Hello Shelby here, I’m the owner of CST Canberra. I wanted to re-introduce myself for some of you who may not know me well and introduce myself for those of you who are new to the clinic. Happy Birthday CST Canberra! What a ride opening a business has been, let me take you down memory lane.
On 5 August 2019 I opened my own skin and injectables clinic. If someone had told me what was about to happen, I may have never taken the risk and dived headfirst into this adventure. I was extremely naïve and had no idea what I was doing, thought I was super woman. How hard could running a business be? Still to this day I face challenges in being a business owner. The biggest lesson that I have learnt is to ask questions, experienced business owners have been very welcoming and have shared their valuable knowledge with me.
When I first went into business I was still working in hospital as Registered Nurse. I had spent over three years working at a local clinic which encountered a drastic change, I no longer felt it was the place for me.
I opened a one room in Barton, (if you’re reading this and you use to see me in the Barton and still see me today, please accept this massive virtual hug because without you, I wouldn’t be here celebrating four years in business).
The evolution of my business happened very quickly, word of mouth brought more and more beautiful people into my clinic. It wasn’t long before I was working full time in my tiny room and looking to expand.
The summer of 2019 was a terribly sad time. We were wearing masks, not for Covid but for the bush fires. I was treating skin that was irritated and damaged by the smoke. I researched ‘how to treat ‘smoke’ skin’. That was my first challenge in my first year of business.
March 1 2020, I put my big girl pants on and signed a lease at Kingston Foreshore big step up. A clinic with two rooms, a waiting area, and a store room, wow! This wasn’t a side hustle it was a full-time commitment.
March 19 2020 came the news that no one could have predicted, Covid. Lock down #1, 10 weeks closed. We were fitting out our new clinic on the Foreshore which came to a standstill. I remember cancelling 75 patients in one day and falling in a heap. The tears rolled and rolled; my business was to close before we had even got going.
What I didn’t count on was the generosity and kindness of my patients, they bought skincare, they bought gift cards and when we had a reopening date they came in droves.
Then there was another lockdown 12 months later. This time it was easier, I had a team. A group of fantastic women who kept my head up and my focus on the reopening. We had survived one lockdown and I believed we could survive another. Again, the Canberra community embraced small business. Zoom skin consultations and many online orders meant we were able to scrape by. As a team we attempted to keep our spirits high, we had team meetings via zoom and would set the challenge of wearing the funniest, silliest hats and boy oh boy did the girls get on board.
In this period of the business, I got married, went on a beautiful honeymoon and fell pregnant with my now 18-month-old little man. The delivery of my baby didn’t go to plan, I suffered a cardiac arrest and ended up with significant physical injuries from CPR. The clinic team, led by Katie did an exceptional job at keeping the clinic going while respecting and protecting me and my family’s privacy during this extremely challenging time.
The 12 months after having Ollie has by far been my biggest life challenge, and the business’s. The clinic we are currently in became available and it couldn’t have been at a worse time however, it was the best possible space for me to continue to grow my business so I took the leap.
Winter 22’ saw mass cancellations due to illness and record high numbers of Covid, we struggled with staff illness and we had just taken on the huge clinic. I was so far from myself and was attempting to do it all, being a new mum and running a business through tough times. When I reflect on my time in business this is where I think a lot of people would have thrown in the towel and given up, it definitely crossed my mind.
Pre-Christmas time is always extremely busy, but I was burnt out and hadn’t processed any of my birth trauma, I fell in a heap and again my beautiful team picked me up. I remember calling Katie and telling her I think I need time off and I don’t think I can come back, I don’t recall exactly what she said but, it was extremely supportive. She promised again to look after it as if it were her own and she did it beautifully. I took 3 months off work and got myself well.
Since returning to work early this year I have never been so in love with what I do. The new clinic is well and truly ours now and the atmosphere within the clinic is always high. We laugh so much, like that type of laughing when your cheeks hurt, and you can feel your tummy muscles working.
In my four years of business, I have learnt a lot and I feel I that I still have a lot to learn. The thing I am most proud about it is the adversity we have had to overcome and the team I have with me. Thes ladies are exceptional Nurses and women, each of them has a story and it has been a joy getting to know them. By far the best thing about running a business is meeting so many incredible people and getting to know them, my staff, clinical trainers, my accounting team, marketing people, representatives from equipment and stock companies, and of course our beautiful clients. Without all of you, four years would be no years I’m extremely grateful to everyone that has been involved and bring on the next four in my amazing business.
P.S. never moving again, we have found our forever clinic.
Shelb x
