The Power of Inclusive Beauty: Sophie’s Journey to a Values-Led Clinic

Success leaves clues and one of my favourite things about our amazing industry is everyone's willingness to share. Here to share her story today is Sophie Brooks, founder of Joy by Sophie, an aesthetic clinic based here in England, up in Manchester. Let's get her on the show, shall we? Hey Sophie, how are you? Hi Phil, I'm great, thank you. How are you? Very good. Thank you for joining us here on the Build Your Salon podcast, here in the first in a series, actually, of success stories. And I'm very pleased to have you. So, I guess, really, what's the little potted history? Tell us a little bit about yourself for people that haven't come across you already. Yeah, of course. So, I am a nurse. That was my sort of background. I came into it, I had quite a varied career, lots and lots of different things I've tried out. But I went and did nursing back in 2019. I quickly realised that doing, whilst I did love nursing, I loved the sort of people aspect, I wanted to do something slightly different. I wanted to, I wanted to be my own boss, essentially. I wanted to have more sort of control over, over what I do. I've always loved aesthetics, so I've been getting aesthetic treatments myself for probably about 10 years now. But I've always had, I've always found the aesthetic industry to be very much one size fits all. And I wanted to get in and do something a little bit different. So, yeah, I set up my clinic two years ago now. Okay. And what was the, what was the trigger? I think there's always a point in somebody's career when they kind of go, do you know what, now it's time for me to do my thing. So what was that for you? Um, so I guess I could maybe say, so whilst I've run my business for about two years now, I've been working part time as well. Um, I worked within, um, the, within the charity sector with quite, um, quite a marginalised group. And I really, really loved it, but it was just, it was, I felt like it was taking a lot of me. It was taking a lot of my energy and I found that it was taking a lot, but it was starting to feel like I wasn't getting anything back out of it. Hmm. Okay. And so you've set up Joy by Sophie. Um, I always knew, yeah, I always knew that it would, um, get to a point where it was like, right, I need to make that jump. Now I need to decide whether I do want to go full time or whether I'm going to try and find something.

And it, it just, it got to a point where it was sort of like, well, it's now or never. I can't, I can't continue down this juggling too many things at once. So yeah, so start full time. So tell us a little bit about your, your business. So tell us about Joy by Sophie, because it doesn't, you know, even just from outward appearances on Instagram, it doesn't look the same as other aesthetic clinics, does it? No, I don't think it does. I think, um, I think I've tried to really set it apart, you know, I've tried to keep it as clinical as possible, but also very inviting, very fun. I wanted it to feel, you know, when you're coming into the clinic that you're coming into somewhere that it's very much a safe space. Um, I think, I mean, I personally can find salon sometimes a bit intimidating, sometimes worrying, you know, is, do I look, do I look all right? You know, have I dressed right? And, and it's just little things like that. Um, which I wanted to be, I wanted to make something a bit different to that. Okay. So can you tell us maybe some of the things that you've done to make your space more inviting? Yeah. So, um, it's very, Oh, what have I done to make it more inviting? I don't, I don't actually know. I think I've just tried to make it as warm and put as much personality on it as I can. Um, if you were to talk to any of my friends when they go to my flat, my clinic is essentially an extension of my flat. So I've tried to make it feel homely, but not, um, not too much, you know, there's, I've got things like fidget toys. I've got like a nice seating area. Um, I've got like a few plants and things. So I guess it's things that are very easily replicated, but I've just tried to keep it as, as with as much personality and color as possible. Okay. And, um, when it came to brand it, cause there's quite a strong brand identity, particularly follow you on Instagram. So you've got an awful lot on, on, it's a very cohesive brand. So where did that come from? So that actually came from, I cannot take credit for that. I worked with an amazing, um, brand designer. So she is called Katie. Her business is Boldism. Um, and I think I knew when I knew what I was setting up, I was in it for the sort of long, I, when I sort of thought of Joy by Sophie.

