June 26, 2025 • 36 mins
Julie's brand new Big Gorgeous Goals: Official Workbook can be ordered now! Grab your copy.
Amber Briggle shares her inspiring journey from hands-on massage therapist to CEO of Soma Massage Therapy, a business that has grown to two locations grossing over a million dollars annually with plans to franchise nationwide.
Amber Briggle (she/her) is the founder and CEO of Soma Massage Therapy, which was recently voted Best Pain Management 2023 & 2024, and Best Massage Center in Denton for the last 11 consecutive years.
Amber grew her business literally with her bare hands, starting in a spare bedroom of her home to now operating a downtown business and a growing franchise brand that employs nearly 30 people. During covid, her business was ordered to shut down entirely, and nearly closed permanently. Excess pressures put on the female workforce during the pandemic amplified the challenges of being a woman-owned business that employs primarily women in a woman-dominated industry! Today, Soma is located in a beautifully renovated downtown building and rebounded stronger than ever, with 2 locations, a gross annual revenue of over $1 million, and plans to franchise coast-to-coast.
Amber has been published in numerous trade-specific publications and featured on dozens of podcasts because of her unique and successful business model. She is currently offering Soma Massage Therapy franchise opportunities to individuals with an interest in the wellness industry, so that this successful business approach can be duplicated across the country, bringing high paying jobs and healing touch to thousands of people while transforming the massage industry as a whole.
You can connect with Amber on LinkedIn.
You can also find out more about Soma Massage Therapy on their website.
You can connect with Julie on LinkedIn or Instagram.
Find Julie's writing at her blog or by ordering her book Big Gorgeous Goals and the brand new official companion workbook!
What did you think of this conversation? We'd love if you'd rate or review our show!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Julie (00:04):
Welcome to Figure 8, where we feature inspiring
stories of women entrepreneurswho have grown their businesses
to seven and eight figuresrevenue.
If you're in the mix of growinga bigger business, these
stories are for you.
Join us as we explore where thetough spots are, how to
overcome them and how to prepareyourself for the next portion
(00:27):
of the climb.
I'm your host, Julie Ellis.
I'm an author, entrepreneur anda growth and leadership coach
who co-founded, grew and exitedan eight-figure business.
This led me to exploring whysome women achieve great things,
and that led to my book BigGorgeous Goals.
(00:47):
Let's explore the systems,processes and people that help
us grow our businesses to newheights.
If you're interested in growingyour business, this podcast
will help.
Now let's get going.
Hello and welcome to thisepisode of Figure 8.
(01:08):
Today I am in conversation withAmber Briggle.
Amber is the founder and CEO ofSoma Massage Therapy, which was
voted recently the best painmanagement, the best massage
center, for the last 11consecutive years.
So she has grown this businessnotwithstanding COVID and
closures and all of the upheavalthat has happened in the last
(01:30):
few years.
They now are in a beautifullyrenovated building and they've
rebounded stronger than ever,with two locations grossing over
a million dollars a year andplans to franchise from coast to
coast.
She has been featured in manypublications and I'm so thrilled
to have you here today.
Welcome, Amber.
Amber (01:49):
Julie, thanks so much for having me.
I'm really excited to have thisconversation with you today.
Julie (01:53):
Thanks.
I'm so excited to talk to youbecause I do think about your
journey from a hands-on massagetherapist to having two
locations and many therapistsand, are you know, are you
actually even practicing now orare you really focused on
running your business?
Amber (02:11):
Yeah, that's a great.
That's a great place to start.
I'm still licensed.
I just, in fact I just renewedmy license, like last month,
month before.
I worked really hard to getthat, so I'm not going to let it
lapse.
But I hardly ever get my handson on and it is, I admit,
heartbreaking because I nevergot into this business to be a
business owner.
I got into this business tohelp people, to serve people, to
(02:33):
help them feel better andincrease their range of motion
and improve their health andtheir wellness, and I do really
miss getting my hands on people.
But I love what I'm doing todayas a CEO and franchisor of an
emerging franchise brand,because I'm able to take that
same sort of philosophy or ethos, I guess, of wanting to be a
helper, wanting to serve as manypeople as possible and really
(02:56):
scale it up, cause I'm reallylimited.
As one solitary massagetherapist I can only see three,
maybe four people in a day, workfour, maybe five days a week
before my body just craps outright.
We now, at our, between our twolocations, see over 1000 people
in a month.
Now imagine if we could scalethat coast to coast, we'd be
able to see 1000s of people aday and so just being able to
(03:17):
kind of scale up my ability tohelp and serve others.
So I'm really I don't get myhands on people anymore, but I
love what I'm doing.
In that it's massage adjacent,I can still be in this industry,
but not behind a closed doorwith one person for 90 minutes
at a time.
I can get so much done in a dayand make sure I'm setting the
stage for other people to createthat healing space.
(03:39):
Yeah.
Julie (03:40):
Well, and I think it's interesting because I think that
it is a reality for a lot ofpeople who, like you know, as a
massage therapist, use your ownbody to deliver the treatments
that you're doing.
So longevity and injuryprevention and all of those
things is definitely got to beon your mind, but I also feel
(04:00):
like it's like you know, thetrue entrepreneur in you, saying
you know you didn't start thebusiness thinking you would not
be massaging, but here you areright.
And here you are running twolocations, with the team
reporting to you, working ongetting franchising up and
running and, you know, reallydiving deep as a business owner.
Amber (04:20):
Yeah, no, and I love that again.
Yeah, I just.
I was just talking with someoneabout this recently, about how
I feel that my entire career hasbeen sort of like many tripping
, tripping forward accidentallyoften.
I had never gotten aprofessional massage before I
(04:43):
became a massage therapist.
It was just something I thoughtI'd be, I know right, something
I just thought I might be goodat and might enjoy.
Turns out, I loved it.
Never thought I would be a smallbusiness owner but again, as I
said, there's only so muchenergy in my hands and time in
my day to meet that need.
So I began a small business andthen post.
(05:04):
Well, then we had COVID.
Didn't think I'd be able tohold on my business at all when
we reemerged on the other sideof that, you know, one year to
the day from when we hadreopened to opening again at our
new location and rebounding asstrongly as we did.
I then started thinking aboutwell, maybe there's something
here where I can really servenot just my immediate community
(05:26):
but serve the entire, the entireworld.
Like, why, like?
Why stop with just Denton,Texas, where we're located now?
Why stop with just Texas?
Why not go coast to coast andsee if we can expand beyond that
.
So it's always been sort of Inever had planned on this, but I
think I think probably a lot ofyour entrepreneurial um
listeners probably sort ofunderstand that um, that
(05:49):
sometimes a lot of this isn'tplanned.
Like you.
You kind of have you know whereyou want to, you might know
where you want to go, uh, butbut you but what happens is you
find these opportunities thatjust kind of the door opens and
you just kind of get that gutsense, like is the next right
step?
Julie (06:07):
Well, and I think it's so interesting in a way, because I
think having an event likecovid sometimes sends you on a
different path, right like theopportunities that you see, you
know you might.
If that had never happened, youmight have just had your head
down in your other location andnever really had to think about
(06:29):
what might be possible, becauseyou were growing that business
and those sorts of things Likesometimes it's those like real,
like feeling like it's a bigsucker punch and yet doors come
out of that that you can thenopen to see where else you can
go.
