Today our guest on Eye on Franchising we are joined by Eleen Amaya, owner of three Deka Lash locations in Oklahoma with a fourth location in the works. Deka Lash is a tech-beauty brand that focuses on using eyelash extensions to empower people to live the most unapologetically confident version of themselves. Eleen, a former teacher, decided to pursue her dreams of business ownership when she experienced the lack of eyelash extension studios in her community firsthand. She opened her first studio in Edmond, Oklahoma in February of 2020 and never looked back. Eleen had some great advice at the end of the interview. My question was what do you say to people out there that maybe want to do what you've done (open a franchise?) and her answer; "Do it, do it! Absolutely. Don't be scared. Don't be nervous. Get on the franchise bandwagon. You won't regret it. You'll love it. I like I said, I would do it again, in a heartbeat." Eleen Such great advice. Did you want to learn more about Deka Lash directly from the founder. Hit the link below and listen to the interview with Jennifer Blair. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/eye-on-franchising/id1587910359?i=1000579676438 Have you heard the news? We are officially on YouTube. Come check out a few videos have have and give me a follow! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwoAdrkPZmveJt5AQRDk8WA --- Lance Graulich Franchise Consulting Services from ION Franchising Eye On Franchising
Today our guest on Eye on Franchising we are joined by Eleen Amaya, owner of three Deka Lash locations in Oklahoma with a fourth location in the works. Deka Lash is a tech-beauty brand that focuses on using eyelash extensions to empower people to live the most unapologetically confident version of themselves. Eleen, a former teacher, decided to pursue her dreams of business ownership when she experienced the lack of eyelash extension studios in her community firsthand. She opened her first studio in Edmond, Oklahoma in February of 2020 and never looked back.
Eleen had some great advice at the end of the interview. My question was what do you say to people out there that maybe want to do what you've done (open a franchise?) and her answer;
"Do it, do it! Absolutely. Don't be scared. Don't be nervous. Get on the franchise bandwagon. You won't regret it. You'll love it. I like I said, I would do it again, in a heartbeat." Eleen
Such great advice.
Did you want to learn more about Deka Lash directly from the founder. Hit the link below and listen to the interview with Jennifer Blair.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/eye-on-franchising/id1587910359?i=1000579676438
Have you heard the news? We are officially on YouTube. Come check out a few videos have have and give me a follow!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwoAdrkPZmveJt5AQRDk8WA
---
Franchise Consulting Services from ION Franchising
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
people, deca, franchise, business, lash, oklahoma, franchising, husband, studios, feel, women, franchisees, dental office, started, teach, owners, guidelines, rollover, staff, knew
SPEAKERS
Lance Graulich, Eleen Amaya
Lance Graulich00:09
Hello everyone and welcome back to another fabulous episode of ion franchising. I am your host, Lance Graulich and yeah, I was kind of checking out my eyelashes a little bit to make sure I'm good, because we have a special beauty episode so I'm attempting to look good for this one and former teacher decided to pursue business ownership. We're going to hear a great story here. She is the owner of three Deka lash locations, Deka lash studios with a fourth one in the works. Hailing all the way from Oklahoma, meet my friend Eleen Amaya. Welcome. Hi, welcome.
Eleen Amaya00:50
Thank you. Thank you for letting me be on the podcast. I appreciate it. I'm excited.
Lance Graulich00:55
It's absolutely my pleasure. Thank you so much for revealing the truth about beauty, Deka lash you and your history. So Eleen, let's dive in talking about how to At what point did you want to be a business owner? And take away back? I mean, what do you do in high school? What were your interests? People always want to hear how do people become entrepreneurs and business owners? Is this something you're born with? Is this some lab accident gone wrong, and all of a sudden, hit by a spider, your Spider Woman now just kidding.
