Welcome to our Local Business Spotlight series, designed to give you a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at the journeys that went into creating some of your favorite local brands.

Today's guest is Cari Backes from Lusine Skin Wellness, a MedSpa in the Des Moines community.

Our favorite piece of advice: "Don't overthink every detail." Analysis paralysis is real and you can tell Cari doesn't get stuck in being a perfectionist and instead keeps forging ahead! If you're curious about starting a MedSpa, learn a little more from Cari and connect with her using the links below!

1. What do you own and why did you start this business?

I own a MedSpa that provides cosmetic services that include: Botox, dermal filler, Microneedling, chemical peels, medical grade skincare and other facial treatments.

I am a registered nurse and aesthetician and have worked in dermatology, cosmetic surgery and MedSpas for over 15 years. I love this industry, and truly love what I do and it is so rewarding making people feel good about themselves.

I was feeling burnout with the nursing side of my career and knew I wanted to stay in the cosmetic industry in some form. My parents owned their own business and I’ve always admired that.

It has always been in the back of my mind that it was something I would eventually like to do. So with the encouragement of my husband it was time for me to continue what I was doing but as a business owner.

2. What is an early win you had that made you feel like you were on the right path?

Having the loyalty of former clients who tracked me down because they trust me and wanted to stick with me was really inspiring and motivating.

3. What's one of the biggest challenges you’ve had?

One of the biggest challenges I faced was finding the best team to work with to get my business launched. I assumed working with my personal accountant would be fine and it turned out to be the wrong fit.

I want to work with a team that I completely trust and have full confidence in. So it was a bit of a road bump starting out having to switch accountants and try to find someone new that I felt comfortable with.

I was lucky that I was able to partner with a friend from college as my medical director, a high school classmate as my attorney and my husband is my IT guy.

4. What are three pieces of advice you’d give to aspiring local business owners in your industry?

1) Make connections with EVERYONE. [In my case] Des Moines is a big-small town and you will cross paths with so many people that “know someone that knows someone."

2) Don’t overthink every detail. I still need to remind myself of this. Don’t overthink social media posts, your business name, etc. I have done this to the point that I convince myself that an idea is lame. Not every idea, campaign, social media post is going to be a hit. Just post it and move on.

3) Make yourself an expert before you go out on your own. Work directly in this industry, take as many hands-on classes as you can, keep learning. Find a mentor in a doctor or injector who has years of experience.

5. Where is your business heading next and what are you excited about?

This industry is always growing and new services are constantly developed and the idea of bringing new services and products to clients is thrilling. I would like to see our social media content to evolve and expand and possibly hire a social media manager/content creator in the next year.

Find Cari & Lusine Skin Wellness:

Instagram: @lusineskinwellness
Facebook: @lusineskinwellness
Website: lusineskin.com

Want to be featured in our Local Business Spotlight series? Fill out our contact form here to get the ball rolling.