Amber (06:46):
Yeah, no, absolutely.
I mean I know, you know it's2025 and a lot of people are
sick of talking about COVID.
A lot of businesses have movedon.
A lot of businesses have closedpermanently.
For me, it was such a traumaticexperience that those scars are
still deep in me.
I mean, I remember the nightthat the governor declared that
(07:06):
my business was closed andwalking downstairs to go to bed
and thinking, well, I'm reallyglad that we still have our
pop-up camper so that when welose our house, we'll at least
still have a place to sleep atnight.
Like that's, like that was thefirst place my brain went to
Right and I just busted my ass,Julie, every single day of that
(07:27):
pandemic, to make sure that Iwas caring for my team.
Like, do you need a micro loan?
Like what does your scheduleneed to look like when you come
back?
Like what?
Like, where are we at?
Like, how like, do you need meto bring you groceries?
Like what is it that you need?
y also for my clients, becausethey're I mean, I had people,
had people you know, emailing,texting, calling me, saying you
know I, you know, I know yourclosed.
(07:47):
So I, I overdid it with my yoga, trying to stretch out my hips
and I pulled something in my lowback and now I'm in worse shape
.
What do I do?
So I would coach them over thephone on maybe some self massage
or some stretching or whateverit was that they might be able
to do that was appropriate forthem.
That then turned into a virtualmassage studio and it turned
(08:09):
out to be one of probably thesmartest things I could have
done, because, you know, formonths at a time, people are
just at home, just doom,scrolling and and then.
And then here comes my face andI'm you know I'm talking about,
you know unclenching your jaw,bringing your breath down into
your belly, giving you somestretches for your neck, showing
you things you could do justsitting at home you don't need a
(08:30):
gym membership, Gyms are closedanyway, Right and getting
people to think about massage asbeing more than just like this
fluff and buff, like treat thatyou do on your birthday and
anniversary, but somethingreally more comprehensive and
holistic, that that addresses,you know, the whole body body,
mind and spirit and it isn'tjust a feel good thing but
something that's actually goodfor you.
(08:51):
And then, when we got, when wewere able to finally reopen a
couple months later I had Iguess I lack for better, for
lack of a better word offollowing online who had been
curious about, about Somamassage therapy.
When and then we reopened, mostof my massage therapist had
quit at that point in timebecause they were either scared
(09:11):
to come back or they just quitesimply couldn't come back.
I mean, 85% of massagetherapists are women and the
statistics I mean.
It was called the she sessionfor a reason.
Like a lot of us lost our jobsbecause unfortunately we still
make less than men.
And if schools and daycares andcamps and all that are closed,
who's going to stay home?
Julie (09:30):
And it's often the mom that's going to..
Amber (09:32):
Right, exactly, so I didn't have a workforce.
I had a bunch of clientsknocking down my door trying to
get in One by one.
I rebuilt, I hired one by one,I hired therapists back and then
within a year of reopening,like I said, we had had this
beautiful location downtown.
We grossed out a milliondollars a year.
We're looking at franchising.
I think I totally lost track ofyour question, but it was one
(09:55):
of those sort of like.
I just remember feelingcompletely terrified that I was
going to lose everything, and Iwas determined, absolutely
determined, to do everything Ipossibly could to keep this
business going as long as Ipossibly could, in the hopes
that when the governor finallysaid I could reopen my doors,
(10:17):
all I had to do was just, youknow, turn a key and flip on a
switch and it wasn't quite assimple as that, because I did
have to rebuild my workforceright.
But I learned so much about myleadership skills in that time.
I learned so much about whatworks for us from a business
model, our philosophy, our ethos, our values, learned so much
about marketing.
(10:37):
I just learned so much in thosemonths that we were closed that
it really set us up for a lotof success when we reopened and
we just, we just took off.
Julie (10:46):
Oh yeah, Hire the people you needed.
Then you could really see thegrowth start to take off.
Amber (10:51):
Absolutely, absolutely yeah.
Julie (10:53):
And so that was a real sort of role transition for you,
though, from you know kind ofsolo massage therapist and
adding a small team to nothingto like.
Really coming back in adifferent way.
Amber (11:10):
Yeah, again, and it was none of this, like I said, like
none of this was planned.
But you, just you kind ofrecognize opportunities as they
come along.
And you know, I just you knowlittle, you know, asterisk
follows.
I've been a massage therapistfor 20 years.
It wasn't like this was like anovernight thing, right.
So I, you know I had movedaround.
You know I lived in theNetherlands for a spell.
I lived in Boulder, Colorado,for a spell, landed in the
(11:32):
Dallas area, which you know beenhere now for about, oh gosh,
probably 16-17 years.
You know started off reallysmall when, here in Denton,
Texas, you know, just offeringfree chair massage at, you know,
at a farmer's market, and all Iasked was like an actual
working email address so I couldstart an email list Like don't
give me your spam, like I'mgiving you free massage, like be
(11:53):
nice to me, right.
And I started an email listfrom that and it just kind of
just slowly over time, scaled up, scaled up, scaled up.
So now we I started Salmamassage therapy, I believe
officially, in the summer of2011.
So we had been in Denton forabout two years.
That's when I started hiringpeople individually.
(12:13):
We had moved into our firstlocation in 2013.
So we had two years of me as asolo practitioner two years
operating a very tiny smallbusiness out of the spare
bedroom of my house, and then,from 2013 until 2020, operating
in a brick and mortar that wasimpossible to find, but because
we don't do walk-ins, we're byappointment only and we want a
(12:35):
new credit card number and wecharge you if you didn't show up
, like you made the effort tofind us.
So the first time finding uswas a trick, but the the next
time was always new.
We kind of you know, very sortof you know quiet, tucked away
almost like a speakeasy, likenot three times and we'll let
you in.
But it was hard to find.
But we made it work.
And then COVID happened andthat's really again that year
(12:58):
post-COVID is really, when wesaw this just like rocket shit
growth.
Because, you know,unfortunately a lot of massage
places had closed, a lot of solopractitioners had decided they
no longer wanted to do this workanymore.
So we had clients looking for anew place to land and felt like
(13:22):
those locations were not doingall that they could to keep
their practitioners, theiremployees and their clients as
safe as they could.
And we were really being.
One of our core values is reallypeople before profits, and I
know that sounds campy andcheesy, but 100%.
(13:45):
If you care for the people thatcare for your business, the
profits will follow.
If you're constantly chasingthe money, then you're you're
cheapening your brand.
You're, you know you're makingyour employees feel like dirt.
You're like your clients arejust like, well, what's you know
like, are you in it for me orare you in it for the profits?
Right, and so when we reallyput that forward and really
articulated so clearly forpeople what it was we were doing
(14:07):
to keep them safe.
That really attracted then alot of those clients from those
other bigger brands that peoplehave heard of to come see us,
and so we had a ton of clientswanting to get in, which meant I
could guarantee work for thosemassage therapists who still
wanted to work, who couldn'tfind work or were at these spas
that didn't feel safe.
(14:27):
And and because because Ireally put forward that people
first philosophy, my brand justjust took off and now we're
franchising coast to coast today.
Julie (14:39):
I know.
