Esthetician Podcast; Business tips for Beauty professionals

070: Want to Add Laser to Your Spa? What Every Esthetician Must Know First

• Kari Jo

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Robert from Texas Laser Institute shares his journey from lawyer to laser business owner and provides practical guidance on adding lasers to esthetician practices. He breaks down the science behind laser hair removal, how to choose the right equipment, and the important balance between safety and effectiveness that every esthetician must master.

• Texas Laser Institute is a state-approved career school training professionals in laser and medical aesthetics
• Robert built a successful med spa business by cutting market prices while maintaining quality results
• Laser hair removal works through selective photothermolysis, targeting and destroying hair follicle stem cells
• Four main laser platforms exist: diode (810nm), Alexandrite (755nm), ND:YAG (1064nm), and IPL (broadband)
• Choose your laser based on your clientele's skin types - Alex for lighter skin, YAG for darker skin types
• The key to success is balancing safety and effectiveness in every treatment
• Medical director requirements vary by state - ensure yours is knowledgeable, active and engaged
• Profit margins on laser treatments can be substantial as the cost per pulse is minimal
• Focus on delighting customers through quality service rather than fastest possible treatments
• Always err on the side of safety, especially when starting out with laser treatments

Learn more about their training programs in Houston, Dallas and Austin. Website: https://texaslasers.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/texaslaserinstitute/ 






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Kari Jo:

Welcome to the Esthetician Podcast, where passion meets prosperity. Your host, Kari Jo Patterson, transformed from a solo esthetician into a successful business owner, achieving ultimate time and financial freedom by the age of 38. Kari is the author of Fearless Prosperity, empowering estheticians to build their empire and achieve financial freedom, and the creator of the Empire Growth System for Estheticians. Get ready for some empire-building wisdom Now. Welcome your host, Kari Jo Patterson.

Kari Jo:

If you have ever thought about adding a laser to your treatment room and you feel totally overwhelmed. You don't know where to start. Well, this episode is for you, because today I am talking with Robert and he is from the Texas Laser Institute. He's trained over 10,000 professionals in laser and medical aesthetics and he's going to break down for you what you really know about getting into the laser game. So, robert, I am so excited you're here. Thanks for coming on.

Robert:

Kari, it's our pleasure. Thank you so much for having us.

Kari Jo:

Yes, so tell me a little bit about the Laser Institute and what you do and things like that.

Robert:

Sure. So the Texas Laser Institute is one of the few state-approved career schools and colleges here in Texas. We do a lot of training and certification for folks that are wanting to get into light-based, non-invasive cosmetic side of aesthetics. So things such as laser hair removal, particularly that one really stands out. Laser hair removal, as you can probably imagine, is one of the most popular non-invasive cosmetic procedures there is, and then, of course, very second after that would be Botox, so neurotoxins, facial fillers with hyaluronic acids. So we teach and train folks on laser hair removal, botox, facial fillers and then, of course, all the other additional courses and med spa offerings that you would typically see.

Robert:

So body contouring is very popular, ipl-funded facials, microneedling, radiofrequency, skin rejuvenation, chemical exfoliation at the advanced level, contamination, chemical exfoliation at the advanced level. So a whole host of certainly the most proven and most commonly asked for or sought after treatments in meds form is what we train our students on, and we do it in a way that, particularly here in Texas and in some other states, the rules and regulations are very unique. So our school is very much geared towards ensuring that folks have the state required training in Texas so that they can receive a license in Texas to perform laser hair removal as well as perhaps fulfill the delegated orders of physicians in a whole host of other types of procedures. But our training also applies to many states, so it's state-by-state very specifically regulated. But for the most part our training is pretty much accepted, certainly throughout the majority of the country.

Kari Jo:

Okay, yeah, do you know, just off the top of your head, is there any state that maybe it's not?

Robert:

Yeah, I mean Arizona is very particular. You'd have to have a different type of certification program in Arizona. Some of the great states that folks take our training and go to New York would be a wonderful example. Some of our surrounding states. Certainly people come in and, like Oklahoma, they'll go back up and perform these procedures, louisiana to some degree, particularly with greater physician involvement. So it's just very widely. It varies widely. The practice of medicine, cosmetics, as all of our estheticians know, is very much regulated at the state level. So you approach laser hair removal and light-based aesthetics just like you would with your aesthetics license. You know, if I'm licensed in texas can I practice aesthetics in washington or oklahoma? Probably. But you know, check with that regulatory body, find out if your license is transferable, if there's a reciprocity agreement of sorts in place, if you know additional training is required.

