Client Interview Series | Temple of Beauty
A few weeks ago I had the privilege to interview one of my longest standing clients, the owner of Temple of Beauty Facial Boutique, Susan Gretzinger. Susan is a veteran in the industry and I want to share with you a little bit about her journey in running her own business over the last 20 years in the skin care industry.
Read on to see why Susan is amazing at what she does and what it takes to still be standing in this industry after two decades. (And hey, if you’ve got time, tune into the full video at the bottom of this blog.)
Take yourself back to the very beginning… What were things like for you and your business 10 years ago? Before Dermaviduals?
Well, before Dermaviduals and I think I met you a little bit more closely when we took the Pastiche, advanced skin analysis in Calgary in 2009. I followed you and what you were doing in the industry, and you were like a star in my world and I was essentially following you wherever you went. I started my business 20 years ago because I wanted nice skin. I had acne for over 20 years and I finally went into the industry that I'd wanted to go into since I was a little girl. I originally started as a full day spa feeling like I needed to offer everything and after 17 years when we moved off of our acreage, I changed it to a facial boutique niche to do what I've always loved doing and that was where I opened Temple of Beauty Facial Boutique as we know it today
So, do you remember the moment in time that you decided you were going to switch things up and introduce Dermaviduals into your business?
It was a few different things, when I saw the list of all the zeros, zero preservatives, zero emulsifiers, zero colourants, zero fragrance zero mineral oil zero silicones zero amines. When I saw that list, it made me go, “oh, well,what are those? When you've got a company that lists what they don't include in them, you pay attention, and then you start researching, I started researching and looking at what those were. Then I started looking and so many companies would have emulsifiers or silicones, or mineral oils or preservatives, and different things like that contained in their skin care. So it was largely the ingredients, and really, I've always trusted you, and especially Florence, when you both endorsed Dermaviduals that way, and I know that as a stockist, it is an important thing for me. It is a big step, because to just do an investment and change a skin care line, you've got to let your clients know, and it's a good $6000 to$8,000 to move over to a different line. So, it's no small thing and I don't take it lightly myself.
If you think back over a number of years, what is the impact that making the change to Dermaviduals has made for your business?
One by one clients were coming back and the one thing I hear even from new clients is that their skin is smoother, they feel a softness to their skin. There were a couple of the clients that preferred the other line, but collectively the impact has been outstanding. After one facial or after getting on the line they come back and we do a happy dance because the results are amazing. That it's given me a lot of confidence. It's given me loyal clients; they don't want to go anywhere else. So, it's really impacted my business. I've got a little quote on my Instagram, beautiful skin equals confidence. And that's the one thing I'll hear over and over from clients is when their skin is healthier, and they don't have the issues they had, whether it's rosacea or acne or whatever, they have more confidence. So, I have the confidence in my clients and their results.
Some people respond really quickly to any skincare line, and others see a slow and steady improvement. Do you find or is there any correlation between a slow and steady improvement in their skin, and the sustained skin results one gets over time?
I've had a couple of clients just go to something much cheaper, the drugstore, or wherever, getting a moisturizer that's cheaper. And a year later, six months later, they're coming back saying “I haven't found anything that works quite like Dermaviduals”. I always tell people, you don't get what you pay for because I've seen products that are so much more expensive and it doesn't mean that you're going to get the results too. And I always tell people, it's the ingredients. And I give them a way to, just Google search the ingredients to your product line go in and look at those ingredients, And ask, is that something you want to have on your skin? Is it drying out your skin? Is it clogging your pores? Especially people with acne, if they're using a makeup or moisturizer with silicones in it, it's like plastic wrap on the skin and their skin isn't breathing, and their skin really does need to breathe?
You've operated in both a home space and a commercial space successfully. Looking back do you prefer one over the other? What insight can you shed on your experience?
I see the pros and cons of it all. When I was in my home-based business, I got a lot more done at home because when I had the slow times, I could throw in a load of laundry or start dinner. But I also started my business with my boys at home so they had to be quiet, they had to have the house clean, and things like that. What I'm loving right now (working out of the boutique) is that I can just go to work and at the end of the day I can close the door and just go home. So, I feel like the biggest difference for me is to be able to separate work from home life.
So, you have to have your presence online in order to be found. How do you keep up with the demands of websites, social media, branding, etc?
Before I moved to the commercial space, I hired somebody who helped me rebrand and create a niche around a facial boutique. I think what makes me really unique is you don't see very many facial boutiques, and somebody came in and told me they were Googling and the one place that had a facial boutique was in New York. And when they came back to Alberta, they googled and I was the only one that came up as an official boutique. So, I feel that it is nourishing, fresh, and unique for a brand.
What advice would you give somebody who is thinking about bringing in Dermaviduals to their business?
I would tell them it's a no brainer. I wouldn't even hesitate to recommend bringing in Dermaviduals to their clinic. In fact, I keep wondering “I hope Rene doesn't stop doing this or I hope this doesn't leave Canada because Corneotherapy wouldn't be the same without it.” You know, it's the way to go. It really is, if you want to help people with their skin, Dermaviduals is the way to go.
You can connect with Susan Gretzinger on instagram or by email at info@templeofbeauty.ca with any questions. Temple of Beauty Facial Boutique is located in St. Albert, Alberta.
Congratulations again on your many years in business and here’s to the continued success of you and Temple of Beauty Facial Boutique. Interested in becoming a dermaviduals® partner clinic like Temple of Beauty Facial Boutique? Reach out to us by email at info@dermalsystems.com.
