Chief Development Officer Matt Stanton on Why There’s Never Been a Better Time to Join Amazing Lash Studio

Matt Stanton has worked in franchising for a decade, but as the Chief Development Officer for WellBiz Brands, Inc., the experience he draws from stretches back even further. “I’ve always loved building new businesses,” Stanton said. In fields as diverse as biotechnology for the government and mergers and acquisitions for a Fortune 500 company, Stanton has always had a knack for connecting people and opportunity.

“The industries I’ve worked in have been very different, but each of them taught me how to solve,” he said. “I love finding solutions and bringing different parties together to make business happen.”

That experience has served Stanton well in the franchise world, starting with Smashburger®, where he worked his way up from a growth-strategy role to head of the franchise development team and helped grow the brand from 75 units to more than 350.

Today, Stanton runs the franchise development team at WellBiz Brands, Inc., the parent company of beauty-boutique Amazing Lash Studio® franchise. Stanton’s role is all about “building great relationships with the right franchise owners.”

Here’s why he believes now is the ideal time to become one of those franchise owners:

1851 Franchise: What makes the Amazing Lash Studio brand stand out, both as a franchise and as a beauty business?

Matt Stanton: Within the franchise industry, there are very few new categories, but the eyelash-extension segment is growing in a big way, with a lot of new adopters. The brand is hitting that critical mass where it’s past the early-adopter phase and hitting the elbow of the adoption curve, where it really takes off. Franchising doesn’t see segments hitting that phase very often, so it’s very exciting, and the Amazing Lash Studio franchise system is by far the biggest player in the segment, with about three times as many studios as its nearest competitor.

In addition to our growing footprint and brand awareness, the Amazing Lash Studio brand      sees itself as pioneers of innovation and resources for franchisees. We always want the brand       to be the first brand that comes to mind when someone thinks about eyelash extensions. The brand is the category leader, but there's still incredible unmet demand nationally, so we’re not taking our foot off the gas pedal.

1851: Why should an entrepreneur invest in the Amazing Lash Studio franchise system right now?

Stanton: The beauty industry has become more accessible, and more women are becoming regular customers for eyelash extensions, so now is the ideal time for franchisees to join the leading brand and establish themselves as the top lash provider in their area.

The training available for franchisees and their stylists, managers and lash consultants, is best-in-class. Our technology, innovation and resources are also best-in-class. Wrap all those things together, and you find one of the best opportunities in franchising with the strongest-possible support system to ensure success.

1851: What is something you think every new franchisee should understand before joining the Amazing Lash Studio franchise system?

Stanton: For every aspect of the franchisee journey, the brand offers best-in-class support.

In terms of real estate, there is a dedicated in-house real-estate team and a national broker network. The brand also has dedicated site-development, training, operations and marketing teams to help guide franchisees every step of the way. It’s a comprehensive package of support. And this is not just because the brand is the largest provider in the space — it’s growing the fastest, it has bigger teams and it has the depth of leadership experience. Plus, being backed by WellBiz Brands, Inc., it can achieve a higher level of talent in these areas.

1851: How else does WellBiz Brands, Inc. provide support for the Amazing Lash Studio franchisees?

Stanton: One big thing is real estate. Our team gets involved to the extent that franchise law allows in terms of helping new franchisees get through their leasing process. We’re committed to supporting every one of our owners with a strong local broker network and team of advisors to provide guidance and insights, because most franchisees have never leased commercial real estate. In this way, we are able to highlight the right spot in town and support owners in negotiating a fair lease with their landlord.

1851: What does the ideal Amazing Lash Studio franchisee look like?

Stanton: The biggest thing we look for is passion. There’s no key formula for prospective owner background or previous work experience. Some of our best franchisees have never owned a business before. We look for someone who is a good team leader and who is highly proactive, whether their professional background is in franchising or anything else.

One of the biggest factors that correlates with success is a willingness to get personally engaged in the business. This doesn’t mean they have to be the day-to-day manager in the studio, but they are making sure the culture of their business is being positively shaped. This aligns with franchisees hiring the right people and focusing on the right areas for improvement. We want an owner that takes an active interest in their studio and most importantly, their team.

The investment range for an Amazing Lash Studio® franchise is $239,210 to $508,510*.      To learn more about franchising with Amazing Lash Franchise, LLC, visit https://franchising.amazinglashstudio.com.

*As per the March 30, 2020, Franchise Disclosure Document.

Amazing Lash Franchise, LLC. (“ALF”) 9780 S. Meridian Blvd, Suite 400 Englewood, CO 80112 This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for information purposes only. Currently, the following states regulate the offer and sale of franchises: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. If you are a resident of one of these states, we will not offer you a franchise unless and until we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration and disclosure requirements in your jurisdiction. MN File No. F-8741. This advertisement is not an offering. An offering can only be made by a prospectus filed first with the Department of Law of the State of New York. Such filing does not constitute approval by the Department of Law.  THESE FRANCHISES HAVE BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE FRANCHISE INVESTMENT LAW OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.  SUCH REGISTRATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE APPROVAL, RECOMMENDATION OR ENDORSEMENT BY THE COMMISSIONER OF CORPORATIONS NOR A FINDING BY THE COMMISSIONER THAT THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HEREIN IS TRUE, COMPLETE AND NOT MISLEADING.    Each Amazing Lash Studio® location is independently owned and operated. Amazing Lash Studio® is a registered trademark of ALF.