Kari Jo:

Yeah, yeah it's so crazy how every state is so different. I mean for everything, for every license, for everything that you do, for even payroll. Like some states allow commission, some don't. So it's just crazy how it all works out.

Robert:

But oh yes, you can have a podcast on payroll by itself for hours, but I think it's one of the sayings of law that I'm actually a lawyer by trade. I became a lawyer back in 2009. I'm still licensed for practice law in Texas. It's no different than being a doctor or a lawyer, an architect, an engineer. The states have historically licensed certain professions for better or insurance would be a great example as well and there might be a little bit of an inefficiency there, obviously, but at the same time it allows states to be a little bit more experimental. So you know, if the hair removal laws in Texas are really unique and so specific in some sense and so well-defined, other states might look to Texas and say, hey, that seems to work really well for them. Let's perhaps take a look at that and adopt that type of philosophy for our own state.

Kari Jo:

So it does allow this great kind of melting pot of ideas. Yes, yeah, that's really interesting that you were a lawyer first and then now you're in the aesthetics world. Yeah, that's super handy.

Robert:

It can come in handy in hand more times than you really want it to from time to time, but it's a good background, it's good training, but that's actually how I got into aesthetics. So going to like a lot of folks will ask hey, robert, how did you even get into laser hair? You know you're a lawyer, right? I went to a wonderfully reputable law school, passed the bar. Somehow, mistakenly, they passed me on the first attempt before I graduated from law school, which I still don't understand how that was possible. And then I got out into the world and the practice of law like the day-in and day-out practice of law is not very exciting to me. So while I was in law school, I heard on the radio just all these campaigns for laser hair removal. So this is back in 2005, 2006, where folks are just like laser hair removal is just really starting to come on the forefront, like what is this thing? Why are people talking about it all of a sudden? So I started looking into it and I found out that, particularly back then, it was outrageously expensive. Folks were charging $20,000 for a package of full-body treatments. So I'm thinking man'm thinking man. 20 grand, this system, this laser system, must cost a million dollars. Well, you know, you look into they're not cheap, they're a hundred thousand bucks but they're not a million dollars, right. So you do the math right. You're like this is before chat gbt folks. So like you have to use a math bag these days it's like, well, if I charge yeah, 20 grand per client times five, I just paid off my hundred thousand laser system. This business seems crazy. So, you know, I back in these days it's like, well, if I charge 20 grand per client times five, I just paid off my $100,000 laser system. This business seems crazy. So I started looking into it more and more and I realized that there was this weird, this inverse relationship of quality and price. It seemed like the higher they were charging, the least efficient machine they were using. So if you're paying 20 grand here, they're probably using a very suboptimal were using. So if you're paying 20 grand here, they're probably using a very suboptimal laser system. So you're paying all this money and getting that level result. This is crazy. I can use the best laser systems possible, actually charge a very fair amount and drive volume.

Robert:

So instead of practicing law, I came down to Houston, texas and this is again during the big real estate market crash in 08, 09. So I came down to Houston, Texas, and this is again during the big real estate market crash in 08, 09. So I came down to Houston, which really stood out across the country as being really isolated against this whole real estate debacle, and I launched my Medspa Clearstone Laser, hermal Medspa and I literally cut market pricing in half. I did a market survey. I saw what everybody's charging. I divided by two, I was like that's my starting price and more or less I tweaked it a little bit. But I looked at my price and I think this is really fair. I mean, I can pretty much guarantee that if somebody comes in and spends $50 with us, that they will leave with more than $50 in value. Like if we do their underarms for $50 of treatment, they will get more than $50 in return, a lot more. And so with that mindset, I was able to just maximize value to the consumer and still maintain our profitability.

