Dr. MJ Torres: Her dual role and practice at the Zen Institute

Dr. MJ Torres, anti-aging and aesthetic expert

It is of no small feat to practice one's medical profession and manage it into a business venture. As equally demanding fields, medical practice and business management require two set of skills, creativity, and a vision. Wherein formal education falls short, such business model does exist with a doctor at the helm learning, practicing and managing a business close to their passion.

Before the calling to become a doctor took hold, Dr. Mary Jane “MJ” Torres' entrepreneurial spirit first showed at a very young age. In grade school, she took it upon herself to sell the neighbor's Christmas cards and her mother's pili candies to classmates. Later on, Dr. MJ followed her passion and got her degree in medicine at the University of Santo Tomas. Her interests then took her in a direction where she can be of most help to her patients while honing her business acumen.

In November 2006, Dr. MJ opened the very first Zen Institute clinic at the Global City in Taguig. Offering non-invasive, non-surgical medical procedures, the Zen Institute encourages patients toward a lifestyle shift that addresses anti-aging and wellness on top of the aesthetic procedures.

As a spa, patients get to be pampered with feel good treatments that they can avail of on a regular basis at the Zen Institute.  Medical procedures, strictly involve no cutting of tissues, are done by doctors and therapists or para-medical attendants under the supervision of a doctor ensuring safety with no downtime at all for patients.

“The Zen Institute is the only one of its kind in the industry. As its founder and chief executive, I developed the concept and worked hard to build the business,” says Dr. MJ.

With unwavering discipline and focused determination, the Zen Institute's patient base has since grown and prompted Dr. MJ to set up its second branch at Tomas Morato. “There was demand for us to be more accessible in the Quezon City area, thus, the need to expand,” explains Torres. Then, Sofitel Philippine Plaza came in as a partner and housed the third clinic. “Aside from local clients, we also cater to tourists,” adds Dr. MJ in a move that places the Zen Institute in advance footing towards medical tourism.

As a professional hindsight, Dr. MJ learned that “every doctor needs a businessman in tandem. Being in a medical profession does not necessarily translate to good business.” In this case, she has her family, mostly involved in businesses of their own, as her pool of advisers. Her nine siblings give nine different advices and recommendations. But mostly, after careful consideration, she follows her gut feel in the end. “I trust my instinct because most often than not it is correct and that has lead to where my business is right now,” admits Dr. MJ.

In business, Dr. MJ's first challenge was to discern the target market of the Zen Institute. “We do cater to the high-end segment of the market. Treatments can be costly but our market is more concerned with safety, convenience and availability of our services,” explains Dr. MJ. “And, they are most appreciative and would not hesitate to flaunt the results. Thus, they eventually become our brand ambassadors of sort. Their testimonials are very valuable to us because people do take their word for it.”

The second challenge is developing her personal brand. In keeping with her philosophy, Dr. MJ is very selective when it comes to media exposure to her profession. “I am doctor so I do not mind being known by my clients but I am not after the celebrity status. My clinic is targeted to a specific market thus I make sure there would no waste of money and effort in making my business known. Besides, I personally attend to patients so I simply do not have much time to spare thus I make sure such exposures are really worth it.”

The third challenge is the management hurdles of the business. For Dr. MJ, “poor management can make the business fall even if you have a good product.” This is where management and structure comes in with the help of dedicated professionals under her team. “At the head office, everything is centralized – purchasing, quality control, administrative, accounting – and yet, compartmentalized. I am the queen of delegation. I love working as a team and leading them as a group,” she adds.

For the three branches to move in tandem, “each branch has an operations manager, doctors, and therapists. Our sales and marketing people are there not just for selling but to take care of customer relations and conduct evaluation and training as well. They are skin consultants too so they are well-versed with our products and services which they recommend to clients with the approval of a doctor. We also have a public relations group that supports us in terms of communicating philosophy and campaign,” says Dr. MJ.

In 2012, the Zen Institute is moving forward to further refine its thrust and goals. Fully-committed to being a medical spa, they will be introducing more procedures and services soon that would eventually put the definition of a medical spa into a reality.