Eleen Amaya01:31
It was definitely a process. But I do have to say my parents play a huge role in this. I think I was raised to be an entrepreneur in a way I didn't really know it until it happened. But my mom at a very young age, had her own beauty salon, did not have supportive parents, her parents didn't really believe that she could do that. But she had my dad and so in her early 20s, she was like, I'm just gonna do it. I'm gonna own my own salon. I grew up in that salon helping her and just watching her being so great with, you know, her clients and her staff and just thinking like, Oh, my mom, like, look at her like she's doing it. She's a boss. And, and I love that. And that's what I wanted to do. Eventually, I just didn't know which path I was gonna take what road was gonna get me there. So, you know, but she always would tell us, you know, believe in yourself. And then my dad, he's been with the same company for over 45 years. It's kind of crazy, you know, nobody really nowadays is that loyal to anything. So he's a hard worker, very loyal. A lot of credit, for sure. Yeah, he started there when he was 14 as an apprentice, and then just worked his way up in the company. And it's now you know, a big shot in this company. So it's pretty cool. And he, you know, he took chances when I was 13, we left Germany where I grew up, to actually move to Malaysia. You know, that was a big jump to to move your family from Germany to a place like that, but he knew it was gonna get him ahead. And the company, he knew if he took that risk, if he took that chance, that, you know, things were going to come back to us and he was going to be able to kind of climb that ladder. And he did and so, you know, just seeing that growing up my mom having her own business, my dad taking chances like that. And that being modeled, you know, always gave me that belief that I could do it too. So I would say definitely, it was more like I was raised to be I just didn't know how I was going to do it yet. So
Lance Graulich03:39
yeah, yeah, it's amazing. You know, there's an old expression model success. Yeah. And you've seen that success with mom now. When your mom got into the salon business was she did was she a beautician?
Eleen Amaya03:52
Mainly hair but, you know, she also she would for some clients, she would do their nails, you know, she would do brides so she would do their makeup and hair and the whole thing, but it was mostly a hair salon. But for men and women. She moved to a small town like this little village in Germany, and just went for it. And like I said she didn't have that support. You know, and so it was like an even bigger deal. You know, I had tons of support. My husband was always supportive. You know, my parents were supportive. My siblings like yeah, you can do it, you can do it. She didn't have that. So I mean, I give props to her for you know, accomplishing that and being so young I think she was only maybe like 23-24 years old and they borrowed some money and went for it so it's pretty good.
Lance Graulich04:44
I gotta give her credit so at what stage so you got got to see that, you know, growing up and then it then you became a teacher.
Eleen Amaya04:53
Yeah, so I went to school to be a teacher, which I really enjoyed. I enjoyed just having an impact on some Ladies live No. What did you teach? That is German,
Lance Graulich05:03
German, of course.
Eleen Amaya05:06
Which, you know, that was kind of an easy, easy transition. My husband, he's a dentist, so he was in dental school, I was working all throughout dental school. And then I only taught for a little while because even though they teach them dentistry and dentists, dental school, they don't teach them any business, anything about running a dental practice anything like that. And so, we I was pregnant with my daughter, and I was teaching and my husband had just bought a practice from a retiring dentist. And he was like, I don't know what to do. I mean, I know how to do you know, root canals and fillings and crowns, but I don't know how to manage staff. I don't know how to file insurance. I don't know anything. And so luckily, while I was in school to be a teacher, I actually worked for a physician. So I kind of saw how things worked. And like I said, I'm really good at just modeling things. And you know, which somebody kind of shows me I'm like, okay, you know, and I've watched them. And I'm like, okay, I can do this. So, all right, you know, I'll try it. And so for 11 years, him and I worked together in the dental field, me doing all of the administrative stuff, and him just doing dentistry, and it worked, because
Lance Graulich06:20
you didn't do the root canals.