I mean, I rebranded in June, but Joy by Sophie was actually in the works from sort of May last year. So it was almost like a whole 13, 14 months, um, that I had it. And, and I, I was so passionate about it and I was so, I want, I just wanted it to be so different. I knew that I wanted to really invest in making it all look so cohesive and making sure it all fit together. So that's why I, I decided to, to work with, um, a brand designer, Katie. And as far as your journey so far, then what have been the challenges of, of that pivot towards aesthetics away from nursing? What, what, what have you encountered? What have you had to overcome? Um, I think, so I guess there's, there's loads, there's loads of things that you could probably touch upon. I think, you know, there's, there's the sort of, um, the factor of going from employed work where, you know, you're guaranteed a salary every month and you are, you're guaranteed the work essentially to go into somewhere where you're self-employed. You're having to find the clients, you're having to, you know, make your diary work. Um, that's, that's quite a big thing. So I guess there is a sort of financial difficulty. Um, I think one of the main things is just sort of confidence and having, having the, having the back in yourself almost. I think when you come to working, um, I mean, I've personally found, and I think a few other people have found when you come into working in a, um, in the beauty industry or in any industry and setting up a small business, it can feel quite lonely. Um, and I think particularly when, you know, if, if not, nobody in your immediate friendship group is doing that. Um, so I think, you know, just, just having, having the balls to just do it, um, and the confidence to just say, I need to just, to just jump into it. Um, you know, there is, the finances is a huge thing. The practicalities is a huge thing, but I think ultimately just having the, the sort of balls to go and do it. Definitely. And have there been any surprises? Was there anything about the industry that you weren't quite expecting? Has anything panned out differently? Um, has anything panned out differently? I don't know necessarily if anything's panned out differently. I think I always knew it would be hard work. I think something I found really refreshing actually is, um, is sort of the, the connections I've made along the way.

Um, I've made, so for instance, Sam, you know, she, I sort of got in contact with her and made really, really good connections there. And then again, with Katie, with yourself, you know, I think, I think, although it's not necessarily that it, I, I, I thought that it wouldn't be as friendly as what it has. I think there is definitely still, um, there's still, you know, kindness and things in the, and, and, and with certain things, but I've definitely feel like me personally, I've been very refreshed by the different connections I've made along the way. Um, and the people I've met that I never necessarily thought I'd meet. That's lovely. And I think the, um, I think what you've touched on is a real shift in the industry over the last, I'd say certainly in the last decade, probably more so in the last five or six years where, um, we've realized that actually collaboration isn't an option anymore. We've all got to kind of muck in together to get the most out of our industry and to protect our industry in lots of ways. Um, and I think maybe a lot of the kind of waspishness that used to be between business owners and even between individual therapists sometimes, I think that's kind of started to go by the way. So at least I hope so. That's kind of what we all want the industry to, to be like. Um, and just for everybody listening, Sam, who, um, Sophie's referring to is Sam Marshall, who we interviewed on the Build Your Salon podcast a few months back. And I will link to that episode in the description as well. So what do you think sets, we've talked about your, your strong brand identity, but what do you think is that sets you apart, um, from other clinics? What is it that you're trying to achieve that maybe is slightly different? Um, so I really wanted to create a space, um, that was, you know, a safe and welcome space for, for everyone. Um, my clinic has always been, so straight from the get-go, it's been very much targeted at sort of the queer neurodivergent community, me being from the queer neurodivergent community myself. Um, that was sort of who I wanted to make it as accessible as possible to, and as open as possible to.

Um, so I think by using my own experience as, as having, um, a neurodivergence and also knowing other people as well, you know, I've worked within sort of like mental health, um, settings before I've worked with, with people with, you know, autism, ADHD, et cetera. Um, and just using that experience and that expertise, I've really tried to apply that to my business. Um, I've been very, very sort of clear within my values. Um, so my, my three sort of values is being, um, holistic, inclusive, and illuminate, and they are, you know, something that I've really made sure is at the center of my business and everything that I've done. Um, which I think is, which I think sets me apart. I think that once you sort of know your brand, once you know your sort of, your, your, your client base that you want to work with and you know, you know what you stand for, it makes it easier in the long run to make those decisions based on for your business, I guess. I think, um, I think you've hit on a couple of really important points there. I think the first thing that I noticed very quickly when we started working together was, um, how quickly you kind of found your place in the industry and that journey of identifying quite, let's face it, a very tight target market. Um, normally that's something that comes after years and years of trying to be a generalist and trying to please everybody and trying to have a very broad appeal. Um, but you've been really very brave from the get-go. And does, does that feel like a brave move to you? Um, do you know what? It, it, it doesn't feel like a brave move. It just felt like the right move for me. I guess perhaps it is a bit of a brave move, but I think now particularly within aesthetics per se, you know, it's, it is such a saturated market. And I knew that if I wanted to be successful, I would have to really, um, sort of target what I, what I knew and what I felt most comfortable with. And, and the reality is as well, if I was to be a generalist aesthetics and, and, you know, work with, work with client groups or demographics, which, which I didn't necessarily relate to, I think I would have found that harder. Um, but, but my clients that, that I have now, you know, we, I have a really, really strong professional relationship with, and, you know, I really, really got on with them. I consider them as friends actually, which probably isn't very professional, but, but I think it's just, it's been so easy for me to, to sort of, um, yeah, to find, find my client base.

