Franchisee Voices: Terri Hesse of Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa

Terri and her husband opened their own landscape supply company, A.C. Hesse, in Tom’s River, N.J., at 18 and 22 years-old, respectively. Since 1987, the couple has turned it into a family business, as their daughters Ava, 21, and Alexa, 17, have contributed along the way. Now, their daughters have captured an entrepreneurial spirit of their own. As Alexa is already running a successful food truck, Lexylicious, out of Hoboken, Ava is helping her mother bring Hand & Stone to the area.

Tell us a little bit about your background.

My husband and I started a construction company, A.C. Hesse, when I was 18 and he was 22. We opened it because we wanted to pass it on to my future children. We’ve been running it in Tom’s River, N.J., since 1987 and for the last few years it has been a supply yard as well. We primarily offer trucking and excavating services and construction materials to homeowners, contractors, builders. Think of it as landscape supply without the plants.

A few years ago, I took over the day-to-day at the company since my husband has endured health issues. We grew up in the area; Middletown and Fairhaven, N.J. We homeschooled both of our daughters as they dealt with heart conditions. They’re growing out of those problems, thankfully, and both are interested in becoming entrepreneurs just like we did.

A.C. Hesse was initially supposed to go to my oldest daughter, Ava, 21, but she decided to she wanted to pursue her own interests. My daughter Alexa, 17, owns her own food truck business, Lexylicious, where she makes customizable ice cream sandwiches and sundaes on Pier 13 in Hoboken. She’s been featured on local TV and radio because of it and she’s only been in business for less than a year.

Because my daughter Ava is interested in cosmetics and I had been a client at Hand & Stone nearby for years, we decided to look into getting our own store.

Why did you choose to become a franchisee with Hand & Stone? How did you learn about the brand?

Since I had been a client of Hand & Stone’s for years and my daughter was interested in going into a business of her own – maybe an eyebrow or make up studio – we were investigating businesses to own and looking for new opportunities. I was a fan of Hand & Stone’s business model, and I learned there was a territory available nearby. I love the brand and I thought it was something that Ava can grow into the role of running one day. She’ll be handling the day-to-day operations off the bat and learning from me in the meantime. From working with our family business, she already has a great grasp on how to run her own.