Robert:

So we took a lot of pride in the fit like just really well-trained technicians, a wonderfully engaged and enthusiastic staff and team, the best technology that we could get our hands on, and we just drove volume. And so over 15 years I built that thing up. I built it to over six locations and then, as a lot of folks probably know, the market right now is going through some type of consolidation effort. So there's a lot of private equity investment and attention into the Medsville arena. So I sold out 100% of the business late last year. So I enjoyed what's called a liquidity event or an exit, and after 15 years decided that you know, I've given a good run. It's time to go off and focus a little bit on something a bit different. So we're doubling down on our school, but at the same time it was a very fulfilling ride for sure.

Kari Jo:

Yeah, that's, yeah, that is yeah. It's so funny that you say that you were able to drive profits and things like that, because when I owned my company before I sold it, one of the things that I did is we had hydro facials. We had so many people doing hydro facials and we would throw on the laser after as like an add-on to the hydro facial, because hydro facials the consumer cost is so high or I mean, well, the cost for I mean it's higher for businesses, but the laser didn't have consumer cost and so it was like able to really drive like my profits. As soon as I got my laser, I feel like my profits in my company just started exploding, you know.

Robert:

Oh, a hundred percent. Like the marginal cost of a pulse on a laser device is so inconsequential Like I always laugh at some of the clinics that go and like we're going to charge you per pulse. Like the pulse of your laser system costs like 0, 0, 0, 0, 1 cent, you know, like that's so negligible. So you'll find that device-based practices when med spas bring in devices or physicians start to bring in devices, when chosen correctly and certainly purchase up the correct price, because there's certainly pricing out there that just doesn't make sense you can certainly you'll see a very nice margin.

Robert:

You know the med spa we were running I, I was running, we had a fantastic margin and we were still charging what I thought was the lower end of the market rate. We weren't locking people into expensive packages, pay as you go, no need to finance. It was very, very digestible for the consumer and they loved the results. And why raise pricing when the business is doing well? You keep it consistent, serve your population, just keep growing, and that's what we did. But yeah, the device-based business is certainly, I think, where the margin is at. It's funny I see a lot of meds falls nowadays. A lot of practitioners are like I just want to do Botox. It's super profitable.

Kari Jo:

Oh my gosh, it's so expensive.

Robert:

I'm not saying it can't be profitable. At the same time, I definitely have a fair number of clinics that use that as a loss leader, which is a fancy way of saying.

Kari Jo:

Yeah, that's what we did. Is we used it to market people in? And then, yes, I agree, got to be careful. The loser is where it's at.

Robert:

Yeah, you just have to understand exactly what the economics around it are. But not to say it can't be successful in your practice. But I'm not a big believer that anything really should be a loss leader in any practice. But with aesthetics we're rolling out something now that we're very excited about. We're doing our Pelle Vital line that we're rolling out. We just rolled out in Vegas a couple of weeks ago and we're announcing it here in a Dallas show coming up in another couple of weeks.

Robert:

But it's a highly customized chemical pill line for estheticians. So we teach this course and it's really geared towards what I never had when I was running my med spa and that is to say we were using. My med spa was one of the top two volume-based med spas for chemical exfoliation treatments using the Vitality Institute line. So the VI pill, which is very popular and we were in top 10 accounts across the country, we did a lot of volume and I'm looking at the active ingredients I'm like, yeah, I love them. That's exactly what I would use if I was to formulate my own chemical pill.

Robert:

All the great things are in that vial and the estheticians loved it because it's super simple you pop the vial vigorously, apply it to the face Achieve client points. I mean, I'm simplifying this, but the results are fairly quite predictable and the value proposition was certainly there. And I'm just kicking myself. Every time I pop a buyout it's 60 bucks, $70. I'm like I can formulate this myself Like why are we paying $70 to formulate this up? And nothing against the Institute or any of these prepackaged brands, they're great. But at the same time I'm like I really want estheticians to fundamentally understand and really get excited about all the different types of acids that are actually within that vial and then perhaps take it to the next step and say you know what, for this particular client, I wish I could focus a little bit more on the pih. Or for this client, I just really want more pronounced exfoliation for fine lines and wrinkles.

