Salon Rising: The Podcast-hembrow sisters

Summary

In this episode of Salon Rising, Samara and Jen welcome special guests Amy and Emilee Hembrow. The sister duo are co-founders of sskin luxury skin clinics on the Gold Coast, and they're savvy! Amy and Emilee share their captivating journey into the beauty industry. From identifying a gap in the market to creating a unique luxury beauty experience. Using their strong business knowledge to balance the fact that they were new to the industry. They advocate finding mentors and not being afraid to ask questions. The sisters discuss the importance of company culture, effective teamwork, and meticulous hiring. 

The conversation looks at juggling business and personal life demands. As well as the strategies they use to find balance. A key highlight is the mutual respect and support Amy and Emilee share. Both as sisters and business partners. Showcasing how their complementary skills contribute to their success. From perseverance, innovation, and the significance of providing a memorable client experience. Amy and Emilee Hembrow's story is captivating and inspiring.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

01:28 The Journey to Starting Skin

02:00 Creating a Unique Customer Experience

04:26 Building the Business and Team

11:00 Balancing Work and Family Life

17:46 Navigating Challenges and Growth

24:21 The Vulnerability of Personal Care

25:14 Hiring the Right Practitioners

26:40 Consistency in Client Experience

28:32 Handling Feedback and Growth

30:00 Challenges and Resilience in Business

34:49 Creating a Luxurious Client Experience

38:15 Team Building and Future Plans

41:38 Balancing Business and Personal Life

43:48 Sisterly Support and Business Dynamics

49:20 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Transcript

 Welcome back to Salon Rising, the podcast. Good morning, Samara. Good morning. Uh, we're joined by two very special guests this morning that I'm so excited to have on the pod, Amy and Emily from Skin.

Welcome ladies.

Thank you. Thanks for having us.

First of all, let us say like your schedules so busy. So thank you for like carving out time and also cool for us.

Cause this is our first time. Yes.

Yeah. I was really excited about that. And the reason that I reached out. To the girls, actually, the first reason was I felt like a terrible friend. Cause I was talking to my friend, Katie, who works for you and I did not realize that, and I was like, are you working there?

And she's like, yeah, for like two years, Jen. I'm like, I am so sorry. I did not know that. She's

like, also get us in with the girls. We want them on the pod.

Cause yeah, I did afterwards. I was like, now, hang on. Can I just slide this in this way? But I started following you guys because I was looking for this for something, something different.

You know how we're always talking about like, I just want this experience, this facial experience. I'd messaged Sam and I was like, Oh, we're going to this place and they got a facial, like inside the, inside your mouth and everything sounds amazing. And everything that you guys were about was like, this is so.

What was missing, I think for the industry.

Yep. Agreed.

So your sisters. Yeah. In business together.

Yeah.

Co founders. Tell us a little bit about the journey to start the business. Where did it come from?

Okay, cool. Well, yeah, we're sisters. Amy was actually working with another sister of ours, Tammy. And I, like you guys said, like, I was missing something all the places where we went to go get my facials.

Like I was missing the experience. I've traveled a lot overseas and I feel like these days, like people don't want just a treatment. You want that experience. You want that feeling. You want that story to go home and tell your mom or tell your friend and that feeling overall. So. I would go a lot of places and saying, Oh, it's great treatment, but the customer service wasn't the best.

Or the clinic wasn't beautiful or you want to take an Instagram photo. You're doing something for yourself. You want to. Feel good or it's not consistent. Yeah. It's not consistent. Like you'd go in, sometimes you get offered a water. Sometimes you don't like just that consistency. So I came to Amy, um, her and Tammy just split ways.

It was good timing for me. Amy has the brains. She's really good with behind the scenes. I said, Amy, let's open a skin clinic. She looked at me first and was like, are you crazy? We know nothing about skin and injectables. Like, why would we do that? Then you went off, had a think. Yeah,

I went off and I actually did some research around it.

Mind you, I was also pregnant at the time, like early pregnancy. So I was like, I don't know if this is like the best thing to be doing while I'm pregnant. But I did some research and I really did see a gap in the market for what Emily was saying. I'm like, there's all these little things that add up to this five star experience.

And I feel like so many people aren't doing it. Like I couldn't think of places that I would want to go. recommend to my mom, to my sisters, to my friends. So I was like, we are the consumer, we can create this. Yes. So, um, we put a business plan together and then. Yeah, just full steam ahead.

And I also feel like we know for us being in this industry that women, you know, it's, there's not all this disposable cash everywhere at the moment.

And if people are going for the service, they also want to feel and women want to feel held and taken care of.

They're like someone else is taking care of them.

I want to go in. I want to be held and taken care of and just like pretend that you tell me everything to do for the next hour and I do nothing.

So. That gap of having that full experience, plus still feeling like you're actually taking care of yourself is huge.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's the added value. And we're really seeing the industry move towards that. Like, why would you go somewhere where you're just going to sit there and lay under an led light when you can go do it for like the similar price, but get full massage, full experience, feel really nurtured and walk out feeling like a completely new person.

Hmm. Amazing. Can we just leave now and just head across the road? Like so, and that was part of the morning.

Just across the road now.

Yeah. But so neither of you had experience in the industry at all, other than obviously from the consumer side. So what sort of experience did you have? Did you have, like, what was your background?

Yep. So I've done a Bachelor of Business.

Yep. You've done I've done a Bachelor of Business, majored in marketing. I worked in marketing for quite a while. And, um, then I moved from Sydney to the Gold Coast to help my sister start her activewear label, Sasky Collection. So, um, yeah. Yeah. I helped her build that brand and then also her personal brand.

