The Pretty You founder shares secrets of success

Jessa Macaraig isn’t a business or economics major.  Neither did she inherit a fortune. But  The Pretty You, the aesthetic clinic she built from the ground up, has gone corporate in only three years. It opened its flagship clinic, The Pretty You Prime, with three spacious treatment rooms, a café, pantry, and stockroom, at Norkis Building, Mandaluyong, and recently has franchises nationwide.

What’s her secret? A big part lies in making a suitable investment.  The couple already had big plans as early as three years ago when she and her husband, Marvin, founded the business.

 

 

“We invested in a supply chain for our consumables,” reveals Jessa.  As the business grew and franchisees started coming one by one, the Macaraigs ensured all consumables came from one source – theirs.

By taking care of staff training and development themselves, the couple not only made sure they shared the correct values and vision with those who matter.  They also controlled logistics that are part of training — venue, speakers, handouts, power point equipment, etc.   Since training is an ongoing process repeated many times over for the staff and franchisees, the Macaraigs saved a lot of money, time, and effort by centralizing operations and taking care of everything.

Taking care of everything, however, doesn’t apply to human resource issues.  When office intrigues crop up as they often do, Jessa sets her boundaries.  She lets the HR (human resource) department fix the problem.  It’s for her peace of mind.

“I used to handle this myself.  It was stressful.  That’s why I decided to let others handle it.”

Jessa learned her lesson the hard way.  She discovered that immersing herself in staff problems makes some employees get too chummy with her, they forget who’s the boss of the company. It’s harder to impose discipline and order.  Most of all, it takes Jessa’s focus away from what matters most:  developing and making the business grow.

Making the business grow takes laser-like focus in getting the right investors, especially now that The Pretty You has gone corporate. These investors inject fresh funds that enhance the company and make it ready to cope with any challenge that will come along the way.  So Jessa chooses those who understand that investing in business doesn’t mean instant results.

“We have a contract that specifies when they can pull out their investment. They can’t pull out say, in case of a family emergency. It’s a long-term investment,” explains Jessa.

She has been in the beauty business for the long haul. She knows its ins and outs. So her plans revolve around her niche market.  She develops skin care products like beauty soaps and xx.   She won’t venture into unrelated fields like apparel.  That’s not her line.  It will distract her from her purpose as an entrepreneur.

Lately, Jessa and Marvin branched out in the construction business with The Pretty You clinics as a pilot project.

“We used to subcontract people.  Now, we do it ourselves,” reveals Jessa.  This means hiring their people – like a construction team and interior designers – for the work.

This time, Marvin is on top of things.

Even if the millennial couple has many years ahead of them as entrepreneurs, they learn from others’ mistakes. One of them is the need for a  succession plan.  They have seen long-standing businesses fail because their founders were unable to train their successors.

This early, Jessa is training her daughter, Jean Margarette Macaraig, to take over the business by telling her The Pretty You is her future work. The business, she adds, is for her family.  So she ensures her child’s mind is oriented toward it like her parents.

“I tell my child there’s no room for complacency in the business.  Learning is a lifelong process. I stay up to date with trends in the beauty business,” states Jessa.

That’s the voice of experience and wisdom talking loud and clear.