As the trends are changing, taking different names and places, one of the most important and constant things that always remains is health. Health is not only the most invaluable treasure that one can ever get but also one of the main reasons why one tries to work and supplement or enhance their living standards. One is striving hard each day to not only become successful but also become their best self, as all of everything holds no value if one is not in their best shape with their best foot and best smile forward.
There are a lot of clinics that not only provide unmatched aesthetic services but there are a lot who not only are very expensive but do not adhere to the promises of the highest service standards. This calls for famous, popular, and celebrated names in the world, who provide best-in-class and stunning yet natural-looking results.
Vie Aesthetics is one of the most sought-after clinics when looking for aesthetic treatments. The clinic was founded by the highly celebrated and famous name in the industry – Vicky Grammatikopoulou, Founder and CEO of Vie Aesthetics. She is not only a renowned celebrity in the aesthetic treatment domain but it’s her company that comprises of highly skilled and expert personnel who are dedicated to providing their clients with their best image, and results that are not the only natural, safe, yet elegant but also long-lasting and easy to maintain.
Under the effervescent leadership of Vicky Grammatikopoulou, Vie aesthetics is not only a leading name in the market but also one of the most trusted brands in the aesthetic treatment industry and the hearts of its loyal and highly satisfied customers. Vicky’s sincerity, affection for the clients, and unmatched leadership not only make Vie Aesthetic and its services the best-in-class but also a mile ahead of the competition in the market.
In conversation with the Founder and CEO of Vie Aesthetics, Vicky Grammatikopoulou. Let’s hear more about Vie Aesthetics, its service, and the CEO’s professional journey.
Tell us about Vie Aesthetics and the initial hurdles faced by Vie Aesthetics.
Vie Aesthetics, named Global Aesthetic Practice of the Year in the MyFaceMyBody 2020 Global Awards, was founded in. 2013 by Vicky Grammatikopoulou. Vie Aesthetics runs multi-award-winning, doctor-led clinics based in London, Essex, and Germany. For the last 8 years, a highly skilled and specialized team of doctors and therapists, under the guidance of a celebrated aesthetic doctor and Medical Director Dr. Ioannis Liakas, offer the latest medical and cosmetic solutions under one roof.
Vie Aesthetics is a luxury brand providing cutting-edge aesthetic treatments with stunning yet natural-looking results. The doctor-led team at Vie Aesthetics specializes in combining advanced non-surgical procedures and world-class top-of-the-range products to achieve stunning results for the face, body, wellness, and hair. With bespoke, personalized treatment plans, and globally award-winning customer care, they help men and women achieve their transformation goals discreetly and subtly.
Like any other small start-up company, Vie Aesthetics faced challenges from the beginning however our motto when it comes to a challenge or mistake is that we are all going to face difficulty and hit a bump in the road at some point, but it is what you do next and how you handle those situations that matter. As a female CEO, Vicky has battled gender bias and stereotyping on her journey to get where she is today, which can make building your empire that little bit trickier, however using her background as a teacher Vicky was able to confront bias, command her own space and stick to her principles to overcome this challenge.
Of course, the biggest and most recent challenge Vie Aesthetics has faced is the Covid-19 pandemic. With restrictions enforced, we were able to continue trading by sending out products and providing virtual consultations, Q&A videos offering advice, and simply by keeping in touch with clients via social media. Fortunately, at the start of the lockdown, Vie Aesthetics was in a robust and safe place to endure the rocky road ahead, however, having a safety net, a Plan B, the ability to adapt fast, and risk assessment constantly have all been life-saving precautions for Vie Aesthetics.
Tell us about the services offered by Vie Aesthetics, new additions, and the plans of Vie Aesthetics to take these services ahead.
We offer non-surgical medical and cosmetic aesthetic services including go-to treatments such as fillers, botulinum toxin injections, as well as, bespoke signature packages. We offer Life Coaching and a 360-degree Medical Weight Management Clinic and advanced Medical Skincare brands. Our doctors and therapists always have the client’s best interest in mind, even if this means advising against the sale of a service, product, or treatment. Vie Aesthetics recognize personal transformations and self-improvement are not just about image transformations on the external but improving one’s health and mind from within.
Vie Aesthetics is excited to be the first UK clinic to introduce the 24K gold rejuvenating facial by Dibi Milano. As Key Opinion Leaders in our field, we were selected to try a brand-new dermal filler- MaiLi before its official launch, and we are listed as a center of excellence for this product. Vie Aesthetics has also introduced a new signature treatment VieStemRF which combines three of our most popular treatments: Morpheus8, FaceTite, and Seffiller Stem Cell Fat Transfer.
Our Medical Director Dr. Ioannis Liakas was the first Dr in the UK to treat hyperhidrosis using Morpheus8 and BodyTite. Dr. Liakas is a key opinion Leader introducing BOCA Lips ‘one-thread lip lift’ to the UK, Seffiller, and Seffihair as well as MaiLi and Lanluma.
Our decisions are based on research, data, training, feedback, and planning.
