beauty and wellness franchise platform

DENVER — WellBiz Brands Inc., the pre-eminent beauty and wellness franchise portfolio company, and luxury department store Nordstrom Inc. are bringing the Drybar® and Amazing Lash Studio^® brands to the Beauty Haven at Nordstrom’s flagship location in Bellevue, Washington.

Beauty Haven is an immersive and interactive beauty experience housed inside Nordstrom department stores featuring wellness, hair care, beauty brands and tools. The Bellevue Beauty Haven, which opened Feb. 16, includes a Drybar shop and an Amazing Lash Studio location. The Amazing Lash Studio is scheduled to open Friday, Feb. 23. Nordstrom joins WellBiz Brands’ existing big-box retail footprint as a franchisee alongside Harrods, the world’s leading luxury department store in London and the greater United Kingdom.

“WellBiz Brands is thrilled to be collaborating with Nordstrom, a leader in personalized customer experiences, to bring the Drybar and Amazing Lash Studio beauty brands to the Bellevue Beauty Haven,” said WellBiz Brands CEO Jeremy Morgan. “This collaboration is about more than personal services. It’s about creating best-in-class experiences that empower and inspire. As a beauty industry innovator, with a mission to transform lives, WellBiz Brands is always seeking opportunities to help create these types of gathering places.”

Known as a disruptor in the beauty industry, the Drybar brand specializes in blowouts, with a simple philosophy: No Cuts. No Color. Just Blowouts.^® When clients enter the distinctive, yellow-accented Drybar shop, they are greeted with a glass of champagne, a curated playlist and their favorite movies playing. The Amazing Lash Studio brand has been defining the eyelash extension category since its inception nearly 15 years ago. The Amazing Lash Studio brand offers a patented application process that enables a highly trained staff of licensed estheticians and cosmetologists to give guests the customized look they’ve been wanting.

In addition to the Drybar and Amazing Lash Studio brands, the WellBiz Brands portfolio includes Radiant Waxing^®, Elements Massage^® and Fitness Together^®. WellBiz Brands’ portfolio has nearly 1,000 franchised locations open globally and over 300 in development.

WellBiz Brands offers opportunities to experienced and prospective entrepreneurs that fit their passions and goals. For more information, please visit: WellBizBrands.com.

Experienced Executive to Drive Next Phase of Growth for Leading Franchise Platform of Best-in-Class Beauty and Wellness Brands

DENVER — WellBiz Brands Inc. (“WellBiz Brands”), the pre-eminent beauty and wellness franchise platform, today announced that Amanda Clark, a seasoned franchise industry executive, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, effective March 12, 2024.

Ms. Clark succeeds Jeremy Morgan, who will transition from the business after seven years leading the company. Under Mr. Morgan’s leadership, WellBiz Brands successfully acquired three category-leading brands and system-wide sales grew from $200 million to nearly $700 million.

“After conducting a comprehensive search, it became clear that Amanda is the right leader to drive the next phase of growth for the WellBiz Brands platform and our world-class, experience-based consumer brands,” said Mr. Morgan. “Amanda has deep expertise in franchising, a unique cross-functional operational background, and a proven record of delivering profitable growth and building lasting brands. I am confident WellBiz Brands is well positioned to enter a new chapter of success under her leadership.”

Ms. Clark joins WellBiz Brands from Papa John’s International, Inc., where she was Chief Operating Officer for International and, earlier, Chief Development Officer. As International COO, Ms. Clark helped lead the delivery of more than 700 net new units and the completion of the two largest development deals in company history. Prior to Papa Johns, Ms. Clark served as Executive Vice President of Restaurant Experience at Taco Bell, overseeing the customer experience of Taco Bell’s 7,000-plus restaurants, including design, consumer-facing technology, merchandising, customer marketing, new concepts, and company development. Earlier in her career, Ms. Clark worked for nearly 12 years at Procter & Gamble, where she held a variety of brand management and marketing roles, driving growth for some of the world’s largest beauty and wellness brands.

“I couldn’t be more excited to work with such a talented team and industry-leading franchisee base,” said Ms. Clark. “I am passionate about the beauty and wellness industry and inspired by this portfolio of female-focused brands that build confidence and foster well-being. We have an exciting journey ahead as we build on our momentum and strengthen the impact we can have for our customers, franchisees, and brands.”

In 2023, WellBiz Brands delivered a record year in systemwide sales across 900 studios, serving over seven million customers. The WellBiz Brands portfolio features category leaders including Drybar^®, Amazing Lash Studio^®, Radiant Waxing^®, Elements Massage^®, and Fitness Together^®.

Celebrates outstanding Franchisees and Service Providers. 

DENVER — WellBiz Brands Inc., the pre-eminent beauty and wellness franchise platform, recently recognized top franchisees and service providers at its annual UNITED conference at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. The WellBiz Brands portfolio includes Amazing Lash Studio®, Drybar^®, Elements Massage^®, Fitness Together^® and Radiant Waxing^®.

With the theme of Unstoppable Growth, the Support Center announced a multitude of new programs including the new operations support structure launched for franchisees and a preview of the new innovations and initiatives that will shape the next year and beyond. Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Morgan spoke to attendees about his vision and commitment to their continued success.

“At WellBiz Brands, we are laser-focused on providing world-class experiences for every guest. That is what drives us,” Morgan said. “However, we all know that providing those experiences and allowing them to recharge through services provided by the brands is a lot of work. And so, at this conference, we celebrate the amazing franchise owners, service providers and support staff who make the magic happen for everyone who enters their shops, salons and studios.”

