The Biggest Business Mistakes I’ve Made—and What They Taught Me

Entrepreneurship is full of advice about what to do right.

There is much less conversation about the things we get wrong.

And yet, some of the most useful things I know about business came from decisions I would not make the same way today.

I’m Erica Roybal, founder of Denver Dream Medspa and Colorado Aesthetics Academy.

I’ve built businesses in aesthetics, education, and permanent makeup. I’ve hired, trained, marketed, invested in equipment, worked through construction, evaluated contracts, managed people, spent money, lost money, changed direction, and learned more than I ever expected to know about the parts of business that have nothing to do with performing a treatment.

Some mistakes were small.

Some were expensive.

Some taught me something immediately.

Others took longer to understand.

I do not believe entrepreneurship is about avoiding every bad decision.

That is impossible.

I believe it is about becoming better at recognizing patterns, asking better questions, protecting yourself, and not making the same expensive mistake over and over again.

These are some of the business lessons I learned the hard way.

Mistake #1: Thinking Revenue Meant the Business Was Healthy

One of the easiest traps in business is becoming obsessed with revenue.

Revenue feels exciting.

It is easy to track.

It looks good in a screenshot.

It is easy to compare year over year.

But revenue by itself does not tell you whether the business is healthy.

A company can produce impressive sales and still have:

• Poor margins

• Excessive payroll

• Heavy debt

• High equipment costs

• Weak retention

• Low cash reserves

• Too many discounts

• Too many underperforming services

The lesson I learned was simple:

Revenue is only the beginning of the conversation.

Now I care much more about what is left after the business pays for what it took to generate that revenue.

I look at profitability, payroll, provider production, expenses, retention, average ticket, and cash flow.

A bigger number is not always a better business.

Mistake #2: Believing a Good Month Meant I Could Spend More

When a business has a strong month, it is tempting to act like that level of performance is permanent.

You think:

We can afford this now.

We can add another payment.

We can upgrade.

We can hire.

We can expand.

Then the next month is slower.

Or an unexpected expense appears.

Or equipment needs service.

Or marketing changes.

I learned that a strong month should not automatically create a new fixed expense.

Sometimes the smartest thing you can do with a strong month is:

Keep the money.

Build reserves.

Give the business room to breathe.

Cash is not wasted money.

Cash is flexibility.

Mistake #3: Buying Based on Possibility Instead of Proven Demand

Aesthetic equipment sales conversations can be very convincing.

You hear:

“If you perform only two treatments per day…”

“This device can generate…”

“Most practices see…”

All of that sounds exciting.

But the lesson I learned is that:

A device’s theoretical earning potential and your actual market demand are not the same thing.

Now I ask much harder questions.

Do our clients actually want this?

Are they already asking for it?

How crowded is the local market?

What is the real treatment price?

What is the payment?

What are consumables?

How expensive is service?

What is the warranty?

How much marketing will it require?

How many treatments do we need to sell each month for this purchase to make sense?

A device should fit the business.

The business should not have to reorganize itself to justify a device.

Mistake #4: Underestimating the True Cost of Equipment

The purchase price is only one number.

An aesthetic device may also include:

• Financing

• Interest

• Consumables

• Handpieces

• Replacement parts

• Service calls

• Preventive maintenance

• Calibration

• Training

• Downtime

• Repairs

• Software

• Warranty limitations

A device can look affordable until you calculate what it actually costs to own.

That changed how I evaluate purchases.

Now I want to understand the lifetime cost, not just the purchase price.

Mistake #5: Thinking Cheaper Automatically Meant Better Value

This applies to equipment, contractors, software, vendors, and sometimes even hiring.

I used to focus more heavily on:

What does this cost?

Now I also ask:

What does choosing the wrong option cost?

A cheaper vendor who creates delays can cost more.

A cheaper device that requires repeated repairs can cost more.

A cheaper contractor who creates change orders can cost more.

A cheaper software platform that creates inefficiency can cost more.

