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The Challenge: An Unconventional Path To Open
Ashley Reed is a Registered Nurse with over a decade of experience in the medical field. While she loved her work in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), she found it to be emotionally draining and felt called to start her own business, on her own terms.
With a background in behavioral health, on-floor nursing, and a love of aesthetics, Ashley knew that cosmetic nursing was a likely answer. Plus, her mission was driven by more than just personal and professional fit.
“I love aesthetics, but honestly, I feel like representation really matters. There are not enough African-American women in the field. I wanted to represent women of color while making people feel good about themselves.”
Ashley saw a gap in industry representation and wanted to address it. And so, without any previous med spa experience under her belt, Ashley took a leap of faith. She began to train independently as an injector and before she knew it, she was making the transition from the PICU to the world of cosmetic entrepreneurship.
Ashley’s path toward med spa ownership was atypical. The majority of med spa owners enter the cosmetic nursing industry by working at an established med spa, receiving hands-on and in-class training, and then eventually deciding to branch out independently.
However, after Ashley completed cosmetic training, she faced challenges breaking into the industry. She yearned for experienced mentors, but found it difficult to find an aesthetic clinic that would take her on.
“I reached out to local med spas for a good six months. I couldn't find anything, so I just continued to upgrade my training. Nobody wanted to give me an opportunity and everyone wanted to see previous work. I realized that due to the competitive nature of the industry, owners don’t want to pass along their skills to someone who might leave.”
While not getting hired was a roadblock, Ashley was not deterred. “I'm a serial entrepreneur," she shared. "I have a couple of other businesses as well. Something in me thought, ‘Why not just try it?’. It’s not like I can’t run a business on my own.”
With determination to circumvent gatekeepers and open her own med spa, Ashley worked on the “how”. That's when Ashley discovered Moxie.
The Solution: An Authentic Partnership
“The first Moxie rep I spoke to made a comment saying, ‘Listen, we want people who believe in us just as much as we believe in them. We only want you to come on if you're 100% sure.’ This conversation felt very authentic and I enjoy authentic people. It made me feel like I was in the right place.”
Ashley was drawn to Moxie's commitment to a genuine, two-way partnership.
Still, she wanted to research other potential partners before signing on the dotted line. After looking into competitors, Ashley concluded that Moxie offered the most complete solution and the mentorship she sought.
“When I looked into competitors, it was clear that they weren’t able to offer the same advantages as Moxie.”
Moxie’s helped Ashley navigate the complexities of shadowing and provided a step-by-step roadmap for success. With regular check-ins and assistance in getting business logistics set-up, Ashley was well on her way.
Despite seeing immediate value in Moxie, Ashley admitted that she didn't heed to all of Moxie's advice. Instead of training at a Moxie recommended school, Ashley decided to go elsewhere. With all of the back and forth and extra training required, she attributes this decision as costing her $10,000.
“Straight away, I would say that Moxie helped me save time and money. But, I didn't initially listen right off the bat. Because of this, I spent about $10,000 more than I would have if I’d gone to the school my rep suggested.”
For Ashley, this hefty price tag only made her even more confident in Moxie’s expertise and roadmap for opening.
“It's easier when you have somebody that has experience and has worked in the industry. I trust Moxie. They know what other providers have gone through and will give the heads up. Without Moxie, it would have been more difficult and more stressful. Actually, it would have been extremely difficult. Moxie laid the roadmap for me to be the most successful.”
The Results: A Successful Opening and Rapid Growth
With Moxie's assistance, Ashley achieved remarkable growth within her first month, hitting her target and covering all overhead expenses. Since opening in April 2023, Yofi Med Spa has seen sustained month over month growth. Her revenue from her first month to her fifth month has quadrupled. Ashley has come close to doubling the monthly revenue goals that she set with her Moxie provider success manager. “I was mentally prepared to have to invest some of my own money—at least in the beginning. But since I started, it just took off," she shared.
“In my first month I made enough for my overhead and it just was up from there. With other businesses that I've started, it took at least three to six months for me to even make a dollar. Moxie gets all the credit for that because I don't think I could have done it on my own.”
On top of a successful launch and month over month growth, Ashley continues to work closely with Moxie to get more clients in her chair. “After being in the industry and speaking to other med spas owners, I can safely say that the thing that everybody has difficulty with is running ads. For me, Moxie led the way with it. They told me what pictures to take and what I needed to do so that they could create an ad that converts. Once I sent all that over, my ads were up and running within a week.”
The support provided by Moxie resulted in an unexpected number of digital marketing-attributed, high-quality bookings. Ashley shared,“Thanks to the ads, I also have better quality clients coming in, not just people that are price shopping. I have people that genuinely are familiar with the industry and want to see what we offer, and what we're about.”
Weekly meetings with Moxie ensure that Ashley continues to set new and higher goals, focusing on the biggest levers to improve her business. In these check-ins, Ashley can discuss her marketing strategies, make any adjustments needed to attract more clients, and gets support in all areas of her business—from legal and insurance to administration and billing.
"I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Opening the med spa was one of the best decisions I’ve made besides becoming a medical professional in the first place. Without Moxie it would have been more difficult and more stressful. Moxie provided the roadmap for me to reach success as quickly and easily as possible."
The Stats
- Ashley is an RN who opened Yofi Med Spa without prior cosmetic nursing experience
- In her first month in business, made enough money to cover all overhead expenses.
- 4x increase in revenue within the first 5 months.
- Booking link.
- Website.
Learn how Moxie helps entrepreneurs (like you) open profitable med spa businesses!