As the first clinic of its kind in the Orange region, resilient Kylie Duncan put everything on the line to open CosMedic Collective, which is the home to many businesses with services that complement the medical cosmetic core.
Tell us about CosMedic Collective.
CosMedic Collective is a medical cosmetic clinic owned and run by me, Kylie Duncan - a local registered nurse, wife and mum of two. Originally from Sydney, where medical cosmetic clinics are abundant, I noticed a lack of medical cosmetic clinics when I moved to Orange 5 years ago. I am so proud of my flagship clinic on Byng St, which has been open for 18 months and now boasts over 130 services. It is a true collective, with many lady bosses running their own businesses under the same roof with services that complement the medical cosmetic core. Ann from Urban Body offers body contouring with High-Intensity Focussed Ultrasound. Talented dermal therapist Alisa offers indulgent spa packages to die for. Practice Manager Hayley is also a qualified makeup artist and offers lessons and special occasion makeup packages. Together, the CosMedic Collective helps people to look and feel their best.
What inspired you to open CosMedic Collective in Orange?
While cosmetic injectables could be found in various places around town five years ago, they were often located in the back of beauty salons and hairdressers or tacked on as an adjunct to businesses such as dermatologists. I believe that medical-grade skincare and cosmetic procedures are a very specific area of health and should be treated with experience in a purpose-built environment. I had a Masters's of Health Service Management and 12 years of experience in the cosmetic industry by this point. With that, I set about opening a clinic focussed on scientifically based, medical-grade care where patients could be treated safely with expertise and tailored care.
What makes CosMedic Collective unique?
It is run by a nurse and employs only nurses and diploma-qualified clinicians who are all female and run their own business within the business. This creates an incredibly supportive and empowering environment to be in every day. We have between us over 130 treatments that we can tailor to treat skin of all ages and all backgrounds. We are able to treat the whole face, from makeup to the skin underneath to the deeper underlying structures all the way down to the muscle. We provide a truly unique and holistic approach to each patient who walks through our ‘duck-egg’ blue door.
What’s the most common misconception you face in your industry?
There is a lot of stigma around the medical cosmetic industry and the ‘type’ of person who has medical cosmetic procedures. This has created a secretive aspect to my industry where people don’t feel comfortable openly admitting to ‘having things done’ for fear of being labelled as vain or high maintenance. As it is a medical procedure, I treat each patient with the utmost confidentiality, but nothing makes my heart sing more than when a patient openly says, ‘This is what I’ve had done, and it makes me feel good’. Medical cosmetic procedures are just a part of the self-care toolkit. They are not essential, but if they help you to feel confident, then I don’t see the issue or the need for judgement.
What’s the best piece of business advice you have ever received?
‘Great leaders lead from the back. They support & motivate but ultimately let their team grow and achieve.’
Do you have a woman leader as a mentor, or are there specific women who inspire you and why?
I have a host of women that inspire me daily. But in terms of industry mentors, I have been very lucky to surround myself with strong women at the peak of their own fields.
Kelly George of Kelly George Aesthetics in Tamworth has been a mentor for a few years now. Her clinic was the first successful clinic of our type of business in a regional area, and she has been so generous and transparent with all the things she has learned in our industry and the particular nuances that come from operating in a regional area. I have a group of amazing cosmetic injector nurses who have mentored me clinically over the years and have taken me under their wing. These women are pioneers of the cosmetic industry and taught most of the early cosmetic doctors how to inject. Sophie Durham of Digital Wonder has mentored me in the ways of marketing, web design and online experience. She is also a life coach who personally coached me and helped me define my core values. Bianca Morrison (Business and Executive Coach) meets with me fortnightly. She makes me do the business equivalent of eating my greens, like cash flow and checking my numbers and forecasts. She also plays the devil’s advocate with every new move or idea to make sure I’m not going to fall flat on my face and have thought out all possible angles.
What is on for CosMedic Collective in 2023?
You can expect the same high level of service, but some new faces, new technologies, new products and new services are all on the cards. We never sit still at CosMedic Collective!
Location: Orange, NSW
Website: cosmediccollective.com.au
Instagram: cosmediccollective
Facebook: Cosmedic Collective