Price matters.

But value is larger than price.

Mistake #6: Trusting the Sales Conversation More Than the Contract

This is a lesson I would tell every new business owner:

The conversation is not the agreement.

What matters is what is written.

A salesperson may explain something one way.

A contractor may say something verbally.

A vendor may promise flexibility.

But if the written agreement says something different, that is a problem.

Now I pay much more attention to:

• Cancellation

• Renewal

• Warranty

• Term

• Payment

• Personal guarantees

• Default

• Dispute language

• Service obligations

• What happens if something fails

If a contract matters enough to sign, it matters enough to read carefully.

Mistake #7: Moving Too Quickly Because I Was Afraid the Opportunity Would Disappear

Urgency can be useful.

It can also be manipulated.

Business owners hear things like:

“This pricing expires Friday.”

“Someone else is looking at the space.”

“This unit will sell.”

“We need a decision today.”

Sometimes urgency is real.

Sometimes it is simply pressure.

I have learned that the bigger the financial commitment, the less comfortable I am allowing artificial urgency to make the decision for me.

A good opportunity should still make sense after you ask questions.

Mistake #8: Not Asking Enough Questions Before Construction

Construction is one of the fastest ways to discover how many things you did not know you needed to ask about.

Who is responsible for permits?

What is included?

What is excluded?

Who pays for engineering?

What happens if conditions change?

How are change orders approved?

Who controls the schedule?

What is the payment structure?

What happens if the project is delayed?

What materials are actually included?

A construction number without scope means very little.

I learned that the more expensive the project, the more specific the questions need to become.

Mistake #9: Underestimating How Much Buildouts Can Grow

The first number can feel manageable.

Then come:

• Architecture

• Engineering

• Permits

• Electrical

• Plumbing

• HVAC

• Structural work

• Fire requirements

• Accessibility

• Fixtures

• Signage

• Furniture

• Technology

• Change orders

Commercial projects can become expensive quickly.

I now believe every major project needs contingency.

Not because you plan poorly.

Because reality is unpredictable.

Mistake #10: Falling in Love With the Space Before Finishing the Math

It is easy to emotionally move into a building before you actually own or lease it.

You can picture the treatment rooms.

The classroom.

The signage.

The lobby.

That imagination is exciting.

But a beautiful space can still be a terrible financial decision.

The lesson:

Do the math before the mood board.

Location, financing, buildout, zoning, parking, operating costs, and long-term obligations matter more than how attractive the space looks in your head.

Mistake #11: Believing More Employees Automatically Meant More Growth

Hiring can feel like progress.

You add a provider.

You add another treatment room.

The business looks bigger.

But employees create expenses before they create productivity.

Payroll happens immediately.

Clientele may not.

Training takes time.

Management takes time.

A new employee may increase revenue.

Or simply increase overhead.

Now I think about hiring differently.

I ask:

What specific constraint are we solving?

Do we have enough demand?

Who will train this person?

What does success in the role look like?

How long can the business support the position while it ramps up?

Hiring should solve a business problem.

Not just make the company look bigger.

Mistake #12: Waiting Too Long to Address Performance Problems

This is one of the hardest leadership lessons.

When someone is underperforming, you want to believe things will improve.

You give more time.

You avoid making the person uncomfortable.

You hope.

But unclear feedback helps nobody.

I learned that expectations need to be specific.

What does success look like?

What number matters?

What behavior needs to change?

By when?

What support is available?

What happens if it does not improve?

A difficult conversation today can prevent a much more difficult problem later.

Mistake #13: Trying to Motivate Someone Who Did Not Want the Same Outcome

I care deeply about helping people succeed.

That can become a weakness if you assume everyone wants the same level of growth you want for them.

You can give:

• Training

• Opportunity

• Leads

• Coaching

• Feedback

• Resources

But eventually:

The person has to want it.

You cannot want someone else’s career more than they do.

That lesson helped me become clearer as a leader.

My responsibility is to create expectations, tools, feedback, and opportunity.

