The Business of Esthetics

The first time a client calls, texts, emails or
walks into an Esthetician’s business…

A relationship has begun.

We are in a personal service business...

And by “personal,” I don’t mean people you may encounter as they walk into your business, or those you might chat with as you complete a transaction during a purchase. I mean this is a hands-on, face-to-face (and sometimes face-to-other-body-parts, depending upon which esthetics services you offer) business.

To put it another way: We are in the relationship business. Not sales. Not products, Not even services. We see our clients in very vulnerable situations. That’s why we need to create, maintain and cherish the bond we have with our clients. This is the very foundation of client retention which is the key to sustained financial success in the esthetics business.

I have been a licensed Esthetician for 20 years and NCEA Certified for the last 10 of those years. Throughout these two decades, I have worked hands-on with my own clients in my day spa and as a Solo Esthetician, and I’ve worked hands-on with other businesses’ clients during my work as a consultant. I remember (very well) the time in my career when clients’ only access to professional skin care products for home use was limited to purchasing from an Esthetician like me.

Back then, it was easy for us and quite frankly, we got lazy. We leaned hard on the importance of our products. However, things have changed since then. Today’s Estheticians can no longer lean so heavily on products because those products can be purchased anywhere. So yes, things have definitely changed, but often when things change, things get better. For example, can you imagine life without the internet? Or without cell phones? Or Uber?

Estheticians often lament that the internet has become an insurmountable obstacle to their success. And yes, if they believe that to be true, then it will be. But it’s never been true for me.

Products are only one of the many tools that Estheticians have available to them, and it’s not even the most important one. What makes us stand out from all the others who sell skin care products or provide facial services is our education, our license, our training, our knowledge, our endless opportunities for continuing education and our attention to personal service.

We must position ourselves as experts. We need to keep up with our advanced education and promote ourselves as the experts that we are, rather than putting all of our energy into promoting our facials and our products. Our expertise is what differentiates us from the rest. Estheticians are trained to recognize skin conditions and determine how best to address them, utilizing specific services and proper ingredients both in the treatment room at at home.

You CAN be successful. There are plenty of clients with lots of discretionary income to spend who come to an Esthetician for many different reasons. But if you keep focusing on (and complaining about) the obstacles and the lack, and listening to the naysayers and complainers online, you might as well give up right now because financial success is definitely not at the end of that road.

Remember, the unsuccessful Estheticians are the ones who have the most time to spend complaining on social media and blaming everything and everyone (other than themselves) for their lack of success. So don’t worry about what other Estheticians are saying, doing (or selling). Just as we know that information given freely on social media is not the best source for clients with regard to proper skin care, products and services, neither is social media the most trustworthy source of advice for Estheticians who want to create a financially rewarding career in esthetics.

The Heart of Esthetics: Creating Loyal Clients & Achieving Financial Success will take you through the process of assessing your esthetics career so you can determine who you want to be in Esthetics, who your desired clientele will be, where to find them, and most importantly how to turn them into long-term, loyal clients.