Because it's just, we've naturally been attracted to each other, maybe. I think there's, uh, I think, yeah, I would be a little cautious about being friends with all your clients. Um, I think we can run our businesses in a friendly way without necessarily being friends. Um, because, uh, not because there's anything that, um, I don't think you would treat them any differently or professional standards start to slip or anything like that. But it, it does hurt a lot more if one of those clients decides not to come and see you anymore. Um, and if you've got that level of friendship, that, that, that can sting a little bit. So I would bet, I would bear that in mind for the future. Um, the other thing that you, you hit on though, is, is how strong your values are. So just remind you, remind us of your, your three values again. Yeah. So my three values are holistic. First one's holistic. So I look at all my clients in a holistic sense. Um, everything that sort of encompasses them. Um, my second one is inclusive. So, you know, straight from the get go, I wanted to buy, um, I want to join by Sophie to be as accessible and inclusive for everyone as it could be. Um, and then the third one is illuminate. So illuminate, um, basically I don't want to change anything about my clients. I want to, I want to work with their, you know, natural features already and work to illuminate all the things that they already have. Um, so it's fine. And, and you said that actually having those, that very strong sense of, of what the business was about and those strong values has actually made life easier for you. Can you, can you, can you talk a little bit more to that? Um, I think just based on, based on making decisions. So I think, so for example, there's certain sort of trends within, um, within aesthetics that I perhaps haven't jumped onto. So whether that be, you know, fat dissolving or things like Russian lips, I don't have an issue with other people doing it. But the other thing as well is sort of being, um, inclusive. So, and wanting to be as accessible as possible. I think I've, I've made a conscious effort to try and, to try and, you know, when I, when I am using social media, for example,

I don't do any sort of airbrushing, I don't do any removal of any lemmishes and things like that, because that just felt very anti-inclusivity to me. It felt like, what is the point of, you know, trying to promote that everybody is, you know, bodies are bodies and we all have bodies and they're completely normal. And the tech industry might try and tell you aren't necessarily desirable. It's not fair for me to then go and try, remove them from the pictures. Um, there are two ways just off the top of my head. Very good. And I think the, um, I think what I've always tried to emphasize in, in what I teach is that actually having a strong sense of what the business is about and, um, putting the work into the vision that you have for how the business is going to be run. Um, it can feel like really quite heavy work at the beginning of a journey in particular. Um, you know, it's a lot of head scratching and a lot of guesswork sometimes because you don't know how things are going to pan out in the marketplace. But ultimately it makes so many decisions a lot easier. And like you've said, there's certain services that you've decided not to bring in because it is misaligned and it doesn't sit nicely with the values that you have already. So that very, um, intense experience of setting your values at the beginning does reduce a lot of the emotional decision making as time goes on. And, um, and I think a strong sense of, of what a business is about and where we're going is actually a relief for a lot of people once it's in place. So tell me a little bit about, um, you know, so obviously we've been working together for a few months now and I just want to, you know, this isn't an advert as such, but I do want to, it's an important part of my journey with you. So what were you, what, what was your business like before you encountered, um, the, the group coaching program and what did you feel was missing that actually a coach might be able to bring? Um, so my business before was very sort of lacy fair. I very much felt, you know, people would say to me, are you, you know, you've, you've got a business. So I would say, no, no, my business has me, um, I very much felt, um, it, it, do you know what? It was going really, it was going well. Um, I was doing in terms of, you know, seeing clients and having busy fully booked days and, um, and I felt like I was growing as well.