Eleen Amaya06:24
That probably would have been really, really bad. And I don't like that site, I had to assist him a few times. And I have to tell you, it just was not my cup of tea, I just, yeah, I was better with all with the books and everything like that. So, but it worked, you know, he was able to do to do that. And I didn't obviously micromanage him. And then he just, you know, trusted me to do the rest. And we had a really successful practice, like I said, for 11 years. But it almost got too big. We made a lot of mistakes along the way. That's why I'm in franchising now. Because things are laid out for you. And we, you know, we oh, my gosh, the money we could have saved if we had a model that we could have modeled after, like in franchising is, I'm sure, astronomical, but yeah, so we made tons of mistakes. But, you know, it also, you know, obviously taught me a lot. So, anyway, but going back to, it was getting too big, he had a ton of staff, Brent was working all the time, and he was just getting burned out. And so it came a time where we were like, okay, you know, he he was saying, because it was also like a 45 minute drive every day to go to work. And so we decided to have him open a practice closer to home, have it be much smaller, where he can be more picky, I guess, with who this, you know, patients are, and he only work, you know, three, four days a week and then just have a small staff have an assistant have a hygienist in him that he's able to manage. Because at that point, I kind of reached out to him and I said, you know, I love that I was able to help you with the dental office for 11 years. That's great. But it's also kind of not my dream in life to do that, you know, I have my own dreams and aspirations things I wanted to do. And so,
Lance Graulich08:21
wait, I have I have to stop you. This is great stuff. So is that the first time you really told him that? Or did you remind him? You know, I have had these dreams? I don't know what I'm gonna do yet. But I don't want to do this for the rest of my life.
Eleen Amaya08:37
Yeah I mean, we've had conversations, you know, but it was also like, we had a really successful practice. So do we really leave that, you know, but then our kids also were starting to get to that age where they were in sports, and we couldn't make it to their games at night. Because, you know, we lived so far from home, and they were in daycare so much. And, you know, we really weren't spending the time with them, you know, and they grow up so fast. So it was like, we had to make a change. And, you know, yeah, like I said, we had those conversations, but it was always like, Yeah, but you know, we're successful. So let's just keep going. And so eventually, though, you know, you kind of want to go back to basics. You know, when you're out of school, and you have all the student loan debt, you think about how money I just need to make a lot of money, I want to make a lot of money and pay it off and I want to be successful and that's what you do. You hang on to that and you work like crazy, or most people work like crazy and and you want to do that. But, you know, ventually the older you get, you realize, okay, maybe that's not all there is.
Lance Graulich09:47
Yeah, exactly. So at what point did you realize I mean, you mentioned the model, you know, you're wanting to follow model at what point did you realize Is anything about franchising where it could be for you? How did that whole scenario lay?
Eleen Amaya10:05
Yeah, so it was actually around Christmas time, we had talked about my husband downsizing, and I was telling him, you know, you really won't need me because you can really do this on your own. You know, there's companies now out there that you can hire that'll file insurance for you and all that stuff. So, you know, then it was like, Okay, well, what am I gonna do? And we were, you know, kind of just talking and I was starting, I was getting my lashes done. And he was asking me about it, you know, how much is that? And I told them, you know, how much I'm spending? And he's like, Oh, my gosh, you know, that's a lot. And I was like, beautiful. I love that. It's great. And I love it. Yeah. And he didn't mind. But it was like, you know, he just couldn't believe that people were spending that kind of money on lashes. And he was like, So where do you go? And he was kind of asking me about it. I was like, well, there's this one place, but, and it's okay, but I don't like this isn't that and he was like, why don't you go somewhere else? And I'm like, well, there isn't really a place here that you know, only does focuses on lashes and brows. And like, you know, that's where they're just experts, it's usually just like a spa situation where it's like an afterthought. Yeah, it's an afterthought, or a hair salon, and somebody in the back does lashes or it's at someone's house. And to be honest, like I, I didn't really feel comfortable just going to, to, you know, someone's house and you don't know what you're gonna get there. So, um, we just started Googling, you know, like lash extension studios, and a few different ones came up, and I did my research, I flew out to a couple of them. And then DECA is kind of what I stuck with. And for many reasons, but yeah, I really liked that. And so that's kind of how it all came about how I was like, okay, you know, the whole thing with my mom having a salon and going back to that beauty, you know, that's why how I grew up, it just all kind of clicked analysis. Yeah, I think I could do it better. Whatever is out here now in Oklahoma is okay. But I think I could do a better job, I think I could really bring in a brand and make it something, you know, great for the state and for the, you know, clients here and things like that.
