Brittany Perez and Katie Reber are the women behind Pensacola’s MELA Medical Spa and Method Aesthetics Academy.
After becoming a Florida SBDC at UWF client of consultant Joshua Hartigan, getting beyond-state coverage in The Concord Sentinel, and growing their business to what it is today, they continue to share their story and foster growth for their enterprise and community.
Founded in June 2023, the women share how the companies represent a fresh approach to aesthetics, focusing on well-being and professional development as cornerstones of their business philosophy.
A Conversation With Confidence-Boosting Business Visionaries
“Joshua at the SBDC helped guide Katie and I as we developed pay structures, business agreements, and employee contracts in the early phase of opening MELA Medical Spa,” Brittany emphasizes about her Florida SBDC at UWF experience. “His assistance was invaluable for entrepreneurs venturing into ownership for the first time.”
MELA Medical Spa emerged from combining Brittany and Katie’s backgrounds in plastic surgery and advanced clinical nursing. Their vision for MELA centers on creating an environment where staff flourish, believing that exceptional patient care follows when prioritizing team needs.
Complementing MELA, Method Aesthetics Academy was born to elevate industry standards. The academy offers hands-on training programs, addressing a gap in practical education within the field, they explain. Katie and Brittany describe how they’re dedicated to developing the next wave of aesthetics industry professionals.
Patient-Centric and Educational Excellence
At MELA, the focus is on long-term patient relationships. The team develops personalized 12-month care plans and provides ongoing skincare guidance, aiming to build lasting connections with clients. This approach fits with their mission to boost patient confidence through tailored, natural-looking results.
Method Aesthetics Academy boasts intimate class sizes, capping enrollment at 12 students per session. This allows for focused learning in a professional yet relaxed environment, the business owners share; it gives students a taste of the industry while honing their skills.
Pride in Workplace Culture and Entrepreneurship
Brittany highlights that their proudest achievement is the culture they’ve cultivated. Both MELA and Method prioritize personal growth, offering regular team-building activities and skill enhancement. This commitment to the enterprise environment gives team members passionate about aesthetics a way to thrive professionally and personally.
As Katie and Brittany illustrate, the most gratifying aspect of their venture is the ability to positively impact lives by creating opportunities and boosting confidence. They relish watching their ideas materialize and finding innovative solutions to challenges.
Being a growing business, their primary hurdle lies in adaptability, Brittany shares. The rapidly evolving nature of their entities demands constant flexibility and a readiness to embrace an opportunity when it arises.
Engaging With the Community
MELA and Method’s founders are determined to support female-focused organizations within the community, planning to align with their mission of empowering women. The entrepreneurs are exploring partnerships to identify deserving organizations.
Looking ahead, Brittany and Katie envision expanding to multiple locations across the United States within five years, always keeping their core values at the forefront. Their goal is to help women nationwide experience the confidence boost that MELA Medical Spa and Method Aesthetics Academy provides to practitioners and patients alike.
