Interview

Talking to… Fliss Williams

The studio director of Elite Skin Studio tells Ellen Cummings about taking a family beauty business into a new era and why consistency is the key to building a trusted clinic

When Elite Skin Studio won Skin Clinic of the Year at the Professional Beauty Awards in March this year, it marked a major milestone for the Newport, Shropshire-based business. But for studio director Fliss Williams, the award represented far more than a successful year.

“It felt like recognition for years of dedication and resilience,” she says. “My mum started the business and has worked so hard, with such care and consistency, for such a long time. So, for me, it was not just about one year of work.”

Founded by Williams’s mum Anne Ashton in 2000 from a treatment room in the family garden – affectionately nicknamed “The Pigsty” – Elite has evolved from a small beauty business into a six-room advanced skin and laser clinic known for its long-term approach to skin health.

Williams, who joined her parents in the business in 2016 after leaving a graduate corporate career, has played a major role in shaping that evolution. Today, Elite combines technologies including laser hair removal, IPL, radiofrequency and microneedling with a consultation-led approach and strong retail strategy. But despite the clinic’s growth, Williams is clear that the foundations of the business have remained the same. “A lot of people say, ‘I can’t believe how far you’ve come since you were in the garden,’” she says. “But actually, things like the client journey and the way that we approach client care are the same, because we know that that worked so well to grow the business in the first place.”

Growing up in the business

Williams was just seven years old when her mother launched Elite. “I was a bit annoyed at the beginning, to be honest, because we’d planned for that garden room to be a den for my brother and me growing up,” she laughs. “So, when she said, ‘There’s a change of plan, we’re turning it into my business,’ obviously as a seven-year-old I didn’t understand what the positive impact of it could be.”

The business quickly became part of everyday family life. “It was literally at the bottom of our garden, so we had constant client interaction even at that early age,” she says. “What’s lovely is that we’ve still got those same clients now. I’m 33 now, and they’ll say, ‘I remember when you were playing in the garden all those years ago.’”

Despite growing up around the industry, joining the business was never part of the plan. Williams went on to study politics at university before joining a commercial graduate scheme. “I became disillusioned with it quite quickly,” she says. “In my early 20s, I was like, ‘This is not where I want to be.’”

The turning point came during a family trip. “I was at my wit’s end with my job,” she recalls. “I just remember saying to my parents, ‘Why don’t I just come and work with you? We can take what I’ve learned from the business side of things and grow what you’ve already built.’”

At that point, Ashton had already spent 15 years building a loyal client base, but the business had reached a crossroads. “She’d probably started thinking about larger premises or expanding, but I think there was a trust element – if she grew, she’d need to bring someone else in,” says Williams.

Although she had no formal beauty background, Williams completed an intensive VTCT and ITEC qualification while training alongside her mother. At the same time, the family secured the Newport premises that would become the clinic’s next home.

From salon to advanced skin clinic

When Williams joined the business, Elite’s offering centred around traditional beauty treatments, electrolysis and CACI. “We didn’t do anything like peels, microneedling or laser,” she explains. “That all came as we developed after moving into Newport, and that’s where I found my passion taking us.”

Over time, the clinic shifted further into results-driven treatments. “One of the biggest turning points was the investment in medical-grade laser hair removal,” says Williams. “We’d dabbled with IPL before, but the results weren’t as good as we’d hoped,” she says. “When we invested in laser, it changed the game because the results were incredible.”

With Ashton already having built a strong reputation in electrolysis, laser became a natural extension of the business. “Our business is probably half hair removal, half skin,” says Williams. “Hair removal has always been a huge part of what we do.”

Today, technology investments are approached carefully and strategically. “It’s so much more than just weighing up a shiny machine,” she says. “We always look at whether there’s a genuine gap in our offering, what clients are asking for, and what will make the biggest long-term impact.”

Building through challenge

Like many clinics, Elite was forced to close during the pandemic, but the timing unexpectedly aligned with a major expansion project. “About two weeks before lockdown, we’d signed the lease to expand from three treatment rooms to six,” says Williams. “At first, we were thinking, ‘What have we done?’ But actually, it enabled us to complete the whole expansion without disrupting clients.”

The business used the time to redevelop the space and rebrand as Elite Skin Studio. “That was really where we honed in on what we were about,” says Williams. “Advanced skincare, laser and bespoke skin journeys.”

However, Williams says the most difficult challenge the business has faced was not Covid. “A couple of years ago, we lost the team we had built,” she reveals. “In the last 18 months to two years, we’ve started again with a new team, and now we’ve grown to six of us,” she says. “Honestly, we’re so happy now. Unfortunately, I think you sometimes have to go through those bad times to appreciate when you get it right.”

Creating a positive culture has become central to her ethos. “We make sure we spend time together every day,” she says. “We always have a catch-up in the morning and make time for lunch together. We just want it to feel like a really nice place to come to work.”

The consultation-first approach

Consultations sit at the heart of Elite’s client journey, with every treatment plan beginning with a detailed skin analysis. “You don’t know what’s driving their concerns, their goals, or what they’ve tried before unless you really take the time to understand them,” says Williams.

The clinic combines conversations with advanced skin imaging technology to create bespoke treatment plans. “It’s about setting the tone of the relationship on the right foot,” she explains. “It shows that you genuinely care about their outcome from day one and that you’re not just trying to get them in for a treatment and never see them again.”

This philosophy also shapes Elite’s retail strategy, with homecare integrated into every consultation. “What you’re doing every day at home is often more important than the treatment itself,” Williams says. “Treatments accelerate results, but homecare is what creates longevity.”

Educating clients

With skincare trends moving faster than ever, Williams believes therapists have an increasingly important role as educators. “There’s so much noise in the industry now,” she says. “Clients are exposed to new ingredients, treatments and trends constantly. That can be exciting, but it can also make people feel overwhelmed.”

For Williams, the solution lies in simplifying the conversation. “We bring clients back to basics: what is actually happening in your skin, what are we trying to improve, and what is the most sensible way to get there?” she says. “Sometimes that means focusing on barrier repair and education before anything active.”

Looking to the future

Winning Skin Clinic of the Year has given Williams renewed confidence in the business she and her family have built. “When you’re inside the business every day, you become very focused on what still needs improving,” she says. “Winning made me step back and see the clinic through fresh eyes.”

The next chapter is also very personal. Williams is expecting her first child this year, something she says has shifted her perspective on leadership. “It’s sharpened my focus on creating a business that is well-led and sustainable, with strong systems and a strong team around it rather than relying so heavily on myself and my mum,” she says.

Ultimately, she believes longevity in the beauty industry comes down to consistency. “It’s very easy to be distracted by what everyone else is doing,” she says. “But a long-lasting business is built through the things you repeat every day – how you consult, how you communicate, how you follow up, how you train your team and how you make clients feel. Trends will come and go, but trust, standards and care will always matter.”