Executive Q&A: Ben Jones, CEO of Radiance Holdings

1851 Franchise: How did you originally get involved with Woodhouse? 

Ben Jones, CEO of Radiance Holdings: Woodhouse Spas has been around the block. It started over 20 years ago by a terrific woman in Victoria, Texas. I entered the picture much more recently, in 2020, during the height of COVID. My company bought Woodhouse as our second brand. We were the franchisor of the Sola Salon Studios concept, and we were really looking for another ace. We found Woodhouse, which was a terrific brand. At the time, it had 65 units and was a beautiful, purpose-driven brand. We just felt like it was a perfect fit for us.

1851: How did you approach this acquisition, and how have you now come out on the other side of this?

Jones: We bought the company from the founder. She had nurtured the company with love there in Victoria, but Victoria is a relatively small community and her experience in terms of how to grow a franchise was limited by what she was really learning on the job. So, what we told the franchisees — and I think it’s true — is we were prepared and did invest real resources into the team, into growing the team and into bringing on professionals who had been there and done that. Of course, nobody wants to lose their culture, but we thought we could preserve their culture while also professionalizing the team, and I think that’s what we’ve been able to do.

1851: When you discovered Woodhouse, what was the upside you saw, and what are you seeing now in actuality?

Jones: Woodhouse is a brand that resonates throughout the country. The idea of Woodhouse is bringing that resort-quality spa to your own backyard. To provide these wellness services to your local community has been such a powerful message for people who love spas and really believe in its benefits. So when we saw how purpose-driven it was, we felt like it was a brand that had a lot of room to grow and would really resonate well around the country.

1851: With Woodhouse, it seems like you have a box that’s engineered for any shift in wellness. Is that an accurate thing that I’m seeing — that you have a lot more flexibility because of the size and the way that the business is structured?

Jones: Well, we are multimodality. We’re more of a traditional day spa than just, say, the massage chains. We’ve always had that component of nails and skin as well as massage. We’ve added some bells and whistles like a salt room and infrared sauna, but we don’t really have plans right now to go more on the medical aesthetic side. We really feel like what we offer is a respite, a sanctuary against your everyday living, a place where people can relax and get away from it a little bit. That’s where our franchisees feel like they’re delivering the most value to their community. As to other modalities, we could definitely go in that direction, but I think we would stay away from the aesthetics.

1851: With Sola, you have tremendous data on both customer behavior and small business behavior because of the way that the business is structured. Are you able to extract insights of those behaviors and cross-apply that over to Woodhouse? Was that at all a part of the vision when you’re making that acquisition?

Jones: Woodhouse, I would say, plays in more of the affluent clientele. We really have two main customers at Woodhouse: one is the repeat customer who has the luxury of time, as well as disposable income and wants to receive these services on a regular basis. Then we have the special occasion — Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, girls’ day out, celebration. Those are really more affluent customers. I think wellness often plays in that space. Sola, however, is really a concept that will play well anywhere, and that’s because people get their hair done in all sorts of communities all over our country. 

1851: Switching gears to the franchisee, one thing that I’ve noticed is a very, very large fan base for the brand in the franchises that are entering the system. High-net-worth individuals who have built up wealth are super fans of Woodhouse and are saying, “Boy, I need this in my community.” Did you discover that when you’re going through your due diligence? There’s a true fan element to your franchise owners.

Jones: Oh, 100%. That describes it perfectly. Our franchisees, by and large, are well-traveled, have been to luxury spas all over the world and want to bring something they love to their local community. Now, we are seeing more and more professional franchisees who have owned other franchises. They know they are good at building teams, and building teams is the key to the success of owning a Woodhouse. 

1851: Is that who you are looking for as a persona of a franchise buyer?

Jones: Absolutely. On the Woodhouse side, it’s all about the team because you’ll have a team of a couple dozen folks — some full-time, some part-time. If you want to be the mayor of your town — if you want to be the person who’s really pulling that community together, pulling that team together to produce great results — you’re going to do well. As you get experience, you can start to delegate those tasks and focus more on development, working on the business rather than in the business. 

1851: Are you talking to more business operators or business leaders versus people that are looking to build wealth?

Jones: There are some franchise owners in our group like that — they’ve already built wealth and now this is something they’re passionate about. But I am always surprised at how hungry the average Woodhouse franchise owner is. They want to build generational wealth for their family, and they’re in it to win it. This isn’t just a victory lap for them. 

1851: Beyond financials, are you looking at all those intangibles like passion as it goes into the currency of what a franchisee can bring to the table?

Jones: When we meet potential franchise owners, we’re making an assessment of them as much as they’re making an assessment of us. That’s important because if you’re not discerning on who is coming aboard to help grow your brand, it could lead to trouble later. So we’re looking for — like I said — team builders, people who can motivate and are self-motivated. 

1851: How important is culture, especially as you integrate this brand into the Radiance family?

Jones: The franchisees have their own culture, and it’s very important to them. As the franchisor, we have to align with that culture, or else they won’t help us grow the brand. It’s very important to be in touch and in tune with that. We have the right team in place, and we spend a lot of time on cultural elements with the franchise owners because we want great alignment there. 

1851: Whenever you acquire a brand, there’s the long-term vision. But in the near term, when you’re looking at opportunities, what’s the vision for the next 12 to 24 months?

Jones: We absolutely have a growth agenda, and that’s because there’s so much white space for Woodhouse. We have one spa in California, no spas in Arizona, no spas in Nevada. We have a lot of running room. We’ve done quite well in Texas and the Southeast, but we have a lot more to go. This brand is going to resonate all over the country. 

In terms of operations, we’re always leveling up. We’re leveling up our people to help support our franchise owners. We’re leveling up our product. We’re going to be launching a new menu of services within the next six to eight months. Innovation like that is important to keep us relevant, keep us fresh, and keep our franchisees feeling like we’re aligned.

1851: Do you see that there’s a lot of runway in keeping competition off because you would have to be really financially sound to come into the space or enter the marketplace at this point? 

Jones: Being the largest and the first-mover helps, but what really helps is having a great culture and having fresh and innovative services. We’re always going to have to compete well on customer service and hospitality. For any day spa, that’s really their bread and butter.

1851: Anything else you want candidates to know about Woodhouse?

Jones: It’s a gem. It’s a diamond in the rough. I’m always surprised that it’s not well-known. My perception is you’re playing in a league of none. You’re a league of one. You are the champion, and it’s going to be very hard to compete with you.

For more information on franchising with Woodhouse Spas, visit: https://www.ownawoodhouse.com/.