← Skin Anarchy
Skin Anarchy
The “Facial Bar” Model That’s Redefining Routine Skin Care Featuring Michele Henry of FACE FOUNDRIÉ
00:41:18
Loading summary
Transcript57 lines
- [00:00]
A
Hey, guys, welcome back to Skin Anarchy. This is Ekta. I'm super excited about our, our episode today because we're going to be talking about what goes behind when we are going and getting our treatments, our facial treatments and the landscape and how it's changing so much. Face Foundry is an organization that is really kind of changing the game and especially the way that we, I guess, as consumers interact with the world of going and getting our facials, getting our treatments done. I mean, it's. I think it's just becoming more streamlined because of companies like Face Foundry. So without further ado, please welcome Michelle Hendry, who is the found member and CEO of Face Foundry. Welcome, Michelle. So excited to host you.
- [00:36]
B
Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.
- [00:38]
A
Yeah, I'm excited to dive in because I would love to learn more about Face Foundry and what made you start the entire company and where did the inspiration come from? If you can kind of walk us down memory lane.
- [00:49]
B
Yeah, absolutely. So I'm going to take you back to 2017. I had just had my third child and I was struggling terribly with hormonal acne and I could not get a grasp on it. I spent what felt like years being a frustrated consumer. And facials were either too expensive or overly clinical or inconsistent where you never knew what you were walking into. And I just wanted results and I wanted that education and I wanted efficiency because as I noted, having three kids, I wanted to be able to get in and get out and make sure that that service was solely focused on my face. And I wanted to be able to have that luxury of walk in availability. And I couldn't find that. I couldn't seem to find that middle ground. And I think that having the results driven affordability in a modern and very repeatable location, I've realized the industry itself was definitely overdue and needed this concept, needed this facial bar. So Face Foundry then was my solution and, you know, really was created out of kind of a need for my own personal experience.
- [02:06]
A
Yeah, no, that makes a lot of sense actually. You know, the idea of a facial bar for me has always actually been the most logical because for, for me as a consumer, I know it's always been like a task, right? Going to the facialist and then you wait. In the past it's been like that, right? Where it's just taking a lot of time. And unfortunately there's. There were so many. I remember so many months where I was kind of like dreading it because I was like, I don't have the time to spend three hours and get this whole thing done. And it was always like this. It's like, I know I need to go, but I know I don't have the time. So like, the whole concept is really, really resonates with me as a consumer. And I know a lot of people can relate to that where it's something that you go and you are, you're able to get things done and you don't have to have those really, really long waiting times. I want to ask, how was that whole business model etching that out? Did you have to go through a few trial and errors? Walk us through that journey of putting the business ide other.
- [02:59]
B
So I will take you back to March 1, 2019 when we opened. And yeah, the original concept had five beds. And my thought process was, well, maybe there are folks that want to hang out and we'll have an actual bar where it is really a wellness bar. And the idea of taking care of your skin from both the inside and out. So we had a lot of juice shots, things like that. Noticed very quickly within the first four days, nobody wanted to hang out after their service. They didn't want to enjoy juice. The shelf life on juice was incredibly short and we found that people wanted to come in and truly get this, this facial experience. So 10 days in, we closed down. We repositioned the layout of the store to accommodate more facial beds and scrap the juice idea and really pivoted very quickly to be able to make sure that we were adapting to exactly what the clients were asking for and what we felt like had real traction within the business.
- [04:05]
A
Yeah, it makes sense. I mean, I think that it really comes down to just giving people accessibility at the end of the day. I think that's the really interesting part about this. A lot of times we focus so much on things like exclusivity and like that prestige experience. I think it gets lost. The whole user experience gets lost, lost in all of that. A lot of these really, really high end spas all over the world, I mean, don't get me wrong, they're beautiful experiences, but sometimes you just really need functionality and accessibility. So I mean, how was that your approach to trying to really build that accessibility in? I mean, what were some of the hurdles? Or maybe you can walk us through some of the brainstorm moments that you had when you were trying to really figure out what does true accessibility mean in a space like this.
