Scaling Up Magazine Scaling Up Magazine Summer 2018 | Page 14

14 SPOTLIGHT: ALLURE MEDICAL SUMMER '18 How One Medical Spa Chain Saved $300,000 A Month BY: VERNE HARNISH As the founder of Allure Medical Spa discovered, employees can be powerful allies in keeping costs down—especially if they share in a company’s profits. After Allure fixed its cash-flow challenges and retargeted its marketing, the company is now opening one location per quarter. www. alluremedical.com WHEN CHARLES Mok, DO, opened Allure Medical Spa in Detroit it was a side business where he did cosmetic work such as Botox and laser vein treatments. At that time in 2004, his main job was working in the emergency and trauma center at a hospital. “I had no business experience,” recalls Dr. Mok. Nonetheless, Allure took off quickly, and two years after founding it, Dr. Mok left his job at the hospital to run it full time. By 2013, it had about 85 employees and $12 million in revenue. Dr. Mok set a goal of doubling the size of the business in three to five years. He beat that goal and today, Allure is on track for $30 million in revenue. The company made the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing