The brand’s Laser Clinics Canada’s Head of sales and operations explains how it maintains operational excellence and safety standards while growing at pace.
With eight clinics across Ontario and plans for national expansion, the company is ambitious about helping more Canadians feel confident in (and about) their own skin.
At the helm of driving strong clinic performance is Jennifer Cheong, head of sales and operations, who leads national strategy and clinic operations with over 15 years of experience in retail, fitness, and medical aesthetics.
She explains how the company balances franchise growth with operational excellence and safety standards which are absolute essentials in the competitive medical spa sector.
Milestones in Canadian market
“Laser Clinics Canada (LCC) is part of Laser Clinics Group (LCG), the global market leader in medical aesthetics,” explains Cheong.
“The franchisor has proven its scalability and long-term success since 2008. Laser Clinics originated in Australia and soon after expanded into New Zealand, the UK and now Canada, opening three corporate locations in Ontario within its first year of market entry (in 2022) to build momentum and awareness for the brand.”
One year later, Laser Clinics Canada welcomed its first franchisee at Square One Shopping Centre in the Fall of 2023. Its execution towards expansion plans focuses on positioning itself in high quality retail environments.
“Today, LCC has eight locations open in Ontario and the business continues to grow by truly focusing on what matters most – its franchisees, employees, and clients,” adds Cheong.
More Canadians are learning about the brand because of the multiple feature stories covered by media outlets, highlighting major milestones like grand openings in Union Station and Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre.
Coverage has included over a dozen stories, with notable mentions in Yahoo, Financial Post, Canada Business Franchise, Global Franchise, Retail Insider, City Life and Toronto Star.
What sets Laser Clinics Canada apart
In a competitive market, Cheong points to three pillars that differentiate Laser Clinics Canada for clients and prospective franchisees: site selection, price, and safety.
“Laser Clinics Canada positions itself in premium retail destinations known for their year over year sales growth metrics, high footfall, and competitive rental rates, giving the brand day-one visibility and enhanced marketing opportunities.”
Pricing structure is another aspect that the brand works hard to keep competitive.
“Historically, laser hair removal, skin treatments and cosmetic injectables have been carried out by dermatologists, making them inaccessible for many – this is where Laser Clinics Canada comes in. LCC offers accessible treatments that are transparently and competitively price, a fact that is a point of pride for the brand.”
Safety is a main pillar of focus for the business. Laser Clinics Canada’s top priority has always been safety,” she says. “The business globally performs 4.2 million treatments annually. In every market, quality care for our clients starts right when they enter our doors for a free 15-minute consultation to understand and assess every client’s goal and needs.”
Expert oversight is required to ensure every treatment and procedure meets the required standards.
“Laser Clinics Group has a Medical Advisory Committee (MAC), which is comprised of leading doctors and dermatologists that created and actively oversee safety standards and protocols for all our treatments in each of our markets worldwide.
“Our certified Registered Nurses and Nurse Practitioner injectors have been injecting for at least two years and have undergone thorough LCC training, safety, and signoff. When it comes to laser hair removal and skin treatments, our certified Medical Aestheticians must have a relevant medical aesthetics diploma and complete LCC’s comprehensive on-boarding prior to assisting a client.”
Strategic partnerships
The brand has a number of exclusive and strategic partnerships which also play a role in its plans for growth, by boosting its client proposition and brand profile.
Cheong explains: “Laser Clinics Canada has an exclusive partnership with Candela – an industry leader when it comes to medical grade laser hair removal technology, as well as relationships with Galderma and Allergan for our cosmetic injectables category.”
Staying ahead of the curve by using its global relationships with leading suppliers is key to staying competitive in the market.
The recent partnership with Dermalogica allows Laser Clinics Canada access to their cutting-edge technology and formulas. The Melanopro Peel System is the first of those offerings, designed to treat all different skin types.”
In addition to that, Laser Clinics Canada has its own skincare range, Skinstitut, which is a trademarked Australian cosmeceutical brand found in all its clinics worldwide and used in its treatment rooms.
