Loading summary
Transcript64 lines
- [00:00]
A
One of the things about our brand that makes it stand out is we are the only one in the space that is hybrid. This combination of both technology and hands on therapies, and the hands on therapies create that feeling of loyalty and that just that feel good feeling. Right in that sort of social club environment. But the robots can do work as well, right? And they can do work that humans cannot do and more work than humans can do.
- [00:25]
B
Shane Evans is a visionary, resilient and influential wellness entrepreneur. Serving as the co founder and CEO of Heights Wellness Retreat. She is best known for pioneering a membership based wellness model in building a leading health and wellness franchise brand.
- [00:39]
A
To found a brand 20 years ago, over 20 years ago, in a space that was literally not really known at the time, and then to rebrand it, take it through a big evolution and become something different for the next generation of wellness consumers and for the next generation of entrepreneurs. I think that's what makes me a legacy maker. But the big one is truly my name is Rudy Moore, host of Living the red life podcast and I'm here,
- [01:04]
B
here to change the way you see
- [01:05]
A
your life in your earpiece every single week. If you're ready to start living the red life, ditch the blue pill.
- [01:11]
B
Take the red pill.
- [01:12]
A
Join me in wonderland and change your life.
- [01:15]
B
Welcome back to another episode of the living your legacy podcast, the red life edition for Inside Success. I am Rig Gutierrez. Joining me today is another amazing legacy maker and that's makes me happy because legacy makers here at Inside Success is one of our retro shows now. But, but Shane Evans, there's nothing about you that is retro. You are all about the future.
- [01:37]
A
Oh, I'd like to think so.
- [01:38]
B
Right on. Welcome to the show.
- [01:40]
A
Thank you.
- [01:40]
B
You literally just finished filming your episode for Legacy Makers. What will we learn about you?
- [01:45]
A
Oh, well, you're gonna learn that I grew up with a pretty simple life, great family and that ultimately my own personal challenges led me to found one what is now today. Heights Wellness Retreat.
- [01:58]
B
Heights Wellness Retreat. I gotta be honest, I get a lot of folks here that have their wellness centers and they all have their twist because it really comes from the embodiment. Embodiment of the entrepreneur, the CEO, the founder. What is different about your establishment of your wellness center?
- [02:12]
A
Yeah, I think what's really cool. So when I started the brand 20 years ago, I started it as Massage Heights membership based massage and skincare company which I eventually evolved and grew to over 120 locations. And recently we announced the brand evolution to Heights Wellness Retreat and it's really based on consumer demands. Right. And consumers don't want single modality locations anymore. Consumers are really looking for a place where they can kind of get it all done, but an environment that's really cool and social and that's what Heights is. So now we do not just massage and skincare, but complementary, more technology based services like cryotherapy, infrared sauna, red light therapy and more with a really cool kind of social club environment. So it's just great to be. And I think wellness is something that has to be regular and accessible in order to be, in order to see results. Right. So you've got to have that consistency.
- [03:11]
B
What do you tell folks that are watching or listening? They run their own wellness center, but they, they don't, they don't understand that you need to budget for these set technologies like red light therapy and these other new age ways of medicine. But they actually do work and customers, clienteles want this. What do you tell folks that are kind of don't understand how tech and wellness work together?
- [03:29]
A
Well, how tech and wellness or how the economics of a business work, Right? All of the above.
- [03:35]
B
Sure.
- [03:35]
A
Yeah, all of the above. I think, you know, a lot of people start a business and they don't have enough cash really to do what they want to do. They don't have the marketing dollars. Number one. Right. Like, and it's the thing that a lot of entrepreneurs pull back on too, so they don't for it. And we know in order with a brand new business, whether it is a single location founded by whomever or if it's a franchise, you still have to get the name and brand out into the market. And so marketing dollars. So what we do at Heights is we're able to help entrepreneurs know in advance exactly how much it's going to take to start the business and account for the equipment, account for the marketing, account for when you don't have cash flow because your membership hasn't grown yet and all of that. So you know, I think, look, I bootstrapped business, didn't know how much it was going to cost. I wish I'd had a little more direction back then. But you know, that's what we teach business owners to do.
