How this Female Founder Is Building Her Personal Brand Growing Two Successful New Businesses With Brittany Perez

Welcome to another episode where we spotlight female experts, founders, and entrepreneurs who are building their visibility, personal brands and thought leadership.

Today, I'm highlighting one of my clients, Brittany Perez, a nurse practitioner with a doctorate in clinical nursing, who shares her journey of launching two successful businesses and growing a dedicated team.

This month marks the one-year anniversary of her latest venture, MELA Medical Spa, which has seen phenomenal growth thanks to her go-getter drive and commitment to betting on herself. 

Today, we'll chat about her journey of building a personal brand, business brand, and thought leadership, and she'll share her invaluable tips and insights.

Takeaways:

• Action-Oriented Mindset: How her drive and goal-setting have been crucial to her success.
• Building Confidence: Stepping out of her comfort zone helped her build the confidence needed to succeed.
• Collaboration: Networking and supporting others in the industry are vital for growth.
• Personal Branding: Using social media effectively, blending professional achievements with her personality.
• Vision for Growth: Aim for ten locations in ten years with the right team and processes in place.
• Balancing Roles: Managing multiple roles with a clear plan to avoid burnout.
• PR and Publicity: Clear messaging and positioning for national recognition through podcasts and media mentions.
• Believing in Yourself: Encourages women to believe in themselves, take action, and seek mentorship for continuous learning.

Enjoy this episode on Brittany's inspiring journey and actionable tips for building a successful personal brand and business.

LINKS
Brittany Perez on Instagram
MELA Medical Spa
Method Aesthetics Academy

Ready to Own Your Lane? – The Thought Leadership Branding Podcast

Hosted by keynote speaker, author, and LinkedIn® visibility expert Michelle B. Griffin, this podcast helps professionals grow their influence, visibility, and brand authority for business success.

As founder of Brand Leaders and creator of the Own Your Lane™ Recognition Roadmap, Michelle speaks and trains experts, leaders, and organizations to stand out with thought leadership—on LinkedIn, on stage, and in the media.

🎤 Book a chat with Michelle to discuss speaking or workshops to scale visibility, influence, and business growth. MichelleBGriffin.com/chat

WEBSITE: MichelleBGriffin.com
GET VISIBLE ON LINKEDIN: Free Audio Masterclass
READ: My Personal Branding Books
LISTEN: The LinkedIn Branding Show
CONNECT: With Me on LinkedIn

Transcript

Michelle B. Griffin: Welcome back everybody to another episode. I'm your host, Michelle B. Griffin, and I'm delighted today to have another Standout Women Series. Today, I am highlighting one of my clients who is making big waves in her industry. In the last nine or ten months, she's had an incredible story of growth by putting herself out there and betting on herself. She came to me to build her personal brand and thought leadership. So, today's all about sharing her story and getting her amazing tips because she is such a go-getter. So, welcome to the show, Brittany Perez.

Brittany Perez: Hi everyone. Thank you so much, Michelle, for having me on today. I'm so excited and honored. You've helped me so much, just putting myself out there and branding myself. I really appreciate it. So, I'm excited to share with everyone.

Michelle B. Griffin: Absolutely. Well, for those who have not met you yet, Brittany, please share what you do and all the things you do. Then we're going to jump right into your personal brand and everything you're working on.

Brittany Perez: I'm a nurse practitioner. I have a doctorate in clinical nursing and I own a couple of synergistic businesses. I own Method Aesthetics Academy with my partner, Katie Reber, where we train other injectors, like nurse practitioners, P.A.s, M.D.s. We also own Mila Medical Center, which we opened in June of 2023. I also have a podcast called Elevating Aesthetics that focuses on women, self-care, and self-love.

Michelle B. Griffin: I was fortunate enough, I guess like a month or so ago, to be on that with you and Courtney, your co-host. I had a blast chatting with you all at Mila, which was such a fun conversation. I've known you for about five years now, Brittany, and we've worked together, you know, last. One of the things you always had, and I think you told me, you always knew that you had a big picture goal for yourself. You never stood still in the best way possible because I think you told me something like you're an action taker and a goal setter. So, tell us a little bit about that mindset first.

