How Amazing Lash Studio® Became the Largest Player in the Lash Industry

Since coming onto the scene in 2010, the Amazing Lash Studio® brand has been committed to providing a tailored guest experience built on offerings ranging from proprietary eyelash extensions and lash lifts to high-quality maintenance services. Following its acquisition by WellBiz Brands, Inc. in September 2018, the Amazing Lash Studio brand quickly established itself as not merely the dominant player, but the owner, of the lash space. The Amazing Lash Studio system successfully claims best-in-class status thanks to core parts of the brand’s business, including recurring revenue from a membership model, individual rooms for client services and stylist longevity.

According to WellBiz Brands’. Chief Development Officer Matt Stanton, the “best-in-class” moniker isn’t just talk.

“WellBiz Brands’ expertise is growing established brands, so it was a natural fit for us to take on the Amazing Lash Studio concept,” said Stanton. “The Amazing Lash Studio Brand is currently at approximately 230 studios—whereas a year ago, when the brand was first acquired, there were 188 studios.”

For those keeping track at home, that translates to over 40 units in just under a year.

So just what contributes to this explosive franchise growth and segment domination? In short: a healthy franchise system thanks to a mix of new and existing owners, a competitive unit growth strategy and a mastery of the business fundamentals.

The Amazing Lash Studio’s franchise system is almost 100% franchisee-owned. In light of the past year’s explosive franchise growth, the Amazing Lash Studio ownership pool has developed into a robust mix of new and existing owners.

“Our newer owners were attracted to the fast-growing beauty segment,” said Stanton. “They saw the viability of the business model and enthusiastically signed on.”

Stanton noted that considerable franchise growth has also been a result of the scaling of multi-unit owners who have added their third or fourth location.

“We have a good mix of both single- and multi-unit owners who are passionate about expanding,” Stanton said. “And we like to see that mix because it means we’re not dominated by three or four franchise groups, or types of owners, which can complicate scaling.”

Whether as a single- or multi-unit owner, Stanton explained, Amazing Lash Studio franchisees are matching the ever-growing demand for the brand’s exceptional services from coast to coast. The first half of 2019 saw the Amazing Lash Studio footprint expand into new markets, including the opening of its first Massachusetts unit. Transitioning into the second half of the year, the Amazing Lash Studio brand plans to solidify its presence in established cities while also introducing the broad appeal of its eyelash extension services to states such as Michigan, Iowa, South Dakota, Louisiana and Oklahoma.

“It’s exciting to see a healthy diversity of ownership happening while we’re still fairly young. That definitely contributes to the unit growth,” said Stanton. “More and more, our owners are taking their share of strategic markets and proving time and again why the Amazing Lash Studio brand extends far beyond the competition.”

When asked for one way that Amazing Lash Studio has managed to edge out eyelash extension competitors, Stanton was clear.

“We do it by keeping that unit growth going,” he said. “There’s a certain momentum and powerful brand recognition that comes from a steadily growing unit count. Being best-in-class is not just a matter of being good at attracting franchisees. In order to do that well, you must demonstrate an exceptional business model; leading franchisee support via training, real estate development and operations support; multiple revenue streams and great brand ambassadors. We do all of those really well at Amazing Lash Studio.”

The result?

“When you’ve nurtured every element of the business—from model to franchisee to executive leadership—you get continued unit growth. That growth builds on itself and snowballs into unstoppable momentum,” Stanton said. 

Asked just how the Amazing Lash Studio brand managed to master the fundamentals of its industry, Stanton explained that it translates to a willingness to invest in training and development.

“There’s a technical aspect to lashes,” Stanton said. “We want to offer the best product and match guests with superb stylists who are experts in their field. Stylists are trained on the technical aspects of the product and the brand is constantly monitoring market trends.”

Stanton also noted that being the largest in the eyelash extension industry allows the Amazing Lash Studio brand to invest in stylists’ career development—encouraging them to individually become best-in-class—and to continue improving in the interest of its guests.

“Hands-on training allows stylists to develop in their careers, which contributes to stylist retention and really allows them to grow those attentive relationships with their recurring clientele,” said Stanton.

Although guests’ stylist loyalty is a definite contributor to recurring revenue, Stanton emphasized that the Amazing Lash Studio brand is ultimately what keeps guests returning.

“We are in the service business, so in addition to a first-class product and process, we have to make sure our owners and their studio staff are well-trained in hospitality and are inviting people to come back,” said Stanton. “Is it warm and welcoming when our guests visit? Do they enjoy a great connection with their stylist? All of that plays into customers coming back.”

And while other brands might be tempted to become complacent after taking ownership of their respective industry, Stanton said that coasting by just isn’t in the Amazing Lash Studio DNA.

“We got a good head start in the space, but that hasn’t made us lazy—if anything, we’re hungry to maintain our leader status and to keep pushing the bar higher,” said Stanton. “We know we’re still a rapidly emerging segment and we’re still fairly small, so we have to execute on all these areas to maintain that leadership position in the long run. By staying best-in-class, we can keep investing in our franchisees. And that’s the core of our vision going forward.”

The investment range for an Amazing Lash Studio franchise is $224,659 to $482,528*, including a $39,000 franchise fee. For more information on franchise opportunities, visit https://franchising.amazinglashstudio.com.

*As per the March 13, 2019 Federal Disclosure Document.

Amazing Lash Franchise, LLC. 9780 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. Each Amazing Lash Studio® is independently owned and operated.  Amazing Lash Studio® is a registered trademark of Amazing Lash Franchise, LLC