The other person has to choose what they do with them.

Mistake #14: Confusing Presence With Productivity

Someone can be at work all day and contribute very little.

That is especially important in service businesses.

If a provider has open time, that time can be used intentionally.

For example:

• Follow-up

• Client outreach

• Rebooking

• Reviews

• Before-and-afters

• Content

• Training

• Referral relationships

• Room organization

• Inventory

• Membership education

I learned that an empty schedule does not have to mean an unproductive day.

But the expectation needs to be clear.

Mistake #15: Thinking Technical Skill Was Enough When Hiring

A talented provider can still be a poor employee.

Technical skill matters.

But so do:

• Reliability

• Judgment

• Communication

• Sanitation

• Coachability

• Ethics

• Follow-through

• Professionalism

• Team behavior

• Client retention

I now care much more about the entire professional.

You can improve technique.

It is harder to fix attitude, dishonesty, or lack of accountability.

Mistake #16: Not Giving Enough Weight to Coachability

Some of the strongest people I have worked with were not the people who walked in acting like they knew everything.

They were the people who could hear:

“Try this differently.”

and respond with:

“Show me.”

That matters.

Especially in aesthetics.

Overconfidence can create risk.

I would rather work with someone who accurately knows what she does not know than someone who confidently guesses.

Mistake #17: Thinking I Had to Solve Every Problem Myself

Entrepreneurs are rewarded for resourcefulness.

That can turn into:

“I will just figure it out.”

Sometimes that is exactly what you should do.

Other times, it is the most expensive possible strategy.

There are situations where qualified professionals are worth the money.

For example:

• Attorneys

• Accountants

• Architects

• Engineers

• Insurance brokers

• Tax professionals

• HR experts

I still believe owners should understand what is happening.

But understanding does not mean doing everything yourself.

Mistake #18: Waiting Too Long to Delegate

When you build something yourself, you get used to being the answer.

People ask you.

You decide.

You fix.

That works at a small scale.

Then it becomes the bottleneck.

I have had to learn that if every decision comes through me, the business cannot grow beyond my capacity.

Delegation is difficult because it requires accepting that someone else may do something differently.

The standard should be:

Does it get done correctly?

Not:

Did they do it exactly the way I would have?

Mistake #19: Not Building Systems Early Enough

When you are small, you can carry a lot in your head.

Then the business grows.

Now people need to know:

• How to open

• How to close

• How to handle complaints

• How to document

• How to follow up

• How to clean

• How to reorder

• How to process a refund

• How to handle a late client

• How to perform a consultation

If it lives only in your brain, it is not a system.

It is dependency.

I would document far more, far earlier.

Mistake #20: Thinking a Written Policy Was Enough

A policy does not matter if it is never enforced.

This was an important leadership lesson.

You can write:

Attendance matters.

Sanitation matters.

Performance matters.

But if repeated violations have no consequence, the real policy is:

It does not matter.

Culture is what you tolerate.

That is uncomfortable, but true.

Mistake #21: Underestimating How Much Marketing the Business Would Always Need

There is no finish line in marketing.

You do not get to say:

“We already marketed last year.”

Businesses need continual visibility.

Clients move.

People age into new services.

Competitors enter the market.

Search behavior changes.

Platforms change.

Marketing is not something you turn on only when the schedule gets scary.

It needs to become part of the operating system.

Mistake #22: Depending Too Heavily on Social Media

Social media can be incredible.

But it is rented land.

The algorithm decides who sees you.

A platform can change overnight.

Accounts can be restricted.

Reach can collapse.

I learned to care much more about channels I can build more permanently:

• Website

• Search visibility

• Email

• Reviews

• Client relationships

• Referrals

• Brand reputation

Social media is a tool.

It should not be the only foundation.

Mistake #23: Not Understanding SEO Earlier

One of the biggest shifts in my marketing thinking came when I realized the difference between:

Someone who sees you while scrolling

and:

Someone who actively searches for the service you provide.

