Larry B. Jones identified a HOT, NEW TREND SWEEPING THE SPA INDUSTRY�SUNLESS SPRAY TANNING�and carved his own unique piece of the market share. Rather than simply selling equipment and solution to buyers eager to appease the tan-starved masses, he founded a franchise that trains entrepreneurs to be in business for themselves, not by themselves. Aptly named Spray Tan of America, having just completed its first full year of operation, has touched each U.S. coast and plans to continue growing backed by quality products and customer service. Rather than owning multiple salon chains himself sprinkled in different states�and inheriting the staffing headaches that go along with it�Jones decided to award franchises, let individual entrepreneurs be in business for themselves and lend them support along the way. Federal Way, Wash.-based Spray Tan assists franchisees in everything they need to get their businesses off the ground, from creating a business entity all the way to the cash registers ringing at the grand opening, he says. “It gets intense, and we go A to Z,” Jones says. “We guide them on how to get their state tax licenses and their federal tax ID numbers. We guide them on how to get a local business license and how to set up a business account.” For example, in late October, Jones was in Tampa, Fla., to hammer out details for his newest franchisee, Kelly Hartman. He wanted to make sure Hartman secured a location with good exposure to ensure a successful business operation. Why all the work? “The success of Spray Tan of America depends solely on the success of the franchisees,” Jones explains. “We do everything we need to do above and beyond the call of duty to make them successful, because if they’re not successful, then Spray Tan of America is not successful.” In October, Spray Tan of American had eight operating salons� in California, Montana and Washington�and three more in the developmental stages. The prototype opened in Federal Way in November 2002. After a slow start due to the unknowns of a totally new concept, business began picking up. By the heart of the tanning season, the first Spray Tan was spraying 600 people a month. Next, the company opened a company store inside a Vision Quest Sport & Fitness in Auburn, Wash. The first full-fledged franchise opened in Billings, Mont., on July 1. Jones says he’s gunning for upward of 100 salons nationwide by next year. Lani Corley, owner of a Spray Tan of America store in Bonny Lake, Wash., plans to start up two more locations in the next year. Her business sprays an average of 19 to 25 customers per day�or about four per hour. Corley, the only certified spray technician in the salon, has to set her limit at 30 per day�“I can only handle so much,” she says. She is in the process of having another technician trained to help with the demand. “We have all the elements and attributes of this being a very hot franchise,” Jones says. “It is non-labor-intense, it is affordable to get into, it is a very simple franchise to run. It is targeting a market of people who are new entrepreneurs�say the 25-40 age bracket. This is something in a price range that they can afford. And the potential’s phenomenal.” As the only airbrush tanning salon franchise in the country, Spray Tan of America has its pick of the 20 million people�by Jones’ estimates�who seek alternatives to traditional and indoor tanning. Of course, as spray tanning continues to grow in popularity, those 20 million people will have their choice of spray-tanning locations. Jones likes to think it will still be Spray Tan. “Spray Tan of America’s focus is on one thing and one thing only, and that’s airbrush tanning,” he continues. “We found that when you focus on a few other things, you become kind of a buffet. If you’ve ever eaten at a buffet, the food’s good but none of it is knockout. Whereas if you were to go to a steakhouse that does steaks, obviously their steaks are going to be a lot better than what you can get at the buffet.” Higher Education Recognizing the importance of certification, Spray Tan requires all new franchise owners to spend a week at Spray Tan of America University. There, certified spray technician candidates are put through courses on the origins and reactivity of DHA. They’re also prepared to answer a list of frequently-asked questions. Next, the technicians-in-training make their way to the spray rooms to be taught about PSI, air-gun hookup and compressor operation. Afterward, they’re ready to spray. “It’s more of an art form now,” Jones continues. “They’re going to gain their own techniques, but we show them the basics on how to spray the human body and how to interact with the client.” Spray Tan’s new headquarters, which is scheduled to open at the first of the year, will include a fully functional mock salon. “It’ll be like they’re in a regular salon, with the POS system, the training and all that,” Jones says. The keyword is consistency. Jones is aware of the vulnerability of a new brand name in the marketplace. For that reason, Jones asks all franchisees to be consistent in following the corporate philosophy. “We are about providing a high level of quality and customer service, and providing an alternative way to tan,” Jones says. The Spray Tan higher-ups are not dictators, but they are very controlling�“in a positive way,” Jones adds. “We can’t have anybody flying by the seat of their pants or acting on a whim. Anything they bring into their store has to be approved by the home office.” The Spray Tan franchise model is based on royalty�not of kings and queens, rather a portion of gross sales paid to the parent company. “That allows us to get the best products and the best equipment for the franchisee at mass-volume purchasing prices,” Jones says. “We deal direct with the factories so we have very good pricing. Whether franchisees buy 1 gallon or 10 gallons of solution, they get the same price so they’re able to really capitalize on retaining cash flow.” The compressors used in all Spray Tan stores are manufactured by Houston-based Silent Aire Technology. The spray guns are made by BearAir Express of South Easton, Mass. Then, there is the linchpin of the spray tan business: “The solution is key to having the best,” Jones says. “Obviously that’s the actual product being applied. You can find different ways to apply it�different airbrushes, different compressors�but the end product is what you really need to focus on.” Jones and his team tested some 25 different spray solutions, and kept coming back to the same company: St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Biddiscombe Laboratories. The two companies are talking about private-labeling the product for Spray Tan. The franchise also struck a deal with Airbrush Tanning Solution Manufacturers of Federal Way for its Paradise Mist airbrush solution. Soon-to-be private-labeled tan extenders and exfoliants are required of all franchisees. Spray Tan owners will have the option to carry other retails items as well. The company is working out deals with commercial brands such as Banana Boat and Neutrogena. Corley carries St. Tropez and Spa Luna products in her Bonny Lake salon. “They have this vitamin E that I really like and a lot of my clients like,” she says. She also carries Biddiscombe’s Revive after-tan extender as well as an exfoliator. ‘Intimate Environment’ Interpersonal interaction is so important in service-based businesses. Clients meet with their favorite technician on a certain schedule, and a bond is formed. Word of mouth thrives, and regular business is established. That is where Spray Tan of America aims to separate itself from other sunless salons. “This is a very personal and intimate environment,” Jones says. “Seventy percent of women don’t want tan lines, so they’re going to go fully undressed. That means they need to feel that they’re in a safe, secure, professional and clean environment. People need to get into that element of comfort and feel good about themselves and where the process is taking place, so they will continue to come back and incorporate it as part of their vanity schedule.” Airbrushing, as opposed to automatic spray booths, lends itself to what Jones calls the “gab factor,” where a client can chat with the technician while being sprayed. “When people come in for a service, they like the gab factor that goes along with it,” Jones says. “That enables the salons to gain a loyal customer base. As time goes on and the industry expands, they’re going to be able to go get sprayed anywhere. They’ll enjoy going back to that person. That spray tech, that franchisee, they know them. They know what the client expects, what they want, what they don’t want. They know how to act and how not to act.” Corley knows this firsthand. There are customers who drive an hour to be sprayed by Corley in her salon, sometimes passing closer spray-tanning locations. “I have a lot of people who request me,” she says. “I think a lot of it is my personality. They like me. I think they like to be treated like I’d want to be treated. I think that’s the main key of servicing people.” Spray Tan is about living a healthy life and having fun while doing it. This point hit home while Jones walked by a salon’s rooms one day. “I heard some people in the rooms laughing and giggling,” he says. “It’s a good feeling that you’ve brought a good thing to somebody’s life. Not only are these people getting a great-looking tan, they’re having fun when they come here.”
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