Why Innovation is Your Real Job As a CEO - Med Spa CEO

Summary4 min read

Med Spa CEO Podcast: Episode Summary

Title: Why Innovation is Your Real Job As a CEO
Host: Heather Terveen
Release Date: June 11, 2025

Heather Terveen dives deep into the crucial role of innovation in leadership, emphasizing that as a CEO, fostering creativity isn't just beneficial—it's essential for sustained success. This episode, "Why Innovation is Your Real Job As a CEO," unpacks the mindset and strategies necessary for med spa and aesthetic practice owners to lead creatively and strategically in a competitive landscape.

1. Introduction to Innovation as a CEO Role

From the onset, Heather establishes the foundational premise that intellectual property has become the modern-day "oil," underscoring the necessity for continual innovation (00:00). She frames innovation not just as a business advantage but as the core responsibility of a CEO aiming to distinguish their practice in the market.

Heather Terveen (00:00):
"Intellectual property really requires innovation. It requires ideas that are different than other people in your industry. That takes creative leadership."

2. Personal Journey and Insights

Heather recounts her transition from a corporate sales and marketing background to the aesthetics industry. Her initial experiences, including a collaborative venture with a theater-major family practitioner, highlight the synergy between creative and strategic thinking.

Heather Terveen (02:50):
"We had so much fun coming up creatively with the marketing and the offers. It was a match made in heaven for us really doing things differently."

She notes that operating in a pre-social media era allowed for more unique idea generation, as businesses weren't mirroring each other's strategies online.

3. The Importance of Creative Leadership

Central to the episode is the assertion that CEOs must embody the role of Chief Creative Officer. Heather stresses that delegating creative responsibilities can stifle a business's potential for differentiation and growth.

Heather Terveen (05:30):
"When you get stuck in the weeds of working in your business, that creative muscle becomes dormant. You need to lead your business to new levels through innovation."

4. Case Study: Steve Jobs and Apple’s Innovation

Heather uses Steve Jobs as a prime example of a creative leader whose personal interests—such as a college calligraphy class—shaped Apple's design-centric approach. This anecdote illustrates how personal creativity can have profound business impacts.

Heather Terveen (10:15):
"Steve creatively thought through doing things differently. Apple became a brand built around design first and technology second."

5. Key Areas Requiring Creative Direction in a Med Spa

Heather outlines several critical domains where CEOs must infuse creativity to maintain a competitive edge:

a. Offer Innovation

Developing unique service packages that stand out from competitors is paramount. Generic offerings dilute a med spa's unique value proposition.

Heather Terveen (15:45):
"If you have a generic menu like everybody else, your unique value proposition is going to be a lot tougher to convey."

b. Marketing Ideation

Crafting distinctive marketing campaigns and messages ensures that communications resonate uniquely with the target audience.

c. Intellectual Property

Protecting and leveraging unique ideas and methodologies fortifies a practice's market position.

d. Sales Strategy

Designing innovative customer journeys and sales funnels can significantly enhance conversion rates.

e. Customer Experience, Vision, and Culture

Cultivating a unique customer experience and a strong organizational culture rooted in innovation fosters loyalty and long-term success.

6. Building Your Creative Muscle

Heather emphasizes that creativity is a muscle that needs regular exercise. She provides actionable strategies for CEOs to cultivate their creative capacities:

a. Creating White Space

Allocating dedicated time for creative thinking is essential. Heather cites leaders like Bill Gates, who takes retreats for strategic thinking, as exemplars.

Heather Terveen (25:00):
"You have to create some time to actually think. These leaders understand they need the white space to be the innovator for their business."

b. Daily Practices for Creativity

Incorporating routine creative activities, such as journaling or sketching, can stimulate innovative thinking.

c. Tools and Techniques

Heather shares her personal practice of using a sketchbook to jot down ideas, enabling different parts of her brain to engage creatively.

