Directors, and sisters, Jackie Smith and Kate Anderson of beauty therapy franchise group Caci , are two women dedicated to making New Zealand women feel confident about the way they look.
The first Caci beauty therapy franchise was set up by Jackie and her husband David Smith. David is constantly monitoring international industry trends.
Jackie has more than 25 years experience as a registered nurse explained, “We were amongst the first in the world to offer laser hair removal as a treatment to the general public.”
“Laser hair removal was developed in Wales and we secured one of the first machines in the world. We’ve been in the laser hair removal business for quite some time now which has given us a huge amount of expertise in the skin care sector.
“A lot of people think that it’s the machine that does all the work but this is just a tool. We all know how to use a stove but that doesn’t automatically make us a gourmet chef. It’s the experience, training and systems that go with it that make the difference.”
Jackie, as Director and Clinical Advisor, was key in the re-branding of Caci Clinic in 2006. This facelift also saw Kate Anderson’s appointment to General Manager.
Kate explained that they discovered many customers found the Caci Clinic name quite daunting, and endeavoured to put across a slightly softer image.
“We also changed a lot of our logos and corporate fit out to appear less clinical. We want people to know we are not a day spa. We still focus on those medical treatments that make a difference.”
Kate says she was, what she refers to as a ‘classic franchisee’ when she purchased the Wellington franchise with her mother-in-law in 1994.
Kate is a former lawyer with a young family of preschoolers, and went about expanding the beauty therapy business to become the second largest beauty therapy franchise in the group.
Kate and Jackie are both proud of their accomplishments within the business and the 24 Caci cosmetic franchises throughout New Zealand.
In the 15 years since the first Caci opened the industry has change a certain amount. Caci beauty therapy franchises first challenged the established beauty industry with the Caci Non-surgical Facelift, but it was laser hair removal that revolutionised the skin care industry. The next revolution has been driven by Botox and dermal fillers, and Caci cosmetic franchises have been a leader in this also. The Caci group of cosmetic franchises is a popular provider of Botox in Australasia, and have Registered Nurses to do this.
“We love the fact that we have been part of developing a whole new area of nursing practice; cosmetic enhancement. We are very proud of the Cosmetic Nurse Specialists that work for Caci. Our nurses really care for and focus on the needs of the client, which is very important when it comes to health care in a business environment.”
“We work in an industry where people are really passionate about what they do because it boosts women’s confidence,” says Jackie.
“Women have all learned that they shouldn’t be vain but at the same time we also know that we’re measured by how we look. When you get older and you feel like you’re looking tired and grumpy, it reflects in the way you present yourself. When someone takes that dreariness away, your confidence just soars and that flows on to everything else in your life.”
“In a way, we change people’s lives because that confidence boost definitely has an impact on the rest of their lives.”