WHAT THE CUSTOMER NEEDS
There is more to the business of beauty, and CRISTALLE HENARES-PITT, who manages an empire her mother built, sheds lights to this
So many things have been said about the industry of cosmetic surgery and dermatology. But for Cristalle Henares-Pitt, Managing Director of Belo Medical Group and Intelligent Skin Care, Inc. (ISCI), the job is rewarding—both for themselves and their customers. “Some people still feel that the work we do is superficial. I believe that the work we do heals the soul. It's a person's physical expression of what he or she believes it means to be beautiful. When the person feels this, then they are comfortable, secure, and confident in their skin, ready to face the world!” she shares. Cristalle tells us that more than just improving personal aesthetics, their company is involved with making people feel good about themselves—specifically through beauty treatments, products, and aesthetic medical procedures. Dr. Vicki Belo, her mom, was very influential in shifting the public’s perspective of the industry, to something that is more accepting. She recalls, “I remember the time when it was so shocking for people to admit they had Botox or Liposuction done. Now, people really talk about it in a very casual way.”
As early as high school, Cristalle would go to her mom’s clinic in Legaspi Village (she was studying in Assumption San Lorenzo at the time). The small 50-square-meter space was the first of Dr. Belo’s clinics, and this is where Cristalle first got exposed to her mom’s business. By the time she got to college,
Dr. Belo encouraged her to get to know the industry better.
She shares, “When I was doing my BS Management course in Ateneo, my mom would tell me to always use Belo as a case study if we had projects in different classes—from accounting to operations, statistics to marketing. I really had a good time getting to know the company more intimately this way. Both my parents are entrepreneurs, and I love how they would discuss business issues and concerns during family meals. It was my way of learning real-life issues that entrepreneurs would face. They would brainstorm with us kids, so we also had to use our creativity and give our perspective of the situation and [give suggestions] how to handle it.”
Having someone like her mother as a mentor, Cristalle was able to learn the ropes quickly. She learned not just the processes involved in the business, but also the right attitude it needs in order to succeed. She tells us of her experience, “Most of our trips to the states were work trips for my mom so she would bring me along to her meetings. My mom was a psychology major in UP (not a lot of people know that) and it's because of this that she is able to have a good feel and reading of the market. More than telling me and my brother what to do, she showed us how to do it. She was never scared or unsure—she is very brave. Her success begins with solving her own problems and she figured that many people out there have the same problems she does.”
Aside from her mother, Cristalle mentions her father, businessman Atom Henares, as another influential person growing up. The finance expert would sit with her and walk her through financials. This kind of experience taught her and brother Quark, how to handle their money efficiently. “Our parents allowed me and my brother to be in charge of our money early on, and we were allowed to invest our money the way we wanted to - buying a condo, stocks, and bonds,” she proudly says. “Whereas my mom is more on the adventurous side, my dad was more cautious. I feel like Quark and I are the perfect mix of both of our parents.”
ISCI is a passion project that she grew, from a dream her mother has always had. Making that dream a reality was something she is proud of. “A lot of people around her would ask, ‘Dr. Belo, we can't afford to go to your clinics. Is there a way we can still enjoy your expertise?’ This is when she felt like she had so much knowledge of what products and ingredients work and don't work on Filipino skin. She had the formulation of a soap but couldn't launch it in the market. I had just come back from a year of service as a pre-school teacher in Bukidnon (my way of giving back) and I decided to take on this project. This is when I put up ISCI in 2007. After 11 years, we are in 8,000 stores and are present in 19 different countries. It's a great way to bring the Belo brand to different countries,” she explains.
An important quality that Cristalle looks for in her team is genuine malasakit or empathy. She elaborates,
“When they have this, they go above and beyond the call of duty without even telling them what or how to go about this. It begins with making them understand what the company is all about. In our case, it's about ‘making people feel good about themselves.’ If they make this their daily mantra, they would naturally greet the patients with a smile, address the patients with their first name (because that makes them feel important), suggest treatments that the patients really need—not just because they want to achieve the quota for the day.” With a team that she trusts completely, everyone is treated like A+ players and allowed to run their own shows, with Cristalle guiding them through.
Her business acumen and values come from a place that finds beauty in everything she does, everywhere she goes, and everyone she encounters. This is what makes her life full of meaning and purpose. She states, “I think welcoming the ups and most especially the downs, will make me a stronger person. Hopefully, this will allow me to leave a beautiful imprint on this earth.”