Renew Medical Aesthetics: Non-surgical treatments

Tristah Romero-Kelly knew even as a kid she wanted to work in the medical field, and she spent years working as a nurse and a nurse practitioner. However, she never dreamed she would start her own wellness business. She did just that when she opened Renew Medical Aesthetics in September 2019, in Oak Creek, WI. 

Tristah discovered the world of aesthetics while mentoring a student when she working as a board-certified nurse practitioner. She fell in love with everything about it and knew this is where she belonged. Since then, she has been working hard to master her craft. “I love when I can give my clients their confidence back,” she said. 

THE BUSINESS

Renew Medical Aesthetics offers non-surgical aesthetics treatments. Tristah believes, “If you look good, you feel good. I wanted to continue to do healing work but in a different way.” When Racine County Economic Development Corporation helped Tristah obtain additional funding in 2021, she knew it was time to purchase a new facility and relocate her business to Racine. 

The business has undergone many changes since its humble beginnings. Tristah was originally the only employee at Renew Medical Aesthetics. Since opening, she has added another full-time Wisconsin State Licensed Esthetician who speaks fluent Spanish and a receptionist. She also now offers ten different medical spa services and hopes to add laser treatments to these offerings in the future. 

Even setbacks have ultimately helped the business expand. When COVID-19 hit in 2020, the business closed for two months. However, thanks in part to federal funding programs like the PPP grant and the EIDL loan, Tristah was able to launch e-commerce sales of her products and begin virtual consultations with clients. Both of these adaptions have been so beneficial to clients, she plans to keep them going even after the pandemic. 

THE SUPPORT

This successful business owner credits lots of entrepreneur support organizations with her success. In the beginning, she worked with Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC) for her initial business loan and with SCORE to help educate herself on entrepreneurship. She also received support from the Oak Creek Chamber of Commerce. Tristah completed the Scale Up Milwaukee program as part of their fifth cohort of businesses. She came to the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Parkside in early 2020 for more assistance. 

She worked with Mary Fischer-Tracy at the SBDC to update her business plan and financial projections. Tristah said, “Mary was amazing! She was sweet and understanding and provided me with the advice I needed even though mine is not a common industry.” 

Tristah is planning to add team members and enhanced technology in the future. She wants to see her practice become a full-service medical spa offering additional services like massage and using new technology like non-invasion devices to address skin concerns. The SBDC and the other support organizations are excited to see what Renew Medical Aesthetics does next.