To get started with an aesthetic clinic, check out our detailed guides for starting a beauty salon, spa, nail salon, barber shop, or tattoo parlor. They cover topics including licensing requirements, startup cost estimates, and inventory needs.
Laser hair removals, peelings, needle treatments, Botox injections, Acai berry facials, body sculpting, etc., fall into this category.
The medical aesthetics market is projected to grow at a CAGR between 10% and 11% during the forecast period (2017–2023).
To be successful in this sunrise market, follow these steps to get started.
Steps to Start an Aesthetic Clinic Business
Here are the 20 things to consider when starting an aesthetic clinic:
1. Who Can Start an Aesthetic Clinic Business
Estheticians are trained to provide professional services to clients. Their work involves cleansing the skin, and performing various treatments such as facials, waxing, massage therapy, and chemical peeling. Some estheticians specialize in certain areas, such as facial rejuvenation, body sculpting, and laser hair removal.
According to the International Association for Physicians in Aesthetics Medicine (IAPAM), aesthetics medicine is defined as “the practice of medicine that
“A branch of medicine focusing on the satisfaction of aesthetic (beauty) requirements and aims of patients. It is mainly concerned with the physiology of aging skin and uses scientifically based techniques.
Physicians who practice aesthetic medicine adhere to medical practices based on science, and use combinations of both invasive and non-invasive treatments to satisfy their patients’ needs.”
Before starting your business, you must be sure that you meet the necessary requirements for doing so.
Before you start practicing, you should first take up an internship at a reputable cosmetic clinic. You should learn the skills and be confident about the medical procedures that are involved when working on patients.
2. What to sell
It is extremely important for you to decide on the products or services you want to offer before launching your business.
According to ASAPS, below is a representative list of non-invasive cosmetic treatments available outside of surgery.
Chemical peel treatments: alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), trichloroacetic acid (TCA), phenol
Treatments for wrinkles, sagging skin, spider veins, hair loss, laser hair removal, and vein treatments
Skin resurfacing: Ablative Lasers (Carbon Dioxide, Erbium), Nonablative Lasers (N-Lite, Cool Touch, and others), Intense Pulsed Light, Dermabrasion, Microdermabrasion.
Practice the service(s) you want to master as often as possible so you can gain experience and improve your skill level.
3. Location of the Clinic
Finding the right location for your medical aesthetic practice is important. Look for a place where the average age of nearby residents is older than 25. A good place to start is a local beauty school, salon, gym, or spa. You can also try renting a space in an existing salon, spa, or gym.
4. Understanding Competition
Before you start selling, do some preliminary study of the target audience and their requirements. You may want to check out the competition before starting your own business.
5. Target Customers
Your target customer base is important for your success in the aesthetic clinic industry. It could be categorized by age, gender, income level, etc.
For instance, people aged 25-40 who own cars, maintain good physical fitness, and care about their appearance would be your most likely prospect.
6. Naming the Business
Choose appropriate, catchy, memorable, and relatable (not too long) domain names for your aesthetics clinics. Make sure there isn’t already another company using the same domain. Read our guide to naming your beauty salon.
Check out these estheticians’ business names and ideas for inspiration.
7. Decide on Unique Selling Points of Your Aesthetic Clinic
To start any successful company, fixing unique selling propositions (USPs) is very important. If your company has been certified by a reputable organization, then mentioning it along with your qualifications may help you gain more clients.
Providing services like free consultations, flexible appointment timings, easy online payments, etc maybe some of the things that would attract potential patients/customers to your practice.
8. Create a Business Plan
An important part of starting an aesthetic clinic is having a well-written, detailed, and comprehensive plan. Read our step-by-step guide here.
9. Licenses & Permits
Before starting an aesthetic practice, talk to relevant authorities to ensure that they’re aware of your plans and are willing to grant you permission to operate. Also, get a registered representative to help you set up your company.
10. Form a Legal Entity
A great way to start your own online store is to create a website. You can sell products directly through your site or find affiliate partners who offer products that you can promote. Once you get started, you’ll see how much money you can make.
11. Business Insurance
Before opening your own aesthetic clinic, contact local insurance companies and choose the best possible policy for your new venture.
12. Hiring Manpower
Aesthetic clinics require qualified staff to run them. They may also need administrative support such as bookkeeping, customer care, billing, payroll, marketing, advertising, and so on.
To find suitable candidates, advertise your vacancy through newspapers, magazines, social media, and word of mouth. Alternatively, you could ask recruitment agencies to help you find people who meet your requirements.
13. Pricing Strategy
When you’re setting prices for your clinic, you should consider how much other similar clinics charge for similar services. For instance, charging for Botox injections for one part of the face would cost less than if you were to inject multiple parts of the face.
14. Setting up & Inventory for the Clinic
Make sure that the interior of the clinic is comfortable for patients. Ensure there is enough room for waiting customers. Things like a mobile bed, a briefcase with wheeled legs, chairs, computers, and so forth need to be bought at the initial stage.
Besides these things, there are other supplies that you’d want to keep on hand on an ongoing base such as botulinum toxins, dermal fillers, derma rollers, skin peels, gauzes, swabs, insulins needles, syringes, and sharps bins, gloves, coolers bags, ice packs, etc.
15. Calculate the Startup Cost
Before starting out, arrange financing for startup expenses. For example, if you’re buying equipment, look into renting space at an office instead of paying for a studio.
You may want to consider pitching in with investors who already have experience in the industry you’re entering.
16. Decide on Working Hours
Make sure to clearly state the opening hours on a sign outside your clinic. Also, decide if the clinic will be open every day of the week.
17. Select Suppliers
Negotiate the lowest prices from your suppliers. It may be cheaper to buy from multiple suppliers rather than just one.
18. Bookkeeping
It’s important for clinics to set up an easy-to-maintain bookkeeping system so they can keep track of their finances. Choosing appropriate bookkeeping systems ensures that. Providing patients with different payment options helps them pay their bills easily.
19. SWOT Analysis
Conduct a thorough SWOT (Strengthened Weakness Opportunities Threat) assessment for your aesthetic clinics business. List your company’s strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities.
20. Promoting Business
Before launching any kind of advertising campaign, create a marketing plan. You should know what you’re promoting, who you’re targeting, how much money you’ll spend, and how often you’ll advertise.
A good place to start is by creating a simple flyer, brochure, or postcard. Then, build a site that showcases your products or services. Finally, set up social media profiles so people can follow along with your work.
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