Brittany Perez: I am. I've always been a very driven individual, and it's a good and a bad thing because you're never quite satisfied. My mind is always moving and racing with things that I can do better. While I love working in a practice, I now more so love owning the practice because there's no ceiling for me. From an innovation perspective and from going all in with the businesses that I own, I feel like I am just more of a visionary. The place that I'm at in my business and my life right now is so exciting for me. I have such a vision for what Mila and Method can become, whether that be more locations or a bigger team, whatever that may look like, we're super excited.

Michelle B. Griffin: Well, in the five years knowing you, you were constantly bettering yourself, upgrading your education. You had this goal for yourself, and it's just tremendous. You really can call yourself a two-time founder, having Mila and Method. They work together so well. You came out of the gate and said, "I'm doing this." And you did that so fast. I know you have an amazing social media team. Shout out to Haley. We'll put the links in the show notes to all your sites, but she does a tremendous job just showing what you're doing. But you personally, I know you're a goal getter, very action-oriented. You came to me because you said you really wanted to do big. I think you even had a post about this. It's time to put myself out there in a bigger way and grow you. So, tell us a little bit about what that looked like for you.

Brittany Perez: You know, for me, honestly, I feel like I have done so well on the injectable side of my business. I feel like I've really honed my skills, and I want to be able to share that with more injectors that are maybe just getting started and they're nervous because they don't have a mentor. I want to be able to be that mentor for people that I didn't necessarily have. In order to reach more people and more patients, I need my face and voice to be out there. The best way to do that is with branding and PR. That's why I reached out to you because I know I have so much to offer, I just don't know how to reach the audience necessarily. That's what we're working towards, putting me in contact with people that might need my help.

Michelle B. Griffin: Your star quality was pretty early on because before you even started your own business, I know you partnered with some big national companies, and I think there's three big ones now. National injecting companies you trained for. That's huge for you. So just like you said, with your own practice, now the sky is the limit. So, it is so smart to develop that core brand and then just keep building it. It's a journey. It's not a one-off. And so, I know when we worked together, we really dug deep into the core of what you personally believed in and what your values were. On top of all your expertise and your professional accomplishments. But one of the beautiful things is, the word confidence came out, and you had a unique situation where we were building your brand to merge Mila for your patients, and then your other side is your injector students. I love the concept of elevating aesthetics that was not just confidence, but it was safety and education, and women's empowerment and entrepreneurship. And if you remember, those were all like the core things that just kept coming out for you and that's your brand. Then we can translate that into PR and speaking, but talk to us about all those pillars and all the things we uncovered and how that helps you get out there as you still are building that brand and boosting it as we speak.

Brittany Perez: I think that was one of the most difficult things for me, identifying and learning more about myself. I feel like other people sometimes are so good at telling you things about yourself. You really helped bring those things out and helped me identify who I really was and who I wanted to be and showcase. For me, confidence does go a long way because I wouldn't be on this podcast and I wouldn't be reaching so many people if I hadn't practiced. It's not something that comes innately to me. It's something that I've had to learn. Confidence can definitely be a learned skill. But also, for me, I think that one thing that I really value is collaboration in the industry. That's something that's really important to me as well. Like I was saying, being able to network and collaborate with other people that are in my position or that want to be in my position just to be able to help educate and help other people grow is really important to me. That's why with Method and Mila, whether it is a patient or one of our team members, we're always trying to help people grow on a personal and a professional level. That's what makes me happy.

Michelle B. Griffin: And you really say that a lot and do that so well on Instagram. You do a wonderful blend. When I was on your show last month, we talked about that, how do you show up and be personal and professional and really show your genuine self, and you do a good job about that. So, tell us a little bit about your Instagram presence of building your brand. Because that's been going on for what, two, three years now, full force?

