by John P. Ribner
Whoever said, “good things come in small packages”
must have been thinking about California Tanning in Gilman, IL.
In 2001, Fran and Gene Ross decided that a tanning salon was just what the
small town of Gilman, IL needed. They opened their business – California
Tanning – alongside a video rental store, and it was an immediate success.
Tanners from near and far flocked to the small salon, making Fran and
Gene very happy with their decision to become their own bosses and join
the indoor tanning industry. Their achievements have the Rosses thinking
of even more possibilities for California Tanning…
Change of Pace
Five years ago, Fran and Gene Ross decided they needed something different.
Both had worked in sales in Chicago – she in computer accessories and
he in dairy products – and after many years in that fast-paced environment,
they wished to slow things down and have a business of their own. “We
left our jobs in Chicago and relocated to Gibson City, IL, which is a
small, rural area, to start a motel business,” Fran recalled. “Both Gene
and I have been longtime indoor tanners, and we noticed that at that time,
there weren’t many places in nearby Gilman where you could get a tan.
This is how we started considering opening a salon in the area.”
Two in One
When Fran and Gene Ross decided to purchase a tanning salon, they ended
up buying a video rental business! While this might seem counterproductive
to their dream of becoming indoor tanning entrepreneurs, it was actually
the perfect move toward making it a reality. “There was a video rental
business for sale in town, and the building offered a lot of room to expand
– enough room to add a tanning salon,” Fran recalled. “We opened California
Tanning in 2001 at the same time we launched Show To Go. We were surprised
at how quickly the business became successful – our initial hours were
from noon to 8pm, but soon our customers were asking us to stay open longer,
so we decided to open at 10am and close at 9pm.” Things continued to stay
busy, so they added another tanning unit to meet the demand.
Small But Effective
The Rosses make no bones about it – California Tanning is a small salon.
The business has a total of four tanning units – two TanAmerica VIP Gold
sunbeds, an ETS SunDome and, most recently, an ETS SunVision sunbed, which
the couple won at a recent symposium hosted by distributor National Tanning
Supply. The salon sells lotions by Australian Gold/Swedish Beauty, California
Tan and Fiji Blend. During peak months, it serves about 100 clients each
day, and that number dips to about 30 clients a day during the off-peak
months.
Fran attributes much of California Tanning’s success to the hard work
of manager, Stephanie VonDrehle. “She does an excellent job!” Fran exclaimed.
“She became a customer when we first opened, and one day asked for a job.
I hired her part-time, and she just kept asking for more and more responsibilities
until we decided to make her a manager. We couldn’t do it without her.”
Fran added that Stephanie’s strengths include knowing all of the customers
on a first-name basis, and always being able to recommend the perfect
lotion for each of them, based on their skin type and tanning level. “All
of our employees are crucial to the success of our business, and we’re
so happy to have the staff that we do,” she added.
Here Today, and Tomorrow
Even small salons need to offer special tanning promotions to ensure their
success. In the case of California Tanning, though, those specials have
a tendency to stick around for a while, just like their many loyal customers.
“We once offered a monthly tanning special for $35, and we brought it
back for another two months due to customer requests,” Fran recalled.
“After the special ended, people said they liked it so much that we decided
to keep it as our regular monthly offer.” California Tan also offers a
25 percent lotion discount with the purchase of five or more sessions,
as well as a seven-session package for the price of five, which Fran says
is also popular.
More? Maybe …
The success of California Tanning has the Rosses pondering some serious
future plans. “We’re looking at the possibility of adding more equipment,
particularly some type of sunless tanning option, perhaps a spray booth,”
Fran commented. “We’re also
considering opening another salon in Gibson City, which is 35 miles away
from our current location. We’re not completely sure about these plans
yet, but we are certain that we love the indoor tanning industry, and
plan to be a part of its future.”
California Tanning
STATS:
Locations: 1
Years in Business: 5
Tanning Systems: 4
Employees: 7
Islands
Tanning & Nails
THE RIGHT COMBINATION
by John P. Ribner
Combining their love for Hawaii with their desire to be
business owners has made Islands Tanning & Nails a winning venture for
Jon and Rebecca Guyette.
It’s no wonder that Islands Tanning & Nails got off to a great start
– Rebecca’s tanning salon experience and Jon’s sales expertise was a perfect
combination. Now, after four banner years at their first location in Tualatin,
OR, the Guyettes have opened a second Islands Tanning salon across the state
line in nearby Battleground, WA, and are preparing for the possibility of
licensing future salons.