- [04:51]
B
You touched on it and you hit the nail on the head. The beauty industry has been historically, they've thrived on Exclusion and I wanted the exact opposite. I wanted a place where people could feel welcomed, not judged. We're going to meet you wherever you are in your skincare journey. And ultimately I wanted a place where I could go in personally and have a monthly membership that was not going to break the bank. I think that is really that approachability that opens the door to frequency for results and to ultimately create a community. And I think that prestige has a ceiling. And approachability in my opinion scales, especially knowing that the mindset was always that we would franchise this concept.
- [05:38]
A
No, that's, I mean that's solid. I feel like that is just so much more user friendly. I won't lie. I think I've had all of my experiences at the really nice resort spas. I mean they've been great, but it's never been something where I walk away. And I don't know if all of you listening out there can relate to this, but I've never walked away feeling like, oh my God, my skin is amazing, I just don't need anything anymore. That kind of thing. It's never been like that. And you end up dropping crazy amounts of money. It's 5, $600 for a treatment that's. I don't even know what we're doing here, you know, that kind of thing. So I, I think that you, you're really kind of, you're serving such a important piece for consumers because we for one, nobody has the money. And number two, if you're not seeing the result in your skin, why would you ever go back? Like I never went back to any of those spas and resorts. That it was like a one time thing.
- [06:32]
B
So I would say our, I'm very bullish on protocols and what we deliver from a client and customer service experience. And I would say we can go head to head with those experiences where you are paying upwards five dollar six hundred. Our experience is absolutely top notch. We are setting the standard and you will leave with seeing visible results. That is the goal with our protocols. So I get really excited hearing that because think about having that visible glow once a month. That is huge that you're going to eventually see results long term and you're taking care of your skin long term. So I think that that's something that was a non negotiable for me when we were starting this business.
- [07:20]
A
Yeah, I mean I think that's, that really has to be the pillar I want to ask you because I think it really changes the experience you have and the results you see based on the location the practitioner, where you're at in the moment. How did you kind of reverse engineer Face Foundry to be scalable without sacrificing this personalization aspect?
- [07:41]
B
And we built the system in layers. So our core protocols, we guarantee consistency because the goal is right with. With franchising, you want to make sure that if you go get a service in Sarasota or Sioux Falls, it needs to be the same. And I think that's where in the industry what. What I tapped into and really found is that that consistency was not the case in other concepts I would visit. Even those luxury concepts we just touched on. You leave it to the discretion of the esthetician that's performing the service. They can really get their hands in there and play with different products or tools. And that's where it offers some inconsistency from location to location. That is not the case for us. So we definitely ground ourselves in very consistent protocols. And I think that what we then do is we pair it with targeted enhancements, so then your esthetician can recommend and create personalization and build off of that. But we lean heavily into tech. You know, we. We want to make sure that no matter where you go next, we can pull back up exactly what protocol you had, exactly what enhancement you had, and we can continue to build off of that. So I think that's really important. And especially as we franchise and especially as we grow, we still very much ground ourselves in those core protocols, in making sure that we're educating our franchisees and the estheticians to do exactly how the blueprint and playbook is laid out.
- [09:17]
A
That's really interesting that you franchised this model, because I feel like that's brilliant, first of all, and also very curious about it. I mean, how did you manage to do that? Because you've. From what I've read, you've sold 60 plus franchise units in just a few years. So how. How has that been? Walk us through the business side of that.
- [09:36]
B
Yeah, actually, my prior concept. So before I started Face Foundry, I had a women's clothing chain, and it was. It was amazing. I learned an absolute ton about customer service and client experiences, and I really wanted to franchise that concept. And it was not the franchise model. It was not the business to model out franchising. There were too many nuances. We moved through a lot of SKUs. It just wasn't it. But I loved the idea of franchising and providing this blueprint and roadmap to really passionate individuals that wanted to step into a system. So I knew whatever I did next, it was going to be some concept that we could execute from a franchising level. And that's exactly what we did with Face Foundry. So we laid out day one. I knew I wanted to franchise. We were going to lay out all of the process, the protocols, the procedures, everything we were doing from an operational or marketing standpoint, we were capturing all of that data and creating playbooks. So that was really important, doing that from, from day one and of course creating that consistency. We currently have 65 locations open in the the U.S. we have a hundred that we will close 2026 with. I believe we have commitments on another 158.