And so what was it that madeyou think about taking that kind
of because that's a big nextlevel step right, like going up
to the business side of becominga franchisor from having a
single, you know, main streetkind of building practice in it.
(14:59):
What does that look like?
What was it that made yourealize that you had potential
there?
Amber (15:08):
What made me decide to become a franchisor?
Sure, yeah, I do.
I get that question a lotbecause, you know, being that
I'm also, in addition to being afranchisor, a small business
owner.
A lot of my friends are smallbusiness owners too and they're
like what Like?
Why Like, why, why are youdoing this?
I mean the short answer.
Well, there's two answers.
(15:29):
One again I really I've alwayswanted to find ways to make
massage as accessible to as manypeople as possible.
And if it's just me working bymyself, I can only see a handful
of people.
And if it's just our one or twolocations here in Denton,
seeing, but I can only seepeople in a certain you know
(15:49):
you're like a geographic,exactly Right.
Yes, how can I scale this?
You know this really uniquemodel of massage.
You have a no tipping policy,first and foremost, right.
Like you've never took yourphysical therapist or
chiropractor.
Why are you tipping us Right,this no membership model?
Like you don't have to lockyourself into a massage every
(16:11):
month.
You come as you come, as oftenas as you're able to, as you're
able to afford or as yourschedule allows.
You don't need a membership tounlock the great deals.
We're going to make thisaffordable for you.
We provide full 60-minute hours, whereas a lot of places will
just do 50 or 55 minutes.
You're going to get a full 60minutes of hands-on, so your
appointment is actually closerto 75 or 90 minutes.
(16:31):
So we have time to talk withyou and customize your
appointment before we even getour hands on you.
Like, we do so many thingsdifferently.
So how can I scale up thisreally unique, wonderful model
of care where we're really doingmore like rehabilitative work
on a national scale or just on abigger scale?
Right, and I open a third orfourth location and just really
(16:57):
focus on the Dallas Fort WorthMetroplex or the triangle
between, like Austin, houston,dallas or just Texas, and I
could just own several studios.
But girl like that's oh, that'sa lot of management, that is
managing a lot of people, thatis managing a lot of people and
(17:33):
and selfishly.
The second part of my question,of your question is is you know,
my son is graduating highschool in a year.
My daughter will be startinghigh school in a year.
Do I really want to spend therest of my life in Texas?
I don't have any family here,you know, you know like, and I
can't transfer to anotherlocation, say in Colorado
Springs, where my in-laws live.
I can't transfer to a locationin St Paul where my mom lives,
because they don't exist, right,and so am I just going to be?
Am I going to be tethered toTexas my entire life because
I've had all these locations?
Or can I take that same amountof money that it would cost me
(17:56):
to open a third location andinstead invest that into a
franchise model so that someoneelse can open that third
location?
And I've just got these twohere in Denton, right?
And so I hired an incrediblecoach His name is Rick Grossman
with the Franchise Bible Coach,he walked me through basically
(18:24):
franchise boot camp for aboutsix months and we extracted all
of this information that's beenin my brain for 20 years and put
it on papers.
We have an operations manual sowe can duplicate the success,
whether we're in Toledo, ohio,or Sacramento, california, or
just down the street in Dallas,like wherever Sacramento,
california or you know, just youknow, down the street in Dallas
, like wherever you're at it'sgoing to be, you can duplicate
that.
I did more than just that, butI did like, as an example, that
(18:44):
was one of the things I didduring bootcamp.
And now we're at the pointwhere we are ready to go.
We have our franchisedisclosure document.
We have our franchise agreement.
We're a registered trademark.
We have an ops manual.
We have, like we have all thethe.
We've got a build outspreadsheet.
So when you purchase yourSawmama Slosh Therapy franchise,
you know what kind of sheets toget, what color to get them in,
(19:07):
how many paperclips you'regoing to need.
Like, do you need a printer?
I mean, we're doing hands-onwork.
Like, what would I need aprinter for?
Yeah, you need a printer.
Like, just you know, now wehave everything.
We can give it to you.
We've got a marketing plan.
So we are ready to go and I'mso excited to see this brand
just take off across the country.
Julie (19:22):
Well, and I think it's so interesting because, every like
, there's no easy path inentrepreneurship, right?
So it's all about, like,looking at what your choices are
and determining what you thinkis the best solution for you.
I feel like right, Because alsoopening several locations in
(19:42):
Texas could have been a greatchoice for you.
Also, it wouldn't have beeneasy Franchising not easy for
different reasons.
Look at all the work done, youknow, in the sort of legwork
I'll call it, but, like the, youknow to be ready to franchise,
and so I think it is just sointeresting how, like you know,
we can make choices that suit usand we think are going to be
(20:05):
the best path forward.
Amber (20:07):
Yeah, I think, and again it's sort of that's like
tripping forward that I talkedabout.
It's like I, I, what, what?
What had happened is it's thesummer of 23,.
I want to say I had an amazingvacation to the Pacific
Northwest and decided that Iwanted to move to the Olympic
Peninsula and live with thetrees for the rest of my life.
(20:28):
But I can't do that if I'mmanaging a location in Denton,
texas, and that's all I've got.
And um, and I came back fromthat vacation with the text
message for me in my inboxsaying you know, I'm Joe, with
whatever company out of Miami,Florida, we're interested in
helping you franchise.
And I was like, oh huh, that'san interesting serendipity.
(20:53):
So I called Joe in Miami and itwas.
He was just some some guy in acubicle who really was in it for
the money and not in it becausehe wanted to make Soma a strong
and sustainable brand.
But it did get.
It did get the that thoughtprocess going.
And that's when I startedvetting different coaches to
think about.
You know, I really neededsomething.
(21:13):
I know a lot about massage, butI don't I didn't at that time
know a lot about franchising andit's you're starting a totally
new business, and the last thingI'd want is for someone to
invest their life savings in abusiness that I didn't know how
to support and then they loseeverything and I get taken to
court and Joe in Miami stillmakes whatever percentage from
the sale, like I didn't want anyof that.
(21:35):
So I found a great coach whoreally has worked, made this a
very sustainable model, so thatI'm able not only to solidify
the policies and procedures thatwe had at Soma that were
working so well already, but beable to then coach other small
business owners on how to do itsuccessfully.
And I really want to point outto your listeners too, if
(21:55):
they're interested in any ofthis like you know, you don't
have to be a massage therapistto own a SOMA massage therapy.
Like when you open a DunkinDonuts, you don't need to know
how to even turn on an ovenright, like they teach you right
, and as a small business owner,as a franchise owner, you're
not doing the massage, becauseif you're doing you, I mean
you're doing HR, you're doingmarketing, you're doing it and
(22:18):
we have, you know, we're doingthe bookkeeping, we and we have,
we have tools to help you withall of this.
But you don't have to be amassage therapist to own a
massage.
You just got to be someonewho's a hard worker, you know a
passion for the wellnessindustry, you know willing to
put in the work, communicate.
That's really who we're lookingfor.
And I do want to point out Ijust want to make a little quick
(22:39):
, little plug too, if that's notfor you, but you know someone
that this might be a greatopportunity for them.
We are offering a franchisereferral bonus.
