The 7th April 2020 marked the 3rd anniversary of the Highbrow Clinic and although I’m incredibly sad that we were not able to hold our usual celebration party (those of you who know me, know I don’t need much of an excuse to hold a party!), I know that once these challenging times have passed, I will once again be joined by my amazing team, my loyal and supportive clients and my family and friends to raise a glass to what has been another great year; despite the huge challenges of the past few weeks.
I opened my first business in April 1999, a beauty salon in Weymouth called Absolute Beauty, having qualified in Beauty Therapy at Bournemouth College. I had dreamed of having my own business from a young age and when that dream became a reality I knew that no matter how hard it was, I would rise to the challenge. I still hold true to that now, in the face of the challenges that COVID-19 has presented to my business, and many other businesses, I am remaining positive and thankful.
I'm not one to let the grass grow under my feet! Having built up a successful business and loyal client base, I decided to sell my first salon and took a slight change of direction in my work. Specialising more in nail technology, I challenged myself to gain the best qualifications available at the time as well as undertaking the qualification to deliver training myself. I then went on to travel around Europe delivering training as a head educator for Alida Health and Beauty. I then opened my second business in Dorchester, a training academy and nail bar. Striving to deliver the best for my clients has always been my top priority, which is why I continued to pursue training for myself in the industry.
Once babies came along and the role of being mum took priority, I decided that it was time to sell my second business. Although, I could not take a complete break (a word that doesn't feature in my vocabulary!), I continued to offer treatments to clients from my home, juggling being a mum and continuing with the work that I loved.
As the girls got older this allowed me time to re-evaluate my career. I am a forward thinking person, always looking ahead to new trends in the industry, I also love a personal challenge and to develop and hone my own skills. I identified that there was a growing demand for permanent cosmetics and knew that, for me, this was the direction that I wanted my business to follow. I value the importance of training with the best possible academies and for me Natural Enhancement in London was my choice. Once qualified I spent time building up my client base, mastering my craft, working freelance from various salons around the country, I soon realised that if I wanted to offer my clients the very best, and put all my ideas into reality, I would need to be based in my own clinic. The importance of making clients feel special from the moment that walk in to the moment they leave is just as important than the treatment itself.
The Highbrow Clinic was born out of my own passion for delivering exceptional state of the art services to my clients in an environment that makes them feel welcome and relaxed. With sketches drawn, mood boards complete and a fire in my belly I embarked on yet another challenge to turn another dream into a reality. Anyone who has trod this same path will appreciate the time, money and effort that goes into creating a business, a brand, a dream.
I knew exactly how I wanted my clinic to look and feel. I had experienced and researched similar clinics in London, offering a concept that combined clinical aesthetics with the latest beauty treatments.
So the concept of the Highbrow Clinic took shape, initially based around the popularity of permanent makeup, cosmetics and brow bars. With the help of my family and friends my sketches and mood boards took shape (I cannot thank you all enough, and yes I know I’m a perfectionist - no apologies there!) and on the 7th April 2017 the doors of the Highbrow Clinic were opened!
The past 3 years have been an incredible journey and the Clinic has adapted in terms of the treatments that we offer. I firmly believe that for a business to grow and flourish there needs to be a degree of flexibility and the ability to listen to the needs of clients. We have grown and developed our range of clinical treatments, investing in equipment and training to be able to deliver the very best in aesthetic treatments, from skin rejuvenation to state of the art laser. From our beginnings we have expanded into a more medically led clinic; whilst still offering the beauty treatments of brows and lashes. I am also delighted that, having completed my training, I am able to offer 3D Areola Reconstruction for ladies who have undergone surgery as a result of cancer.
Being in business can be a lonely place at times; but I am so thankful to my wonderful family, my amazing team, my friends and our wonderful clients for being so supportive. When you have worked your socks off and put everything you have in terms of time and money into a business, it’s incredibly hard to suddenly be in a position where you can’t do the very thing that you love. I have had a few ups and downs these past weeks, as you can imagine, but what this time has given me, is time itself. Time to reflect, time to be with myself, time with my girls and time to appreciate the journey of the Highbrow Clinic so far.
We have decided to support a local Food Bank during this exceptionally difficult time and are holding a raffle to win £250 voucher to spend at the clinic. Tickets are £10 each and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Dorchester Food Bank. Details can be found on our Facebook page here, https://www.facebook.com/pg/thehighbrowclinic
I hope that once we can open our doors again, you will be there to celebrate with myself and my team the wonderful achievements the Highbrow Clinic has made over the past 3 years.
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