Search intent is powerful.

A person typing:

“Morpheus8 Denver”

or:

“laser hair removal Denver”

may already be in decision mode.

That is why I became much more serious about building educational, useful pages that answer real questions.

SEO is slow.

But when it works, it becomes an asset.

I wish I had treated it as an asset earlier.

Mistake #24: Thinking a Beautiful Website Was Enough

A beautiful website can still fail.

It needs to answer:

What do you do?

Who is it for?

Why should I trust you?

How much does it cost?

What happens?

What are the risks?

What results are realistic?

How do I book?

If a website creates more questions than it answers, it is not doing enough.

I now think of a website as part salesperson, part educator, part trust builder.

Mistake #25: Chasing New Clients Before Fixing Retention

New clients are exciting.

You can see the lead count.

You can see bookings.

But a business that constantly replaces clients is fragile.

I learned to pay much more attention to:

• Rebooking

• Return rate

• Reviews

• Referrals

• Client lifetime value

• Membership behavior

The easiest client to market to may be the one who already trusted you once.

Do not ignore her while chasing strangers.

Mistake #26: Discounting Without a Strategy

Discounts can work.

But the question is:

What behavior are we trying to create?

If you discount just because the schedule looks slow, you may attract people who are loyal only to price.

Now I want a promotion to have a purpose.

For example:

• New client acquisition

• Membership conversion

• Package commitment

• Seasonal demand

• New service trial

A sale should solve a business problem.

Not just create activity.

Mistake #27: Confusing Busy With Successful

There have been times where a full schedule looked great but the economics deserved a closer look.

If:

• Prices are too low

• Labor is high

• Discounts are deep

• Consumables are expensive

• Device payments are heavy

you can be busy and still not have a healthy service.

I learned that every appointment should not automatically be celebrated the same way.

Some revenue is more valuable than other revenue.

Mistake #28: Keeping Services Because We Already Invested in Them

This is a dangerous thought:

“We already spent money on this, so we need to keep pushing it.”

Sometimes the smarter decision is to accept that something is not performing as expected.

That might be:

• A service

• A device

• A marketing strategy

• A vendor

• A process

Past spending does not make a bad future decision better.

I have become more willing to ask:

If we were deciding today, would we still choose this?

If not, why are we still doing it?

Mistake #29: Letting Ego Make Decisions

Entrepreneurship can become very personal.

You want the bigger location.

The impressive device.

The bigger team.

The milestone.

Sometimes the business supports that decision.

Sometimes your ego does.

I have learned to ask:

Would I still want this if nobody else knew I had it?

That question can be revealing.

Mistake #30: Thinking Bigger Automatically Meant Better

More square footage.

More employees.

More services.

More devices.

More revenue.

All of those can be positive.

They can also create:

• More payroll

• More management

• More rent

• More debt

• More complexity

• More stress

Growth should create something valuable.

Not just something larger.

Mistake #31: Expanding Before Making Sure the Core Was Strong

A new location does not fix weak operations.

Hiring more people does not fix bad management.

More marketing does not fix poor retention.

New technology does not fix weak positioning.

Expansion amplifies what already exists.

That is why I increasingly believe:

Strengthen first. Scale second.

Mistake #32: Underestimating How Much Leadership Matters

At a certain point, the business stops being primarily about what you personally can do.

It becomes about what the team can do consistently.

That means your role changes.

You need to:

• Set standards

• Communicate

• Give feedback

• Make decisions

• Build culture

• Hold people accountable

• Develop leaders

Leadership is not an optional skill once you have a team.

Mistake #33: Trying to Be Liked More Than Trying to Be Clear

This is especially hard for owners who care about their teams.

You do not want to hurt feelings.

You want people to like working for you.

But unclear leadership creates frustration.

People need to know:

What is expected?

What is acceptable?

What is not?

What happens when the standard is not met?

You can be kind and clear at the same time.

In fact, I think that is usually kinder.