I was getting busier, but I didn't feel like I had any sort of control over what was, what was happening. And it felt very much just like the wheels were turning, but I wasn't necessarily going anywhere. Um, and then I met, that's when I, I met Sam and she recommended me to. And then you, so you initially started with Salon Spark, which is our accountability group, but then really quickly and quite often it takes, you know, months, sometimes years for people to move up to Salon Accelerator, which is a lot more of an intense experience. But you did that quite quickly. What, what was it that prompted you to move up? Um, so it actually, I mean, I think it, it took me quite a while to actually even, cause I remember we had, we had the chat, didn't we? We, uh, we first spoke like maybe six or eight weeks before about getting into, um, Salon Spark and I'd kept having to make appointments, but then having to cancel them. But then what, what changed it for me was I had moved into my own clinic. So before I was in a shared studio, which I guess makes that a little bit less serious, doesn't it? It makes it a bit more informal. It's just a sort of business that I do on the side. But then when I moved into my own clinic, I was, I was very much, you know, I wanted to make the most of it. I wanted to really put my everything into it. Um, the jump from Salon Spark to Salon Accelerator probably came because, um, we were sat and go, and I remember having that chat with you and saying, I, you know, I, I feel really, really fine. I just, it's purely accountability. I need, I just need something to go back. And then, then actually, once we'd got into it and had a couple of calls, I was like, God, I really actually don't know what I'm doing. I feel like I've done pretty well so far, but there was just so many things that I just didn't know about. So in terms of like, um, you know, making sure I'm charging the right, right amounts in terms of, you know, marketing what I already do. There was so many sort of nitty gritty bits of, of running a business that I just, that I just didn't know anything about. Um, so Accelerator just felt like a bit, it felt like it was the necessary step to get, you know, a bit more support from you, a bit more sort of one-to-one work. Um, I got to do, you know, all the, all the amazing modules that are, that are online, all the e-learning, which has been, you know, amazing being able to just, just sort of plug in with them and, and do at my own pace has been really, really good.

So what do you say have been the biggest shifts in the business? So what, what's changed as a result of that journey? Um, I think I feel much more in control of how things are going now. I feel much, I mean, obviously I'm, I am having a business and, and relying on being self-employed. There is an element of not having control because you're relying on sort of other people's business, but I think I feel very much in control of what I am in control of now and what, what I have the ability to control. I can control. I think as well, just having, you know, other people that I can lean on, you know, we're in a really, really supportive group where we work with, you know, there's loads of other salon business owners. And, um, having that, having that community feel and, you know, particularly on a Friday morning, if, if things are, if you're feeling a little bit like, oh God, this week's been really testing or it can feel quite lonely. But then when we come back and do those group calls and everybody's so encouraging with each other and, and everybody really like, we all just really want to support each other and give each other the best. I think that's, that's the biggest things that I've, you know, benefited from. And then of course, the big change is, is kind of in the offing right now, a time of recording, um, because you've decided that now the clinic is going to be your full-time job. Um, and you've given notice on your other position. So what was the process for that? What was the, the trigger? What, what kind of made you feel that now's the time? Um, I think it just was getting too much. I was getting burnt out trying to do everything. And I really felt like my other job I loved. I still do love, I still feel a bit like, I'm not actually leaving. I feel like I'm still going to be there in one way. But, um, I think the, the sort of trigger point for me was perhaps by being surrounded by other, you know, business owners within the hair and beauty industry, within the sort of, um, hair and beauty industry. Like, it's, it's not actually like you begin to feel yourself that the more you sort of achieve and the more goals you hit, the more sort of ambitious I felt like I was becoming, the more I felt like I wanted to do with my salon that I just, with my clinic, I just, I just didn't have the capacity to do because I was, I was working part time.

Um, and you know, so I've, I've handed my notice in, I've finished next week and I'm, I'm launching my membership soon. You know, I'm going to be, I'm hopefully going to be adding more services and I'm just going to be able to offer that, that, you know, real premium service to my clients that I want to, that I haven't always been able to, because having, having your, spending too many plates, you know, you're, you're going to drop things at some point. And yeah, I think it's, it's a really important mindset shift. And I think it, it takes somebody from that place where the, the kind of bread and butter job, where the, where the guaranteed wage is your security blanket. And then something happened in that process, which all of a sudden it felt like, actually, this isn't the security blanket anymore. This is the anchor. This is pulling me back. This is stopping me reaching my potential in my own business. And, and I know that, you know, we can't, we have some gentle teasing in the group because I'm always pushing people just a little bit harder and just increasing that target. Just a little bit, but the, but the whole point of the program is to see what your potential is and see how far we can, we can take that business model so that you can make an informed choice. And, and I think that's my job as a coach is just to kind of open your eyes to just what might well be possible. And it's been so inspiring to see and actually a very quick journey ultimately, hasn't it? Because I think, how long is it between you floating the idea of going full time in your own business and it actually happening? It wasn't long at all. I think it was about six weeks. Yeah. I think it's been coming for a while, but I think some, I don't know about other people, but I sometimes like to just tease things into the ether and just be like, maybe I'll do this. But then generally once I've, once I've spoken, I'm like, no, that's it now I'm going, I'm doing it. It's an impulsive ADHD thing. I don't know, but you've got to just, you've got to just do it now and again. And I think, I think what was lovely though, was after you floated the idea, how the whole group just piled in with loads of support and said, yes, of course you must do that.

