For Subscribers

She Sold Botox in Beverly Hills. Now She's Changing the Industry's Face Nicci Levy wanted to create a better experience for women who got medical skincare treatments. Three years later, Alchemy 43 has locations on both coasts.

By Stephanie Schomer

This story appears in the September 2019 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Courtesy of Alchemy 43

Nicci Levy knew that women are willing to pay to look their best. She was a Botox sales rep in Beverly Hills, after all -- and business was booming. But then she spotted a bigger opportunity. "People were spending thousands of dollars on these injections, but the experience was like going to the doctor to get a flu shot," she says. Levy envisioned a business that would do for Botox what Drybar did for blowouts, creating an experience that customers crave as much as the service they're paying for. But … how could she build it? It would take her years -- but in 2016, she finally opened the doors to what she calls her "aesthetics bar," named Alchemy 43, in Beverly Hills. With investor backing, she's since opened three more Los Angeles locations and one in New York. Here's how.

Related: Wellness Brand Moon Juice Has Plenty of Haters -- and Its Founder Is Cool With That

1. Get the right experience.

Levy wanted to create a luxe, skin-care-focused medical spa, but she wasn't confident in her level of expertise. "I didn't have enough tenure in the medical industry," she says. So to understand the marketplace she was entering, she took gigs with two separate startups in the medical space, learning about regulatory challenges, customer relationships, and common pitfalls.

2. Find a like-minded investor.

She was attempting to break into a capital-intensive industry but didn't have the money…or any contacts with investors. Then she attended an event for female entrepreneurs in Santa Monica and was inspired by a speech given by Toni Ko, the founder of Nyx Cosmetics, which had sold to L'Oréal for $500 million. "After the event, I sent her a note with a local news article about what I was trying to build, and just asked her to meet," says Levy. The pair met for breakfast, which eventually led to Levy securing a six-figure investment.

Related: The Heat Is On: How Drybar Continues to Blow Past Its Competition

3. Target your location.

Levy knew where her target customer was--in a particular part of Beverly Hills where women go for workout classes and manicures. But there were no available storefronts. So she started walking into businesses and asking the owners if they wanted to move out. "The owner of a hair salon was getting ready to close up shop, so I took over his lease," she says. The sublet was doubly valuable--instead of locking into a 10-year commitment, she just took over the lease's remaining two and a half years.

Related: How Victoria Tsai Turned a Geisha Secret Into a Cosmetics Innovation

4. Prove the concept.

"We had just opened our doors and were all of a sudden running low on capital." With little advertising budget, she had to rely on grassroots marketing to build her business for nearly a year, until she had proof that people wanted her service and could raise more funds. "It was a tumultuous time, but the predictions we made came true," she says. Then she showed the results to more investors and raised a $2.5 million investment round led by Forerunner Ventures.

Stephanie Schomer

Entrepreneur Staff

Deputy Editor

Stephanie Schomer is Entrepreneur magazine's deputy editor. She previously worked at Entertainment WeeklyArchitectural Digest and Fast Company. Follow her on Twitter @stephschomer.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

Deloitte Is Reimbursing Employees Up to $1,000 — For Buying Lego Sets

Each Deloitte employee can spend up to $1,000 on items to improve their well-being.

Business News

Meta Is Reportedly Offering Up to Nine-Figure Pay for Researchers on Its New Superintelligence AI Team

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, 41, is overseeing the hiring of staff for the new 50-person team.

Business News

'Bottomless Pit of Plagiarism': Disney, Universal File the First Major Hollywood Lawsuit Against an AI Startup

The complaint alleges that Midjourney copied characters from the movie studios, including Darth Vader and Homer Simpson.

Business News

Some Whole Foods Locations Are Experiencing Empty Shelves After a Main Distributor Was Hacked

A Whole Foods distributor was hit with a cyberattack last week, and it has led to empty shelves in stores around the country.

Franchise

World Franchise Day Debuts With a Mission to Spotlight Local Businesses

Franchise leaders in more than 40 countries are marking the inaugural World Franchise Day on June 11 to celebrate the small business owners behind the world's biggest brands.