BEAUTY EMPIRE BUILDING A BONUS: SPECIAL HOW KRISTEN WOOD AND THE TEN SPOT ARE TAKING OVER, ONE LOCATION AT A TIME CASUAL DINING FOCUS

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1 A TO Z GUIDE TO FRANCHISING SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS STORIES BONUS: SPECIAL CASUAL DINING FOCUS LookforaFranchise.ca PUBLISHED BY BUILDING A BEAUTY EMPIRE HOW KRISTEN WOOD AND THE TEN SPOT ARE TAKING OVER, ONE LOCATION AT A TIME GOT A SMARTPHONE? SCAN THIS QR CODE PM $ % 1.5 BWR PD M/J MAY JUNE Display in business until Jun. 30, 2015

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3 BUILDING A BEAUTY EMPIRE How The Ten Spot Beauty Bars are taking over, one anti-spa at a time By Gina Makkar Kristen Wood, founder, franchisor, and anti-spa beauty bar proprietor extraordinaire, always knew she wanted to own a business. After a tête-à-tête with a friend over pie, she was determined to take the leap. Wood wanted a storefront, a hip space to go every morning and interact with clients. A short time later, she opened the very first 10Spot Beauty Bar in the trendy area of Queen Street West in Toronto. CEO, Creator and Franchisor Kristen Wood at the franchise s original location in downtown Toronto. Just 24 years old at the time, Wood zeroed in on a niche market where women could have the high-end service and atmosphere of a luxury day spa without the lengthy treatments or costly prices. She married the best of both worlds and created a fun, fresh environment without compromising hygiene or customer care, unlike the lowend chop shops. The first beauty bar offered nail services and waxing and garnered plenty of attention with its cheeky branding and funky ambiance. Additional locations soon followed and, bolstered by the concept s success, Wood began to franchise in Since that time, 14 locations have opened their doors. With two business models to choose from, the Beauty Bar concept offers nail services, facials and waxing. A second concept, the Wax Bar, exclusively caters to wax clients. We are famous for our waxing services and have trademarked some of the names, like The Brazilly, The Thongkini and The Bumkini says Wood. Wood is proud to be at the forefront of a business concept that encourages women in franchising. It s not yet in people s consciousness that you can buy into a franchise at a reasonable entry level cost. Franchising does not have to be a multi-million dollar venture. You can buy into a franchise at an affordable rate and become a small business owner, she says. With a concept geared toward female entrepreneurs, she adds that it s important that they know they can have a neighbourhood business but get a turnkey operation. With few franchise concepts in today s beauty market, part of The Ten Spot s success is in their regimented protocols and intense training programs. Certified estheticians undergo proprietary 10Spot training when they are first hired, including implementing standardized protocols and practicing on test models before they are permitted to work on the floor. The adherence to such rigors ensures that clients receive the same experience, whether they visit the FranchiseCanada May June

4 Queen West location or the Ottawa one. Franchise partners even sit in during onsite esthetician training, not to perform the services themselves, but to gain the knowledge needed to accurately address a client s concerns should the need arise. Wood also says that a high regard for guest care, quality service, and health and safety have earned them several awards and accolades from clients, as well as national media publications and countless independent blogger recommendations. With an obsession for the details, Wood says the same rigid protocols that are enforced on the service side are also enforced in the franchise environment. Our franchise partners are given a turnkey operation, where we not only teach them how to run a beauty bar but we provide insight on the day-to-day operations and managerial duties, making our franchise locations successful. The corporate team has taken time to perfect the entire process from the initial onboarding of a new franchise partner right up to their grand opening and every step in between. Wood and her team have developed an extensive set of manuals that house everything anyone could ever want to know about starting a 10Spot business. The build out process of any new location is entirely turnkey: everything from layouts to permits to custom millwork and all construction. Franchisees walk into a space where even their TVs and plaques are hung. Franchisees, or franchise partners as Wood calls them, are still involved in the process, but the turnkey method allows them to focus on their energy on their operational training, hiring their staff, processing initial orders, and learning the business. Wood says her experience in owning her own corporate stores is a great advantage. Because I have my own locations, I am in both businesses the franchise business and the Beauty & Wax Bar business. We get what s happening on the ground level. We are aware and ahead of things and can flag issues and make changes. I m truly in the same boat as my franchise partners. Once a store is open, weekly calls and online meetings allow franchisees to connect to refresh their skills or discuss successes and challenges. A private Facebook page which started as a fun place to meet and chat has become a great venue where partners can bounce ideas off one another. As part of the franchisor s ongoing support, The Ten Spot HQ hosts a monthly webinar that includes details on their monthly operational focuses, promotions and any exciting news coming down the pipeline. They also have an internal website dedicated to franchise partners A FRANCHISE LOVE AFFAIR: Jacki and Jessi Allen, The Ten Spot Franchise Partners 10Spot franchise partners and sisters Jacki and Jessi Allen knew they wanted to start a business together. Jessi spent many years collecting certificates and diplomas in all things beauty, becoming a qualified esthetician, hairdresser, and makeup artist. At the same time, Jacki amassed administrative skills through several management and administrative assignments. When they first discovered The Ten Spot was franchising, they knew they had found a match for their combined skill set. Jessi and I were both customers of The Ten Spot before we even thought about franchising. says Jacki. When they began their due diligence, they visited every location as a customer, sent friends and family to have services, and sought out current franchisees perspectives. They later opened a location in Toronto in Forest Hill. Jacki says the first year was scary and great at the same time. It was scary because owning a small business, franchise or not, is a huge endeavour and a serious commitment. Luckily for us, it was a commitment we were excited to make and remain excited about today. She adds that with the ups and downs and initial learning curve, franchise support proved to be invaluable. It s like having built-in back-up! The duo says The Ten Spot has protocols down to an art, and it made operating a new business seem much more manageable. Manuals, manuals, manuals! They are endless and would have taken us approximately 20,000 years to create on our own, says Jacki. They also appreciate the ability to connect to the team if they need anything at any time. What do they love the most? As customers, we fell in love with the cheeky marketing, and that love affair continues to grow as we are now franchisees. Customers constantly comment on the clever quips and puns that are littered throughout the marketing collateral. Their advice for people looking to get into a business for themselves is to maintain high energy, attention to detail, watch the pennies, and remember that execution is everything. 26 Canadian Franchise Association

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6 and their managers with a slew of resources to help maximise their earning potential. Wood has also set up a template gallery equipped with any type or form or worksheet they might need or want, and established a dedicated marketing collateral site so that franchise partners can customize any type of branded marketing material they need for their location. The set-up allows the partners to manage their businesses independently. The system s first annual Franchise Partner conference recently took place at White Oaks Resort & Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake. There, the ladies enjoyed face time in a more relaxed environment where they celebrated accomplishments and what they ve built together. Vendors conducted product knowledge sessions, while refreshers on software and financial seminars rounded out the itinerary. It was just about getting together and celebrating. In addition to our learning sessions we had a campfire with s mores, a wine tour/tasting and an awards dinner. It was an absolute blast. 10Spot Franchise Partners come from all walks of life, from financial administrators to journalists to pharmacists. We want bright people that are enthusiastic and want to own and operate their own beauty or wax bar. Our most successful franchise partners are very active in their businesses, says Wood. For Wood, the wonderful community feel fostered with the franchise partners a crew of like-minded female entrepreneurs is important. The Ten Spot is my baby. It s not just a company I ve come in and acquired. It s taken up most of my adult life and it s something I am passionate about and attached to. For me, I want it to be fun and inspiring. The awesome things I ve been able to get out of running a 10Spot, I want that for other people. So, what s next for The Ten Spot? Beauty bar world domination, of course! For the moment, The Ten Spot s growth plans are focused on expanding throughout Canada, with 50 locations on the horizon in the next five years, and then to the United States. THE TEN SPOT BEAUTY BARS STATS Franchise Fee: $18K - $32K Investment Required: $175K - $395K (Including Initial Fee) Available Territories: BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, NB, NS, PE, NL, YT, NT, NU, US, International Training: Included in the Franchise Fee Franchise Units Canada: 13 Corporate Units Canada: 3 CFA Member Since: 2013 WANT MORE? Go behind the scenes and get a special message from The Ten Spot s Kristen Wood with FranchiseCanada online-only content. Available exclusively at The Ten Spot team, from left: CEO, Creator & Franchisor Kristen Wood; Laura Wittholz, CFO/COO; Erin Montgomery, Community Manager; Chrisi Skan, Franchise Development & Operations Manager. Not pictured: Leslie Ferranti, Education & Esthetics Manager. 28 Canadian Franchise Association