Entrepreneurs interested in franchise ownership have thousands of businesses to choose from, each with different requirements of its franchisees. For the massage and facial spa franchise Hand & Stone, an emphasis is placed on identifying prospective business owners that possess a set of intangible characteristics in addition to meeting the brand’s financial prerequisites. Hand & Stone has identified a number of common attributes among its most successful franchisees that the brand now seeks out during the franchise sales process to recognize individuals who are primed to thrive in its franchise system.
Hand & Stone provides spa owners with the groundwork to run their own company, so the commitment to following its system is crucial to their franchisee success, particularly from a financial standpoint.
“In our business, franchisees have to have a sense of the finances involved,” VP of Franchise Development Bob McQuillan said. “Financial competency and negotiation skills, or the means to identify and employ a third party to organize and complete financial tasks for the business, is essential to following our model.”
McQuillan explained that the brand takes a team-oriented approach to operations and provides franchisees with ample resources specifically designed to simplify services and drive revenue, so franchisees who utilize them to their full extent are primed to succeed.
Hand & Stone is first and foremost a hands-on concept where franchisee success comes from being present and active at the forefront of their business. The brand won’t approve an absentee owner model and for most franchisees, Hand & Stone is a full-time job; making an owner commitment of 35 hours per week.
”Our franchisees are extremely engaged in their business, which bolsters front-end success and is one of our key differentiators in the market,” McQuillan said.
Hand & Stone franchisees are best equipped for success when they take a strategic approach to creating a sales force. While the brand doesn't necessarily require a background in sales, being able to recruit staff members and create professional relationships with third-party companies and community professionals is something Hand & Stone emphasizes.
“Our franchisees thrive when they aren’t afraid to be the face of their business,” McQuillan said.
Because the service industry hinges so much on customer experience, the ability to manage and motivate people is paramount. Hand & Stone franchisees oversee a larger staff and wide range of services, so getting every employee to buy into the brand’s customer-centric mission and being able to keep each of them on track and attentive to every customer they serve is a big part of being a successful franchisee.
Being technology-driven is another valuable trait that leads to success with Hand & Stone. Franchisees that are agile and willing to adapt to the ever-evolving technology landscape are those most capable of meeting Hand & Stone’s standards.
“As a service-based business, technology is everything to us,” McQuillan said. “It’s a huge part of everything we do, from our POS software, to social media, to marketing, to recruiting. Our franchisees need to have a foundation of understanding and competency in technology to implement it properly in our system.”
Entrepreneurs that fit this build have the potential to flourish in the Hand & Stone franchise system. For more information on franchise opportunities with Hand & Stone, visit https://handandstonefranchise.com/.