Brittany Perez: I feel like we've been pretty strong for a few years now. One of the things that I've really learned is that patients in the aesthetic field now want to know who you are before they'll ever consider coming to see you. I think that's true across many different types of companies and industries. For the longest time, I was just posting before and afters. While patients love to see your work, they also want to see your personality, your integrity, your friendliness, and your goofiness. They want to see you as a normal person while at the same time maintaining that professionalism and saying, yes, I'm going to be very safe. Yes, I'm using the most innovative treatments, but also, I'm a human, I'm a nice person. We're going to have a good time. You're going to be relaxed. So, it's really finding the balance between both. It has been so important. Haley, like you were saying, does such a great job for us of showing all sides. So, we get kind of a 360 view of what our business is. It's so fun for me when a new patient walks in and they kind of already know me. They're like, you're just like on Instagram. I'm like, perfect. That's such a compliment to Haley and to our team.

Michelle B. Griffin: That's the ultimate compliment when you build your business and brand on social media. Job well done. You show everything from intricate stuff to fun dancing to the whole launch party, which was, I think, like a three-month process to plan. Unfortunately, I was out of town. I could not make it. I was so bummed. It was first class. So, tell us about how you felt on that whole grand opening to show your work come to life.

Brittany Perez: It was honestly surreal. I had a moment where I was in the back, in our very back room, kind of our storage area. I happened to glance out the window. I needed a little breather because it was shoulder to shoulder in here, which was exactly what we wanted. I happened to see out the window, and we had two entire parking lots full, which hold like, you know, there were probably, there were 200 people here at one time. I think we had 220 people altogether. It's overwhelming in a good way, but you see all the work that we've done, all the teamwork and all the effort that the entire staff has put in, came to life and our whole community really showed up for us.

Michelle B. Griffin: That's a great testament to Instagram and everyone just feeling so connected to you. For all those listening, Brittany has a really strong local brand and that's one thing, a regional brand. And of course, she worked for the national injectors. But when you came to me, you're like, I really want to take this to a national level. And I'm like, absolutely. So what we did, it was just like we said, like I do with all my clients, we get to that foundation of who you are, your beliefs, your perspectives to craft that narrative, how you want to show up and really develop that thought leadership. We've crafted the Elevating Aesthetics, you've got the podcast and tell us what else is. I know you're still not even in the first year of building Mila and Method, but did Method actually start before Mila? I think it did, didn't it?

Brittany Perez: Method has been around for about two and a half years now.

Michelle B. Griffin: So, not even a year in business. So, she's still got so much to do. But through it all, you do it all. I know you have a family and everything, but you've got some big goals for yourself. Tell us about what that vision is in the next year because I know a lot of women listening are going to be so inspired that you're doing this.

Brittany Perez: Yes. But also want to hear you're continually to uplevel yourself and we want to hear what you've got planned for yourself. So, on a smaller scale, I feel like I've gotten really great at the injectable portion of my business. I've been doing it for ten years. I could probably inject with my eyes closed, not that I would, but I more so want to dive deeper into kind of laser physiology. So, I've been studying a little more on skin, wavelengths, lasers, things like that. So, on a smaller scale, I have a big focus on that. Ablative, non-ablative lasers, broadband light. Things like that. And then on a larger scale for the business as a whole, for both Mila and Method, we want to expand and scale the businesses because that will just allow us to reach more injectors and more patients that we can take great care of. Ten locations in ten years is the ultimate goal. It's very important for me to have the right team in place. So, more than anything, we focused on crafting the best team. We have very carefully hired people that we know are going to grow with us and that will allow us to scale our business. The next year or two is going to be focused on building the processes and procedures that can just be replicated throughout all the other businesses because we want to have a really good base in order to replicate it. So, we have to get those processes and procedures working with the compliance officer and attorneys and things like that. Then we plan to just keep growing.

