How a Hotel Valuation Expert Accidentally Found Success with the Sola Salons Franchise

Bryan Younge, who has a background in hotel valuations, never anticipated jumping into the world of franchising. While researching a new hotel brand, Younge connected with a franchise expert who introduced him to the Sola Salons opportunity. Intrigued, Younge explored the franchise further.

“I was incredibly impressed with the organization, the format, and the support they offer newcomers,” Younge said. “It felt like a language I could speak well, and now we’re all the way in.”

What began as a side conversation about real estate turned into a full-fledged business venture that Younge now runs alongside his wife. With two locations so far, Younge’s goal is to build an empire of Sola Salons locations in the Chicagoland area, leveraging synergies across multiple locations and creating a supportive culture for their tenants.

He shared his journey into franchising and his vision for the future with 1851 Franchise. Here’s what he had to say:

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Bryan Younge: Right now, my full-time job is running a group of hotel appraisers. My wife is the one running the stores now — she’s the president and CEO of our entity. My background is in hotel valuations, and I stumbled into this opportunity somewhat accidentally. I was researching a new soft brand franchise coming to the hotel world and, in the process, connected with a franchise expert who didn’t have a hotel background. We started discussing real estate in general, and he introduced me to the Sola opportunity, framing it as a real estate-based business model. After some conversations with Sola at the corporate level, I was incredibly impressed with the organization, the format and the support they offer newcomers. It felt like a language I could speak well, and now we’re all the way in.

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Younge: I thought franchising was a very regimented experience, potentially profitable but with good and bad aspects. We had neighbors who owned several quick-service restaurant franchises, like Popeyes. They enjoyed the experience but noted there was zero flexibility — it was strictly "here’s the model, just carry it out." Now, being part of Sola, I see that this franchise is different. It’s built around successfully extracting the positives and strengths of ownership to implement a business plan. There’s a lot of flexibility, but not so much that you’re left in the dark. It’s a well-guided process, with plenty of resources to draw on, but also the liberty to be creative and build the business in your own way.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Younge: I didn’t necessarily pick the brand — it’s more that I fell into it and was impressed by the system and the people involved. I really enjoyed the initial training session and meeting the corporate team in Colorado. The plan they have in place for new operators to achieve success was very clear and impressive. Although external factors like high interest rates have made ramping up slow, especially since we opened during the summer, corporate has moved mountains to help us maximize our exposure. Now that we’re entering the busy season, I’m impressed with how corporate has guided us through building our business and ensuring we’re on the right path.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Younge: The idea is to build an empire of these stores, ideally in the Chicagoland area or nearby. We’ve learned that some operators struggle to run their businesses in a state of solvency. If there are operators in trouble, we’re interested in considering opportunities where they might need help, whether due to personal reasons or a lack of understanding of the business model. For example, our Janesville acquisition involved helping a store quickly regain its positive perception in the market through strong local presence. Our goal is to leverage synergies from operating multiple stores and build a network of good relationships both within the Sola system and within each community. We’re essentially landlords, but our mission is to create a culture that supports our tenants’ businesses and livelihoods, helping them succeed.

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Younge: Our style is that we are a family. This is an entrepreneurial venture, but it’s also the culmination of dozens of other business ventures under one roof. We want everyone to know that we’re a family ourselves and we welcome new operators into our family. We spend a lot of time on culture — warming up the space during the holidays, hosting fun events and fostering a community within our stores. We have four kids, so we’re a big family and we like to check in on everyone, even the kids. The longer our tenants stay, the happier they are, which reflects the culture we’ve built.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Younge: For Sola specifically, passion is what drives success. Other franchises might have a cookie-cutter approach to business where you just follow the recipe. With Sola, there’s more freedom to make decisions that will attract tenants. But if we don’t have solutions on our own, there’s a well-developed playbook from Sola that we can draw from to find success.

For more information about franchise opportunities with Sola Salon Studios, visit https://www.solafranchising.ca/.