Watch the full session here.
When we asked clinic owners about their biggest growth challenges in the 2025 State of Medical Aesthetics Report, nearly a quarter said one thing stood out: finding and keeping the right staff. And it’s not surprising. Having the right people beside you can make or break your business.
That’s what we recently explored in our SoMA session, 'Building Your Dream Team: Attracting and Keeping Top Talent in Your Clinic.' Hosted by Aniella, Business Development & Key Account Manager, from Fresh Clinics, the discussion featured two inspiring clinic owners, Olivia from A&O Cosmetics and Skin in Shepparton, and Hannah from Self Cosmetic Science in Adelaide. Between them, they’ve grown thriving teams in very different markets, but share one philosophy: get the culture right, and the rest will follow.
Hiring in a regional vs. city market
For Olivia, building a team in regional Victoria brings both challenges and benefits. “The pool that you are employing from is significantly smaller,” she shared. “People just really aren’t floating around here, being cosmetic nurses.” But being in a small town also means connections run deep. “When you do interview people, I’ve always known of them somehow. It has its pros and cons, but it’s worked out well for us so far.”
Hannah agreed that hiring is rarely easy, even in Adelaide. “It has taken time; we haven’t always had our dream team. I always say hire on personality, not on skill, and hire slowly. Our last hire took nine months. Do not rush it.”
Why personality matters
Both speakers agreed that a candidate’s personality, values, and ethics matter far more than their resume. As Hannah explained, “I don’t really care what experience someone has… they just need to be a good person and have really good ethics. I’m more than happy to then train someone up; they just need to be the right fit for the team.”
Olivia added that passion is a major green flag in an interview. “Those that’ll just be like, ‘I’ll do anything to work for you’ - that’s the drive you want to see.”
On the flip side, there are red flags that are just as obvious. Hannah warned against candidates who speak negatively about previous employers: “It puts a question in my mind - am I then going to be the person they talk about at their next interview?”
Rethinking the interview process
Like most business owners, both Olivia and Hannah admitted their approach to interviewing has evolved over time. Olivia laughed, remembering how nervous she was in her first interview: “I felt like I was going to vomit before it. It just came very unnaturally.” Today, her interviews are more conversational, focusing on personality and goals rather than stock standard questions. “I just trust my gut a lot more now,” she said.
Hannah has also moved away from rigid Q&As. “We try and be a lot more conversational now. We peel the onion back, find out their motivations, and we’re much more direct. Before, we wanted our staff to like us, but now it’s about making sure it’s the right fit both ways.”
Retention through culture
Attracting staff is one thing, but keeping them is where the real work begins. For both Hannah and Olivia, the secret lies in culture.
Flexibility is non-negotiable. “Most of my staff are mums. I’m a mum to two kids, so I get the juggle,” said Olivia. “If they need time off or want to go on holiday, if you give me notice, it’s nearly always a yes.”
Hannah has taken the same approach: “We only work a four-day work week. We don’t work weekends, and we’re not open on Wednesdays. Our staff absolutely love it.”
Recognition also plays a huge role. Olivia is deliberate about making her staff feel valued: “I’m always thanking my staff and celebrating their achievements. Feeling valued and appreciated is something you don’t get in a lot of workplaces, but it’s so important.”
Beyond pay and perks, what keeps staff loyal is the sense of belonging. Hannah’s approach is to find out what motivates each individual. “For some, it’s discounted treatments. For others, it’s flexible working arrangements or more education opportunities. It’s not always the obvious things.”
Both Hannah and Olivia also invest in shared experiences. From team dinners and after-work drinks to attending conferences together, they emphasise the importance of connection. “We’ve all become quite good friends,” said Hannah. “We celebrate our wins together, and that makes a huge difference.”
Setting new hires up for success
The onboarding process can make or break a new hire’s success. For Olivia, that means shadowing from day one, no matter how much prior experience someone has. "Regardless if they have experience, we will be doing things differently. It’s also about introducing them to the team, my family, even my kids - it’s social as well as clinical.”
Hannah also emphasised shadowing, but with a focus on consulting skills and clinic culture. “It’s not just about teaching them clinical skills. It’s more about how to talk to clients, our policies, and our procedures. That really can’t be taught in a day.”
Building your dream team isn’t about luck. It’s about patience, leadership, and creating a culture where people feel valued. As Olivia summed it up, “This is an us thing, it’s never a me thing. As I grow, I want to bring my team up with me.” When you put people first, you don’t just attract talent, you keep it.
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