Keep What You Earn

It's  easy to assume slow growth means you need more leads.  In reality, many  practices already have the patients, technology, and team needed to increase revenue—they just  aren't  using those resources consistently.   In this episode, I connect with Andrea Watkins, VP of Practice Growth at Studio 3 Marketing, to discuss how stronger systems, better follow-up strategies, and a more intentional p...

When growth slows down, the default response for many  med spa  owners is to spend more on marketing. The problem is that marketing rarely fixes operational issues, weak conversion rates, or poor retention. In many cases, it simply amplifies them.   Today, I walk through the ten metrics, systems, and financial strategies every practice should understand before investing another dollar into adverti...

Many med spas spend heavily on attracting new patients while overlooking one of the biggest growth opportunities already inside the practice: the existing patient base. Sustainable esthetic practice growth  doesn't  come from  acquiring  more patients alone—it comes from creating an experience that keeps them coming back.   In this episode, I sit down with Abby Honaker, President of Partner Succes...

Patient financing has become increasingly popular in medical aesthetics, especially during economic slowdowns and seasonal dips in demand. The problem is that many practices treat financing as a solution to slow sales when it should be treated as a financial tool.   In this episode, I talk about where financing fits into a healthy  med spa  growth strategy, when it makes sense to offer financing o...

There are three big ways profit can distort reality: inaccurate revenue tracking, blended service margins, and poor cash flow visibility. Understanding these numbers helps you make better financial decisions as your practice grows.   In my conversation with Jared Rohrer on his podcast The Patient Magnet, we get into why a positive net profit on your financial reports  doesn't  always mean your bus...

Hip programs are often used to create predictable cash flow, but recurring revenue alone does not guarantee profitability.   Too often, practices focus on recurring revenue while overlooking the impact on margins,  utilization , redemption behavior, and patient lifetime value.   A strong membership program should increase profitability and patient value—not simply create discounts.   Where Most Me...

Compensation is one of the hardest operational systems to get right in a med spa. If the structure feels unclear or unfair, it quickly creates tension between providers, leadership, and the overall goals of the business. In this episode, I break down how to design compensation in a way that supports profitability, collaboration, and long-term practice growth—not just short-term production.   The g...

Most med spas focus heavily on the procedure itself, but patient experience is shaped just as much by what happens before and after treatment. In this episode, I sit down with Lars Hegelson, founder of Easy Aftercare, to discuss how poor aftercare communication creates operational strain, financial risk, and preventable patient issues—and why practices that modernize patient education are creating...

For a long time, I avoided narrowing my focus because it felt like the fastest way to limit my opportunities. I built my business by saying yes to a wide range of clients, thinking that was the best way to grow. But over time, it became clear that being too broad was  actually making  everything harder—my marketing, my referrals, and the consistency of my results.   When Your Business Is Too Broad...

If  you're  building a business without thinking about ownership structure, equity, and long-term strategy,  you're  taking on more risk than you realize. The way your company is set up from day one—your cap table, vesting terms, and legal structure—directly  impacts  your ability to raise capital, scale, and eventually exit.   In my conversation with Bob Gillespie, we break down the financial dec...

If  you're  saying yes to every patient request,  you're  not delivering better service— you're  creating inconsistency in your results, your operations, and your revenue. That "do whatever the patient asks" mindset might feel like good customer service, but it  actually limits  your ability to grow a profitable, scalable aesthetics practice.   Today, I break down the shift from transactional, a l...

If your med spa is still operating transaction by transaction,  you're  capping your revenue, your retention, and your enterprise value. Selling individual services might generate short-term cash—but it  doesn't  create predictable growth or strong patient relationships. In this episode, I break down how shifting to comprehensive treatment plans transforms your med spa revenue, increases patient l...

If your med spa is growing but you feel buried in dashboards, reports, and disconnected data, you  don't  have a data problem—you have a focus problem. Growth without clarity leads to slower decisions, missed opportunities, and lower profitability.   In this episode, Illume Founder & CEO Ben Wolber and I dig into how to move from tracking everything to tracking what  actually drives  med spa profi...