- [11:01]
A
Wow. Wow, that's really impressive. Well, I mean, congratulations on your very well deserved success. It's amazing. I mean I, I think that that's the, that's really, really interesting in beauty because beauty, I feel like it's always siloed and I feel like there's a lot of times where things become super viral or like a concept takes off, but it's really rare to see something become a way of delivering across the board, you know, nationally and in different places. I mean that's, I think we need to see a lot more of that. The only place I can think of this is like retail stores. It's the only place I've really seen it where obviously there's a Sephora everywhere, there's an Ulta everywhere. But the idea of having like a facial bar that is available to and you can go and you know that this is the experience I'm going to get. These are the results I can expect, that's huge. And I know that me as a consumer, I really appreciate that because I've always said this on the podcast where I feel like with the skin, we treat it as this, this vanity thing, but it's health. Skin is our largest organ as, as we've said here, ad nauseam. And we need services and we need businesses that cater to that in the same way that if you were able to go to like your family practitioner, your data would be there, your history would be able to pull that up about you. That's important to have that. So I'm just, I'm such a believer in what you're doing. This is awesome.
- [12:20]
B
Oh, well, thank you. And you are like, it's like you just read my 2026 roadmap. Our, our investment in tech is huge and we're actually launching something I'm so excited to, to talk about further in March for our seventh birthday. But it's a heavy heavy use of AI and it's pairing it with, of course, our app and the tech we have continue to educate our clients and to show how that consistency has paid off and they can see the visible results. Then through all of their, you know, as a member, their monthly treatments over the course of two years, you're tracking your skin. I mean that is just going to be absolutely amazing to be able to see where you started and listening to what your skin needs and being able to make recommendations as to what then, you know, the path you're going forward. So it's, I'm so excited for, for what we have in store and it's continuing to build off that foundation of yes, how do we educate, how do we treat our skin? Because you're right, it's our largest organ. So you can do monthly facials all day long. But what is your at home protocol and products look like? What are you eating that might not be right for you? That is causing some sort of inflammation or reaction. There's, there's so many levels where we can tap into making sure that holistically, people as a whole are treating their skin and ultimately their bodies the right way. Yeah.
- [13:51]
A
I'm so excited for you. This sounds amazing and that sounds absolutely phenomenal. I feel like I would, I know anybody, anybody who takes their skin seriously would invest in that so much faster than like just going to like a random retailer trying to figure out your own skincare routine, trying to figure out what's going to work for me at home, how can I pair this? That's what consumers are doing. And just I feel like having something like this in a location where you can go and you know that you're getting great service. But then also that guidance and that holistic approach where they know you and they know what you're going through and what your skin's been through over like, we'll say it's a year or two years, whatever that is for you, that's absolutely huge. And that also changes the game when it comes to how we make purchasing decisions. When it comes to just OTC products, whether you're going to a Walgreens or like an Ulta or Sephora, you're going to think twice because then you're going to have that in the back of your mind all the time. No, I went and had this experience and I was told by a professional like this, this is where my skin thrives. These are the parameters under which my skin thrives. And so now all of my purchasing decisions are changing and that's Absolutely huge. So I'm just, I'm so excited for you.
- [15:00]
B
Oh, I can't wait. I, well, let's, let's link back up in March or maybe February and I can, I can show you exactly what this tech is going to look like. We're actually doing demos next week. It is going to revolutionize the skin care industry and I'm really excited to put it in practice in locations. But it's, it's, again, it's rooted in how do we educate our clients the best way possible and meet them wherever they're at on their skincare journey. That is the whole purpose.
- [15:30]
A
So I have a question then. Because I feel like I do this a lot. I will go in with like a bag of skincare products. I swear my esthetician hates me because she's always like, you need to stop with this. But how do you guys deal with that? The whole idea? In doctor's offices, patients do this too. They'll bring in like a bag of prescriptions. How is that the whole process of here's somebody who's been using say like 15 products and then they come in and do you do like a consultation? How does it work?