And then I started a fitness app with her. So we were kind of just like brand builders, like starting these businesses. And I guess that's why Emily wanted me to come on board with skin. Cause I just had that business marketing background. and very much like to work in the background on that sort of stuff and very passionate about it.

When we actually

started though, we had like, we reached out to everyone. I am not shy at all. So we had a really amazing, um, one of my doctors recommended a drug rep. She kind of took us under her wing. We got to show her our business plan. She helped us tweak it. So we had like a little mentor in that end.

Then we skin, like we reached out to lots of people. I asked a lot of questions. I love being a sponge. I knew we weren't the professionals in the

industry. So, yeah, but I think in that like goosebumps, there's so many people that know skin and then just decide to have a business and then they don't know what they don't know what to do with the business.

Whereas you guys. It's pretty powerful that you're like, no, we know business,

but

we don't know this industry. So we're going to get the insides and ask the questions and get that because, you know, I think that there's a lot of people listening that are like, yeah, I know that side of it, but. Yeah. I have no idea what to do in business.

And even you guys saying that, you know, you reached out to so many people for like, teach us skin, but that's what people should be doing. If they're in skin, they should be reaching out and saying, teach us a business,

a hundred percent. We talked about this when we spoke at the French beauty Academy, we were saying, reach out, um, get mentors, join Facebook.

She's a really great woman. And she's got a lot of good advice for you. She said, you know, when I was growing up, I was probably like, a little bit like my mom, but like I was actually quite a bit like my dad. I mean, I was really kind of like my dad. So I'm a little bit like

him. And I know that's not, that's not,

that's not how I grew up.

I mean, I was, I was in school, but I was like, um, going to the gym and I was like, I'm going to the gym and I was like, That's how I grew up. So I'm like, that's how I grew up. I was like, you know, I do a lot of exercise. Businesses where they don't know the business side and we were like, Oh, we're not doing the treatment.

We hire the best of the best. We're actually doing the business side. Yeah. They were almost

a little bit confused, like doctors and nurses. Yeah. They're like, I'm like, nope. They're like, are you doing the facials? I was like, definitely not. Yeah. But then

that's how you've been able to grow the business because at the end of the day, you're not on the clients.

So you're able to do the backend and take care of your team and have your market. Like, it's very powerful.

And you. Do an amazing job. I mean, it makes sense with your marketing, knowing your background, but you do an amazing job of looking after your team. Like that's really cool. Cause you can see that. Um, I know I saw that one of your girls has just won like facialist of the year.

I'm like, how cool. But one of the most beautiful things that I read her quote when she got it was that she just was so passionate about being part of your team. Like that's amazing. Isn't it?

Yeah, so sweet. And I haven't worked in many, um, corporations before, but Amy has. So when starting skin company culture, like Amy's drilled in company culture in my brain, she says it all the

time.

I think anyone who's worked in a bad company culture environment scars you. And then if you start your own business, you're like, I'm going to be different. I'm literally going to do everything. The opposite of everything they did. And that's pretty much what I did with Skin. Yeah. I just wanted a place where people come in and they're happy and they leave happy.

They want to come to work. Supported. But also it's that balance. We're not like their whole life.

Yeah.

And we make sure that like, they know that we know that as well. And we make sure it's a mutually beneficial relationship. Yeah. It has to be, because I think also you forget To put yourself in their shoes as well.

Yeah. Yes. And like, they need to feel valued. They need to feel heard. They need to feel supported. And that's the environment. And we all

have so much going on like kids or other things or other jobs, partners. So we try to be really understanding and an open book and open communication with them so that everyone feels heard, like you said, but everyone comes in happy because if you come into work and you're.

Not feeling happy, it, that just transfers onto your clients and

you spend so much time at work. You need to love what you're doing and where you're doing it. Oh yeah, absolutely. Makes me very excited. This conversation

makes me very happy.

Oh, I know. Cause culture is something that we're so big on and, and it's that same thing.

Like when you've, when you've seen the other side of things, you just want to make sure that you are never like that.

So,

and as

you said, everybody has, I think. A lot of bosses, like we always say leaders, cause for us, cause I think it's so different being a boss and being a leader. I think you guys are leaders in what you're doing.

And I think that boss role is very much forgetting that. Nobody owes you anything that works for you and their life is not their job and their life is their home. Just like it should be ours. And you know, it's finding that, as you said, balance, finding that balance between for us between work and life, and then also allowing our team to know and have the same.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And that's really important for us. Cause obviously. We're, we're all parents in the room as well. Right. So, cause how many children do you guys have? I have two, two. I have three plus two step kids. Yeah, that's right. Sound familiar. Um, and, and young too, right? Yeah, yeah.

Four and one.

Yeah. I just can't remember.

Two, five, eight, 12, 13. I always forget. I forget names, numbers, everything. I'm like, whatever. You just, we just call them kids. Just kid. Until you get to the right name. No, I understand. Someone listen to me. No, I understand. Um, um, she used to call us numbers sometimes. Cause there was seven of us. Yeah. Oh wow.

Well, there is seven of us. Yeah, it was. So like numbers, different names. I totally, I'm like, I can relate. Hey, that one, that one. Yeah. Lunchbox. Go. It's

like down the, down the road. And then you get the dog's name as well and everything. It's like somebody, somebody just come now. If it

is. Like it's a question we get a lot, like, how do you manage it?

