Jessa Macaraig, the Pretty You founder, isn’t a business or economics major. Neither did she inherit a fortune.
But The Pretty You, the aesthetic clinic she built from the ground up, has gone corporate in only three years.
It opened its flagship clinic, The Pretty You Prime, with three spacious treatment rooms, a cafe, a pantry and a stockroom, at Norkis Building, Mandaluyong, recently.It now has many franchises nationwide.
What’s her secret? A big part lies in making the right investment. As early as three years ago, when she and her husband, Marvin, founded the business, the couple already had their big plans laid out.
“We invested in a supply chain for our consumables,” reveals Jessa. As the business grew and franchisees started coming one by one, the Macaraigs made sure all consumables come from one source – theirs.
By taking care of staff training and development themselves, the couple not only made sure they shared the right values and vision with those who matters.They also controlled logistics that are part of training – venue, speakers, handouts, power point equipment, etc.Since training is an ongoing process repeated many times over for the staff and franchisees, the Macaraigs saved a lot of money, time and effort by centralizing operations and taking care of everything.
Taking care of everything, however, doesn’t apply to human resource issues.When office intrigues crop up the way they often do, Jessa sets her boundaries.She lets the HR (human resources) department fix the issue.It’s for her own peace of mind.
“I used to handle this myself.It was stressful.That’s why I decided to let others handle it.”Jessa learned her lesson the hard way.She discovered that immersing herself in staff problems makes some employees get too chummy with her, they forget who’s the boss in the company. It’s harder to impose discipline and order.Most of all, it takes Jessa’s focus away from what matters most:developing and making the business grow.
Making the business grow takes laser-like focus in getting the right investors, especially now that The Pretty You has gone corporate. These investors inject fresh funds that enhance the business and make it ready to cope with any challenge that will come along the way.So Jessa chooses those who understand that investing in business doesn’t mean instant results.
“We have a contract that specifies when they can pull out their investment. They can’t pull out say, in case of a family emergency. It’s a long-term investment,” explains Jessa.
She herself is in the beauty business for the long haul. She knows its ins and outs. So her plans revolve around her niche market.She develops skin care products like beauty soaps.She won’t venture in unrelated fields like apparel.That’s not her line.It will distract her from her purpose as an entrepreneur.
Lately, Jessa and Marvin branched out in the construction business, with The Pretty You clinics as pilot project.
“We used to subcontract people. Now, we do it ourselves,” reveals Jessa.This means hiring their own people – like a construction team and interior designers – for the work. This time, Marvin is on top of things.
Even if the millennial couple has a lot of years ahead of them as entrepreneurs, they’re learning from others’ mistakes. One of them is the need for a succession plan. They have seen long-standing businesses fold up because their founders failed to train their successor.
This early, Jessa is training her daughter, Jean Margarette Macaraig to take over the business by telling her The Pretty You is her future work. The business, she adds, is for her family. So she makes sure her child’s mind is oriented towards it the way her parents are.
“I tell my child there’s no room for complacency in the business. Learning is a lifelong process. I myself stay up to date with trends in the beauty business,” states Jessa.
That’s the voice of experience and wisdom talking loud and clear.
For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at contentservices@htlive.comManila Bulletin
Read More News:
Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber photographed together