The Smart Franchisee - Franchise, Business, Lifestyle

Today I’m speaking with Amy and Brian Messer, successful Waxing the City Franchisees. 

Brian and Amy spent a bit of time researching different franchise opportunities, and one day Amy saw an add on Facebook for Waxing the City. They started their research off by speaking to a few franchisees and then visited a nearby Waxing the City. Part of their research included a wax. And no Amy wasn’t the only one getting waxed! Brian decided to get his back waxed (I think it sounds more painful than it actually is). Brian went and got waxed at a competitor and Waxing the City, he immediately saw the difference and was sold! 

Brian and Amy share with me what it’s like to be in business together. We discuss why they decided to take on a minority partner and why it was the wrong idea and how they tackled it. Although they faced many challenges in the beginning they were able to have a record pre-book (265 waxes to be exact) for their grand opening. 

We discuss marketing strategies that have paid off big time, how to interview employees, and advice they would give to a new franchisee.

Today I’m speaking with Megan Sweitzer a successful Waxing the City Franchisee. 

Megan isn’t new to the franchising world she became a franchisee with Retro Fitness in 2009. After owning 3 gyms she saw that although the gym business was great and she was doing everything she could for her member she would watch a new gym open across the street and watch her members go join there. She says there is a lack of loyalty from members in the gym space. This led her to look for another business where customers were loyal to the brand. 

This is where Waxing the City came into play. Megan says she likes the waxing industry that the customers have a lot of loyalty. We talk about what it’s like to open a waxing the city from the ground and how she grew her business. Megan share with me how she focuses on the ground marketing, social media, and word of mouth to get new clients. 

Learn what Megan’s biggest piece of advice is to a new franchisee, how to manage a large number of employees, and how to find the right employee.

Today I am speaking with Angela Jaskolski Brand President of Waxing the City. If you haven’t heard about Waxing the City yet, don’t worry you will soon. With over 200 + territories sold and 110 locations domestically Waxing the City is looking to grow tremendously in the domestic market. 

If the name didn’t already give it away Waxing the City is offering a premium waxing experience (they have also added lash extensions, brow tinting, and lash lifting to their services). Their tag line “Your Bush Won’t Bewilder Us” is a tongue and cheek way of getting clients and getting their brand out there. 

Angela loves working with franchisees. She is scoping out the competition and making sure that Waxing the City is doing everything they can to be #1. During our interview I asked Angela to share with me her worst waxing experience she gave a great answer but right after the interview was over she realized she had an even better story. 

I went to a competitor in Alpharetta, GA.  I think the total word count exchanged between myself and ALL of the employees I encountered was less than 10.  The wax was in a crock pot.  That’s right.  Just like the one you and I use for chili on Superbowl Sunday.  The waxer ladled out a cup of wax and then proceeded to blow on it each time before she applied it to my body.  (whoa!)  At the end of the day, the hair was gone, and it was $9 less expensive than our membership price.  However, I left feeling “I’m worth that $9, darn it.” 

I often don’t get follow up emails after my interviews but Angela took the time to not only send me a better story to share with you but she also wrote  - The real differentiator in our business is the people and they are happy because of the brand and the systems that we offer to support them.  They are happy because we enable and encourage them to connect with their clients, to take care of them and to do their best work.  The people that are WTC do not lack passion for this brand.  You should be able to feel that in our studios and that’s what really sets us apart.  As a Franchisor, our ongoing challenge is to partner with the right franchisees and provide systems and tools that support people development and leadership.  We always say “people make it possible” 

I am thoroughly impressed by Waxing the City, besides the business model and the 9% growth the domestic waxing industry experiences year over year. But more so by the people. The quality of the team at Waxing the City and Self Esteem Brands shows me that they are a Franchisor that really cares.

Today I am speaking with Cammile Adams a successful SafeSplash Franchisee. . 

Swimming flows in Cammile’s blood. Her father who was and still is a swim coach taught her and her sister how to swim. After her sophomore year in college she made the Olympic team and placed 5th in the 200m Butterfly. She took up swimming as a profession and made the Olympic team again in 2015 and placed 4th. 

Cammile came home from Rio and the next day went to work as a teacher. She realized pretty quickly teaching wasn’t for her, and she started to look for opportunities to open her own business. Cammile says the most important thing she was looking for was curriculum. She knew she had to really believe in what the franchise was offering and the curriculum it was teaching kids. 

She said during her research she spoke with a lot of her fellow Olympians and they all recommended she check out Streamline Brands. She took the advice and the rest is history. 

She purchased 6 existing hosted locations in the Houston area. We talk about what it was like to dive into the deep end (sorry for the pun couldn’t help myself) when purchasing existing locations, how she was able to increase business, and what types of instructors she hires. Cammile also shares with me the biggest thing she had to stop doing to help her business grow and where she thinks the best locations are for SafeSplash. 

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Today I am speaking with Jaime Zilverberg a successful SafeSplash Franchisee. 

Jaime started off her career in TV broadcast journalism and realized it wasn’t as fun as she was expecting. Jaime started to think about branching out into a different career path when her friend happened to mention that they were sending their kids to a SafeSplash for swim lessons. 

She reached out to SafeSplash to see if they were looking for help in the marketing department. She was hired on as marketing director, then worked in HR, transitioned into a GM position, and then worked in the call center. Her last position working for SafeSplash was to sell franchises. One day she made the ultimate sell and sold herself a territory. 

