Opening a clinic in 2020: personal experience

POINT OF VIEW: CLINIC OPENING IN 2020

Vladlena Averina, scientific consultant of the magazine “Les Nouvelles Esthetiques Ukraine”, dermatovenerologist, cosmetologist, doctor of the highest category, president of the Association of Aesthetic Gynecology and Andrology, scientific director and organizer of the series of conferences “Portrait of a complex patient”, member of the Council of Experts of Aesthetic Medicine of Ukraine, member of the Scientific Committee Euromedicom (Ukraine)

Leila Annaeva, Ph.D., member of the American Society of Anti-Aging Medicine (AAAM), member of the Aesthetic Multispecialty Society, member of the Ukrainian Society of Dermatovenereologists, member of the European Society of Dermatology (Ukraine)

Anton Leonov , chief physician at Clinic Profi+, expert trainer at Allergan, speaker at Ukrainian Aesthetics and Aesthetic Education (Ukraine)

Anna Ogurtsova, dermatologist of the highest category, candidate of medical sciences, cosmetologist-mesotherapist, certified trainer in thread rejuvenation methods. founder of the Viva Medical Aesthetic Club clinic (Ukraine)

Valeria Rabizo, obstetrician-gynecologist, dermatovenerologist, member of the European Academy of Dermatovenerologists (EADV), member of the Spanish Society of Aesthetic, Reconstructive and Physiological Gynecology (SEGERF) (Ukraine)

Anna Funikova , dermatovenerologist, cosmetologist, founder of the Medical Community clinic network and the UMAA Academy (Ukraine)

Have you ever wondered about postponing the opening of the clinic with an eye on the realities of 2020?

We have long planned to change the format of both the Medical community clinic and the UMAA Academy, and in addition, to open several branches of both divisions. 2020 was more of a motivating accelerator for us and helped us focus as much as possible on these tasks. The change in rental prices on the market also played in our favor - we were able to choose the most desirable and convenient locations.

Anna Funikova

Of course not. I didn't plan to move anything. I built a clinic that my patients were already waiting for, received a license, worked in pilot mode, and as soon as quarantine realities allowed, I immediately organized a grand opening ceremony! Everything planned worked out and came true.

Anna Ogurtsova

It is probably impossible to be prepared and correspond to absolutely all the realities of the year, month, day. But, of course, it is necessary to take into account the economic situation in the country, and therefore we turned to specialists for help! A well-drafted business plan helped to predict certain risks in general and avoid them. Answering your question, I can say with confidence that if we had not opened in 2020, then in 2021 - for sure!

Leila Annaeva

The question of postponing the opening was not asked. There are always difficult moments in life, but only those who are not afraid of difficulties and take a step forward achieve success. As they say: “In a crisis, new opportunities open up. In a crisis, the weak perish, and the strong become even stronger!”

Valeria Rabizo

Whether to postpone the opening was not a question. Moreover, we even had 2 openings. After a kind of “test” opening, when we confirmed that we fully comply with all sanitary and epidemiological standards, the second, official opening of the Leonov Clinic medical center took place on December 18

Anton Leonov

The opening should have taken place earlier, back in 2019. But the new building in which the clinic is located was completed only in 2020. I waited, the patients waited (I don’t even know who more) - there was no talk of any postponements!

Vladlena Averina

Why did you take the risk and what motivated you?

I have been working towards opening my own business for many years. Then at one moment I decided - and made my dreams come true. I have always been motivated by my competitors and my beloved patients. Besides, those who don’t take risks don’t drink champagne!

Anton Leonov

I love challenging tasks. Expanding two businesses in parallel during a lockdown is definitely a task with an asterisk, but I think we managed it. The main motivation is my dreams and goals that my team shares. We are not one of those who are stopped by difficulties. Yes, the year was difficult; due to the instability of the situation, the flow of patients decreased, but overall the industry did not suffer a major recession. High-quality medical and educational services are in demand at all times.

Anna Funikova

Since 1998, I have been obsessed with the idea of creating my own clinic and personal brand, and I opened my first clinic in 2014, when licensed aesthetic centers could be counted on one hand. But then I had to face many problems and, unfortunately, in 2018 I was forced to close the clinic. I believe that it is not always possible for an aesthetic medicine doctor alone to solve some problems, therefore, when planning the opening of a new aesthetic center, I considered it irrational to focus only on the provision of cosmetic services! Considering all the mistakes of the past, I took the risk of creating a joint project with fellow dentists. Our areas are closely intertwined and together (as we have seen in practice) we can provide a more expanded and high-quality range of services.

Leila Annaeva

As a perfectionist, I have long wanted to create comfortable conditions for myself, for my creative medical work. When you start to rest on your laurels, thinking “everything is fine with me,” it actually means that you are dying as a professional. Only when you set new goals do you grow. Why did I come to the decision to open a clinic? I wanted a new round in my development. Realizing that I can already do a lot, I also understood the need to expand my boundaries and have modern equipment in my arsenal to achieve better results. And, of course, there was a desire to feel the “best version of myself.”

Valeria Rabizo

To be honest, I didn’t take any risks at all! For me, this difficult period for everyone became and remained simple in my mind and intentions. Risk is the lot of people who doubt or are unsure of their goals. I didn’t doubt it for a single minute, I systematically walked towards my goal, there was a lot of work and I simply didn’t have time for doubts and fears.

