Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa’s Expert Pivot to Virtual Discovery Days Further Proves its Position as a Leading Franchisor

As a franchise brand built on the idea of prioritizing wellness, it makes perfect sense that Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa would be well suited to adapt to the difficult landscape created by COVID-19. The massage and facial franchise, which was founded in 2004 and has since expanded to more than 450 units across the United States and Canada, has exhibited flexibility and a nimbleness during the coronavirus pandemic that prove why it will always be a competitive business ownership opportunity.

One example of this is how the brand has shifted to offering virtual discovery days. Hand & Stone is not alone in this: Franchise brands across industries have held virtual discovery days during COVID-19 and gotten creative in ensuring those days remained professional, informative and impactful for franchise candidates.

**Hand & Stone has had four virtual discovery days in the U.S. and one in Canada since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

The brand made several changes in order to do this. For one, the leadership team eliminated the flight, hotel and dinner stages, which has helped speed up the overall discovery process. Instead of having franchise candidates fly to headquarters in Pennsylvania, the brand set up a time to have all presentations done online by the management team.

Virtual discovery days

Management team members took turns talking to prospective franchisees throughout the discovery day, with a lunch break built into that rotation.

Virtual discovery days have not lessened the connection between prospective franchisees and the Hand & Stone leadership team. If anything, they’ve strengthened the bond. Franchise candidates have also committed more quickly to attending discovery day thanks to the streamlined process.

“We’ve gotten feedback from franchise candidates that the professionalism and camaraderie of our staff has always shown, even on Zoom,” Director of Franchise Development Nicole Alburger said. “Franchise candidates appreciate how everyone, including our CEO, is speaking to each other from our homes, which gives the discovery process an even more personal touch.”

Supporting franchisees

This transition to a virtual discovery day is just one way in which the brand is shifting operations during COVID-19. Hand & Stone is also taking several steps to ensure existing franchisees feel supported. One major advantage for Hand & Stone franchisees is the brand’s membership model, which provides franchisees with recurring revenue. The leadership team has heard time and time again from franchisees that many customers are refusing to cancel their memberships and are instead opting to save their services for when locations reopen.

“One of the biggest benefits that franchisees have over other entrepreneurs is a built-in support system,” Vice President of Franchise Development Bob McQuillan said. “As a franchisor, it’s our responsibility to help our franchise owners in times like these. In the massage and facial industries, this support includes engaging our local owners’ massage therapists to ensure that they can build their businesses once COVID-19 is behind us.”

Hand & Stone provided a variety of communication tools for both customers and franchisees aimed at keeping both groups engaged and informed as COVID-19 spread. This included at-home massage and facial tips for customers and information about preserving cash flow for franchisees.

Leadership support has also extended to massage therapists, who benefit from continuing education efforts, including regular webinars. Massage therapists have also participated in social media efforts, including “Know Your Why,” in which they share their self-care routines via Facebook group.

Investment opportunities

Now is an especially opportune time to invest with the wellness brand. Opportunities are opening up in the realms of real estate and hiring, as commercial spaces are vacated due to COVID-19 business closures and more and more workers have been laid off. Prospective franchisees will be able to capitalize on both, as well as the fact that the brand still has available territory in desirable markets. Additionally, franchisees will see a surge of business as states reopen and work to meet pent-up customer demand.

“A franchise like ours now has an unbelievable opportunity from a personnel perspective,” McQuillan said. “Every business has a challenge, and over the last three or four years, the main challenge for us has been finding great labor because there were not many people unemployed. Now, this will likely offer us something we haven’t had in a while, which is a surplus of massage therapists and estheticians to draw from.”

Thanks to a willingness to adapt to new situations and a steady focus on keeping franchisees top-of-mind and providing industry-leading support, Hand & Stone proves why it’s a valuable business opportunity in any economic climate.