One of the biggest hurdles? A shortage of experienced managers.

As the demand for medspa services continues to surge, new medspas are opening at an unprecedented rate—faster than the pool of skilled managers can grow. With this rapid expansion and the industry still maturing, many first-time managers find themselves in uncharted waters, needing to adapt and thrive quickly.

But don’t worry. We’ve enlisted the expertise of Skya Jones, Boulevard’s Medspa Education Manager and former medspa leader, to share five proven tips you can use today for immediate impact. Drawing from the successes and missteps of medspa leaders who came before you, this guide provides the insights you need to elevate your leadership, support your team, and take your business to the next level.

Your journey to becoming an exceptional leader starts here—and with the right tools, the sky’s the limit.

Tip #1 - Soft skills are more important than hard skills

Yes, you need experienced aestheticians and practitioners with the hard skills necessary to provide high-quality treatments to your clients. But what will ultimately make or break your business isn’t the treatments you offer. It’s the experience you create for your clients and staff. Soft skills are far more critical to delivering memorable client experiences and building a strong, close-knit culture among your staff than hard skills.

Soft skills are also far harder (if not impossible) to teach. While you can train someone on how to properly give an injection or operate a laser, you can’t easily teach someone who isn’t friendly, curious, compassionate, and empathetic to suddenly develop those attributes. So, when in doubt, hire for soft skills.

Tip #2 - Transparency is more important than flexibility

Too many first-time managers make the mistake of being too flexible and carefree. Managers often don’t realize that employees don’t just want flexibility, they also want clear direction and framework.  

This is especially true in the medspa industry, where there aren’t historical norms to fall back on. Most of your employees are like you: this is their first time working in a medspa, or they’re relatively new to the space. They’re looking to you to provide some structure and direction. That doesn’t mean you have to be overbearing, but basic policies such as a dress code, overview of benefits, compensation, and PTO or vacation planning can go a long way toward creating happy, thriving team members – and keeping everyone on the same page.

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Tip #3 - It’s okay to ask for help with HR, Marketing, and Back-of House

Simply put, you cannot manage everything on your own. (And no, you’re not the exception to this rule.) It’s a one-way ticket to burnout, which helps no one. Whether through a part-time employee or contractor, a technology platform, or an outside party, be sure to budget for and hire support when and where you need it. Stand up for yourself and make a clear case as to why you need the extra help. Doing so will allow you to spend more of your time and energy on creating amazing staff and client experiences.

Tip #4 - Your success depends on your client experience

It’s important to ask yourself:

1. How do we want clients to book with us?

2. How do we want clients to feel when they arrive?

3. How do we want to keep in touch with clients?

4. How do we keep clients coming back?

If “client experience” sounds like a broad and encompassing concept, that’s because it is. From the moment a client decides to book an appointment at your medspa to the moment they walk out the door after treatment, every interaction matters. Certainly, providing treatments that deliver the desired client outcome is critical, but so is ensuring that it’s easy to book an appointment online, that check-in and check-out are seamless (and ideally touch-free) processes, and that every time a client walks in the door they feel seen, heard, valued, and understood. 

This is where the right tech can make a big difference, helping you automate and simplify the many aspects of the client experience. Remember, your client experience isn’t just incredibly important – it’s also fragile and all-encompassing. It’s essential to zoom out and look holistically at how you can deliver a truly amazing experience from A to Z. 

Checklist

• Reduce time spent on paperwork during client visits

• Use software that auto-updates client profiles with submitted form info

• Empower staff to review forms before appointments for personalized care

• Create workflows that let providers focus more on clients, not admin

• Choose HIPAA-compliant tools to handle sensitive information securely

For every ounce of time and energy you put into thinking about the treatments you provide, make sure you’re putting in just as much time and energy into the client experience you want to create. 

Tip #5 - Client retention is easier than new client acquisition

If you create a revolving door of new clients, you’ll always be searching for new business. And eventually, you’ll run out of prospects who fit your ideal target market. It’s much easier to retain the existing clients you already have by providing an exceptional client experience, service, and follow-up communications.

Client retention leads to more reliable, recurring revenue. Things like memberships, loyalty programs, and automated marketing campaigns can help you achieve world-class client retention. The sooner you prioritize client retention, the better. And it all starts with delivering an amazing client experience – from the very first visit to their thirty-second (here’s to hoping!).