- [15:56]
B
Yeah, absolutely. And we'll make sure that we notate it through the charting process because we want to know what products you have that you're using that might have a really strong active. You know, we need to know that if you're using a retinol, we want to make sure that we're recommending the correct services or the correct products that will work in unison with that and not against it. So 100 and I actually think that this goes a little bit on a tangent, but what I'm seeing and what we saw quite a bit in 2025 and I think is going to continue in 2026 is a little bit more of a simplification where we're not seeing a ton of product usage. People are getting really smart and making their products work, work harder for them. So you've got multifunctional uses of products. One of my favorite products we have has vitamin C, vitamin E, hyaluronic niacinamide. It's, it really does check a lot of the boxes. And so we're seeing that that 15 product selection is actually going to get consolidated and condensed to really foundational products and then it's less stress on, on clients. Right. You don't have to remember, oh my gosh, I forgot something in my 15 step routine. It's like, like, nope, it's a five step routine and it's going to work just as well.
- [17:19]
A
Yeah, no, that's really, really fascinating. I love that so much. And you are so right about what you said, where. Yeah, I mean, consumers are expecting their products to just work better for them, work, work smarter for them. I think that we're now, it's very interesting, right. The space we're in, because I feel like biotech has taken center stage in skin care and product development and all that. And it makes me just wonder because as much biotech as we can incorporate into skin care, that's good and fine, but if you don't know what to do with that biotech, you're still not going to see results. And I've said this, I feel like I've said it before on the podcast and we get a lot of emails about this and I'd love for you to also speak on this because I think a lot of times consumers feel like I, I feel like now my products have say all these different peptides, all these different encapsulated ingredients and I don't need to go see an esthetician anymore. I don't need to go get a facial anymore. I mean, what are your thoughts on that and your mess for anyone who does feel like this because say they've invested $200 in a new serum and they're like, well, now I'm not going to go get a facial because I feel like this is going to do everything for me. I mean, what would your advice be to that kind of mindset?
- [18:28]
B
I have lots of thoughts on that. Right. I think if that product has all of those amazing ingredients and it is showing results 100% keep using it, that's exciting. And that means it's working with your skin type and it's serving a purpose. But what we're doing at Face Foundry, we're going above and beyond and it's more of advanced care. And you need to be able to go in and dermaplane and get that the vellus hairs and the top layer of dead skin off in order for your products to penetrate deeper. And so I think it's a much more active approach to making sure that then your products work in conjunction with the treatments that you just did. And so whether it's a chemical peel or a hydrafacial, one of my favorites. With dermaplaning, you're still very much cleaning out pores, ridding yourself of dead skin. Those are all things that you need to do to make sure that the products that you are investing in actually work and can penetrate deeper.
- [19:31]
A
Yeah, no, I love what you said. I completely agree with you. I think that's, and that's why I asked you because that's where I think consumers get lost. And they get lost because there's so much over promising going on and it's like kind of nuts. It's bonkers because you, one serum cannot do for you what a trained professional estician can do for you or a professional who understands skin. It's just not possible because there's no way. And, and so I think that's, that was like the whole idea was that, you know, to get this message out there because a lot of you that are listening, I know a lot of you chime in your emails to us where you're like, well, should I invest this $800 into this skin care system? Should I do this? And usually the answer that you're getting from us is no, go see a professional. Because at the end of the, you have to, I mean you can at the end of the day take the entire health of your skin in your own hands and expect it to give you the same results to where what we're talking about here, where it's like a monthly subscription, you go, you get this done monthly, you check in with somebody who knows what they're talking about monthly. And then you kind of cater your skin care around that, that is the sequence that should be happening. So yeah, I just, I feel very passionately about this. I'm sure you could tell I'm getting very excited.
- [20:44]
B
I'm with you. I'm with you. I mean it has, I would open this up to your listeners. Who here has ever tried to do extractions at home? I'm raising my hand. Yes, of course, we all have tried. And guess what? Nine times out of ten, I end up with a much larger pimple or multiple pimples and it's very inflamed and it ends up scarring and it's like, oh, why you can't, you can't do that. A licensed professional, in order to actually extract properly, you have to go to a place that you trust and you have to have those services provided because it's very difficult to execute at home. Absolutely.
