Franchisee Profile: Shahira Raineri

Franchisee Since: Summer 2010
Franchise Location: Mission Viejo and Tustin, California

How Shahira Raineri Got Started With Hand & Stone…
For over 20 years, Shahira led teams in Marketing and Product Management in the corporate world and wanted to take this experience to be an owner of her own business. Her career experiences allowed her to work on many projects including launching new products and services as well as new brands, all of which helped Shahira recognize her passion for starting new ventures. At the same time, she grew tired of the slow-moving bureaucracy plaguing the corporate world. Shahira decided to take her skills and accomplishments and move in a direction that would allow her to become her own boss.

Shahira made a list of things she enjoyed and began some serious soul searching. Before long she began looking at franchises, particularly those in the service industry. As a massage enthusiast, Hand & Stone became a clear choice.

What Intrigued Shahira Raineri about Hand & Stone …
In the early stages of her search, Shahira looked at a number of massage franchises in addition to Hand & Stone, including Massage Envy and Massage Heights. However, Hand & Stone’s sound business strategy helped rule its competitors out, and a meeting with Hand & Stone CEO Todd Leff cemented the brand as the right choice. Shahira knew the excellent executive management of Hand & Stone combined with her extensive experience in brand creation and new project launches would be a recipe for success.

Something Interesting About Shahira Raineri’s Story…
Shahira put a lot of time into finding the perfect market to open Hand & Stone locations. She ultimately chose the Orange County, California area. The two initial locations, Mission Viejo and Tustin, are both located in high-income areas. Shahira is so confident about the Orange County region that she’s uprooted her family in New Jersey and moved 3,000 miles to the area. She has even signed on with Hand & Stone as an Area Developer, meaning she will be responsible for franchise development throughout the region. Current plans include opening two locations in fall 2010 in Mission Viejo and Tustin in Orange County, with another location on the books. Her future plans include 3 more locations in the area and as area developer, to bring many more future franchises on board in the Orange County, California region.