The term ‘holistic’ is frequently used amongst practices today, but how exactly does your business truly offer a holistic approach? This may involve offering nutritional services in your skin-focused clinic, or IV vitamin infusions in your wellness and spa retreat. If you are considering expanding your team, here is why you should consider having multiple scopes of practice within your business.

We sat down with Elise Birchall (Dermal Clinician, Owner & Director of Lilli Skin Co. in Australia ) to discuss why she designed her clinic with a multi-disciplinary team in mind.

How did you originally envision your team when starting your business? 

Our clinic is majority focused on skin: dermal therapies & education. With an existing client base under my belt, I knew I would need some additional helping hands on board. I always knew I would have a small team of passionate, highly educated dermal therapists. Before starting I hired two full time staff and was quite happy to keep it at that (for now). I wanted to ensure all of my staff were getting the most from me as their employer with dedicated time for training and professional development. With plans for me to work in the business, as well as on, and being very aware that other service offerings are not my area of expertise, I turned to looking at room hire arrangements with other health professionals. We searched for a few months to find the right fit – people who were able to work independently, passionately, and aligned with our clinic values and goals. Six months later, we now have a team of three full time employees, and three contractors. It’s working really well, and likely an arrangement we will stay with to provide our clients with a comprehensive skin management approach.

What were your first thoughts of offering non-skin services in addition to your primary concept of treating skin?

We know that the skin is not one-dimensional. The skin is so closely interrelated with our other body systems internally, as well our overall personal appearance. It was a no-brainer to incorporate other services into our business offerings. Not only were our clients after a one stop shop with professionals they could trust, we knew that skin, cosmetic injectables, nutrition, and cosmetic dental services all had a connection with skin. The food we put into our bodies can have a huge impact on how our cells function, as well as how our skin looks over time.

Adding in nutrition services to focus on anti-ageing medicine through food to support anti-ageing treatments in clinic was key. A lot of our clients are seeking more dramatic changes in short time frames as well as age prevention so adding in cosmetic injectables was an easy choice. Our clinic has lots of brides-to-be who are preparing for their special day too, so the variety in offerings makes that process a lot easier having it all in one place.

What benefits have you gained as a business owner from having a multi-disciplinary team?

One person can’t know it all or do it all for one client. And when you accept that and embrace it, it leads to a happier, satisfied client who is one step closer to achieving their aesthetic goals.  Our team are constantly learning from each other – tapping into each other’s specialties and gaining a greater understanding of how the varying professionals overlap and align. Our clients love being able to have multiple of their health needs catered for in one place, with trust in our team that if they are working under the LILI umbrella, they will have the same level of expertise and care for them, just as I do. There is a large amount of cross-referrals that go on, too. Not only are we recommending from skin outwards, but clients are also coming into the clinic for one of our other services and then moving into skin. It’s a great way for us to expand on our client base and see more wonderful faces through the clinic doors.

What is your advice to business owners who wish to expand their service offerings?

Don’t be scared of making changes and building your team. Finding your perfect fit and taking the time to research and interview potential staff is so important. Once you’ve found that perfect fit, ensuring you’ve got adequate support in place goes a long way. While we all play a different role in the clinic, we are a team that is working towards the same goal. Regular and efficient communication is essential to achieve this.

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