After more than a decade working across the beauty and aesthetics industry, Sarah Debono made the decision to leave Adelaide and move to Cairns to open her own SILK Laser Clinics franchise. Entering a market with an established competitor and limited local brand recognition presented its challenges, but through dedication, industry expertise and a strong focus on client experience, Sarah and her father have grown the business significantly over the past five years.
Since opening, the clinic has built its reputation on delivering personalised care supported by advanced skin and laser technologies. Combined with SILK’s commitment to ongoing education and clinical training, the team focuses on helping clients feel confident, informed and supported throughout their treatment journey.
Citing the self-care boom, where Australia saw the demand in cosmetic enhancements skyrocket 50%, Debono has observed a growing focus on self-care and wellbeing, with more Australians investing in treatments and services that help them feel confident and supported in their daily lives.
Having been a beauty therapist for 10 years, Sarah Debono had worked in various pockets of the industry. “I started off as a masseuse in a day spa,” she said, explaining that it was her first full time job. While Sarah describes this stage of her career as an invaluable learning experience, she eventually found herself looking for new challenges and opportunities to expand her skills, adding that “… performing nine hours of massage a day was difficult on the body and the mind.” That curiosity and willingness to continue learning would become a defining theme throughout her career.
After 18 months, Debono was offered the opportunity to work alongside a cosmetic surgeon in upper-class Adelaide suburb of North Adelaide, assisting with hair transplants and liposuction, while she focused on medical skin treatments. While she also learnt a lot during her time in this medical practice, she found that in order to reach her personal goals, she had to move on.
That experience helped shape Sarah’s passion for combining professional expertise with results-focused technologies. Today, that same philosophy continues at SILK, where treatment recommendations are guided by education, experience and an understanding of each client’s individual goals.
While looking for the next step to take in her career, Debono, like many Adelaide residents, had been witnessing the rapid growth of beauty company, SILK.
“Seeing that SILK is a business born out of Adelaide, I had seen their progression and their growth next to my own,” she explained, adding that the brand had become a “statement to growth and advancement.”
For Sarah, watching the growth of SILK Laser Clinics reinforced what was possible when strong client relationships, quality care and a clear vision come together.
Beyond its growth, SILK’s commitment to advanced technology, clinician education and high-quality client care made the brand stand out. This focus on continual learning and innovation helps ensure clients receive informed recommendations and support tailored to their individual needs.
“With such strong marketing behind it, it has become a household name and hard for anyone like myself not to have heard about.” During this time, Debono had also moved onto working in a laser clinic, and saw first hand the opportunity that the laser hair removal industry presented. And, within two years, she moved to Cairns and never looked back.
Bringing together leading laser technologies and professionally trained practitioners, the Cairns clinic was established with a shared commitment to delivering a consistent, high-standard experience for every client from consultation through to ongoing care.
After returning from a visit to Cairns, Sarah recognised an opportunity to bring specialised laser and skin services to a growing community with limited access to those treatments at the time. With industry experience, ambition and a strong belief in the SILK model, she decided to explore what opening a clinic could look like.
“I said to him: ‘Dad, I have a business opportunity for you’,” she recalled. Shortly after, “We set up a meeting with co-founder and CEO Martin Perelman, and after two years, Dad and I opened our first clinic.”
What began as a conversation about possibility soon became a shared vision. For Sarah and her father, opening a clinic was not just about starting a business. It was about creating a place where clients could access supportive, professional care close to home.
Since opening the clinic, Sarah has grown her team from five therapists to a thriving group of professionals supporting a large and growing client base across the region. This growth reflects not only increasing demand, but also the strong relationships the team has built within the local community.
But like any entrepreneurial journey, it comes with its own challenges – It’s “like in any business everyone goes through their ups and downs,” Debono explains. “Our first and biggest challenge was opening the clinic when our competition had opened only 18 months prior. To grow our business with minimal reputation and second to market was a rough start.”
Sarah believes one of the most important aspects of building a successful clinic is investing in people and culture.
“With the heavy burden that comes with licencing and the risk involved with staff retention in an industry with significant high staff turnover,” Debono has had to hone in on her understanding of the value of staff morale and company culture. “In order to keep reaching new heights you need to understand the value of creating staff that are eager to learn from each other and are coming into work ready to motivate themselves.”
Creating an environment that supports growth, learning and collaboration has become a core focus of the clinic’s success. According to Sarah, a strong team culture benefits both employees and clients alike.
That culture of learning remains central to the clinic today. Ongoing education, professional development and knowledge sharing help ensure the team remains up to date with treatment innovations, advanced technologies and best-practice client care standards.
As the clinic has grown, so too has its focus on delivering a gold-standard client experience. By combining advanced treatment technologies, expert training and a supportive approach to care, the team continues to help clients navigate their skin, laser and body treatment journeys with confidence.
However, much of Debono’s story centers around the relationship and presence of her father. “I love working with dad – he’s my brakes and I’m the accelerator. He makes me calm down and be more strategic.
Their partnership combines different strengths and perspectives, creating a balance that has helped guide the business through both growth and challenges. While Sarah brings energy and ambition, her father provides strategic support and experience.
“It’s hard to grow apart when we have to have quarterly visits,” she chuckles.
Looking back, Sarah’s journey highlights the value of combining industry expertise with a willingness to embrace new opportunities. Together, she and her father have built more than a successful clinic. They have created a trusted destination where clients can access professional care, personalised support and confidence-building treatments within their local community.
