Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Higgins and Nicole Freeman.
Hi Christine and Nicole, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
We met in our Nurse Practitioner graduate program and on our long drives to and from Tampa (Go Bulls!), in between studying, we would share our dreams. We both learned that we not only had a passion for helping people get better but also to feel better about themselves. As nurses, we both felt burnt out at the beside and wanted to do something long-term that made us happy and where we made the rules. After we graduated and spent some time “getting our feet wet,” as Nurse Practitioners we decided it was finally time to brainstorm what our business would be. Working full-time jobs, we would use what little time we had off in the evenings or weekends to plan. As most business owners know, starting a business from scratch is difficult. We had many doors closed and were let down numerous times, but if starting your own business teaches you anything, it’s that Google is your best friend and “no’s” are just a jumping off point to start negotiations.
We first envisioned ourselves as an IV hydration business, but COVID had other plans for us. We pivoted business concepts several times until we landed on aesthetics. We wanted to start with something a little different so we began to research Platelet Rich Plasma services. Platelet Rich Plasma otherwise known as PRP is an all-natural aesthetic service in which we take a little bit of blood and spin it down using a centrifuge. We can then inject the PRP alone or use it along with a micro-needling pen. The PRP attracts stem cells to the area of interest and depending on the service can be used for hair regeneration in both men and women, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, improve the look of melasma and skin discoloration, brighten and tighten skin, and significantly improve acne scarring. There is little to no downtime and our clients love that it is an all-natural aesthetic option! Often people have heard of one of these services being called a vampire facial.
We are excited to add on additional services like neurotoxins starting next month so check back in with us for that!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being co-owners lends a unique challenge of having to consider each other’s opinion before making major decisions. We learned very quickly that communication is truly key. Two “easy-going” co-owners is great for avoiding conflict but can contribute to frustration when things don’t come out as expected because one person or the other didn’t speak up. We have learned when it is ok to be easygoing and when we should be more decisive and straightforward with each other. Frequent personal “check in’s” and reassessing each others visions of where the business is going helps to prevent major challenges.
Another challenge we have had is lack of time since we are both still working at our full-time jobs. It is scary to go “all in” in a small business but we are learning that’s the only way. We both recently made adjustments to our everyday jobs so that we could contribute a lot more time to Exclusive Med to help it grow the way we envision!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Nicole Freeman, APRN, FNP-C Christine Higgins, APRN, FNP-C
We are both board-certified Family Nurse Practitioners. Together we have about 17 years of experience in the medical field. Nicole has background experience in adult cardiology and Christine has background experience in pediatric neurology. We both have taken certification courses in aesthetics and have been practicing aesthetics for a little over a year.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
The last year has taught us the importance of patience and persistence. When so many things suddenly become beyond your control, you learn to just go with the flow and move forward. Now, more than ever, people are looking for things to make themselves feel good so we were happy to provide a service that could achieve this. Our PRP facial with microneedling is great for beautiful glowing skin and the PRP injections for hair are a great nonsurgical option for hair regeneration. We are always so happy to hear how excited our clients are with their results and how good they feel. At the end of the day, happy clients with excellent results is what we strive for.
Pricing:
- Microneedling w/ PRP – $450-$600
- PRP injections – $500-600
- Botox – $12/unit
Contact Info:
- Email: info@exclusivemedaesthetics.com
- Website: www.exclusivemedaesthetics.com
- Instagram: @exclusivemedaesthetics
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/exclusivemedaesthetics/
Image Credits:
J. Lebron Photography
