Exploring Life & Business with Colleen Berry of The Botox Bar

Today we’d like to introduce you to Colleen Berry.

Hi Colleen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have been working for plastic surgeons for the past 15 years after becoming a nurse practitioner. When the pandemic hit in 2020, I was let go from my position, as any sort of elective procedures were deemed unnecessary (obviously including aesthetic injectables!).

When the ban was lifted, unfortunately, the plastic surgeon I was working for couldn’t recover financially enough to bring back most of her staff (myself included!) Over the following months, I interviewed several other plastic surgeons, and they all wanted so many hours from me. They expected a minimum of 50 hours a week, including late nights, weekends, and on-call time.

At the time, my son was only 5 years old, and at the beginning of the pandemic, there were thoughts of kindergarten being taught online. Day cares were closed and elementary schools were online. Instead of jumping into a job that I knew would be unsustainable (between the hours involved and my 5-year-old at home!).

I started thinking about ways to monetize my skills and work for myself. I had a handful of loyal patients who began looking for me as soon as they were able. They wanted to know where I went, how they could find me, and when I would be available to inject their Botox.

Over a few months of soul-searching, I put together a business plan. I set up my practice to be different than all the other med spas out there. I decided to stick with what I knew (and what I was good at!) and The Botox Bar was born. I opened on July 7th, 2020, and haven’t looked back. My handful of loyal patients now numbers well over 1000 and I couldn’t be more grateful!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has been surprisingly smooth! I think with the internet and the advent of YouTube, I was really able to educate myself on how to run a small business. I was able to hire a bookkeeper to help with some of the more tedious financial tasks, and that has been invaluable.

I started small and slowly built a word-of-mouth clientele. I do not advertise, and I don’t put too much stock on social media. I was confident in my skills as an injector, and I think having that confidence in place allowed me to be more vulnerable in the areas of business that I had to learn from scratch.

I asked a lot of questions of everyone I knew. I’m lucky to have family and friends with various business backgrounds who helped me not make obvious (to them!) mistakes. I’m still learning every day!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The Botox Bar was started in order to give people a safe and fun place to have their cosmetic injectables done. I have always felt that SOMETIMES people just want to get in, get out, and move on with their day. Botox does not have to be an hours-long process. It does not need to be scary or intimidating.

I’m not trying to upsell anyone, I don’t offer more services that may or may not work. I spend time with each patient, teaching them about their different options. I WANT my patients to be well-educated on what they’re having injected! I offer years of experience and artistry to customize a beautiful, individual outcome for each patient.

The Botox Bar brand stands for experience, education, and individualized service. I know all my patients by name. Everyone has my cell phone number. I am happy to refer people to trusted colleagues in their various specialties. Overall, I’m a trusted source of information, security, and SANITY in the increasingly chaotic medical aesthetics industry!

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking.
I’m not a huge risk taker and for me (and my particular business model), that has worked! I’ve stuck with what I’m good at and have become an absolute expert at it. I have not been sidetracked by trying to be bigger and better, but instead have focused on being the very best.

I’m also at a point in my life where I’m much more risk-averse (than I would have been in my 20s!). I love other people taking big risks (and reaping big rewards!), but that just isn’t for me at this stage in my life! For me, slow, steady, and intentional, is winning the race

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thebotoxbarcolorado.com