Post Corona Careers

The COVID-19 crisis has blown up the job market as we know it – and the people who rely on person-to-person contact to make a living have felt the impact hard and fast. What happens when your entire business model no longer makes sense? Three sole traders learn to adapt in lockdown life.

- Cleo Glyde

ISABELLA LONERAGAN, 39

Owner, The Dermal Diary Skincare Clinic

Isabella Loneragan always wanted to open her own business. After a career in cosmetic beauty, her interest shifted to healthy skin, so Loneragan got a job at a dermatology clinic in North Sydney and learnt the tricks of the trade before opening the doors to The Dermal Diary five years ago. The North Shore practice’s brand promise is distinctive treatments, such as the intrinsic facial (yes, the one Meghan Markle gets), involving an intraoral massage from inside the mouth – designed to release masseter jaw tension – which Loneragan went to France to study. Eighteen months ago she launched her own skincare line, a decision she’s grateful for now. “The product line has allowed me to diversify and strengthen my brand.”

The COVID-19 outbreak ushered in a total rethink of her clinic business. “We’ve had to pivot from hands-on, face-to-face care; so I built on the remote consultation I devised for rural and interstate customers. This involves instructions on how to best take a photo in natural light, which I then analyse. I write up a full treatment and product plan, then hold phone consultations. I usually don’t believe in discounting, but we also had a 20 per cent sale on all stock to help clients look after themselves at home.”