Robert:

You know, and I always wanted artists to get real comfortable with the idea of just taking the raw active ingredients, formulating it right then there for that unique client, specific concerns at that appointment, at that particular date and time, which obviously could change from appointment to appointment, and just customize it at an incredible fraction of the cost. So where a prepackaged solution might be $60, $80, we can do the same thing in a more customized sense, for $2 to $3, right, $4, $5, but certainly a fraction. So we're rolling out this product to do just that. Say hey, med spa owner that is spending $60 per vial that they pop open. Use this, as said, like. We'll train your estheticians on how to really understand and respect these key active ingredients, we'll give you the kit to use and then I think at that point you can generate even perhaps more value, more value to the consumer at perhaps a lower price, by really truly understanding and having great respect for the active ingredients you're really using. So that's what we're focusing on right now.

Kari Jo:

Yeah, I love that, like you're focused on ever since you came into the industry, is making it more affordable for the consumer, which, like you said, it creates volume. You're able to do a lot of volume when you're able to do that and so, yeah, I love that. Would you say? So I have for those listening that they do not know anything about lasers and how they work and it's so in aesthetics I feel like it goes so well because we do do waxing. But I feel like waxing and laser they compare so well together. Get first you know whatever. But for those who don't know how laser even works to get rid of the hair, do you have like a short, like analogy that you can give them so that my guests or my listeners can understand a little more?

Robert:

absolutely easy. We literally fry cells that are responsible for the growth of a hair follicle, killing them, and it doesn't come back In the most simplistic form, right, there's this notion of it's really fascinating if you really get into it. It's this notion of what's called selective photoremolysis. So this idea of a magical bullet, so like we take this is my magical bullet and what I'm going to do is I'm going to shoot this bullet. So this we'll call this green light and don't get too far off this analogy.

Robert:

but we'll shoot this magical bullet into your skin and this magical bullet is only going to be absorbed by the chromophore that we're really trying to target. And it's going to absorb this energy, convert it to heat, to heat up the stem cells to a point of what's called thermal injury. In the case of a stem cell for hair, it's 55 degrees centigrade and we have to hold it there for a few milliseconds and then, once we achieve that point of destruction, we've killed that stem cell and the cell will never come back and, as a consequence, the hair will never be able to regrow and we'll have this permanent sense of hair reduction. And so that's how laser hair work. So it's this notion of being able to really selectively target this hair follicle while not, say, targeting the water in your skin or the blood in your skin, right? We don't want to cook your blood. We don't want to heat your skin up and really start to, in the context of laser hair, more. We don't want to try to get a lot of absorption, the water in your skin, as you, as you estheticians know, the water is predominantly comprised of skin 70-80%. So if we start cooking your skin by heating up the water. That leads to other types of things that we might not want to do in context of laser hair removal. So we can selectively target the hair follicle and then cause a really nice outcome.

Robert:

But it's a balancing act. All you estheticians know. Everything you do is all about balance. Like our entire courses, every single class, I tell my instructors we only teach two things. That Texas Laser is due how to balance safety and effectiveness. Like, everything that you should do in aesthetics revolves entirely around those two things and that's it right.

Robert:

So, like if you have a customer that comes into you and they have an issue, right, some type of indication, and it could be anything unwanted hair, acne, pigmentation issues, laxity of skin, you name it. They want fat reduction. Take a pick, right. All we're doing is we're trying to cause enough of an injury, right, we're causing enough of a chemical agent almost a chemical burn or a chemical reaction to your skin such that it produces an outcome that's desirable. But if we produce too much of an outcome, we get into what's called a complication, right? So if we don't injure you enough, nothing happens and the customer wants their money back. If we injure you too much, they're very angry and they want not only their money back, but perhaps damages in the form of a lawsuit. Right, yes, you have to live within this funny little space of balancing and finding this optimization of safety and effectiveness, and the better you're able to do that with the tools that you have at your disposal, you know, the more value you can create for the consumer.

Kari Jo:

so that's really what we focus on safety and effectiveness so, going into that, do you have a laser that you recommend or how would you that you feel like is pretty good at balancing, you know safety, or do you have a way that you recommend your students like how they should look into what laser they should purchase?

Robert:

Yeah, so yeah, long list of things, right, but here's some funny stuff. So the running joke is how do you get rid of a laser salesman? You buy a laser.

Robert:

Oh my gosh, that's so true, that's the best way. Now I say this I actually owned. I was the last American-based manufacturer of, owner of American-based manufacturer of long pulse laser hair and mold systems. So we manufacture Long Pulse Alexandria and NDIG laser systems in New Jersey and we sold them all over the world. So I certainly owned and operated that company for five years an updated period of medical advice Pretty neat business.