Mistake #34: Avoiding Boundaries Because I Wanted to Be Helpful

When you care about people, it is easy to overextend.

One more exception.

One more favor.

One more accommodation.

Eventually, the exception becomes the expectation.

I have learned that boundaries protect the business.

They also protect relationships.

Clarity is easier than resentment.

Mistake #35: Treating Every Problem Like an Emergency

Entrepreneurship can create a constant sense of urgency.

A bad review.

A cancellation.

A slow day.

An employee issue.

A vendor problem.

A website issue.

In the beginning, everything can feel catastrophic.

I have become much better at asking:

Is this actually an emergency?

Some things need immediate action.

Others need thought.

Panic is rarely a business strategy.

Mistake #36: Making Decisions From Fear

Fear can make you:

Discount too much.

Keep a bad employee too long.

Avoid raising prices.

Say yes to a bad contract.

Buy equipment because competitors have it.

Spend money because sales are slow.

Or refuse to invest when the numbers actually support it.

I try much harder now to separate:

What am I afraid of?

from:

What does the information say?

Mistake #37: Not Tracking Enough Data Early

When you do not track something, you rely on feeling.

“It seems busy.”

“I think clients like this.”

“I feel like Instagram is working.”

That is not enough.

Now I care about:

• Revenue

• Provider production

• Average ticket

• Rebooking

• Retention

• Reviews

• Lead sources

• Membership performance

• Marketing conversion

• Expenses

Numbers do not make every decision.

But they make bad assumptions easier to detect.

Mistake #38: Looking at the Wrong Metrics

Followers can be nice.

Views can be exciting.

Revenue can sound impressive.

But what do they actually lead to?

I care more now about metrics connected to real outcomes.

For example:

Did the traffic convert?

Did the client return?

Did the provider produce?

Did the campaign generate profitable revenue?

Did the membership improve retention?

A metric should help you make a decision.

Mistake #39: Not Thinking Enough About Opportunity Cost

Every yes costs something.

Money.

Time.

Energy.

Attention.

If I spend $50,000 on one device, what can I not do with that $50,000?

If I spend six months on one project, what else does not get my attention?

Opportunity cost became much more important as the businesses grew.

You cannot pursue everything.

Strategy is partly deciding what to ignore.

Mistake #40: Thinking I Could Outwork Every Problem

Hard work matters.

I believe in it.

But some problems cannot be solved by working longer.

If the pricing is wrong, working more may make things worse.

If the role is unclear, more hours do not fix it.

If the system is broken, effort is not the same as correction.

I learned that:

Work ethic and strategy are not substitutes for one another.

You need both.

Mistake #41: Making Myself Too Essential

At first, doing everything personally can keep costs low.

Eventually, it creates a business that cannot function without you.

That is not freedom.

That is another job.

I have had to learn how to:

• Delegate

• Train

• Document

• Build systems

• Let other people own outcomes

That transition is uncomfortable.

But necessary.

Mistake #42: Tying My Identity Too Closely to Being the Provider

Part of my career was built through hands-on esthetics and permanent makeup.

That work mattered to me.

Then the business began needing me differently.

As a:

• Owner

• Educator

• Strategist

• Leader

• Marketer

Stepping back from providing services can feel like you are giving something up.

I eventually realized:

Your role changing does not mean your value is decreasing.

Sometimes it means the opposite.

Mistake #43: Thinking Motherhood and Business Could Be Perfectly Balanced

I spent a long time believing there might be a magical point where everything would fit neatly.

Business.

Motherhood.

Home.

Personal life.

It does not work like that for me.

There are seasons.

Sometimes business gets more.

Sometimes my son needs more.

Sometimes I know I have been too focused on work and I need to correct it.

I stopped trying to achieve perfect balance.

I started trying to stay aware enough to notice when something important is being neglected.

Mistake #44: Comparing My Capacity to People With Different Lives

This is something I think many mothers do.

You look at another entrepreneur and think:

She is doing more.

She grew faster.

