Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa’s Franchise Development Team has worked hard this past year to expand our footprint across America. We are ecstatic to report that we have more than doubled our 2020 signings, with a grand total of 59 new spa deals in 2021! We say this internally often, but this is a team effort. Every corporate colleague, whether in operations, real estate, HSM (our in-house marketing agency), or beyond plays a role when someone decides to open a spa with us.
Out of the 59 new spa signings, 33 of them were existing franchisees looking to expand their business with Hand & Stone. Our largest franchisee, Eric Danver, kept his title when he went from 25 locations to 31 with this year. One of our most successful Florida franchise owners, Don Williams, had a unique approach to growing his business to end the year. The corporate team acquired his spas in Florida, and he decided to start development in a completely new DMA of Knoxville, Tennessee.
The consistency our franchise owners have in expanding with our brand proves our business model works across multiple markets and with different owner backgrounds. Senior Director of Franchise Development, Nicole Alburger, raves about helping our franchisees growing their business, “Being with Hand & Stone as long as I have, it’s always a joy to see franchise owners build their professional portfolios with us. The diverse group of men and women I get to work with are so business savvy and really work with all the resources Hand & Stone’s corporate team has to offer. Knowing that they also believe in the brand we are building on the corporate side makes my job a lot easier.”
We are fortunate our legacy owners are expanding with us, but we couldn’t be more excited to welcome new franchisees to our system! In February 2021, Caroline & John Goldasich entered the Hand & Stone family by signing for three units, expanding our Alabama market from one to four. In November, the Goldasiches’ vision came to life and they were able to open their first spa in Vestavia Hills.
In August, our Franchise Development team attended our first Multi-Unit Franchising Conference, where they met Kaleb & Patty Warnock. The Warnocks are franchise industry veterans, with multiple Marco’s Pizza and Tropical Smoothie Café locations in their portfolios. They wanted to venture into a service-based franchise system, and our business model with reoccurring revenue interested them. After working with our Director of Franchise Development, Sarah Moudry, and researching a brand-new market for Hand & Stone in El Paso Texas, Kaleb & Patty decided to join the brand.
Moudry reflects on working with the Warnocks and other new franchisees this past year, “It’s been an inspiring year, that’s for sure! I’ve been speaking with people from all over the country, ready to invest in themselves. I’ve had the pleasure of working with a multitude of diverse individuals. From NASA employees to plastic surgeons. The common theme is, they want to own their destiny, make money, and have power over their time and lifestyle. Hand & Stone is in the position to attract the best talent, and believe me when I say, they are finding us. We’ve worked with a tight marketing budget and still were able to entice the most incredible people to join our community! I can’t wait to see what 2022 brings. I have a feeling it might be our biggest & best year yet!”
Sarah’s family also purchased one territory in July 2021, and are planning to open Spring 2022 in Chanhassen, MN. She’s enjoyed learning hands-on, how incredible our support team is. She states, “Our personal process just confirms I am working with the best team in franchising!”
59 new signings in one year are tough to beat but our enthusiastic and forceful team has already hit the ground running, working with talented and diverse prospective owners, and bringing the Hand & Stone concept to where we’ve never been before. Cheers to a lucrative 2022! If you are interested in spa ownership, please email Sarah at smoudry@handandstone.com.
