Franchise Interviews 4.0

Co-Founder Jack Griffey's wife was a hair stylist who rented a chair in a salon suite. He quickly saw the potential to launch a creative real estate development and leasing business in the franchise industry that provides high-end retail space for beauty and wellness practitioners. In December 1997, not knowing how to develop a salon suite business, Jack and his business partner Cecil Miller conducted two separate focus groups, each consisting of 10-12 beauty professionals (i.e. hair stylists, nail technicians, facialists, etc.), all of whom worked in conventional salons. The idea was to gage their interest in the business model. Despite a consensus among the participants that such a business was a fad, Jack and Cecil proceeded with their plan. Tapping into their personal funds and securing a SBA loan, Jack and Cecil opened the first Salons By JC in 1998. They started offering a franchise opportunity in 2008 and sold their first four franchises to family and friends. We are meeting with Jack Griffey, co-founder of Salons By JC. The San Antonio-based concept has quickly become one of the nation's fastest-growing franchises in the billion salon suite industry.

We have a great show today.  We are meeting with Vas Maniatis, the founder of the Seva franchise opportunity.  Seva is a franchise model that specializes in the art of brow shaping, facial hair removal and waxing.   The Seva brand is known for offering eyebrow threading which is a flourishing concept that more people are seeming to utilize for its various advantage s. There are several unique aspects of this franchise concept. 

First, Seva grows within retail stores and has established an exclusive partnership with Walmart to begin with. There is also opportunity to grow in other retail stores.  By using a growth strategy of a store within a store, the Seva opportunity increases the opportunity for foot traffic.  In addition, Seva utilizes a technological strategy to ensure success for each Seva salon.

Seva has created a complete turnkey "Salon-in-a-Box" system which handles all phases of the design, construction, delivery, and coordination of build out of every new Seva salon.  Aspiring frantreprneurs do not need to know a thing about eyebrow threading, waxing or beauty to be successful with a Seva concept. 

Phenix Salon Suites is the nation's leading salon suite concept that provides upscale and customizable suites for independent lifestyle professionals. Its business has been growing rapidly, and the brad recently surpassed 300 locations. Following this milestone, the brand revealed its expansion plan internationally with the opening of its first British location in Manchester earlier this month. Now, the brand has its eye on international and national expansion in a number of new markers.? This focus on growth comes after the brand saw a 344% increase in salon professional inquiries during the pandemic and recently partnered with rapper and entrepreneur LL COOL J. We are meeting with Philip Watson, VP of business development for Phenix Salon Suites. Every business has a story Gina Rivera was destined to pursue a career in the world of beauty. From her early roots of sweeping hair from the floors of her parent's salon, Gina attended beauty school and later moved to a booth renter salon where she quickly established a winning reputation. Find out what happened next on Franchise Interviews.