Robert:

So we literally make these things. So I might have a little bias. Right, I don't want to show my bias, but I think it's the best because I actually think that what we were manufacturing is the very best. But this is what I'd tell a med spa. I'd say there's no such thing as the best laser system for your practice. What's best for me might put you out of business, right, like there are systems that you might not be able to afford to maintain in some sense, given the volume or perhaps the lack of key focus on, say, laser hair removal. So you know, if I'm a physician's office and I just did a little bit of laser hair removal, my clientele are light skinned people with relatively dark hair and and I just did a little bit of laser hair removal, my clientele are light skin people with relatively dark hair, and maybe I'm looking at a diode system, because they're relatively inexpensive, they're super easy to maintain and operate, you can put them into 110 volt outlet, they don't produce any heat in your room and I think that might be the best for that particular practice. And it all depends upon the clientele base.

Robert:

For our practice we treated every skin type, one to six, and we're high volume. We're treating 250 people a day, six days a week. So we had to have the right tool for the job for all those people. So in our case we had to have what was called what's called an alexandrite laser system and we had to have what's called an ndag laser system. The alex is your great. That's your go-to wavelength of light for your lighter skin types, from one through through 3s and your light 4s, and then you have your YAG, your ND YAG, at a longer wavelength, at 1064 nanometers, for your darker skin types, your Latino skin, and then, of course, all the way to your skin type 6. And with those two wavelengths of light we were able to safely and effectively achieve the optimal balance for all of our customers. So in the case of our med spa, having a dual platform with both wavelengths in the same system was certainly the best ingredient that we could use for our success.

Robert:

But it's a $100,000 laser system and there's a lot of optics, fibers, flash lamps, electrical components. All of these things have a life expectancy to them. There's a bit of maintenance for sure. So it's you know. You kind of have to decide what kind of practice you're going to be. Right, we would hold ourselves out as being the best provider in town. So that is to say, if we couldn't do it, no one else is going to be able to do it. But we stood behind it because we knew our systems were able to achieve those results. But maybe your specialty isn't that. Maybe hair removal is 5% of your business and chemical pills, hydrafacials and other types of aesthetic treatments really are the core crux of your business. I don't know, bringing 100,000 laser system a day one makes the most amount of sense. So you have to decide what is the best system for your practice, given your unique clientele and what their wants and needs are.

Kari Jo:

Yeah, what I like about what you just said that just made it come full circle for me sitting here talking to you is you got to look at your clientele base and I love how you were talking about. With your company, you carry the two different lasers so that you could treat the different skin types right when, if you're looking at your clientele and who you see what is like like if you're starting out with one, I think it would be good to look at your clientele and be like, well, what skin type is my clientele mostly made up of? And it would be easier to you know kind of start with one. But I did not have two lasers in my company and I could see how that could be so stinking valuable. Yes, uh, it really would make a huge difference yeah, it all depends on your clientele.

Robert:

we have a ton of customers up in the brooklyn area, the bronx. They treat folks one to three like their particular clientele are Alex treatments all day long. So you're like use an Alex, don't ever buy Yaks. You're going to use one out every 20 cases. Don't treat those folks, just refer them out.

Robert:

Yeah, if you don't want to make that initial investment. But yeah, I mean, I think at the end of the day, if you're shopping for a system, the biggest consideration is there's really only four different platforms you're going to buy. You have essentially a diode system that puts out a system wavelength of light right around like 810 nanometers. These things could be modulated a little bit, but 810, 808, 810. You can do an Alex at 75, a YAG at 1064, or an IPL machine, which is broadband light, and so those are your only four options. Manufacturers will get cute and they might do something like triplex, that big component where they start blending things. I'm not a big fan of that. Think about it right, like you have a magical bullet, right. The whole concept is I'm going to use this particular bullet to choose to target that particular hair follicle on that particular skin type. Why give up the benefit of using just one wavelength of light to get the optimal balance of safety and effectiveness by going to like some triplex thing where now I've got three different wavelengths of light.

