4 minute read
Elvis Matkovic of Woodhouse Spa
q&a
with elvis matKoviC of wooDHouse sPa
For more than 20 years, the award-winning Woodhouse Spa has offered guests a variety of luxury treatments that are fully customized to meet their guests’ unique needs in a calming environment that is rich with warm earth tones and textures, sounds of nature, soothing aromatherapy for skin treatments, massage therapies, facials and other exquisite services, such as waxing and nails.
Every treatment, detail, space, and feature has been carefully crafted by the Woodhouse masters of mood care. In this issue we sit down with Franchisee Elvis Matkovic to discuss his journey to franchising.
When did you buy your franchise?
After my wife (Dawn) and I had successful and respective careers in corporate industries , we decided to open our first Woodhouse Spa location in November 2018. Now, we have plans to soon open two more locations in the Cleveland area.
How did you find about the franchise and why did you choose that franchise?
A new retail complex was built in Cleveland in 2018 and featured stores like West Elm and Williams-Sonoma. We found the perfect location within this center to open a franchise business and the property management team actually presented the initial idea for us to open a Woodhouse Spa. It was exactly what consumers were seeking and rounded out the complex’s retail offerings.
What was your working background?
My wife has a Bachelor of Arts from Cleveland State University and prior to joining Woodhouse, she was an IT manager at a large insurance agency for 24 years. I have an MBA from Baldwin Wallace College and I’m also an Army Veteran.
What was the turning point that made you realize you wanted to change your career path?
When our twins were born, my wife and I decided we wanted to pursue new careers that offered greater work-life balance so we could spend more time with our children. We love being our own bosses and we make a great team, both personally and professionally.
What was the process like once you signed the franchise agreement? as far as training, site selection, fit out, etc.
The Woodhouse team made it extremely easy to streamline all the openings and management processes, and helped guide us on how to succesfully open a new spa. Thanks to their support, we’ve achieved a top ten ranking company-wide in terms of revenue.
What type of training/ support was (still is) provided to you?
Every year, the brand hosts an annual reunion, where franchisee owners and corporate employees from across the country come together to participate in breakout sessions with CEO Christina Russell; learn about crisis management techniques; talk about industry trends, educate on best practices for recruiting and retention; among many other seminars. We are opening a second location and during the initial lease / location process, Ben Jones - Chief Development Officer and Legal Counsel was a great partner to work with. He reviewed the initial lease and assisted us with questions and offered suggestions. The COO Of Woodhouse, Susan Hern has been a great partner to work with. She has been extremely friendly and always went the extra mile when we had questions.
aBoUt Woodhouse
The brand reported a 19% sales increase year over year and is currently experiencing its highest growth rate since its 2001 inception. Woodhouse Spa continues to employ an aggressive 2022 growth plan to expand its domestic U.S. presence while concurrently signing new franchise agreements in Canada. At the close of this year, the company will have 82 open locations with many new properties imminent in 2023.
With over 900 thousand people visiting the Woodhouse Spa each year, there’s no mistaking the fact that guests coming through the doors are dealing with more than ever, especially as they find normalcy and a need for self-care postpandemic. Following The Woodhouse Spa’s acquisition by Radiance Holdings in July of 2020, the brand has been aggressively targeting key markets throughout the U.S. for franchise development. Woodhouse Spa is revered for providing professionals with unrivaled mentorship, proprietary educational programs, and events like the 2022 fall summit. The brand recently celebrated the opening of its 76th location in Atlanta, Georgia, and will close out 2022 with five new locations. Looking ahead to 2023, Woodhouse Spa will open location doors in Raleigh, NC; Savannah, GA; and Odessa, TX, among others. Woodhouse Spa is part of Radiance Holdings, a global company representing a collection of premier brands in the beauty, wellness and self-care sectors.
The rapid expansion has solidified Woodhouse as a premier spa franchise and the unequivocal leader in mood care, pioneering a new category of wellness services in the approachable luxury space.
