Owning and operating a business comes with entirely different challenges than working in one. As a business owner, I’ve learned firsthand that success isn’t just about experience or skills. Rather, it’s about the commitment and discipline it takes to build a world-class business—and there are a few aesthetic training solutions that can help you get there.
Often, the work of running a business ends up taking owners away from their true passion—treating patients. The reality is that business ownership isn’t for everyone. In fact, it’s not for the majority.
I want to help you understand what becoming a CEO—someone who handles all aspects of his or her business—requires of you. The rewards of entrepreneurial freedom are worth it. But it takes a lot of work to practice and develop the skills required.
The overconfident spa consultant
All too often, a talented provider with a booked-out schedule will tell themselves, “If I do this on my own, I can keep every dollar that I earn.”
What they fail to realize is that there’s a cost to entrepreneurship. That cost is the imminent transition from injector to entrepreneur.
The transition happens more quickly for some than others. Some injectors open their doors and go from brand new to fully booked and building a team in months. But others may run their side hustle for years before they develop the confidence to dive into their entrepreneurial journey.
I have years of experience as a spa consultant providing aesthetic training solutions. I’ve seen that there three benchmarks to overcome as you move from employee to entrepreneur:
- Getting yourself emotionally ready
- Setting up your systems
- Becoming H.E.R.
Getting emotionally ready
In his best selling business development book The eMyth, Michael Gerber shares some wise words:
“Most businesses fail because they are not started by entrepreneurs, but by technicians suffering from an entrepreneurial seizure,” Gerber says. “Doing the work of a business has nothing to do with building a business that works.”
So many of my clients come to me feeling trapped by their business. They took a risk by starting their own company. But now, they feel burdened by the restrictions set forth by their jobs. They want to challenge themselves, impact more people, make more money and do it on their own damn time.
Too often, the very freedoms they tried to create for themselves are preventing them from fully stepping into their role as CEO. The key here is knowing the simple distinction between working IN your business and working ON your business.
Aesthetic business founders often build businesses that are dependent upon them. They dedicate themselves to serving patients day in and day out (often at the expense of leisure or family time). At the end of the road, they don’t have much to show for it. Their business is not very valuable, because it relies on only one person’s time and skills.
A successful entrepreneur builds a company that liberates her. She can sell her business for multiple millions of dollars, take the equity from that sale, and reinvest it into the next big idea. The point is not building a bigger business, it’s about creating a better business.
Setting up your systems
A valuable business has systems, structure, and a team. That’s how you set yourself up with cash reserves and boundless energy to do the things you are passionate about.
Systems give you the freedom to focus on what’s most important. They enable your business to run smoothly and consistently, while protecting it from unintentional mistakes. Systems help you automate processes and ensure that every client gets exactly what they need, when they need it. They also make it very clear to everyone on your team how things are done.
As you create your systems, you’ll compile detailed instructions on how to carry out an action. That means anyone can execute tasks correctly, every time. When you move from being a service provider to being a CEO, it means leaning into these tasks. You must embrace the grind of building out systems to reach medspa mastery.
PS, you don’t want to outsource this. The only way to build and systematize a business that authentically scales your distinct brand is to create systems that feel true to how you work. This takes time, time spent working on business tasks, and is exactly the point. If systems are your path forward, aesthetic training solutions are the vehicle to get you there.
Becoming your CEO self
The final step of becoming an entrepreneur is to eliminate outside influences and become a woman who is worthy of abundance.
To fully step into your CEO role, it’s time to stop:
- worrying about where clients will come from
- losing sleep over drama involving employees or clients
- rushing and reactive decision making
- longing for more time
It’s time to focus on loving yourself and appreciating all the hard work you’ve done. Let go of those old versions of yourself that no longer serve you.
You have a choice to make today. If you’re ready, you can transition into your best CEO self. That means building your leadership skills. But also, it means getting honest about what you’re willing to sacrifice to move from technician to CEO.
Does this sound like something you might be interested in learning more about? To talk through your journey, schedule a no pressure call. Or, stick around for my podcast, The Fierce Factor. Every week, I share my open, honest experiences about how injectors can build and scale the businesses of their dreams.