Hear from SILK’s Founder and Managing Director, Martin Perelman
In 2009, SILK Laser Clinics began with a simple belief: if you take care of people properly, everything else will follow.
When Founder Martin Perelman and three friends decided to start the business, each committed $50,000. Martin didn’t have his full share, so he borrowed it, backing the vision and the work it would take to build something meaningful.
That first $200,000 funded two second‑hand lasers repaired in a Sydney garage, a logo and website created by family and friends, and the first two team members hired through a newspaper ad.
There was no rush, no shortcuts, just care, consistency and a commitment to doing things the right way.
Today, SILK has grown into nearly 200 clinics across Australia and New Zealand, guided by the same principles it started with: personalised care, long‑term relationships, and being genuinely obsessed with helping people feel confident in their skin.
Learn more about our SILK story in the Growth Diaries podcast hosted by Sudheer Koneru, Founder and CEO of Zenoti
“I’d rather own 10–15% of a massive company than 100% of three, four or five clinics in Adelaide. People don’t really invest in the company — they invest in management’s ability to execute a plan. We never let profit get in the way of putting the right resources in place, because we knew that if the resources were there, profit would follow as we grew.”
Growth Diaries — the fascinating stories behind some of the best brands in beauty, wellness and fitness.
Hosted by Sud Koneru.
Imagine pulling together your savings with friends to start a business in a garage. Fast forward to today, and that dream has become one of the largest and most respected names in the cosmetic and wellness industry.
Our guest today is Martin Perelman, Co‑Founder and CEO of SILK Laser Clinics, who turned that early idea into reality. From pursuing golf in college, to selling Swiss watches, to building an empire of more than 100 clinics, Martin’s journey is nothing short of remarkable.
With a sharp focus on expansion, customer experience and community, Martin has redefined what it means to look — and feel — good.
In this episode, we explore:
- Martin’s growth journey
- The pursuit of quality at scale
- The role of franchising in building a sustainable business
Welcome to Growth Diaries, Martin.
Martin Perelman:
Thank you — it’s an absolute pleasure to be here.
Before founding SILK Laser Clinics, Martin spent more than a decade working in a completely different industry.
“I’d been working for about 10 years before SILK,” Martin explains. “I was living in Sydney and working in Swiss watches, in a variety of sales roles. That’s really where I cut my teeth and learned how business works.”
While the corporate world provided a strong foundation, Martin quickly realised it wasn’t where he wanted to stay long‑term.
“Working for big Swiss companies made one thing clear to me — my ultimate goal was always to start my own business. I didn’t want to be corporate forever. That desire to build something of my own was my motivation.”
SILK’s beginnings were modest — and risky.
In 2008–2009, cosmetic laser hair removal was only just emerging in Australia. One of Martin’s housemates was working in laser repair and began to see early signs of opportunity in the industry.
“He’d taken a short‑term job repairing cosmetic lasers and started noticing how quickly the space was growing,” Martin says. “We were both around 30 at the time, and he wanted to try opening one or two laser clinics as our first businesses.”
With no prior experience in the industry, Martin decided to take the leap.
There were four founders, each contributing $50,000. Martin didn’t have the full amount and borrowed $30,000 from the bank — something he now jokes is “rule number one of what not to do.”
With $200,000 total, they:
- Bought two second‑hand lasers
- Repaired them in a Sydney garage
- Designed the brand using friends and family
- Built the website and logo for around $8,000
- Advertised for staff in newspapers (before online job ads were common)
“We started with two staff, a website, and a clinic — and that was it. We were up and running.”
With no brand recognition and no industry background, customer acquisition had to be scrappy and practical.
“Our strategy was digital — which sounds obvious now, but back in 2009 it wasn’t,” Martin explains. “There were still so many traditional marketing methods being used.”
Early growth came from:
- Friends and family
- Local community events
- Word of mouth
- Early Google reviews
- Basic social media activity
The first clinic was a high‑street location in Adelaide.
“We grew week by week,” Martin says. “It was very small, very local, and very hands‑on.”
Several years later, the business made a pivotal shift — moving into shopping centres.
“Shopping centres were expensive, so we avoided them early on,” he explains. “The rent difference between a high street and a centre is huge, and the sales volume required is dramatically higher.”
Eventually, the team tested one or two shopping centre locations — a decision that would shape the next phase of growth.
Moving into shopping centres wasn’t just about foot traffic — it was about understanding customer behaviour.
“Our core customer is typically a woman in her mid‑to‑late 30s, often with kids,” Martin explains. “So we focused on locations that served that demographic.”
Being near grocery stores like Coles and Woolworths became a deliberate strategy.
“That placement mattered for two reasons,” he says.
“First, our customer was already there. Second, grocery stores trade late, which allowed us to stay open until 9pm and service clients after hours.”
This combination of convenience, visibility and accessibility helped SILK scale faster while staying connected to its audience.
