Exclusive with Nurse Stefan Torres, Founder of TORRES Aesthetics

Nurse Stefan Torres is the Founder of TORRES Aesthetics, an Edmonds, WA-based office providing cosmetic injectables, skincare, and energy-based modalities to the Greater Seattle Area.

Nurse Stefan’s approach to aesthetic services is unlike any other: exclusively providing one-to-one, total care throughout their entire aesthetic journey.

He aims to not just technically treat patients and clients but to build and maintain long-lasting relationships that harbor trust and dependability.

For more details, visit Stefan’s website and TORRES Aesthetics.

Here we sit down with Stefan to learn more about his journey as an esthetician.

Q. What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?

Stefan: When you work full-time in an emergency department you, quite literally, see all the things. Time and time again I would see patients coming in with conditions, oftentimes life-threatening, that were very much preventable by lifestyle modifications and a general understanding of health. That being said, different regions, cultures, neighborhoods, and families, all have their own way of raising humans, and that doesn’t always include a solid foundation of health literacy. After seeing enough people, young and old, suffering when they shouldn’t be, I was inspired to take matters into my own hands and provide widespread health information through educational videos posted to social networks. That gave rise to “Nurse Stefan.”

Q. How did you get started?

Stefan: When I returned from a volunteering trip in Peru and started working back at a hospital in the Greater Seattle Area, I decided I would utilize my rudimentary videography skills and create what I hoped to be entertaining, inspiring, and educational clips to post to social networks to help improve health literacy.

Much to my delight, with lots of time, dedication, and hard work, learning through tutorials and other educators, the videos spread far and wide. I’d travel around the country for speaking engagements and video shoots, meeting actual healthcare professors that recognized me as the guy from the videos they play for their students. An ex-girlfriend called me up from another state not just to tell me she’d started nursing school, but that one of her first assignments was to follow me, her ex-boyfriend, and a few other health educators online.

In terms of TORRES Aesthetics, just prior to the presentation of COVID-19, I’d decided I was going to stop working in the hospital and start full time working towards my online health education endeavor. A few months into it, I realized I’d missed patient care too much, and was ready to get back into the hospital. The night before I was geared up to sign a job offer, a cosmetic dermatologist physician I’d known had messaged, asking if I wanted to learn cosmetic injectables. Aesthetic Medicine had always intrigued me, and so I took him up on the offer. After hands-on training directly under him and other professionals in the field, I eventually branched off and started my own practice as a Cosmetic Nurse Injector, with a Nurse Practitioner to aid in my treatment process.

Q. What was your biggest startup challenge? What steps did you take to overcome it? What did you learn?

Stefan: To become “Nurse Stefan,” it was stepping out of my comfort zone. I was very self-conscious about my appearance. I always had some body dysmorphia issues throughout my life. I had to learn to be care-free and confident on the camera, and when I felt it became too challenging, all I needed was to think about all the people I’d seen having strokes in their 30’s, the repeat patients in diabetic comas time and time again or the number of teens we lose from intentional overdoses. That gave me the motivation to buck up and do the work.

Regarding TORRES Aesthetics: finances. I’m a very resourceful person, so the ins-and-outs of starting and managing a business were difficult, but not impossible. What was impossible was pulling money out of thin air. Credit card bills stacked up, as I held onto faith that success was right around the corner. Unfortunately, the expenses never seemed to end. To mitigate this issue, I’d become incredibly frugal and conscientious as to where and how I’d spend my money. But I learned that even doing so, in this business, I needed to spend lots of money, to earn ANY money.

Q. What is the most memorable thing you’ve done since you started your business?

Stefan: As an aesthetics professional, building the practice I have today is what I’m most proud of. I set goals, I acted, I persevered, and now I’m here.

Some recent memorable experiences would be being asked to share my story at RealSelf.com’s headquarters with an Oscar-nominated producer and being flown out to Toronto, Canada to speak at an Aesthetic Medicine expo just last week.

Q. What is one book you recommend, and why?

Stefan: The Diamond in Your Pocket, by Gangaji. It changed how I spend each moment of my life.

Q. What are your top 3 favourite online apps, tools or resources and what do you love about them?

Stefan: I don’t think I could get by without my Google Calendar. Spotify helps me with workouts, car rides, learning, and meditation. And as for the last one, I’ll have to give to Facebook/Instagram, or the “Meta-verse” now, as those platforms have given rise to both Nurse Stefan and the TORRES Aesthetic practice.

Q. In terms of legacy, what is the mark you’d like to leave on the world?

Stefan: I believe we’re all made up of love. I’d like to be remembered as someone who loved others, and himself, enough to take action and help heal those in need.

Q. In one sentence, what’s the best advice you’d give to someone just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey?

Stefan: “Ask for help.”

I don’t care how smart, efficient, resourceful, or incredibly beautiful you are. You need to ask for help as soon as you notice you’re becoming overwhelmed. It would have saved me loads of time getting to where I’m at.

To keep up to date with Stefan and his journey, connect with him on @nurse.stefan and @torres.health.