She posts more.

She has more locations.

But maybe she does not have your responsibilities.

Or your goals.

Or your financial obligations.

Or your family structure.

Comparison is dangerous when you remove context.

I try to ask:

What is the right pace for my actual life?

Not:

What is everyone else doing?

Mistake #45: Thinking Every Opportunity Had to Be Taken

Not every opportunity is a good one.

Some opportunities are distractions.

Some create revenue but no profit.

Some create visibility but consume too much time.

Some sound exciting but move you away from the business you actually want.

Learning to say no has become one of the most valuable business skills I have developed.

Mistake #46: Waiting for Confidence Before Making Certain Decisions

There are decisions you will never feel completely ready for.

Hiring.

Firing.

Expanding.

Changing strategy.

Raising prices.

Delegating.

Stepping back.

You can gather information.

You can ask advisors.

You can calculate.

Then eventually, you have to decide.

Confidence often comes after the decision.

Not before.

Mistake #47: Thinking Changing My Mind Meant I Had Failed

I think differently about this now.

Sometimes new information makes the old decision wrong.

That does not mean the original decision was stupid.

It may simply mean:

The situation changed.

Or:

You learned.

Staying committed to a decision only because you already announced it is not leadership.

I have become much more comfortable changing course.

Mistake #48: Not Realizing How Much Business Ownership Would Change Me

I thought I was building companies.

I did not fully understand that the companies were also building me.

Entrepreneurship forced me to become:

More analytical.

More skeptical.

More patient.

More direct.

More comfortable with uncertainty.

Better at asking questions.

Better at saying no.

Better at admitting I was wrong.

And better at understanding how little I actually control.

That may be one of the most valuable outcomes.

The Most Expensive Mistakes Usually Started With One of These Thoughts

Looking back, many bad decisions began with something like:

“It will probably be fine.”

“We can make the numbers work.”

“I don't want to lose the opportunity.”

“They said it was included.”

“We'll figure it out later.”

“Everyone else is doing it.”

“If we just sell enough, it will pay for itself.”

Those sentences make me much more cautious now.

Not fearful.

Cautious.

There is a difference.

What I Do Differently Now

I ask more questions.

I ask for things in writing.

I calculate worst-case scenarios.

I care about cash.

I review the downside, not only the upside.

I separate revenue from profit.

I track performance.

I think longer before adding fixed expenses.

I hire more intentionally.

I give feedback earlier.

I protect my time more.

I am more willing to change direction.

And I have become much less interested in looking successful.

I care much more about building something that is actually healthy.

The Business Questions I Ask Myself Now

Before making a major decision, I often think through questions like:

Does this solve a real problem?

Do we have evidence of demand?

What happens if the optimistic case does not happen?

What is the downside?

Can the business survive the downside?

What does this add to fixed costs?

What does this require from me personally?

Does this make the business stronger—or just bigger?

Would I make this decision if nobody else knew about it?

If I were starting from zero today, would I still choose this?

Those questions have saved me from decisions that the earlier version of me probably would have made much faster.

Would I Undo the Mistakes?

Some of them?

Absolutely.

I would happily take the money back.

But I would not want to lose the judgment that came from them.

There is a difference between reading:

“Be careful with fixed expenses.”

and feeling the consequences of too many fixed expenses.

There is a difference between hearing:

“Hire slowly.”

and learning firsthand how much a wrong hire can cost the team.

Experience creates a different kind of understanding.

My goal now is to share some of those lessons so another person does not have to pay quite as much tuition to entrepreneurship as I did.

What I Want New Entrepreneurs to Understand

You are going to get things wrong.

Do not build your identity around never making mistakes.

Build your identity around:

Learning quickly.

Taking responsibility.

Correcting.

Adapting.

Being willing to ask for help.

And not repeating the same mistake because your ego refuses to admit the first one happened.

A mistake becomes much more expensive when you refuse to learn from it.

What I Would Tell My Younger Self

I would say:

Protect your cash.

