The founder and CEO of Estetika Medispa, Dr Abdul Haq Ab Wasa who originally hails from Terengganu has an undeniably impressive educational background. He continued his study in medicine at the University of Alexandria, Egypt. Then, he worked at a clinic and that was the moment the idea to venture in aesthetic sparked in his mind.
Dr Haq’s journey with Estetika Medispa started back in 2015. His move to the aesthetic field was a brilliant idea as the demand from the market was high during that time. Unfortunately, Malaysia didn’t have many certified doctors specialised in aesthetic. “We do have a lot of beauty saloons but most of them are beauticians. Coming from a medical background, I saw this as a perfect prospect to explore.”
I was in my prime time when I made the decision to venture in aesthetic business
He further mentioned that he was in his prime time when he made the decision to venture in aesthetic business. “I didn’t think twice and I couldn’t deny that being young, energetic and adventurous somehow influenced my decision making.” But, he strongly believed that it was the best decision in his life. From there, he used his own saving to open his first medispa clinic back in his hometown, Terengganu.
For Dr Haq, the hardest part of starting up the business was to convince his both parents. “My parents always wanted me to be a medical doctor. But for me, aesthetic is just another branch in the medical field. I explained to them about my decision and they finally believed in me,” he concluded.
Gathering experiences
Without strong knowledge in business, he had been cheated and took for granted several times before. “I still remember when we were in the process of expanding, we opened a few branches. After a few months, three out of all branches stepped back and created their own brand name with all the hardships and efforts that I have poured. But I never gave up and I learned the importance of licensing for a franchise.”
Business is all about self-improvement, not solely about competing
Asked about his biggest obstacles in the business operation, he shared the unforgettable event that shaped who he is today. “There is one incident where my competitor
Dr Haq believes that it’s a waste to put hatred on other competitors. “I prefer to compete in a healthy way as in the end, we all need each other to tackle the industry’s challenges.”
Mistakes make one wiser
The 31-year-old guy recalled the time when the business started flourishing, he did multiple unnecessary actions. “In just 3 months in business, I bought an Audi and another luxury car after 6 months operation. I was really bad at controlling my money and so obsessed about having a luxury lifestyle.”
I believe that after hardship comes ease. That’s my motivational quote
During the first phase of the business, he agreed that he didn’t have a strong knowledge of financial planning. “The money kept on coming but I hardly saw any profit. I overcame it by taking classes and learned from the experts,” said Dr Haq who recently received Leadership Award: The Best SPA & Cosmetics Award 2018 By Niaga Times.
Giving back to society
Estetika Medispa aims to deliver affordable and customer-friendly services to overcome skin problem by utilising modern technology with a touch of the traditional way. Besides, they are providing a free tattoo removal for any person converts in Islam as an initiative under the CSR (Corporate Social R
“They can just walk in and ask for the service for free. Ideally, one session cost around RM500 but we will do it for free. We have the laser machine that can help in removing tattoo and we thought that it’s a great move by doing so,” he explained.
Spreading the wings
To further set the direction of Estetika Medispa, Dr Haq is thriving to enter the ACE market in the future. “We’ve enhanced our capital and we are assured that we can achieve it. But as for now, we will focus more on strengthening the organisation and also our service quality. He also added that there are currently 14 branches all over Malaysia and the latest one is in Johor.
The most important lesson Dr Haq has learned is that one should not just make a plan, but execute it properly. “That’s the only way everything will come together positively. You must be firm on your company’s vision and mission – those are two elements that will guide you,” he shared.
“I also learned that problems will keep on coming. As an entrepreneur, you must be prepared and gathered as much knowledge and experience as you could.”
He also highlighted his personal plan which is to open his own clinic and also to venture in F&B business. “F&B is something new for me but I think it will be a great investment looking at the stable market from consumers,” he ended.
