We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melinda Anna Farina a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Melinda Anna , thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
Starting this company was the biggest risk I have ever taken. I remember reading a quote in a book called The Intelligent Entrepreneur that said “88% of small business fail before the 4 year mark”. I was determined not to fail. My first goal was “I need to make it past that 4 year mark”. Starting a consultancy in the plastic surgery industry was not common. However, with the rise of social media platforms I saw the industry heading down a new path and I felt there was a need for patient advocacy. As expected I was met with much resistance and ridicule from surgeons who felt there was no need for a company like this. Given my foundation working with some of the worlds best surgeons I learned and observed daily and realized that patients needed advocates. As patients began flocking to social media trends and procedures we started receiving many inquiries to help sift through the overwhelming information on the internet. Many patients were also coming in with less than desirable results and needing help to find revision specialists. When you firmly believe there is a need for a service, it’s important to see that vision through. It’s risky but in this case the benefits of showing others that you can be of true aid to help them look and feel better about themselves, outweighed the risk failing as a small business. Businesses thrive when the intentions come from the heart.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
After three decades of working in this industry I can confidently say that I now run a very well-rounded global Plastic Surgery consultancy and patient safety advocacy. I have worked in every aspect of a dental, plastic surgery and dermatology office. I have a deep understanding of all of the procedures, applications, limitations and technical nuances. I was lucky enough to take on five mentors who are key opinion leaders in our industry and who were patient enough to guide me as a true student of aesthetic medicine. They also believed in my vision and wanted to see me thrive as a consultant. I firmly believe what sets me apart from others is that my counsel is unbiased and it comes from a place that cares deeply for the client. I work only for the client, not the surgeon. That came with many business model tweaks and testing the waters numerous times with ways to make this company function effectively. What I appreciate most about this industry is tasteful surgery executed in a safe and efficient manner. I do believe that clients pick up on this when following my daily posts and listening to my interviews. I take pride in setting up exceptional plans for my clients and leading them down the right path, in order to achieve their aesthetic goals.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Sadly I have had to unlearn that not every great surgeon is great forever. In fact, most have careers that look like roller coaster rides, hitting extreme highs and extreme lows. I get to witness firsthand that burnout is a very real issue in the medical industry and you have to catch it as soon as it is happening. Greed goes along with that. I would like to believe that surgeons stand by their oath to “do no harm”. However, that just isn’t the case. The longer you are of service to others and work in one specific industry the more you become skeptical of everything around you. I take my responsibility as a patient advocate very seriously and I try to keep my eye on everything.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
Anyone who writes to me asking how I got started and how I have kept this company successful needs to know one thing: you need to lead with pure intentions. Don’t get into becoming a patient advocate for the money, get into it because you really want to help others. I was taught from a very early age that “honesty is the best policy”. Finding skilled and honest practitioners is always my goal. The rest just falls into place.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thebeautybrokers.com
- Instagram: @beautybrokerofficial
- Twitter: @beautybroker
Image Credits
@dailydoselife