15 minute read
BUSINESS
Mother-daughter team open Chandler brokerage
BY KEN SAIN
Arizonan Staff Writer
Few considered starting their own business in October 2020 as the nation reeled from a third wave of COVID-19 infections, businesses were going bankrupt and 7.4 million Americans were unemployed – way above the pre-pandemic rate.
Seems like a strange time to set up your own shop, but that’s exactly what the mother and daughter team of Laurie and Chelsea McDonnell did. The women opened their own real estate brokerage in Chandler called Locality Real Estate.
“There are some hurdles with it, right, but the real estate market was very strong, and continues to be strong,” Laurie said. “A little hiccup when COVID first happened, where people, you know, a little craziness, with cancellations and a little uncertainty with what the market was going to do. But we were in the real estate market for a long time and we were very confident in our abilities.”
Not only did they survive the pandemic, they thrived during it. A year after they opened, they have hired 33 agents with another hire expected soon.
“We’re not recruiting, we are organically growing based on attracting people to what we’re doing,” Laurie said. “They’re calling us, which is awesome.”
Laurie and Chelsea said they look for agents who share their vision for a real estate company.
“We wanted to build a brokerage of agents that were community focused,” Laurie said. “That are in the trenches, full-time real estate agents. Like minded, and have a sense of paying it forward in the community. And having fun while we’re doing it.”
Chelsea said their agents support giving back to the communities where they
Mother-daughter team Laurie and Chelsea McDonnell started their own real estate brokerage in Chandler, called Locality, during the height of the pandemic. (Ken Sains/Arizona Staff) seeREALTORS page 30
EV tutoring chief dedicated to kids’ development
ARIZONAN NEWS STAFF
There’s a reason that Kimberly Selchan gravitated to the Tutor Doctor franchise, serving mainly Gilbert and Chandler, after working in the corporate sector for many years.
“I came from a corporate environment where I had mentors and was a mentor to others,” she explained. “I considerour service to bementorship,far more than just subject tutoring or homework support. The mission statement I use formy regionis: Helping today’s youth become tomorrow’s successful adults.”
Selchan not only is good at her job – she’s been good for Tutor Doctor, which gave her their Marketing Innovation Award for finding new ways to grow her business year-over-year.
The company explained, “In the past year, Kimberly has leveraged social media, virtual networking platforms and local small business partnerships in organic ways to grow her business, and she has committed to sharing the strategies used with fellowTutorDoctor franchisees to help facilitate similar results.”
She achieved a 30-percent increase in the number of organic referral and lead sources year over year by developing with other local small and large businesses in the community whose focus is on children and family.
For example, she joined the board of a larger foster services agency and is now the preferred partner of its careerdevelopment program to helps teens graduate high school and obtain their GED or associates degree. She also developed relationships that helped her service gain preferred-sponsor status at two elementary schools and a recommendation as a tutoring service at three high schools.
Selchan also formed a parent and educators group on Facebook and leveraged other social media sites to respond to local families seeking tutoring services without paid ads.
Tutor Doctor is a one-on-one private tutoring service but Selchan said her staff goes beyond helping clients master a subject.
“Our tutors incorporate studying and planning techniques, accountability and self-advocacy which will all help their studentsbecome successful adults,” she said.
Kimberly Selchan owns the local Tutor Doctor franchise and prefers to mentor students to reach their full potential and not just pass a course.
Chandler aesthetics salon expanded despite pandemic
BY KEN SAIN
Arizonan Staff Writer
The pandemic wreaked havoc on most businesses. Some had to shut down, many had to lay off workers. Government grants and loans kept the economy from an even bigger collapse.
But one Chandler business did more than survive the pandemic: it expanded.
“I feel aesthetics is something that was booming during the pandemic,” said Marichu Evans, owner of SkinLab Laser, Aethestics & Wellness in Chandler. Evans opened up her first medical spa in 2019, but she said they quickly outgrew the space because it only had three rooms. That’s when she opened the SkinLab location about a year ago.
That’s quite a change from her previous life.
Evans grew up in the Philippines and after starting down a pre-med path to becoming a doctor, switched and earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering there. She moved to the U.S. in 2004 and attended Arizona State University to get her master’s in materials engineering.
She worked at Intel for 13 years before deciding to start her own business.
“Only when I had my twins that I needed to have more work-life balance,” Evans said. “Starting a new business, like my husband would tell me, ‘did you achieve your work-life balance?’”