- [04:28]
B
Yeah, there's a lot of uncertainty and a lot of, a lot of uncertainty and a lot of doubt when it comes to like, wow, now I've got this Runway. What do I do with it without making mistakes? Because mistakes will be made. But I feel like your job is to prevent those mistakes and help your clients ascend. What's a what's a feel good story of folks that you've transformed literally overnight.
- [04:46]
A
I love that you said the word ascend. This happens to be our ascension year at Heights, so that's awesome. So, you know, personal stories I have seen. So when I started the business, I worked in retail, basically, Right. So I started that business. We had people coming in for massages. I saw a lot of people coming in pain that were able to walk, you know, standing upright, that had headaches that were gone, you know, tmj, all kinds of things. And so there's a lot of, lot of personal transformation stories on the consumer side of it, people just living their lives better, feeling good when they walk out. And on the business side of it though, what I love about what we do is we get to help people be the best versions of themselves as consumers through Heights Wellness Retreat, but with the business ownership that is helping people elevate their communities. Right. So becoming an entrepreneur, becoming a franchisee with us, we give you the tools to be able to touch your communities in ways that you might not have imagined and to touch a lot of people, Jobs. Right. Guests and members. And so, I don't know, it's the best business model in the world because it's healthy and it's helping other people achieve their dreams of business ownership.
- [06:00]
B
Would you say you're trying to elevate the subconscious mind of the world?
- [06:04]
A
Well, yeah, in a lot of ways, absolutely. Look, I think if you can find ways to ground yourself, if you can find ways to heal internally, to recover faster from whatever it is, if you're a weekend warrior or if you're doing things on a regular basis, I think definitely it elevates your mind for sure. Right. And we do believe, I mean, we do technology based meditations and vibroacoustic therapy, things that help really reset the vagus nerve and get you into deep, deep relaxation. And we all need that to recover.
- [06:36]
B
So you said the vagus nerm. You said, you said a lot of these fancy, fancy terms and I was like, oh, cool, the vagus nerve. Yeah. Like, where does that knowledge come from? Are you, are you trained? Did you go to school or did you just wake up one day, you just knew kung fu?
- [06:48]
A
Yeah, no, I've done a lot of research. A lot of research. I'm very passionate about the industry. I'm super passionate about where it's going. The brand evolved because of a personal story. And it was my daughter actually, who's now 19, started experiencing some neuromuscular symptoms. And I just Did a deep dive, went down a rabbit hole on all the things that I thought might be able to help her. And I learned a lot. And, you know, this world of wellness continues to expand. I think people over the last five years have become far more in tune with their bodies and their minds and also with holistic wellness, things that can be preventative and help you just live better, longer. Right. And so, yeah, it's. No, I'm not a professional. I am just very passionate about the benefits and how the industry is evolving.
- [07:38]
B
It's. It's funny you mentioned the word evolving. A lot of folks are listening or watching this. This is the first time they're hearing about this, this industry. How does one break into this industry? Is it one massage at a time? And how does one know they're meant for this, this industry?
- [07:53]
A
It's a feeling. It's. It's passion. Like, are you passionate about people? That's number one. Because what we do is help people feel better. Right. And the people that work for us, meaning for our franchisees and their retreats, they are all about elevating people's lives. Right. And so I think it's a passion for people. I think definitely it helps to have a passion for wellness and longevity, to be curious about the things that can help you improve your life and the life of others. And then just in business. Right. And so, again, I think through us, like with friends, franchising, a lot of people don't know what that is. They just know that they want to own a wellness business or whatever, and so we help them break through into that. Yeah.
- [08:33]
B
Shout out to Greg Moore. He's our franchise maven. He franchised Taco Bell.
- [08:38]
A
Oh, yes.
- [08:40]
B
And he's a legacy maker as well. You all settled the same train. That's awesome. So you're all part of that alumni class.
- [08:44]
A
I love that. Well, I saw some awesome legacy makers, and so I was like, ah, legacy makers.