Lance Graulich12:20
So I have to hear what was that conversation really like with your husband? Was he did he know, you're exploring franchise opportunities? Or no surprise,
Eleen Amaya12:32
Yeah it was a surprise, I mean we wanted to do something I knew, you know, maybe I was, debating, and just being a substitute since I had my teaching degree, like at my kids school, and things like that. But I don't know, like I said, there's just always been this little voice inside of me, that's like you, you know, have your own thing, be your own boss do something. And, you know, I knew what it was like to have my own business that we kind of had to, like I was saying, with the dental office, we had to learn along the way, we had to make so many mistakes. And, you know, in beauty, I feel like there would have been a million more mistakes to make, you know, what products are you going to sell? How have they been tested? You know, I mean, all those things. And I just, it just seemed daunting. And so a franchise, honestly, it was just the best way to go. I would do it again, in a heartbeat.
Lance Graulich13:30
I love it. Well, and that's the best testimonial right there. I would do it again in a heartbeat. So, Elaine, take everyone listening back to when you decided on Deka. And what was that process like? Like what sealed the deal for you? Because, you know, with franchising, for those listening that aren't familiar, you know, at some point, a Franchise Disclosure Document is presented that has 23 items, it looks like something like the size of a mortgage that you're reading through. Some of it is not that exciting. But you know, it's like a coffee date first so to speak. And you know, you meet the corporate team via zoom in person, but go describe the entire process and what really got you hooked.
Eleen Amaya14:14
Absolutely. Yeah. So I looked at some different ones didn't love it. flew out to Pittsburgh to meet the founders, Mike and Jennifer, you've met you know, they're great. And then their whole team and I have to say there's many, many reasons why I love them but just you get a family vibe with them, obviously, it's husband and wife team. They just, they're just great people you can just tell nothing is like contrived. It's just very natural, and they're just super sweet. And I felt like everybody even in the corporate team was very transparent. You know, when I asked a question, they tried to figure out, you know, an answer for me. They tried to get me an answer. It wasn't Like, Oh, I don't know, you'll have to talk to legal or something like that. They're very open. And I appreciated that. And then if they didn't have the answer, they would go find it for me. And they you know what present it. Everybody on their team was super helpful in answering any questions I had. I mean, it was just a very pleasant experience. I mean, from the moment they picked me up at the airport until they dropped me back off at the airport, I felt welcome. And my husband didn't come with me. He had to work. And so I had to kind of do it on my own. That was like my first test or step, you know, like, okay, you can do this. And so, and so I, you know, I just liked how they made me feel very welcome. And they're very open. And yes, you know, you get these documents, and you're thinking, Oh, my gosh, what am I signing here? You know,
Lance Graulich15:50
what am I getting myself into?
Eleen Amaya15:52
What am I getting myself into? Yes, but they had a great process. I mean, from meet the team to face you, you know, they have all these steps in place that really help you along the way, you're, you're really never, you know, going okay, well, I don't know what's next. Or, you know, where do I go from here, it's very much just drawn out for you. You just follow and even after you open, you know, once you sign and you pay, and you're like, okay, they don't just go okay, well, good luck. They literally have a step by step process.
Lance Graulich16:24
Wait we got to talk about that as well. And some details. So did you go through some sort of validation stage where you had an opportunity to talk to some franchisees before you joined the family, so to speak?
