Q&A with Lauren Rerucha, Director of Marketing for No+Vello USA

Lauren Rerucha, Director of Marketing for No+Vello USA tells Franchise Gator more about this outstanding opportunity.

How was No+Vello originally conceived and started?

No+Vello began in 2007 in Spain with the idea of creating an innovative brand of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) hair removal and photorejuvenation, offered as a luxury affordable to everyone.  One of our founding partners uses to own an all inclusive spa concept outside of Madrid, Spain.  However after being in the industry for several years, he realized that the one of the only products he made money on was IPL hair removal.  So, he stripped all the unnecessary overhead out of the "spa" concept and focused on the segment with the most margin and appeal to the masses. 

What was your original vision for No+Vello? How has that changed over time?

With U.S. expansion, our vision has expanded to include med-spas and general practice clinics. Because some states require a physician to perform an IPL procedure, we are excited to offer No+Vello medical as an add on to an existing clinic or med-spa. 

What do you believe is the single most important factor when choosing a franchise opportunity?

 The single most important factor in choosing a franchise should be a passion and or belief in the concept.  If you are 100% motivated by a belief in your product, success no longer is in doubt, rather how much of it you can obtain!   

Why should someone choose No+Vello over other similar franchises? 

We believe at No+Vello, that we've created a very cost effective business model that allows people of all socio-economic backgrounds to partake in a very exciting growth industry.   Even more so, we've created a "turn-key" franchise package which allows people with very little business experience to achieve strong levels of success in very short period of time. 

What makes your industry attractive?

Our industry (beauty, spa, and med-spa) has proven to be recession proof.  Study after study has proven that even while most Americans today are making personal financial sacrifices, they are still spending discretionary income on their appearance.  We feel our flat-rate; low cost IPL hair removal product offering is well positioned in today's economy and will allow our franchisees to compete rather well against the traditional more expensive competition. 

What types of qualities do you look for in potential franchisees?

 Initially we are looking for franchisees who will be involved in their business and have a passion for its success.  We feel our model is simple enough that most people can own and operate one of our stores, however to ensure its success we want franchisees to be present.   We also feel we have a business model that can be accelerated through multi-unit ownership.   In our 3 year existence, over 54% of our franchise network owns more than one store! 

What do your franchise fees and royalties cover? 

We have flat royalty fee of $700/month. Unlike most franchisors of our size, we want to remain fair and cost effective to our franchisees and feel that they should not be over charged, rather, over-served.   In addition to being part of a world-leading franchise chain, our franchisees have an experienced support team, a continued investment in innovation, unique marketing programs created to drive bottom line results, on-going trainings and leverage buying programs.

How do territories work for your franchisees?   

Franchisees are awarded a territory of 20k people surrounding their location.  As a newer franchisor we decided to actually eliminate geographic boundaries with an objective of encouraging our franchisees to work with each other and ourselves in market promotion.  We hope to achieve this by promoting franchisee coops which will be supported by a national advertising budget.

Why has your franchise model been successful? 

We feel we have hit the proverbial "nail on the head" with our model by offering a low cost, turn-key business system, an innovative technology, a product priced at the masses in a high growth industry.   Furthermore, our company objective is to keep the initial investment low for our franchisees.  We feel this allows our franchisees to achieve profitability in a short period of time which in turn, allows them to focus on client service (as well as maybe buying another franchise!).

Where do you see No+Vello in 5 years and 10 years? 

As an industry leader we feel we have a unique position via our franchise network to introduce new and exciting products to the general population.  We work closely with innovative manufactures and suppliers and feel that we are on the forefront of the Med-spa industry.   In addition, as we are an international company with European headquarters in Madrid, Spain, we are positioned to anticipate new trends in the med-spa/spa industry which will allow us to roll-out new products and services around what the consumers will want.  In 5 and 10 years I anticipate us to have over 10k franchises in dozens of different countries and have No+Vello be THE referenced industry leader in all med-spa trends and services. 

What is your favorite advice for new franchisees to help them succeed?

A franchise company of any value has a unique history of creating a system that has been proven to work in multiple different environments.   My favorite advice to new franchisees is to not try and reinvent the wheel, but apply all the methods and techniques that you are paying for.  Application and replication is the key. 

