How Fife mum went from job hopping to hair removal specialist

Smooth Clinic owner Karla Rae shares her journey to running two hair removal centres in Fife.

By Paul Malik

November 25 2024, 6:00am

Smooth Clinic director Karla Rae. Image: FSB Scotland

Cupar mum Karla Rae framed the paltry £7.50 she earned scrubbing a filthy kitchen and decided enough was enough.

Tired of taking on unfulfilling jobs which she had to fit her family commitments around, she bit the bullet and decided to stride out on her own.

Retraining as a hair removal specialist, she set up her first business, Smooth Clinic, out of her parents’ spare room.

Since then, she has opened two offices in Cupar and in Cowdenbeath, employing seven people.

And now, she doesn’t have to miss out on any of her children’s school plays, working to her own schedule.

Here she talks us through the ups and downs of running a business.

How and why did you start in business?

I was miserable after years of job hopping.

It was impossible to keep a job that fitted around the responsibilities of being a mum and that made me feel fulfilled.

After a rough day I framed the £7.50 I got paid for cleaning a filthy kitchen and changed my mindset. I wanted to work on my own terms and take time off when needed for my daughter.

No one was going to tell me I couldn’t have a day off to see my daughter’s school plays.

I choose to believe in myself and my instincts. I invested all the money I had – and didn’t have – into learning laser hair and tattoo removal and purchasing my first machine.

How did you get to where you are today?

After qualifying in October 2019, I started working out of my parents’ back bedroom, then Covid happened.

I used this time to my advantage learning even more about laser and building an online network of laser professionals who are now dear friends.

My imagination really kicked in when I saw an empty shop on Cowdenbeath High Street.

I was extremely lucky to receive Covid grants which made the shop opening in April 2021 possible.

The demand was more than I could manage on my own, so I took another gamble and employed a small team.

Smooth Clinic treatment room. Image: FSB Scotland.

I’ve landed extremely lucky with them. We change lives every day by removing unwanted hair, especially from women’s faces.

Desperate to help women all over Fife, I set my eyes on Cupar as a second location and did it all again.

We’re now a team of seven offering laser hair and tattoo removal.

We have recently invested heavily into new technology for strengthening the pelvic floor and treating incontinence, which we offer in our Cowdenbeath branch.

Who helped you?

Help and support has come from all directions and in many forms. Family, my partner, friends, staff, clients and strangers. Be it manual labour, listening to me stress or sharing content on socials.

So many people have helped in different ways. To each person, I’m truly grateful. The FSB are always on hand to answer any questions or point me in the right direction.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever had?

Never take advice from someone who’s position you wouldn’t want to be in. Follow your gut. Growing is uncomfortable. No one will remember you in 100 years so why not just do it?

What is your biggest mistake?

The biggest mistake I’ve made in business so far was to sign a document without having it checked by a lawyer first. It cost me thousands of pounds, months of uncertainty and lots of heartache. Valuable lessons were learned, however. Now I know better.

What is your greatest achievement?

My daughter is by far my greatest achievement. She already negotiates with the tooth fairy.

How are you managing rapidly rising costs, and how could the government help?

We are struggling with rising costs like every other business. We decided to protect operational time with policies, meaning we charge for late cancellations and no shows instead of increasing prices to cover unexpected gaps.

Each business is different, with a unique set of problems.

The government should be encouraging people who are trying to grow the economy, employ staff and occupy commercial space, not squeeze them dry. Reducing VAT for service business would make a huge difference.

What do you still hope to achieve?

I hope to grow Smooth Clinic further to become a trusted and respected name in the industry by which other laser clinics aim their standards to.

What do you do to relax?

It is very difficult to relax when juggling so much however nothing beats pjs on the couch as a family watching an animated film.

What are you currently reading, listening to or glued to on TV?

I’m currently watching Sir David’s Attenborough Asia, listening to Dave Asprey’s Head Strong, and reading Yuri Herrera’s Signs Preceding the End of the World.