And I'd love to ask you guys that too. Cause I have three and then two bonus boys as well. And even getting ready this morning, it's like, okay, up, get me ready. And then one of the boys wanted oatmeal. And last night he was like, Hey, can you make me porridge? And I was like, yeah, absolutely. I've got all the time.

And then realized I had a seven o'clock and I was like, I've got to get up at six, make sure that's made because that's what he's going to remember today is that I told him that I would make him breakfast and if I don't make him porridge that I'm letting him down. So, but you know, trying to get five lunch boxes ready and we've got five under 10, so trying to get lunch boxes ready and all the different things, homework for that one, shoes for that one, iPad for that, that charge.

And it's so. So much noise in the background as well as being a leader and trying to make sure that you hold your team in all those areas as well. Yeah. For you guys, how do you like, cause people always say, how do you do it? And I'm like, sometimes good, sometimes not well, but what do you guys feel about that?

Yeah, it's up and down. I think you need a really good support team around you. Like I take all the help I can get, whether it's my mom, whether it's my in laws, like my in laws just flew up to help me for the last two weeks. Um, so support around you, whether it's, you know, It's a babysitter or a nanny or family families the best.

Yeah. Um, so lots of support and being, not being shy to ask for help because at the beginning I wanted to be the perfect mom and I wanted to do it all myself and I wanted to do, you know, like bring in those muffins for the other, Kids at school and like that stereotypical, perfect mom. You've never tried to do that.

It's a stereotypical idea of what that mom is for us. You have the fairy bread and the homemade, whatever it is. I want it to be that mom, but. Time went on and I'm like, that's not, you know, that's not realistic. That's, um, something that I was trying to make happen. And that's not like our perfect in our real life.

So

you're teaching your children right now, how to also be. This incredible provider, this incredible human is like, so what's better to teach our kids that value themselves and to look after themselves and to give themselves the really

stressing me out. And I would be really grumpy, really short with my kids, have like a short temper and it wasn't like a happy environment.

So I really learned to ask for help. Um, you know, get my mom, Oh, can you get the kids stay or can I do this or afterschool care and things like that? So we've got a really good routine. I think being organized is the best thing ever. There's lots of charts. There's lots of like. This day's, you know, soccer, this day's piano, um, you take them on this day.

Um, so lots of organization that really helps getting up earlier. Like I love my sleep, but that's just not a thing for me. I think waking up that extra hour early and being able to have a second for myself, for the kids. I've noticed that's a huge difference in my life. And then when I am with my kids at those times, like I really try to switch off from work.

Like I'm always, I have my phone. If things are urgent, like I do respond, but sometimes you'll text me and I'll be like, I'm at soccer. I'll get to it tonight when they're asleep. Like, this is the time with the kids where I really want to be present in the moment. Um, so that's like the main things And like you said, it's

communication as well, right?

I do the same thing. I'm like, guys, big day. I'm tapping out right now. Yeah. Cause Rich will send us a whole bunch of stuff and I'm like, I can't even process it right now. I just need to be a mom. Things

can wait. Like things can wait. Like I love to get things done straight away, but it's okay to say, I will look at that tomorrow.

Yeah.

For

me,

I'm still like figuring it out.

Yeah. Cause you've got young babies. Yeah.

Like a lot of like, you know, day by day, I think, cause that could be a good night, a bad night. Jude might be up all night and then I'm just like, you know, it's tired today guys. Yeah. You know, I'm just figuring it out. I think just for me, prioritizing what's important to us, like not for me, it's not important to like, Do the fairy bread and the stuff like that.

If I broke up and don't forget something, I'm like, yeah,

Amy will come somewhere with me and she'll have no nappies or wipes. I'm like, Oh my God, I

do that all the time. My sister will always have it,

even though she's like, okay with that.

I've been that way since my kids were born. Like my baby, I was like leaving the hospital.

My baby had just been born. They're like, do you have a nappy? Not one.

I'm sorry. I

literally, my sister's youngest is 12 and she has a nappy and wipes at all times. Generally, because I walk out with the baby and think, Oh, well, if it needs, like, cause I've got a two year old, I'm like, it'll be fine, figure it out. I'll be home, I'll be home before they go toilet.

I think I'm more easy going like that because you stress less and then your kids are actually happier.

So it's, it's been a journey to get there.

Because they do get like, I am exactly like that, but they do get older when you're like, okay, I actually need to be more routine because of the fact that this one's got this, this one's got that, we've got to be there for that. We've got to be there for this. Like the more activities I do, like as soon as my kid goes, I don't want to do that anymore.

I'm like, Canceled! Take that one off the schedule because I am exhausted and I also don't want to do that anymore. So, but yeah, there's so many more things of adding, you know, and school emails, holy shit. It's like you need a PA. You need a school email. My daughter's just started this year. The parents

WhatsApp

groups.

Yeah.

I know I get so like, look at your phone. There's like 30 notifications. Yeah. What are you people doing? What are you

doing? I don't understand. Of all the kids, different ages that were coming to some play day. It's

like a what in

the WhatsApp

group. Why is this important? Too much time. But then it's saying that, like you said, having your village.

So. When my youngest started school, it was all my middle child. Sorry. I have so many, when my middle child started school, my first order, I didn't find a village at school. Like it was just very kind of, Nope, no one spoke. And then when my young, my middle child started all of a sudden there was all these moms that wanted to hang out.

