IN THE COMPANY OF: Rebecca Walsh, Aesthetics Practitioner at Blush Medical Aesthetics in Harrogate

Name: Rebecca Walsh

Company name: Blush Medical Aesthetics

Job title: Aesthetics practitioner

Company address: 138 Skipton Road, Harrogate.

Website address: www.blushmedicalaesthetics.co.uk

Company founded: January 2022

Number of staff: 3

In a nutshell, what does your company do and how did it start?

In January 2022, after spending most of my adult life working within the NHS, I decided to combine my love of science and medical background with my artistic side and take the leap to pursue my dream career in medical aesthetics.

I received lots of well-meaning ‘are you sure you’re making the right decision’ comments.

I was leaving my role as a Registered Midwife and what many considered the security of a successful and reputable career for the unknown.

I have always loved engaging with people, making a difference, boosting confidence and supporting positive self-belief, and I am still doing that, but in a different way, with much more control over my decision making and working environment.

I began renting a room at GetiLashed, where I have worked for the past 18 months, and this has given me a phenomenal start as I have rapidly built up a large and loyal client base.

I am consistently booked up four to five weeks in advance and receive the most wonderful reviews and feedback.

It is now time to expand and I have recently taken over a new premises on Skipton road.

Blush offers injectable aesthetics treatments, delivered by medically trained staff all working with the same goal, safety first, natural results and gold standard aftercare.

We want every single client to leave us looking and feeling amazing.

As a medical practitioner I am passionate about providing a service that is personalised, ethical, evidence based and in line with my professional values.

I felt strongly that I wanted to focus on subtle enhancements and tweaks to refresh and rejuvenate

There is a common misconception when people think of injectables which is that they have to look obvious and ‘done’.

We want our clients to look fresh, like they have had a good nights sleep or a holiday.

This is my absolute dream job and I have to pinch myself every day, that I am privileged enough to be in this position.

What is your role in the business?

As I am sure most small business owners can relate, my role is multifaceted.

My passion lies with injecting and building relationships with my clients, many of whom I now consider to be friends, but I am also the cleaner, the stock taker, the admin assistant, the accountant, the social media manager, the HR manager, the list goes on.

If you weren’t doing this what would you be doing?

I would still be a midwife at Harrogate hospital, eagerly awaiting a lottery win to take me off on a yacht somewhere.

What motivates you?

People – engaging with people, finding out about them and what drives them.

When I see people walk in, lacking in confidence, feeling down and tired, then seeing them leave with a massive confidence boost from a few subtle tweaks is what fuels me – knowing that I can reignite that inner spark.

When I meet my clients and they are feeling down about their looks, I can see so much more to them.

Their humour, kindness, wisdom, generosity, intelligence, but when we feel down about our looks, it can be hard to remember those things, so giving a boost to help them reconnect with everything they love about themselves is a gift.

What is the one thing you wish you had known when you started out in business?

That there is no down time, no day off.

I pride myself on being on hand 24/7 for after care advice and I feel that’s really important, but with four children and a husband who is also self-employed, life is busy.

What excites you about business?

Seeing the difference I make to people.

The feedback and reviews I receive literally makes me beam.

I know I am good at my job and that I can really help to improve peoples quality of life, which may sound strange to some, but if someone has an issue with how they look that is affecting their confidence, making an improvement to that can make a really positive impact to how they feel about themselves, how they interact with the world, their relationships, their productivity, its huge.

What is your pet hate in business?

When people hear that I work within the aesthetics industry, some can be quite opinionated and like to vocalise about how people should age gracefully, and leave their faces alone.

I have also had debates about being a feminist and where I sit ethically on offering these treatments.

But I am proud to say that this is something I have given a lot of consideration to and I am proud to provide a service that supports informed choice.

It is not a responsibility I take lightly and I am really proud to be empowering men and women and giving them the choice over how they look.

What advice would you give people just starting out in their careers?

I find that lots of people spend so much time talking about what they are going to do and planning it but never actually actioning it.

I think in order to experience growth you have to get uncomfortable and take some calculated risks and do everything within your power to be the best at what you do.

Put in the extra hours, the extra training, go above and beyond because that is what is going to set you apart.

And don’t spend time worrying about what others are doing, put that brain space and energy into being the best you can be and really delivering for your clients, as long as your clients are happy, they will keep coming back and that’s all that matters.

Who in business do you admire most and why?

Rebecca Patterson.

She is an aesthetics marketing guru, a single parent to three small children and a massive motivating inspiration.

What moments of your career stand out so far?

There are the obvious big moments which fill me with pride, as just this week I have won ‘Best Newcomer’ at the Small Business Awards UK.

Of course getting a new clinic is a monumental and exciting milestone.

But for me it’s the more personal moments, when someone cries with joy seeing their results, when they tell me what a difference it has made to their lives, when they take the time to leave me a beautiful review and when I can see how radiant and full of confidence they are.

Is your business currently experiencing any challenges at the moment?

I am consistently booked up four to five weeks in advance, which is absolutely wonderful, but it can be challenging.

I have actioned things to continue to expand without compromising on my standards or personalised care.

I have two new staff members joining me who are both registered nurses, and this will help to free up more appointments for clients.

Ensuring we are all committed and working to the same standards as we transition into our new premises is a priority, so you know when you come to Blush you are receiving gold standard care.

What sets your company apart from the competition?

We are a team of NMC registered medics who really care about people.

We want to get to know you, what drives you, there is no conveyor belt, or one-size-fits-all.

We will spend time finding out about your lifestyle, what bothers you about your looks and we will offer balanced, evidence-based advice to enable you to make an informed choice on treatments.

We don’t follow fads or trends, we offer conservative, subtle tweaks to refresh your face.

We want to foster a sense of community and we are well placed on Skipton Road for people to pop in and say hello on their way past.

We can’t wait to meet lots more of you.

Have you got a five-year plan for the company?

Our priority is to continue providing outstanding results with a focus on safety and we will continue striving to offer the very best with ongoing training and professional development.

Blush has grown exponentially in the last 18 months and my plan for the next five years is to expand further with no compromise on our exceptional standards.

Why is it good to do business in Harrogate?

The people - it is an absolute joy to treat the people of Harrogate.

My clients are from a variety of age groups and I really love getting to know everyone.

I don’t get out much, so this is my social life as well as my work.

I have also met some amazing business owners by attending local networking events and it is wonderful to have the support of like-minded individuals who understand the challenges of owning a business.

We are lucky to be really well situated in Harrogate for clients who travel from further afield with great access to transport links.

It really is the best place to live and work.

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