A QUICK START
Like many people who find success as tanning salon owners, Jon and Rebecca
Guyette wanted to be their own bosses. The couple knew indoor tanning would
be their business of choice when they realized they had the right formula
for success. She had many years’ experience managing tanning salons and
he had proven himself in the world of automobile sales, reaching the top
of his profession as general manager of an auto dealership. After some initial
research, the Guyettes opened Islands Tanning & Nails in a high-traffic
area. “We aggressively promoted our business on the radio and in the local
newspaper at least two months before we opened our doors,” Jon recalled.
“This helped to get our name out there and generated a lot of interest in
the salon. By the time we actually did open up, the response was phenomenal.
We sold 47 tans on our first official day of business, and we’ve done well
every year since!”
As its name implies, Islands Tanning & Nails offers nail services, and
this also helped put the salon on the fast track to success. “Since we began
promoting our business before we opened, we had many nail technicians coming
to us looking for jobs,” he said. “We hired five of the them, and they all
brought along their own clientele, which helped generate traffic in the
salon right from the start. Today, we have three nail techs, and each of
them has a substantial clientele.”
SALES SUCCESS
Sales are taken very seriously at Islands Tanning. Jon and Rebecca hold
weekly sales meetings with their salon team, where they continue to instruct
the staff on various ways to boost retail revenue. “We took much of what
I learned in automobile sales and applied it to the salon business,” Jon
explained. “For example, after giving new clients a tour of the facilities,
we immediately take them back to the front counter to begin the process
of signing them up for some type of membership package. Because we have
a high-end pricing structure, we offer various methods for our clients to
purchase with a portion of the amount down at the time of signing, then
use a tele-check method to collect the balance over the shortest time possible.”
FAST TANS
“In order to be successful, tanning salons have to deliver the best results
in the shortest amount of time,” Jon commented. “We have a very upscale
clientele and they all lead busy lives, so we knew we needed to find equipment
that could deliver.” Islands offers eight tanning units – a Tanses T52,
Tanses T64, three 38-lamp Tanses beds, a Tanses T38 and a Sun Italia Magic
366 high-pressure unit. For customers who want a sunless tan, Islands has
a Mystic Tan spray booth. The salon sells lotions by Aloha Tan and Designer
Skin, as well as Mystic Tan’s sunless products, and operates using the SunTouch
software system from Interactive Designs.
When it came to salon décor, Jon and Rebecca chose a theme that was
a personal favorite. “We were married in Hawaii and we fell in love with
its beautiful scenery,” he commented. “We decorated with a beach theme,
and each tanning room is named after an island or popular beach in Hawaii.”
The blues and whites on the floors and walls are complimented by a huge
beach mural painted in the window of the tower above the salon. “People
driving by can see the mural from the road, and many have come in to compliment
us on it,” Jon added.
THE BIG GIVEAWAY
The Guyettes were married in Hawaii, and they parlayed their love for the
islands into a wildly popular promotional event for their salon. “Each year,
we raffle a trip for two to Hawaii and the it just keeps getting bigger!”
Jon exclaimed. “Clients get one raffle ticket for every $100 they spend
with us, and we give additional tickets to those who make larger purchases,
such as 20 tickets for $1,000. This promotion always generates high sales
for us.” The reason Islands’ clients are so eager to make enough purchases
to obtain extra raffle tickets is simple – the grand prize Hawaiian vacation
for two includes airfare, car rental and hotel accommodations. “We held
our drawing at the salon last year, and there must have been more than 100
people crowded inside, waiting to hear who won,” Jon recalled. “The deejay
from the local radio station was broadcasting live from our salon, and it
was a huge publicity vehicle for us.”
A CHAIN OF ISLANDS
Islands Tanning & Nails recently became a chain – Jon and Rebecca opened
a second salon in Battleground, WA on March 1, 2006. “We were able to incorporate
many great marketing ideas at our second store, and we’re very excited about
it!” he exclaimed. “For example, we’ve placed an impressive high-pressure
unit in a front room with a window, so everyone passing by can see it from
the road. During a session in that unit, we lower a power window-shade that
has an ad for our salon on it, so no matter if the room is being used or
not, it’s promoting our business.”
While the Guyettes are excited about the opening of their second salon,
they don’t plan to open any more, themselves. Instead, the couple has been
talking with at least two possible investors who wish to replicate the success
of Jon and Rebecca by opening Islands Tanning salons of their own. “At one
time, I thought that I wanted to own 10 salons, but I realize that I can’t
do that. I know that our success comes from being at our salon as much as
we can, and if I had that many locations, we would spread ourselves too
thin. Our plan is to keep moving ahead as an owner-operator business and
enjoying what comes our way.”
ISLANDS TANNING & NAILS
STATS:
Locations: 2
Years in Business: 4
Tanning Systems: 16
Employees: 10
Other Services: Nails, Sunless Spray Booth