And then there, my village, they fucking helped so much. Like I'm like, Hey, cause my eldest has got sport before school. So then I'll drop them to their place. Cause I've got 10, 000 things to do, but trying to find people that also you can help and they can help is so massive for moms when they work, you know, cause then one of the other moms the other day, Sadie was sick and then conveniently her friend was also sick and I was like, all right, I'll pick you both up.

Come to work, play within your iPads because having those people around you that can help, you know, in your family and the village, it

does. And it just works. Which child were you pregnant with when you guys embarked on this adventure?

Aurora. So four years ago, she's four now. And it was your

first.

My first.

Wow. And, um, the pandemic happened as well. It was a perfect storm. I just remember having like a breakdown being like, Oh no, what have we done? I just put all my money into this. I'm about to have a baby and we can't even open.

Okay. So that was. Okay. So that was 2020. Yeah. And then, yes, that is four years ago.

Yes, it is. Just catching up. So you started with the one cause how many clinics have you got now? Two? We've got the two. So you started with bundle. Yeah. Okay. So Talk us through that journey of being able to open then. So what sort of happened there?

So I always look at every situation with the glass half full instead of being half empty.

Cause I feel like everything is perception, how you look at it. Um, so I looked at it as a positive that we were still doing the shop fit out. So we weren't really wanting to open, like we could have gone faster. We slowed it down.

Yeah. Okay.

So, um, we slowed it down. We weren't like, You know, trying to make the trainees go fast and get it done where otherwise we would have been like, let's open, you know, so they took their time.

And then when we did open, it was the whole social distancing thing. So it wasn't like one person allowed, I can't remember the exact rules. Was it like, well, you could only have a certain amount of people in the room, like

every day,

it was just adapting and going with that. And we. Just made light of the situation really.

But we were also looking at it. Like a lot of businesses still couldn't open then. So we were like, okay, well, we're lucky that we actually can open, even though there are things that we have to like, make sure we're not doing.

We opened like a couple of months after, um, Maybe like three or four actually after we wanted to originally planned, but we really slowed things down.

And then by the time we opened it, people were really craving that personal connection. So as soon as we opened, it was like floodgates of bookings, which was like amazing in that sense. So

that's a really cool message. Like you literally slowed down to speed up, like instead of being like, Oh my God, we've got to get it done, done, done.

It was like, no, no, let's get this done properly. Yeah. That's really slow. Down and then you guys went gangbusters when it opened. Yeah. And they gave

us like a good amount of time to really find the right people. That's what I was going to

say. How did you go about finding your team? Cause what sort of size team did you start with?

We

started with three. Well, we had one, one nurse or two nurse injectors and one skin therapist. And first I said to Amy that we were going to do reception. I said, we've got no more money. Like we've overspent so much. I said, Amy, we're going to be receptionist. Like it is what it is. I think the first day I went out, opened the door and I was like, welcome.

And they're like, what the hell is going on here? Like, I was not expecting you doing this. And I was horrible. I didn't know how to do anything. Couldn't really take any of the bookings or any of the system properly. So I was like, Amy, we need a receptionist right now. And this is our whole brand is that like amazing service from the clinic coordinator that you meet and they get to know you and you build that relationship.

So I, I knew that I was going to do harm. To the business to invest that money for the better of the business. Yeah. So then we ended up hiring our first clinic coordinator. We found

them through, it's all about who you know. A lot of them are word of

mouth with our team with, I think we've got 18 or 19 girls now and everyone is pretty much like 80 percent like referred.

Yeah. Because I love reverse and that's

also coming because your, your culture is so good. Like your culture within your business is so good. We find we get this all the time with us. Like, Oh, I want to work for you. I've, I've heard such good things and you know, you take care of your people. You're not

actually having to seek people.

They present themselves to you when you're putting that out there, that that's your culture. Yeah. That's beautiful. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. So 19. So how, how's the journey been to build up to that?

Crazy. When did you open

Raveena?

A year ago? Yeah. A year ago now. Wow. A year ago. Yeah. And just recruiting for that, I think it was like really.

Um, and it's really hard for us because we are so picky and we just, I don't want to say picky, but we know who the skin girl is. And we've learned that over time and you don't want to let the wrong personality into your team or someone who's not going to add value. And like I said, it has to be mutually beneficial.

So. It's just about having those conversations in the interviews. We know what we're looking for. What are you looking for? And really like asking them, where do you see yourself in five years? What are you passionate about? What motivates you? Because different things motivate different people. And we're pretty flexible in terms of what, like, um, we, we reward our Um, staff with like, it might be that they're really career focused right now and say like, Oh, I'm really focused on training.

I really want to meet with these doctors. I really want to go to these events. I want to network within the industry. Then that's what we're going to like give to them and invest in for them. They might say like, it's a monetary thing and it's like, okay, then we'll focus on your salary and bonuses, you know, but everyone's motivated by different things, so we kind of create like a wishlist and be like, okay, This is what, this is our roadmap for you here.

Are you taking on people always like trained professionals? Like, are you,

I think at the beginning we would have, but now we know that you can train someone, but you can't train like who they are, their character. So with nurses, like they have to be obviously at some degree. You know, of level of training and experience, but especially with like our clinic coordinators, like if I go meet someone at like a coffee shop now, and they're a vibe, like I will say, email me your resume.

Like I actually would, because I have done, I met this random guy and I was like, I don't know if you're looking for a job and even want to be a receptionist, but yeah. We just had this like great kind of banter, great kind of vibe to him. Um, so now we know to look out for that, that you can't just like train that.

Like it's who they are.

