The Business of Beauty and Beyond: The Aivee Group’s Dr. Aivee Aguilar-Teo and Dr. Z’Shen Teo Talk About Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Trust

The Aivee Group’s Dr. Aivee Aguilar-Teo and Dr. Z’Shen Teo share what it takes to take the beauty industry to the next level.

In the rapidly growing aesthetics industry, one name stands prominently above the others: Dr. Aivee Aguilar-Teo. Driven by her vocation as a dermatologist, guided by her entrepreneurial vision and propelled to fame by her celebrity clientele, she and husband Dr. Z’Shen Teo built The Aivee Group, a company that can only be described as a beauty empire. 

Today, The Aivee Group encompasses specialist aesthetics clinics from Manila to Singapore (The Aivee Clinic), as well as general skincare and wellness clinics (Aivee Skin, Aivee Skin Spa, Brovach) and all the supporting companies that have grown from the original Aivee Clinic (A Institute, Aivee Café, Luxuri Pets). But perhaps more importantly, The Aivee Group has elevated and redefined the aesthetics industry by offering cutting-edge treatments, and a curated, luxury, lifestyle experience over the past 15 years.

Fresh from being awarded with The Business Manual’s CEO Awards earlier this year, Dr. Aivee Aguilar-Teo, together with her husband Dr. Z’Shen Teo, spoke with TBM editor-in-chief RJ Ledesma at the Aivee Skin Spa in Parañaque. In this conversation, the power couple shared everything from the start of The Aivee Clinic to their always-present entrepreneurial mindset and their plans for the future.

Their entrepreneurial journey has only been possible through the union of the Teos and how they expressed their vocation as dermatologists, how Dr. Aivee’s dedication to her clients built a foundation of trust, and how The Aivee Group’s growth and expansion were born from these strong partnerships.

Here are six key business lessons that have fueled their success, as shared in their own words.

1. Take Risks, But Maintain a Clear Vision

The Aivee Clinic’s origins began in a small, 50-square-meter space that Dr. Aivee Aguilar-Teo shared with another doctor. Since those early days, she displayed a dedication to her patients, which quickly won their trust. And as a result, word spread as she built a clientele.

Dr. Aivee recalls, “I remember very clearly how people started coming and people started to get to know me. And they just all came and I became so busy.”

With his background in managing clinics from an early age, Dr. Z’Shen Teo, or Dr. Z as he is known, was quick to spot the opportunity. He shares his realization upon seeing the long lines at Dr. Aivee’s clinic, saying, “I have to help her to grow this because she was busy tending to the patients… I said, ‘Let's get a bigger space.’”

When Dr. Aivee started her first independent clinic, she was hesitant. Expanding from a small 50-square-meter space to a 450-square-meter flagship clinic seemed like a risky move, but Dr. Z convinced her, saying, “Build it, and they will come.” 

“At that time, it was unthinkable to open a 450-square-meter clinic,” Dr. Aivee recounts, “because before, the clinics were just 100 square meters or even less. And, before, everything was just very clinical.” But they went ahead with building a clinic that would provide a new lifestyle experience in healthcare, and people kept coming.  

For Dr. Z, the risk was tempered by belief in Dr. Aivee. “I could see it,” he says. “The patients love her. And I saw that she's just amazing. They would queue up for hours just to see her.”

With the new clinic being built, Dr. Aivee knew that she had to create something new, something the industry had not seen before.

“We can't be just like everybody else,” she says. “I think that the big difference was we made the interior very beautiful, and people were so intrigued. We had the French interiors. My consultation room was, I think, 100 square meters. And we had 12, 15 rooms, and each room was very comfortable.”

By transforming the traditional clinical setting into a lifestyle clinic, they set a new standard for aesthetic centers in the Philippines.  

Dr. Z adds, “I look at things very differently. I always see it not as a risk. I see it as an opportunity. I felt that Aivee as a doctor has a lot of potential, right? So I agreed with the vision of making [the clinic] into a lifestyle [experience] because I've seen how they like to go to the clinic just to have a good time, feel good about themselves. So I thought, there is a gap in the market here because no one's doing it.”

2. Build a Brand Based on Trust

Throughout its 15 years, The Aivee Group has grown largely through word-of-mouth and organic social media marketing. Unlike other clinics that rely almost solely on celebrity endorsements, Dr. Aivee and Dr. Z built a foundation of genuine relationships with their patients even as their reputation grew among the rich and famous.  

“One of the things that makes us different is that we’re authentic. We built something different. We’re true to who we are,” says Dr. Aivee.  

“In this industry, I feel that it's important that you have a vision,” she continues, “but at the same time, you let people know and see who you really are, and you stay true to that.”

Dr. Z adds, “She genuinely treats the patient, and the patient genuinely trusts her. And because they trust her, they trust the brand. And I think we underestimate how consumers can actually see through it, and they can see it being genuine and authentic. And I think maybe that's the difference.”  

It is this dedication to authenticity that has led to establishing a devoted clientele that keeps coming back and won’t hesitate to recommend The Aivee Clinic to others.

“We're not thinking of ROIs, but we're thinking of results,” Dr. Aivee explains, “because ultimately, when your objective is correct, everything else will follow.”

3. Continuously Innovate  

Dr. Aivee and Dr. Z knew that a beautifully designed clinic wasn’t enough to stay ahead in the industry. They also invested heavily in technology, making sure they had the latest medical devices before anyone else in the market.  

Dr. Z recalls, “In Singapore, I have all the latest [machines]… So when I was exposed to all the latest technology, I brought it to Aivee.” 

The goal, Dr. Aivee adds, was to make The Aivee Clinic into a one-stop shop. “What Z really wanted,” she says, “was to bring in the latest trends from all over, and to make sure we have all the lasers and the machines so that it's a one-stop shop. Everything's there.”

This bold step in their business model flew in the face of what the rest of the industry was doing. A common practice in the Philippines was for doctors to pool their resources to buy a machine and then use it as a shared resource, minimizing their capital expenditures.

That mindset didn’t make sense for Dr. Aivee, and Dr. Z agreed. He insisted: “No sharing. We buy it and have everything there in one stop.”

This "one-stop-shop strategy" made The Aivee Clinic the go-to clinic for high value clients looking for exclusive treatments. It highlights why businesses need to continuously innovate and offer exclusive value to stay ahead in a competitive industry–a valuable lesson for any entrepreneurial venture.

4. Expand Organically

While many businesses rush to scale, The Aivee Group has chosen to grow at a deliberate pace. Even though the group has achieved massive scale with its vertical integration and expansion into new segments, each new clinic or spin-off business is carefully planned to ensure quality and consistency.