Evans said now that her business is going strong, she’s starting to.
“I found my passion here at SkinLab,” she said.
Evans said the key to her success is giving her clients an enjoyable experience and delivering results. Part of that, she said, is setting realistic expectations up front, and then over-delivering on the results.
Some of the services they provide include coolsculpting, laser hair reduction, and botox injections. When a customer first comes in Evans says her staff takes a high-definition photo of their face, exposing every wrinkle and checking out how big the pores are. She said it’s a good baseline for them to start their work and will help show their results after treatments.
Then they do a consultation with the
Marichu Evans, who owns SkinLab Laser, Aesthetics & Wellness in Chandler, said the pandemic increased the number of people seeking her salon’s services. (David Minton/Staff)
seeSALON page 30
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Visit the Guide to Chandler Parks at chandleraz.gov/ParkGuide to discover all the things parks have to off er.
work. For example, Locality supports other local businesses, the schools and nonprofits.
“Whatever we can do on a local level, that’s where are hearts are,” Laurie said.
“It’s been neat to see that come together,” Chelsea said.
They encourage their agents to donate a portion of every escrow they do to the Arizona Housing Fund, which is working
TUTORING ���� page 28
So, her tutors work with students to “identify their interests and develop their strengths to become successful in a variety of settings.”
“Creating individualized programs for students in my community and witnessing their goal achievement is one of the most rewarding parts of the business,” said Selchan. “If I’m able to increase the number of tutors, students and families to end homelessness in the state. Laurie and Chelsea say they are matching those donations through the end of this year. This is not the first time the motherdaughter team has worked together – which motivated them to do it again.
“I think it was inevitable that it was going to happen,” Chelsea said. “It’s just kind of our thing.”
In addition to working together a few years ago at another brokerage, they had
who grow and develop from our personalized academic mentorship and support, I’m going to do it, and that means looking to new innovations, tools and partnerships for inspiration.”
And the pandemic did not disrupt her commitment to delivering one-on-one mentoring in person.
“A big misconception of the pandemic is that tutoring shifted to virtual, but it did not,” Selchan said. “We have less than 15% of our students receiving online tualso worked together a family-own restaurant.
“We’re very much alike, but … she has her strengths and I have mine,” Laurie said. “She’s the operations, marketing side of things, and I’m more the compliance, out in the field [person].”
A major reason the McDonnells have built a successful business during a pandemic is because the real estate market has been red hot in Arizona. They said they expect the market to slow a bit, but still remain hot.
“I think the market is going to stabilize here soon, and I think we’re going to see appreciations, just not at the level we’ve been seeing,” Laurie said. “We’re not going to see 40 percent appreciation or some crazy numbers like we’ve seen, but 10 to 15 percent is all right too.”
Information: 133 W. Frye Road, Chandler, 602-758-6007
toring. The demand is very high for inhome, face-to-face relationships.”
Selchan, who holds a degree in microbiology and is an Ohio transplant, had been a senior vice president in the financial services industry before she made the jump to Tutor Doctor.
She has about 70 tutors – and is always on the lookout for qualified additions – who provide support on any Pre-K to undergraduate course as well as test preparation,. Career planning, homeschooling and even professional development such as public speaking.
“I like to focus our services on middle school to early college,” she added.
Her region includes Ahwatukee and the entire East Valley and people who want to sign as mentors need at least some college with a 3.0 average and some mentoring experience.
Potential clients or tutors can reach her at tutordoctor.com/chandler-gilbert or call 480-530-8029.
SALON ���� page 29
clients to decide on a treatment plan. She said this field has always been an interest for her, even when she was working as an engineer.
Evans said one of the keys she learned from her days working for corporate giants is to invest in training her staff. She said that dedication might be one of the reasons they did so well during the pandemic.
“Having the best talent in the industry has benefited us,” Evans said. “I make sure that every month I bring in a trainer … making sure that we perfect our craft.”
SkinLab
480-418-6000 3160 S. Gilbert Road, Suite 1, Chandler Skinlab.net
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Gilbert massage therapist’s business booms
BY KATY SPRINGER Arizonan Contributor
Maryann Tidwell does not shy away from hard work – or a challenge.
The Gilbert mother and business owner decided to become a massage therapist, juggling her full-time job and 2-year-old son during the day and attending massage school at night.
“It was a long year, and I didn’t get much sleep, but I felt so strongly that I was doing exactly what I was meant to do,” said Tidwell. “Massage therapy is so much more than a career for me – it’s a calling.”