Again, it's that we have that idea of the skin person and whether it's. It's their, um, you know, just that their vibe, their personality, they make you feel comfortable. Make you feel safe. It's such a vulnerable thing. And people come in just like sometimes so nervous. And one thing we get in our Google reviews and just testimonials is clients say, I came in and I felt so welcome and you just can't, you

can't teach that.

It's confronting. Like you're allowing people. Yeah. To

touch you, you know, like, well, you think about it, it's out, it's the only industry like ours that you're like being vulnerable enough to let someone on your skin, let someone touch your hair. Like, and we're, you know, in any other industry, you can't have someone just be like, how are you doing?

Cause if, you know, you went into bloody Robina into a retail store and someone said that you'd be like, bitch, get off me. Like the touches what people need. There's so many out there that don't get the touch that they're like. That is what I'm craving without even knowing that that's what I'm craving.

It's almost

something you can't even put into words. Like we have all our practitioners will also go through, they go through an interview process. Um, Katie, our clinic manager will like phone screen them. And then we do in person interviews and we do a second in person interview. Then we actually do a trial.

And, um, we get the vibe from the team and everyone, but like, We're always like, did you like them? Was it hello? Nice. They always have like this thing that you can't put your finger on and you just,

But you know it when you, when you feel it and you see it, you know it. For

me, it's always when they're on trial, when they're in here, it feels like.

I, they don't feel like separate to my business. They feel like they've been here forever. And I'm like, I know that's the right person when it just feels like, Oh, it feels like you've always been here. Whereas if there's that slight. There's someone that's not in this. Yeah. It's you can go, you're great, but there's just something.

It doesn't feel like that connection there.

Yeah. And especially if they're doing like facials and massage and stuff, it's the touch and like some people have it and some people don't, you could be like, Oh my God, I love them on paper. They're amazing. And they perform the treatment. It's almost like

lackluster.

Yeah. When you're going to let someone put their hands in your mouth, I still really want to get that one done, but yeah, that's, there's a, there's an expectation about what's going on.

Seriously. So true.

Um, I love that. And I love the piece on consistency. Cause it's something that I speak about and it's all the time.

It's really hard to. You know, and even for us, once we realized our consistency, you know, one person's consistency to another person's consistency is completely different. Yeah. So once we realized, Oh, it's the consistency of the whole team being able to work. And like you said, you don't want to go somewhere once and be like, that was amazing.

I actually just had that. I went somewhere, um, for my skin and the first time was incredible. And the second time was very salesy and very clinical. And by the end, I was just like, no, no, I'm done. So it's also trying to be, to think about that. And, you know, it can happen in every business. I'm sure there's people that have been here that feel the same way, but it's trying to create as much consistency as possible within a business.

And

being aware of it. Everybody's human. And if you. Had a moment where you weren't consistent. You're human, but being aware of it and going like, Oh, okay, probably drop the ball there. What can I do to bring it back? That's the most important thing. Yeah. And we'll do

like the secret shoppers, um, send in people to like two people to the same person and get both of their, um, experiences.

And like one person will send to two different, um, Facialist to go, okay. Like what was different? What did you like more? And

it's all about constructive feedback, but we've gotten great feedback from it. Just even little things like, you know, Oh, it was like a little busier at one of the clinics, so they felt like they got less attention, like when they came in and Like the five star services, what we really pride ourselves on.

So on those busier times, now we have two clinic coordinators scheduled on. Wow. They can really provide that attention while one's attending to something in the back, the other one's always with the client, little things like that, that we're like, we know this will make the service a lot smoother, it'll enhance the experience.

So all the feedback we take, we're like, okay, what can we put in place to fix this or to mitigate it going forward?

That's the most important thing. Feedback is positive. That's something that really people need to flip their mind. I think it's because

majority of people in our industry are. Like not business.

They're not business owners. So for us, even for me, like feedback is terrifying because generally it's feeling like it picks you as a brand. Like it's like you feel like a brand. Whereas I think the cool thing about you guys is because you're not doing the services. It's easier for you to be like, okay.

Cool. We can work with that and we can adjust it. Whereas, and you guys, and I think it's a really important part is it's still a business for you guys. It is not your, it's not who you are. It's your business. And I think a lot of people in this industry are like, but that's who I am, me included. Yeah. I'm getting way better.

I'm getting way better, but it becomes. Um, but I think it's so important, like my brain is ticking as you guys are saying this stuff. Without feedback, you do not grow. I've even

noticed that though, with, um, our team, like a lot of practitioners like fear the feedback and then, and the change as well. Yeah. I was about to say

change as well.

I'll just nurture them through it. And I'm like, guys, I have so many quotes. It's so important. So many things that I say to everyone. Everyone must be so sick of me and the skin team. But I'm like, guys, this is great. Like, we're going to take this to the next level. Like, this is good. Welcome it. Like I'm just constantly like, it's okay.

Yeah.

Yeah. What? Do you have certain things that you guys can think of that you were like, this is nearly made us pack it in like certain situations or you're like, no, it's generally gone because I always talk about the burn down moments, you know, when you're like, fuck this, why do we do this? Why like, have you got certain things that you've had big things and you've been like, Ooh, that has been a really good growth moment.

Really good growth moment. There's been a lot.

So even that

makes everyone go.

Yeah, no, there's been a lot and we work so hard. So when things do happen, that's not like according to plan, like it is hard. You think. Oh my gosh, we worked so hard. We put in so much money. We put in so much time. Like, is it worth it?