- [21:23]
A
Michelle. I cannot tell you how many times I go on to Tick Tock and I'm like, scared.
- [21:31]
B
What kind of recommendation are we looking at today?
- [21:34]
A
Yeah, and I'm like, you know, have you seen the DIY side of Tick Tock skin care? Like it's, it's a scary place. It's A really, really scary place. And they're doing, I feel like, please don't do it if you haven't done it, I don't want you to because I feel like it's going to give you nightmares. It gave me nightmares because people are doing things that. I'm seriously sitting here and I'm like, why are you buying these? There was a, there's a health announcement that went out I think the other day about how people are doing at home. Botox now. And they're buying, yeah, it's insane. And they're buying these vials from God knows where. They're, they're these shady sellers online and they're buying these peptides, these vials of like Botox and they're doing it at home and it's scary.
- [22:19]
B
Yeah. This is the PSA right now. To everybody listening, please do not do that. You can paralyze your face. You could, you could hit a nerve. You could damage it permanently for life. I think that there needs to be more public service announcements just around the fact that there's long term damage that can be done. You have to be careful. Do not do that.
- [22:43]
A
100%. 100%. And that's, that's exactly it. Right. Because it's, it, it really worries me when I see Consum do this. And you know where it comes from is this unaccessible nature of how the system has been for so long. And because people aren't able to go get that $600 treatment done and go the ridiculous, ridiculous ones. That's where I feel like Face Foundry is. It's really, it's filling a space that's been needed to be filled for so long. And I, I really encourage anybody out there, you guys, honest to God, the amount of money you're spending on these at home treatments or like whatever garbage that's out here, just, just put it into a subscription for something where you can go in every month. I mean, why wouldn't you do that? That's more, it's obviously more safe, but it's also more efficacious for you at the end of the day.
- [23:31]
B
So our memberships, they're anywhere between 79 to 99amonth. So like we're talking very approachable and I think that's something. Having transparent pricing that was also in this industry, I feel like that's not commonplace. And I found that really surprising coming from a retail background, that transparent pricing and that approachability. When I say approachable, I truly mean it. So I, I agree. Leave it to a Professional sign up for a membership and definitely just let. It's also a chance to take 40 minutes to your. For yourself. Yeah, it. When do we get 40 minutes of just relaxing? Oftentimes you don't. And so I think that's the other component and we're really tapping into the wellness side. But I, I think that is a call out I would make.
- [24:19]
A
Well, on that note though, I really like that I want to dive a little deeper into that component. I'm so glad you brought it up. Is this whole emotional side of beauty because I feel like no one really discusses it anymore. I feel like people used to more before, but nowadays it's so, so tech driven and all this stuff. But what are your thoughts on and how do you guys actually deal with this in terms of managing patient expectations, managing the emotional side of results and what to expect and what not to expect? What is that process like for anybody that comes in?
- [24:51]
B
I think first of all, I want to call out. Our design of the store is very, very thoughtful and very welcoming and I think it starts there. And obviously our branding on social media, we really try to showcase exactly what it's like because there are people like you and I that love, we love facial services, but quite a few people that step in and they've never had a facial before. I've heard time and time again we've heard from clients. I never thought I could afford a facial and now I'm a monthly member. So I think that making sure that it's very approachable from an aesthetic standpoint. So it's very calming. We have a signature scent that, trust me, I spent way too many hours trying to perfect. And it, you come in, it's warm, it's inviting. The staff members are friendly, they want to greet you and meet you where you're at. We off, we often have water. We end the service with a chocolate. And it's all around just. It encapsulates comfort and feeling, a sense of warmth and community. It has to feel welcoming. During the service, we break down. We've got a client journey, right? So we step it out and that helps our estheticians really understand our protocols and break it down. So again, driving home that consistency, that's crucial. But during our client journey, one thing that I would call out in our protocol is we always ask, would you like to take this time to relax or would you like me to walk you through the steps? Because it opens that area of opportunity to communicate if someone is going through something emotional or they just need time for themselves. They get to navigate how the facial looks for them. And on the flip side, if it's your first facial and you just want to know what's going on, you have that option to talk and converse. And I think that strikes such a nerve with people that I. I don't want to overlook. Really. You get to decide, because we've all been in that situation where this stem from. Actually, I got a massage when I was nine months pregnant, and the woman talked the entire time. And I was thinking to myself, oh, this is going to be my very last moment of peace, quiet before I welcome my first child. I just want 90 minutes to not have a conversation. And that's really where this idea of kind of choosing your own adventure within the facial experience that is rooted in every single facial and every single part of the client journey is making sure that the client navigates how they want to interface. And I think that really encapsulates, like, there's a lot of. There's an emotional side to it, but then that esthetician really can respect whatever the client's wishes are.