Heather Terveen (30:20):
"Drawing shapes, doodling, writing out ideas in a sketchbook helps kick a different part of our brain into action."

d. Leveraging AI for Creativity

Introducing "Ask Heather AI," a tool designed to amplify creative ideation through tailored GPTs that assist with offers, sales training, and content creation.

Heather Terveen (35:10):
"AI helps expand me. It’s a creative partner that allows me to 10x my creative genius."

She clarifies that AI should augment human creativity rather than replace it, urging CEOs to use such tools to enhance their innovative capacities.

7. Conclusion: Embracing the Creative Leadership Role

Heather wraps up by reinforcing the necessity for med spa CEOs to prioritize creative leadership. She encourages listeners to implement the discussed strategies to nurture their creative muscles, ensuring their practices remain unique and competitive.

Heather Terveen (50:00):
"If we don't actively build our creative muscle, we risk becoming mere regurgitators of existing information, losing our unique edge in an information-saturated world."

She invites med spa owners to explore further resources and support through the Med Spa Advantage program, aiming to help them grow profitably while maintaining personal well-being.

Key Takeaways:

Innovation is Essential: CEOs must prioritize creative leadership to differentiate their practices.
Creative Leadership Areas: Focus on offer innovation, marketing, intellectual property, sales strategies, and customer experience.
Cultivate Creativity: Establish daily creative routines and allocate time for strategic thinking.
Leverage Tools: Utilize tools like AI to augment and enhance creative processes.
Continuous Growth: Embrace the role of Chief Creative Officer to sustain long-term success.

By embracing these principles, med spa and aesthetic practice owners can lead their businesses with creativity and strategic insight, ensuring both personal fulfillment and professional excellence.