You know? Um, but I think that's a really good thing about having a business partner and to be able to like get each other's heads, like out of that mindset, because we know that within every business, like you're going to have that like up and down, it's not like. It's not like this and we really do look at like any kind of points, um, as growth for us and a lesson.

So, okay, what can we do different? What can we change? What can we take from that to go? But of course there's been times where we've been like, oh my gosh, like I'm trying to think of like, there's been like a particular. With Robina, our build costs, like triple the amount of what it was meant to cost because building prices and costs went up.

So obviously like that's taken, like there was nothing like we were like, no, we need marble and no, we need this. We wanted it very luxe and chic and that's our brand. So we, Like it was our fault, but it was something that's a lot of money. And like you said, like a lot of people don't realize the money and the cost that goes into having that luxury brand

Murphy's law, right?

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. And it's the timing of things to like, you know, you spend a lot of money on something, then something pops up that you're going to have to pay for that. You didn't expect. Scrambling around and you're stressed and we've both been pregnant throughout like this journey as well with skin.

So there's been hormones and like stress levels high and yeah.

And just working with your sister can be like. I was just going to say that. Can be. You know, up and downs of emotions and craziness. There's a reason

why there's a Jen between me and Rich, which are brother and sister. Like there's a reason why we have a, you just need a Jen in the middle of it.

Emily

was right in saying that, like being able to support each other through those times, pull each other out of it. I think like when I'm down. She's like snap out of it. And then when she's down, like, we'll often say to each other, if this was easy, everyone would do it. Yeah, exactly. And then like something

will happen when we're like having that down and we're like, Oh my gosh, like we're stressed or something.

And then something will happen. Like the other day, one of our employees sent us like a novel of just, just wanted to let you guys know, like how amazing you are and what you've, what you've grown in the last couple of months. Three years and this and that. And like, it's something like that will happen always at the right time when you're like, should we just pack it in?

Let's go move overseas and pack up. No, she literally

said no message. I don't think like you hear it enough, but I really appreciate you guys. And I needed to hear that always

at the right time. I, a couple of things have happened in the last week and I'm like, Oh, this is like, I'm not as emotional. She's very emotional.

So I'm like, that's good. Amy, that's a good hit for Amy to give her that boost. You know?

Jen's not like that. She's like, Oh, thanks. And I'm like, I needed that so bad. Thank you. You know, and it is just feeling appreciated because you do go. Also, we're doing all of this because we know what it's like to work in places that are shit.

Yeah. And so we're doing all of this to make sure that you guys feel really supported and really loved, but also we need to feel the appreciation back because. Sometimes like, and no one sees all the shit we do behind the scenes. No one sees us up on our phones, doing all the things, being up early, trying to get things done.

Like even last night I was like, Oh yeah, I'm just going to sit on the couch. And then I was like, fuck socials. Like, and you know, no one sees all that behind the scenes of you wanting to make it really, really great, but also you're exhausted. So someone just being like. I see you and I appreciate you.

You're like, even clients, like it means the world when clients do the same thing, but when your staff come to you as leaders, it's, it's pretty magic. Yeah,

absolutely. You pour so much of yourself into your business. And I think to. Like get that feedback from your like staff and your clients that those little things that you're doing, they see them and they're relaying it back to you.

Like with our clients, they're seeing the little details, the little things that so many people think don't matter or like we'll overlook in a business. Cause they're like, Oh, it's just a little thing to us. We really put. Effort into that and for them to mention it, like even just like the smell of the clinic, we have like a signature scent that gets pumped through the air con and it's like linked to memory and like this feeling and we want it to feel a certain way.

And we put so much like thought into it. It's a long process. To do that, I was

like, what am I going to

spray in my, but they have like, even when I'm walking into the clinic and a client sitting there and I hear them say, Oh my God, it smells so good in here. What is that scent? And then yes, Google reviews.

They're like, I walked in and it Smelt so good. Or like they walk in for the third time. They're like, it always smells so good. Yeah. It's

the same company that does like Louis Vuitton. Um, the Langham, like if you go to the Langham, the Langham, like always hotels have like that same. And I said to Amy, like Louis Vuitton, I'm like, I swear.

It's like, makes you want to spend, you feel like bougie when you walk in there. You know, I'm like, it's makes you have this feeling, a

smell.

Yeah.

It is linked to feelings and memories. So like people leave and like, if they smell hints of those like tones, they're going to be like, Oh, I need to go and get it.

And

even though you spent, like you relay that back, you spent, and people don't, as you said, people don't realize how much it costs to build. a space. Like I was having now, I was having this conversation this morning with one of the girls and I was like, do you really want to drop, you know, 200 K on something right now?

Like, plus, you know, we know how much, how expensive it is because we also have bougie tastes, right? Even like when we built this place, it was, there was nothing spared and all of those things went into it of, this is what I want to give the experience. I don't want it just to feel like another salon. I want it to feel like the experience.

And even the other day I was lying in the basin. I was looking up at the roof and I was like, I even just love the way the roof looks, you know, cause you don't, when you're, you know, when it in my old cell on the roof was tatty as shit. It was not, I don't even think it was painted in some areas, but that's when you're lying down.

It's the stuff that you're looking at. Like it's the stuff we're seeing and we get used to seeing it all day every day and we forget to look at it from client's eyes. So when you get to develop a new clinic and do all of those things, I think that's the Even though it's hard in the beginning, the money is, is worth it.

But you've got to obviously have it there to spend.

See, getting that client experience too. Cause you guys just did your VIP night the other night, right? So that's kind of like a give back and thank you to your clients. Is that right?

