Tell us about Shine Skin & Body.

Shine Skin & Body is a skin only clinic in Richmond, which is in Melbourne’s inner East. We have built a reputation as an acne clinic as we achieve amazing transformations for clients who have been struggling with any concerns from blackheads to cystic acne. The team does this through in-depth consultations to get to the cause of the issues, internal and external advice and our famous extraction technique to clear out the pores.

We believe in treating the skin gently to achieve the healthiest glowing skin possible. The skin knows what it is meant to do, people just do some terrible things to their skin; for example applying acids, cheap products, exposure to too much sun, over exfoliating and then there is pollution (I could go on!). It is all about being simple but effective.

The Shine Skin & Body team does also treat many other concerns as well such as rosacea, dryness and preventing ageing.

What inspired you to start Shine Skin & Body?

Having navigated through hormonal acne in my 20s having hormonal imbalances I knew the pain of acne, redness and scarring and I wanted to help others.

I worked in a spa previously and whilst we did result-driven facials, they were still massage and relaxation based, like most facials. I wanted to specialise in extractions as I had been getting amazing results on increasing these with my clients. Through research, I realised that there were very few facial salons specialising in extractions and so there was a space for this specialism in the industry and I began my journey of setting up Shine Skin & Body.

Tell us about your career and background.

I was lost when I finished Year 12 and so I started out in hospitality, but decided it wasn’t for me. Then I studied travel and tourism but that didn’t fit either. I had a friend in a similar situation and through a number of conversations we wondered if we should try beauty. We looked at some schools and I enrolled on a course. I loved it and completed my Diploma of Beauty Therapy in 1999 and I have never looked back.

After graduating I started working at Natskin spas. Natalie owned two spas at the time and I was a junior, she went on to own four salons across Melbourne and as my experience grew I became a co-manager, then manager. In my position as manager I had to train staff and as someone that recognises the importance of training I wanted to ensure I had the right skills.I signed myself up to a Certificate 4 in Training and Assessment course and, after completion, I was given a new role of trainer across the four salons.

While I loved my job, I knew I wanted to specialise in extractions and that was the start of Shine Skin & Body and my ongoing training to be the best I can be.

Describe a typical work day for you.

Like most small business owners, there is not a typical day as such, as I wear about 50 hats but there are regular activities I undertake.

My husband, Jason is a part of the Shine Skin & Body business and we work late, so luckily there’s no early mornings for us. We do things that make us happy in the morning – waking up without an alarm, spending time with our cat, or going for a walk.

I still treat clients and usually keep my bookings to the afternoon and evening so that I can work on the business during other times. This might be doing research, which I also find myself doing late at night, stock inventory and ordering for both the treatments and our shop, managing the booking system, running out social media, creating content and answering customer and prospective client questions.

Training is a huge part of our job. Being the main acne extraction facial salon in Melbourne, we have to fully train staff. It is a complicated technique and we do not use tools as a part of extractions. We are very big on continued study to stay on top of what is happening in the industry, to meet client demands and be the best that we can be, so there is training of some sort happening most days.

On top of the ongoing short training sessions, I also schedule regular training blocks with external experts so that myself and the whole team can stay at the top of what we do. You should never stop learning!

What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?

Start small and minimise debt. Don’t spend what you don’t have.

I started with just two rooms in a hairdressing salon. My dad, husband and I renovated it ourselves (oh the bruises!) to keep costs down.

Then get yourself out there, just talk to people, build relationships. A network is essential, whether it be people you can learn from, people that can be there to support you and, of course, prospective clients. You don’t need perfection to start out, that can come as you build the business, such as a better website, better interiors, a more developed range. The dream space will come if you love what you do and deliver the best service or product.

What’s next for you, and Shine Skin & Body?

The base of our treatment will always be hands on facials, we are known for our extraction facials and that will never change.

One of the side effects of acne is scarring, uneven skin texture and large pores. Once the acne is clear we can start looking at these issues, for some they start noticing ageing, so we have been looking into using machines more to develop treatments specifically to those concerns. Lately, we have launched some amazing laser treatments that no-one else is doing that are getting great results and that’s exciting. We will always look at what new techniques and technology is out there to offer new services if we believe it will benefit our clients.

We have discovered we love developing staff and would love time to spend more time coaching, supporting and developing great practitioners. We have regular 1 on 1’s to ensure our team is achieving their career goals.

No-one else does facials like we do and so Shine Skin & Body will always be about delivering the best extraction and skin maintenance facials.

Shine Skin & Body, 323 Swan Street, Richmond, VIC, 3121