Sona MedSpa vs Great Clips Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Sona MedSpa vs Great Clips including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
	Sona MedSpa Franchise	Great Clips Franchise
Investment	$382,000 - $747,500	$146,900 - $282,400
Franchise Fee	$59,500	$20,000
Royalty Fee	10.75%	6%
Advertising Fee	-	5%
Year Founded	1997	1982
Year Franchised	2002	1983
Term Of Agreement	15 years	10 years
Term Of Agreement	15 years	10 years
Renewal Fee	25% of franchise fee	$1.75K
Business Experience Requirements
	Sona MedSpa Franchise	Great Clips Franchise
Experience	Industry experience General business experience Marketing skills Strong interpersonal skills	Marketing skills Strong management & leadership skills
Financing Options
	Sona MedSpa Franchise	Great Clips Franchise
	In-House/3rd Party	In-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees	No/Yes	No/Yes
Start-up Costs	No/Yes	No/Yes
Equipment	No/Yes	No/Yes
Inventory	No/Yes	No/Yes
Receivables	No/Yes	No/Yes
Payroll	No/Yes	No/Yes
Training & Support
	Sona MedSpa Franchise	Great Clips Franchise
Training	-	-
Support	Meetings, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations	Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives
Marketing	Ad slicks	Co-op advertising
Operations	-	Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 8 - 10 Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (95% of current franchisees are owner/operators)
Expansion Plans
	Sona MedSpa Franchise	Great Clips Franchise
US Expansion	-	Yes
Canada Expansion	No	No
International Expansion	Yes	Yes

Company Overviews

About Sona MedSpa

At Sōna Dermatology, we take an integrated, clinically-led approach to skincare that brings two worlds of medical dermatology and cosmetic dermatology together - care that leads to great skincare outcomes, health and vitality across a lifetime.

In our four decades of clinical and cosmetic experience, we’ve built the clinical and cosmetic experience and expertise to give our patients the very best skincare results, optimizing skin health, skin appearance and quality of life

Sona MedSpa offers a one-of-a-kind medical spa franchise. Sona combines state-of-the-art technology with Sona’s unique process - the Sona Concept. This concept enables laser hair removal to be performed with better results in less time. Our revolutionary, FDA-approved treatments for skin rejuvenation are individually customized to your needs, to improve and enhance your natural beauty.. Sona offers clients these services in a relaxed, up-scale, beautiful and spa-like atmosphere.

About Great Clips

Established in 1982, Great Clips started franchising in 1983 and now has locations throughout the United States and Canada. Usually located in strip malls,

Great Clips hair salons are open evenings and weekends and do not require appointments. On average, franchisees operate three units. Great Clips sponsors NASCAR Busch Series driver Kasey Kahne. The company has also partnered with General Mills, Sprint, Best Buy, Blockbuster, Coca-Cola, Hasbro and DreamWorks.

The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Great Clips franchise is from $146,900 to $282,400. This includes $25,250 to $30,000 that must be paid to Great Clips or an affiliate for a single franchise agreement, and $40,250 to $45,000 that must be paid to Great Clips or an affiliate for the first salon you develop under a Three Star Program Agreement.

If you sign a Master Development Agreement, you also must pay to Great Clips or an affiliate a Development Fee of $4,000 for each salon you agree to develop, which would amount to $8,000 to $40,000 if you were granted the right to develop between two and 10 salons.