Roswell Aesthetics & Wellness

Cambri Gardner had spent much of her professional career in sales until a career change to the medical spa industry gave her a new sense of purpose.

“Sales was not fun for me. Although I had been in sales most of my life, I really didn’t feel like I was benefiting people. Seeing the changes that benefit people not just on the inside but on the outside, I felt was more life-changing for me,” she said.

Gardner became interested in the business after her mother, a registered nurse, began working with injections at a medical spa in Colorado. The owner of the spa then asked her mother to manage a similar business in Roswell. Gardner followed suit by becoming an esthetician and obtaining laser certification. When the owner of MediSpa & Body Shop was ready to sell the Roswell business to focus on her operations in Clovis, she offered it to Gardner after Gardner’s mother declined.

The toughest part of the transition was obtaining financing, but Gardner found The Loan Fund after a banker referred her to the nonprofit.

“The Loan Fund was super amazing and beneficial compared with what was being offered by the bank,” Gardner said. “When I was trying to go through the bank, they wanted to do a specific type of loan that I really didn’t want to do. It was a loan that involved the government and the interest rates were really high. But The Loan Fund was amazing. Our loan officer made it so much easier for us.”

Gardner, who has five employees, including her mother, changed the business name to Roswell Aesthetics & Wellness and offers a number of services, such as injectables, laser treatments, facials, peels, waxing, lashes, and body contouring. The daughter-mother team has more than 20 years of experience in the industry, and has grown their business mostly through social media and word of mouth.

Gardner, who celebrated the business’ one-year anniversary this fall, admitted at one point that she asked herself whether this was all worth it.

“It felt like it was so grueling, but I told myself that I would get through the process, put the work in, and it will pay off,” she said, adding that she still sometimes feels this way. “It’s hard being a business owner, but looking back on where I was and where I am now, it’s all worth it.

“The best thing about all of it is not having to work for someone else and having the opportunity to lead a team and keep them happy. I’ve had so many bad experiences working for other people, and it’s taught me not to be like them. I have a really amazing team.”