So, julie, if you know someonewho might be a fantastic Soma
Massage Therapy franchisee,introduce them to me, and if
they sign up later and they gettheir spot up and running, then
(22:59):
you, julie, or any of yourlisteners, will get either a
thousand dollars cash or a yearof free massages.
So just keep that in mind.
Like, who do you know?
Send them to mysomamassagecom.
We do have a franchise tab atthe top and you can just learn
more information there.
Yeah, and that's great, and Ithink it is interesting right,
Because it's different.
Julie (23:18):
You're in a different sales zone now in terms of, like
, who you're looking for andwhat you want, and finding those
right people especially in thewell always, but especially your
first, like those first handfulof franchisees is so critically
(23:38):
important as you build a brand.
Amber (23:40):
Oh, absolutely, and I'm learning too.
Like you don't just sell afranchise, like you sell a
burger, like you.
We award franchises.
We want to make sure that thepeople who are going to own a
Soma Massage Therapy Studioalign with our values, right,
that they're investing in thecommunity, that they, you know
(24:01):
again, they have that peoplebefore profits philosophy that
they're, that they, you know,celebrate inclusion and they
create a welcoming space forboth their employees and their
clients.
We're really looking forfranchise owners that align with
our values.
If they do that, then we'llmove forward in the process.
But the last thing I'd want isagain chasing the money and
(24:24):
selling a franchise to just thefirst person who comes along who
ends up being an absolute bigot.
Like that would tank the brand.
Like we're not about that.
We're about inclusion, we'reabout diversity, we're about,
you know, people before profitsand so, um and so making sure
that we're that we're um,attracting and working with the
right kind of people who canreally take this brand forward.
Julie (24:45):
Yeah Well, and it really goes with the whole the hire
slow fire fast kind of right.
Like you need to be verycareful and choosy, because it
is a long term relationship thatyou're entering with people and
, yes, I know you sign lots ofagreements and all the things.
But it is that kind of thingwhere you want to choose really
(25:06):
carefully who you partner with.
Amber (25:09):
A hundred percent.
I want to again, I'm sorry tokeep repeating this it's people
before profits.
I want this to be sustainable,not only for my own personal
interests Like I really likemaking money, Julie, and I'm
really freaking good at it, Ilike that, I like being able to
pay my mortgage right, but Ialso, obviously, I want it to be
(25:29):
sustainable for our franchisees.
They're dropping their lifesavings into this.
They're investing in theirfuture and creating a legacy for
their children and theirgrandchildren and beyond, and I
would be devastated if I wasn'tprepared to support them and
make sure that their businesswas sustainable as well.
(25:51):
Exactly, and that's what.
That's exactly why, instead ofgoing with Joe in the cubicle in
Miami, you could do it for halfthe price.
You know, I went with the moreexpensive but the more
sustainable option.
So, yeah, go ahead.
Julie (26:04):
And what led you to kind of declaring people before
profits as a value for you, likeas you got started in the
business and, you know, openedthe new building and all those
things, how was it I mean youtalked earlier about during the
pandemic, you know, did peopleneed groceries, did they need
help with anything like thatspeaks to it living within you.
(26:26):
But how did you, how did itcome to be something that you
actually wrote down and decidedto live by?
Amber (26:33):
I mean, I've always lived by it.
Um, I guess it just got moreevident and obvious to the wider
public during of safety andthis message kind of resonated
(26:57):
with people.
So it is, it's something I'vealways believed.
I think it just got magnified,more obvious during the pandemic
because I was really puttingthe effort into creating, like I
said, this virtual massagestudio.
Before we opened, I reached outto a local HVAC company and
(27:17):
asked them to install an airscrubber directly to our HVAC
unit so that when we had the fanrunning and we had it going all
the time, circulating airthrough the facility, it would
purify the air.
And I want to make sure thateveryone was sorry.
Julie, my son just called me.
(27:38):
Can we pause for just a second?
He's at school.
I'm so sorry, hold on.
Julie (27:42):
Okay, I'm wondering if you can tell me about the value
and the statement about peopleover profits and how that I can
tell that it comes from withinyou.
I mean, you talked earlier inthe interview about do people
need groceries in the pandemic?
How could you help your team,those kinds of things.
But how did it become somethingthat you went from living and
(28:04):
breathing to actually likedeclaring it, writing it down
and then really structuring yourcorporate values around it?
Amber (28:12):
Yeah, that's a super great question.
It's something that I've alwaysadhered to, but I think it just
became more magnified andobvious during the pandemic,
because I think we were alllooking for that sense of safety
, because I mean, we couldn'teven find toilet paper at the
store, there were no vaccines,like people we knew were dying
(28:35):
or ending up in the hospital,like it was a really scary time
right, and we're looking forthat sense of safety or comfort
or just reassurance it's goingto be okay.
And again, I had, you know,like I said, I had my virtual
massage studio, so I was, youknow, teaching people on a daily
basis with you know, like Isaid, I had my virtual massage
studio, so I was, you know,teaching people on a daily basis
with you know short, like threeto five minute videos how to
(28:55):
care for themselves.
Before we opened, I hired alocal HVAC company to install an
air scrubber.
So rather than having airpurifiers in each room, which
only had like a small range thatwould work, I had something
installed directly to our HVACunit so that when the fan was
running and I made sure it wasrunning continuously it was
scrubbing the air in the wholestudio.
(29:16):
And it was a thousand dollarsand I didn't have a thousand
dollars.
We were closed and the onlything I sell is physical touch,
so I wasn't making any moneyRight.
But again, I didn't.
I never wanted to be the typeof person that valued what my
bank account said versus thesafety of other people, and so I
(29:37):
had this thing installed.
I made a big stink about itonline.
I got a picture and I'm likelike Soma is a safe place to
come Right.
I did a number and I did anumber of things that I could
continue.
I mean we could do a wholepodcast just on the things I did
during the pandemic, but it dida number and I did a number of
things that I could continue.
I mean we could do a wholepodcast just on the things I did
during the pandemic, but I dida number of things where I
really tried to show people Ireally care about you.
Like we're again, we'rehealthcare workers.
(29:58):
I'm not doing your nails, I'mnot cutting your hair, not
bringing you margarita.
Like we are healthcare workersand it's our job to keep our
employees and our clients safeand healthy.
To keep our employees and ourclients safe and healthy and
what you know if I have a COVIDspread through the office, then
no one can work.
Clients don't feel you knowsafe to come back and then again
(30:19):
, and then you're cause.
You're chasing the profitsinstead of the people.
So when I really put thatforward and really made it super
like these were already myvalues.
But when I really likevocalized them and shined a
light on them, people were likethis place is different, this is
special, and it reallyattracted.
It attracted a ton of clients,the right kinds of clients too,
(30:40):
and it attracted the right kindsof therapists who wanted to
feel you know safe and protectedin a space like that.
Julie (30:46):
Well, and it strikes me too that in some ways it was a
preparation for you to gothrough the exercise of becoming
a franchisor, because you werealready thinking about and
articulating policies andprocesses and and the things
that ultimately you had to sitdown and put into operations,
(31:07):
manual and other places.
Amber (31:09):
Yeah, no, absolutely, and it was again.
I hadn't thought aboutfranchising in 2020.
I was just thinking about-.
Julie (31:15):
Hang alive.
No, that was what I wasthinking of.