Yeah. Well, we have a skin squad. It's a membership. Um, which it's really great because it's just buying a package.

So it's kind of for best results, let's say for needling, you kind of need minimum three anyway. So it's just buying it up front and you get a complimentary led light, um, therapy, facial. You get, um, to be involved in our Facebook group, which has like, we only do discounts really on there. So like last minute appointments or like special, um, discounts.

We do giveaways. So we give away. Things every few weeks in there, um, to the

monthly newsletter that newsletter involved in, which just has their VIP discounts

and then we do the VIP night. So we usually will get the VIPs together and then have like some nurses on or some germs and talk about a new treatment or a bit of the science behind some of the treatments.

So they get to know things better and

they walk away with goodies. Yeah.

Yeah. Education.

Yeah. Um. So what's

next? Yeah. What is next?

I think, well, we kind of sat down with our team. We had like a retreat day where we kind of mapped out the rest of the year for everyone. So they kind of saw where we were going.

And for us this year, like, Skin Robina is only a year old, so we're really going back to foundations, back to basics, just making sure that we can get the team working cohesively, communicating well. We had to obviously expand our team. And so for us, it's been really like workshopping, having them work across both clinics.

So everyone's working together. Okay. So they're

still getting that connection with everybody. We're building the

connection because we've kind of grown slowly. So we started with like a smaller team for Robina. And then we're like, as we. Build those relationships and skillsets. Then we're going to add people and add people.

So we've been in that process. So this year is really processes like people and just like strong foundations. And then we're going to like. Reset and figure out next steps. Yeah, look, we're always looking, we've got like wishlists and like, Oh, if we could like shoot to the moon now, like what would we do?

We've got things like that, that we're always like, okay, this is the next thing. But, um, and we work on it in the background, kind of researching, looking at the market, that sort of thing. But we do understand how important a good foundation is before we see too many people scale and they scale too quickly and it just becomes a hot mess.

And it's the same with building like clinics. I watch people have like a successful business for a year or two years and then they're like, all right, four more like, and then all of a sudden they're like scale back. That was.

Yeah. Terrible. Because

I think even listening to you guys say, then you make sure that everyone feels cohesive across both clinics is really important because you want it to feel like one family.

Yeah. And then everyone's maintain your

brand, you know, and if you scaling too fast without purpose, it's just going to fall by the wayside. Yeah.

So like you can get swept up in that rush of like, let's open more, let's do this. Let's do that. And I just said like, Emily, we need a. Make sure that everyone is on the same page.

Everyone's skill level is at the same level. It's cohesive, there's consistency, there's lots of communication. So we've developed all these different processes and touch points with the team. We have our monthly team meetings. We have our derm meetings, our admin meetings, like once a month. So they can like communicate amongst each other.

We've set up different processes. We have a weekly newsletter that gets emailed out just to staff with just updates, important dates, like, you know. Things that we have coming up, all that sort of stuff, just all these little things so that we can make sure everyone's across everything. Everyone feels a part of the team.

Everyone, whether you're a casual, who's only there, you know, a couple of days a week, then like you're still across everything. And we celebrate all the little wins. Everyone's like first year milestone and like birthdays and stuff like that. Just make everyone feel like it's a really good team. I actually left the VIP night the other night and um, It was like, wow, I feel really good about my team right now.

Everyone really stepped up to, we were like interior designers, like setting up this event, like Georgia would have found us. And she was like, no, I think this candle needs to go

here. Because then everybody feels like they have. Ownership in the business.

It felt really good. And I was like, yes, we're moving in the right direction.

Yeah. And sometimes I think too, we're busy enough also, can we just pause and enjoy like, rather than enjoying all we've done, the next thing, the next thing, also just enjoy where we're at and what we've built and how far we've come and how proud we are in coming away from those nights and being like,

And also it depends on how much you want to work more.

Like, are you at a time where like, you just want to enjoy the clinics and what we've created and like, we both have other side projects and businesses and things going on too. So just enjoy it and enjoy our kids and not be like, you know, so frantic because we could scale and we could, we've got all of our processes and everything down pack now.

So to go open another one would be. I wouldn't say easy, but it would be, you know, you've

got all the processes,

but do we want to be even more busy and that's probably more time without the kids or, you know, sacrificing other things as well. Um, so it's all of that that you have to really think about. And

you go as, you know, we've got, as the babies are young, we've got them.

For so short a period of time, maybe you said something to me once and you were like, we have 18 summers with our kids. And I was like, holy fuck, 18 is nothing, you know, like, and I don't want my kids to look back and be like, my mom's whole focus, even my kids now, after I went through a separation, my whole focus had to become my children.

And even now they're just like, we love how much you're at home. And I was like, like, you know, you look back and you're like, sorry, dad. Um, and you know, you're doing the school runs and stuff, but that stuff's important. And as you said, relying on family also to help as well. The kids love that.

Yeah. So stop being guilty with that.

My kids love it. It's absolutely okay to have a village. Yeah. You know? Yeah. No one was ever meant to just do this job on their own. Hell freaking no. As in being a parent. Yeah. Yeah. Especially, yeah, I totally agree with that because I am at the other end of things. I've got teenagers and it's just, yeah, it goes too quickly.

You just need to make the most of every moment. Don't cry, Amy.

Everything makes her cry.

Seriously. You can cry if you want to, it's okay. Um. I was going to say, there's this thing that we do, especially, I think this would be cool because you guys are sisters that we talk like when we have guests together, is there something that you about each other would like to emulate that the other person has, so something you would like to have, and then something you would like to alleviate from them?