- [27:44]
A
Right. Right. No, I love that. I love that you have that built in. I mean, I'm. I'm definitely the customer that would come in and be like, I'm just gonna lay here. I need time. I need time to just be silent. That's. That's. That's, I think, very, very important because, yeah, I mean, our lives are so busy, so when you're getting away for something where it's a treatment and it's a. It's you time. Yeah. You should have that option of not having to talk to someone and not having to deal with all of the other stuff. So that's really huge. I love that.
- [28:12]
B
On the flip side, used one of the examples that. This always resonates with me, and it really does hit me at my core of drives, my. My mission for this concept. But we had a woman in one of our Wisconsin locations. She was battling stage four breast cancer. She was a member. She ended up passing away, and her husband came in and said, I just want you to know that coming here every single month was really a safe haven for her. And you think about that, and you realize the impact the estheticians then have on that emotional connection with someone, and you don't know what anyone is going through. And so our. I really applaud our estheticians. They are truly. They're so open, they're empathetic, and they're. They're there to listen. So if you do want to Talk through stuff. They, they kind of have this therapeutic scope. And I, I do want to call that out because I think that's really special in what our service providers offer.
- [29:19]
A
I love that. That is such a, it's such a beautiful story. I think that it really kind of showcases how much it is important to have a safe space for everybody and unfortunately, especially for women and, and nobody really, I feel like, discusses this openly enough. Not at least from what I see, where we don't talk about how much women do in our day to day lives. I mean, especially if you're a mom, especially if you're, you have your career, you have your motherhood, you have all these different things going on. Where is that time for yourself every day? Where is it a lot of times? I mean, I know I have friends where I literally look at them and I'm like, I worry for you because it's from the minute you wake up in the morning till the second you go to sleep at night, you are taking care of someone else in some capacity. And that's beautiful in a lot of ways. Right. I mean, it's a beautiful thing to be a mom and to do all these wonderful things. But where is that time for you where you sit down and you don't have something going on constantly where you can just breathe? And a lot of times I've gotten this answer and it's sad. A lot of my friends will tell me, well, that five minutes every morning of coffee, that's me time.
- [30:28]
B
Yeah.
- [30:28]
A
My five minutes of coffee before the kids go crazy. And you need more than five minutes. You need a dedicated time. And so something like this, incorporating it into your routine, this is something you can count on. It's something, it's permanently etched into your calendar. Okay, I'm gonna take this time. Yeah.
- [30:45]
B
When I carve out time, because I get it. I've got four kids, trust me, I, I get the five minutes in the morning. That coffee, that first sip of coffee where you're like, this is me time. But I've. When I carve out time consistently and it is just an hour for myself, and I mean an hour once a month to go get a facials. Truly nothing.
- [31:06]
A
Yeah.
- [31:07]
B
When you carve out that time, I end up showing up better for my kids. I, I feel it. I can, I feel refreshed. It's like this, this reset. And I do notice that when I come out of a facial or yoga class, I end up showing up better.
- [31:25]
A
Yeah, no, it makes a lot of sense. I think everybody needs that. And it's just so underrated and it's not, it's just not spoken about very openly. That's another thing. That's why I feel like we need to start talking about this more and putting it out there. Because women just, they just take, we all of us do this, but especially when you're a mom and they take it and they don't really get to speak about it openly. So I want to talk about trends actually, because there are a lot of skincare services, there's a lot of tech out here. Is there anything that you're specifically excited about or maybe something that you're consciously staying away from? For Face Foundry, what are your thoughts around all that new equipment, the new tech that's always coming out?
