This Franchise Executive Found A Concept She Loved. So She Didn't Just Invest — She Bought The Brand.

When Heather Elrod first discovered Uni K Wax, she wasn't conscionable impressed — she was convinced. After a occupation starring brands for illustration Amazing Lash Studio, wherever she grew nan institution from 70 locations to overmuch than 200, Elrod sought her adjacent ample challenge. Her extended franchising experience, passion for earthy products and expertise to modular businesses made her an cleanable lucifer for Uni K Wax, a Florida-based waxing franchise known for its proprietary elastic wax.

Elrod didn't conscionable spot imaginable — she saw an opportunity she couldn't locomotion up. Through her finance firm, Conscious Capital Growth (CCG), she purchased nan institution and now serves arsenic its executive chairwoman, focusing connected nan brand's strategical direction. "What initially drew maine to Uni K was its innovative onslaught to waxing," Elrod says. "It's nan only all-natural wax connected nan market, and its unsocial elastic properties make nan process faster, small achy and overmuch hygienic."

Related: Considering franchise ownership? Get started now to find your personalized database of franchises that lucifer your lifestyle, interests and budget.

Uni K Wax

Founded successful 1993 by Noemi Grupenmager, Uni K Wax emerged from a individual need. Grupenmager developed nan brand's proprietary wax successful Miami to reside her daughters' skincare concerns. Unlike accepted waxes applied successful short strips, Uni K's elastic wax stretches crossed ample areas of tegument and is applied astatine assemblage temperature, reducing discomfort. Guests too personification an individual wax pot, enhancing hygiene — a awesome necktie successful nan post-Covid era.

This cognition of invention and marketplace opportunity sealed nan woody for Elrod. "We saw tremendous imaginable successful Uni K's business exemplary and its whitespace for growth, peculiarly successful untapped markets," Elrod says.

Related: After Decades of Hard Work, This Couple Is Living nan Entrepreneurial Dream. Here's How They Achieved Generational Wealth

The adjacent level

Since acquiring Uni K, CCG has shifted its domiciled to overmuch of an finance partner, providing resources and strategical guidance alternatively than nonstop oversight (Heather Harris, who precocious became CEO, now leads day-to-day operations).

But Elrod's effect is still felt — 1 of her first moves was implementing KPI dashboards and tailored capacity reports to springiness franchisees actionable insights into their businesses. "Our extremity was to springiness franchisees nan devices to succeed, sloppy of their background," Elrod says.

Elrod too launched guest-focused initiatives, including nan K-Club rank program, which offers unlimited waxing for nan worth of a azygous normal each month, and K-Packs, discounted activity bundles. These innovations summation recurring gross for franchisees and make waxing services overmuch accessible for customers.

Related: Greg Flynn Owns 1,245 Restaurants and Makes $2 Billion A Year. Here's How He Did It.

A franchisee's perspective

Ed Miranda, a Uni K Wax franchisee, first encountered nan marque arsenic a customer. "I heard astir this waxing spot adjacent wherever I unrecorded successful Miami. The acquisition was seamless — from booking online to checking successful pinch an iPad," Miranda says. "I loved nan product, nan green, nan smell of nan spot and, of course, nan aesthetics. It looked diligent overall. That's erstwhile I knew this was point special."

Miranda's trading expertise helped him spot Uni K Wax's maturation potential. "We bought our first location successful 2020, and incorrect a short time, we grew its gross from $600,000 to astir $1 cardinal annually," he explains. By investing successful targeted integer trading and nan brand's caller rank program, Miranda has built a beardown guidelines of repetition customers. "Over 63% of our customers that recreation each play personification recreation during nan past 90 days," he adds. "The rank exemplary has been a game-changer because it brings consistency to what is typically a seasonal and weather-dependent business."

Related: The Largest Franchise Operator successful nan U.S. Owns 2,800 Locations — And He Just Added 83 Wendy's to His Portfolio

A scalable, elemental model

With 34 studios successful Florida and New York, Uni K Wax is now gearing up for nationwide growth, pinch plans to unfastened up to 50 caller locations annually. Expansion efforts are targeting markets successful Arizona, nan Carolinas, New Jersey and Connecticut.

What makes Uni K truthful charismatic to franchisees is its simplicity. The business exemplary relies connected debased labour turnover, beardown recurring gross and short activity times. Waxing appointments typically return 15 to 20 minutes, enabling precocious impermanent volumes. In fact, Uni K's flagship workplace serviced 200 customers per clip incorrect conscionable six months of opening.

"We're seeing important liking from franchisees successful different systems, peculiarly nutrient and beverage, looking to diversify into a simpler, overmuch scalable model," Elrod says.

Related: See Who Made This Year's Franchise 500 Hall of Fame

Building for nan future

Elrod's determination to put successful Uni K wasn't conscionable astir backing a business — it was astir supporting a marque she believes in. As executive chairwoman of CCG, she remains engaged successful nan brand's strategical maturation from an investor's position while entrusting operational activity to Harris. "I wanted to get my hands astir nan business beautiful intensely successful nan early days earlier passing nan reins," Elrod says. "The squad has been incredibly supportive, and we're focused connected making smart decisions that usage immoderate guests and franchisees."

As Uni K Wax expands, its committedness to innovation, hygiene and customer acquisition remains nan instauration for success. "What excites maine astir is nan opportunity to bring this unthinkable merchandise and business exemplary to overmuch markets, immoderate domestically and internationally," Elrod says. "Uni K has each nan ingredients for semipermanent success, and I'm thrilled to beryllium information of its journey."