Chargebacks and refunds  aren't  just frustrating— they're  one of the clearest indicators of operational breakdown inside your medical practice. If  you're  issuing refunds quickly or letting disputes slide,  you're  not just losing revenue— you're  weakening your financial structure and exposing your med spa to risk.   In this episode, I break down why chargebacks happen, what they reveal about...

Opening a second location sounds like growth—but if the first location  isn't  fully optimized, expansion can quickly turn into double the stress without double the profit. I see this all the time with aesthetics practices that scale based on momentum instead of measurable readiness.   Before you sign another lease or start a buildout, you need to understand whether your current operation is truly...

A new device, a trending wellness service, a treatment every competitor suddenly seems to offer...In the aesthetics industry, the pressure to add the "next big thing" can be constant.   But every treatment you add comes with a tradeoff most practice owners overlook: the space it occupies. Before committing a room, build-out, and capital to a new modality, the real question  isn't  whether the trea...

If you run a 1–2 location med spa and want the option to scale or sell in the next few years, the way you build your business today  determines  whether buyers see opportunity—or risk. In this episode, I sit down with Audrey Neff, Chief Marketing Officer at Aviva Aesthetics, to unpack what  actually drives  enterprise value in an aesthetics practice.   We talk about how the industry is evolving be...

Recurring revenue sounds smart. Memberships, prepaid packages, and gift cards can create a surge in cash flow for med spas — but without proper financial tracking, they can distort your profit margins, inflate revenue perception , and create operational risk.   Listen here to learn how aesthetic practices can misinterpret cash injections as true growth — and what to track instead.   If you're oper...

If you own a 1–2 location med spa and want the option to scale or sell in the next 3–5 years, this episode breaks down what actually makes an aesthetics practice valuable — beyond surface-level revenue growth.   Strong revenue alone does not make your med spa sellable. Buyers care about predictability, repeatability, clean financials, and reduced owner dependency. In this episode, I'll explain wha...

In today's quick episode, I'm sharing that Keep What You Earn will be taking a short holiday break — and I have some exciting updates for 2026. We're adding more listener interaction, including live call-ins and personalized financial advice. As I look back on the past four years, I'm incredibly grateful for your support and remain committed to giving you practical, actionable strategies to grow y...

Today, I'm joined by Gina Cotner, founder and CEO of Athena Executive Services. Gina shares her journey from executive assistant to building one of the top virtual assistant firms in the country. We talk about how to create real accountability on your team, delegate effectively, and build a business that doesn't depend on you doing everything yourself. Gina gives practical, no-fluff advice on mana...

  In this episode, I'm breaking down the fears and myths around IRS audits. I compare getting audited to getting pulled over—it feels intimidating, but it's usually not as bad as you think. I'll walk you through what really happens during an audit, how to prepare, and why good bookkeeping is your best defense. I'm also setting the record straight on that rumor about the IRS hiring 80,000 new agent...

In this episode, I'm sharing practical, tactical advice to help you manage your year-end finances with confidence. It's easy to feel rushed this time of year, but slowing down and focusing on a few key tasks can make all the difference. I walk you through three essential steps: catching up on bookkeeping, finding and securing the right tax professional, and organizing your W-9s for 1099 filings. T...

In this episode, I sit down with Brooks Loughry, who brings over 20 years of experience in the aesthetic medical industry. We talk about how medical spas have evolved, what it takes to stand out in such a competitive market, and why discounting your services can actually hurt your business.   Brooks shares his approach to building sustainable, value-based business models through strong team traini...

Today, we're talking about the world of business deductions and breaking down what they really mean for entrepreneurs and business owners. I'll walk you through what counts as a deductible expense, how deductions work, and why it's so important to be able to defend your business decisions.   I'll also explain the difference between deductions and tax credits, what makes an expense truly deductible...