In any successful business, there comes a time when you have to decide how to scale its capacity beyond where it is, with the aim of serving more clients. Large national chains in all industries scale their business by opening new locations, moving online, offering new services or products, acquiring their competitors, reorganizing their workforce, and so much more. Similar to large companies and multinational corporations, as a solopreneur grows their business, decisions regarding scaling are nearly inevitable. Scaling a solopreneurship looks different than scaling a larger , but the principles remain the same.   

DREAM TEAM

One of the most common routes of growth for solopreneurs is expanding the business by hiring other skin care professionals. Hiring other professionals is the most intuitive method of scaling a practice; it changes the solopreneurship and the client experience completely. In this endeavor, it is wise to make sure that the solopreneur’s market the needs the type of business the solopreneurship will become after hiring others. Pay close attention to hire only those whose values align closely with the solopreneur’s because the business owner cannot lose what makes their business unique in their market, which is very likely the close, personal attention clientele receive during their appointments. No matter the reason a client visits, the solopreneur’s main objective is to preserve or improve clients’ experience by hiring additional professionals.  

Nichelle Mosley’s passion for aesthetics was born out of a desire to help others after failing to find help for her own acne as a young adult. Licensed in 2015, she has worked in clinics, plastic surgery practices, dermatologists’ offices, and with family practitioners. Mosley then opened her own clinic in 2017, Queen City Beauty Group + Wellness. She focuses on integrative aesthetics and holistic solutions to clients’ skin concerns. As a member of the International Association for Applied Corneotherapy, Mosley seeks whole-person solutions while delivering results for clients. She is also the 2019 Skin Games Age Management Champion and 2018 Skin Games Acne Finalist.  

Effective client consultations are the lifeblood of any aesthetics business. They are crucial to understand clients’ needs, provide personalized recommendations, and establish trust. For the solo skin care provider, consultations are even more valuable than they are for larger practices. The ability to customize the consultation, along with the inherent consistency that comes with solopreneurships have no equal. No other business has the agility or flexibility of a solopreneurship. Leaning into the business’s ability to deliver amazing consultations is vital to the continuation of an aesthetics solopreneurship.   

LISTEN UP 

Excellent consultations start with awesome listening skills. Paying full attention to the client and actively listening to their concerns, goals, and preferences ensures the treatment course stays on schedule. Showing empathy and making clients feel heard and understood makes them feel valued. As the consultation progresses, encourage clients to provide detailed information by asking open-ended questions. Instead of asking, “Do you have any skin care concerns?” Ask, “Tell me about any specific skin care concerns you are currently experiencing.” Questions with yes or no answers will have the skin care professional interviewing the client to determine their needs, which is usually far less satisfying for the client. No one wants to feel peppered with questions. 

Nichelle Mosley’s passion for aesthetics was born out of a desire to help others, after failing to find help for her own acne as a young adult. Licensed in 2015, she has worked in clinics, plastic surgery practices, dermatologists’ offices, and with family practitioners. She then opened her own clinic in 2017, Queen City Beauty Group + Wellness. She focuses on integrative aesthetics and holistic solutions to clients’ skin concerns. As a member of the International Association for Applied Corneotherapy, Mosley seeks whole-person solutions, while delivering results for clients. She is also the 2019 Skin Games Age Management Champion and 2018 Skin Games Acne Finalist.  

No matter the type of clinic a solo practitioner operates, they will likely have the opportunity to provide items for retail. Most are already doing this, but many who do, aren’t such big proponents of being salesy or constantly asking for additional business. The purpose of this column is not to persuade a solo practitioner to sell items at retail in their practice. This column’s intent is to convince the solo aesthetician that it is their duty to their business, their clients, and themselves to provide retail homecare (and other relevant items) to their clientele.

