Why the Decisions You Make Early in Business Shape Your Brand Forever ft. West Medical Aesthetics Founder, Emily Bartel
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Have you ever felt like you need to live in a big, thriving city to build a premium brand? Do you struggle with wanting to discount your services every time your business hits a slow season? Emily Bartel is the founder of West Medical Aesthetics, located in Oklahoma City, and a Sciton Luminary. She has over 13 years of experience in the aesthetics industry and has worked in several of Oklahoma City’s leading medical aesthetic practices, specializing in laser treatments, injectables, and medical-grade skincare.
In this episode, Victoria and Emily sit down at the mic to discuss what it actually takes to build a premium aesthetics brand, no matter where you’re located. They talk about how Emily built her business strategically, so that she was positioned as a luxury brand from the start.
If you’d love to build a more premium reputation for your business but don’t know how to get there, this episode will give you practical steps on how to move forward more intentionally. You’ll walk away with the foundations you need to build a premium brand with a strong reputation, regardless of where you’re located. Whether you’re in the carpool pickup line or running off to your next meeting, you don’t want to miss this honest and actionable conversation.
Introduction to Emily Bartel of West Medical Aesthetics
Emily Bartel is the owner of West Medical Aesthetics in Oklahoma City. She has 13+ years of experience in the aesthetics industry and has worked in several of Oklahoma City’s leading practices, specializing in laser treatments, injectables, medical-grade skincare, and a multimodality approach to achieving natural results.
She’s also a Sciton Luminary, a recognition from one of the leading laser companies in aesthetics, and trains providers across the country on Sciton devices.
Her Journey to Aesthetics
Emily always knew she wanted to lead and mentor others. She pictured leadership as the end goal, but she knew you had to build experience and learn from great mentors in order to get there.
She started as an esthetician because she always loved makeup. She thought she may pursue bridal makeup, but she realized she was more passionate about creating healthy skin than simply covering it up with makeup. That realization led to Emily going to nursing school.
Nursing actually doesn’t teach much about aesthetics. Emily learned everything from emergency medicine to labor and delivery in school, and her experiences were very valuable for her career today. She learned perseverance and the importance of putting patient care first.
After graduating, Emily worked in the emergency room before returning to aesthetics. She loved the fast pace and that she dealt with a new challenge every day. After about a year, she felt pulled back toward aesthetics.
The aesthetics industry is constantly changing. It evolves very fast with new research, techniques, and improved devices. That’s why continuing education is so crucial for providers. Emily wanted to surround herself with great people, trusted companies, and evidence-based treatments, and those desires helped shape the vision for West Medical Aesthetics.
What the ER Taught Emily about Running a Business
Working in the emergency room gave Emily skills to help her run a successful business. She learned how to stay calm under pressure. When challenges arise, she researches, asks mentors, evaluates clinical evidence, and doesn’t panic.
Emily believes that every experience throughout your career gives you something valuable to take into your next chapter.
Building a Premium Brand
After working for several well-known practices, Emily decided to go out on her own and start West Medical Aesthetics. She’s built a premium brand, and here are some factors that play into how she was able to make that happen.
Branding as Infrastructure
Emily hired Brandwell for branding before even having a physical location. She knew she needed experts to bring her vision to life, and that branding was going to be the foundation for her business.
Elevated Yet Approachable Feel
Emily knew she wanted West Medical Aesthetics to feel elevated, without feeling intimidating. Most of her patients are women, but she also wanted men to feel comfortable coming into the office. She wanted the brand to feel warm, approachable, and welcoming, while still communicating expertise and premium care. That feeling had to consistently carry through to every touchpoint, from the website to the physical office.
Professional Website
When West Medical Aesthetics first opened, there were no patient testimonials, reviews, or before-and-after photos. But having a professional website helped communicate what they couldn’t yet prove with those things.
Their new website showcased their experience, philosophy, and ensured people that West Medical Aesthetics was a new business—but the providers weren’t new to the industry. Having a professional website shaped the customer experience before someone ever visited their building.
Exceptional Client Experience
Emily was determined to put patient experience first. She felt confident in her providers, lasers, injectables, and evidence-based treatments. But she really wanted people to remember how they felt during their visit.
She wanted every patient to leave feeling informed, confident, and genuinely cared for. She invests in their relationship with patients, even if it means appointments could take an extra 15 minutes.
Navigating Promotions
Sometimes it’s difficult to navigate premium positioning if everyone around you is constantly running promotions. Emily prioritizes what her patients actually need instead of reacting to what everyone else is doing. All of her promotions are strategic and tied to patient goals. They build loyalty by investing in their people, not by constantly lowering prices to fill the schedule.
Trusting the Process
As a new business owner, naturally you have moments where panic creeps in and you wonder if you should change your strategy. That’s why Emily surrounds herself with people who remind her to be patient, stay true to her brand, and trust the process.
Every business has ebbs and flows. The important part is learning not to abandon your strategy every time business slows down. Sometimes you just need people around you who will help pull you back to your long-term vision.
Why West Medical Aesthetics Invested in Sciton
Emily made the very intentional choice to invest in Sciton technology, a triple-wavelength resurfacing laser. While the training opportunities, technology, and clinical research are all incredible, she ultimately fell in love with the company due to its people and customer service.
Emily paid attention to how Sciton treats their employees, customers, and how they invest in education. Her representative has become a trusted advisor and friend, and the culture at Sciton was exactly the kind of culture Emily strives to build at West Medical Aesthetics.
The 5 Year Goal
In 5 years, Emily hopes people say they felt cared for by her practice. She wants everyone who interacts with West Medical Aesthetics to leave feeling better than when they arrived. She wants her team to genuinely love their work, and she wants every patient to know they were seen, valued, and cared for—not just treated.
Key Quotes
“Your brand and your website are kind of like a living being, and you have to have someone create that and you have to constantly take care of it.”
Emily Bartel
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