Firstly, we listen to client and staff feedback via a continuous process of client surveys and staff training. These insights feed into our planning of operating procedures and systems but also shape our offer of products and services. This has led to us being able to create value for our clients and to expand our offer with signature treatments, membership packages, and loyalty reward schemes.
We continuously engage in market research and visit conferences, conventions and organize continuous professional development (CPD). We are affiliated with experts and centers of excellence in the UK and abroad and share good practices between us. Our teams are always looking for the next advancement and we attend masterclasses and events which result in introducing new, proven procedures and products to the UK.
We constantly audit and review our results and our processes. As a result, the carefully designed and choreographed Vie Aesthetics Patient Journey provides clients with the utmost luxury experience. This means that from the moment a client books their appointment to the time they finish their treatment and aftercare, they are fully supported and looked after. To make this possible, we have looked into ways how to link all services and experts to offer the whole range of the clinic’s expertise to every single client.
In the last year, we created the role of Client Engagement Manager (CEM) who links all services. The CEM’s role is to support our clients’ success with us, by ensuring they have a personalized experience and access to all services. This has proven to make a huge difference already with patient satisfaction, conversion rates, subscriptions, and retention
We take our products and services one step further also by personalizing and tailoring our treatment plans. We offer combination treatments and tailored packages that complement one another to achieve the most efficient result. By offering a very wide range of the latest advancements in aesthetics and wellness under one roof, we can combine procedures and treat our clients/patients by a whole team rather than individual practitioners.
To this end, we have developed a detailed consultation process that includes an added stage of a general and comprehensive Aesthetic Interest Questionnaire (AIQ) at the early stages of this process. The AIQ is used by practitioners to tailor their treatments and is then forwarded to the CEM, who uses it to ensure we address all areas of interest and concerns of each patient.
Tell us about your professional experience and any achievements you would like to share.
My previous professional experience before launching Vie Aesthetics was mainly in teaching and lecturing. I completed a First-Class Honours Degree in Germanic Studies, Linguistics and Education at Aristotle University and founded a private language school, Aspekt, at the age of 25. This was my first experience as an entrepreneur. I employed 15 people with 250 students on-roll and received a grant from the European Commission for creating 11 new workplaces for women. Our accomplishments include creating a governance system that was showcased by the European Commission to business owners from across Europe.
In 1997, after seven years, I sold the business and moved to the UK for family reasons. In the UK I read for an MA in Languages in Education at the University of London. I taught in a Secondary School in Essex and became Head of Department. I then worked as a University Senior Lecturer at Middlesex University and Goldsmiths University.
A key achievement is that I started my business from zero, as a hobby and I grew it organically to a well-respected company. I am very happy to see how I have now 3 clinics and opening the 4th one with around 20 members of staff and a very healthy revenue and balance sheet. I am very happy to see that we have picked up an array of awards along the way, over 8 this last year alone! We have created value for our clients and set standards high within the industry.
I feel the greatest achievement is that I have proven to myself and our peers that you can offer 5star customer service with expert staff (doctors only), top-of-the-range only products, value, and fair pricing and still make it a profitable model without compromising on quality! On a personal level, my key achievement is that every morning when I go to work I can’t get there soon enough – I feel excited and very lucky!
A huge achievement is also that together with my team, we managed to steer our way through the storm of the pandemic. We managed to stay safe whilst also reaching the financial targets that we had set even before COVID-19 came about. Not only that, but we also managed to expand during this time, taking advantage of opportunities as they arose.
Tell us about the exemplary team of Vie Aesthetics.
The staff business model I follow is centered around openness, empowerment of staff, and self-development. Communication is key- both top-down and bottom-up. I make sure we involve staff in decisions and keep them always up-to-date with news and reasons why we do things the way we do. I ensure the staff has the tools, inspiration, and motivation to achieve excellence and expertise. Being involved in the whole process of planning, implementing, and reviewing, and having no glass ceiling makes the team motivated, engaged, and passionate.
Your views on constant vigilance as a need or strategy and the rat-ace in the market.
A strategy. Stemming from my previous vocation as an educationalist and from my experience as a mum, I believe in risk assessment and vigilance. Always combine having an optimistic vision with a plan B to cover your own back. As a business leader, you must always think of every possible pitfall, lookout for the next best thing, and make sure that for any risks you take: if you fail you will still be safe.
Rehearsing failure in your head and mentally playing out the worst-case scenarios and your response to them is a great way to become robust both in your personal and your professional life. It is the best way to face your fears, transcend them and turn them into action and success.
Rat-race, is it? Really? I believe that we manifest what we tell ourselves. We create our reality with our thoughts and beliefs. To me, it is a funfair out there. It doesn’t feel like work to me- honestly. It feels like I am playing, I do what I love and I even get paid for it. Really! I feel blessed and I am buzzing!
I remind myself every morning during a brief meditation, how lucky I am to wake up and how blessed I am to have the people and things I enjoy in life, and how happy I am that what I do has a positive impact on people.
Gratitude, discernment, and service to others make you waterproof from stress and the frantic pace of our society. To keep my focus, I make sure I schedule frequent decluttering both physically and mentally.