Read the contract.

Ask more questions.

Do not buy based on excitement.

Revenue is not profit.

A full schedule is not automatically a healthy business.

The wrong employee costs more than the empty position.

A bigger company is not automatically a better company.

You do not have to say yes because someone created urgency.

You are allowed to change your mind.

You are allowed to evolve out of the role that got you started.

Your son will not remember the revenue number.

Do not let the business consume the life you built it to support.

And when something goes wrong:

Do not immediately ask:

Who caused this?

Ask:

What is this trying to teach me?

That question has been more useful than almost any business book.

Frequently Asked Questions About Business Mistakes

What is the biggest mistake new business owners make?

There is no single answer, but misunderstanding the economics is a major one. Revenue, profit, cash flow, payroll, debt, and fixed expenses all matter. A business can grow quickly and still become financially unhealthy.

What is the biggest hiring mistake?

Hiring before there is enough demand, hiring primarily from urgency, or focusing only on technical skill without evaluating reliability, judgment, coachability, and professionalism can all create problems.

What is the biggest equipment-buying mistake in aesthetics?

Buying based on theoretical revenue instead of actual client demand and full ownership costs. Equipment should fit an existing business strategy rather than create the need for one.

Is it normal to make expensive mistakes in business?

Yes. Almost every entrepreneur makes decisions they would approach differently with hindsight. The important issue is whether you identify the lesson, adjust your process, and avoid repeatedly making the same mistake.

How do I make better business decisions?

Slow down major decisions, gather relevant data, calculate downside scenarios, read contracts, seek qualified advice when necessary, and identify whether the decision solves a genuine business problem.

Should I avoid risk in business?

Not necessarily. Entrepreneurship involves risk. The goal is not to eliminate it but to understand it. Ask what happens if the decision works, what happens if it does not, and whether you can survive the downside.

How do I know when to change a business strategy?

If the data consistently contradict the assumptions behind the strategy, the economics do not work, the market changes, or new information materially changes the situation, it may be time to reconsider rather than continuing solely because you already invested time or money.

Is failure necessary to become a successful entrepreneur?

You do not need to intentionally fail, but setbacks and mistakes are common. The value comes from examining what happened and improving your judgment rather than romanticizing failure itself.

The Mistakes Are Not the Story

I do not want this page to sound like entrepreneurship has been one long list of things going wrong.

It hasn't.

I've built businesses I am incredibly proud of.

I've worked with talented people.

I've watched students build careers.

I've served clients.

I've built brands.

I've learned skills I never imagined I would need.

I've created opportunities for myself and others.

The mistakes are simply part of how that happened.

The polished version of business is easy to share.

The lessons behind it are more useful.

That is what I want EricaRoybal.com to become:

A place where I can talk about both.

The things that worked.

And the things I wish I had done differently.

Because if my mistake can help someone else ask one better question before signing, hiring, buying, expanding, or spending—

then at least part of the tuition was worth it.

— Erica Roybal

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What I Wish I Knew Before Opening a Med Spa

A deeper look at money, equipment, hiring, leases, construction, marketing, SEO, growth, and the realities behind opening an aesthetics business.

[READ WHAT I WISH I KNEW BEFORE OPENING A MED SPA →]

Should You Open Your Own Esthetics Business?

If you're still deciding whether entrepreneurship is right for you, start here.

[READ THE ESTHETICS BUSINESS GUIDE →]

How I Built My Esthetics Businesses While Raising My Son

The story behind my career, motherhood, Denver Dream Medspa, Colorado Aesthetics Academy, and how my definition of success changed along the way.

[READ MY STORY →]

How to Market Yourself as an Esthetician

Learn how to build professional authority, local visibility, and a personal brand clients recognize.

[READ THE PERSONAL BRAND GUIDE →]

How to Build an Esthetician Clientele

Learn how to build retention, referrals, reviews, rebooking, and long-term client relationships.

[READ THE CLIENTELE GUIDE →]