After working at Sarah Dale Aesthetics for over eight months now, I have got to know all the lovely ladies working here and can happily say that I feel like a well-integrated member of the team! I am still a relatively new employee though, so naturally I am curious to learn more about the origins of the clinic, where it all started and how it has become the impressive business it is today. What better way to do that than sit down with Sarah herself to hear her answers to my questions? I thought it would be a nice idea to keep a record of this conversation for our blog, so that any interested clients can also read about the Sarah Dale Aesthetics story.

We take a moment to chat on a Thursday evening, a slightly quieter time for the clinic, with only one clinician receiving clients. Our reception area feels very cosy at this time of day, with soft lighting, quiet music and the sound of the machines gently whirring away in our treatment rooms. Sarah arrives with a big smile as always and after getting our recorder set up, we sit down to talk.

J: What were you doing before you started the business – I think you were a nurse, is that right?

S: I was. I did my nurse training and then worked in doctors’ surgeries. After having children, we moved to Dorchester, and I began to think about starting my own business to fit around childcare.

J: And how did the idea come about, were there any key moments at which you thought, “right, I’m ready to do this, I want to start my own business”?

S: Well, my dad owned a business and I always enjoyed helping out with that, so I’d grown up with the concept of a business. In the back of my mind, I’d always thought that I would like to have a business one day. Alongside that, even as a young child, I suffered with being really hairy! Even when I was only two years old, apparently, I always used to want to wear a cardigan so that the hairs on my arms didn’t show. I can remember, probably around fifteen years before I started the business, hearing about laser for the first time and going to a clinic to find out how much hair removal would cost. At my first consultation, they said it’s going to be at least six thousand pounds! For me, that was totally inaccessible. I think that planted the seed – I thought, well I’d rather save those six thousand pounds and put them towards buying a machine myself. When we moved to the area, I thought it was the perfect time to do it. People have asked me what my business plan was, when really, my business plan was “I’m really hairy, so if I can get a machine and treat myself and then my friends, I can do it for half the price it was in other clinics and cover the cost of the machine.”

J: Wow, so the business really grew from a personal need that you had.

S: Yes, and then I started treating friends and family, seeing really good results, and it has grown from there. Nobody is more surprised than me!

J: I can imagine that as well as being exciting, making that decision to start up must have been slightly daunting, how did you cope with any fears and doubts?

S: Well, it was daunting because I knew right from the start that I wanted a medical machine rather than a cheap machine. I knew I would be investing a lot of money into it. I had a really supportive husband which helped! He just really encouraged me to go for it. I thought about it for quite a long time, and then I realised that the only thing stopping me was fear of failure. I just thought “I’m not going to let that fear of failure stop me, I’m going to go for it, so at least I know I’ve given it a go!”

J: It’s inspiring to see a woman leading a business – did you find your gender presented you with any extra challenges while setting up? Were you faced with any sexism or did the fact you were in the aesthetic industry help?

S: That’s a very interesting question. I personally haven’t had any issue it. I think I feel quite confident in doing what I feel is right to do. I think I was fairly single-minded, so maybe I was just unaware that there were people being sexist!

J: You describe the clinic as pro-ageing; can you talk a little more about what you mean by that?

S: I started the business when I was forty-five. Aesthetics were just starting to take off, but something that had always troubled me was the fact that in this culture we don’t seem to honour older people. I knew it was going to be a challenge to go into the aesthetics industry - where a lot revolves around anti-ageing treatments – with integrity, valuing and honouring people through the ageing process. I think it’s about accepting our skin and the stage of life we’re at, wanting to make the best of it by having healthy skin, but keeping the idea of “when I’m fifty, I don’t want to look thirty”. It has been interesting because as the business has evolved, I’ve aged. We all have times where we look at our younger selves and think “I wish I looked like that again” but actually, I want to come to terms with the fact that my face is changing, that I am ageing, and actually be ok with that. As a business that’s what we’ve really wanted to try and put over to our clients – that ageing is nothing to be ashamed of, it’s a wonderful thing, something to be celebrated. Yes, our treatments probably do make you look a bit younger, but that’s not the goal – the goal is healthy skin.

J: Did you have any other values that you felt were important to include in your business ethics?

S: I know this word gets used a lot in the industry nowadays, but I wanted to be a business with integrity. It’s an industry where it is very easy to take advantage of people’s vulnerabilities. I feel that a fundamental part of our business is that we will not take advantage of insecurities to make a sale. The whole ethos has always been people over profit. We won’t ever sell anything that someone doesn’t need or want. We wanted to create an environment of trust.

J: I definitely feel that, with the clients but also within the team of staff. What has become your favourite part about what you do? Are there any specific happy moments that have stood out for you over the years?