Eleen Amaya16:37
Yeah that was fun. They were done through calls. And then obviously, once you're there, you know, you get to meet other owners, you don't just get to meet the founders. So that was really helpful. But yeah, even before I went to Pittsburgh, I, you know, I hopped on calls with owners being there, and I was able to ask them anything I wanted. So that was extremely helpful. And my husband was on those calls, too, because he obviously always has good input as well and good questions. And so that was definitely extreme, extremely helpful to be able to move forward and say, Okay, well, these people like it. And it was nice, because you get to hear from people all over the US, you know, like, you know, somebody would be on there from Texas. And I'm like, okay, cool. That's a similar market, you know, because if you just hear from buddy from somebody in California, that's hard for me in Oklahoma, because, well, you know, that might not work out here. It's a totally different culture and crowds. So it was nice that, I mean, it was nice to hear from them. But it's also nice to hear from people that are kind of closer around you like geographically.
Lance Graulich17:41
Yeah and everybody, you know, myself being a franchise, consultant, franchise broker, and I work with people all the time, everybody has a little bit definition of what a proven brand is, right? But you hit it, that was very important lane. Because when when people get to see that a brand is successful in larger cities, smaller cities, different states, then you all of a sudden start to have a comfort level that there is an absolute proof of concept. Right? This can work anywhere,
Eleen Amaya18:13
right? Because in California, and I'm on both coasts, I would say, lash extensions, that was something people knew about, you know, it was big in Vegas, you know, New York with Fashion Week, and all those things, you know, like, people knew about it. Well, Oklahoma, I mean, to this day, people look at me, and they go, what now? What is it? What do you do, and I still have to, I still, I still have to educate, you know, a lot on what lash extensions even are. And so it was nice to hear from people, you know, in Arkansas, Texas, and you know, places like that, where I'm like, okay, they're also doing well, and they're still having to educate, you know, but they're still getting clients in the door, and they're able to do the services. So that was extremely important for me, you know, as a potential franchise owner to know that, okay, these are they're similar because that, you know, I'm the only one in Oklahoma. So it's like, Why didn't really have anybody to talk to so,
Lance Graulich19:06
So Elaine, we all know that women make all the major decisions in any household in America. Right? We know that. So clearly, you didn't need you know, you needed a thumbs up from your husband. What were you expecting? You know, at what point did he did he think you were crazy? What was his thought process?
Eleen Amaya19:28
No, I mean, just personally, for me, there was something in me that I always knew I could do something like this, but just having him believe in me to that's all I needed. Just somebody that's like, Hey, you were there for me for the 11 years, that dental office and you had my back and now I'm going to be there for you to do your franchising or whatever you want to do, and I'm gonna have your back. So just that support, you know, and he probably does think I'm crazy.
Lance Graulich19:57
All entrepreneurs are crazy. It's totally fine. All right,
Eleen Amaya20:00
yeah, I mean, gosh, you know, that's part of it. But you know, there's days obviously that you know, you're any any type of business owner, no matter a franchisee, or, you know, Mom and Pop place you're gonna have a bad day and so, you know he's there to be like, okay, you know you can do this, you got this. So I appreciate that. Yeah.
Lance Graulich20:21
So did you initially sign a single unit deal?
Eleen Amaya20:26
No, I did a three pack, right?
Lance Graulich20:27
Oh, wow, right off the bat
Eleen Amaya20:30
Yeah. And then I just purchased a single the fourth one now, you know, it's, it's definitely more work to have three versus because it's just like, I don't have a regional manager or anything like that I have managers in each of my studios. But I manage those three managers. I feel like if I had another regional manager, I can probably open more but kind of running out of cities in the Oklahoma City metro. We don't have that many big cities. So um, but on the fourth one, I actually have a friend come in with me, she's going to be 50/50 partner with me on that one, just so she can kind of you know, she'll use my expertise on getting it up and going and running. And then she'll kind of take over and do the day to day
Lance Graulich21:16
I love it. That's fantastic. So let's go back to training, I kind of redirected earlier. So talk about the support you got when you opened the very first location and what was your What was your mindset? We know you're an entrepreneur at heart, you finally got to do your first business of your own. Well, what was the training? Like? What was the support, like to get the first store open?