Amber (31:20):
But when we reopened exactly a year to the day, so we
had we closed March 20th, wereopened May 20th, so only two
months, because I'm in Texas andapparently COVID doesn't exist
down here.
So we were only closed for twomonths, but in that time, my
team had gone from 13 therapistsdown to four and one of our
(31:41):
locations had closed, and then,one by one, therapists continued
to quit.
So in those two, just those twomonths alone were devastating.
So in those two, those two,just those two months alone,
were devastating.
But when we reopened, wereopened May, may 20th, 2020.
And then one year to the day tothe day, may 20th 2021, that's
when we reopened in our newlocation.
It has twice as many rooms.
I now have 25 massagetherapists on staff.
(32:03):
That's our primary location.
That's the one that makes usthe most money.
The one that makes us the mostmoney, but we that that has been
just.
I was not thinking in 2020 or2021 about franchising.
I was just thinking about howdo I keep this thing from
falling apart, right?
And then, and then, when Icontinued to see the success
(32:24):
when we reopened in thatlocation, and then our, our,
just, our, we just were able toscale up and I just kept
thinking.
I came back from this vacation.
I'm like how can I live in thetrees in the Olympic Peninsula?
And I had this text message andit was waiting for me, asking
me if I was interested infranchising.
It just kind of sparked thisbrainstorm that a lot of your
listeners can probably relate to.
It's like this is anopportunity.
(32:46):
I hadn't even thought aboutwhat would this look like, and
you just kind of do the that,you do your homework and you
start exploring differentoptions and it just felt right
and that's what we're doing nowtoday.
Julie (32:56):
Yeah, yeah.
And how do you feel like you'regrowing as a CEO through all of
this?
Amber (33:01):
Oh yeah, I really trust my leadership and decision,
decision making a lot more thanI ever have, because I can see.
I can see the success thatwe've experienced during a time
that was devastating for womenand devastating for small
(33:22):
businesses, and for me to be awoman owning a small business
and um and emerge as strongly aswe did made me think like maybe
it was on the right track.
With all of this, um, I also,um, you know, the encouragement
of my coach, um, rick Grossman.
He, you know, he, he, I didn'tunderstand this until months, if
(33:45):
not maybe a year, later, afterI had, um, you know, signed a
contract with the FranchiseBible Coach to be my, I guess my
consulting firm for this.
I didn't realize that they'revery, very picky about who they
take on.
They're not going to take onjust anyone and any business
model, right.
And they, you know, they choseme and they chose Soma because
they also saw the potential inthis and that just kind of also
(34:06):
sort of gave me like theconfidence boost that I needed.
It's like I, you know, I don'tknow everything, I'll never know
everything, but I know enough,and I'm surrounded by a team
that believes in me, both atSoma and with my franchise team,
that, um, that I really feellike we could all together, we
can really kind of launch thisto the next level and we can be
(34:27):
the next big brand coast tocoast.
So I just I feel just moreconfident in my decision-making
because I've seen the successand because I understand the
potential and the sustainabilityof this business model really
has just sort of given me sortof like the pat on the back.
Julie (34:45):
The right decisions.
Yeah, yeah, good.
Well, I can't wait to see whereyou go from here and I want to
thank you so much for chattingwith me today and we'll put, of
course, all your info in theshow notes so people will be
able to find you and learn more,and I'm wishing you all the
best.
Thanks for joining me.
Amber (35:06):
Thanks so much, Julie.
Julie (35:11):
This was a real delight.
Appreciate you.
I hope you enjoyed today'sepisode.
Please remember to hitsubscribe on your favorite
podcast platform so you won'tmiss any episodes.
Figure 8 isn't just a podcast.
It's a way of seeing the big,gorgeous goals of women
entrepreneurs coming to life.
If you're interested inlearning more, you can find my
book Big Gorgeous Goals onAmazon, anywhere you might live.
(35:34):
For more about my growth andleadership training programs,
visit www.
julieellis.
ca to see how we might worktogether.
Read my blog or sign up to getyour free diagnostic.
Are you ready for growth?
Once again, that's www.
julieellis.
ca.
(35:57):
When we work together, we allwin.
See you again soon for anotherepisode of Figure 8.
Welcome to Figure 8, where we feature inspiring
stories of women entrepreneurswho have grown their businesses
to seven and eight figuresrevenue.
If you're in the mix of growinga bigger business, these
stories are for you.
Join us as we explore where thetough spots are, how to
overcome them and how to prepareyourself for the next portion
(00:27):
of the climb.
I'm your host, Julie Ellis.
I'm an author, entrepreneur anda growth and leadership coach
who co-founded, grew and exitedan eight-figure business.
This led me to exploring whysome women achieve great things,
and that led to my book BigGorgeous Goals.
(00:47):
Let's explore the systems,processes and people that help
us grow our businesses to newheights.
If you're interested in growingyour business, this podcast
will help.
Now let's get going.
Hello and welcome to thisepisode of Figure 8.
(01:08):
Today I am in conversation withAmber Briggle.
Amber is the founder and CEO ofSoma Massage Therapy, which was
voted recently the best painmanagement, the best massage
center, for the last 11consecutive years.
So she has grown this businessnotwithstanding COVID and
closures and all of the upheavalthat has happened in the last
(01:30):
few years.
They now are in a beautifullyrenovated building and they've
rebounded stronger than ever,with two locations grossing over
a million dollars a year andplans to franchise from coast to
coast.
She has been featured in manypublications and I'm so thrilled
to have you here today.
Welcome, Amber.
Amber (01:49):
Julie, thanks so much for having me.
I'm really excited to have thisconversation with you today.
Julie (01:53):
Thanks.
I'm so excited to talk to youbecause I do think about your
journey from a hands-on massagetherapist to having two
locations and many therapistsand, are you know, are you
actually even practicing now orare you really focused on
running your business?
Amber (02:11):
Yeah, that's a great.
That's a great place to start.
I'm still licensed.
I just, in fact I just renewedmy license, like last month,
month before.
I worked really hard to getthat, so I'm not going to let it
lapse.
But I hardly ever get my handson on and it is, I admit,
heartbreaking because I nevergot into this business to be a
business owner.
I got into this business tohelp people, to serve people, to
(02:33):
help them feel better andincrease their range of motion
and improve their health andtheir wellness, and I do really
miss getting my hands on people.
But I love what I'm doing todayas a CEO and franchisor of an
emerging franchise brand,because I'm able to take that
same sort of philosophy or ethos, I guess, of wanting to be a
helper, wanting to serve as manypeople as possible and really
(02:56):
scale it up, cause I'm reallylimited.
As one solitary massagetherapist I can only see three,
maybe four people in a day, workfour, maybe five days a week
before my body just craps outright.
We now, at our, between our twolocations, see over 1000 people
in a month.
Now imagine if we could scalethat coast to coast, we'd be
able to see 1000s of people aday and so just being able to
(03:17):
kind of scale up my ability tohelp and serve others.
So I'm really I don't get myhands on people anymore, but I
love what I'm doing.
In that it's massage adjacent,I can still be in this industry,
but not behind a closed doorwith one person for 90 minutes
at a time.
I can get so much done in a dayand make sure I'm setting the
stage for other people to createthat healing space.
(03:39):
Yeah.