During the UNITED conference, WellBiz Brands recognized the Franchisee and Service Providers of the Year:

Franchisees of the Year

• Amazing Lash Studio: Juan Cristerna has three studios in Brownsville and McAllen, Texas, with the McAllen location having the 2022 highest membership count in the system with an impressive 955 members. Cristerna was also recognized for being the first franchisee in the history of the brand to reach $2 million at one single location. Cristerna and his team’s top priority is creating a great guest experience through the services they offer. A longtime member of the Franchise Advisory Council, Cristerna was recognized for championing the brand and for his commitment to helping other franchisees by sharing best practices.
• Drybar: In 2018, Joy Vertz opened her first shop in Milwaukee, and since that time added three additional shops in Illinois and this summer will open her second shop in the Milwaukee area. A true Drybar brand ambassador, Vertz exemplifies leadership through her passion, drive and sense of fun. She never hesitates to help others and often goes above and beyond to grow the Drybar brand.
• Elements Massage: Sam Humphrey and Jeff Crenshaw collectively own four studios in the Phoenix, Arizona, market. Much loved by their team, they challenge employees to be their best and have fun doing it. They were among the first to launch the Element Massage brand’s Career Advancement Program; they also take two days per year to create training programs based on massage therapists’ recommendations. Additionally, Humphrey is a valuable member of Elements Massage Franchise Advisory Council.
• Fitness Together: Tom Lavoie owns the Fitness Together studio in Reading, Massachusetts. In 2022, the studio had a Net Promoter Score – a customer experience metric – of 100, which is nearly impossible to achieve.  Additionally, his studio employs some of the longest-tenured employees.
• Radiant Waxing: As the owner of two Radiant Waxing salons, Brandie Chapman has built a culture based on respect and trust. In addition to Radiant Waxing, this powerhouse entrepreneur also owns a Drybar shop but that’s not all – her first Amazing Lash Studio location is currently being developed! She is not only known for creating a thriving culture within her locations, but for also supporting other owners.

Service Providers of the Year

• Amazing Lash Studio: Lash Stylist of the Year Elizabeth “Liz” Gearheart, Suntree, Florida, is praised for her attention to detail and eye for aesthetics for guests, as well as her dedication to continuing education and willingness to share her knowledge with others.
• Drybar: Service Provider of the Year Ally Williams, Rogers, Arkansas, wears many hats in the shop and has learned all bartending duties, checks clients in and out and is helping to recruit stylists in an effort to be more helpful and take on more responsibility.
• Elements Massage: Massage Therapist of the Year Senia Seturino, Scottsdale, Arizona, focused on professional development, earning a master therapist designation and seeing client request rate grow to an amazing 86%.
• Fitness Together: Personal Trainer of the Year Hannah Maples, Bearden, Tennessee, has averaged nearly 2,000 training sessions per year since she was hired in 2019, and as studio manager, she has helped grow the studio’s sales by 280%.
• Radiant Waxing: Waxologist of the Year Rachel Westerlund, Westfield, New Jersey, completed an average 324 services per month in 2022. Last summer, she became head trainer for four salons and she runs the location’s social media accounts.

With nearly 900 franchise locations open globally and more than 300 in development, WellBiz Brands offers opportunities to experienced and prospective entrepreneurs that fit their passions and goals. For more information, please visit: WellBizbrands.com.

Laysha will drive a new platform approach to supporting franchisees.

DENVER — WellBiz Brands Inc., the pre-eminent beauty and wellness franchise platform, has named Ankin Laysha as the company’s chief operating officer. In her new role, Laysha will help the company implement a new operations support model for franchisees.

Laysha brings broad experience in strategy, innovation and franchising in the beauty, wellness and fitness sectors to her new role. Most recently, she served as head of innovation and consumer insights and senior director of strategy and design at 24 Hour Fitness®, where she led partnerships with boutique fitness franchisors and wellness/recovery franchise networks and operated in multi-unit multi-brand environments. Previously, she served as an engagement manager at McKinsey & Company® and focused on service operations and customer experience in retail and consumer sectors. She holds a bachelor’s degree in banking and finance from the London School of Economics and a master’s in business administration from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles.

“In moving to a new operations support model for franchisees, WellBiz Brands is beefing up support, creating common toolkits and systems to fuel operational improvements and business growth of its franchisees, adding more cross-functional and specialized expertise and a single point of contact for franchisees to further strengthen relationships,” Laysha said. “I’m also a loyal customer of the brands, and so it’s exciting to see how those businesses are growing organically and contributing to the communities in which they operate.”

The WellBiz Brands portfolio features category leaders including Drybar®, Amazing Lash Studio®, Radiant Waxing™, Elements Massage® and Fitness Together®, with nearly 900 franchise locations open globally and over 300 in development.

WellBiz Brands CEO Jeremy Morgan said, “Ankin brings impressive energy and experience to WellBiz Brands’ operations team at a critical time. Her background in training and consulting in the corporate environment, along with her unwavering pursuit of best practices and the empathy she developed while operating multiple franchise locations herself, will serve franchisees well.”

WellBiz Brands offers opportunities to experienced and prospective entrepreneurs that fit their passions and goals. For more information, please visit: WellBizbrands.com.

©2023 WellBiz Brands, Inc.  (“WBB”). Unauthorized duplication, dissemination, distribution, or use of this material is strictly prohibited. Each Drybar®, Amazing Lash Studio®, Elements Massage®, Fitness Together®, and Radiant Waxing™ location is independently owned and operated. The WBB logo is a registered trademark owned by WBB. Drybar + design are registered trademarks owned by Helen of Troy Limited and used by DBF under license.  Amazing Lash Studio®, Elements Massage®, Fitness Together®, and Radiant Waxing™ + designs are trademarks owned by their respective companies.