Eleen Amaya21:40
I mean, it was wonderful. And honestly, in the fall of 2019, is when I decided I'm doing this, and you think about all the things that can go wrong when you're wanting to do this, and I thought I thought of everything. And then I opened my studio, February of 2020. And then we did the training and everything right, corporate came in, and they train my staff. And it was wonderful. And we just we did great. And we had members off the gate. And it was great. And then it was shut down. And I'll see word. Yeah, I don't even want to say it. Yeah. And it was, you know, and it was just like, Who would have thought nobody would have ever the year before been like, Oh, I'm not going to open my own business because a pandemic might happen. And you know, like nobody. So that was rough. But I have to say, that's another reason why I'm so glad I went with franchising because during the pandemic, during the shutdown, they were there helping you know, what, what do you need to do with your staff at this point, you know, should you know, how do you support them? How do you get them to come back once we're back open. So those are all things, you know, I don't know. I mean, people were really struggling because nobody knew what to do and how to handle the situation. And so just having that network of other owners and corporate and, you know, just this big community that was able to bounce ideas off of each other, okay, how we're gonna weather the storm was so amazing. And you never know, I mean, hopefully, it's something like that won't happen again. But it's just nice to know that if something happens, you have all these people, all these brains, thinking of ways to get through it. And so that was extremely, extremely helpful. I don't know what I would have done if I would have just done my own thing. So, you know, luckily, we were able to open back up and we were able to pick off right where we left off and it's just been upwards ever since. So really grateful. But yeah, so corporate came in, they, you know, they trained my staff, they taught us about the products, you know, how to sell him how to sell memberships, I mean, they have all they had everything right there. Like I said, all you have to do is just follow the process. They have people in place, they have a process in place, follow it and you'll be successful.
Lance Graulich24:05
I love it. So being that it's national, women's Small Business Month, you know, it seems you would think in a beauty related franchise like Deka lash, that it would be all women owners. So but I understand there's, there's guys that are Deka lash franchisees, you know, but what you know, as a woman owning a business franchise, the trend is way up for women for female business owners, which is incredible. What do you think? What do you think tributes to that statistic?
Eleen Amaya24:41
I guess I think just having that support, I mean, as women you know, sometimes we we can feel guilty about being in business, you know, especially like having a family you know, you don't you want to be a stay at home mom or you know, and you just You think about all the reasons why you shouldn't business or why you shouldn't do that. And so, you know, just having a franchise guide you and being again, in a community where there's other owners that are women and just empowering you and being like, No, it's okay, you can do both, you can have it all. It's all there for you. Um, you know, just having that support. And I feel like, you know, people are seeing that, and they're seeing that they can have it, and, you know, being able to be, you know, semi absentee with Deka. Last, you know, I don't have to be at the studios, I can do something with my family and do the work kind of on my own time, whenever I can get to it. Yes, you know, that's something I think that people are choosing more and more is being able to kind of pick the times that they, you know, want to get their work done. And when they want to be with family, and when they want to do things like that. And so I think for women, this is just, it's a great opportunity. And I think that's why they continue choosing to go with that,
Lance Graulich25:59
yeah nand women are, we know are far smarter than men anyway. So you're probably
Eleen Amaya26:05
I did like that about Deka lash too, is that, you know, I met with another another lash franchise, I'm not gonna say who, but it was a bunch of, you know, men in suits talking about the bottom line. And I was very put off by that. And not that I mean, it's important, right? Everybody wants to make money. That's why we go into business. I'm not saying the bottom line isn't important, but it just felt very much. I don't know, just, yeah, it just wasn't. Yeah. And so when I went to, to Pittsburgh, and I met with, you know, the Deka lash team, it wasn't like that there was tons of women in corporate positions, you know, and that was just nice to see, you know, I like a good mix, I think, but especially, I feel like in the beauty industry, and especially with lash extensions, you know, if it's all men, what do they really they only know so much, they aren't the ones getting the services done, you know, and feeling, you know, beautiful after getting the service done, and knowing really what women wanted that way. So I think having women in place in corporate and then also as owners is extremely helpful in, you know, in the industry that we're in.
