凱特?特威斯特的整個職業生涯都和知名消費品牌息息相關。
特威斯特2002年獲得賓夕法尼亞大學經濟學學位后來到紐約市,第一份工作在投資銀行,客戶都來自消費品零售行業,包括奧斯卡?德拉倫塔(Oscar de la Renta)、BCBG和巴杰利?米施卡(Badgley Mischka)等奢侈品牌。
特威斯特在2008年念完了哈佛的MBA后,進了雅詩蘭黛旗下的倩碧公司,在那接受了正兒八經的大公司品牌管理培訓。
“在開發新護膚品、開展全球營銷的過程中,我對護膚著了魔,我花了幾百個小時進行全球消費者調查,試圖弄清楚人們希望他們的護膚品能有什么功效。”特威斯特說。而且,在倩碧,她還接觸到了世界一流的皮膚科醫生和研發專家,他們對護膚品活性成分的解釋是遠非谷歌能比的。
雖然特威斯特說她“遠不是一個有影響力的人”,但她承認有很多人問她在倩碧會做什么,他們應該用什么產品——一直都有人問。“這后來也成為激發我創立Ever/Body的部分靈感,這個行業五花八門,讓消費者迷惑,我想揭開它的神秘面紗。”特威斯特說。
2018年,她決定創辦提供美容護膚服務的精品醫療水療中心Ever/Body。特威斯特說,她那時已經知道如何和消費者建立聯系,如何打造現代的數字體驗。“我見識了新一代大品牌如何圍繞消費者醫療保健進行品牌塑造。我還意識到,我們需要改進醫療保健服務,讓它更現代,更能適應當今的生活方式。”
《財富》雜志最近采訪了同時擔任Ever/Body首席執行官的特威斯特,談一談這家初創公司開業第一年的情況、學到的教訓、克服的困難以及明年的計劃。
為簡明起見,以下采訪內容經過縮編。
《財富》:是什么推動了Ever/Body的誕生?它和其他美容服務和水療中心有什么不一樣?
凱特?特威斯特:Ever/Body的定位處在健康護理和美容的交叉點,它就像一個誠實的領路人,用讓人耳目一新的方式教育消費者如何使用現代方法護膚。它的設計初衷是提供更有吸引力、更容易實現的微創皮膚美容護理體驗,比如激光面部美容、肉毒桿菌、皮膚填充和身體輪廓塑形等。我們把一直以來都不夠透明、讓人迷惑、又充滿錯誤信息和虛假承諾的一個行業變得更加大眾化。我們為最常見的皮膚和身體問題提供一系列最安全、最有效、最實惠的服務,客戶可以享受由可靠的專業醫療人士提供的個性化美容方案,把它作為現代生活日常護膚的一部分。我們相信,自然不做作的效果能讓你看上去、感覺上去都是最好的自己。
疫情爆發前,你們已經在打算向第一家門店之外拓展業務了,新冠肺炎疫情讓這些計劃發生了哪些變化?你們在紐約經濟重啟的第三階段重整旗鼓并且開了第二家店,是種什么樣的感覺?
3月9日,出于對疫情的高度警惕,我們關閉了公司總部,此時距熨斗區(Flatiron)的新店開張只有四天時間。當時,我們以為計劃會推遲兩三周,但最終我們整整關了三個月。在紐約州停擺期間,和更成熟的公司相比,許多年輕的公司受到的損失更大,但我們充分利用了初創公司的先天優勢——面對不確定性時的靈活性和彈性——迅速振作起來。
由于線下店鋪關了,我們就把重心轉移到團隊的數字專長上,在兩周時間里推出了一項遠程醫療項目,沒多久又引入了一流的電子商務服務。這兩個項目一直都是我們最初戰略計劃的一部分,公司里敬業的工程師、設計師、店鋪運營,當然,還有我們超贊的醫學專家的加入把戰略計劃變成了現實。他們從各種各樣的地方連線工作,包括起居室、臥室、甚至是一個配備齊全的衣櫥轉改裝成的家庭辦公室等等。我好像回到了剛開始創業時的日子:斗志昂揚,充滿熱情,下定決心要實現目標。
我們團隊所有人都高度重視Ever/Body的重新開業——為了確保客戶和員工的安全,花了好幾個星期來制定周密計劃。
在疫情持續期間,確保客戶感到安全舒適是零售和服務行業每一家企業最最關心的事。你們采取了哪些預防措施?
