Inside Amazing Lash Studio®’s Meteoric Rise to Becoming the Top Eyelash Extension Salon Concept on the Market
Fresh off its September 2018 acquisition by WellBiz Brands, Inc., the Amazing Lash Studio® brand is gearing up for next-level growth. The eyelash extension salon franchise has grown exponentially since its founding in 2010, with more than 200 locations open across 23 states. Through a strong national presence and a competitive franchise offering with high revenue potential, the Amazing Lash Studio brand has established itself as the runaway leader in the emerging eyelash extension category of the beauty segment.
As Amazing Lash Studio pursues its mission to own the eyes and play around the face, the brand excels at its core offering, leading to a strong base of passionate, satisfied customers and, in turn, consistently high recurring revenue for its franchisees. Specializing in semi-permanent eyelash extensions, Amazing Lash Studio developed four proprietary eyelash extension styles—Natural, Cute, Sexy and Gorgeous—that achieve a different look based on the customer’s eye shape, lifestyle and preference. The brand is consistently innovating its offering to respond to the different needs of its customer base, as evidenced by the recent launches of the Amazing Lash Lift service and its all-new Amazing Featherweight Lashes.
“Amazing Lash Studio provides an emotional service—our mission statement is to create lasting beauty and confidence so guests will look and feel amazing,” said Amazing Lash Studio CEO Heather Elrod. “In our guest research of the brand’s members and non-members, it is resoundingly clear that with lash extensions, women feel more confident. We just completed a round of market research across the entire country, and no matter the region or focus group, the feedback is identical: that women can wake up feeling confident and beautiful. It was all about how they felt, not how they looked. Amazing Lash Studio service offerings allow women to break up with mascara for good and look as glamorous as they want.”
Amazing Lash Studio’s growth is far outpacing similar concepts; the brand currently holds the No. 1 position in the segment volume-wise by 150 studios. “We created the category and remain its innovative leader thanks to our ever-expanding premium service offering,” Elrod said. This already strong market presence has only been amplified by the industry knowledge, resources and purchasing power that come with WellBiz Brands’ support. Additionally, this support gives franchisees across its portfolio of brands – Fitness Together®, Elements Massage® and Amazing Lash Studio® - the tools and techniques to sell memberships and retain members to help secure a recurring revenue stream. Amazing Lash Studio saw 43 studios open in 2018 and is projected to open another 45 in 2019.
Perhaps the most significant differentiator between Amazing Lash Studio and its competitors is its spa-like setting. The brand’s footprint, a 1,200- to 1,600-square-foot model, requires separate rooms to perform services, which is unmatched in the segment. This experience-enhancing feature creates a quality difference that is one of the primary reasons customers choose the Amazing Lash Studio brand over other options.
This footprint also gives Amazing Lash Studio franchisees the capability to accept walk-ins, adding another dimension to their business which can lead to higher average unit volumes and greater revenue potential after the breakeven point.
Another standout feature of Amazing Lash Studio’s brand is its stylist training program. With other concepts, stylist training falls on the shoulders of franchisees. Amazing Lash Studio, however, handles stylist training out of its regional headquarters. Franchisees send employees to learn the proper systems and tools they need to execute the service Amazing Lash Studio provides. This ensures each studio is meeting the brand’s high standards of quality and helping to provide an exemplary customer experience.
As the beauty and wellness space continues to thrive, service brands are growing due to their relatively low investments and straightforward operations models. Amazing Lash Studio continues to explode due to the popularity of the eyelash extension service segment and market availability and is well-positioned to continue at the top.
“Eye makeup and enhancements have been around for millennia,” said Amazing Lash Studio Chief Development Officer Matt Stanton. “Lash extensions themselves have been around for decades, but the technology involved has come a long way. This is where Amazing Lash Studio is at the forefront of the industry—the technical aspect. Light lashes, quick-drying adhesives and the technique of adhering a single fiber to individual lashes to create the opportunity for a variety of styles and custom looks. Amazing Lash Studio embodies the next evolution of the beauty services industry, providing tremendous value to customers by cutting down on their makeup regimen, offering a time-saving alternative in their daily beauty routines. We skillfully enhance what has been around forever and what will continue to be of great importance to women well into the future.”
The investment range for an Amazing Lash Studio franchise is $224,650 to $482,528, which includes the $39,000 initial franchise fee. For more information, visit https://franchising.amazinglashstudio.com/.