Lance Graulich27:20
Yeah, you know, you brought up again, some really fantastic points, you know, when people are exploring franchises, they get very nervous and fearful of how do I know if I'm picking the right franchise or, you know, what have you. And we all know, you certainly know by now that the educational process when a franchisor, like Deka lash that's very good, takes you through their process and their system, you're going to naturally get more and more comfortable. And you hit it on the head, there was a perfect cultural fit for you. But you got to not only see but feel, and and that's what I tell people, it's going to become obvious. I hate to, you know, be kind of silly about it. But like, like a marriage, there's a point where it's going to feel natural. And you should get married, in this case, a business relationship. Yeah. 100% agree with that. Yeah. I mean, it either fits or it doesn't fit. You don't have to worry, let it unfold, and it's timetables, some people make a very quick decision. And other people take a little more time. And that's okay.
Eleen Amaya28:25
Yeah. Yeah. It's, I mean, it's, you know, I look at it as a partnership between Deka lash and I, they do a very good job also not, you know, putting too many guidelines on the owners. You know, there's definitely guidelines there. And so I think if you wanted to, you know, that'd be one of the reasons maybe not to go into franchising. But, you know, I also think that's a misconception because, yes, you know, there are guidelines, but then you're held to guidelines, even if you do your own thing to those guidelines set by your clients, right. Yeah. You know, there's gonna be guidelines anyway. So I don't know. Yeah, I look at it as a partnership. And I feel like, you want to be able to really stand behind whatever it is that you're doing. And so it has to click right you have to go there and you have to be like, Okay, what they're doing, I want to be a part of, I want to be, you know, do this and I want to be part of it, and I'm excited to have this relationship with them. And then you're gonna go places and you're gonna be like, Oh, I don't know if I can really get behind that.
Lance Graulich29:28
No, I love that. You know, with the guidelines. I always like to say that the best franchisors certainly give you the boundaries or the guardrails, but they don't tell you exactly what speed to drive or how to drive. And and they, you know, you have to trust the process and that's a two way street and a perfect relationship the way you're describing. Yeah, so let's, let's talk about staffing. I want to hear you know, everybody's talking about it's so hard to find people so what what are your thoughts? It's what are your tips and tricks of the trade to finding the best people finding and keeping, you know, retaining the best people,
Eleen Amaya30:08
you know, it has been a struggle, even here in Oklahoma, it's been really hard. And I feel like we haven't been hit quite as hard as you know, some other states. But I think if you create a really good culture within your studios, you know, people will want to work there, and it kind of spreads and people, you know, I mean, we have tons of people come and drop off resumes. And, you know, be like, oh, you know, I'm out of school, I want to work there. So I have that pool of people that I can choose from. I reach out to schools, I do about two or three presentations at schools a year where I go, and I bring little goodies. And you know, I have, you know, they always like free stuff. So I've run
Lance Graulich30:52
Especially If it's food
Eleen Amaya30:55
And then I just, I do my little, you know, presentation about what we are and what we stand for and what we do, and, and I usually get quite a few good candidates from that. And then obviously, you know, there's some, some online websites, you can go to, and, and post your ad and so I get some people with that as well. But it's gotten better. I feel like I feel like it hasn't been, there was a time where it was extremely hard to get even anybody applying. That's what the hard part was, is like you couldn't even get an application. But I feel like it's definitely back to almost normal. So, yeah, but yeah, I mean, keeping them. Um, you just have to, like I said, create a culture that they want to be at, you know, make it make it fun for them. And you know, I appreciate, you know, everybody that works at Deka lash so much, you know, my own staff, they're, they're just wonderful, wonderful people. And, you know, I feel like I treat them really well. I do lots of fun things for them. And I treat them with little gifts here and there, just, you know, out of the blue, just to kind of let them know how much I do appreciate everything that they do. I think that's important. Just just showing appreciation. I get, you know, people will be like, well, they're just doing their job, you know, you pay them and they do the job. But I don't know, I feel like it could be a little bit more than that.