- [32:04]
B
We have been very thoughtful about the tech we're integrating and I know I kind of touched on it. Hopefully we get to chat more about it once I can say more, but I was very mindful. We go through a lot of diligence when we're looking at new products, new services. There's a whole process. And so we test it out. We test it at our school first. We make sure that students and our instructors have a say. But from a product standpoint, I would say Exosomes are something I'm really excited about. And I also love the egf. I think that the epidermal growth factor, for anyone listening that hasn't ever heard of it, those ingredients are so powerful and I'm excited to see what comes of it. I really think that we're partnering with a clean brand out of Iceland and their, their EGF is fantastic. It's one of our staff favorite products. It's called Bio Effect and it's been phenomenal. Speaking of Botox, they say it's Botox in a bottle, but you don't have to inject it, which is beautiful. So I think that's one that I'm really excited about. And then obviously the, the tech side is great. We actually, we have a new product that we're releasing in the next probably 60 days. We have worked on this for the last six years, so almost the entire life of our business. And that is going to also be super fascinating. It's, it does not exist in the marketplace. I cannot wait to share more about it. But this is another, I would say another way to enhance your at home protocols.
- [33:48]
A
Wow, I love that. Yeah, I'm a huge fan of growth factors and Exosomes as well. So that's very exciting. I think that's where biotech is really Shining especially in these biomodulatory ingredients that are actually proven, you know, to do something and that they can actually get in there and, and access fibroblasts and help us get real results. It's very, very exciting. So that's really cool.
- [34:08]
B
And it's, it's just doing your research because to your point, there's a lot of investments in, in the biotech side and products out there. And so it's really sifting through and making sure that you're getting really clean ingredients. And I think that's really important is, and what's great about social media and in this digital age is you can do your research and you can do it very quickly.
- [34:30]
A
Yeah, yeah, that's very true. I want to ask you about this. You also founded Savant Aesthetics Institute. How does that education platform really tie back into the overall mission for Face Foundry?
- [34:41]
B
Yeah, so Savant is our school and it stemmed from the. Our brand was growing here in Minnesota and we were seeing estheticians that had just paid a large sum of money to go through aesthetic schools and get their license, but they would step into our training at Face Foundry when they would get hired. And the discrepancy within the education system in aesthetics, it was pretty astounding. And so what we decided in 2022 was let's get ahead of this. Let's set a new standard for aesthetics education and let's start a school where we can train them. And it could be helpful to build the pipeline obviously to hire them on to Face Foundry if that's the route they want to go. But it's certainly not the be all end all. They can start their own. It's really rooted in how do we make aesthetics careers and education better and really up level the entire industry. And we've found we're on a wait list right now. Our classes are all full. I think more and more people we're seeing leave different industries and tap back into aesthetics. And the overall consensus is I've always wanted to do something in skin care and now I'm deciding I want to follow that passion, which is so exciting.
- [36:04]
A
Yeah, that's amazing. I love that. I love the education component. That's so huge because I feel like in medical anything, continued education is everything. I know that for us, for physicians, we're always looking for ways to prove our practice, learn more. So I think that's a really important component is staying up to date, having a way to do that. That's really, really crucial. I feel like, especially now skin care, I think is one of the, or skin health is one of the one fields of medicine that's evolving like lightning speed. We're getting so advanced and things are moving. And you were just talking now about exosomes and growth factors. I mean, that's a huge leap. And I don't know many people who are truly well versed in the science, the physiology and the, the biophysics and the wonderful things you need to know about these kind of components and these ingredients because they're very, very specific and how they work. So that's very exciting.
- [36:55]
B
Yes, I'm, I'm with you. And that continuing to, to educate yourself, educate clients, and I think tap into the trends and innovation that's just been such a fun part of what we're doing and where we're trying to continue to grow as a, as a business and ultimately as a school as well.
