Anytime Fitness Franchise Owners Set to Disrupt Fragmented Nail Salon Category by Delighting All Five Senses

When the husband-and-wife team of Guy and Stephanie Coffey founded the first Frenchies Modern Nail Care in Littleton, Colorado in 2014, their mission was to revolutionize the nail care industry for not only guests and nail specialists, but also for franchise owners. Luckily, the duo certainly weren’t strangers to the franchising industry. By leveraging their ownership experience as multi-unit owners of Anytime Fitness, as well as Stephanie Coffey’s expertise gained as President of Waxing the City, the couple had all the expertise they needed to create a winning franchise opportunity within the highly fragmented nail care industry. Today, Frenchies has grown to include 24 locations across the country and is now aiming to sell an additional 10 units by the end of 2023. 

“We’ve continued to attract savvy franchise owners because they understand that this is a very blue water opportunity,” said Guy Coffey. “The nail care industry has grown to a  $20 billion market today and it is way too big and way too fragmented to not have a national leader. Plus, consumers are really tired of bad nail salon experiences. Frenchies is ready to change all of that. This brand is led by a team of franchising experts with 78 years of collective experience who understand how to turn an underserved market niche like nails into a truly exciting business opportunity.”

The History of Frenchies Modern Nail Care 

The original idea for the Frenchies brand was born back in 2012 after the Coffeys began researching other categories following their successful career in the fitness world. When they discovered that the nail and waxing industry was an underserved industry worth $12 billion at the time — 96% of which was due to nails — a lightbulb went off.

“It was astonishing to see that there were waxing franchise companies that had hundreds of units nationwide, but a distinct lack of franchises in the nail industry space. We knew that based on experience and research, nails were a highly fragmented market, with a bad consumer experience,” said Stephanie Coffey. “Plus, we wanted to bring a winning franchise concept to market because we saw how franchising could impact lives in a positive way.”

And as a consumer, Stephanie Coffey says she always loved getting manicures, but she was frustrated by bad salon experiences. 

“The typical nail salon tends to be dirty, toxic and there is a lack of customer service. The experience is awful and we as consumers grew to accept this type of experience. ” said Stephanie Coffey. “We always had our eyes and ears open for opportunities. Where can we change an industry? What needs to be changed? That is when the idea for Frenchies was born. We saw the nail care industry and saw an opportunity in the market to change that experience.” 

So, the Coffeys sold one of their five Anytime Fitness locations, took the cash and opened up a nail salon in 2014. When I was in the Frenchies studio, people were constantly approaching and asking her: “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for a place like this.’ This curiosity has not died down to this day!”

How Frenchies Provides Posh Pampering in a Space that Looks as Good as it Feels

When guests walk into Frenchies, they aren’t greeted with that toxic chemical smell that comes from acrylic services. Instead, they are instantly welcomed into an elevated, spa-like-level experience that delights all five senses. Driven by their trademarked mantra “We Love Clean,” Frenchies teaches team members and guests to expect nothing but the best. From stringent disinfection practices to the use of an autoclave and lack of jetted foot tubs which are known to harbor bacteria, Frenchies nail studios aim to set the standard for cleanliness in nail salons. 

“Everything we do — the products, processes, procedures — is all done with a focus on cleanliness,” said Frenchies VP of Marketing Stacy Stout. “That is our guiding light. The nail world can be a dirty industry, but we believe everything you do to your body matters. We are having to re-educate the market because this is how it has been delivered for 60 years. We do it differently. All polishes are free of harsh chemicals and we don’t use acrylics at all.”

A study by Colorado State University linked the use of acrylic nails to cancer, respiratory issues, pregnancy issues and more. But, as Stout says, most consumers don’t know this. That is why the Frenchies brand is all about education. 

“We dispel myths in the marketplace as we aim to become the voice of the future of the nail industry,” said Stout. “Everything we do, from the moment you enter the door to the time you exit, is all about the guest experience. We engage you with a Scent Wall, for example, where the guest selects the scents of body butter and sugar scrub for their service. Next, we guide the guest to the Polish Wall where we educate on our non-toxic polish options. Then, we take you to “Coco’s Clean Room”, where you will see the back of the house and how we clean and sterilize our tools - no salon does that! Every touchpoint is an education.”

This consumer proposition proved to be even more valuable when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “We touch people everyday all day long, so we were pretty worried at first. But luckily, our tagline from day one has been We Love Clean; now we like to say that “we were clean before clean was cool,” said Stephanie Coffey.

Frenchies Offers Entrepreneurs In-Depth Leadership Expertise, Advanced Support Tools and More

There are several reasons that Frenchies stands out as a franchise opportunity, but perhaps the most significant is the impressive amount of franchising experience held by the leadership team. 

“We didn’t just build a model and say good luck to franchise owners,” said Guy Coffey. “We have been in franchising for a long time, both as franchisor and franchisee. That brings a lot of experience you can rely on. Similarly, many of our corporate team members are franchisees themselves. Our VP of Field Operations, for example, is a franchisee of another beauty brand. That credibility, empathy, expertise — it helps franchise owners understand that we have their best interest in mind.” 

This level of leadership expertise, support and vendor partner mix is rare for an emerging brand like Frenchies. But just because the brand is emerging, doesn’t mean it isn’t advanced. “The tools, the support, the leadership, the vendor partners, the data —  we don’t operate like an emerging brand,” said Stephanie Coffey. 

From the time a franchise owner is awarded a territory and during their entire journey with Frenchies, the corporate team helps franchise owners with their studio grand opening plan, monthly marketing calendars, P&L management, recruiting, hiring and training, and more.

Once open, Frenchies franchise owners have access to a bevy of tools, including a full-on roadmap training process, which includes operations, people, marketing and more, as well as a learning platform where new training courses are uploaded on a regular basis. Franchisees also have one-on-one sessions with the leadership team, as well as quarterly state of the business calls. 

Why Now Is the Time to Invest in a Frenchies Franchise

Overall, Frenchies’ long-term vision is to revolutionize the nail care industry and — based on the brand’s in-depth research — it is the right time to do so. 

“You can’t Amazon nail services,” said Stout. “People don’t go to the nail salon just to get their nails polished. Since the time of Cleopatra, it has been a place to gather and enjoy the interaction with other people. You can’t do that with machines. This is an Amazon-proof model because humans want to connect and the nail salon is a proven place where we go to do that.”

Looking ahead, Frenchies aims to award 10 franchise units and open three new salons by the end of 2023. The team has identified several target markets primed for franchise growth, including Colorado, Texas, Florida, Minnesota and Georgia. 

“If you want to be an entrepreneur, be your own boss, lead a team of young professionals and give back to the community all at the same time, this is your opportunity,” said Stephanie Coffey. “By joining Frenchies Modern Nail Care, you can participate in revolutionizing a fragmented industry by providing a one-of-a-kind experience to the communities you serve.”

The total investment necessary to open a Frenchies Modern Nail Care salon comes in between $262,444 to $447,016. For more information, visit: https://frenchiesnails.com/own-a-frenchies/