我們花了好幾周來研究安全重啟的最佳做法和政府指南。除了工業化的清潔、保持社交距離、限制客流、采購口罩和面罩、檢查體溫、擺放儲存大量洗手液等標準動作外,我們又一次依靠Ever/Body團隊在數字領域的專業知識來提升客戶體驗。
我們徹徹底底地重新設計了客戶辦理登記手續的流程,實現了在家中辦理登記,這樣最安全;登記界面上還增加了和新冠肺炎疫情有關的必答題,例如最近的旅行史、可能的接觸風險以及其他一些常見健康問題。很多客戶都對新界面表達了充分肯定,等我們安全進入后新冠疫情時代時,對于那些比預約時間稍微遲了一些的顧客來說,遠程登記仍然會是一個節省時間的好方法。
經濟衰退期間,消費者的美容和消費習慣顯然會發生變化。接下來Ever/Body打算如何調整商業計劃?
幸運的是,護膚行業在疫情期間似乎蓬勃發展,因為消費者對彩妝和服裝的關注減少了,而更多關注自然美和健康。皮膚護理是一種可以負擔得起的奢侈品,會讓人們自我感覺更好。
蘇荷店重新開業以來,可以說經歷了有史以來最忙的一段時間,部分原因是前段時間的客戶需求受到了壓制。客戶告訴我們,過去幾個月,因為長時間在Zoom上看到自己的模樣,讓他們預約了我們店的服務。我們估計,這種趨勢將持續,因為人們拋棄了疫情以前花大把時間畫個全妝的日常習慣,選擇呈現皮膚最好的自然狀態。我們也相信消費者認識到了微創皮膚美容學的內在價值;這些項目的效果十分顯著,遠遠超出大牌護膚品的功效。
這種性質的停擺會對企業的未來造成什么影響,比如今后的服務項目和融資規劃?
Ever/Body很好地度過了停擺期,而且盡管這是不受歡迎的黑天鵝事件,卻從很多方面提升了我們的業務。我們很幸運,2019年夏天完成了A輪融資,幾乎和我們在蘇荷開第一家正式店鋪同期。截至目前,我們已經從ACME Capital、Tiger Global Management、Redesign Health和Declaration Capital以及Rent the Runway、Warby Parker、Harry’s和Allbirds等我們推崇的本土數字品牌的創始人那里籌集了1700萬美元,所以我們的資金很充裕。
停擺剛開始,我們就在切爾西總部建立了一個團結的15人團隊,包括一個充滿活力的內部工程團隊,還從各地組建了一個20多人的團隊。截至店鋪停業時,公司已經有了一年的運營經驗,其中包括在金融區進行概念性運營(后來成了Ever/Body的前身)的幾個月。我們目前在花錢上顯然更保守了,但我們有信心,隨著門店開業,我們能夠一一實現目標,完成最初的計劃。同時,糟糕的疫情也帶來了一點好處:以后在新店選址時可能更容易找到合適的房產。
我們的遠程醫療和電子商務項目第一階段的成績令人振奮,正因為疫情,我們更早地進入了線上領域,而我們早就知道,這將是我們的一大競爭優勢。特別是,我們發現,線上咨詢可以幫助我們和那些仍在選擇適合自己的醫療項目的新客戶建立關系,同時也能增強我們和現有客戶的關系。
展望后疫情時代——可能是一年也可能是幾年后——你打算如何實現Ever/Body的增長?你希望五年后的生意是什么樣子?
