Carla Pierson on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Carla Pierson. Check out our conversation below.

Carla, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
That’s an insightful question. I think many business owners and entrepreneurs are secretly struggling with the fear of not taking a huge, risky leap of faith. The media often glorifies the stories of “overnight success” and big risks. This can make people feel like they’re not doing enough if they’re not going “all in” from day one or dumping a bunch of money into their business.

What people don’t often say is that sometimes the opposite approach is the key to success. In my experience, starting slow, starting small, and focusing on building a strong foundation is what allowed our business model to grow naturally and become self-sustaining. We were able to identify and address the gaps and needs within our business first, which laid a thicker foundation for the company as a whole. I believe this less-glamorous, more deliberate path is what truly leads to long-term success and scalability that “almost cannot be stopped”. The world needs more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business journey

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Carla Pierson, and I am a co-founder and co-owner of Smiley Aesthetics. I was born and raised in Nashville, TN. My career in the medical field spans over 15 years. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Master’s in both Nursing Administration and Business Administration with a healthcare focus, and a Doctorate of Nursing Practice. Before starting Smiley Aesthetics, I spent nearly 12 years with HCA, where I grew in leadership and operations and became the Director of Nursing, Clinical Operations for their group purchasing organization.

My identical twin sister, Mary Ford, and I started this business in February 2022. In just under a year, our business reached one million dollars in revenue. Instead of following the traditional path of taking a big risk, we did the opposite. We started slow and small, building a strong, self-supporting foundation. This allowed the business and its model to grow naturally, albeit quickly.

Our goal is to empower independent medical professionals to become entrepreneurs and business owners in the aesthetics field. We provide extensive training and guidance, ensuring they have the clinical, business, and legal standards needed to be successful. We believe that aesthetics is an extension of nursing, and with the right training, every nurse can become a master aesthetic injector. Our approach goes beyond just treatments; we focus on holistic self-care and enhancing natural beauty.

I am most proud of the positive impact we’ve had on many lives and the empowerment we’ve offered to nurses across the country. Smiley Aesthetics is more than a brand; it’s a community dedicated to client well-being and confidence, prioritizing health and natural beauty.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
My career with HCA taught me a tremendous amount about work. I spent nearly 12 years with them and was given a huge leap in leadership early on when my mentor took a chance on me. This experience, and the company’s support, helped me grow in leadership, operations, and business in healthcare. I learned the importance of operational efficiency and adherence to quality, which are two key components to our success at Smiley Aesthetics. I also learned about business systems and processes, and even had the honor of being a published author on the subject. My time at HCA, and the sudden experience of being fired from a subsequent role, taught me that while that was a shock and was hard, it was what needed to happen to fully commit to Smiley and my business. It was a difficult but crucial moment that forced me to dive in full force, and we ended up tripling our revenue that quarter. This experience taught me to take the leap of faith and give my all to what I was building.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I could say one kind thing to my younger self, it would be this: Trust your instincts and the process. I would remind her that her passion for healthcare and leadership, which began so early in my career, would be the foundation for something truly special. I would tell her to be kinder to herself, to acknowledge the immense knowledge and experience she gained in critical care, trauma, and nursing leadership. All of those long hours and hard work were not just steps on a corporate ladder, but were laying the groundwork for Smiley Aesthetics. I would tell her that her dedication to promoting holistic self-care and enhancing natural beauty is not just a business idea, but an extension of the nursing she loves. I would reassure her that every person and every step taken would play a unique role in molding our business into what it is today. There’s no need to rush, and no need to take unnecessary risks, because by starting slow and building on a strong foundation, the business and the model would ultimately grow itself. I would want her to know that her journey, and all the experiences within it, would lead to something I’m most proud of—having a positive impact on over 100 medical professionals across the country.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
I believe one of the biggest lies the aesthetics industry tells itself is that success requires going all-in from the start and taking huge, immediate financial risks. The media, and especially movies, love to gloss over the hard work and nitty-gritty details that go into the middle phase of building a business. They often portray “overnight success” as the result of a single, bold move.

In reality, our experience at Smiley Aesthetics shows the opposite is true. We built a self-supporting model by starting slow, starting small, and focusing on figuring out the gaps and needs within our business first. By not dumping a lot of money into unneeded things and allowing the business to grow naturally at first, we laid a strong foundation. This deliberate, strategic approach, rather than a big risk, is what made us so successful and led to a scalability that “almost cannot be stopped”. The real story of scaling up is about operational efficiency, quality adherence, and addressing obstacles as they come, using those experiences to build an even thicker foundation. It’s a journey of years of hard work, not an overnight success.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
What people will most misunderstand about my legacy is that our success was a result of a massive, overnight risk. The world often sees a successful business and assumes it happened that way. They tend to ignore the “nitty, gritty details” of the journey between starting out and achieving success.

Our legacy isn’t about one big, bold move; it’s the story of taking the opposite approach. My twin sister, Mary, and I started slow and small, building a self-supporting model and a strong foundation. We focused on figuring out the gaps and needs of the business first, which allowed it to grow naturally. We didn’t dump a bunch of money into things we didn’t need, and by doing so, we created a model with a scalability that “almost cannot be stopped”. The real story of our growth is based on operational efficiency and a commitment to quality.

I want people to understand that our success came from a unique and deliberate strategy, not a huge risk. It was a matter of laying a thick foundation and addressing each obstacle as it came, which is a much more realistic and actionable story than the ones the media usually tells.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://smileyaesthetics.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/csmiley_business/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-pierson-dnp-mba-rn-193793a9/