- [37:15]
A
Right. I love that. I love it. I love everything you're doing. I think this is so cool and. Yeah, I mean, it really is. And I, I think for me what hits home is the accessibility you've created. I just remember being in my 20s and I couldn't afford a facial and I used to be like, oh man. Like, I really wish. And I. And I feel like when you're in your 20s, that's like when you get into skincare, you start taking it seriously. And I feel like that is where that's the impact is having accessibility in a, in a set, to a setting, not just to services, but to a full setting that is professionally backed. And it's a place where you get guidance and it's a place where you get to learn about your skin and you get to understand your skin instead of just scrolling endlessly on Tik Tok and trying to figure it out on your own. I mean, that's just huge. So, really, truly, hats off to you and your team. I mean, this is so needed. It's so needed.
- [38:08]
B
So thank you. I really appreciate it. I'm very excited about it. I'm passionate. I wake up every day excited to continue to push this, this business forward. And that's something I, I love meeting other passionate people that get excited about the skincare industry because truly, it's so needed. And I, I wish more and more people would talk about their skin care concerns and I think we've developed a safe place for them to do so. So I think that's, that's what's really wonderful in, in our mission.
- [38:40]
A
I will ask you one more question to, to finalize this, but like, I, I Want you to give advice. Honestly, Michelle, because there are so many women out here who are trying to do their own thing. They're becoming entrepreneurs. They're trying to come into the space of skin, Skincare beauty. Can you offer some words of wisdom about entrepreneurship and what to expect? Any advice that you can provide for any budding entrepreneurs?
- [39:05]
B
My first piece of advice would be you better love it. You better be so passionate about this concept. I mean, I talked about Face Foundry before it was Face Foundry to anyone that would listen. It would keep me up at night. I would be writing and rewriting business plans and ideas. You have to have that fire in your belly where you can't sleep without thinking about it. You can't, you can't get up in the morning without thinking about that. So there's no replacement for passion. I will say that loud and clear. That is at the top of the list. The other thing that it seems more simple but I don't want to overlook is as you start to chart out and build this business, really be open minded and honest with yourself as to where do you shine, what do you love doing and where, what are your blind spots and how are you going to backfill those blind spots if you are not great at accounting, if you don't know, maybe some of the compliance and you need a really strong legal team or, or let's say marketing isn't your thing. Be honest with yourself because let's face it, as an entrepreneur and being really scrappy, it's really fun to do it all, but at a certain point you're going to hold back your business if you're going to try to do it all. And so backfilling those areas I think is a call out that I would make and doing it earlier than expected.
- [40:28]
A
Yeah, I hear you. That's actually really good advice. I feel like we think sometimes that you can do it all, but you can't, you can't. No one's an expert at everything. So. Yeah, that makes sense. Well, thank you so much, Michelle. This has been truly wonderful and I've loved this chat so much. I can't tell you.
- [40:45]
B
I.
- [40:45]
A
It's very rare when we get to talk about really where skin health is headed. And so I'm just, I'm such a fan and I think for anyone listening, if you guys are either you stopped getting your facials done or it's just not affordable anymore or accessible anymore, this is a really, really good option. You guys, please check out Face Foundry. We're going to be link everything in the show notes. Just scroll down right now wherever you're tuning in and you can find the links. And yeah, let us know if you've already tried Face Foundry and if you loved it. So. But thank you so much, Michelle. This has been so wonderful.
- [41:16]
B
I appreciate you having me on. Thank you.
- [41:18]
A
Hey guys. So I hope you love that episode. Please make sure to hit subscribe if you're tuning in to us on any podcast platform. We are available on so many different platforms, so wherever it is that you're tuning in, just go hit subscribe. You'll be immediately notified when we publish new episodes. This way you're able to tune in to amazing insights from experts, brand founders, industry leaders, authors, all the wonderful people that we host. And that's very important for me because I love to hear from you guys and really understand what you love and what you want to hear more of. Also, make sure to give us a follow on all of our social media outlets. We're available on Instagram, TikTok X, you name it, we're there. We also have a blog on Medium, so if you're a reader and you love Medium blogs, check us out on Medium. We publish some really great articles on there that do deeper dives than just what's available on the podcast, and it's really a great place for all of you science geeks out there that want to learn a little bit more. We go above and beyond with our research and making sure we're bringing you information that you usually probably won't hear about in other outlets. So check us out, leave us a comment, leave us a review, and we'll be back next time with another episode. Thank you.