Julie (03:40):
Well, and I think it's interesting because I think that
it is a reality for a lot ofpeople who, like you know, as a
massage therapist, use your ownbody to deliver the treatments
that you're doing.
So longevity and injuryprevention and all of those
things is definitely got to beon your mind, but I also feel
(04:00):
like it's like you know, thetrue entrepreneur in you, saying
you know you didn't start thebusiness thinking you would not
be massaging, but here you areright.
And here you are running twolocations, with the team
reporting to you, working ongetting franchising up and
running and, you know, reallydiving deep as a business owner.
Amber (04:20):
Yeah, no, and I love that again.
Yeah, I just.
I was just talking with someoneabout this recently, about how
I feel that my entire career hasbeen sort of like many tripping
, tripping forward accidentallyoften.
I had never gotten aprofessional massage before I
(04:43):
became a massage therapist.
It was just something I thoughtI'd be, I know right, something
I just thought I might be goodat and might enjoy.
Turns out, I loved it.
Never thought I would be a smallbusiness owner but again, as I
said, there's only so muchenergy in my hands and time in
my day to meet that need.
So I began a small business andthen post.
(05:04):
Well, then we had COVID.
Didn't think I'd be able tohold on my business at all when
we reemerged on the other sideof that, you know, one year to
the day from when we hadreopened to opening again at our
new location and rebounding asstrongly as we did.
I then started thinking aboutwell, maybe there's something
here where I can really servenot just my immediate community
(05:26):
but serve the entire, the entireworld.
Like, why, like?
Why stop with just Denton,Texas, where we're located now?
Why stop with just Texas?
Why not go coast to coast andsee if we can expand beyond that
.
So it's always been sort of Inever had planned on this, but I
think I think probably a lot ofyour entrepreneurial um
listeners probably sort ofunderstand that um, that
(05:49):
sometimes a lot of this isn'tplanned.
Like you.
You kind of have you know whereyou want to, you might know
where you want to go, uh, butbut you but what happens is you
find these opportunities thatjust kind of the door opens and
you just kind of get that gutsense, like is the next right
step?
Julie (06:07):
Well, and I think it's so interesting in a way, because I
think having an event likecovid sometimes sends you on a
different path, right like theopportunities that you see, you
know you might.
If that had never happened, youmight have just had your head
down in your other location andnever really had to think about
(06:29):
what might be possible, becauseyou were growing that business
and those sorts of things Likesometimes it's those like real,
like feeling like it's a bigsucker punch and yet doors come
out of that that you can thenopen to see where else you can
go.
Amber (06:46):
Yeah, no, absolutely.
I mean I know, you know it's2025 and a lot of people are
sick of talking about COVID.
A lot of businesses have movedon.
A lot of businesses have closedpermanently.
For me, it was such a traumaticexperience that those scars are
still deep in me.
I mean, I remember the nightthat the governor declared that
(07:06):
my business was closed andwalking downstairs to go to bed
and thinking, well, I'm reallyglad that we still have our
pop-up camper so that when welose our house, we'll at least
still have a place to sleep atnight.
Like that's, like that was thefirst place my brain went to
Right and I just busted my ass,Julie, every single day of that
(07:27):
pandemic, to make sure that Iwas caring for my team.
Like, do you need a micro loan?
Like what does your scheduleneed to look like when you come
back?
Like what?
Like, where are we at?
Like, how like, do you need meto bring you groceries?
Like what is it that you need?
y also for my clients, becausethey're I mean, I had people,
had people you know, emailing,texting, calling me, saying you
know I, you know, I know yourclosed.
(07:47):
So I, I overdid it with my yoga, trying to stretch out my hips
and I pulled something in my lowback and now I'm in worse shape
.
What do I do?
So I would coach them over thephone on maybe some self massage
or some stretching or whateverit was that they might be able
to do that was appropriate forthem.
That then turned into a virtualmassage studio and it turned
(08:09):
out to be one of probably thesmartest things I could have
done, because, you know, formonths at a time, people are
just at home, just doom,scrolling and and then.
And then here comes my face andI'm you know I'm talking about,
you know unclenching your jaw,bringing your breath down into
your belly, giving you somestretches for your neck, showing
you things you could do justsitting at home you don't need a
(08:30):
gym membership, Gyms are closedanyway, Right and getting
people to think about massage asbeing more than just like this
fluff and buff, like treat thatyou do on your birthday and
anniversary, but somethingreally more comprehensive and
holistic, that that addresses,you know, the whole body body,
mind and spirit and it isn'tjust a feel good thing but
something that's actually goodfor you.
(08:51):
And then, when we got, when wewere able to finally reopen a
couple months later I had Iguess I lack for better, for
lack of a better word offollowing online who had been
curious about, about Somamassage therapy.
When and then we reopened, mostof my massage therapist had
quit at that point in timebecause they were either scared
(09:11):
to come back or they just quitesimply couldn't come back.
I mean, 85% of massagetherapists are women and the
statistics I mean.
It was called the she sessionfor a reason.
Like a lot of us lost our jobsbecause unfortunately we still
make less than men.
And if schools and daycares andcamps and all that are closed,
who's going to stay home?
Julie (09:30):
And it's often the mom that's going to..
Amber (09:32):
Right, exactly, so I didn't have a workforce.
I had a bunch of clientsknocking down my door trying to
get in One by one.
I rebuilt, I hired one by one,I hired therapists back and then
within a year of reopening,like I said, we had had this
beautiful location downtown.
We grossed out a milliondollars a year.
We're looking at franchising.
I think I totally lost track ofyour question, but it was one
(09:55):
of those sort of like.
I just remember feelingcompletely terrified that I was
going to lose everything, and Iwas determined, absolutely
determined, to do everything Ipossibly could to keep this
business going as long as Ipossibly could, in the hopes
that when the governor finallysaid I could reopen my doors,
(10:17):
all I had to do was just, youknow, turn a key and flip on a
switch and it wasn't quite assimple as that, because I did
have to rebuild my workforceright.
But I learned so much about myleadership skills in that time.
I learned so much about whatworks for us from a business
model, our philosophy, our ethos, our values, learned so much
about marketing.
(10:37):
I just learned so much in thosemonths that we were closed that
it really set us up for a lotof success when we reopened and
we just, we just took off.
Julie (10:46):
Oh yeah, Hire the people you needed.
Then you could really see thegrowth start to take off.
Amber (10:51):
Absolutely, absolutely yeah.
Julie (10:53):
And so that was a real sort of role transition for you,
though, from you know kind ofsolo massage therapist and
adding a small team to nothingto like.
Really coming back in adifferent way.
Amber (11:10):
Yeah, again, and it was none of this, like I said, like
none of this was planned.
But you, just you kind ofrecognize opportunities as they
come along.
And you know, I just you knowlittle, you know, asterisk
follows.
I've been a massage therapistfor 20 years.
It wasn't like this was like anovernight thing, right.
So I, you know I had movedaround.
You know I lived in theNetherlands for a spell.
I lived in Boulder, Colorado,for a spell, landed in the
(11:32):
Dallas area, which you know beenhere now for about, oh gosh,
probably 16-17 years.
