What started as a single operator electrolysis clinic is now disrupting the franchising service industry. With a mission to end the torment of unwanted hair and leave the client feeling thrilled, Jade Clinics was incepted.
Jennifer Desloges founded Jade Clinics in 1989 as a single operator electrolysis clinic called Allard Studios in Chilliwack, British Columbia. At the time, it was run out of her home carport that had been converted into a
clinic. After moving to Edmonton, Alberta in 1996, Jennifer opened a government approved Electrolysis vocational school. She trained nearly 100 practitioners over ten years, many of whom are still practicing across Canada. In 2006, Jennifer moved back to British Columbia and opened Jade Clinics in Vanco uver’s
trendy Kitsilano neighbourhood. With Jennifer’s daughter Janine Jost ultimately opening the 2nd location in Langley. During one of Jennifer’s many 12-hour workdays the idea of franchising was born. She would spend the next several years diligently researching the world of franchising and making industry connections. Today, Jade Clinics offers more than just electrolysis hair removal services. With new offerings like body sculpting and skin rejuvenation services, Jade Clinics is disrupting the franchising service industry.
Let’s find out how Jade Clinics has made its way to be known as Canada’s most reliable and trusted hair removal, body sculpting, and skin rejuvenation providers, in an exclusive interview between The Franchise Universe and Jennifer Desloges.
Tell us about the vision and core values of Jade Clinics?
Our vision is to have a clinic in every city across Canada, so that every Canadian can have access to a life without unwanted hair.
Core Values
- We value every client relationship.
- To be honest and have integrity in EVERYTHING we do.
- To educate the client thus providing comfort and clear expectations.
Since when have you been offering franchises to partners? What motivated you start franchising your company’s services/solutions?
Jade Clinics first franchisee partner signed in 2010. In the years leading up to 2010, Jennifer’s husband Marcel
had been a franchisee for a large Canadian food chain called M&M Food Market. Together they learnt a lot from the experience which helped push the Jade Clinics business in the franchising direction.
What are the criteria for approving franchisees?
Because we are in the personal service industry, selecting the correct franchisees ultimately comes down to the selecting the right partner to run the franchise location. The partner needs to fully commit to their Jade Clinic location. No previous experience in the electrolysis field is needed and we actually prefer training
partners that have a blank canvas, as our techniques can vary greatly from traditional electrolysis. Also access to capital is always a determining factor to approving franchisees, they need to have as much skin in the game as we do. That’s what we consider a healthy partnership.
How do you ensure that the standard of service is maintained when you offer franchises to your partners?
Training and on-going support are the key drivers to maintaining the standards of service our clients have become accustom too.
Our training program consists of 3-months of practicum work, where we expect 25-hours per week to be
dedicated to perfecting the electrolysis craft. If they are short on these hours, it will be evident at the upcoming training sessions and unfortunately, they will be pushed back to the next class.
Once training has been successfully completed. On-going support continues with monthly check-ins or
as frequent as required. With retesting occurring semi-annually to evaluate skill and progress the partner through our electrolysis levels.
Taking into consideration, the current pandemic, and its impact on global economies, how are you
driving the company to sustain operations and ensuring safety of your associates and employees at the same time?
Our standards of operation and safety have always been of the utmost importance. Because we are working directly on the human body and below the skin, we have always worn masks and gloves and sanitized our stations before and after treatments. Covid-19 obviously has not been easy for anyone, but it did give us the opportunity to better document our operations and safety procedures.
What are your company’s future aspirations? What strategies are you undertaking to achieve those goals?
We plan to award 3 franchises a year till we hit 25 total franchises, at this stage I plan on reinforcing our head office operations by hiring a qualified support team, with the ultimate goal of retiring. I’m looking forward to 2027.
About the Leader:
A self-made entrepreneur, Jennifer has excelled in the beauty industry for over 30 years, specializing in all things electrolysis. Her passion is the client, in everything she does there is a client first mentality. If given a day off (it’s rare), she would be found spending time with her family playing board games at home or at a Vancouver Canucks game with her husband Marcel.
Jade Clinics is an emerging franchise company and as the President, Jennifer’s role is all encompassing. From working in the corporate clinics, to the awarding of franchises and everything in between is taken care by her.