Brazilian Beauty franchisee, Rebecca Gaspert shares her insights on growing a successful beauty franchise.
Beauty business entrepreneur, Rebecca Gaspert started her journey as a franchisee in 2007, when she joined beauty salon business Brazilian Beauty as a beauty therapist, and soon realised she had the capabilities to run the store. After three months with the company, Gaspert was promoted to a management role, which would later see her step into the senior position of area manager.
Now a successful franchisee, Gaspert attributes her success to Brazilian Beauty’s successful approach to nurturing its franchisees. Here, the beauty therapist turned business entrepreneur shares her insights with Professional Beauty.
How did you go about launching your own franchise business?
“I bought my first Brazilian Beauty salon at Taringa in 2008 and my second at Springfield Central in 2010, both as existing businesses. It was an advantage to have established databases to work with, and both salons presented me with different opportunities. I was the manager at the Taringa salon, which was previously company owned. It was a very smooth transition and clients were very supportive. The Springfield Central salon was previously owned by another franchisee, and although it was well established in the community, I enjoyed furthering its success to build it into a highly reputable salon.”
What is the key mistake you think most people make when they launch a franchise?
“When you buy into a franchise you are buying into a business model. It surprises me when people try to reinvent the wheel. Brazilian Beauty salons are successful because they follow a business model that works. It is always best to follow Brazilian Beauty’s franchise model and, with head office’s guidance, you can adapt certain elements to suit your demographic once your business is established.”
What do you think are the most important things a CEO needs to offer their franchisees?
“Constant guidance. If you have never owned a business it can be tough so it is important to have someone there to watch over you and answer your questions when you first get started. As you learn more you become more self-sufficient but the guidance should continue to be ongoing. With a strong platform such as Brazilian Beauty, franchisees always have the support they need.”
What is your advice for working with a CEO to get what you want, as a franchisee?
“Communication is key. It is important to ask for help, but it is also important that you take responsibility of seeking solutions. I don’t think it is fair to put all the responsibility onto the franchisor. We are fortunate at Brazilian Beauty to have a franchise system that works, with regular communication between the franchisor and franchisee.”