You know started off reallysmall when, here in Denton,
Texas, you know, just offeringfree chair massage at, you know,
at a farmer's market, and all Iasked was like an actual
working email address so I couldstart an email list Like don't
give me your spam, like I'mgiving you free massage, like be
(11:53):
nice to me, right.
And I started an email listfrom that and it just kind of
just slowly over time, scaled up, scaled up, scaled up.
So now we I started Salmamassage therapy, I believe
officially, in the summer of2011.
So we had been in Denton forabout two years.
That's when I started hiringpeople individually.
(12:13):
We had moved into our firstlocation in 2013.
So we had two years of me as asolo practitioner two years
operating a very tiny smallbusiness out of the spare
bedroom of my house, and then,from 2013 until 2020, operating
in a brick and mortar that wasimpossible to find, but because
we don't do walk-ins, we're byappointment only and we want a
(12:35):
new credit card number and wecharge you if you didn't show up
, like you made the effort tofind us.
So the first time finding uswas a trick, but the the next
time was always new.
We kind of you know, very sortof you know quiet, tucked away
almost like a speakeasy, likenot three times and we'll let
you in.
But it was hard to find.
But we made it work.
And then COVID happened andthat's really again that year
(12:58):
post-COVID is really, when wesaw this just like rocket shit
growth.
Because, you know,unfortunately a lot of massage
places had closed, a lot of solopractitioners had decided they
no longer wanted to do this workanymore.
So we had clients looking for anew place to land and felt like
(13:22):
those locations were not doingall that they could to keep
their practitioners, theiremployees and their clients as
safe as they could.
And we were really being.
One of our core values is reallypeople before profits, and I
know that sounds campy andcheesy, but 100%.
(13:45):
If you care for the people thatcare for your business, the
profits will follow.
If you're constantly chasingthe money, then you're you're
cheapening your brand.
You're, you know you're makingyour employees feel like dirt.
You're like your clients arejust like, well, what's you know
like, are you in it for me orare you in it for the profits?
Right, and so when we reallyput that forward and really
articulated so clearly forpeople what it was we were doing
(14:07):
to keep them safe.
That really attracted then alot of those clients from those
other bigger brands that peoplehave heard of to come see us,
and so we had a ton of clientswanting to get in, which meant I
could guarantee work for thosemassage therapists who still
wanted to work, who couldn'tfind work or were at these spas
that didn't feel safe.
(14:27):
And and because because Ireally put forward that people
first philosophy, my brand justjust took off and now we're
franchising coast to coast today.
Julie (14:39):
I know.
And so what was it that madeyou think about taking that kind
of because that's a big nextlevel step right, like going up
to the business side of becominga franchisor from having a
single, you know, main streetkind of building practice in it.
(14:59):
What does that look like?
What was it that made yourealize that you had potential
there?
Amber (15:08):
What made me decide to become a franchisor?
Sure, yeah, I do.
I get that question a lotbecause, you know, being that
I'm also, in addition to being afranchisor, a small business
owner.
A lot of my friends are smallbusiness owners too and they're
like what Like?
Why Like, why, why are youdoing this?
I mean the short answer.
Well, there's two answers.
(15:29):
One again I really I've alwayswanted to find ways to make
massage as accessible to as manypeople as possible.
And if it's just me working bymyself, I can only see a handful
of people.
And if it's just our one or twolocations here in Denton,
seeing, but I can only seepeople in a certain you know
(15:49):
you're like a geographic,exactly Right.
Yes, how can I scale this?
You know this really uniquemodel of massage.
You have a no tipping policy,first and foremost, right.
Like you've never took yourphysical therapist or
chiropractor.
Why are you tipping us Right,this no membership model?
Like you don't have to lockyourself into a massage every
(16:11):
month.
You come as you come, as oftenas as you're able to, as you're
able to afford or as yourschedule allows.
You don't need a membership tounlock the great deals.
We're going to make thisaffordable for you.
We provide full 60-minute hours, whereas a lot of places will
just do 50 or 55 minutes.
You're going to get a full 60minutes of hands-on, so your
appointment is actually closerto 75 or 90 minutes.
(16:31):
So we have time to talk withyou and customize your
appointment before we even getour hands on you.
Like, we do so many thingsdifferently.
So how can I scale up thisreally unique, wonderful model
of care where we're really doingmore like rehabilitative work
on a national scale or just on abigger scale?
Right, and I open a third orfourth location and just really
(16:57):
focus on the Dallas Fort WorthMetroplex or the triangle
between, like Austin, houston,dallas or just Texas, and I
could just own several studios.
But girl like that's oh, that'sa lot of management, that is
managing a lot of people, thatis managing a lot of people and
(17:33):
and selfishly.
The second part of my question,of your question is is you know,
my son is graduating highschool in a year.
My daughter will be startinghigh school in a year.
Do I really want to spend therest of my life in Texas?
I don't have any family here,you know, you know like, and I
can't transfer to anotherlocation, say in Colorado
Springs, where my in-laws live.
I can't transfer to a locationin St Paul where my mom lives,
because they don't exist, right,and so am I just going to be?
Am I going to be tethered toTexas my entire life because
I've had all these locations?
Or can I take that same amountof money that it would cost me
(17:56):
to open a third location andinstead invest that into a
franchise model so that someoneelse can open that third
location?
And I've just got these twohere in Denton, right?
And so I hired an incrediblecoach His name is Rick Grossman
with the Franchise Bible Coach,he walked me through basically
(18:24):
franchise boot camp for aboutsix months and we extracted all
of this information that's beenin my brain for 20 years and put
it on papers.
We have an operations manual sowe can duplicate the success,
whether we're in Toledo, ohio,or Sacramento, california, or
just down the street in Dallas,like wherever Sacramento,
california or you know, just youknow, down the street in Dallas
, like wherever you're at it'sgoing to be, you can duplicate
that.
I did more than just that, butI did like, as an example, that
(18:44):
was one of the things I didduring bootcamp.
And now we're at the pointwhere we are ready to go.
We have our franchisedisclosure document.
We have our franchise agreement.
We're a registered trademark.
We have an ops manual.
We have, like we have all thethe.
We've got a build outspreadsheet.
So when you purchase yourSawmama Slosh Therapy franchise,
you know what kind of sheets toget, what color to get them in,
(19:07):
how many paperclips you'regoing to need.
Like, do you need a printer?
I mean, we're doing hands-onwork.
Like, what would I need aprinter for?
Yeah, you need a printer.
Like, just you know, now wehave everything.
We can give it to you.
We've got a marketing plan.
So we are ready to go and I'mso excited to see this brand
just take off across the country.
Julie (19:22):
Well, and I think it's so interesting because, every like
, there's no easy path inentrepreneurship, right?
So it's all about, like,looking at what your choices are
and determining what you thinkis the best solution for you.
I feel like right, Because alsoopening several locations in
(19:42):
Texas could have been a greatchoice for you.
Also, it wouldn't have beeneasy Franchising not easy for
different reasons.
Look at all the work done, youknow, in the sort of legwork
I'll call it, but, like the, youknow to be ready to franchise,
and so I think it is just sointeresting how, like you know,
we can make choices that suit usand we think are going to be
(20:05):
the best path forward.
Amber (20:07):
Yeah, I think, and again it's sort of that's like
tripping forward that I talkedabout.
It's like I, I, what, what?
What had happened is it's thesummer of 23,.
