Dunkin’ Donuts and JEI Learning Center Franchisee Finds Perfect Balance With Woodhouse Spas

Sonal Patel’s journey into franchising was rather spontaneous, but ultimately paved a path to her success in entrepreneurship, leading to her most recent venture with Woodhouse Spas. Patel moved to the US in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and initially worked in clinical research. In 2001, after the birth of her first child, she chose to stay home to enjoy motherhood. 

Her foray into franchising was somewhat serendipitous. Her husband and a friend attended an open house for a Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins franchise, ultimately purchasing three locations on the spot. Despite having no prior business experience, Patel embraced the challenge, leveraging the flexibility it provided to balance work and family life. Over a decade, they expanded to six locations, learning valuable lessons in flexibility and time management along the way.

After selling their quick service restaurants in 2014, Patel pivoted to the education sector, inspired by her desire to support her children's learning. She opened the first JEI Learning Center in North Carolina, driven by her passion for education and the manageable scale of the business. This venture thrived for ten years, further honing her skills in customer relationships and operational management, and she is still an owner with the brand today.

Her latest entrepreneurial venture is with Woodhouse Spas, a luxury wellness franchise. Encouraged by a close friend and her own passion for skin care, Patel was captivated by the brand’s elevated guest experience. In November 2022, she opened her first Woodhouse Spa location, finding it to be the perfect blend of her previous experiences; while Dunkin’ Donuts served thousands of customers a week per store, and JEI allowed her to focus on individual students and their needs, Woodhouse Spa was somewhere in the middle. The spa offers a luxurious yet approachable experience, allowing her to provide a service that promotes wellness and self-care, resonating deeply with her personal values.

Throughout her 20-year franchising journey, Patel has learned many tricks of the trade and has become incredibly adaptable and resilient in a wide range of industries. And while she has enjoyed her other ventures, becoming a franchisee with Woodhouse Spas — a brand that encapsulates her values — has been a dream come true.

A transcript of Patel’s interview with Nick Powills, CEO of Mainland and Publisher of 1851 Franchise, has been provided below. It has been edited for clarity, brevity and style.

Nick Powills: Sonal, I am very excited to talk to you about your story and your journey — how you got here. For me, I went from journalism to marketing, and what made me love franchising are franchisees. You're all rock stars who made the crazy decision to invest your life savings into a business you have little to no control over. That's how franchising works. But I want to go way back. How did you even get into this journey of becoming a franchisee?

Sonal Patel: A little bit of luck, a little bit of chance and just grabbing opportunities as they came. To start from the beginning, I came to the U.S. in '96 with a bachelor's in chemistry and worked in clinical research for a while. In 2001, I had my first child, and my husband and I decided I would stay home for a while to be with her and enjoy motherhood.

What happened was, my husband and a friend went to an open house for a quick service restaurant (QSR) franchise here in Raleigh just to get information. Before we knew it, they had signed up for three locations and came home with the news. My husband told me, “We just got this restaurant franchise.” I had no knowledge of business, but he said, “It’s okay. We will learn. It’s fine. We can do it.” His selling point was the flexibility it offered with our child. So, I jumped into it.

Was it easy? Absolutely not. We had our issues, but I learned so much on the go. We had that QSR for 10 years, and we grew to six restaurants. I learned flexibility and time management because it wasn’t a nine-to-five job; it involved evening, morning and afternoon hours. After 10 years, we sold the QSR in 2014.

At that time, my kids were little, and I was focused on their education. I was looking at supplemental education places to help my kids get a little extra than what they received at school. That's how I found my second franchising opportunity. A close friend of mine mentioned a particular learning center her kids attended, and I loved the curriculum and concept. I approached the franchisor in New Jersey and opened the first learning center in North Carolina. I still have it 10 years later, although I scaled back from two locations to one due to COVID-19, which moved everything online.

During this time, I also started talking with the same friend about beauty and wellness, which led me to Woodhouse. She was a regular guest at a Woodhouse in Walnut Creek, California, and she could see me doing it. I visited a Woodhouse in Charleston, fell in love with it, and decided to open one. It was a huge investment, and my friend in California partnered with me. We opened the Woodhouse in November 2022.

Powills: That’s an amazing journey! Do you mind sharing what the QSR brand was?

Patel: Sure, it was Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin Robbins.

Powills: And the education concept?

Patel: JEI Learning Center.

Powills: The consistency in your journey is fascinating — your husband and a friend playing vital roles in decision-making. Your husband’s bold move to get into franchising without fear is incredible. You’ve touched on so many different areas of profitability, like QSR, education, and now wellness. After 20 years as a franchisee, do you feel you’ve hit your dream, or does the dream keep growing?

Patel: With Woodhouse, I’ve hit my dream for now. If you ask me in 10 years, who knows? But currently, wellness and self-care are crucial at my age. Woodhouse is a perfect fit because it combines luxury with approachability. I want to grow this brand and help people feel happy and cared for.

Powills: Reflecting on your journey from transactional to relational business — has this added more purpose to your work?

Patel: Absolutely. Woodhouse is the perfect culmination of my experiences. Dunkin’ Donuts had high volume but was transactional. JEI was relational, dealing with fewer but significant clients. Woodhouse combines both, offering luxury and personalized service. We aim to make guests feel at home and valued.

Powills: Your children have watched you lead businesses. Has this shaped their career aspirations?

Patel: Definitely. My son wants to go into business and helps me with the education center. My daughter, who used to help a lot, wants to go into medicine. But she knows that if that doesn’t work out, she has this as an option.

Powills: Having faced significant events like 9/11, the 2008 recession and COVID-19, does anything in business scare you anymore?

Patel: I take business as it comes. There are always ups and downs, but business teaches you resilience. While new challenges might arise, I don’t think anything would faze me anymore.

Powills: Can you recall a moment when you realized your anxiety about business had changed?

Patel: Starting Woodhouse was a huge investment, and it did cause anxiety. But I learned to push through, taking it step by step. You learn every day, and it gets better.

Powills: Your experience shows that even seasoned franchisees face unknowns when entering new categories. Franchisors who understand and support their franchisees through these challenges are the real winners. It sounds like Woodhouse has provided you with that support.

Patel: Yes, Woodhouse has been amazing. They offer empathy and support, and the franchisees help each other. It’s a family that cares, which you don’t always find in other franchises.

Watch the full interview here.