From their lives. So when we

do it with Jen and I, so it's something, yeah. So it's like a quality Jen has that I'm obsessed with and something that I would like to take from her because she puts too much pressure. Yeah. Like something. Yeah. A burden you

would like to remove from the other person's life.

And then something about

emulating. Definitely. Emily's got this extroverted, um, personality where she is like the best networker. She can talk to anyone. She can persuade people. Negotiate. I can feel that literally, I actually, I

actually thought that I was like, I want to be more like her today. Like I can be quite introverted and I'm like, I really like this.

I'm not going to lie. Like sometimes I go into like events and stuff and think I'm just going to try and be like Emily today. No, because you're so good at it. And I love, that's why I love this. Like sending you to those things. Yeah. Well, I, well, I met her in bed, but she's so good at it and I can get, I think like a little bit of social anxiety and it's like a little harder for me to really.

Put myself out there and public speaking, and she's really pushed me.

Now she wants to public speaking. The last thing we did, I switched up the mic the whole time I said, okay, what do you want me just to head off?

Yeah, but yeah, that's what I would emulate. And what was the other one? Alleviate from you?

Can't wait for this one. What

would I take

away? Am I perfect? Thanks. No.

No. Even like we normally do it, like, because it's, is there a burden that they show than you would like to help away? You're, you don't need to have that anymore.

I hope you feel that you are seen enough and things like that. Not so much anything that's wrong with you. Yeah. Oh, I give like a list of things. I was not

lucky you. Like I was taking it that way. Oh

yeah. Lucky you. Just explain now that we clear that up. Um, not like this is where you're foldy, so pick it up.

It's more so like, I

think sometimes you might doubt. Mm. Like. Um, your intellect when it comes to like the business side of things. So you'll kind of take a step back and let me do it, but I. I want to take that away from you because I feel like our best work is when you contribute and we work together.

Oh, you guys are so clever.

That was

a great one. I really do think that because I think some of the best things, like even like not so little, but like the sign. Like, and I was so like the side, the skin sign, like the, at the front of the clinic and how so like adamant I wanted it a certain way. And then you were like giving your input, but then you kind of took a step back.

But then like, when I actually thought about your input and we collaborated on it, it actually came out

better than ever. No sign. Oh yeah. Let's, let's, no sign. Anyway, it really worked. That's why we work well together, because I probably would have come first with like a big bowl, like crazy sign. Yeah.

She's comes with no neon lights and the sign is very subtle.

Yeah.

And

I

think when we

work

together, but I do see sometimes I think you'll take a step back. That's so funny. Now looking back at that, I know it's like, well, Like how are we looking at this?

Like Etsy, the fucking red thing about the door. See

that was my vibe.

Go through a door, another door, find a map. Treasure hunt. Yeah, cute. Okay, so for you You are really, Amy is so smart. Like I honestly feel like I've never met someone as smart as Amy. Like when she comes up with things all the time with all your businesses, um, she'll come up with things and she'll show me the backhand of this or why this will equal this or why we're doing this for the long run of this.

And we've like all of the marketing and what we've. Decided to do with skin, like everything that she said has just happened. It's like, she was so sure. And at the beginning it's like, Oh, but I don't know. And, you know, it was very different kind of ideas too. Um, so being really authentic and coming up with new things, like not just following trends, she's really good.

Yeah. I would like to

pick your brain.

Sometimes she'll come up with something and I'll be like, no, like, no, like I've never seen that, but then you have to realize that's where it could be really cool because it's something new where like, it's easy to see a trend and kind of be like, Oh, let's do that.

And that's cool. So that's that. And something I would take off you on to me. Well, I don't want to take any more work. No, you don't have to take it. You just want to take it away. Yeah. You don't have to take it. Stress. Yeah, because, um, I feel like you could be like, like take stress on to you. And I want to take that and just take it away because stressing isn't going to solve anything.

It's just going to make you break out. I know a

really

good skin

clinic,

both for the stress and for the skin. So I'll take that and leave it. Do we have, can we burn something out there when we're

going to stage the space? I love that. Oh, see, it's, it's really, there's something symbolic about being in business together and being sisters.

I think it's really nice. I love that we got to record here today before we moved because the same name, no, we're not moving. We're just moving up to the offices.

It's going to be so convenient. No, we're not moving this out on this. Just

this little podcast, um, because. Samara Sellon's name is Lazzarella, which is my sister in Italian, in Italian.

So it's just that really symbolic. I just love what you guys are doing for the industry. I think it's incredible. You're on an amazing path. Thank you. I

have taken so much from this. I'm like, oh, I gotta do that. Oh, do we have to get coffee? Gonna do that full time all together. Pick

each

other's

brains and booked you

both in?

Yeah. Oh, we, so I was like, rich, I've booked into, I'm booking into skin. I need the credit card. And I was like, but I couldn't get in before the girls are here. I'm like. Damn them being so busy is so good

because I've literally been sending it for so long. I've found it. I know what we're going, look at this.

And then it's the thing, but that's when I noticed, cause it was Katie, Katie's face. I'm on, I'm like, So

I'm definitely going to report back on all of the experience cause I'm that I'm even more excited now. It looks amazing. Yep.

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy days. We really, really appreciate you being here.

Yeah. Thank you.

And thank you for everything you're doing. Cause I think that it is very inspiring for anybody that's stepping in. It is the big difference that the industry needs. Agreed. Thanks

ladies.

So kind.

Thank you.