Clients can purchase the products right in the clinics to take home and maintain an enriched skincare routine.
Inclusivity is a vital part of their service offerings too, catering to a variety of skin types with treatments such as laser hair removal (supports skin types 1 – 6), LED Light Therapy, Microdermabrasion, HydraFacial, cosmetic injectables and many more.
Hiring standards
When it comes to the hiring process, LCC only hires certified Medical Aestheticians with a relevant diploma from a reputable school in Canada. Registered Nurses and Nurse Practitioners who lead the inject category also receive LCC safety training in their on-boarding to ensure they are aligned with protocols and processes.
Hands-on coaching for franchisees is also important, says Cheong: “Franchisees can expect hands-on coaching and training for themselves and their team of Medical Aestheticians by providing the best service for their clients. Ultimately, these business owners should feel they have everything they need to lead their clinics successfully.”
“It’s incredibly rewarding to hear from franchise prospects and clients who say things like, ‘You’re here! I used to get treatments from Laser Clinics when I lived in the UK!’ or ‘I’m Australian, and it’s so exciting to see Laser Clinics arrive in Canada!’ These organic testimonials reinforce our confidence that people genuinely value our business, both as clients and prospective franchise owners.”
Operational support for franchisees
Operational excellence is at the core of the franchise support model, Cheong says: “Entrepreneurs choose to franchise with brands because they trust in an established system with proven operational standards and experience.
“Laser Clinics Canada’s extensive on-boarding and training is set up to ensure our franchisee feels confident and educated on how to run a successful business. We provide the knowledge and share best practices on how to successfully run the clinics, and the franchisee has ample opportunity to inject their own flair and personality.”
Ongoing strategic support is offered, with consistent touchpoints with the franchisee that is aligned to their business plan.
“We provide expertise to support operational excellence including, but not limited to, best practices around room utilization, booking management and compliance.”
Support also comes in the form of coaching the franchisee around client experience, KPI improvement, and EBITDA growth.
What makes a strong LCC franchisee?
Jennifer is clear on the non-negotiables when it comes to choosing who to take on as franchisees. Among them passion, leadership, and business acumen.
“Many clients come with vulnerable skin and/or hair issues and seek help from our medical aestheticians and nurse injectors to resolve these areas of concern. Having a passion for the industry makes the work more rewarding because there is a deeper level of belief and care to help people feel more confident in their skin.”
“Leadership skills create a strong foundation to running a successful team. LCC seeks prospective franchisees that have a history of leading teams and know how to keep their employees engaged, excited, and focused on not only helping clients, but also growing professionally. On-going coaching, accountability to clinic standards and celebrating small and big moments really help shape a winning culture.”
And of course, having some business skills would certainly help in being able to make a success of it.
“Working alongside an accountant, our franchisees have the discipline to review their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), their Profit and Loss statements and business plan on a regular basis to implement new tactics and strategies to drive growth.”
Learning curve and new franchisee onboarding support
The exciting news about being a franchisee with Laser Clinics Canada is that you do not need to have a medical aesthetics background to be part of the business. Like anything that is new, there is a learning curve that exists, and over time franchisees can develop the confidence to run their own clinic.
“It’s important to remain patient, engaged, present, and coachable, especially throughout the first year. You’re going to learn so much (how fun!) – from understanding how our technology is used, to our daily procedures and protocols Laser Clinics Canada believes in its on-boarding structure and operational excellence standards.”
This is as good place as any to start, of course, but prospective franchisees should do their research before they commit to joining LCC, advises Cheong.
“Business acumen is an invaluable skill. Take the time to do your due diligence in understanding the dynamics of the franchisor and franchisee relationship, including what the operational requirements are for a clinic and how it needs to function to build over time. Work with an accountant, ask informed questions and explore different scenarios that you could be faced with as a business owner.”
So, if you are interested to join a growing industry within the field of medical aesthetics, Laser Clinics Canada is the place for you to start your franchise journey!