Robert:

you're like I just want that, I want that sniper rifle. I want to have just that magical bullet that doesn't interfere with all this other stuff. If I don't need it you know I don't want to interact with all the surrounding stuff you start taking three different wavelengths of light. Think about it more like a shotgun. You're just blasting things and you're going to have all these different absorption coefficients with all these competing chromophores. So, when you can, I think one wavelength of light for hair mobile particularly, is much better than having two or three wavelengths of light for probably 98% of the clientele out there. So I would decide whether there's a clientele. Are they going to want to small areas? Are these guys coming in for whole legs? Bikini owners, like, are you just doing small little things or you think you're going to be doing full bodies?

Robert:

At that point you start looking at well, what's the capability of the platform? Spot sizes, hertz rates, you know, and I'm not going to say like, like, how fast can you get a treatment done? That's not what I'm advocating for, but how efficiently can I do this? Manufacturers will come in and they'll say, hey, we have the largest spot size, we treat faster than anything else, do a full back in 10 minutes. You're like get out of my office man, like that's dangerous, like the game shouldn't be. How fast can I get this done? I have to balance two things. Robert told me it's about safety and effectiveness. If I'm trying to do something in 10 minutes, I'm probably going to be sacrificing a lot of that safety. I'm not balancing these things anymore. The real question should be how safe and how effective can I do it with your platform? If it takes me 20 minutes, 30 minutes to do the back, it takes me 30 minutes to do your back, but it's safe and effective. I'd much rather have that outcome than the 10 minute rush treatment, right? Or the quickly done treatment, and it's not as safe and not as effective.

Robert:

As a consequence, I started Clearstone because I didn't see in the marketplace what I wanted. I wanted a fair price, I didn't want to be locked into expensive package and I want a high quality. And it's crazy to think back in 2008, 2009,. It was hard for me to find that, so I was like I'll just create it myself. And I think when you go as an esthetician and laser technician in your own practice, what do you want, right? I think one of the most inspiring things that you could do in your practice.

Robert:

Say, I deliver something that I don't think is in the marketplace anymore. This is what I'd want if I was a consumer, and I'm going to deliver that to my consumers and you take pride in that. And then you ask yourself, if I'm the consumer, do I want the fastest back treatment possible? No, that doesn't sound appealing. I want the most effective and the safest treatment possible. It has nothing to do with the speed at that point.

Robert:

So it's, you know, keep some things to keep in mind. But I think when you're looking at buying that system, it's really all about what wavelength the wavelengths of light you're going to choose, and we teach the theory as to why these things, how they differ, and what's more effective and why. And then you really want to ask yourself how does this laser system apply this energy? So there's really two questions what energy are you applying and how can it apply it, which is another way of saying it's just as important how you're applying energy as it is what type of energy you're applying, and systems will vary greatly as to how they apply the energy. And the deeper you can go into that understanding, I think the wiser decision you can make on the purchasing of an actual device.

Kari Jo:

Yeah to what you said just at the very beginning. It was. You were talking about how it's so important to find what, what isn't. Like you're, essentially, when you open a business, you're solving a problem, and so you were like there was a problem and I went into solving it. And I feel like a lot of times estheticians, we open our business and we're like we're just going to go do aesthetics but you're not solving a problem like that. You're just going to go do aesthetics but you're not solving a problem like that. You're not going to succeed unless you're solving a problem like you said. So I love how you were like look at what is around the area, what is missing, solve that problem and open it up. And I feel like that was just genius. I was like cold nuggets.

Robert:

The cool thing with that philosophy is it keeps you focused. So it's so easy in this world to get distracted. Right, like here's the latest thing. Look, the sex industry is no, there's no shortage of attention grabbing stuff, right. And so you as a practitioner have to remind yourself, like the latest thing does not equal the greatest thing, like stick with the tried and true, like the fundamental stuff that's based upon hard science, like you can't go wrong with that.

Robert:

And then, if you have this vision for your practice, like what you want it to look like, stick with that, because you're going to have all this outside noise that's telling you to do something else. Your staff's going to tell you to do something else. Your parents will tell you to do something else. Your, some of your clients are going to tell you to do something else. I have my staff for 15 years. I love my team, don't get me wrong. But we have folks that, hey, rob, you should charge more. We're not charging enough Our clients, you should advertise more.