S: Because of why I started the business, a huge part of it for me is giving people that solution to personal issues. I remember feeling the freedom from the embarrassment and years of shaving – so giving that to other people is really special. I remember one lady who came in to see me, she had a scarf wrapped around her face and she had a real issue with excessive facial hair. She said to me that she didn’t go out anymore and that it had ruined her life. I gave her a treatment and four weeks later she came back to the clinic, threw her arms in the air, and said “Sarah, you’re my favourite person in the world!” It changed her life.

J: That is one of my favourite parts too. Watching people get their confidence back - whether we help with scar reduction, hair, birthmarks - is really rewarding.

S: It is. I think a lot of people think what we do is about beauty and vanity, it isn’t, it’s a form of giving people their dignity back.

J: Everyone that works here has been so welcoming to me since I started. The clinicians are always so friendly to the clients who often mention how relaxed they are in the clinic. What do you think it is that makes the team work so well together? 

S: It’s incredible really when you think there is about eight of us here working together, and it feels like a genuine team. I think because our ethos is about looking after people, we look after each other too. Another thing that helps in that culture of trust, is the idea that we’re all human, we can all make mistakes, and that’s ok. That’s the way to avoid any type of blame culture.

J: I think that makes a healthy work environment. The COVID-19 pandemic must be a stressful time to be a business owner. How has it impacted your business and how did you cope during the lockdowns?

S: It was a bit of a shock. We did make the decision to close before the official lockdown. People were being told to only make essential journeys and we knew we weren’t essential. We needed to keep clients safe, we needed to keep staff safe. So, we made that decision, and I then felt a sense of relief. It was really helpful getting the grants in, getting the staff on furlough, that really took the pressure off. I started to see it as an opportunity. We had all this time; we could evaluate the business and see where we were at – so that’s what we did. We did some brainstorming on how we could improve. We started doing more things online, tried to think of the silver lining. By the second lockdown, we needed to think of ways to keep some income coming in. We invested in a Dermalux flex to rent out and created an online shop. We had to be imaginative but more than anything, we needed to stay in contact with our clients. We knew that many of them were home alone. I started delivering products, leaving them on the doorstep, waving to people from a distance.

J: How lovely. Hopefully the global situation will improve and the impact on small business will lessen. With regards to Sarah Dale Aesthetics, what are your hopes for the future? Do you have any plans or goals you are working towards?

S: We’ve got to a real sweet spot with the business. We have lots of different devices to treat different conditions. I am fairly confident now that whoever comes in the door, we’ll be able to help. Having said that, the industry is constantly evolving. We want to be a clinic that offers the best on the market, so I am always looking at what new devices are coming out. We’re in a good position as a business, but it’s like riding a bike – if you don’t keep peddling, you’ll fall off. In the not-too-distant future, we may get a skin scanner, which will allow us to look at skin at a deeper level and be even more prescriptive. We want to maintain standards, maintain our clinicians’ training, and look at how we can improve further.

J: I’m sure people are interested in your own skin journey. What did skin care mean to you before you started the business and what does it mean to you now?

S: That’s really embarrassing! I was so preoccupied by the hair issue that it really was whatever was half-price at Tesco’s for skin care. I hadn’t looked after my skin very well at all. My first device did hair removal and skin rejuvenation, but I was so focused on the hair removal that I didn’t think about anything else. It was only once I had sorted out that issue that I looked more into skin rejuvenation. I then started researching products and how they work, studying and reading into evidence. I realised skin care was very important. Nowadays, I look after my skin well, I have a routine. I love the ranges we have in clinic. We try to keep our products at a reasonable and accessible price, because my first experience going into another clinic was so overwhelming.

J: What would you say are your top-three favourite products?

S: I use the Medik8 Crystal Retinal at night – lots of evidence behind that. It’s great because they’ve brought out a 2% now which is a very good retinal, I love using that on my skin. I use Daily Radiance Vitamin C with SPF during the day. I should also mention the Heliocare Gelcream Light which I use instead of a foundation. I suppose that my top product, my desert island product, is the Dr.Bragi Age Management Moisturiser - so lovely and hydrating. I alternate between that and the retinal at night.

J: What would you say your favourite treatment to have at the clinic is?

S: I think if I could only have one of our treatments, I would go for the IPL laser skin rejuvenation. It helps with red veins, pigmentation, producing collagen, treating pre-cancerous cells…

J: Yes, I think it’s our most inclusive treatment. That brings us to our last question, as we’ve spoken a lot about work, what do you look forward to in the evening - what keeps you grounded and brings you the most joy?

S: We have talked a lot about work. I enjoy cooking, I enjoy healthy food, and sitting down to a nice meal. I’d say my family bring me the most joy, so I love nothing better than having the house full of my children and grand-children and feeding them!