我們創辦Ever/Body的目的是打造一個能夠重新定義行業的全國性品牌,我們希望Ever/Body代表著可以信賴的護理、經過審查的技術和健康。未來五年,我們的實體店數量將會增加,將走出紐約,不過數字平臺覆蓋的區域會更廣。疫情告訴我們,市場對遠程保健服務有很大需求,而Ever/Body定位獨特,可以在這一垂直領域蓬勃發展。我們在實體店建立起的客戶信任能夠進一步增加公司線上產品的可信度,在線上,客戶也可以得到由專業醫療專家提供的遠程醫療皮膚護理評估、個性化的護理建議以及能夠直接發給藥房的皮膚護理處方。我們也在針對客戶最常見的皮膚護理問題,開發自己的處方產品。
無論我們會發展成多大規模,我的目標是讓Ever/Body永遠保持溫暖和包容,讓我們所有客戶(不管是初體驗者還是醫美經驗豐富的客戶)都感到如沐春風。我們不打算把客戶變成另一個人;我們希望讓每個人都感受到最好的自己。(財富中文網)
譯者:Agatha
凱特?特威斯特的整個職業生涯都和知名消費品牌息息相關。
特威斯特2002年獲得賓夕法尼亞大學經濟學學位后來到紐約市,第一份工作在投資銀行,客戶都來自消費品零售行業,包括奧斯卡?德拉倫塔(Oscar de la Renta)、BCBG和巴杰利?米施卡(Badgley Mischka)等奢侈品牌。
特威斯特在2008年念完了哈佛的MBA后,進了雅詩蘭黛旗下的倩碧公司,在那接受了正兒八經的大公司品牌管理培訓。
“在開發新護膚品、開展全球營銷的過程中,我對護膚著了魔,我花了幾百個小時進行全球消費者調查,試圖弄清楚人們希望他們的護膚品能有什么功效。”特威斯特說。而且,在倩碧,她還接觸到了世界一流的皮膚科醫生和研發專家,他們對護膚品活性成分的解釋是遠非谷歌能比的。
雖然特威斯特說她“遠不是一個有影響力的人”,但她承認有很多人問她在倩碧會做什么,他們應該用什么產品——一直都有人問。“這后來也成為激發我創立Ever/Body的部分靈感,這個行業五花八門,讓消費者迷惑,我想揭開它的神秘面紗。”特威斯特說。
2018年,她決定創辦提供美容護膚服務的精品醫療水療中心Ever/Body。特威斯特說,她那時已經知道如何和消費者建立聯系,如何打造現代的數字體驗。“我見識了新一代大品牌如何圍繞消費者醫療保健進行品牌塑造。我還意識到,我們需要改進醫療保健服務,讓它更現代,更能適應當今的生活方式。”
《財富》雜志最近采訪了同時擔任Ever/Body首席執行官的特威斯特,談一談這家初創公司開業第一年的情況、學到的教訓、克服的困難以及明年的計劃。
為簡明起見,以下采訪內容經過縮編。
《財富》:是什么推動了Ever/Body的誕生?它和其他美容服務和水療中心有什么不一樣?
凱特?特威斯特:Ever/Body的定位處在健康護理和美容的交叉點,它就像一個誠實的領路人,用讓人耳目一新的方式教育消費者如何使用現代方法護膚。它的設計初衷是提供更有吸引力、更容易實現的微創皮膚美容護理體驗,比如激光面部美容、肉毒桿菌、皮膚填充和身體輪廓塑形等。我們把一直以來都不夠透明、讓人迷惑、又充滿錯誤信息和虛假承諾的一個行業變得更加大眾化。我們為最常見的皮膚和身體問題提供一系列最安全、最有效、最實惠的服務,客戶可以享受由可靠的專業醫療人士提供的個性化美容方案,把它作為現代生活日常護膚的一部分。我們相信,自然不做作的效果能讓你看上去、感覺上去都是最好的自己。
疫情爆發前,你們已經在打算向第一家門店之外拓展業務了,新冠肺炎疫情讓這些計劃發生了哪些變化?你們在紐約經濟重啟的第三階段重整旗鼓并且開了第二家店,是種什么樣的感覺?
3月9日,出于對疫情的高度警惕,我們關閉了公司總部,此時距熨斗區(Flatiron)的新店開張只有四天時間。當時,我們以為計劃會推遲兩三周,但最終我們整整關了三個月。在紐約州停擺期間,和更成熟的公司相比,許多年輕的公司受到的損失更大,但我們充分利用了初創公司的先天優勢——面對不確定性時的靈活性和彈性——迅速振作起來。
由于線下店鋪關了,我們就把重心轉移到團隊的數字專長上,在兩周時間里推出了一項遠程醫療項目,沒多久又引入了一流的電子商務服務。這兩個項目一直都是我們最初戰略計劃的一部分,公司里敬業的工程師、設計師、店鋪運營,當然,還有我們超贊的醫學專家的加入把戰略計劃變成了現實。他們從各種各樣的地方連線工作,包括起居室、臥室、甚至是一個配備齊全的衣櫥轉改裝成的家庭辦公室等等。我好像回到了剛開始創業時的日子:斗志昂揚,充滿熱情,下定決心要實現目標。
我們團隊所有人都高度重視Ever/Body的重新開業——為了確保客戶和員工的安全,花了好幾個星期來制定周密計劃。
在疫情持續期間,確保客戶感到安全舒適是零售和服務行業每一家企業最最關心的事。你們采取了哪些預防措施?
