Carla Barber: The Entrepreneur with €11 Million in Revenue Takes Aim at Sick Leave Abuse: “People Go on Leave and Post Stories on Instagram”
There are two things in Spain that are guaranteed to get people talking: money and sick leave. Combine the two in one sentence, and you have the perfect recipe to get half the country riled up. The latest to do so is Carla Barber, the aesthetic surgeon who swapped her white coat for an entrepreneur’s notebook and now, as the head of her Carla Secrets empire, calls it as she sees it.
It all kicked off a few days ago when the CEO of this premium clinic weighed in on an issue that borders on the absurd in this country. “People go on sick leave and then post stories on Instagram.” The line, dropped during an interview, has struck a nerve. It’s not the first time someone has called out this kind of behaviour, but when it comes from someone who creates jobs and moves the kind of numbers she does, the issue takes on a whole new dimension. In a country where productivity is practically a mantra, Barber is pointing the finger directly at those who fake illness to game the system, all while, in her experience, living it up like influencers on social media.
Numbers That Speak Louder Than Words
What’s really interesting here isn’t just the controversy, but the machine behind it. Because if Carla Barber speaks with such authority, it’s because her company, Carla Secrets, has grown from a personal project into a genuine giant in the aesthetics sector. And that’s no exaggeration. The figures from the last fiscal year are staggering: the firm closed with revenue hitting nearly €11 million. That’s phenomenal, given the current economic climate.
But the really juicy part, the bit that has investors rubbing their hands together and competitors getting nervous, is the operating profit—the famous EBITDA. We’re talking a figure close to €3.4 million. In terms of margins, this puts Carla Secrets in an enviable position, proving that Barber’s business model—combining high-end surgery with cutting-edge treatments and a flawless digital marketing strategy—is a veritable value-generating machine.
Genuine Grievance or Calculated Strategy?
This is where the analysis gets interesting. Barber’s criticism of sick leave abuse wasn’t just casual bar talk. She knows her public image is tied to that of a no-nonsense entrepreneur who doesn’t make room for slacking off. Her argument is simple and brutally direct:
- Profitability vs. Absenteeism: Barber maintains that her company runs on hard work, and that the success of €11 million in revenue is built on a team’s commitment to showing up and getting the job done.
- The Cost of Opportunity: Her implicit critique is that while some treat sick leave like a paid vacation, it’s the freelancers and small businesses (like hers, though it’s not so small anymore) who are doing the heavy lifting and keeping the economy afloat.
- The Weight of Social Media: The mention of Instagram stories is no accident. It’s the perfect hook. The contradiction of seeing someone supposedly “on leave” out partying or indulging themselves while posting about it online is the image she wants to plant in the public’s mind.
Is this just a business owner venting, or is it a marketing play to position herself as the tough leader who can’t be fooled? The reality is that, controversy aside, Carla Barber’s name is once again on everyone’s lips—and with it, her clinic. While other CEOs hide behind bland press releases, she puts herself out there and generates headlines. And in the luxury aesthetics business, visibility is everything.
The truth is that the former 'Supervivientes' contestant has shown her talent goes far beyond just being in front of a camera. She’s built an empire in a competitive industry, with numbers that solidify her status as one of the most powerful up-and-coming entrepreneurs in the country. Whether people agree with her views on sick leave is another matter. But as long as her business continues to rake in revenue at full speed, she’ll still be the one calling the shots and saying it loud and clear.