After three decades spent in engineering, including nearly 20 years in Silicon Valley, Dan Karraker decided to pivot away from the corporate world and began considering what his next phase may be. After connecting with a franchise consultant, who had reached out to him over six months before he began the transition, Karraker evaluated up to 25 different franchise brands before landing on Sola Salons, the national salon suites franchise with over 740 locations.

“I decided to quit the corporate world and move on to the next phase,” Karraker said. “I say ‘quit’ because I’m old enough to have called it retirement, I guess, but I'm just not ready for that. So I took off on a path towards a franchise.”

As he worked with the franchise consultant, Karraker set forth a certain set of conditions, including the elimination of food service franchises. 

“I thought that would bring out a lot of things that I had never thought of and opportunities that most people may not ever get offered, and it really did,” he said. “There were a few areas that were interesting, but the one that was the most interesting was Sola. A big part of that was the ability to help create opportunities for people to grow their small businesses.”

As he dug deeper with his consultant, Karraker kept returning to the ripple effect of the model. 

“It was a multiplier effect,” he said. “I make one investment, and many people benefit — including me. To me, that multiplier effect is huge. It makes doing the things that we’re doing worthwhile.”

Karraker notes that, as an engineer, he experienced a similar multiplier effect. After he engineered a product, hundreds of millions of that same product would be produced. While he’s always valued the reach he is able to have through his work, supporting other entrepreneurs in building their own businesses as he built his was a new form of multiplication.

After identifying Sola as a prime investment opportunity, Karraker acquired two existing locations in Fremont and Cupertino, and he is in the process of developing a new location in Salinas which he aims to open early next year.

Though the third Sola location is still in development, Karraker is incredibly happy with his investment and the future he sees for himself and his family with the brand.

“I’ve had a lot of different changes in my life with career, life and everything else,” he said. “Every time I make a change, I’m nervous in that time; I find things that I regret a little bit. This is the only change I’ve had where I haven’t felt those regrets. I don’t know what that’s all about yet, but I’m really hoping that the next 12 to 24 months will help me understand why I just feel no regrets. It’s a really great move, and it’s been positive for me all the way through.”

While Karraker is the primary leader of the business and the only one in his family solely devoted to Sola, his wife, Kwan, and daughter, Nikole, are also involved.

“We run this as a family business,” he said. “My wife does a lot of the books, and my daughter handles maintenance concerns and gives a lot of the tours. Each of them have independently rented suites; they’re both a big part of this.”

As he looks toward the future of the business, Karraker says he has a straightforward goal to apply his multiplier mindset to the business to ensure each Sola pro is equipped to thrive.

“We have single units and doubles, with two chairs, so people can chat as they work. We have some people share suites, so one pro will work Monday through Wednesday, and the other will work Thursday through Sunday,” he said. “We try to be as creative as people want us to be. The more people we have in the space, the more vibrant it is, and that makes it a better place for everyone. It’s simple: I want to keep the suites full and vibrant, because I think that feeds upon itself. That’s how the business stays healthy.”

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/sola-salons.