A beauty clinic has become the latest business to take space at new shop units built as part of huge new housing estate on the edge of Derby.
Avance Clinic has taken over a unit in Tutbury Avenue, on the newly-created Highfields housing development, at Littleover, joining a Co-op supermarket and a Zan Fish takeaway.
The business was founded by Carly Bartram, who started out offering beauty treatments in a spare room at her Mickleover home.
Before then she worked in salons across Derbyshire - but always held an ambition to run her own beauty business.
When she set up the business from her Mickleover home, she delivered a wide range of beauty services - but would later go on to specialise in hair removal.
Carly said: “Talking to my clients I realised that unwanted hair was a major misery for many of them and they longed to find a more permanent solution that saved them time in their busy lives.
“I knew I wanted to offer the best, safest solution, so I started detailed research and realised the power and potential of lasers. I also identified the company that I believe offer the best lasers, Lumenis.”
Carly had to wait two years to be able to afford her first laser machine last summer – and only secured it thanks to a friend who remortgaged their house to help her.
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She went through rigorous training with Lumenis to become fully-qualified in operating it and, within a month, she was fully-booked.
As a consequence, she no longer had time to offer manicures, pedicures or other beauty services, so rebranded her business as the Avance Clinic and began looking for new premises.
She has now relocated to Highfields Estate with the help of financing from British Business Bank’s Enterprise Finance Guarantee.
The new clinic has a specially-designed four-room layout and currently employs four staff, with more recruitment in the pipeline.
Carly has employed a second full-time, fully-qualified laser technician and three part-time receptionists. New staff will be joining the business in January and Carly also plans to expand into Nottinghamshire in 2020.
The clinic is fitted out with two laser hair removal machines, plus a third machine that can also deliver treatments for more than 30 different skin conditions, including acne, thread veins and the removal of dark tattoos as well as hair removal.
It can also stimulate collagen production to rebuild the surface of the skin without the need for injectable fillers and Botox.
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Carly said: “My new, full-time technician is Sarah Bailey who I first met in the beauty business 20 years ago. We have stayed friends and I knew I wanted her with me on the next stage of my business journey.
“I have worked incredibly hard to deliver the best customer service and the best laser hair removal services so it’s essential that anyone who works with me has the same work ethic and is someone I know personally and can trust.”
Carly now hopes her story will inspire others with the desire to be their own boss to "go for it".
She said: “It’s been hard work, but I had an idea and the passion and determination to see it through and now I feel as if I’m living the dream.”
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Carly has achieved her amibition despite her struggles with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). ADHD can run in families, and Carly’s daughter has also been diagnosed with the behavioural condition.
While Carly has been concentrating on creating the new clinic, her husband Matt and her wider family have been looking after her daughter who recently turned six.
Carly said: “It’s a big sacrifice to spend so much time away from her, but I want her to be proud of me and think ‘If mummy can do this, then I know that with ADHD I can achieve anything’.”