- [08:49]
B
I'll check that one out. Yeah, I love it. I love it. It's amazing. Some entrepreneurs make their first billion. They're like, aha. The. All this information, all this data is for me. But you're about, you know, private labeling, but then franchising and helping other entrepreneurs not have to go through the stumbles and the tribulations that are required but also not absolutely necessary. Yeah. How does that feel to know that you're giving back, but now you're not just giving back a check, you're like, no, no, no. Here's the fishing rod, here's the bait. Here's the schedule, here's the sop.
- [09:21]
A
Yeah.
- [09:21]
B
How do you inform entrepreneurs of today that this is the way to do it?
- [09:25]
A
Yeah, I mean, well, I mean, a lot of education. Right. So when it comes to, when it comes to heights that obviously, I mean, you said all the things we're giving the SOPs and you know, the, this is, this, here's the pro forma, basically here's what you need to account for, but I think just education. So I'm on the International Franchise Association's board of directors.
- [09:46]
B
Right.
- [09:47]
A
That is one of the ways that quite the acronym. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's one of the ways I give back. Right. And so you, you mentioned, you know, Taco Bel, like there are so many great brands out there and there is a franchise on almost every single corner. A lot of people may not know it, but almost every hotel here is a franchise to some degree. Right. I mean, and so I think it's just education. So with the ifa, we actually do a lot of education on Capitol Hill. A lot of things like this where we're just educating people about small business ownership. Even if it's a franchise, it is still owned by a small business owner. Just because it's part of a bigger umbrella doesn't mean it's a big business. And franchising gives people the ability to be in business for themselves, but not by themselves. Have all those systems, processes, support and all of that. But you know, to not do it on their. Not do it on their own, but still own it, still be able to own it and give back to their communities in the way that they want to. So it's education and educating the general public that, hey, these are small businesses owned by people in your community.
- [10:49]
B
Wow. Yeah. I always like to ask, how do you hire your first employee for your, for your case? I like, how do you onboard your first entrepreneur? Are you, do you hire the company or do you hire the, the entrepreneur that's running said company?
- [11:01]
A
Yeah, well, so we're always, you know, we look for people that either want to work on the business, not necessarily in the business. Most of our franchisees are multi unit owners. We have some singles as well, but we're looking for people that really want to grow the brand in a market for us. Right. And partner on that. And so onboarding employees, onboarding franchisees. It's all about culture, fit. It comes down to values. We're gonna get married for the next 10 years. Cause that's what a franchise agreement is. It's 10 years. Generally speaking, in Almost every system. And so we gotta be able to live together. And we're gonna have challenges because business is challenging. To your point earlier, it's never easy. Right. You still gotta do the work. There's gonna be challenges. So how are we gonna deal with those challenges? So regardless of whether it's that employee or it's a franchise partner or business partner in any business, what are our values? Are they connected? Are they aligned? And you know, when they are, dreams happen. Right.
- [12:01]
B
I was just going to say it's such a. I love the Right on brand. I was going to say it's such a great sop for life because you sound a lot like George Lucas when he made Star Wars. I'm like, well, there's these. There's. I basically designed a way for folks to eat and jobs, and it so happens that I created this fantasy reality, but there's that SOP where it's like, I just want to have a good fit with these folks so we can create this tribe together. So it was really well said. What. What makes you. What do you believe makes you a legacy maker? Since you are on the Legacy Maker show? That's always the. The tough cookie question. Like, what makes you feel like you are truly a legacy maker?
- [12:37]
A
Yeah, look, I don't. I don't ever give up. I don't back down. And some people would say that that's not a good quality. And I don't mean it in, like, the rude kind of way. I just mean in the diligence kind of way. And my passion has always been, and the reason I do everything is my daughters. Wow. And so, you know, to found a brand 20 years ago, over 20 years ago, in a space that was literally not really known at the time, and then to rebrand it, take it through a big evolution and become something different for the next generation of wellness consumers and for the next generation of entrepreneurs. I think that's what makes me a legacy maker. But the big one is truly my daughters. I am doing this to create a legacy for them.
- [13:23]
B
Wow. So what's next for you? What happens next? You walk off for a set and you grab a nice mimosa and enjoy the sun. But what happens after that?
