Franchisee Spotlight: Rafael Marquez, Sugar Land, Texas

Rafael Marquez, 39, was born and raised in Mexico. “And then, I met a girl from Fargo, North Dakota,” he recalled, laughing. The girl, an exchange student studying psychology and Spanish, would eventually become his wife. The couple lived in Mexico for a few years before moving to Minneapolis, where Marquez began working toward his MBA at the University of Minnesota. Upon graduation, he started working for Best Buy, primarily in the development of new business concepts and helping with Best Buy Mobile and Best Buy Express. He stayed with the brand for five years before joining United Health Group where he worked with Optum new businesses.

“After working for them for a couple of years , I was given the opportunity to live anywhere in the country, and I settled on Houston,” he said., After telecommuting from his home in The Woodlands for a year Marquez began to feel more and more of a desire to tap into his entrepreneurial spirit. “I’ve always had the ambition and passion to start my own business,” Marquez said. His wife Heather Meier, will help out with the new Hand & Stone.  When not prepping for this new venture, the two enjoy spending time with their children, who are ten, seven and four years old, as well as, with various family members and friends they have in the Sugar Land area.

How did you learn about the brand?

I used several franchise consultants, and I looked at all different businesses from cell phone retailers to vitamin retailers. And the membership business model appealed to me, as well as, this wellness industry. I learned that Hand & Stone can differentiate from the competitors with their larger array of services and customer service.

Why did you choose an opportunity with Hand & Stone?

I realized that the massage industry has a good business model. I have a lot of experience in analyzing, understanding and implementing business models, and I found this was the best model for me to start. I saw the growth and that the market was ready. From there, I looked at the different brands but I believe Hand & Stone is ahead of the competition because we offer massages, facials, hair removal, which is a lot more than the average competitor. The ability to offer those three services gives us an edge in the market. Also, when I spoke with Hand & Stone corporate staff, I saw that they were all very experienced. And the support of this professional staff is very important to me.

What are your expansion or development plans?

We signed an agreement to open four spas. We hope to open our second in November, which will be in the Galleria area of Houston. If everything else goes well, the third and fourth locations will open next year.

What are some of your passions?

I would say that my family is very important - my children and wife. I come from a large family, and I get great support from all of them. My wife has the biggest job out of both of us: managing the house and caring for the children. But she will be helping us out with the business as well, so that is exciting.

Franchisee Spotlight: Paul Palumbo, New City, New York

Paul Palumbo is gearing up to open his first Hand & Stone.  He has over 10 years experience with another franchise, the experience from which undoubtedly will set him up for success with his massage and facial spa.

Paul went to William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ.  Upon graduation, he went to work for Dun and Bradstreet in New York City and worked as the national sales and operational manager.  He stayed there from 1980 until 2004, and from there, he went to work as the director of sales at Bowker in New Providence, NJ. As the company began to lay off employees toward the beginning of 2012, Paul and his wife Dawn began to look at opening a Hand & Stone. Paul will hold his current job at Ingram until the time comes to transition into Hand & Stone full time.

How did you learn about the brand?

 I have a business friend who owns a few spas.  He was over at our house and he shared with me details about the spa business and how it was a great opportunity.  I went to the welcome meeting and decided to go ahead with it.

What are your expansion or development plans? What is your end goal with Hand & Stone?

Ideally, I’d like to have success with this Hand & Stone Spa then eventually consider opening more down the road.

Franchisee Spotlight: Anna Spade, Huntington Beach, CA

Anna Spade, 52, a 30-year veteran in the marketing and advertising sales industry, started her education at the George L. Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University.  From there, she went on to get her MBA in technology management at University of Phoenix and finally finished with a certificate in internet marketing from Full Sail University in Florida. While getting her multiple degrees and certificates, she worked in the telecommunications industry. 

Spade started her career at GTE Directories in their Human Resources department.  When GTE was bought by Verizon Information Services, she grew and changed with the company – in 1996, she moved on to work as a marketing manager and senior staff consultant at GTE Directories/Verizon Information Services. 

In March of 2012, Spade left her position and ultimately decided to open her Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa. With her multiple business degrees and years of experience helping family members and friends with their business plans, she decided it was time to open her own retail store.

Why did you choose an opportunity with Hand & Stone?

After I left the Yellow Pages and Internet advertising industry, I started to look around for a different job, but I couldn’t find anything that I felt was right for me.  During the last five years of my career out on the streets as a media consultant, I frequently got massages; I need them for stress relief and overall relaxation on the weekends after a hard work week.  I saw a large area for growth in the spa community and I want to be in the kind of environment that Hand & Stone has created.  I felt that Hand & Stone had a good strategy and was already a well-known brand. 

What challenges have you overcome to get where you are now?

I knew very little about the spa industry when I made my decision to purchase the franchise. But now I am attending classes at the Career Academy of Beauty so I can obtain my Esthetician’s license. I am learning a lot about different skin types and conditions as well as how to individualize treatments so they are appropriate for each client. I want to be knowledgeable about the inner-workings of my business so I can run the store as well as one of the staff estheticians.

What are some of the publications you read? Local? National? What is your goal publication with your business?

I like reading the Huntington Beach Independent newspaper to learn about what’s going on in the community.  I also enjoy the Orange County Living magazine because it has a lot of interesting articles that provide you with good information that is important before making buying decisions.  It has lots of great photos and high quality contractors and other service providers that advertise there.  A slightly more glamorous magazine that I enjoy is Orange Coast Magazine.  It covers everything about Orange Coast area including entertainment, shopping, dining, cooking and relaxing.  When I’m shopping for a deal or just looking for entertainment ideas, I check out the Clipper Magazine.  I also like over-sized direct mail pieces, especially if they are magnetic and include a calendar along with the marketing message.  They are not only useful, but a constant reminder for those who like to stick them on their refrigerator doors.