Michelle B. Griffin: Now, to get that growth, I know part of it is of course, branding, PR, publicity, speaking, all the things. What we've developed once your plan was in place, your next step was getting that personal brand website that's being worked on as we speak. Then we are going to go into podcast publicity for you because I know you still have, especially with this big growth plan, you got to be working on the next one for next year coming up. So, travel speaking. You do some now, but to go full force, it can't take you away too much. But one of the best ways to get publicity is the PR mentions, industry mentions, and also podcast publicity. So, tell us about some of your visions on what you want to do with your podcast and guest on podcasts. Because I see that as your next step so you can get publicity and not have to travel so far right now.

Brittany Perez: I definitely would like to collaborate with other people in the industry. So, I actually have a few messages out to other injectors because collaboration is so important. We all bring something different to the table. I have injector friends that specialize in peptides, and I have friends that specialize in weight loss, and I have friends that specialize in BBLs for radius and things like that. One of my main goals is to reach out to those friends and businesses across the U.S. and bring them on the Elevating Aesthetics podcast to elevate the industry in that way and kind of bring all of our knowledge together. I want to continue working with you and in picking your brain and helping me expand in that way. LinkedIn is obviously so important. So, that's another thing that would be really valuable to grow the brand.

Michelle B. Griffin: Well, you know, for my founder clients like yourself, you're so busy in the business. You have to have the big business growth, that's why I'm always here reminding you. What about you, Brittany? What about your personal brand? Cause it's a steady growth, just like you're growing fast. Even if you don't have every day to it, we can be doing things that continue to grow it. That's why I always just want to say, you know, if you're doing, you've got these big goals. There are things you can do that don't burn you out because building your brand is a journey, not a one-off. There are going to be ebbs and flows in everyone's lives and businesses where some seasons are crazier than others, but you can't neglect the whole engine running. Why we initially started, you told me you really need to kind of clarify your message or positioning. Bring us back to speed on that for other go-getter women who might be struggling with some of this. Now, how do I talk about myself? Some of those things that you told me about you wanted help with.

Brittany Perez: I think one of the bigger things for me, honestly, is like you were saying, I do have a really strong local presence. Like my name has a presence, but now I'm looking more towards Mila having a brand and a presence. I really want Mila to be known. I want to be able to grow my own personal brand. Of course, that's kind of the point, but want Mila to grow alongside it because in order to scale the business, if we want ten locations, I'm not going to be the face in the name of the business. Mila is. So, kind of finding a way to grow both at the same time is really important. Then to answer your question about kind of the reason that I've reached out to you is I have a really hard time identifying and prioritizing. My speaking points. I have so many things in my brain that I have a hard time nailing down what would speak to other women, what would speak to other women, what would make people want to listen to me, what makes me stand out. Having an outside perspective can really help you hone in and identify things about yourself that you may not even realize.

Michelle B. Griffin: That's a great point because as far as social media, Haley's doing a fantastic job on your personal account, the Mila account, the Method account, but there is another level, an area where you need clarification on how you want to show up on a national scale. That's the whole reason to get you out there nationally to build Mila and Method. So, having talking points, your podcast pitching angles and those talking points for there. Then you kind of tailor depending like one day you might be on a female empowerment or female entrepreneurship or you might be one specifically in your industry, or you'll talk about personal branding for aesthetics. There's so many ways that we can craft to get you cross over so many different, but strategic. Cause you don't want to just go randomly. It has to have a business outcome and a reason. But the beautiful thing is once you start doing that and you have those talking points, then you're super confident and you just keep honing that message. That's exactly what you need to do in today's busy stuff. Just hone one message. Then you take that and then it translates into media mentions, industry publications that you want to be seen on. Then ultimately, I know you want to do some bigger speaking appearances. These are all the ways to bring that elevating aesthetics message to bigger audiences. So, doesn't it feel better to have clear message positioning and a plan now? Does that help you know that the journey and the roadmap is out there?

Brittany Perez: It does. Just like with a business, if you're just going day to day, you're going to be stagnant because you have to have some type of roadmap, some type of plan. For me, I am a planner. I'm very scientific. I'm a very kind of type A type brain, and I need that creative side. That's where you and Haley come in because I know the procedural things. I know the business side, you know, money, things like that. But when it comes to a creativity perspective and being interesting and being, you know, all the things that people are actually wanting to watch, that's where the help really is valuable to me.