Lance Graulich32:26
So, yeah, no, I think you're right. And obviously you've become an employer of choice is a place that people want to work. You know, I always want to talk about numbers are really financing a lot of people listening like, well, that sounds wonderful. How the heck did you get started? Which you get the money? Did you get a loan? Did you use cash? How did you launch the first one.
Eleen Amaya32:51
So the first one was actually a 401 K rollover. My husband's 401k is very kind to do that. Yeah. And, you know, he's in a in a fortunate situation where he was able to do that. So he, we used to roll it over, and then we're able to do it that way.
Lance Graulich33:15
I love that. And for those listening that don't know, a 401k rollover, the acronym is ROBS rollover business, startup loan, and basically a C Corp is set up out of your as a result of your 401k you pull out a bunch of money, and you have a new investment account that you get to invest in something new. In this case, it was a Deka last franchise. So that is amazing. But look, it's a tribute to your husband and you that you're able to save a bunch of money. So that's very helpful. Some people don't save they spend it all.
Eleen Amaya33:51
Yeah, yeah, no, definitely, it was definitely really helpful to get started. And, you know, it made it where we really didn't have to, you know, to help get it helped get the studio up much quicker, because we didn't have that loan payment and things like that, you know, which, again, we're fortunate in Oklahoma, um, you know, my lease, my rent is very low compared to some other, you know, locations nationwide. So again, I'm, you know, lucky there, but then, you know, on the flip side of that, we're also only tier two. I don't know if Jennifer touched on that. But we have different tiers for different areas, you know, for services that we charge, obviously, in California, you know, are on the coasts, they can charge more for their services in Oklahoma. We're only on tier two. So,
Lance Graulich34:43
yeah, I didn't franchising especially restaurants. They have different tiers. Sometimes they don't broadcast it as much, but if you're in the middle of New York City, your menu prices are going to be certainly higher.
Eleen Amaya34:54
Right? I mean, your rent is higher, right? Yeah, absolutely. Your cost for everything is Much higher. So I mean, it makes sense. But again, we're just fortunate. We're kind of we're in a good spot. So love it.
Lance Graulich35:07
Well, Eleen, you've been amazing and very inspirational for everyone. So any final thoughts, words of wisdom before we leave for the day? Yeah. What do you say to? What do you say to people out there that maybe want to do what you've done?
Eleen Amaya35:21
I say, Do it, do it! Absolutely. Don't be scared. Don't be nervous. Get on the franchise bandwagon. You won't regret it. You'll love I mean, you'll love it. I like I said, I would do it again, in a heartbeat. If I had more cities, I would open more. I'm a little bit hesitant and maybe we can talk about this off camera, but I'm a little bit hesitant to go out of state. You know, not being physically there. But I'd like to pick your brain on that.
Lance Graulich35:50
Oh, absolutely. We'll talk about that. And there's always a way to do that as well. But hey, look, you've taken the first largest step is doing it and starting I tell people all the time, what's the what's the trick? Well, first of all start, right you worry about, you know, the the interim steps after you've already been successful.
Eleen Amaya36:11
Right? I feel like the regret would be so much higher if you didn't do it, you know, regretting and going ha You know, I didn't do something, then regretting something that you've you have done or you have tried because at least you can say hey, you know, I tried it might have not worked, but you know, I gave it my all. But I would just hate to regret something that I didn't even try to do or you know, so that's how I look at things.
Lance Graulich36:37
Well, no, that's a perfect way to wrap up for today. Eleen, thank you so much for being here and I wish you continued success. Thanks again.