- [13:31]
A
I wish I'm actually gonna get on phone calls back to back until I go to the airport and head back to Dallas and do it all again. Right. But what is next from a big picture? I'm focused on growth right now. We're taking this system through a big evolution. We've over 100 locations that we're converting over the next year and a half from Massage Heights to Heights Wellness Retreat. We're growing in all kinds, everywhere across the US in different markets. And so I'm focused on franchisee success. I'm focused on making sure that they're profitable. It means a lot to me. Look, you don't have, without franchisee profitability, you have nothing. They've got to be able to make money. It's got to work for all stakeholders. So my focus is continue to evolve in the sense of be on top of things before they become a trend. And that is my job, is to know the market. Right. And to also make sure that we are implementing successfully with our franchisees in each of their individual businesses. So that's my focus the next at least several years.
- [14:32]
B
Right on.
- [14:34]
A
And then, you know, who knows?
- [14:36]
B
This is a guff question. We don't have to use it in the edit, but do you foresee any Optimus prime machines or robots giving massages in the next decade?
- [14:44]
A
Yes.
- [14:44]
B
Okay, I wasn't expecting that answer.
- [14:46]
A
I absolutely do.
- [14:47]
B
We'll bring it on.
- [14:48]
A
I absolutely do. I think, look, I mean, we would all be silly to think that with as far as the AI tools that we all use and know every single day, as far as they've come the last two, three years, right? Those technologies, artificial intelligence already have had a pretty significant impact on the world of science and medicine, wellness and longevity. And I think things are gonna move rapidly. And so for those of us that are healthy, how amazing because there are going to be preventative measures that we can take. There already are measuring your biometrics, right. You know exactly what you need, hopefully. Right. By going through these processes. But I think that, yeah, definitely, I'm not saying we should take the place of humans at all. I think that's really, really important. One of the things about our brand that makes it stand out is we are the only one in the space that is hybrid. And what I mean by that is this combination of both technology and hands on therapies. And the hands on therapies create that feeling of loyalty and that just that feel good feeling. Right. In that sort of social club environment. But the robots can do work as well, right? And they can do work that humans cannot do and more work than humans can do. So I see a lot of of change in the course of the next couple years that I think is really, really positive.
- [16:10]
B
Yeah. And to the point of technology and wellness, a lot of folks just need to be educated that you can return to the fun human things. Of life.
- [16:16]
A
Yeah.
- [16:17]
B
Let the computers compute now because now they can just sit there and cycle and they can do your emails, they can create your content for you. And you just basically, basically checked off the list of what entrepreneurs desire to do. Create mini versions of themselves so they can stay out of the business and create and continue to create.
- [16:33]
A
You're so right.
- [16:33]
B
So, so with AI, it's really about mental health.
- [16:37]
A
I love that it's about mental health.
- [16:39]
B
It's about mental health. Like, don't expect Skynet robots. Well, not in the near future, eventually, but in the near future. You really need to embrace that these devices are appliances. You're not gonna, you're not gonna hold a piece of toast next to fire and wait for it. No. You got a toaster.
- [16:53]
A
Yeah.
- [16:53]
B
You're not gonna grab ice cubes and wait for your. No. You got a fridge. You're not going to have a computer. You have AI. So this is the. Where we're going. Yeah. So it's, it's amazing that you, you, you basically said, hell yeah, we're going to have the future. So good for you. Where can folks learn more about you and jump on the, on the wagon? That is you.
- [17:10]
A
Yeah. So follow me on Instagram Shane Evans Official or LinkedIn Shane Evans to learn more about our brand, it's heightswellness retreat.com.
- [17:18]
B
right on. Shave Evans. Thank you so much. I always want to confuse you with Captain America. Isn't he an Evans as well? Anyways, I'm not a Marvel guy with that.
- [17:26]
A
Are you thinking of Linda Evans? Superwoman?
- [17:28]
B
Oh, is that, is that. But that's OG Wonder Woman. That's OG Wonder Woman right here. Wonder Woman as well. Anyways, that's a different podcast. This is Shane Evans. I am Ray Gutierrez, not Wonder Woman. And we are inside Success.