Michelle B. Griffin: We all need outside perspectives. We get too caught in our heads. Like we're brilliant at what we do for our own clients, but geez, we need someone. That's why I love doing what I do with women. That's why I'm writing the Own Your Lane book. As of today, recording this, it'll be out six months from today. Having a clear vision, your plan and I want to make sure people know the system is a roadmap out there, but it's personalized to everybody because we're all different in different ways. But that's something I struggled with. When I was stuck in my job and I just couldn't get any traction, I developed this roadmap and it's transformative. Brittany, just like you love transforming your women to bring them that inner and outer confidence and beauty. I feel like I get to do that too. So, I just had a blast working with you to elevate you, no pun intended on your theme, but your roadmap and your clear vision and you're going to hit it. You have hit so many milestones and not even a year in business. Does that make your head spin sometimes when you stop and think?

Brittany Perez: Honestly, I need to stop and soak it in sometimes. I need to enjoy these small moments probably a little bit more because it is, it's pretty crazy.

Michelle B. Griffin: You have an amazing team. Katie's amazing. Everything you're doing is just out there. So, what actionable tip or advice would you give women, you know, go-getter women like you who have big visions, but are doing a lot and need to get out there in a bigger way and bet on themselves? What would you suggest?

Brittany Perez: My first thing would be to believe in yourself because a lot of the times we have a little bit of self-doubt and that's where the confidence comes in. For me, I was in a business and I loved my job. I loved my patients, and I was content. I wasn't unhappy, and I kept thinking, I want to do something more, but I'm nervous. Then it's just taking that step and believing in yourself and taking the steps forward to be your own boss or whatever it is that you want to do. Having a plan is really important. Having someone like you is so valuable because we get so caught up in the day to day. I think of it like people that are in 9 to 5 jobs every day, and they could potentially set aside 30 minutes to an hour to learn a new skill to get out of a job that they hate. But it's like we never take that 30 minutes per day to learn a new skill. So, taking a step back, looking at the big picture, evaluating what your short and long-term goals are, and just taking that step forward and doing it.

Michelle B. Griffin: Once you put yourself out there and take that action, did you find that once you did it, how did that feel? Did it all fall into place? Tell us how that was real clear because this is such an inspiring story.

Brittany Perez: It was almost magical for me. I'm not saying that's the way it is for everyone, but I had so many things that just fell into place. Not that things weren't hard, but I was so excited and I still am so excited that things just felt easy because it's like for me being an entrepreneur and having my business, it's my baby that I'm taking care of. I know that I'm building a legacy. I'm building something to pass down to my son. It's the bigger picture. I'm also supporting all these women that are on my team and I'm helping them grow personally and professionally. I just am able to see the bigger picture.

Michelle B. Griffin: Well, you truly are owning your lane, Brittany Perez. I absolutely love that for you. I'm so excited to have worked with you and continue to help support you get out there in even bigger, bigger ways. Thank you so much for being here. But before we leave, I know people are going to want to check you out. Tell us where's the best place to find you.

Brittany Perez: We're pretty big on Instagram. That's where we post most of our content. So, @MilaMedSpa is the medical spa. @MethodAestheticsAcademy is the Instagram for our training academy. And then my personal Instagram is @BritPerez_InjectorDNP. We also have a website, milamedspa.com.

Michelle B. Griffin: I'll put all the links, and once that personal brand website that is currently being worked on is out, I'll add that back in. Definitely check out if you are a founder listening to this or want to be a founder. Especially, Brittany has in just a short time put herself out there, built two businesses, and is now building her brand and multiple locations, doing it with the heart of integrity, confidence-boosting, education, and all the things she does. Thanks for being on the show, Brittany. It has been a pleasure. Until next week, everybody, keep putting yourself out there. You have a brand to build, a message to share, and people to impact. I'll see you next week. Take care.