Esthetician Podcast; Business tips for Beauty professionals

087: Struggling to Run a Team? Here’s the Fix for Estheticians

• Kari Jo

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Ever wonder why some aesthetics businesses thrive while others struggle despite offering similar services? The answer often lies not in treatment expertise, but in business leadership.

Meet Michelle, an ER nurse who launched a med spa seeking better work-life balance as a mother of four. What started in a small room inside a hair salon blossomed into a full-fledged wellness center with her own building, staff, and comprehensive service menu. Despite this impressive growth, Michelle faced a common challenge: "The business side is probably the most difficult thing for me. My passion isn't being a business owner; it's helping people."

This candid conversation explores the fundamental shift aesthetics professionals must make from skilled practitioner to effective leader. Michelle's journey illustrates how success requires more than technical expertise—it demands strategic delegation, purposeful time management, and team development.

The podcast delves into practical strategies like calculating which services generate the highest profit-per-minute, implementing weekly team meetings to align everyone's efforts, and approaching hiring like Tetris—filling your weaknesses with others' strengths. Perhaps most importantly, we explore why investing in your leadership skills creates a foundation for sustainable growth, even when management doesn't come naturally.

Whether you're struggling with profitability, team dynamics, or simply finding balance, this episode offers actionable insights to transform your aesthetics business. As one mentor wisely shared, "Nobody is born a leader. They all become one." Ready to make that transformation? Visit karyjopatterson.com for more resources to help you build the aesthetics business you've always envisioned.

To learn more about Kari Jo visit: https://www.karijopatterson.com

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Rachel:

Hi, my name is Rachel. I am the founder slash CEO of Alturi, a luxury spa. I have worked with Kari Jo in the beginning of this year and she has transformed my business. Everything has increased. All of her tips, all of her tricks, all of her advice has been the most helpful and my business has transformed exponentially. I want to thank her for her honesty. I want to thank her for her help, and if you're struggling with your aesthetics business or if you need help hiring or any of the sort, Kari Jo is the person that you should definitely work with.

Kari Jo:

Welcome back to the Esthetician Podcast, and today we have on Michelle. Michelle, thanks so much for joining our business audit, so tell me a little bit about your company.

Michelle:

We are an aesthetics and wellness business that opened in 2020 part-time, and then kind of went full-time a few years in, and we focus on aesthetics, but also hormones and weight loss, anything from that, and microneedling facials, peels, dermaplaning, botox, fillers, that kind of thing, injectables yeah, a little bit of everything. We've got an esthetician that started with us this year and I'm a nurse and then I also got my aesthetic certificate and then we have a medical doctor as our director.

Kari Jo:

Okay, awesome, yeah, so you have a good med spa practice going on. Yeah, did you go into it knowing that you were going to be a business owner, or was this like you just started and it grew and you're.

Michelle:

So I actually my background is in emergency medicine and I loved being a nurse there but my family started to grow and I needed something closer to home that had better hours and was made more sense as a mom, because I have four young kids and so the commute to the hospital that I was working at just wasn't working anymore and so I started with just talks and IVs, because that's what I like, knew and felt very comfortable with and I didn't really anticipate it would grow to where it's at right now. I started in just a back room of a space that was like a hair salon and then quickly kind of outgrew that space and bought a building and remodeled it and grew it into more, and then things just kept expanding and so I didn't really anticipate where I'm at now. I'm grateful for it, but yeah, that's kind of where I'm at.

Kari Jo:

Okay, awesome where I'm at. Okay Awesome. So if we were to break down and come up with one thing that this is bothering me the most or not even necessarily bothering, but what would be the most helpful thing for you to take away on this phone call?

Michelle:

I would say the business side is probably the most difficult thing for me, as I'm a nurse at heart and so my passion isn't in being a business owner. Really, my passion is just helping people and being with patients and so managing overhead and profit margin and figuring all of that out and what's making the most money, what makes the most sense, how can I best spend my time? That is probably would be my biggest challenge right now.

Kari Jo:

That is probably would be my biggest challenge right now. Yeah, I get that, because I remember nobody. I don't think I didn't go into business to be a business owner and I didn't go into business to have any employees. I just went in because I wanted to make a few extra $100 and buy myself a shirt, you know what I mean. And then it's just one thing goes to the next and the next, and then pretty soon I was like wow, like I own this building and I renovated it and have all these employees, like how the heck did all of that happen? Right, so yeah, I totally know what you mean. So you got into it just basically because you wanted to find better time schedule. Is that why you went into it?

Michelle:

Time schedule and still something that I could be with people. So a lot of the other nursing jobs that were available closer to me were a huge pay cut to work in like a clinic setting and then my kids would have been in daycare more. So financially that wouldn't have made sense. So I wanted something that was flexible but still made enough money to make it make sense. But I could go around.

