If Jeni Garrett were to draw up a recruiting ad for The Woodhouse Day Spa franchise, it might read something like this: “Franchisees sought for fast-growing spa enterprise; individuals with entrepreneurial drive, plus strong sales, marketing and operational skills preferred; no prior spa industry experience, please.”
It’s no accident, says Garrett, founder of the flourishing day spa franchise, that her roster of franchisees includes plenty of former corporate execs, serial entrepreneurs and experienced owner-operators from other industries. And not a single one has previous spa industry experience.
In scaling up Woodhouse over the past decade from a single spa in her hometown of Victoria, Texas, to more than 25 franchise units in 14 states, Garrett says she has intentionally avoided franchising to spa industry insiders: “I feel like it’s an advantage to have franchisees who are fresh and new to the business, because they’re much easier to train to the Woodhouse model. What we’re looking for are quick decision-makers, people who are entrepreneurial and strong in sales and marketing, and who are focused on working on their business, not in their business.” Read more.