Loading summary

Transcript1 lines

[00:00]
Heather Terveen
It was Paul Getty who said, oil what made the previous generation rich. And now intellectual property is the oil for the current generation. And so intellectual property is really requires innovation. It requires ideas that are different than other people in your industry. That takes creative leadership. Welcome to the MedSpa CEO podcast, where I teach you how to grow and scale your med, spa or esthetic practice so that you can have the income and impact you know you were meant for without overwhelm, stress or feeling like you have to sacrifice your personal life and happiness to do so. It's totally possible for you and your business. Plus, simpler than you think. Keep listening to find out how. Why, hello my friend. Welcome back to another episode of the podcast. I am thrilled you are joining me today on an episode that is in a slightly different direction than we normally take here. Many of you have been long listeners of the podcast know that when I first got into the aesthetics industry, specifically, I came from a corporate sales and marketing background and I spent one year working in a plastic surgeon's office. And then I actually helped a family practitioner launch and grow her medical aesthetic practice. Okay. And what's interesting is that this family practitioner I worked with, we had so much fun coming up creatively with the marketing and the offers and the creative things that we did inside of that business. And when she was an undergrad, she was actually a theater major, undergrad, which I think is probably an unusual major. It's not really a typical pre med track. And I think because she had kind of left and right brain skills, she had that creative side to her. And so I think the whole theater major part of her, right, the acting, the creative side of her, and then the creative engine of me was really a match made in heaven for us really doing things differently. The other thing that I think we had in our favor a little bit was we did not know what other folks were doing in the same way that you all know what other folks are doing now. And that's because this was pre social media. I mean, I think Facebook had launched at the time, but it was really just people. Businesses weren't using it in the same way that businesses are using all the social platforms now. And so in many ways, ignorance is bliss, right? We came up with our own ideas, we came up with eventually our own packages and our own way of marketing and testing out different marketing ideas. And it was because, one, we weren't looking around to see what everybody else was doing. We just couldn't because it wasn't on display. Like you all have access to what all of your peers and your local competitors are doing pretty easily in many cases, because it's just in this age of social media and the digital real estate that everybody has, it's easier to see how folks have set their businesses up. So I think that the secret weapon to many of the best, certainly the best business owners, but even the best aesthetic wellness Med spot owners is this idea when leader is the CEO, of being the chief creative officer. And why oftentimes the number one thing that is required for you to really build, you know, we talked about on a recent episode about building an unstoppable brand. Part of that is that you have to lead the innovation and why innovation is really your job in many cases. And I think what happens when you get stuck in the weeds of working in your business is that that sort of muscle becomes dormant, that creative muscle that is necessary in order to really lead your business to new levels and to take your business down and to test different things in your business as well, too. So in this episode, we're going to talk about why there's this myth, I think, of the passive CEO, this idea that eventually you will create the systems, you'll have the team, you'll have it all done with a neat little bow, and then the business will be successful and it won't take innovating beyond that. And what is actually true is that you will always have to actively creatively lead the business. And so in this episode, I actually want to really dive into why creative thinking is strategic thinking, and then actually dive into different areas of how to actually use creative thinking to expand what you're doing from offers, sales and marketing, to actually take your business to the next level. So when you think about, let's take like a classic sort of creative leader, let's take Steve Jobs, okay? One of his secret weapons of why Apple became so successful wasn't because he was some tech genius. He actually attributes a calligraphy class that he took in college to really actually helping shape Apple. Because Apple became a brand that was really built around design first and technology second. And Steve was able to innovate this, right? And he took a calligraphy class in college simply for the joy and interest that he had in calligraphy, which is really kind of random when you think about it. And he attributes that class to really helping shape his, you know, building actually the esthetic side of how he led Apple. There's so many different examples of leaders of really huge companies that really, truly are the innovators and the creative thinkers that lead that company in A different way. If you think about it, Apple wasn't the first company to have the types of technology. Now it did end up innovating and creating new types of technology, but it was really just the filter of how they did things and that Steve creatively thought through doing things differently. And so for you all, like one of your number one jobs as the leader is to be a creative innovator for what it is that you do. And so you're like, okay, Heather, what does that actually mean? So let's talk through where you likely are maybe missing the mark on creating creatively leading. And you know, we have an episode, a recent episode that is about energy, right? We talk about energy, the energy behind your actions, right? And creativity. It fosters energy. And so let's talk about the areas, the key areas that require like CEO level creative direction. Because ultimately you are the creative director. You cannot outsource the creative direction of your company. You can outsource a lot of things, you can outsource the implementation