Kari Jo:

If I had a sick kid, patients would understand that sort of thing, rather than working five days a week for hardly anything. Yeah, Okay, I remember there was this moment that I was on the floor crying, talking to one of my mentors, and I was. You know, I built this successful company. I was on the floor crying talking to one of my mentors and I was. You know, I built this successful company. I was crying over it, I didn't know, because I was not making money, but I was making money, but it was just a lot. And I remember he said this exact sentence to me Okay, Kari, why are you in business? And I was well, just to make a few extra dollars.

Kari Jo:

And his people go into business for two reasons. Right one, they go into business so that they can build a profitable company. You build it up and you sell it. And that's what you do with this business and you sell it. The other reason why people go into business is they go into business so that they can hire people to do all the things that they don't want to do, so that when you're hiring somebody, you hire out what you don't like to do but that person loves to do. So that person is in their sweet spot, so that you can focus on the one thing that you want to do over and over again Right.

Kari Jo:

And so I guess, like for me, and when I'm listening to you is I would say, okay, what is the problem? And it will change a lot with you over the career, cause I remember once I heard that I was that makes sense. And I at the time I was oh, I have permanent makeup and I don't like doing permanent makeup, but I can still make money with that, so I'm going to hire someone to do all the permanent makeup. You know what I mean? And I offloaded that. And then I hated waxing, so then I offloaded and the next person I hired was a waxer.

Kari Jo:

Do you know what I mean? Yeah, what I originally wanted to do was I started out and I love marketing, that was my thing, right, okay, over time. Then I was oh, I actually like managing, and so it will switch over time. But the goal is for you, when you are a business owner, the, the goal is either you build this business and most businesses don't make a lot of money on it until they sell, right, because you build up this asset and you sell it, and then that's when you usually make a lot of your money or when you're in it, you want to be in your sweet spot, doing the one thing that you love. My question to you would be what is the one thing that you love doing?

Michelle:

more than anything else?

Michelle:

That's hard. I really love the relationships that I build with patients. That's what I love the most is when I can build that relationship with them and help them. Them come back and say they feel better. So probably more of the wellness stuff would be more up my alley then, which is why I recently hired an esthetician. But I also feel like during facials or dermaplaning things like that, I have time to be with the patient a little bit more than some of the other appointments. But definitely being a doer is more my thing than the marketing or the business or the taxes or any of those things.

Kari Jo:

Yeah, and I get that, because that was my favorite thing about being an esthetician is I love when I'm one-on-one in a room with a client. I love that, and so I know exactly what you're talking about. So if that's what you love is being in the room with your client then what you do you start when you're building your team. You offload all the things that you don't love. So, when it comes to hiring, you don't hire to hire and fill a spot. Yes, you are. Yes, I need a receptionist and the reception. I do need a receptionist. Or, yes, I need an esthetician. You do need a receptionist and the reception, I do need a receptionist. Or, yes, I need an esthetician. You do need a hire for that. But you need to offload something. Hiring is like Tetris You're trying to fill in your holes. Okay, right, yeah, in addition to I need to hire an esthetician, you think of what's something that you don't love doing and that esthetician needs to love it. So, if you are, I don't like social media, right, and your goal is not to just hire an esthetician. Your goal is to hire an esthetician who loves social media. Does that make sense If you don't doing all of the numbers when you're hiring a receptionist, you hire someone who loves Excel, who loves doing all the numbers.

Kari Jo:

When you are hiring, you are constantly, always thinking of how can I offload what I hate but hire somebody else who loves it, because then they're in their sweet spot and they don't want to leave. Nobody wants to leave when they're doing the one thing that they love over and over again. But let's say you don't love doing social media. You hire an esthetician. She don't love doing social media, but you got to do social media. You know what I mean. She's going to get her job. It's not going to have as much satisfaction doing it. If you're like I don't want to deal with the business stuff, then you would want to start finding someone who's got business experience that you can offload that Now. With that being said, what I will say is, in particular, no one is born a leader. They all become one and when you first started off, you aren't and I'm not, and nobody is a great boss. We all suck right, but we have to learn and develop that skill.

Kari Jo:

And so my one challenge to you was yes, you can be behind the chair. Yes, you could hire somebody to do the management and oversee that, but nobody is going to move the needle with your team better than you and you spending time. So, how much you love being in the chair with the clients and having that one-on-one. When you start leading on a team and you start bringing on people where you can learn, I would say you've got to kind of start shifting a little bit to like now you can build that one-on-one relationship with that employee, just like you have with that client.

Kari Jo:

Where a lot of leaders go wrong is they focus on just them and behind the chair and then they have a lot of turnover and people leave and things like that because they're not focused on their employee. Like that, because they're not focused on their employee. And so, just like you love that one-on-one connection behind the chair, if you took and learned a bunch of leadership skills and how to grow your esthetician, just like how you're helping your clients achieve their goals if you were to help your employees and you start learning how to help, improve and help your employees, your business will thrive and grow so much quicker.

