Dr Ifeoma Abajue and Dr Eyitope Ibare Jones

Ifeoma Abajue is a medical doctor with special interest in aesthetic dermatology. She has a diploma in Dermatology from the prestigious University of Wales, Cardiff, and from the American Board of Aesthetic Medicine, and has distinguished herself in the Aesthetics sector for over 13years. She runs a successful skin clinic, The Aesthetic Clinic, where she consults and offers the latest on-trend customised treatments.

She is also currently the principal of the Beauty Therapy Institute (BTI) Lagos. BTI Lagos is a part of a franchise located in South Africa and other African countries offering the highest standard of education/training in the health, beauty and skin care industry, with a wide offering of over 40 basic and advanced courses and internationally recognized certifications.

Dr. Eyitope Ibare-Jones is a family physician with over 13 years combined experience in clinical and aesthetic medicine, nutrition, wellness and health insurance.
She is passionate about Beauty and Wellness and the interplay between both entities and has attended and participated in various diverse aesthetic training forums including practical workshops to enhance her knowledge and practice of her profession.

A graduate of the School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Benin, and an alumnus of the Enterprise Development Centre of The Pan African University, she is certified by the Shaw Academy on Nutrition and Wellness, the Sonya Academy for Weight Management, Body Enhancement and Skin Care therapy amongst others. She also trains aspiring beauty therapists on the anatomy and physiology of the human body at The Beauty Therapy Institute Lagos.

What’s the name of your company?
Institute of Aesthetics (sub-Beauty Therapy Institute and The Aesthetic Clinic).

What problem does your company solve?
We have the best-trained aestheticians in the industry, who work to ensure client satisfaction in skincare without damage. We retail approved skincare products that are pocket-friendly without compromising quality.

We also train beauty therapists to the highest standard, enabling them to work with the best spas and even travel to work abroad. We are working to eradicate quacks in the beauty sector, who have been damaging people’s skins.

How did you come about the idea for your business?
Owning a skincare practice and not being able to find qualified therapists to work with was a major motivator. We also found out that most people that come to see the dermatologists already have seen quacks who have caused irreparable damage. By ensuring that we offer top-notch services and by training those interested in the beauty sector, we ensure that only the best professionals work in the industry

What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
It’s really just the get up and DO. Everyone at one point or another has thought about going into one form of business or the other. But the difference is actually starting and then staying on.

How do you go about marketing your business?
We use all levels of marketing. We are big on social media because we believe we can find at least half of our clientele there. We also use traditional means (fliers, radio, TV). Another distinct form of marketing we employ is the organizing of trainings and events every quarter to draw beauty enthusiasts and expose them to a career in beauty.
In one word, characterise your lives as an entrepreneur.
Resilient.

What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?
When we first started, we were not focused on any particular market segment. We thought our product was for everybody that may be interested.

How can you prevent mistakes or do damage control?
Always revisit your plans and tweak it and when damage does happen, apologise if needed and get up and go again.

What makes you happy?
Seeing women happy and satisfied is our joy. Watching someone that finishes our training and becomes empowered to be excellent while making good pay is the point of all that we do.

Where you see yourselves and your business in 10-20 years?
We see ourselves having branches all over Nigeria, making a tremendous change in the health, skin and beauty industry by offering excellent training and services through satisfied staff and clients. We see ourselves sending some of our clients out into the world offering international level service and being able Nigerian ambassadors in the industry.