of the creative direction, but ultimately your ideas are going to shape everything. And you have to be the creative, like architect of the vision of what it is that you're creating. So let's break it down so that you can, this can be like pragmatic. So number one, offer innovation. Not going to be a surprise that I would bring this up. So how can you creatively actually look at your offer suite? We talk about this a lot. Like, if you have a generic menu that is like everybody else in your market, your unique value proposition is going to be a lot tougher to convey because you literally are the same as most of the other local people in your market, right? So as the leader, it is your job to creatively come up with unique offers. Okay? So that is one area where innovation needs to be happening. Marketing ideation. How can you actually come up with different marketing campaigns, different ways of saying the same thing, right? How can you actually come up with creative methods like we've talked about on the podcast before too, like coming up with unique methods, coming up with unique frameworks, that is unique. Intellectual property. It was Paul Getty who said oil, what made the previous generation rich. And now intellectual property is the oil for the current generation. And so intellectual property is really requires innovation. It requires ideas that are different than other people in your industry. That takes creative leadership as well too. And then like your actual sales strategy, how you are actually taking folks through a customer journey, that takes creative leadership, your customer experience, your vision and your culture. These are all things that you need to be creatively innovating. And I don't think many of you think of it that way. And it's interesting because I'm an idea person. You know, I'm like an enneagram3. I think I'm a manifesting projector. I forget which Myers Berg I am, but I've taken the Colby test. There's all these different things. Some of you more naturally are idea creators like me. And so it is actually easier for me to really flex that creative muscle. For some of you, you need to be a lot thoughtful in actually flexing your creative muscle and building your creative muscle. So let's talk about it. Even for me, I can get really busy and just be going through the motions and not set aside enough time to actually have creative time to think. And I know for many of my clients this is a problem because they're super busy at the practice or the clinic or the med spa. And then their personal lives are super busy as well too, and their time just gets filled up. And your creative thinking takes white space. So how do you build your creative muscle? Let's dive into it, even if you feel like you're tapped out and busy. So the first thing is that you have to create white space. You have to create some time to actually think. This is a common thing with really effective. Whether it's Steve Jobs or we've talked about Sara Blakely. There's so many different sort of leaders that we bring in to talk about, many of them infamously. And I think it's actually Bill Gates who actually has a thinking week where he goes up to a cabin in the woods and is by himself for the week, just for thinking time. And it's because these leaders understand and respect the fact that they actually need the white space to be the innovator for their business. Believe it or not, you even in your small business need this that as well too. So you may not be able to go up to a cabin by yourself for a week, but where are other ways that you can? Could you do a one night staycation? Could you have a couple hours on Friday that you have totally marked off for yourself that you can go and take a hike, right? Where can you actually create some white space for yourself as well? One of the things that's really helped me is I bought one of those sketchbooks because we know that when you write and you draw, it actually connects to a different part of your brain. So every day, or almost every day, I take this sketchbook, right? That is literally meant my daughter who's an artist. My 16 year old Reese, she is really excellent artist who's self taught. And so I saw her sketchbook and I bought one for myself. And so I will open it up and open it up to a fresh page. And there's something so magical about having that fresh page in the sketchbook so that I can draw shapes, I can doodle, I can write out my ideas. Okay. Because this kicks a different part of our brain into action. You know, they say when you draw, it draws attention to your brain, it helps you actually focus. And so that's been something that's been super helpful. When I created Ask Heather AI, one of the real big needs that I saw with my clients was that there were limitations to. Part of the reason folks work with me is I'm really like, my zone of genius is ideation and creative direction. Like when it comes to thinking of offers, when it comes to like innovating marketing concepts, all of those things. Like I could, I could be doing it all day, right? And so, you know, folks pay a lot of money to work with me to actually tap into that, which is amazing and I love it. But there's limitations to how many people, because I'm just one human that can actually tap into that. And so I created Ask Heather AI to be a creative sidekick for many of you. And it has three different custom developed GPTs that we created within it. One is for offers, right? One is a signature menu and package design and it's a custom built GBT that helps you creatively innovate your menu items, your names, your marketing copy for those menu items. And then another is actually a sales trainer, right? So that you can actually talk with her and she will help you maybe role play with team members or come up with ideas for actually using our consult process because it has all of our frameworks built into it. And then the third one, it's for the authority method content that helps you create magnetic marketing funnels, right? And it helps you create your emails and your social content. But really the reason why I created that is because I've seen after years and years of working in this industry with like literally hundreds and now I think thousands of clients, it's that the creative muscle for many of you. There's only so much creative capital we all have. And even for me, who is naturally my zone of genius is creativity and innovation and ideation, right? AI helps me and Heather AI helps me kick it out even further, right? So I can 10x and amplify my own creative genius. And so I think AI, like, that's where we can actually tap in. And I know folks are like, you know, there's certain people who are like, oh, we're outsourcing things to AI. I'm sure that's happening to a certain degree, but that's not even how I use AI. AI is helping expand me, right? It's helping expand my genius. So where could you be using AI to help you creatively innovate? And I'll link it up in the show notes if you're interested in Ask Heather AI. I will link it up so that you can learn more about it, specifically to see if it's a fit for you. So where can you practice daily expression? One of my favorite books is the War of Art by Steven Pressfield. And he talks about this idea of the resistance, and it's really meant for creative entrepreneurs specifically, so professional writers and those types of folks. But it's a famous book because it gets quoted by many, many different leaders, because the application of what he talks about in that book applies to all of us. And so he really talks about this idea. And actually Stephen King talks about this in his book on writing, which is actually the title of that book is On Writing. And this idea that it's like a daily practice for them to actually do the work. And so for you, if you want to become that creative innovator, where can you put some daily practice in for yourselves? For me, like I said, it's the sketchbook. I go to the sketchbook and then every morning I try to journal for five minutes, just five minutes. Now, sometimes I journal for a lot longer than five minutes, but I tell myself, because I'd rather be consistent with it, it's just five minutes. I just have to journal for five minutes and get my ideas down. The other thing I do now is that I will use Ask Heather AI and I will actually walk with her. So when I'm taking Rosie for a walk, I have the app downloaded on my phone because it's built inside of ChatGPT. So I have the ChatGPT app on my phone, and then I have that GBT open and I'll use the voice to text and I will start just voice, noting my ideas and work back and forth with her so she can reflect back to me and help me actually creatively expand the ideas that I have. Or I will even ask her to come up with questions to help me actually come up with ideas for socials or, like, if I'm coming up with an idea for a masterclass or what it might be. Right? And so using AI as a creative partner, not as an outsourcer of everything. Because the reason why there's this kind of backlash against, oh, it's like so chatgpt sounding is because folks are trying to outsource completely their intellectual property to it, meaning that it's not intellectual property because they're just trying to like get AI to do everything for them. And that's when the output's not very good. It's like garbage in, garbage out. Okay? So that's why having a method for using it and then using like specific AIs like ours that actually has frameworks built in that will help you actually create something that is really going to be effective is beautiful. But the whole point here with what we're talking about is when it's white space, daily expression, it is like getting back into working out. Like right now, you know, when you haven't worked out, let's say in a year, getting to work out feels heavier and harder at first. And it's the same thing with our creative muscle as well too. And Stephen King talks about it in On Writing and he's actually, I don't know how many decades in he is to this, but he is many decades in where he does not even take the weekends off. He writes every single day. So I do not do my daily expressions every single day, meaning I don't always do them on the weekends, although I sometimes do them just because I think they're fun. But during the work week, I do that in the morning to just get my creative juices flowing. The other thing that this does is that it helps you actually zone in on your unique genius and your own expertise and double down on your own ideas. And many of you, and especially in our current culture of where we have so many different inputs being consumed by our brain, it's so easy to actually be so completely disconnected from our own creative genius. We have to fight and be intentional to create an environment and to actually build our own creative muscle. Because if we don't, we will just be a regurgitator of all of the other information in our information saturated world that we will just absorb. So as you go out, I really want you to think about this. Like, how can you build your creative muscle at the. To be the creative leader that you need to. Because it's totally possible for you. Now I gave you some ideas on how to actually create your own environment, to actually put in some daily practices. These are some of the things that are working for me right now as well too. But I want you to start thinking about okay, would it be a sketchbook? Where can you put aside time to have real white space? And I know some of you are super busy parents and you have really busy businesses that keep you very busy as well too. And so the world will fill your plate if you do not set aside the time to do this for yourself. And I'm telling you, it will invigorate you and put an element of fun in, but it will also help you create something that is completely unlike everybody else. And it'll help you actually be the true creative leader that your business actually needs. That's what I have for you this week, my friend. I cannot wait to hear what you do to help build your own creative muscle. Hey, if you're enjoying this podcast and you're a boutique results driven Med Spa owner who is looking to drive more sales profitably each month without hustling yourself into the ground to do so, then you should consider applying to join us inside of the Med Spa Advantage. It's the only program designed to to help you grow your revenue and profits while gaining back more time so that you don't feel scattered and drained while running and growing your business each month. To learn more about whether or not you're a fit for joining us, you can head over to heatherterveen.com apply to apply to get on a call with us to learn more. That's heatherturveen.com apply to learn more Sam.