Michelle:

Yeah, okay.

Kari Jo:

That makes sense. Yes, it does. Yeah, do you have any questions? What are your thoughts about all of that?

Michelle:

My only thought on that is, how do you find time on when you're learning and growing and trying to figure the business out too, because it's grown faster, maybe, than you expected? How do you find time to do that with your team as well? Or I also feel like at times maybe team members aren't as invested as maybe the business owner is, because the business owner has a lot of them invested into a building or a business or whatever it may be, and so the level of excitement there may vary a bit. Or dedication I don't know what the word is, but I think the roles are obviously very different, and I didn't realize that until I owned my own business, I think the roles are obviously very different and I didn't realize that until I owned my own business.

Kari Jo:

But, yeah, yeah, and that is such a good question, because it's when you are the owner you're pulled in a thousand different ways and you're like, dude, how do I do it? Because and that is where, because we were talking a little bit before and you were telling me about your time where's my time the most valuable?

Kari Jo:

and stuff like that about your time, where's my time the most valuable, and stuff like that yes, so time blocking is the most important thing that you will ever do as a leader, and the sooner that you can learn it, the more successful and more profitable and everything that your company is going to become. Every successful entrepreneur time blocks, because if you don't, you won't get to anything and it will be running amok. So what I would say is how do you find time with it? First and foremost, you've got to figure out where you personally make the most money.

Kari Jo:

Okay so how are you going to do that is you're going to look at your services and you're going to be what service do I make the most money on per minute? Okay, when you're in that chair, what service is it that you're doing that? You're literally killing it per minute and you need to break it down for every single service that you do. Okay, and you got to take out Cost the cost. Yeah, literally, find out what I'm going guess it's probably fillers.

Michelle:

Do you do fillers A little bit? They're honestly not my favorite. That would probably be my least favorite service we have Fine.

Kari Jo:

I get it. Fillers have the most. All the patients are the most picky and nobody ever does it right.

Michelle:

Yeah, and just being a former ER nurse and stuff to risk and all the things that go with that, and I would say honestly that could maybe be it, but it's not, because it's my least favorite. So I actually have a nurse that comes in part-time and she does the fillers.

Kari Jo:

Yeah, because I'm going to. Yeah, that's totally fine. So I would take that one out then, cause you don't want to do that. So I would make a list of everything that you do do. I would guess that it's probably going the next one. I would say I don't know what it's going to be Botox or IV Botox. I feel like you don't make a whole bunch on it no, because it's so expensive these days, everyone's like I'm going to do botox and make a lot of money.

Kari Jo:

I'm like, um, yeah, yeah, a little bit more. Yeah, you need a magnet than it like, yeah, I would agree, yeah so I would just write down all the services. Find what okay, what one you are making the most on?

Kari Jo:

permanent okay, and that is what you do okay and you focus on just that service and you try to offload all the other ones because you don't have time to do all the other ones, because you got to run the business. So when you're in the chair, you're doing the most profitable thing and that's what you're focused on. Is that? And then I would start offloading everything else. That way, you can still keep the part of you that's. I love being behind the chair.

Kari Jo:

But it has to be very valuable for you to be there, because, if it's not, the most valuable thing that you're going to do is pour into your team. And I literally mean that. And that's where it's really hard, because it is very hard to lead a team from behind the chair because you're so focused on you and what you're doing and growing your team or growing your clients and satisfying your clients. But in order to have a successful business, what you really need to be focused on is your team and how you help them grow and build the clientele that they want and be the most successful they are. So when you said, I have a team member and she's not invested as much as the business owner, totally true, they never will be. But at the same time, your employees are a mirror to what you're doing. So if they don't feel invested if you're like I don't feel like they're invested in the company, they probably don't feel like you're invested in them, and so you need to take time to do that. Now, how can you do that?

Kari Jo:

I just had a podcast episode on this. You should go listen to it. It was just released. It was, for example, friday meetings or meetings doing weekly meetings. I'm going to tell you right now you're going to be. Nope, I'm not going to do that, because then I'm not going to see clients or I have to pay them to come in, or they all work different schedules. There's a bunch of different things. But one of the ways is if you have a bunch of people and you're having to have a conversation with the front desk on Monday and then your esthetician on Wednesday and this person on in two weeks, yeah, nobody is on the same path and they're all in like a rowboat and they're all rowing different directions, right? Yeah, if you get all your team together, make it mandatory that, in order to work here for my company and to work with me, we are all going to be on the same page. And that same page means that every week we are going to have a meeting and it's going to be on. Mine was Fridays, okay, you listen to the episode and on Fridays they come in and you get your whole team on the same page and you guys are all rowing in the same direction.

