The Skin Scene Aesthetics opened its doors in October 2020 and has become a thriving business!

We know you are wondering, how in the world did they do that?

Well, you have found the right place to get a quick guide on opening, owning, and operating a successful aesthetic clinic.

(For full guides, how-to’s, business plans, and tips, view the products at the bottom of this page)

First - introductions - we are Emily and Kailee, two registered nurses who have been in the medical field for many years. I, Emily was previously a Postpartum and Labor and delivery nurse and Kailee works in Oncology General Medical Surgical in Minnesota.

Like so many other nurses, we had this crazy idea of owning our own aesthetic business and no idea how to do it. That led to me to writing this, to help other nurses with similar passions, to hopefully share some useful tips and insights.

First things first, training!

Finding the right place to get trained can be a task in itself. I spent days researching training programs and classes in Minnesota with no luck of one I loved. I was very weary about courses that only offered an 8 hour day of training. I felt as if that would be insignificant, and for the cost, frankly just not worth it. Then I found AesthetIQ Institute in Oakdale, MN. They offered a program that was 40 hours and included online coursework followed by three, 8 hour training days where you were able to practice and perfect your injections with multiple models. I am someone where if I’m going to do something, I want to do it right, so this program was perfect!

I have also had many questions about if you need to be a registered nurse to train in aesthetics. IT DOES VARY BY STATE, so make sure to look into the regulations in your specific state. The program at AesthetIQ Institute now requires students to be RN, as do many schools in the area. The reasoning behind the need to be a nurse is there are SO many skills and SO much knowledge gained through nursing school that becomes very prominent in the aesthetic world. Without this prior knowledge, it is very hard to start from square one and learn everything you need to know to be a successful injector.

When it comes to how long you should practice before opening your clinic, it will definitely differ by person. I felt extremely confident after training and was so ready to get injecting, however, whenever I do something new I want to make sure I am doing my best work. For this reason we did some extra training and practice, we shadowed other injectors, took in models to perfect our skills on, and did research everyday to learn more and more. There is ALWAYS more to learn.

It is very scary at first, but the more you practice, the more comfortable and precise you will become. Don’t skip out on extra training just to start making money, your brand will develop itself with the VERY FIRST appointment you have, and you want it to be a great one!

Marketing

Marketing your new business is extremely important. You need to get it out into your community that there is a new business in town!

Google is the first thing we started with. We created our business profile so that it was searchable. Make sure to add in all of your clinic information so people know who you are and what you do.

Instagram, of course, is huge! This is going to be a great place to make connections, showcase your work, and offer deals and promotions. An aesthetically pleasing profile goes a long way, so we decided to go with a theme that matches our studio.

Promotions are another great way to get the word out there. We started out with some amazing opening specials that brought in lots of clients and those clients then tell their friends and family. We try to do a sale every so often to keep new patients coming in our doors.

Lastly, market yourself around your community. Drop some business cards off to friends at their work, to other employees at your studio, around town at coffee shops and hair salons. Wherever you can put your card, do it!

Am I the right person to be an aesthetic nurse?

If you are someone like me, all you want to do in life is help others. For the first few years of my nursing career, I was able to help new mothers and their newborns through the most difficult and exciting time of their lives and I loved it more than anything.

For those of you who work in healthcare, we know that sometimes the hospital setting can be draining and tough on mental health. It is OKAY to feel burnt out, I know I did for many reasons. I knew it was time for something new.

If you are someone who wants to make others feel their best, achieve their goals, and create beautiful things outside of the hospital scene, aesthetic nursing might be perfect for you!

What to call your business!

We spent so much time trying to figure out what to name the clinic. I thought of fun little buzz words, rhyming words, words that had to do with aesthetics. I had so many great ideas, but let me tell you, every. single. name. you come up with will be taken by another business already.

This is where it gets tricky. You need to register your business under a name that is not taken to avoid legal issues as well as being able to create a URL with it that is available.

We finally thought up “The Skin Scene” which was actually already taken, however, by simply adding “Aesthetics” after it, we were in the clear! Thus was born, The Skin Scene Aesthetics!

