Marben (10:16):
So important.

Jessica Hunter (10:17):
It really, really is. So I think the other thing I would really be interested to know is what are you most excited about for your future? What does your long-term vision look like for you at Profile and as a business owner?

Catherine Marben (10:31):
My long-term goal is to be able to home these incredible staff and be able to provide them a place to grow. And I am always a believer and an advocate for if it's not a hundred years with Profile, I'm so happy to be just a part of that stepping stone for them. And I think when you're a leader that really encourages that, you get that back, you get that loyalty back. So my vision is just people that have been with us for many, many years. We're all on the same page when it comes to the client comes first. We don't rush our appointment times and we don't rush our patients. We're always there for them. So I just picture this really seamless, well oiled machine here in the next few years. Yeah. I love that. Yeah. And hopefully, of course, one day we'll be able to sell that. And that's my strategy.

Jessica Hunter (11:22):
Yeah. Yeah. Great. I think that's amazing. Okay. So last question.

Catherine Marben (11:26):
Okay.

Jessica Hunter (11:27):
I am someone who's just starting out my business. I am just starting from the ground up. What piece of advice would you give me coming into medical aesthetics as a solo entrepreneur that you wish someone maybe would have told you five, 10 years ago?

Catherine Marben (11:46):
Oh my gosh. How much more time do we have? I would say to introduce yourself to every person in the industry that has done it a little bit longer than you have. Make them know your face and your name because you can learn so much from someone else's path and you're not going to follow someone's path exactly. Everybody has a little bit of a pearl that might help you in your own and don't wait to ask for help. Don't wait. I think that everybody's practice is so unique. And for me, and I think I would say sometimes you just need that cheerleader shoulder to shoulder to say, "We're doing this. We're doing this. " So don't be afraid to ask for help earlier on.

Jessica Hunter (12:40):
Yeah. I love that. I mean, one of the things you just said to me while we weren't filming was just how you kind of sometimes needed that push, right?

Catherine Marben (12:47):
Yes.

Jessica Hunter (12:47):
You sometimes kind of needed someone to say, "Hey, listen, I know this is out of your comfort zone. I know this is scary, but you're moving in the right direction, you're doing the right things. And I want you to try something new. I want you to give this that chance because sometimes we get so much in our own way of just, this is how we've always done it. That was going to continue to do it. " So I think that's great. And yeah, thanks for sharing that with me earlier. That was so awesome. And I loved hearing that.

Catherine Marben (13:14):
Fear driven business versus somebody like you to just push me in the deep end.

Jessica Hunter (13:18):
Yeah. It's funny. I never knew that you felt that way too.

Catherine Marben (13:21):
Absolutely.

Jessica Hunter (13:22):
So I love that. But Catherine, I mean, I love seeing you. I love that we get to spend time together.

Catherine Marben (13:26):
Thank you.

Jessica Hunter (13:27):
I love that we're going to go hang out and have dinner too and just chill out. So thanks so much for sharing your story. I think someone's going to get so much value when they're listening to this and just relate to you in so many different ways.

Catherine Marben (13:37):
Yeah. I hope so. You guys got this. Just hang in there. It's not easy, but you've got this.

Jessica Hunter (13:42):
Yeah, absolutely. Okay. Thanks so much.

Catherine Marben (13:45):
Thank you.