Robert:

You should certainly raise your pricing I would say a company because I thought it was a bit too low, or whatever the case might be. And I'm not saying you disregard that, but what I am saying is if you have a core, fundamental vision for your organization, say we are pricing it this way because we can guarantee this and maintain this level of profitability. Which is to say, I never let the profitability dictate my decisions in the organization. Take care of the customer, provide the value. The profitability will come.

Robert:

That was always a very secondary consideration. But looking at our financials, it was very clear to me at the pricing that we're charging and the volume that we're producing. One, I wouldn't want to compete against us, so I'd like to be in that position. And then, two, I'm very happy providing the value that we're doing. There's no need for us to raise our pricing In that case, as things adjust. I'm not saying you don't, I'm not suggesting or advocating that you be the cheapest person in town, but at the same time, what I am advocating for is whatever your vision for your organization is, really make sure that you have that strong belief in it.

Robert:

And if you're right in that vision in solving something that's belief in it, and if you're right in that vision in solving something that's missing the market and you stick to it despite the challenges that you'll receive, I think you'll be rewarded.

Kari Jo:

So, yeah, I mean like the best advice ever, and I'm like doubling down. You just said, because that is the problem is, there is so much noise and you are right. As soon as you figure out like what it is that you stand for and what you're going for, everyone else is going to have an opinion and try to sidetrack you and you have to circle back around so many times. And so I I feel like you worded that perfectly. I really quick, before we're coming to an end, I know a lot of estheticians that they want to get into the laser game, but a lot of states require you to have a medical director or something along that line. Do you have any suggestions or tips or how to maybe go about that? Because they're like oh man, I really want to bring this in, it would go so well with my business, but I don't even know where to start with a medical director.

Robert:

Yeah, the first thing is, I think everybody has an opinion on what is required in the med school these days, right, and there's just so much misunderstanding. We see it here in Texas particularly so. As we mentioned at the beginning of the show, this is a much a state-by-state regulatory issue, so some states are very easy and then some states are probably going to be impossible. But I think the first thing is to find someone that is actually really knowledgeable in this space and has a somewhat balanced view on it. So, speaking to Texas, for instance, texas, frankly, laser hair mold is not considered to be the practice of medicine in Texas when performed in a licensed laser hair mold facility. So it's like that takes care of a lot of issues. Right there.

Robert:

You don't need a medical director Now. What you do need is what's called a consulting physician, a physician that is reachable in the event of an emergency, an individual that performs these quarterly audits but they're never present and that says they don't have to be present. They don't have to be present, they don't have to have any ownership in the business, or they're in the event that there's a complication following the procedure, so that they can, of course, then facilitate their continued client care, but it's a very easy regulatory environment to understand in that sense. Other states might require you to have a medical director, and then there's going to be this debate Do they need to be on site? And then you'll talk to maybe two different lawyers or four different lawyers, and two of them will tell you that they do and two of them will tell you that you don't. And I would suggest you go to the actual law and you read it yourself. Right, go to the statute and see what it says, and I think you'd be pretty surprised what you'll find out. You'll probably be able to determine pretty quickly which lawyers are right and which lawyers are wrong, because normally the statutes in most of these states will tell you.

Robert:

And then, once you have a pretty good understanding of that, it's really about finding the right doctor that understands the industry that you're going into. You want to make sure that they're active and that they're prudent. So, on that note, particularly here in Texas and in a lot of med spas, it's very easy for a med spa owner or an est to start their own thing and then they bring this technology and they have this medical director. But that medical director might be, you know a pediatric doc or you know ent or something, and they're not very actively involved in the clinic, they're not really supervising anything, they're just kind of collecting a check on a monthly basis. They're kind of there, you, if you need them, but they're drifting, which is to say they're providing you with services or the oversight, a directorship, without really having the expertise in what it is that you're doing, and I think that's very dangerous.

Robert:

So, once you do get your hands around the rules and regs, what I would say, what I would advocate for, is, when you are required to have a medical director, make sure that that medical director is very active, which is to say they're trained in what it is that you're doing. So they're knowledgeable in what it is that you're performing to your clients. They are trained in how to address the complications that come with those things, because if you do enough treatments, you will see a complication. It just happens. And then that they're active. They're coming by, they're looking at your charts, they're doing the audits, they're making sure that you're doing things according to written protocols and procedures. They're making sure that you're not representing yourself out to be the provider, that you're making sure that your name tags as esthetician on it and not, you know, walking with a white jacket.

