Patrice McKinney, founder and CEO of Encore Salon Suites, is proud to lead a business that understands the needs of its owners and clients. “We allow the beauty professionals the opportunity to completely customize their space, so they can be more creative and comfortable.” By Heidi Lubrani
Patrice McKinney, founder and CEO of Encore Salon Suites, is proud to lead a business that understands the needs of its owners and clients. “We allow the beauty professionals the opportunity to completely customize their space, so they can be more creative and comfortable. The added benefit to us is we save money on our buildout because we don’t have to run plumbing and furnish every single suite. Instead, we created one community space, which fosters a family work environment, where they’re able to socialize and build relationships,” McKinney said.
“The beautiful thing about this industry is that it doesn’t require any hair and beauty experience. You are literally just managing spaces. We are basically like a real-estate agent in the hair and beauty industry,” said McKinney.
Encore Salon Suites is a great opportunity for someone looking for a semi-absentee franchise. “Once the suites are full, there isn’t much to do. When there are vacancies, our franchisees use our marketing material, along with our automated and trackable software. We take pride in creating these systems and giving them to our franchisees,” McKinney said.
Another advantage is there are no employees. “We appoint one beauty professional per location – someone we trust with good communication skills – to act as the liaison between the beauty professionals and the franchisee. In return, we simply discount her suite,” she added.
This past year has presented Encore Salon Suites with numerous growth opportunities. “The first franchise unit we completed was a three-unit deal. They’ve been open since August, and they are already looking to move ahead with the second and third units,” McKinney said.
Compared to others in the hair and beauty industry, Encore Salon Suites has been able to move through the pandemic with ease, thanks to its suite layout. “We are a recession-proof industry, and the type of business where, no matter what, people want to look and feel good. So even during the pandemic we had the advantage of being spaced out already,” McKinney added. “It’s a great opportunity for someone to open up in a big city with a decent population and do really well.”
Heidi Lubrani
Contact: encoresalonsuites.com/franchising, Patrice McKinney: Franchise@encoresalonsuites.com