KSL Clinic is the leading hair loss clinic throughout the UK, operating clinics in both Kent and Manchester. Consultancy services are also available in Cardiff, Newcastle and Birmingham.
We are the busiest clinic in the UK and are proud to have treated many high-profile celebrities including Geordie Shore’s Gaz Beadle, Love Island winner Jack Fincham, TV star Bianca Gascoigne, singer Gareth Gates, I’m A Celeb’s Jake Quickenden, TOWIE star James Locke and Rugby legend Stuart Hogg, to name a few. Over the years we have firmly cemented the business as the go-to clinic for celebrities due to our unrivalled results.
1) How did you get into the industry?
Many years ago, I was asked by a colleague in Harley Street London to assist in providing local anaesthesia during a difficult hair transplant operation. I have always been fascinated by surgery and how it can be used to improve people’s lives, confidence and appearances. Ever since that first experience, my interest in hair transplant surgery has become a real passion and I love every aspect of it. With over 10 years’ experience specialising in hair transplant surgery, I have developed as an internationally renowned hair transplant specialist and a go to surgeon for male and female, straight and curly (afro) hair, eyebrow and beard transplants.
2) What are the biggest opportunities and challenges in your industry?
Hair loss affects so many people, both men and women for a multitude of different reasons. So the biggest opportunity is being able to educate those experiencing hair loss of the different hair loss prevention methods available along with surgical interventions. That although some treatments can be costly, there are interest free options available to make hair transplants accessible to more people. The biggest challenge facing the industry is that there are many clinics out there that don’t offer the same level of care, support and results that we do. Often desperateness to get patients through the door by brokers using aggressive sales tactics and unregulated online forums has skewed public perception of what the hair transplant experience should be like. These negative experiences online and from other clinics (both from the UK and abroad) can have a knock-on effect, as people considering having a hair transplant procedure can be put off by what they see and read online.
3) How would you describe your leadership style?
My teams are like a big family. I only hire the very best industry professionals, but we all work collaboratively and support each other. I hold all of my team to extremely high standards of work because I don’t want any of our patients receiving less than the best service possible. So although I have to make the tough calls, I rely on my team members daily to help us achieve the best patient care.
4) How do you get the most out of the people who work for you?
Happy staff are productive staff. We have very high standards of work but foster a supportive and collaborative environment for all staff to learn and develop from each other. Staff feedback is taken on board regularly and if it means we make changes to instrumentation or clinic arrangements through to social events then it is all taken on board. When staff feel proud and happy of where they work, maintaining high standards becomes much easier.
5) What are the most crucial elements to your business running smoothly and being successful?
The end product. Our results define the outcome of the business so the end result for each of our patients really is the key to the smooth running of the business. Word of mouth is still king, even in a world of social media marketing. Patient satisfaction and end results are the absolute key. It’s all about patient journey – it’s different from other medical care because of the length of the journey and being a hyper critical industry. We make everything about the patient.
6) How has the past 12 months been for you?
The past 12 months has seen a huge influx of patients and enquiries at KSL. We’ve experienced an unprecedented amount of demand and growth and our waiting list is getting longer and longer. As a result, I have had to hire and train additional staff to deal with the increasing workload. We’re receiving hundreds of enquiries weekly and are now looking at potential sites for new clinics across the UK.
7) What will the next 12 months look like for your business?
We’re looking to expand further and are currently exploring different options to further develop the business in new and existing areas of the UK.
8) What are the highlights of your career so far?
Becoming the go-to surgeon for some of the UK’s biggest and most well-known celebrities is a huge highlight for me. To know that the work we deliver on a daily basis to all of our patients is bringing us so much attention and notoriety from high profile clients is extremely rewarding. We also operate Hair For Heroes which is the charitable side to what I have been doing whilst at KSL Clinic whereby the public can nominate special people from the community that perhaps have done something amazing or experienced adverse circumstances and we will provide our services to them for free.
9) What’s the biggest business mistake that you’ve learnt from?
In the past I’ve worked with various different clinics as a surgeon where clinic managers and partners dictated the business models entirely. In my opinion, the success of a hair transplant clinic relies heavily on being surgeon led, rather than using ad-hoc surgeons. Now I’m the surgical director of KSL Clinic, I only ever work for my own clinic and this has helped us to have a focussed vision in being able to deliver the best hair loss care to our patients.
10) What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve been given?
Honesty, integrity and loyalty. Within all aspects of life but specifically within business. Never ever lose your integrity. Always be loyal to the people who are loyal to you. Do you work honestly. Control the things you can control and let fate take care of everything else.