Anna Ogurtsova

Back in 2002, I opened a beauty salon, which I operated for 12 years. I felt tired. At that time, she was still working in a large hospital, leading educational projects, and speaking a lot. The decision to sell was obvious. After 3 years of working in a private clinic, I again decided that I wanted my own business and... opened a clinic.

Vladlena Averina

What would you do differently now?

If I had the opportunity to make any adjustments to my actions, I would then open a clinic twice as large. As a matter of fact, in the very near future I plan to implement the plan to scale my business exactly 2 times.

Anna Ogurtsova

Otherwise, we would only speed up this process even more, but this is hardly possible. We have been on the market for a long time, and we perfectly understood all the preparatory stages, bureaucratic, organizational and many others, when absolutely nothing depended on us. For our part, we were preparing our new facilities almost around the clock, and perhaps the only thing we regret is that we did not change the concept and expand the business earlier.

Anna Funikova

At the moment I am completely satisfied with my work and would not change anything, but only continue to improve the level of my knowledge and skills.

Leila Annaeva

I probably would have prepared myself more mentally. I have always been a strong person, but, to be honest, I was not quite psychologically prepared for these temporary difficulties and responsibilities. It took me 3 months from the start of the project to the launch of the clinic with renovation from scratch. This is a very short period of time for such a project; the transformation happened too quickly! But I was able to withstand and endure all the difficulties.

Valeria Rabizo

Probably because it took me a long time to open my clinic, I had time to think through everything down to the smallest detail, and today I don’t regret a single decision. Therefore, I would not do anything differently. Moreover, I don’t have the feeling that I wasted a lot of time - everything happened exactly when it was needed, and exactly as it should.

Anton Leonov

If I had known that the construction of the house in which I bought the premises for the clinic would take so long (almost 2 years), I might have bought the premises elsewhere. Everything else is absolutely fixable, so to speak, the work process - staff training, promotion, and equipment purchase. I’m not starting from scratch - I have a large patient base, so it’s possible to be in “light mode”.

Vladlena Averina

Are there any difficulties with recruiting staff? What criteria are most important to you?

Personnel issue is the most difficult in any business, and the most difficult thing is “to find a Person among the people.” We remain a network of family-type clinics, as we communicate quite closely with the entire team, both at work and in our free time, so we cannot help but look in the same direction. For me, when choosing personnel, the key is the coincidence of values, goals and desire to develop. Honesty and dedication to the common cause, trust. Of course, sometimes life dictates its own rules, circumstances and emotional perceptions change. By honesty, I first of all mean honesty with oneself, in setting goals, in boundaries, in deadlines. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to break up, and this is also a manifestation of honesty: admit and say to your face that aspirations, desires have changed, and we are not suitable for each other.

Anna Funikova

There were, are, and, I think, will always be difficulties with personnel. Initially, you need to rely on yourself, since the “human factor” is not a constant. My main criterion is professionalism!

Leila Annaeva

Of course, having high expertise and authority, I unwittingly raise the bar for applicants for future vacancies of my team members. But I frankly admit that when choosing an employee, I consider the most important thing to be his psychological resources and motivation to grow and develop. It is impossible to know everything, technologies and their demand change every minute, if I need a specialist as a person, and not his crown, I will without any problems raise his skills to the desired level and help him hone his skills in being a beauty wizard. I need people not of process, but of results, and most often these are positive people passionate about teamwork. I select such people for the team.

Anna Ogurtsova

As it turns out, the human factor is the most difficult thing in life! This also applies to staff. The most important thing is to understand the leader's philosophy. Professional training is an unconditional condition. But it is team spirit, understanding the goals of the leader, his principles in work, discipline - this is what is difficult to learn! It's either there, or you're not with us. In a highly competitive environment, only first-class service can give you an edge. And this includes the work of the staff on every little detail. You can have an excellent product, modern equipment, but without the well-coordinated work of the staff, nothing will come of it. That's what we're working on

Valeria Rabizo

This issue concerns not only new clinics. The issue of personnel selection is the main one. You can invest in expensive equipment, promotion, etc., but if there is no one to work on it - there is no specialist or qualification, or the administrator is openly “stupid” and gives incorrect/uninformative/rude answers to patients - then even if you stand on your own, you will still be lose clients. It's no secret that any owner wants the incoming employee to have work experience and bring patients with him (I don't mean renting premises, I don't consider that at all). “For our own people, it’s easier to rent an office or even work at home,” these are the frank answers I heard during the interview. On the other hand, many people want to work with me, according to my protocols and with my patients. If this is a young beginner specialist, he needs to be taught everything. With both experienced and newbies, it is always a matter of trust. If I don’t trust, I don’t work!

Vladlena Averina

Maybe now I will surprise someone, but there were absolutely no difficulties with recruiting staff, because my students work with me. This is the best choice. And my criteria for selecting personnel are simple - competence, humanity and the desire to constantly develop. Specialists who propose their candidates to work in my clinic in injection and hardware cosmetology rooms must have a higher medical education, and estheticians must have a secondary medical education. This is a basic requirement that is not even discussed.

Anton Leonov

Full version of the article in the magazine Les Nouvelles Esthetiques Ukraine 1, 20 21