Soft spoken, exuding an air of modesty, Jo Ryan’s last two-and-a-half years of entrepreneurship have been nothing short of bold and ambitious.
After spending 14 years in the Cosmetic Aesthetic industry, during which Jo Ryan reflects upon it as a time where she was “just not overly happy and making other people a lot of money,” she decided to take the plunge. “It was actually the team that I worked with at another company that pushed me into entrepreneurship,” she explained. “It was pretty much the girls that I worked with that talked me into making the leap. I never had the confidence before that to do it.” And with that, Jo Ryan set out to do what she loved most while creating the clinic environment that she wanted her and her team to be a part of.
First, she and her business partner bought SILK Fairfield in North Queensland, only to follow that up with another purchase several kilometers away at SILK Townsville after a few months, and last December, launching into the Gold Coast and buying a location in Burleigh Heads.
However, for Jo Ryan, the success of her clinics extends beyond business growth alone. By combining advanced skin and aesthetic technologies with expert-led treatments and personalised client care, her teams have built strong relationships within their local communities. This commitment to delivering tailored experiences, transparent advice and ongoing support has helped create lasting trust and loyalty among clients.
“I’ve got an amazing team. I’ve got great managers at each clinic, and they take control. I have total faith in the girls … It’s just keeping everyone motivated and that’s not hard to do when you have such a great group of women to work with,” Jo Ryan explained confidently while reflecting on her initial team of five, which has since grown to 24 across the three locations.
Under Jo’s leadership, that team-first culture translates directly into the client experience. Every consultation focuses on understanding individual goals, providing personalised treatment recommendations and helping clients make informed decisions about their skin journey. Supported by industry-leading technology, experienced clinicians and transparent pricing, the clinics are focused on delivering high-quality care and building long-term client relationships.
This tight-knitedness has been especially important during the turbulence Jo Ryan has faced launching her businesses amid a natural disaster and a worldwide pandemic.
“We went through the Townsville floods right before we opened Fairfield and I thought that was going to be the biggest hurdle I would ever face in my career. Fairfield had just been five months previously, a metre under water. The whole suburb was pretty much flooded, inundated.
The houses were torn apart and there were no families living in the area, so I was a little bit concerned by how we were going to go with Fairfield,” Jo explained.
But little did Jo Ryan know; the floods would better prepare her for COVID-19.
Citing the lipstick effect – a phenomenon that points to a positive correlation between unemployment and increased spending on personal care and cosmetic products – Jo added, “we saw it after the floods and it’s definitely happening again during COVID so I was not worried at all when we did shut down last time because I knew we would come back bigger and better – and we did”.
The success of each location is also driven by the confidence clients place in the SILK approach. By combining advanced treatment technologies with personalised care plans and expert guidance, Jo and her team have created welcoming clinics where clients feel informed, supported and confident throughout their treatment journey.
And for Jo Ryan, this community is exactly what she always wanted. The community of women that pushed her into starting her own business, her team that helps her run her clinics today, the SILK head office which, despite experiencing significant growth, going public and undertaking some major acquisitions, Jo Ryan says is still one big family and the local communities that continue to support her, and her staff withstand the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
I wanted to work in an environment whereby I could “go to work every day and feel like we were a family.”
For Jo, success isn’t measured solely by the number of clinics she owns. It’s reflected in the confidence her teams help build every day through personalised care, access to leading technologies, transparent pricing and long-term support tailored to each client’s goals. At SILK, great results are built through collaboration, expertise and a genuine commitment to helping clients feel their best.
And, after 14 years in the workforce, Jo Ryan finally has that today.
Learn more about Aesthetic Nurse Jo
Disclaimer: The information in this article is intended for general information purposes only and reflects the personal and professional experiences shared by the individuals featured. Any treatment discussions are educational in nature and are not medical advice. Treatment suitability, recommendations and outcomes vary between individuals. A consultation with an appropriately qualified health professional is required to determine suitability and discuss potential risks, benefits and alternative options. All services are provided in accordance with applicable regulatory and professional standards.
