Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Heiler
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve been self-employed for the past 20+ years. I’ve never thought of myself as an “entrepreneur”, just a business owner. My path to where I am now was quite an evolution. My degree is in Horticulture and landscape design, where I began my career. From there I shifted into marketing where I’ve owned a marketing agency – working with landscaping and lawn care companies exclusively – for the past 14 years. A few years ago I began looking for other business opportunities – something that could help men ideally. Around the same time I met my partner, Aurora, who is an esthetician. From Aurora, I learned about the aesthetics industry and how medspas operate. I visited some medspas for simple skincare treatments and, based on my experience, realized men are very much an afterthought in the aesthetics space. With my background in business and marketing, I felt like I could put my spin on the traditional medspa model and create something unique that would appeal to men in central Texas.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It took almost four years to get Flycatcher open. We went through the branding process and formally started the company at the end of 2020. It wasn’t until October of 2024 before we were officially open for business. That’s a long time to wait – and many sleepless nights – but I had a vision for what I wanted and I just kept going. Aurora and I even had two babies during this time! The challenges were many and mostly out of our control which was the most frustrating part. Specifically, we couldn’t get an SBA loan. We couldn’t get financing from equipment companies. We had no investors. When we signed our lease the developer had yet to break ground on the site. It took the developer over two years to have the building ready for us! It was a stressful experience for the whole family but here we are now and we’re excited to be open and building momentum.
We’ve been impressed with Flycatcher, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Flycatcher is a medical aesthetics practice tailored specifically for men who want to look and feel their best. It’s a medspa offering many traditional non-invasive, anti-aging treatments, but with a space and experience designed uniquely for men. Most medspas treat men as an afterthought- we take the opposite approach. We are one of only a few medspas in the country focused on male aesthetics. We offer treatments like laser hair removal, laser skin rejuvenation, skin tightening, and even botox and fillers for men. We treat sun-damaged skin, fine lines and wrinkles, acne and acne scarring, and loose skin and volume loss. What do our male clients love most? That we wax their nose and ear hair! Our clients love the fact we’ve designed a space with their comfort in mind. Men and women are very different in how they seek out treatments like this. We understand these differences and how this relates to treating and educating our clientele. We’re excited about the opportunity to build a strong brand in Austin, but even more importantly, introduce men to the many effective antiaging treatments available to them and in the process break the stigma around how they are “for women only”. Because men do, in fact, care about how they look.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was outgoing and kind of a smartass around my family and friends but otherwise was pretty shy and introverted around others. I did alright in school but was mostly into sports. I grew up in a small town so was fortunate to be able to play three sports throughout the year. I really didn’t have many interests beyond sports-related activities, whether that was playing or watching. Fortunately, my parents both had a strong work ethic and integrity in how they treated people that I like to think got handed down to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.flycatcher.men
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flycatcher.men/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-heiler/
