Canadian Franchise 5#4

Q&A with Jordan Levine,

COO, Sola Salons

Describe your organisation – how long has it been in operation? when did you start franchising? how many franchisees do you currently have?

sola salons was established in 2004 with the opening of its first location in denver, colorado. We began franchising in 2005 and expanded internationally into canada in 2022. now with 700 locations open across the U.s. and canada and

160 franchisees, sola is proud to provide beautiful, fully equipped salon studios to more than 20,000 independent beauty professionals.

what is your main product/ service?

sola offers beauty professionals the freedom and benefits of salon ownership without the risk and overhead of opening a traditional salon. sola provides hairdressers, estheticians, nail techs, massage therapists and other like-minded beauty professionals with private studio suites alongside the support and tools they need to launch their salon business as independents.

what type of person would ‘fit’ your franchisee profile?

There are a few key traits we look for in potential franchisees. We look for individuals that have capital and business acumen. While it’s not required, a lot of our franchisees have a background in franchising which gives them an advantage when opening their own franchise. We also look for people who are interested in creating a culture, not just the financial profit that comes with opening a franchise. sola franchisees need to have a sense of care for their independent beauty professionals and passion for supporting each professional in their respective careers. Opening a sola is more than just an investment, it becomes a passion.

where are your current locations/territories? where are locations/territories available?

sola salons currently has 695 locations across the United states, and 5 locations in canada. Our canadian locations include Toronto, Oakville, Mississauga, calgary, and Oshawa. We are actively targeting all provinces and territories across canada for additional development.

why is there a need for this product/service? why are you different to your competition?

There will always be a need for beauty and wellness services amongst consumers, especially with remote work positions

how do you look after your franchisees? e.g. what support/ training/back up do you offer?

at sola, we strive to empower franchise owners with opportunities, mentorship, and education. as part of these efforts, sola hosts an annual summit where franchise owners and corporate employees from across the country come together to participate in an array of breakout sessions, discuss industry trends and the trajectory of the business, receive recruiting and retention education and best practices, among many other topics and seminars.

i n addition to our annual summit, we also conduct regional meetings, monthly network calls and new franchise training on sales and Operations. each franchisee has a dedicated Franchise Business consultant who works closely with sola franchisees daily to support with any business need.

Our Franchise Business consultants also hold monthly coaching calls.

plans for new systems/concepts in 2024.

2023 was a big year of innovation for sola. We launched an online education system for new franchisees and managers; newer, advanced pricing tools; a fresh brand and construction design for new locations; an integrated toolkit for franchisees looking to refresh their locations; and last, but certainly not least, a new website! But 2024 will also see some great new tools and systems.

i n the coming year we will launch sola University, a dedicated business education platform for our 20,000 sola stylists. We will also be launching a new internal system for our franchisees called sola connect – this will bring together roughly a dozen external systems into one login where a franchisee can conduct all aspects of their business.

where do you see the franchise in the next five years?

While a large part of sola’s growth has been through existing franchisees, we’re still in search of new franchisees to enter our system – particularly in canada. We see incredible white space still available in prime markets for both the U.s. and canada.

There is no industry as exciting as franchising! Franchising is all about harnessing a dream of business ownership – a place where you can be your own boss and take control of your life. But the added benefit of franchising is that you don’t have to do it alone. You have a brand behind you and a team that has a vested interest in seeing your success. My advice for someone exploring a franchise opportunity is to do your research – find a brand that resonates with your values and your passions. and once you find that brand, ask all the right questions about economics. i f you have the passion and the math pencils out… jump! i have heard story after story of people that missed their opportunity on a brand.

how do you motivate your franchisees?

Motivation starts with engagement. Franchisees are the reason we exist, so they need to be included in decisions and have access to information. Job one is establishing a true Franchise advisory Board that works with the team to set annual priorities and drive projects. We also use working groups that engage franchisees beyond the FaB to provide insight on projects and key decisions. and we pride ourselves on strong communication. That’s never easy in franchising, but we do our best to keep everyone engaged with weekly updates, monthly webinars, regular in-field regional meetings, and ongoing support from our Franchise Business consultants. everything we do is designed to provide engagement and transparency, and that’s reflected in consistently high franchisee satisfaction scores. Our teams take great pride in these results. v