我們花了好幾周來研究安全重啟的最佳做法和政府指南。除了工業化的清潔、保持社交距離、限制客流、采購口罩和面罩、檢查體溫、擺放儲存大量洗手液等標準動作外,我們又一次依靠Ever/Body團隊在數字領域的專業知識來提升客戶體驗。
我們徹徹底底地重新設計了客戶辦理登記手續的流程,實現了在家中辦理登記,這樣最安全;登記界面上還增加了和新冠肺炎疫情有關的必答題,例如最近的旅行史、可能的接觸風險以及其他一些常見健康問題。很多客戶都對新界面表達了充分肯定,等我們安全進入后新冠疫情時代時,對于那些比預約時間稍微遲了一些的顧客來說,遠程登記仍然會是一個節省時間的好方法。
經濟衰退期間,消費者的美容和消費習慣顯然會發生變化。接下來Ever/Body打算如何調整商業計劃?
幸運的是,護膚行業在疫情期間似乎蓬勃發展,因為消費者對彩妝和服裝的關注減少了,而更多關注自然美和健康。皮膚護理是一種可以負擔得起的奢侈品,會讓人們自我感覺更好。
蘇荷店重新開業以來,可以說經歷了有史以來最忙的一段時間,部分原因是前段時間的客戶需求受到了壓制。客戶告訴我們,過去幾個月,因為長時間在Zoom上看到自己的模樣,讓他們預約了我們店的服務。我們估計,這種趨勢將持續,因為人們拋棄了疫情以前花大把時間畫個全妝的日常習慣,選擇呈現皮膚最好的自然狀態。我們也相信消費者認識到了微創皮膚美容學的內在價值;這些項目的效果十分顯著,遠遠超出大牌護膚品的功效。
這種性質的停擺會對企業的未來造成什么影響,比如今后的服務項目和融資規劃?
Ever/Body很好地度過了停擺期,而且盡管這是不受歡迎的黑天鵝事件,卻從很多方面提升了我們的業務。我們很幸運,2019年夏天完成了A輪融資,幾乎和我們在蘇荷開第一家正式店鋪同期。截至目前,我們已經從ACME Capital、Tiger Global Management、Redesign Health和Declaration Capital以及Rent the Runway、Warby Parker、Harry’s和Allbirds等我們推崇的本土數字品牌的創始人那里籌集了1700萬美元,所以我們的資金很充裕。
停擺剛開始,我們就在切爾西總部建立了一個團結的15人團隊,包括一個充滿活力的內部工程團隊,還從各地組建了一個20多人的團隊。截至店鋪停業時,公司已經有了一年的運營經驗,其中包括在金融區進行概念性運營(后來成了Ever/Body的前身)的幾個月。我們目前在花錢上顯然更保守了,但我們有信心,隨著門店開業,我們能夠一一實現目標,完成最初的計劃。同時,糟糕的疫情也帶來了一點好處:以后在新店選址時可能更容易找到合適的房產。
我們的遠程醫療和電子商務項目第一階段的成績令人振奮,正因為疫情,我們更早地進入了線上領域,而我們早就知道,這將是我們的一大競爭優勢。特別是,我們發現,線上咨詢可以幫助我們和那些仍在選擇適合自己的醫療項目的新客戶建立關系,同時也能增強我們和現有客戶的關系。
展望后疫情時代——可能是一年也可能是幾年后——你打算如何實現Ever/Body的增長?你希望五年后的生意是什么樣子?