And then of course it's a no brainer for you to go full time and you're bound to smash it out of the park and it's been, been amazing to see. So just kind of looking forward now, where, where, where are we heading? What's the ultimate goal for your business? I'm putting you on the spot a little bit because I don't think this is something we've really discussed in, in any great depth, but, but where are we heading? What's the ambition? Oh, where am I heading? I don't know. I think, I mean, who really knows? I think, where are we heading? I'd like to, I'd like to be, you know, really pushing. So something I've actually not spoken about is, you know, the gender firm aesthetics work I do. I would love to see that really be, I would love for that to be my sort of focal point that I'm known for and for that to be quite a large bulk of my work. Um, I'd love to be, you know, just still offering, I'd definitely like to get busier and bigger, but I would still like to have the, I'd still really like to have that sort of good relationship that I have with my clients. Um, like I'd like to get bigger, but not compromise on that. Um, yeah, who knows? Maybe just like five salons or, you know, three other injectors. I'm not sure. Yeah, I think, I think I definitely would like to grow. I don't know whether that's down the sort of having my own salon and other injectors working for me or maybe doing more sort of training. Um, um, around inclusivity and aesthetics, who, who knows? We'll see. Well, whatever it is that you choose, I'm sure it's going to be an inspiration to watch it all unfold. And, um, and I'm hugely excited for the next 12 months in your business. I think 2025 is going to be a spectacular year for you in, in lots and lots of ways. So thank you for sharing your journey with us. If people are inspired by what you're saying, um, and they wanted to follow you, what's the best way for them to keep in touch? So the best way to keep in touch with me is on Instagram. It's at joy by Sophie. And it's just an absolute lesson in what social media should be about. If nothing else and go and go and check out joy by Sophie and be inspired, just the, um, authenticity that comes out in every post. And you reap the rewards in terms of engagement and the algorithm loves you for it. We can just tell.

Um, and now three very quick questions, which are always, I always finish every guest episode with the same questions. So the first is if you know, the first is what is the best piece of advice that you've ever been given? Um, oh, the best piece of advice I've ever been given is to just be, be yourself, be, you know, do what makes you happy. Um, things will, you might struggle with things just, but just, you know, go through it and just be, be, do what makes you happy. Basically, I'd say. Okay. And if somebody was going to follow in your footsteps, what's one piece of advice that you could leave behind for them? Um, knowing that it is a, it's a competitive and saturated market. But I think if you, if you really have it in your sort of mind's eye that you're going to do it, you will do it. You know, there's, it's, it's difficult, but you can absolutely do it. And my final question, what is the best thing about the salon and beauty industry? The best thing about the salon, I think just getting, getting to be a part of making other people feel good about themselves. Um, definitely. Yeah. It's a privilege, isn't it? Really? Yeah, it is massively. Love it. Super. Thank you so much for your time today. I'm sure we're going to be getting you back on the Build Your Salon podcast sometime in the future too. Thank you. So there we have it. My interview with Sophie Brooks. What an inspiration and the first in a series of salon success stories. If you would like to feature in a future episode of the Build Your Salon podcast, my email address is at the bottom of the screen. Also reach out if you have questions for my monthly Q&A sessions. Just seven short days until I'm coming in your eyes and ears again with another dose of Wise Owl wisdom. And until then, take care. Let me guess. Your appointment book is full, but your bank account isn't. How long are you going to let that go on for? Isn't it time that you got paid properly? My Get Paid Properly program isn't just another course. It's your roadmap to boosting your profits, increasing your takings, finally getting rewarded for the hard work that you do.

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