Robert:

Clients don't think you're mistakenly a nurse, practitioner, pa or physician yourself. You're not misrepresenting anything. You're making fair and true claims that they are present to be able to talk to patients if the need were to arise, that they are locally accessible. So if you live in one city, they're not in a city 200 miles away, right? These things seem common sense, but you would be surprised, right? So if you do go down the medical director route because of the requirement, make sure that medical director really is providing the value to your organization that you're paying for. They're present, they're active, they're knowledgeable. They can be certainly reachable in a mental emergency. They can respond to client needs, take care of continued care considerations as required. That's the best way to see with the medical director.

Kari Jo:

Yes, oh my gosh, I agree. I see a lot of people that will just hire a doctor that has nothing to do with their organization. But I mean, if you're paying for their services, don't you want somebody who's going to add value? I feel like that was like the perfect statement. I can tell so much about your company just through talking. I can see why it is so valuable that you have a lawyer background to this too, because you can understand all of the legal aspects, which is so important, and so I feel like that is such a plus side for your company, because there is so much legal that goes into all of this medical side when you start going in there, and so I feel like you bring so much value to your company, which is ultimately going to give so much value to everyone who comes and takes the course from you as well.

Robert:

Yeah, it's a little scary sometimes.

Robert:

It's really scary, I think.

Robert:

Take the Jeff Bezos approach to this and that is to say, or the Warren Buffett approach, and that is to say, delight your customer. Whatever it is that you're doing and whatever product or procedure it is you're offering, just make sure that you're teed up to delight your customer. And that's in all aspects of your business, from the moment that they're sketching appointments to the moment the phone's being picked up, the emails that are getting sent out, the technology that you're offering, the aesthetic of your clinic, not to say you have to spend tons of money to do all this, but it doesn't take it. It's just really deliver that product that you would want as a consumer and really go out your way to delight your customer, and that also means keeping them safe. Really make sure that you have the operational procedures and protocols in place to do things prudently and consistently and safely, because that's ultimately what the law is going to want you to do. It's all going to get. It will all funnel back down to what's safe for the consumer and so err on that side.

Robert:

You know, err on the side of safety. Even your treatments right, your balance is safety and efficacy. You're like, oh, that's just safety and effectiveness. And so you're like, can I do this with extra layer of TCA? You know, I got a little frosting there. You know, can I do one more? Maybe put a little salicylic on top? Get that little extra peel. If you're asking yourself that question, I would probably advocate to the err on the side of safety. You can always do it again, you know, if in doubt. But there's no take-backs. Always just err on the side of safety, particularly as you become more and more experienced. I think that will serve you well, certainly in the earlier years of your practice. I don't know if you need to be the person really pushing the boundaries, but keep it safe. I think you'll gain your confidence that you need to continue to really understand the clinical endpoints, increase your effectiveness as time comes. But, yeah, always be on the side of safety, delight the customer and give them a great experience.

Kari Jo:

Yes, robert, you are a wealth of knowledge and I just want how can my listeners, if they're like, this is what I want to get into how can they find your company, work with and learn from you guys? How can they do that?

Robert:

absolutely so. We're the texas laser institute. Our website is texaslaserscom t-e-x-a-s-l-a-s-e-r-scom, and, of course, on facebook and instagram texas laser institute. On instagram. We have a great team here. We have an office both in houston, dallas, and a satellite delegation coming out in Austin, and then we have a fantastic team of actually estheticians and educators that are here to support and help you grow professionally. So very much looking forward to talking to anybody that we can provide value to.

Kari Jo:

Yes, well, thank you so much for coming on. I feel like my listeners are going to gain so much value and I feel like I learned so much as well. So thank you so much for coming on and, guys, check them out as soon as you can.

Robert:

That sounds great. Hey, thanks again. Really do appreciate it, take care.

Kari Jo:

Yes, thanks.

Kari Jo:

Bye-bye. Thank you for listening to the Esthetician Podcast with Kari Jo Patterson. Thank you for listening to the Esthetician Podcast with Kari Jo Patterson. Each week, Kari brings you real-world lessons on how to grow your empire. To learn more about Kari Fearless Prosperity Mastermind Group, one-on-one coaching opportunities and more visit

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