T-N-T Tanning Company Exploding with Growth ________________________by Nikki Brand

STATS

Ten years ago, Tony Humbert received a “calling” to open a tanning salon – literally.

One day in 1994, while working at a health club in Ohio, Tony Humbert received a phone call from a friend who wanted him to take over operations at his tanning salon for a few hours while he was away. “I used to tan indoors before spring break in college, but I had never worked in a tanning salon before,” he said. “Once I got to the salon, I couldn’t believe how poorly it was run. I knew I could manage a salon better.” Tony had owned a few businesses before – including a landscaping company and a painting business – and felt confident he could manage a successful salon. “I didn’t have any money, but my sister Teri did, so three weeks after helping at my friend’s business, we opened a three-bed salon,” Tony said. They used their first initials to create a name for the salon, T-N-T Tanning, and their business got off to a promising start.

Business Smarts Pay Off

Tony started accumulating business experience as a 12-year-old dishwasher at a pizza parlor. Tony and Teri’s first salon was located in the town they grew up in, Wickliffe, OH, and they capitalized on the fact that they knew many people. “Our first salon was in the back of a building and we didn’t even have a sign out front,” Tony said. “But people knew where we were from word of mouth; we then began spending 10 percent of the salon’s gross revenue on advertising.” Two years later, they purchased an existing salon in nearby Richmond Heights.

Today, there are two T-N-T Tanning salons in Mentor, two in Richmond Heights, and one in Bainbridge, Berea, Chardon, Chesterland, Lorain, Madison, Middleburgh, Painesville, Parma, Strongsville, Wickliffe and Willoughby. The 16 California Tan exclusive salons are connected by SunLync software and filled with equipment by Dr. Müller, Mystic Tan, Sun Capsule/CMC Inc., Sun Ergoline, Sun Source, TanAmerica, Ultrabronz America and uwe. The salons also sell body jewelry, and swimwear by Pan Dulce and Ritchie.

Extended Family

Operating T-N-T Tanning is a family affair. Tony’s wife Sue is the general manager and “the glue that holds this company together,” Tony’s brother-in-law performs maintenance duties, his brother is the IT technician, his sister manages the Wickliffe salon, his father-in-law delivers supplies, and his mother-in-law is the EFT administrator. Tony has hired a full-time marketing director and will soon hire two corporate trainers, a human resources director/office manager, and district managers who will each oversee five salons. He also views his contacts in the tanning industry as a good network, or “family.” “We really want to build the best family we can,” he said. “Max Recone, Frank Muscatello and everyone at Cal Tan have been very helpful, as well as Dave Myers and Rick Staskus from URI, and Christian Sauska, Jr. at Light Sources, Inc.”

The Learning Curve

Although peak tanning season at T-N-T Tanning is February-June, Tony said the longer they are in business, the shorter their slow season is. During the peak months, about 200 people visit the 11-unit salon each day, and up to 650 at the 27-unit salon. “When the salon is busy, here’s my tip: the more upset you get, the worse the situation becomes,” Tony said. “Deal with a problem the best you can and try to prevent it from happening again.”

The T-N-T staff has discovered their most successful special promotion. “Customer appreciation day is usually on a Saturday or Sunday in July,” Tony explained. “We have one-day specials, such as ‘buy 10 tanning sessions and get five free’ – it keeps the customers coming during the slower months and we get a lot of revenue that day to help carry us through the slower months. Plus, that day is a lot of fun!”

Not Another Face In The Crowd

Since Ohio is densely populated with tanning salons, the T-N-T staff has to work hard to stay ahead of the competition. “We are always adding the newest technology at the salons and we have a great staff,” Tony said. “We have a good bonus scale for sales, and take top employees to the Today’s Image Expo in Las Vegas and the ITA World Expo every year, as well as other fun events.” All staff members have completed a salon operator certification program. “The staff of T-N-T live by our motto: ‘We are going to try harder! Every day is a challenge to do better than we did yesterday. Yesterday is the past and we cannot change that, but we can achieve and overcome any challenge that comes our way,’” Tony recited.

Tony said 10-15 percent of the salons’ gross revenue is spent on advertising, which includes radio, TV, direct mail, and coupons in community shopper publications. The salon is also advertised on a wall in the stadium where the Lake County Captains baseball teams play. “We sponsor my son’s T-ball team and this spring we are giving out $10,000 in college scholarships to local high school students,” Tony said. “The scholarships of $500 each will be awarded to the students who write the best essays.” 

The future is heating up for T-N-T. Tony is in the process of purchasing a five-salon chain, plans to strengthen the company’s infrastructure, and looks forward to attending his third IST Solar Seminar Executive Retreat in December.