During her 50-week training, Tidwell’s instructors advised against opening her own business – at least not until she had a few years’ experience under the belt.
“The more they discouraged me, the more motivated I became,” she said. “I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but nothing worthwhile is ever easy.”
Tidwell also spent the year polishing her networking skills. And when she completed her program, she doubled down, going to naturopaths’ offices, medical clinics and even local markets to set up her chair and provide no-cost massages to passersby.
“At that point, it was about giving people a feel for what I could do,” she said.
Her hard work paid off. Six months after graduating from massage school in 2007, she circled back with the relationships she had made – including a contact who worked for a large corporation in Phoenix. That relationship led to her hire as the onsite massage therapist for the firm’s employees.
But she continued to build her personal clientele and opened her own business: Nurtured Touch Bodywork.
She also focused on expanding her knowledge and skillset. Shortly after receiving her massage therapy license, she jumped right back into student mode to earn certifications in prenatal, postpartum and infant massage.
“I have been in such discomfort this entire pregnancy,” said Lea Villagran, a prenatal client of Tidwell’s. “I have been to other massage therapists and it didn’t help at all, but Maryann was able to relieve so much and had great advice and knowledge for prevention and reducing a majority of the discomfort going forward. She knows what she is doing.”
When the recession pummeled companies nationwide in 2008, Tidwell’s business remained strong – despite the fact she did no advertising and had no online presence.
“I feel so incredibly lucky that my fledging business survived and thrived during such a difficult time,” she said. “I do believe the networking paid off, and as I began to see more and more clients, my business grew with referrals. As a small business owner, word of mouth truly is everything to me.”
But COVID-19 presented a whole new set of challenges. When the massage industry was shut down in spring 2020, she was forced to close her studio. It was four months before she started treating her regular clients again.
“The worst part was that I couldn’t help my chronic pain clients,” she said. “I worked hard to stay connected with clients during that time, providing them with tips and suggestions to keep up on their self-care and keep their bodies healthy. The response was overwhelming and affirming.”
She also used that time to prepare a new office at Crossroads Towne Center at Gilbert and Germann roads on the border of Chandler and Gilbert. Her schedule filled up immediately when she opened her new location in summer 2020.
Then, Tidwell took a major step forward as a businesswoman and hired her first employee, massage therapist Sidney Campbell, who attended massage school with her.
“Sydney is so passionate,” Tidwell said. “She is so skilled in helping people feel better, both physically and mentally. She also has a lot of extra training in a variety of modalities, so she can treat clients with a huge spectrum of needs.”
The two of them had more clients than they could handle, so Tidwell hired another therapist, Clara Brown, in August. She added a second massage studio, also located at Crossroads Towne Center.
“Clara is passionate about her work, especially in the areas of PTSD, pediatric, oncology, lymphatic and relaxation,” Tidwell said. “Her clients absolutely love her.”
“I am beyond blessed with amazing clients who not only partner with me in their wellness and entrust me with their bodywork, but refer me to their family and friends, too,” she said. “I just feel so lucky.”
For her clients, it’s less about luck and more about Tidwell’s skill.
“She was such a good listener and so genuinely interested in making me feel better,” said Scott Springer. “In addition to giving me the best massage ever, she was very knowledgeable about the body. It was clear she really cared.”
Tidwell has completed hundreds of hours in additional training, including medically focused bodywork like ACE MediCupping and lymphatic massage. In recent years, she has seen a steady uptick in referrals for lymphatic massage – especially from healthcare providers.
“The lymphatic system is the most under-talked-about and under-prioritized system of the entire body, but that is starting to change,” she said. “This specialized massage is gaining a lot of interest among medical providers. For example, plastic surgeons now recommend lymphatic massage pre- and postsurgery to help the body bounce back.” Her son, Austin, is a high school senior who is taking flying lessons and aspires to be an airline pilot. Twelve-year-old Lexi loves musical theater and spends all of her spare time on stage. Tidwell and her husband, Justin, juggle working parenthood together and also seek out opportunities to spend time as a couple.
“My family is my world,” she said. “They are the reason I wanted to own my own business in the first place. The flexibility it provides means everything to me as a wife and a mother.”
Information: massagebook.com/NurturedTouchBodywork and on Instagram @nurturedtouch.
Gilbert mom Maryann Tidwell has worked hard to build up her massage business, Nur-
tured Touch Bodywork. (Special to the Arizonan)