What would you tell potential franchisees that may be nervous about the financial burdens of starting a No+Vello franchise? 

That they have a huge support network for them in the form of the other franchisees and franchisor, all of whom has a vested interest in their success. 

On average, how long does it take to start a new No+Vello franchise from the franchisees point of view? 

For our particular franchise, our average start-up time is 3 months. 

What was your background and experience before founding this franchise?  

As an officer in this company (but not a founder) and one of the first franchisees in the United States, my background and experience has been in developing new markets for proven franchise concepts (most notable the Curves for Women concept).   I've done this in France, Belgium, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. 

Do you have any franchisee testimonials or success stories that you would like to share?

"The No+Vello concept and pricing drove me to the company. I'm excited to be part of a company that will revolutionize the industry and bring happiness to a new market."
Michelle Roediger, Franchise Owner, New York

Q&A with Kristen Linderman, CEO at No+Vello USA

Provide an overview/ description of your industry. 

We feel it's a great place to start a business today as the before mentioned industries have been proven over time to be relatively recession proof.  We also feel that with the innovations in technology, certain services (like IPL hair removal!) are now more accessible to middle America, and they're hungry for them! 

How has your industry changed in the last 10 years?  20 years? 

My personal belief is that we've seen the segmentation of our franchise industry in many facets.  Nail salons come to mind first and foremost as a good example  as they were once a service found in the big beauty salons, however they are almost all completely stand-alone today.   You also see segmentation and focus on certain demographics (i.e. Cost Cutters or Sports Cuts). I also feel that many of these services that reside or resided in the hands of "independents" lack systems and marketing approaches and are strong candidates to be taken over by a franchisor that knows the business and has put some structure and focus around them (i.e. Massage Envy). 

What trends do you see in your industry over the next 5 years?  Next 10 years? 

To further echo the previous question, I see more and more segmentation in our industry.  Simply put; it's hard to be everything to everyone.  And in our industry where the cost of some of our competitor's equipment is through the roof, the investments to have a "one stop" beauty/med-salon, are simply too high.   I also believe that more and more of the services that were once available to only the people who could afford them, are going to be offered to the middle income folks of this world.

What is the biggest concern about your industry that a franchisee candidate should be aware of and investigate?  

Even for something as simple as IPL hair removal there exist regulations and laws.  The franchisee should research all the local laws to see if there are any that would prohibit them from owning or operating a business that provides our kinds of services.

Why do you think No+Vello USA stands out in the industry? 

I believe like all the great franchise systems that exist today,  our company focuses on a main core competency and has put structure and system around an otherwise disorganized industry.   We have a business that appeals to a wide spread demographic and a cost of entry that is very low. 

What makes your franchise/ business opportunity more attractive than your competitor's?  We believe we don't really have any direct competitors in the U.S.  However, I personally believe we are more attractive than most other franchise systems because we have an exciting new product offering, we have it at a price point that is very hard to beat, and we provide a complete business system that is very affordable.   The franchisee's overhead is very low and we don't need a lot of employees to make our business work. 

Describe the ideal candidate.  Do you think your requirements are any different than your competitor's?  

Again, our ideal candidate would be a franchisee who will be directly involved with the start-up and operation of their business.  I also believe that even though our primary service is somewhat of a commodity, our franchisees should have a passion for this industry.   I believe our candidates will differ from our competitors because we are offering a small business concept and this model is not for everyone.   We have created a "keep it simple, stupid" business model that allows our franchisees to master a core skill set, accelerate the business model, then duplicate it rapidly in other locations if they choose. 

What's the strongest skill you require in a candidate? 

 A passion for our business, the ability to learn and the motivation to apply it for themselves. 

Describe the working environment of your franchisees.

The working environment is a street level retail location.  We need only between 400 and 700 sq. Ft.!  

Why has your company been successful?  There are many reasons, but I believe the principal one is that we have taken a product and service that was only available to the "few" and have made it affordable to the "many".  

What advice would you give someone interested in buying a franchise in your industry? 

Buy a No+Vello Franchise today before there are no more territories available in our city or state! 

How much experience in this industry should a franchisee candidate have should they consider buying a franchise in your industry?  

As a company, we don't require any experience in our industry.  We believe that if a franchisee has the passion for our business and the motivation to learn and apply our system, we can provide them with all the necessary tools to succeed!