我們創辦Ever/Body的目的是打造一個能夠重新定義行業的全國性品牌,我們希望Ever/Body代表著可以信賴的護理、經過審查的技術和健康。未來五年,我們的實體店數量將會增加,將走出紐約,不過數字平臺覆蓋的區域會更廣。疫情告訴我們,市場對遠程保健服務有很大需求,而Ever/Body定位獨特,可以在這一垂直領域蓬勃發展。我們在實體店建立起的客戶信任能夠進一步增加公司線上產品的可信度,在線上,客戶也可以得到由專業醫療專家提供的遠程醫療皮膚護理評估、個性化的護理建議以及能夠直接發給藥房的皮膚護理處方。我們也在針對客戶最常見的皮膚護理問題,開發自己的處方產品。
無論我們會發展成多大規模,我的目標是讓Ever/Body永遠保持溫暖和包容,讓我們所有客戶(不管是初體驗者還是醫美經驗豐富的客戶)都感到如沐春風。我們不打算把客戶變成另一個人;我們希望讓每個人都感受到最好的自己。(財富中文網)
譯者:Agatha
Kate Twist has spent her entire career in and around powerful consumer brands.
Twist moved to New York City after obtaining a degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002, initially working in investment banking with consumer retail clients, including luxury brands such as Oscar de la Renta, BCBG, and Badgley Mischka.
After getting her MBA at Harvard in 2008, Twist joined Estée Lauder–owned Clinique to get more classic brand management training in a big corporation.
“Developing new skin care products and launching global campaigns let me indulge my fascination with skin care and spend hundreds of hours doing consumer research around the world to understand what people hoped their skin care products could do,” says Twist. It was at Clinique that she also had access to world-class dermatologists as well as research and development specialists who could explain active ingredients in a way Google could never match.
While Twist says she’s “far from an influencer,” she admits many people did ask what she would be working on at Clinique and what they should be using—all the time. “This later became part of the inspiration for Ever/Body in terms of demystifying a category [that] can be incredibly confusing,” Twist says.
By the time she decided to start Ever/Body, a boutique medical spa specializing in cosmetic dermatology services, in 2018, Twist says she knew how to connect with consumers and create a modern digital experience. “I saw how the next generation of powerhouse brands are being built around consumer health care. And I saw a need for the delivery of health care services to evolve to fit into our lives in a more modern way,” she explains.
Fortune recently spoke with Twist, also CEO of Ever/Body, to learn more about the startup’s first year in business, the lessons learned, the hurdles overcome, and plans for the next year.
The following interview has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
Fortune: What inspired the launch of Ever/Body? What makes it stand apart from other cosmetic services and spas?
Twist: Ever/Body exists at the intersection of health care and beauty, acting as the refreshingly honest leader to educate consumers on the modern way to take care of your skin. It’s designed to be a more inviting and accessible experience for minimally invasive cosmetic dermatology treatments, like laser facials, Botox, fillers, and body contouring. We are democratizing a space that’s historically been opaque and confusing, as well as full of misinformation and false promises. We offer a curated collection of the safest, most effective, and affordable services for the most common skin and body concerns, and our clients enjoy personalized beauty regimens delivered by trusted medical professionals as part of a modern self-care routine. We believe in natural-looking, nonobvious results to help you look and feel like your best self.
You had already been planning to expand beyond your initial location before the pandemic, but how did the outbreak of COVID-19 alter those plans? And what was it like to bounce back and push forward with opening a second location during phase 3 of New York City’s economic reopening?
We were four days away from opening our new Flatiron location when we shut our corporate headquarters on March 9 due to an abundance of caution around COVID-19. At the time, we thought we’d be delayed two, maybe three weeks, though that eventually turned into a three-month closure. Many young companies suffered disproportionately in comparison to more established businesses during the New York State on Pause order, but at Ever/Body, we quickly rallied to leverage the inherent strengths of a startup: flexibility and resilience in the face of uncertainty.
With our stores closed, we pivoted to our digital expertise and in the span of two weeks launched a telemedicine practice followed quickly by the introduction of a best-in-class e-commerce experience. Both of these projects had been part of our original strategic plan, and our dedicated engineers, designers, store operators, and, of course, our amazing medical professionals pitched in to bring them to life while connecting virtually from living rooms, bedrooms, and even a well-appointed laundry closet converted to home offices. It felt like the very earliest days of launching the business: scrappy, full of enthusiasm, with a determination to make things happen.
