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Franchise owner Rhonda Thomas explains how the leading lash extension services brand is leveraging its network through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rhonda Thomas was first introduced to the Amazing Lash Studio® brand not as a franchisee, but as a director of operations for a regional developer. After climbing the corporate ladder at Wells Fargo for 17 years, she decided that she was looking for a change and took a role with a local franchisee. Her position within the Amazing Lash Studio system introduced her to a new type of business ownership—one that includes a built-in support system through a franchisor. That and her growing love of the brand ultimately inspired her to become a franchisee herself.
Since opening her first location in November of 2017, Thomas has grown her portfolio to include three Amazing Lash Studio locations—three in Charlotte, North Carolina and one in Alabama. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these locations were temporarily closed. However, that didn’t mean that Thomas wasn’t still hard at work with her staff. Together with the help of the Amazing Lash Studio Support Center team, she was able to plan and prepare for her reopening.
“They have a very strategic plan right now in terms of how to get back open,” said Thomas of the Amazing Lash Studio brand’s Support Center team. “They’ve outlined what it will take for us to get to our ‘new normal.’ It includes new sanitation protocols, tips on how to retrain our staff prior to reopening and how to protect the brand, clients and our employees. I’ve been incredibly impressed with the steps that the Support Center has taken—they acted really fast to make sure the reopening process is rolled out in a very structured way.”
In addition to working closely with Amazing Lash Studio’s Support Center team for guidance, Thomas is also relying on other franchisees in the brand’s system to help navigate these unprecedented times. Amazing Lash Studio owners across the country are leveraging the brand’s 250-plus unit network to implement new ideas and best practices.
“I’m on the National Advisory Council for the Amazing Lash Studio brand. We have a call every two days to go over the concerns of our fellow franchisees and compile data that we can send back to the Support Center team. From there, the brand can take that data and information and put it into play in a strategic way,” said Thomas. “We also have regional calls for specific regions of the country. Franchisees in Tennessee, Alabama and the Carolinas are lumped into one crew, for example, and we have conference calls so we can share our experiences and learn best practices that are specific to our region.”
That collaboration is one of the differentiators that makes the Amazing Lash Studio’s investment opportunity so competitive.
“Throughout this crisis, franchisees have been supporting each other and connecting with one another. As a franchisor, building that network has always been one of our biggest responsibilities. It’s amazing to see them helping each other and building that network. The franchisees have stepped up in a big way,” said Lauren Wanamaker, senior director of development for Amazing Lash Franchise, LLC.
Throughout the current COVID-19 crisis, Thomas is also thinking ahead to what business will look like well on the other side. One of the biggest things she’s preparing for is expanding her business in terms of both the number of lash stylists on staff and customers served.
“There are a lot of lash studios in the Charlotte area that won’t be reopening again. It’s sad, but they just won’t make it on the other side of the COVID-19 crisis,” said Thomas. “With that being said, I have to be ready to take on new clients. That means I need to be prepared to bring on more lash stylists. I’m actively working with a recruiter to bring in enough lash stylists to not just be able to service our existing member base, but to service new clients as well.”
While the COVID-19 pandemic has caused her businesses to pivot, Thomas is still thankful that she’s able to be a part of an established brand like Amazing Lash Studio.
As Thomas said, “I was new to franchising before joining the Amazing Lash Studio brand. I worked for Wells Fargo for 17 years before getting into this world, and I can say that I would never go back to corporate life. Owning my own business and having the ability to be innovative and work with my teams the way that I want to is something that I love, and I’m so grateful that I’m able to do it with the support of a franchise system.”
The investment range for an Amazing Lash Studio® franchise is $239,210 to $508,510. The initial single unit franchise fee is $39,900. 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.
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