Deb Farnworth-Wood, Australian Skin Clinics – InnovaBuzz 191
Deb Farnworth-Wood, Australian Skin Clinics
In this episode, I’m really excited to have on the InnovaBuzz podcast as my guest, Deb Farnworth-Wood, a serial entrepreneur, and the founder of the franchise Australian Skin Clinics.
Deb’s career has been punctuated by ‘firsts’. She was the first non-doctor to become a partner in a UK medical practice, and her group was the first non-pharmacist to own a UK pharmacy. She also opened England’s first drive-thru pharmacy. It’s a testament to her incredible vision and passion for the aesthetics industry that she continues to push the boundaries of business to this day. Now her mission is to share her wealth of business expertise and experience – both good and bad – with as many entrepreneurs and business owners as possible.
In our discussion, Deb talked to me about
- The importance of choosing the right people to work with
- Building a great business culture in a new business and maintaining that culture
- How constant learning and thirst for knowledge leads to a multitude of opportunities.
Victor Ahipene on episode 147 suggested we interview Deb.
Listen to the podcast to find out more.
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You can't build a business on what you like. It has to be what is commercially viable to sell to people. @DFarnworthWood on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet
Show Notes from this episode with Deb Farnworth-Wood, founder of Australian Skin Clinics
Key points and take-aways from this episode include:
- Choosing the right people to work with is extremely important.
- You have to really like the products and services that you offer otherwise you’ll get bored of it very quickly. Most importantly, it has to be something that other people are going to like. You can’t build a business on what you like. It has to be what is commercially viable to sell to people.
- Assess every consumable and every overhead cost. The more things you offer, the more you have to market.
- The strength of franchising is that as a franchisee, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel again. Once you have a system that works, maintaining that system is easier than starting from the beginning.
- Nobody is too old to learn. Find out everything you can because you don’t know when you will need it.
- The easiest time to get the culture right is when you are just starting the business.
- Involve your existing staff with any changes as far as you possibly can. Consult with them about the way things go.
- People who start out earlier will always see the vision way more clearly than anyone who comes in later.
- Document not only everything that goes right but everything that goes wrong as well.
- You can’t do another job or step into another role until there is a means of giving this role to someone else.
- Franchising is very much about customer service. Your clients are your franchisees. You have to be completely on their side, be completely respectful to them and help them in every way that you possibly can.
- You got to have a career path as an entrepreneur. You got to keep learning and looking for opportunities. It is only by progressing yourself, developing yourself, and learning more about yourself that you then see these opportunities.
- It is the interaction and simulation of talking to people that drive ideas and keep things moving forward.
Nobody is too old to learn. Find out everything you can because you don't know when you will need it. @DFarnworthWood on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet
The Buzz – Our Innovation Round
Here are Deb’s answers to the questions of our Innovation round. Listen to the interview to get the full scoop.
- #1 thing to be more innovative – Stop looking back. The things you’ve done before are all useful in forming the things you will do in the future but that doesn’t mean it is what should be done.
- Best thing for new ideas – Talk to people and learn. Be hungry for knowledge all the time.
- Favourite tool for innovation – An A4 hardbound book and a pen, journaling.
- Keep project / client on track – My notebook and pen. Going through the week’s journal. Highlighting things that are outstanding and ticking off things that are done.
- Differentiate – Have the right attitude and approach to things. Differentiation is all about not caring about what other people think and not listening to others. Stick to your own cause. Be unique and look for that edge.
To Be a Leader
Be bold and go for it! If you believe that it is something you really want to do and that it is really going to work then you have to give it a shot because if you don’t you will spend the rest of your life thinking you should have.
Reach Out
You can reach out and thank Deb through her website and on Twitter.
Suggested Guest
Deb suggested I interview David Smulders, CEO of BiTQ. So Dave, keep an eye on your inbox for an invitation from us to the InnovaBuzz podcast, courtesy of Deb Farnworth-Wood.
Links
- Website – Deb Farnworth-Wood
- Twitter – @DFarnworthWood
- Australian Skin Clinics
Cool things about Deb
- She was born in Kenya and raised in the UK.
- She was named Gold Coast Woman in Business of the Year 2017 and was a finalist in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards in 2016.
- Her work on GP Night co-operative models influenced the 1993 national GP contract for the UK.
It is only by progressing yourself, developing yourself, and learning more about yourself that you then see these opportunities. @DFarnworthWood on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet
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