As small businesses across the country closed their doors for the last time during the Great Recession, RN and Master Aesthetician Kim Marinetto was looking to do the very opposite — open her very own medical spa in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Launching your own business is a daunting task at any given time, let alone during the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. She remembers a former colleague telling her about Acara Partners, calling them the “gurus” of the aesthetic medical industry and telling her how they launched the world’s first medspa. Marinetto knew that if she wanted her practice to succeed, she needed help from the experts who founded the medical spa movement. She needed Acara Partners.
After securing their help to launch her practice, Marinetto began working with Acara Partners in 2008. “They provided assistance in securing our business loan, finding our office’s commercial location, business development, helping to create the look, feel and name of our spa as well as branding.”
A year later in March of 2009, Marinetto opened the doors of AVIE! Medspa and Laser Center in Leesburg, Virginia. “I always thank them because with their guidance and expertise, especially Fran [Acunzo] whom I spoke with almost daily, they were really able to help me manage the day to day business. As a nurse, I really leaned on them for their business expertise and guidance.”
It didn’t take long, though, before AVIE! started feeling the effects of the recession. Although it was challenging, Marinetto thanks Acara for helping them push through it.
“They helped me develop a strategy involving which services to offer during specific seasons and the promotions and marketing around those services. We’ve always had a marketing plan, which has probably been the key to our success. Their guidance and unlimited support in all aspects of my practice has really been why I continue to use their services eleven years later.”
Due to COVID-19, AVIE! has now lived through two recessions. It wasn’t easy, but Marinetto trusted that AVIE! had survived this type of economy before and would survive it again. She knew her team at Acara would be right there with her as they navigated the pandemic’s impact one day at a time.
“COVID-19 took us all by surprise, but with Acara truly being the gurus in the medspa space, we were able to gain insight from their expertise which allowed us to make good decisions for our practice. I was made keenly aware of what was available to me as a small business owner and they kept us abreast of all the nuances of the PPP loan. From when it first came out, to helping us apply for it and continuing to update us with all the specifications of getting loan forgiveness, they were there supporting us throughout the entire process.”
Marinetto recognizes that although they are open, they are still very much in a day-by-day situation following the COVID-19 shutdown.
“We don’t know what the future holds, but everyone here in my practice is in it together. Everyone is working hard to make sure we are successful and safe in this post COVID-19 situation. With their hard work and with Acara’s awesome guidance and support, I have faith that AVIE! will become even stronger moving forward.”
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Does your business need a boost after the COVID-19 shutdown? Our Business Booster program is for you! Acara Partners doubled the sales of over twenty practices during the Great Recession and is working closely with clients to regain their sales momentum after the COVID-19 crisis. We’d love to discuss your practice’s needs and how our team can help. Let’s talk!
