Held in Melbourne and Sydney in May, Aesthetic Business Masters made for two education-fuelled days for therapists and practitioners.
The sold-out events were marketed at business owners from a broad sector of the industry, with talks revealing valuable insights into topics such as brand building, regulation, retail success, and financial success.
Professional Beauty’s Editor-in-Chief, Hannah Gay attended both events as a panellist, joining industry KOLs in sharing tips on how to attract media attention as a brand or business.
Below, we outline some of the most valuable lessons we took away from this year’s Melbourne and Sydney Aesthetic Business Masters events:
Brand building
Inside Industry’s Tamara Reid spoke on how and why you need to build a personal brand. She said that those looking to boost their profiles need to focus on building the following: clarity of their speciality, credibility of expertise, consistency of visibility, and community. You need to know how to go deeper than topline niches like education and coaching, she advised, suggesting businesses need to look beyond these to determine how they’re different. “You can’t be everything to everyone.” She recommended attendees record their very own content pillars, and create content that can be repurposed across multiple channels. “You have to do the job, before you get the job.”
Digital Marketing Strategist, Safwan Chowdhury shared that SEO and email marketing is more important than ever with the increasing cost of ad platforms. He added that in addition to Google and Meta ads costing more, TGA rule updates make it harder to market your business online. His advice when it comes to marketing your business included:
- Start with your end goal in mind, and work backwards.
- Optimise structure and content, i.e. split up pages detailing key services and offerings so SEO is not competing for keywords. Content length and quality is important (1900 words per page is ideal, even if hidden in drop boxes). Copying and pasting AI content directly will not be viewed favourably.
- Run FAQs on your service page. Internal links to team profiles build authority in a page.
Mastering your business model
JadeStart’s Jade Spehr spoke on how to optimise your business to unlock revenue and profit. She spoke on team management, and what business owners ought to look for when sourcing lost income. She sees that wages should be under 30%. Average staff retention rates are currently sitting at 40-45%, which are really low. Jade advises that business owners should be aiming for 70%+, with a retail sale rate of 23%+. “Marketing is creating value; people buy from people,” Jade said. She advised businesses not to stop marketing and start discounting, as doing so will lead them toward insolvency.
Human resources specialist, Lizzy Boots backed Jade’s feedback on staffing, speaking on what drives employees to leave and on what makes them stay. She said business owners need to be aware of staff ‘quiet quitting’, stating 40% of employees are open to new opportunities. Hesitating employees are disengaged from their workplaces, Lizzy explained. This is caused by a lack of recognition or growth, poor communication, a toxic or unstructured workplace culture, burnout or lack of flexibility, and better opportunities elsewhere.
Cosmetic nurse mentor, Jacinta King spoke on the power of knowing your numbers as a business owner. She shared the 101s of business costs, and what business owners ought to strive for. Aesthetic industry mentor, Tara Shaw spoke on the value of treatment plans and clinic memberships as a long-term financial strategy for business success.
Successful services
Dermal therapist and educator, Isabella Loneragan spoke on how to increase patient retention and revenue through neuroscience-based touch therapies. She flagged the biggest challenges faced by aesthetic professionals to include high operational costs, increasing competition, maintaining client retention, and that most clinics are competing on price but not experience. Patients are still fearful of treatments which can impact treatment outcomes, Isabella explained. Plus, patients want more holistic treatments. Her solution is to offer facial massage to improve nervous system response, increase client loyalty, set you apart, build emotional connection, and enhance every treatment.
Osmosis Education Manager, Tatjana Jovanovski spoke on understanding the skin-body connection in aesthetic medicine. She discussed the importance of the skin-body connection, and why we should consider the function and health of our organs ahead of further diagnosis. Systems that affect the skin include digestive, immune, hormonal, lymphatic, stress, and mitochondria.
Client connection
Industry educator, Gay Wardle spoke on mastering client consultations as the key to long-term success. “It’s about how [staff] make [clients] feel [on entering a business],” she shared. She asked guests to consider when it was that they last felt heard by their beauty/aesthetics professional. “That feeling [of being heard] is what every client is craving every single time they walk into a business.”
The consultation is the engine driver of a client’s experience; this is where your money is made, she advised. Gay spoke through the value in providing a dedicated consultation space. Client consultation forms should be shared promptly, and consider the client’s individual needs and preferences (such as their favourite tea). A review of that form is then part of a business’ initial consultation. Small details, like a ‘thank you’ card on entering with the client’s beverage of choice, really matter. Gay suggested asking clients “what does skin success mean to you?” The causes of their concerns need to be identified. Closing the consultation is of great importance, where home care is recommended. Use words like “I need you to use XYZ; you won’t get the result unless you follow this pathway.” Follow the 70-30 rule of listening and speaking respectively. “When you change the consultation, you change the connection,” Gay said.
Revenue growth
For Revenue Growth Specialist, Neil Obsorne, it’s a 3-3-1 client framework that can double a business’ revenue. From the first phone call, you have the ability to influence the client’s buying power, Neil argued. There’s an emotional component to a consultation; people buy with emotion. There’s also a difference between selling and persuading – rather than telling someone something, ask them. He added, whenever there is perceived pressure, we should diffuse the moment. You have to become confident with hearing ‘no’.
Director of REVEAL Aesthetics, Iola Ciavarra discussed the advantages therapists have over major beauty retailers when it comes to retailing products and services. She also spoke on how maximising retail sales can add value to a business long-term.
Aesthetic Business Masters will run in Perth on September 22 2025. To secure your tickets, visit this link.
More photos from the Aesthetic Business Masters Melbourne & Sydney events:
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