Kari Jo:

So you're reading your numbers and you're seeing who's weak, who needs help. So, for example, let's say there's a bunch of gaps on your esthetician schedule. If you and your front desk and your esthetician all team up together and come up with an idea of how to fill her schedule. She's going to feel supported. She's going to feel like you're backing her.

Kari Jo:

Who would want to leave and go work for someone else when you have three people helping build your schedule? If you're not taking the time to do that, then they're going to be. She cares only about herself. She's just taking half my money, but you got to show them no, I'm invested in you, I care more about you. So you're either going to pay the cost of having the meeting or you're going to pay the cost in it later, when all of your employees leave or are upset and everybody's not building and everybody doesn't have a schedule, or you guys aren't all moving towards the same direction.

Kari Jo:

But you create the unity within those meetings, and so I would say do less of what or do more of the only thing that you make a crap ton of money on, and then I would start saying no to all the other services and start offloading them, and then it will allow you to do more on the management side of tracking your numbers, scheduling the meetings, coming up with game plans and, if you don't like to run the business and you don't like to run the social media. Maybe your front desk girl likes it, so you can have her check in with her and be like so, what's the game plan? Let's make a game plan for this next month. What are you going to execute? Like so, what's the game?

Michelle:

plan. Let's make a game plan for this next month.

Kari Jo:

What are you going to execute? The best teams out there. When I think of a really good team, I think of a basketball team, right, Like they're constantly making scores and they're putting numbers on the scoreboard. And so, like your team, again, they should all be making scores and putting numbers on the scoreboard and growing the business together. And if there's not, there's something. There's a little bit of a communication gap or whatnot. What do you think about what I just said? What do you think is doable? What do you think?

Michelle:

is okay. I think that makes sense. I think that some of those things aren't as much my cup of tea to where I feel, if I could. I think the team meeting thing is a very good idea. We've kind of talked about it a few times but we don't follow through with it Everyone's schedule being different, it seems but I think that's something we should implement. I think that having the office manager when I hired her and pay her, what I do was because she has a background in social media, marketing and that role. So I think asking you know what is the game plan for this month, or figuring out what services are making the most money, that kind of thing, I mean that's definitely something that I could involve her in to help with. And then you know, maybe I can do focus on my top two services that make the most money because she's working on that.

Kari Jo:

Yeah, absolutely.

Kari Jo:

I love that. I think it would make a big, huge difference in your company if you did that. And I will say anyone that you put in any position, you've got to offer them support for that position too. So if you have her in charge of social media and stuff, I would also make sure that you have some way to support her. Get her training Do you know what I mean? So that she feels backed up from you. There's like the Instaclub hub that is on Instagram. Do you know what I mean? Give them something.

Kari Jo:

Or if she is going to be the manager and I don't know if you gave her that title right away or not I'm a big person. I learned very, very hard way Never give titles unless they earned it. But if she is that manager, what are you doing to grow her manager skills? She needs to have, like nobody's born, a manager. She needs to have, like nobody's born a manager. She needs to have education, and so you need to do something to help her grow her skills if she's going to lead your team, and the best managers, I would say, are the ones that they have their life together, so people want to listen to them. Yeah, you know what I mean. Your team's not going to follow anyone who doesn't have their life together, so that manager has to have their life together for people to want to follow and listen and lead, which is why, ultimately, you're the best leader in your entire company, and so I would just recommend leaning into that role a little bit more. And I get and I get.

Kari Jo:

We naturally don't like anything that we're not good at. Right, when I did MMA, I hated kickboxing, but I loved being on the ground. I loved boxing but I hated kickboxing, and it was because I sucked at kickboxing. We naturally hate what we are not good at, but until we get good at it and then, once we get good at it, we love it. I would start leaning into leading and reading leadership books and things, and once you start learning and learning more about it, you'll actually probably start really really loving it, because I, too, was just like you and I did not love it.

Kari Jo:

I actually actually my first employee. I literally hated having conversations with her. I avoided it because she was more assertive than me and I was super passive, and my husband used to have to hold me accountable to say the things that I needed to say because I didn't want to do it. And then one day I was just I want to be a really good leader and I went to her and I literally said to her I know I'm the worst leader in the world, but what I do want to do is I do want to be a good leader, and so I promise that I will spend every hour I can becoming that, and so you just need to spend more hours in it and I bet you will love it. I would double down on how much you would actually love it if you spend more time learning. Yeah, okay, well, I'm excited You're going to have to. Let me know how this goes for you.

Michelle:

I will yeah, all right, I appreciate it very much. Thank you, Kari.

Kari Jo:

Yeah, thanks for coming on.

Kari Jo:

Thank you for listening to the Esthetician Podcast with Kari Jo Patterson. Yeah, thanks for coming on www. karij opatterson. com. That's www. karijopatterson. com See you next week for more insights and strategies on the Esthetician Podcast.