At the end of the day (and at the beginning too), soloists live to serve their clientele. Adhering to industry best sanitation practices, caring for each client’s safety, and monitoring their experience in the clinic is a natural thing for most solopreneurs in the aesthetics space. If something is beneficial for a client, practitioners should make it a priority as soon as possible. Retail sales should be the solo aesthetician’s priority for a host of reasons. 

BEING A BEACON

Simply put, no matter the reason a client is visiting their spa provider, whether they are looking for skin revision, a pampering spa day, or education in caring for their skin, clients look to skin care providers for guidance and expertise. Solo practitioners who abdicate their ability to sell retail to their clients are overlooking a number of facts in this decision. 

T{/mprestriction}he client who does not have the opportunity to get their homecare from their service provider is going to purchase skin care products anyway. Why not guide them in this process so they have a proper experience and get proper products? The results a client sees in a skin revision case study are due in large part to their homecare, so a client’s purchasing homecare elsewhere will usually delay the results both parties are working toward. Clients who aren’t seeking skin revision will also have an overall better experience if there are retail products on offer. That special scent in the air, their favorite moisturizer, or whatever it is, they will have a more complete experience if they can take some of that experience home with them. 

Nichelle Mosley’s passion for aesthetics was born out of a desire to help others, after failing to find help for her own acne as a young adult. Licensed in 2015, she has worked in clinics, plastic surgery practices, dermatologists’ offices, and with family practitioners. She then opened her own clinic in 2017, Queen City Beauty Group + Wellness. She focuses on integrative aesthetics and holistic solutions to clients’ skin concerns. As a member of the International Association for Applied Corneotherapy, Mosley seeks whole-person solutions while delivering results for clients. She is also the 2019 Skin Games Age Management Champion and 2018 Skin Games Acne Finalist.

There comes a time in every solopreneur’s experience where help is needed. Because solopreneurship is so all-encompassing in its scope, solo business owners likely face all manner of tasks in their day-to-day bustle. Some duties will be intuitive, like caring for a client, scheduling their next appointment, and so on. Other tasks might be a bit more outside the normal expectations for the job. Building a website, establishing application programming interface (API) connections, choosing software, finding a location for the business, selecting a skin care line (or lines) to carry, and many more are responsibilities the business owner may need help with if they are not naturally inclined to solve them on their own. How does a small solo business owner find help? The internet is full of information and there is plenty of aesthetics information out there. From collaborations to consultants, vetting information to getting started, this space has the solo business owner covered. 

Nichelle Mosley’s passion for aesthetics was born out of a desire to help others after failing to find help for her own acne as a young adult. Licensed in 2015, she has worked in clinics, plastic surgery practices, dermatologists’ offices, and with family practitioners. She then opened her own clinic in 2017, Queen City Beauty Group + Wellness. She focuses on integrative aesthetics and holistic solutions for clients’ skin concerns. As a member of the International Association for Applied Corneotherapy, Mosley seeks whole-person solutions while delivering results for clients. She is also the 2019 Skin Games Age Management Champion and 2018 Skin Games Acne Finalist. 

Finding a place within competitive markets is one of the biggest challenges any business faces. This can be a monumental difficulty even for businesses with marketing teams and ad budgets. With businesses being created and shuttered nearly constantly, how can solo professionals find their market within their local aesthetics economy? Finding one’s place in the aesthetics industry involves understanding your target market, tailoring your offerings, and effectively communicating your value proposition. 

PERFECT MATCH

The solopreneur should attempt to define their ideal client profile by considering demographic factors, psychographic characteristics, and specific needs or pain points their clientele visit them for. Once a solopreneur knows who they are wanting to serve and how to serve them, the focus should then shift to clearly articulating the unique value the solopreneurship brings to its clientele. Special care should be taken to address how client problems are addressed, how their needs are fulfilled, or their experience compared to local competitors. In a market full of unique businesses, differentiation of one’s offerings is vital for the business’s future. Encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, or your website. Positive reviews build trust and serve as social proof, helping potential clients choose the businesses services. 

