Lessons From Building A Beauty Clinic In An Ultra-Competitive Market

Forbes

a day ago

By Roxana Diaconu - CEO and Founder of Roxana Aesthetics Clinic, Dubai.
Nothing prepares you for business like business. (In fact, it's the only thing that prepares you.)
I didn't plan to become a beauty entrepreneur in one of the most competitive cities in the world. I studied pharmacy in eastern Romania, becoming not just a drug dispenser, but an amateur psychologist. It was depressing. I wanted to help people in a way that fit my personality, my aesthetic. (And pharmacology isn't about aesthetics.)
Consider how you could turn your problem into a solution.
So, I left, traveled to Dubai. This was just before the world shut down, and the Covid-19 lockdown trapped me in the UAE. Being stuck had its benefits. I fell in love with the city. But my skin did not! It seemed living in Dubai was hard on my body. After hopscotching the cities' clinics, I learned that what they offered didn't work for me and that clinical service often had much in common with a fast-food order.
But it gave me an idea. Like Sara Blakely, who turned a hosiery mishap into Spanx, I decided to turn my beauty problem into a clinic.
The first time I drove around Jumeirah, Dubai's famed artificial palm archipelago, I kept seeing one aesthetic clinic after another. I said to myself: The demand in Dubai for aesthetics is insane! This industry must be easy money. So naive.
Don't wait for perfect conditions.
Like many entrepreneurs, I had no clue what awaited me. Getting traction would require all of my resources. I took a leap; I went skydiving with my father. Doing something unhinged and powerful gave me confidence. If I could jump out of an airplane and survive, I could also open a clinic to help people feel more beautiful.
My advice? Don't be afraid to dive in, even when you have no idea what is coming next. Take that first step, embrace the messy middle and remember, the breakthroughs often come right after the moments you feel like quitting. I faced so many unexpected challenges and made plenty of mistakes along the way, but I always gave my best and treated every setback as a lesson.
Nobody is born knowing how to do it all. It's through trial, error and persistence that you truly grow. In fact, if everything ever feels perfect and smooth, there is usually something you are missing. Real growth happens when you are pushing through obstacles.
Remember, without mistakes, you can't become your best self. Embrace the journey, learn as you go, and let every stumble move you forward.
Look for opportunities to offer elevated service.
Some professionals are short sighted when it comes to quality service.
My vision was to enhance natural beauty and treat every patient as a whole person. Despite relative affluence, I visited many clinics and found them wanting. Some had high-skilled staff but felt like hospitals. Others looked brilliant, but had poor service. I saw an opportunity in the market for a clinic with both. We have one guiding principle: It feels like home. Both for the client, and the staff.
Aim to create a place where everyone can relax, escape everyday life and take care of themselves.
Cutting through the noise requires honesty and trust.
Creating a business can be brutal. Clinics and brands often open and close overnight. In extremely competitive markets, you have to work fanatically hard to stand out and brand yourself as a unique experience by local standards.
For example, for customers who want to enhance their appearance, our aesthetics scene is flooded with options. What I did differently was simple—but rare: honesty, follow-up, care.
Many clinics skip patient needs. They sell treatments, not outcomes. When people tell us they want a face-lift without surgery, we say: 'It's not possible.' That honesty builds trust.
Trust brings referrals.
My team schedules up to hour-long consultations. We assess skin, body and emotional concerns. Then we follow up after the appointment. If a client disappears for a month, we check in. Very few clinics do that. Even doctors don't follow up. We do. Because we care.
Patients don't come in with one concern. They come with many! You may have to be part psychologist to help them.
What can entrepreneurs learn?
What we do is important because beauty can be deeply tied to mental health and confidence. What has built my confidence the most is building my company. My story offers hard-earned lessons for anyone building a service business in a crowded market:
Start with a real problem. Your own!
Have a clear vision—and protect it. Even without business experience, I knew how I wanted the clinic to feel. That clarity helped me brand and hire well.
Stand out by caring more. In a noisy market, honesty, follow-up and real conversations are rare. Deliver them, and you can win trust and get attention.
Invest in your team. Your staff are your brand. Treating them well is critical for growth.
Don't expand until your brand is duplicable. I don't plan to expand unless I can duplicate my incredible team. Growth is tempting. But I care more about quality.
Hard times often birth great businesses. I don't know what I would have done if this didn't work. But most successful stories come from bad experiences. No passion? No chance.
What's the real secret to standing out?
I don't pretend I've cracked the Dubai success code. I haven't. You have to keep learning. Remember to focus on the individual client. In a market chasing scale, choose to chase substance. In a city of flash, aim to build trust.
Keep going. Even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard. Lead with care. Your clients—and your brand—will follow.
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