If you’ve been thinking about starting your own spa, beauty spa, or medical aesthetics clinic, now just might be the perfect time to make your dream a reality. The beauty industry continues to be a rewarding, resilient business as well as a smart investment. Styles, fads, and techniques may come and go, but the basic need for beauty treatments and medical esthetics is never-ending and timeless.
Getting started is not as difficult as you might think, but it does require some advanced planning and preparation. To assist you, we’ve put together an overview of 8 key considerations that will put you on the path to success:
1. Know Your Competition
Take the time to familiarize yourself with some of the different businesses already operating in your spa industry. Visit beauty salons, medical clinics, social media accounts and websites, notice what products they offer, and talk to estheticians and other professionals. What services are the most requested?
2. Decide on Which spa Services to Offer
Decide what kind of services you are going to offer. Take the time to define exactly what kind of establishment you want to open, and make a detailed list of the treatments and products you wish to provide and how to market them.
3. Define Your Vision and Brand
How is your spa or clinic going to stand out amongst the rest? Will you focus on beauty, relaxation, or healing? Will you take a holistic approach or a scientific one? Hammam, or Ayurvedic, perhaps? It is always wise to do what you love. What are you most passionate about? Having a clear vision is crucial to developing your brand.
4. Decide on a Business Name and Logo
Having a catchy name for your business and a memorable logo can be crucial to your success. It is always the first thing a potential client notices. It will become an essential part of your sales, marketing and may also influence your establishment’s overall décor.
5. Establish Your Equipment Requirements
What esthetics equipment will you need to get started? Make a detailed list of what you’ll when you open your doors, such as esthetician tables, magnifying lamps, nail products, skin care products and beauty salon supplies. Locate viable suppliers of these items and include their costs.
6. Determine Permit, License, and Insurance Requirements
Research your local laws regarding permits and licenses needed for the type of esthetics establishment you intend to open. Find out what insurance you’ll need and what these items will cost. (If you are a medical esthetician, these requirements might be quite different than an ordinary spa.)
7. Budget Your Costs and Develop a Business Plan
Calculate your approximate start-up costs and develop a business plan, which is always a smart idea, regardless of whether you’ll seek financial assistance. The BDC can assist you with this task and also offers great loan programs in Canada.
8. Get Educated
Do you already have the skills, training, accreditations, certifications, and medical degrees you need to run your spa, beauty spa, or medical esthetics clinic in the way you envision? Are you fully versed in all aspects of your chosen field? Are you up-to-date on all the latest techniques and technologies? If your answer to any of these questions is no, then it’s time to get educated. (In fact, for many estheticians venturing into spa ownership, this is their very first step, despite being the last entry on our list!)
Even if you are already an experienced esthetician, furthering or refreshing your education is one of the best ways to establish yourself as an expert in your field and garner valuable recognition to attract clients.
Online Esthetician Courses
Online esthetician courses are the perfect answer to your educational requirements and a great way to train your staff, too. In our experience, in-person classes can no longer compare to the quality, consistency, and convenience of online course offerings. And if you are looking for the best, we have developed some of the finest online programs that are now being developed for the beauty industry.
You’ll find a wide variety of online courses (including medical esthetician courses) on our website. No one knows the beauty industry like we do or has a more trusted reputation in the field of esthetics. Of course, this is not an all-inclusive to-do list. There will still be much for you to accomplish. As you embark on this journey, we hope that you will keep these insightful tips in mind. We wish you great success!