Get Your Med Spa in Shape at AmSpa’s Medical Spa Boot Camp

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Is your medical spa looking a little puny financially? Or, are you looking to beef up your medical spa dreams by making them a reality? AmSpa Medical Spa Boot Camp is the key to your success.

This two-day event is ideal for entrepreneurs, physicians and spa owners who are looking to open or enhance their medical spas the right way. The seminar offers insights and education on business plans, financials, medical spa trends, building the right team, compliance and the laws.

“There’s a huge need for compliance in this industry,” said Alex R. Thiersch, JD, founder/director of the American Med Spa Association. “The difficulty is finding what you need because there is a lack of general information.”

Skin Inc. had the opportunity to attend an AmSpa Medical Spa Boot Camp on March 20-21, in Chicago. Here is just a brief overview of what was shared.

8 Tips on How to Do it Right

Thiersch kicked off the first day by sharing eight tips to setting up a medical spa, which include:

  1. Plan accordingly. “This is a business—make sure you have the money,” he said.
  2. Focus on a niche. What makes your business unique? Once you find it, market to it.
  3. Never cheat the process. Keep your perspective at all time and stick with the plan.
  4. Be prepared to pivot. Look for new ideas when needed.
  5. “Burn the boats.” Be committed and give 100%.
  6. Know what you don’t know. Bring in people who can help you.
  7. Make compliance a priority.
  8. Enjoy the journey. “Keep your eyes open for new opportunities,” said Thiersch. 

Don’t Plan to Fail

The old saying is true: If you fail to plan; you plan to fail. Dori Soukup, founder and CEO of InSPAration Management, shared the keys to planning for business success. “A good business plan can take a year to develop. Don’t be afraid to make one,” said Soukup.

“A good business plan can take a year to develop. Don’t be afraid to make one.” —Dori Soukup, founder and CEO of InSPAration Management

Your plan should include: vision/concept, financials, location, business model, marketing and launching your medical spa.

“When developing your vision, think about your unique selling perspective,” said Soukup. “What sets you apart from the other medical spas in the area?”

Painting Your Financial Picture

According to Bryan Durocher, founder of Essentials Spa Consulting and Durocher Enterprises, having a handle on your numbers means understanding what the overall financial picture needs to look like and breaking it down into manageable, bite-size action steps that need to happen every day.

One of the key elements to sound financials is having a solid team. “Make sure those in your spa are good at what they do and have the same value system as you do,” said Durocher. “Coach and develop your team so you can have them do what you need them to do.”

“Technology drives to change us. ... equipment is the way to make money.” —Bryan Durocher, founder of Essentials Spa Consulting and Durocher Enterprises

Another key is implementing treatments that will bring in the money. “Technology drives to change us,” said Durocher. “Although Botox can bring clients in, equipment is the way to make money.”

Make Clients Find You With Digital Marketing

“Clients visit two or more practices online,” said Tim Sawyer, president and co-founder of Crystal Clear Marketing. “And, 62% of all searches are done on mobile phones.” If your medical spa does not have an interactive online experience, you could be losing out on new clients.

Sawyer recommended two tips about pumping up your online presence. The first tip is to have a gallery of before-and-after pictures. This is a great area to highlight your unique selling perspective. “There are riches in your niches,” added Sawyer.

The second key is to get client testimonials. “Reviews contribute to search engine optimization,” explained Sawyer.

Staying on the Right Side of the Law

“You can’t run your medical spa like a medical facility,” said Thiersch. “But, you have to treat it like one.”

Esthetics is different than medicine…no one really needs it. You can market, sell and get more clients like a business, but you need to do it in ways that keep you on the right side of the law.

“You can’t run your medical spa like a medical facility. ... But, you have to treat it like one.” —Alex R. Thiersch, JD, founder/director of the American Med Spa Association

Thiersch shared three ways your medical spa will get investigated:

  1. Someone gets hurt and you get sued. “That is rare and the side effects are usually not serious,” added Thiersch.
  2. Competitors turn you in. Whether or not you’re doing something wrong, competitors will call each other out.
  3. Ex-employees turn you in. “Firing someone is a sure fire way of having that person try to get your spa busted for something,” said Thiersch.

With 15.9 million cosmetic procedures performed and 14.2 million non-invasive procedures performed in the U.S. in 2015, the medical spa industry has doubled in the last five years. However, if you’re not setting your medical spa up to be as compliant as possible, you run the risk of being investigated.

Learning as much as you can by attending seminars like the AmSpa’s Medical Spa Boot Camp is definitely one way to get and keep your business in shape.

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