Reopening Ever/Body was a highly celebrated event for the entire team—the product of weeks of meticulous planning around being able to do so safely for both our clients and staff.
Ensuring clients feel safe and comfortable as the pandemic continues is top of mind for every retail and services business. What precautions did you put in place at Ever/Body?
We spent weeks researching best practices and government guidelines for a safe reopening. Along with the standard precautions of industrial cleaning, social distancing, limiting occupancy, sourcing masks and face shields, checking temperatures, and locating an impressive stock of hand sanitizer, we again leaned into the Ever/Body team’s digital expertise to elevate our experience.
We completely redesigned our client check-in process so that it could be done at home for maximum safety, and we added mandatory safety questions related to COVID-19, such as recent travel history, possible exposure risk, and general health questions. We have had great feedback from our clients about the new interface, and when we’re safely in a post-COVID era the remote check-in will still be a time saver for anyone running a little behind for their appointment.
Obviously, amid the economic slump, consumers’ cosmetic and purchasing practices are going to change. How does Ever/Body plan to adjust its business plan for the immediate future?
Fortunately, it seems that the skin care industry overall has thrived during COVID as consumers focus less on color cosmetics and apparel and more on natural beauty and health and wellness. Skin care is an affordable luxury that simply makes people feel better about themselves.
Since our SoHo store reopened, we actually saw some of our busiest days ever, due in part to pent-up demand for services. Our clients tell us that a lot of time spent checking out their reflections on Zoom the last few months prompted them to book appointments. We predict this trend will continue as people ditch their time-consuming pre-COVID full makeup routines and opt for achieving their best natural skin. We also believe consumers recognize the value inherent in minimally invasive cosmetic dermatology; they can achieve significantly advanced results beyond what they would see with prestige cosmetic skin care products.
At the same time, how does a shutdown of this nature affect the future of the business, from services offered to raising capital?
Ever/Body was well positioned to weather the shutdown, and in many ways it strengthened our business as much as it was an unwelcome black swan event. We were fortunate to complete our Series A financing in the summer of 2019, almost concurrent with the opening of our first official Ever/Body location in SoHo. To date, we have raised $17 million from ACME Capital, Tiger Global Management, Redesign Health, and Declaration Capital as well as from the founders of digitally native brands we admired, like Rent the Runway, Warby Parker, Harry’s, and Allbirds, so we are well capitalized.
As the shutdowns started, we had already built a cohesive 15-person team at our Chelsea headquarters, including a robust internal engineering team, and a 20-plus–person team at our Ever/Body locations. We also had a year of operating history by the time we closed, including the months we’d spent operating a stealth concept in the Financial District, which became the precursor to Ever/Body. We’re clearly being more conservative now with our use of capital, but we’re confident that with our stores open we’ll be able to meet our goals and execute on our original plan. One silver lining is that we expect it to be easier to find attractive real estate opportunities for our future Ever/Body locations.
With encouraging initial results from the launch of telemedicine and e-commerce, the pandemic helped us lean in sooner to the digital aspects of the business which we knew would be part of Ever/Body's competitive advantage. In particular, we found our virtual consultations allowed us to develop relationships with new clients who are still deciding which of these treatments are right for them and to strengthen our relationships with existing clients.
Looking beyond the post-pandemic era—which could be anywhere from a year to a few years from now—how do you plan to grow Ever/Body and what do you want the business to look like five years from now?
We launched Ever/Body with the intention of becoming a category-defining national brand that stands for trusted care, vetted technology, and wellness. Our number of physical locations will grow over the next five years as we expand outside New York, though we will see a much broader geographic reach via our digital platform. One thing the pandemic has shown us is the demand for telehealth services, and Ever/Body is uniquely positioned to grow within that vertical. The trust we build in person at our physical locations lends further credibility to our virtual offering, where clients can get a telemedicine skin care assessment by an expert medical professional with personalized regimen recommendations and skin care prescriptions sent directly to a pharmacy. We also are working on our own line of prescription products formulated for our clients’ most common skin care concerns.
No matter how large we grow, it’s my goal for Ever/Body to maintain the sense of warmth and inclusivity that makes all of our clients feel welcome, first-timers and veterans alike. We don’t believe in helping anyone look like a different person; we want everyone to feel like the best versions of themselves.