Nichelle Mosley’s passion for aesthetics was born out of a desire to help others, after failing to find help for her own acne as a young adult. Licensed in 2015, she has worked in clinics, plastic surgery practices, dermatologists’ offices, and with family practitioners. She then opened her own clinic in 2017, Queen City Beauty Group + Wellness. She focuses on integrative aesthetics and holistic solutions to clients’ skin concerns. As a member of the International Association for Applied Corneotherapy, Mosley seeks whole-person solutions, while delivering results for clients. She is also the 2019 Skin Games Age Management Champion and 2018 Skin Games Acne Finalist.

Education in one’s particular field of expertise is an essential part of any professional pursuit. Skin care professionals’ education does not end with aesthetics school or licensure. The solo practitioner is just as responsible for their career growth, development, and knowledge base as any other licensed professional. There are plenty of options available for ongoing education to advance your aesthetic skills and knowledge. This column covers some popular options, but the main point of emphasis when seeking aesthetics education should be finding education from reputable sources. Look for education from people who already have skills and have been practicing for some time. There are plenty of trainings being conducted by newly licensed professionals; buyer beware.

Nichelle Mosley’s passion for aesthetics was born out of a desire to help others, after failing to find help for her own acne as a young adult. Licensed in 2015, she has worked in clinics, plastic surgery practices, dermatologists’ offices, and with family practitioners. She then opened her own clinic in 2017, Queen City Beauty Group + Wellness. She focuses on integrative aesthetics and holistic solutions to clients’ skin concerns. As a member of the International Association for Applied Corneotherapy, Mosley seeks whole-person solutions, while delivering results for clients. She is also the 2019 Skin Games Age Management Champion and 2018 Skin Games Acne Finalist. 

Happy March, aesthie besties!

Solopreneurs have finite resources, and nowhere are their resources more constrained than in the time they have for the business. The theme for 2023 is maximizing effort. Because of a solopreneur’s need to wear so many hats, it is paramount that time be spent efficiently whenever and wherever possible. No aspect of business is as potentially time consuming as time spent on marketing and social media efforts. What to post? How to post? When to post? How can marketing efforts made across the board be their most effective? How can the solopreneur get every last bit of benefit from the time they spend on their business, especially in the marketing and social media arenas? 

As with most things, the concepts are relatively simple. Executing these concepts requires the solopreneur to be self-aware, have a clear and consistent direction for their efforts, and, most importantly, have their ideal client in mind at all times. 

Nichelle Mosley’s passion for aesthetics was born out of a desire to help others, after failing to find help for her own acne as a young adult. Licensed in 2015, she has worked in clinics, plastic surgery practices, dermatologists’ offices, and with family practitioners. She then opened her own clinic in 2017, Queen City Beauty Group + Wellness. She focuses on integrative aesthetics and holistic solutions to clients’ skin concerns. As a member of the International Association for Applied Corneotherapy, Mosley seeks whole-person solutions, while delivering results for clients. She is also the 2019 Skin Games Age Management Champion and 2018 Skin Games Acne Finalist.

Clearing acne is one thing, but keeping acne at bay can be equally, if not more daunting of a task. When treating multiethnic skin, skin care professionals need to be aware that there are significant differences between the various phototypes in human skin. What are these differences? How do darker skin tones manage to and stay clear of acne?

In January 2021, The Journal of Drugs in Dermatology convened a panel of six dermatologists that were well experienced in treating skin of color. The study’s primary efforts were to determine whether there was a racial or ethnic difference in the clinical presentation and sequela of acne, the therapeutic endpoint of acne treatment and patient expectations, and the need for specialized approaches for acne patients with skin of color.

This study found six important and unanimous points of agreement based on the data they reviewed. While some of these statements may seem a bit on the obvious side, a professional who commits these six statements to their working memory will understand acne on multicultural skin far better than before.