As for our logo, I was able to create it on a program called Canva, which is where I also created our secondary logo as well as Instagram posts, stories, etc.

Location, location, location!

When setting up your new clinic, you have a wide range of options on premises that could work. Some people like to work in an established clinic after training to prefect their skills before going out on their own. This is a fantastic option, however, we knew from the beginning that we wanted to own our own location.

We toured multiple commercial and studio locations. Some great options are Sola Salon, Salons by JC, Salon Concepts, Phenix Salon, and what we ended choosing a whole different concept of locations. We are currently based out of a multi-use business building in Edina. We were able to customize the space to make it exactly what we wanted/needed.

As for location, we wanted to be in an area where there wasn’t already an abundance of established injectors. The Twin Cities was packed full so we steered clear of there, but we also wanted to be in a busy location not to far out of the cities. This is how we landed in Edina, MN.

Medical Director

This is where I have gotten the majority of questions, how do I find a medical director and what do they do?

Simply put, your medical director is going to be the one who you order all of your supplies and products through. Most products and medications cannot be signed off by a nurse and require a medical license. They will provide your emergency protocols and guidelines for your practice. They are also the ones that you would call if you happened to have a medical emergency or adverse reaction and needed a medical professional to assess your client.

Our medical director was recommend to us by AesthetIQ Institute. To find a medical director for you, check in with your training institute, or ask around to other injectors in your area to get some references. To maintain a medical director, you pay them their monthly fee for their services. It is not often that your medical director will be at your business location and most of the work can be done via telephone or email communication. When finding a medical director, make sure you find someone you trust and who is local in case you need them quickly.

Insurance

You will definitely want to shop around for the perfect insurance policy for you. Prices can vary drastically, so make sure to list out all of the treatments you wish to provide as well as products and equipment you will be using. Many insurance companies will require you to provide training and licensing information stating that you are able to do all of the treatments.

You will need both malpractice and general liability insurance for your practice. If you are practicing in multiple locations, all locations will need to be listed on your policy. Lastly, you must cover your medical director in your insurance policy to protect them, even if they already have personal insurance for their license.

All of these things will help to make sure you are operating safely and legally. Check in with your insurance company whenever you add services or products to keep your policy up to date.

Working with your clients

Clients are obviously what is going to help your business thrive, so make every single one your top priority. It is important to provide an in-depth consultation and assessment before any treatments are done. It is always good to help your client realize what they need by providing professional recommendations, however, you never want to push a client into doing something they don’t wish to do. Listen to their exact concerns and provide them with treatments options that could help achieve their individual goals.

Before any treatment, clients need to fill out intake and consent forms. These will include a thorough medical background assessment, current medication and topical treatments, questions that pertain to anything that could create an adverse reaction with the treatments, etc. Consent forms should highlight all of the adverse reactions and side effects possible, the consent to the treatment, and for photographs to be taken. Every patient must sign these informed consents before a treatment can be administered.

Documentation of each clients treatment is also very important. Whether you complete your charting electronically or on paper, thorough charting of the consultation, pre-treatment, treatment, post-treatment, and follow-up always needs to be completed.

Always make sure every single one of your clients walks out of your clinic happy and satisfied. Even if this include spending an extra hour with them, a satisfied client turns into a fantastic referral to others.

Final thoughts…

If you are someone who wants to be in the aesthetic field, I hope this blog can point you in the right direction and help you to become a successful injector!

My last final thoughts for you are my top ten tips I give to anyone interested in this field of work.

Make sure you have the passion for making people beautiful both inside and out.
Network with other injectors.
Join a group or two, whether its on Facebook or elsewhere to discuss questions or victories you have.
Attend every training course you are offered, they are usually free through your reps.
Take your time to learn and perfect your injection skills, don’t rush into it to make the money.
Work with your product representative as much as you can, they will help you with ongoing education, product information and ordering.
Adhere to infection control and protocols in your studio.
Make sure you are properly and fully insured.
Get out in the community and advertise yourself and make meaningful connections with other businesses.
Give it your all. This is not something you can do “half-assed.” Be fully committed to your journey and do everything you can to better it every day!