How To Set Up A Cosmetic Clinic From Scratch

The Beauty and cosmetic industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and is based on the fact that looking beautiful and being accepted is one of the most desired objectives in the world from times immemorial.

Battles have been fought over acquiring beauty, and fairy tales have been written describing eternal charm. For the most part of history, people have constantly looked for methods and means of searching for ways of enhancing their features with natural ingredients and later as technology has improved, using technological products like light therapy, cosmetic products, etc… to obtain the same objective.

From these enhancements in technology and cosmetic products we have started up chains of cosmetic clinics, offering different methods to help reduce the aging process or enhance our looks which has now turned into a multi-billion-dollar industry.

So the question is then, how do you set up your own cosmetic and skin clinic to capitalise and cash in on this already growing industry?

If you plan to set up a cosmetic and skin clinic in Melbourne or anywhere else in Australia and you need to find more customers. Here is what you need to look at when starting from scratch.

Location Of  The Clinic

The position of the clinic makes all the difference to your sales targets. The ultimate aim to find a location with the right kind of heavy foot traffic and an area where your store and signage can make maximum effect. The issue with this is that these locations can be very expensive to buy or lease.

If you find a property which is off the main street or away from the bustling corners of the city, then you will have to shell out more money on marketing, branding and promotions to get your brand recognised and draw people to your clinic. Although some clients might appreciate the peaceful and private ambience, others might find it challenging to locate.

Easy accessibility and plenty of parking can go a long way in securing walk-ins and high foot-traffic to your clinic. Ideally, you should opt for a commercial space in a shopping precinct or a high-visibility zone like a business park in the CBD. Most of your clients will belong to the middle and upper social segment with high disposable incomes. So you must find a place which appeals to this target audience and is frequented by them.

If you are located in a low income or shady area, you will undoubtedly reduce your clientele and profit margins by a considerable amount as your potential clients won’t be willing to pay as much for your services and products and it may deter the right type of clientele from attending your client, no matter how good you are, reducing the foot-traffic.

Branding and Signage

Every business needs to create a brand name  and develop the right reputation which resonates with the your perfect clientele. When you work on your business plan, you need to create a brand message which meets the expectations of the target audience.

The branding, signage and logo designs all need to be looked at in detail before spending a lot of money of printing and launching the brand. This can be a very expensive exercise if you launch with the wrong brand message, as many multi – billion-dollar companies have found out.

This brand message should be coherently communicated to staff and your clientele through all the advertising and promotional material as well as the branding of your clinic.

The name, logo, colour combination, tagline, interiors should all fall in line with the theme chosen to attract clients. The waiting room of the clinic needs to be designed in an inviting, friendly and pleasing manner with all the signage designed to help gain their trust and understand your authority in the industry.

Place brochures and pamphlets for clients in the reception area, highlighting your products and services to improve cross sales and repeat customers.

Layout of The Cosmetic Clinic

A cosmetic and skin clinic which deals with cosmetic treatments needs to have ample treatment space and designated private rooms for different treatments or individual treatment areas away from the public. The layout should create maximum operational efficiency and best utilise the available space for smooth interaction between the clients and the aesthetic practitioners.

Each treatment room must have space for equipment, patient beds, table and chairs, storage cupboards, washing area, etc. Besides the procedure rooms, there should be an additional storage room for supplies, medical instruments, medicines, uniforms, gloves, etc.

The client waiting room should be able to accommodate the scheduled appointments and walk-ins. Also, the reception desk should be easily accessible and visible from the entrance.

Train and Prepare Your Team

After you have completed the required educational  qualification in aesthetic medicine, it is recommended to invest in training and developing your skills further. This usually includes continual professional development (CPD) training. This can be in the form of new equipment and/or new treatments and procedures in the industry.

By keeping trained in the latest equipment and developments in the industry, this will help you stay in front of your competition and have the latest procedures and treatments to offer your clients. This will enhance the experience and offering to your clientele.

If you need more dermatologists in your clinic, then use your network to hire high-performing professionals. When it comes to hiring the support staff, it is desired to create a staff manual which illustrates the roles and responsibilities for every employee, this way they understand what their role is, what procedures they need to follow and a more professional impression to staff and offers a more efficient way of hiring and training new staff, whether it be through growth or natural attrition.

Find out the suppliers in your geographic location and negotiate on gaining the best supplies at the minimum cost. Forge long-term partnerships with your team to ensure that the business can run smoothly even in your absence.

Equipment

Securing the industry-best equipment for products, skin treatment and tattoo removal are essential for your success and will require some research to identify devices which come with advanced technology, warranty and after-sales service agreements. You need to keep your budget in mind while choosing the right medical equipment and treatments for your clinic.

The decision will also depend on the treatments you will be offering in your facility and the aesthetic goals of patients. The equipment will become the support system of your business and acquiring state-of-the-art devices will help you stand out from your competition.

Conclusion

Once you have obtained the right logo, branding, signage and layout of the clinic by investing in setting up your clinic. The next stage of your business is to focus on building relationships with your clients, which turn will develop into loyal and repeat customer base who refers more clients to visit your business.

Don’t forget to promote your cosmetic or skin clinic through digital media platforms as well as traditional media to improve the reach and to maximize the number of people visiting your clinic and improve growth through the industry.