SILK began franchising earlier than many people might expect.
“Our first franchisee came in around clinic seven or eight,” Martin says. “Up until then, we were opening roughly one clinic a year, all in South Australia.”
Between 2009 and 2015, the business grew slowly but steadily, reaching around six clinics in Adelaide. At that point, growth ambitions and founder realities began to shift.
“Some of our original founders wanted to exit, and that’s when we brought in our first external investment,” Martin explains. “That investment didn’t just bring capital — it brought franchising expertise.”
One of the investors had successfully built a franchise business previously and helped create SILK’s first franchise documentation and model.
“We knew nothing about franchising early on,” Martin admits. “So we brought in people who did.”
Franchising wasn’t about funding growth — it was about protecting talent and service quality.
“We’re a service business,” Martin says. “We’re not selling clothes or widgets. Everything depends on people.”
The corporate model, he explains, is challenging in service‑led industries where staff expertise directly affects outcomes.
“Having owner‑operators working in the business — managing staff, delivering services, leading teams — was critical,” he says. “It helped us lock in talent.”
Rather than letting skilled clinic managers or nurses leave to start competing businesses, SILK chose to partner with them.
“In some cases, we even acted as the bank,” Martin explains. “We would lend money at commercial rates to help key people buy into a clinic, rather than forcing them to go to a bank.”
Those loans were repaid before dividends were distributed — a structure designed to prioritise long‑term sustainability over short‑term growth.
“Talent was always number one,” Martin says. “Not growing at all costs.”
One of the most important lessons Martin learned was the danger of under‑resourcing during growth phases.
“Businesses often fall over when they don’t anticipate the step‑change in resources required as they scale,” he says.
As SILK expanded, compliance requirements grew more complex:
- Laser regulations differed by state
- Medicines and poisons legislation applied to aesthetic services
- Advertising regulations added further layers of oversight
“We always tried to build those resources in advance,” Martin explains. “Sometimes it stretched us financially, but we never let profit get in the way of putting the right resources in place.”
The philosophy was simple: build capability first, then grow.
“If the resources were there, profit would come as we added more clinics.”
In the early years, laser hair removal was highly profitable. Over time, competition increased, prices dropped, rents rose, and margins tightened.
“That forced us to evolve,” Martin says.
SILK expanded into:
- A broader range of skin treatments
- Aesthetic services
- Proprietary skincare products
“We went from being a pure laser business to a full‑service clinic model,” he explains.
New services were introduced cautiously and deliberately — starting small, testing demand, and scaling gradually.
“We never chased hype,” Martin says. “We focused on efficacy, return on investment, and long‑term relevance.”
The beauty and aesthetics industry evolves rapidly, with new technologies launching constantly.
“We take a very pragmatic view,” Martin explains. “We don’t want machines gathering dust.”
Before introducing any new technology, SILK evaluates:
- Clinical outcomes
- Capital and consumable costs
- Return on investment
- Long‑term demand
Even with white papers and supplier data, the business conducts its own internal testing — often over six months — before rolling anything out nationally.
“We’re happy to be second to market,” Martin says. “We don’t need to be first unless we have exclusivity.”
Despite national scale, SILK has never abandoned local marketing.
“We give franchisees a full library of marketing tools,” Martin explains. “But how they use them locally is up to them.”
That includes:
- Community events
- Local sponsorships
- VIP clinic nights
- Partnerships aligned to local demographics
“We want franchisees to be household names in their own communities,” he says. “We’re not one big corporate — we’re a network of small business owners.”
Asked what has contributed most to his success, Martin points to people.
“I’m only as good as the team around me,” he says.
His management team has remained largely intact since 2017–2018 — an achievement he considers rare and critical.
“High turnover destroys institutional knowledge,” he explains. “When talent walks out the door, IP walks with it.”
Outside work, Martin prioritises balance — particularly family and time away from the business.
“Friday afternoons are sacred,” he says. “From midday onwards, I’m on ‘do not disturb’ and head to the golf course. It’s how I reset.”
Martin is candid about ownership and investment.
“I’d rather own 10–15% of a massive company than 100% of a small one,” he says.
Over time, SILK:
- Took on high‑net‑worth investment
- Partnered with private equity
- Listed on the ASX
- Was ultimately acquired by Wesfarmers
“People don’t invest in the company,” Martin explains. “They invest in management’s ability to execute the plan.”
Dilution, he says, is a trade‑off — but one that enables founders to build something far larger than they could alone.
“You’re still the talent executing the story,” he says. “And that comes with more opportunity, not less.”
Today, SILK operates nearly 200 clinics across Australia and New Zealand and continues to grow as part of the Wesfarmers Health Medi‑Aesthetics division.
Looking back, Martin credits planning, patience and people.
“Know what you want to build. Plan for it. Put the talent and resources in place early. And don’t lose sight of why you started.”
Streaming links
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Apple Podcast: https://shorturl.at/dblHw
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