That was a little over 7 years ago. Jamie started off using hosted locations (rented pool space) which allowed her to get started in the business without much financial burden. After running the 3 hosted locations she decided it was time to expand her business and purchase a dedicated facility. There were challenges finding a space that would allow her to build and we discuss how she was able to finally get construction going on her facility and all that went into it. 

Jaime shares with me the difference in running a hosted location versus having a dedicated location. How she is able to overcome staffing challenges by finding the right type of employee. Jamie shares with me the mom guilt she has and the pressure that women put on themselves and what she does to stay positive. 

Today I am speaking with Amy Albiero the first franchisee to run the dual brand franchise of Safesplash and SwimLabs. 

Amy and her husband have a huge passion for swimming. The were both swimmers in college which is where they met and fell in love. Amy’s husband is the USA Swimming National Team Coach and the Head Coach at the University of Louisville. 

Amy and her husband spent 2 years researching different franchise opportunities in the swim space and were about to take the leap with just SwimLabs. Their friend Karin, who works with SafeSplash kept telling them they had to come check out the concept and all that they were doing in the learn to swim space. Amy fell in love with the business model and realized both concepts could be housed in the same facility, she went to corporate with an idea. She says the learn to swim model serves those as they learn to swim once they have graduated they can hone their skills with SwimLabs. 

Since opening up in October 2017 Amy has learned a lot about the business. We discuss how she found employees and built a team to run her business. How they launched their facility and were able to get the support of the city. 

Today I am speaking with Matt Lane CEO of Streamline Brands. Streamline brands hosts 3 franchise concepts Safesplash, Swimtastic, and SwimLabs. They clients range from those just learning how to swim for the first time all the way to the avid swimmer looking to improve technique. 

Matt was initially looking for a way to teach his daughters how to swim. He couldn’t find a facility close enough so guess what he did? He built a pool (even though he says he really didn’t have the funds to do it) and created a booming business. After managing 15 of his own swim schools Matt realized he needed to franchise to create opportunity for others who had a passion to get into business.

Matt is passionate about his franchisees and says the transformation he has seen in their lives is phenomenal. The market for swim schools is vast and we discuss the vision Streamline Brands has for expansion. We also discuss the 3 types of franchisees Streamline brands is looking to partner with. 

I hope you enjoy today’s episode. Visit us a www.thesmartfranchisee.com to get more information about Streamline Brands. Leave us a review on iTunes if you haven’t already. I want to hear from you so connect with me on facebook or instagram and let me know who you want to hear from next. 

Today I am speaking with Ken Caldwell VP of Franchising at Your Pie. Currently Your Pie has 66 units open in 19 states, has another 78 more units in development and has a goal of 120 successful locations to be open by the end of 2021 (emphasis on successful).

If the name didn’t already give it away YourPie is a fast casual pizza restaurant where the experience of a guest is just as important as the pizza. Collectively the corporate office has 130 years of managing franchise brands as is solely focused on the success of their franchisees. 

Ken shares with me what Your Pie is looking for in a franchisee, how the supply chain team works to ensure franchisees all over the country are able to get high quality food, and what systems and support Your Pie offers to new and existing franchisees (and no you don’t need any restaurant experience).

I hope you enjoy today’s episode. Visit us a www.thesmartfranchisee.com to get more information about Your Pie. Leave us a review on iTunes if you haven’t already. I want to hear from you so connect with me on facebook or instagram and let me know who you want to hear next. 

Today on The Smart Franchisee we have Arnie and Jenna Seyden who share with me their experience owning a Your Pie Franchise. 

Arnie and Jenna have been married for the past 29 years and what’s even more incredible is that they have been in business together for all 29 years. (I can barely make it 1 day in my business without wanting to kill my husband but that’s besides the point). Arnie and Jenna worked together in the special event industry, Arnie worked on operations and sales and Jenna focused on bookkeeping and operations. After selling that business they decided they wanted to make their next venture a family affair. 

Arnie and Jenna have 3 kids who were all working in the food service industry. Their daughter was the GM at a pizza restaurant and realized her experience would be really beneficial in starting their own food business. That’s where franchising and Your Pie came into the picture. 

They purchased 3 territories. Their first location opened in January of 2019. They have plans to have their 2nd location open in the spring of 2020 and their 3rd in 2021. And that’s just the start for them. 

Arnie and Jenna share with me what it’s like to be in business with their children, what their experience was like as first time franchisees, the challenges they faced and recommendations for new franchisees. 

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Today I’m speaking with Doug and Denise Zirbel, a husband wife duo who have successfully opened their own Your Pie Franchise in South Carolina. 

Doug had a great career with Kimberly Clarke but spend a lot of time working and traveling while Denise took care of their 4 kids. After moving 12 times in his 25 year career, Doug and Denise realized they needed to settle down for their kids. They decided to get into business and after a bit of research realized franchising was the best option. 

They looked at a few different franchise concepts and found fast casual pizza. Doug says they almost signed with another franchise but when they went to Athens, GA to meet with the heads of Your Pie they realized that they found the business they wanted to invest in. 

Doug and Denise share with me the marketing campaign they ran to drive customers in the door and give back to the community right before their grand opening and how that led to profitibabilty from Day 1. Denise shares with me how she successfully markets to college students and families to drive revenue in the door year round.