I want to say I had an amazingvacation to the Pacific
Northwest and decided that Iwanted to move to the Olympic
Peninsula and live with thetrees for the rest of my life.
(20:28):
But I can't do that if I'mmanaging a location in Denton,
texas, and that's all I've got.
And um, and I came back fromthat vacation with the text
message for me in my inboxsaying you know, I'm Joe, with
whatever company out of Miami,Florida, we're interested in
helping you franchise.
And I was like, oh huh, that'san interesting serendipity.
(20:53):
So I called Joe in Miami and itwas.
He was just some some guy in acubicle who really was in it for
the money and not in it becausehe wanted to make Soma a strong
and sustainable brand.
But it did get.
It did get the that thoughtprocess going.
And that's when I startedvetting different coaches to
think about.
You know, I really neededsomething.
(21:13):
I know a lot about massage, butI don't I didn't at that time
know a lot about franchising andit's you're starting a totally
new business, and the last thingI'd want is for someone to
invest their life savings in abusiness that I didn't know how
to support and then they loseeverything and I get taken to
court and Joe in Miami stillmakes whatever percentage from
the sale, like I didn't want anyof that.
(21:35):
So I found a great coach whoreally has worked, made this a
very sustainable model, so thatI'm able not only to solidify
the policies and procedures thatwe had at Soma that were
working so well already, but beable to then coach other small
business owners on how to do itsuccessfully.
And I really want to point outto your listeners too, if
(21:55):
they're interested in any ofthis like you know, you don't
have to be a massage therapistto own a SOMA massage therapy.
Like when you open a DunkinDonuts, you don't need to know
how to even turn on an ovenright, like they teach you right
, and as a small business owner,as a franchise owner, you're
not doing the massage, becauseif you're doing you, I mean
you're doing HR, you're doingmarketing, you're doing it and
(22:18):
we have, you know, we're doingthe bookkeeping, we and we have,
we have tools to help you withall of this.
But you don't have to be amassage therapist to own a
massage.
You just got to be someonewho's a hard worker, you know a
passion for the wellnessindustry, you know willing to
put in the work, communicate.
That's really who we're lookingfor.
And I do want to point out Ijust want to make a little quick
(22:39):
, little plug too, if that's notfor you, but you know someone
that this might be a greatopportunity for them.
We are offering a franchisereferral bonus.
So, julie, if you know someonewho might be a fantastic Soma
Massage Therapy franchisee,introduce them to me, and if
they sign up later and they gettheir spot up and running, then
(22:59):
you, julie, or any of yourlisteners, will get either a
thousand dollars cash or a yearof free massages.
So just keep that in mind.
Like, who do you know?
Send them to mysomamassagecom.
We do have a franchise tab atthe top and you can just learn
more information there.
Yeah, and that's great, and Ithink it is interesting right,
Because it's different.
Julie (23:18):
You're in a different sales zone now in terms of, like
, who you're looking for andwhat you want, and finding those
right people especially in thewell always, but especially your
first, like those first handfulof franchisees is so critically
(23:38):
important as you build a brand.
Amber (23:40):
Oh, absolutely, and I'm learning too.
Like you don't just sell afranchise, like you sell a
burger, like you.
We award franchises.
We want to make sure that thepeople who are going to own a
Soma Massage Therapy Studioalign with our values, right,
that they're investing in thecommunity, that they, you know
(24:01):
again, they have that peoplebefore profits philosophy that
they're, that they, you know,celebrate inclusion and they
create a welcoming space forboth their employees and their
clients.
We're really looking forfranchise owners that align with
our values.
If they do that, then we'llmove forward in the process.
But the last thing I'd want isagain chasing the money and
(24:24):
selling a franchise to just thefirst person who comes along who
ends up being an absolute bigot.
Like that would tank the brand.
Like we're not about that.
We're about inclusion, we'reabout diversity, we're about,
you know, people before profitsand so, um and so making sure
that we're that we're um,attracting and working with the
right kind of people who canreally take this brand forward.
Julie (24:45):
Yeah Well, and it really goes with the whole the hire
slow fire fast kind of right.
Like you need to be verycareful and choosy, because it
is a long term relationship thatyou're entering with people and
, yes, I know you sign lots ofagreements and all the things.
But it is that kind of thingwhere you want to choose really
(25:06):
carefully who you partner with.
Amber (25:09):
A hundred percent.
I want to again, I'm sorry tokeep repeating this it's people
before profits.
I want this to be sustainable,not only for my own personal
interests Like I really likemaking money, Julie, and I'm
really freaking good at it, Ilike that, I like being able to
pay my mortgage right, but Ialso, obviously, I want it to be
(25:29):
sustainable for our franchisees.
They're dropping their lifesavings into this.
They're investing in theirfuture and creating a legacy for
their children and theirgrandchildren and beyond, and I
would be devastated if I wasn'tprepared to support them and
make sure that their businesswas sustainable as well.
(25:51):
Exactly, and that's what.
That's exactly why, instead ofgoing with Joe in the cubicle in
Miami, you could do it for halfthe price.
You know, I went with the moreexpensive but the more
sustainable option.
So, yeah, go ahead.
Julie (26:04):
And what led you to kind of declaring people before
profits as a value for you, likeas you got started in the
business and, you know, openedthe new building and all those
things, how was it I mean youtalked earlier about during the
pandemic, you know, did peopleneed groceries, did they need
help with anything like thatspeaks to it living within you.
(26:26):
But how did you, how did itcome to be something that you
actually wrote down and decidedto live by?
Amber (26:33):
I mean, I've always lived by it.
Um, I guess it just got moreevident and obvious to the wider
public during of safety andthis message kind of resonated
(26:57):
with people.
So it is, it's something I'vealways believed.
I think it just got magnified,more obvious during the pandemic
because I was really puttingthe effort into creating, like I
said, this virtual massagestudio.
Before we opened, I reached outto a local HVAC company and
(27:17):
asked them to install an airscrubber directly to our HVAC
unit so that when we had the fanrunning and we had it going all
the time, circulating airthrough the facility, it would
purify the air.
And I want to make sure thateveryone was sorry.
Julie, my son just called me.
(27:38):
Can we pause for just a second?
He's at school.
I'm so sorry, hold on.
Julie (27:42):
Okay, I'm wondering if you can tell me about the value
and the statement about peopleover profits and how that I can
tell that it comes from withinyou.
I mean, you talked earlier inthe interview about do people
need groceries in the pandemic?
How could you help your team,those kinds of things.
But how did it become somethingthat you went from living and
(28:04):
breathing to actually likedeclaring it, writing it down
and then really structuring yourcorporate values around it?
Amber (28:12):
Yeah, that's a super great question.
It's something that I've alwaysadhered to, but I think it just
became more magnified andobvious during the pandemic,
because I think we were alllooking for that sense of safety
, because I mean, we couldn'teven find toilet paper at the
store, there were no vaccines,like people we knew were dying
(28:35):
or ending up in the hospital,like it was a really scary time
right, and we're looking forthat sense of safety or comfort
or just reassurance it's goingto be okay.
And again, I had, you know,like I said, I had my virtual
massage studio, so I was, youknow, teaching people on a daily
basis with you know, like Isaid, I had my virtual massage
studio, so I was, you know,teaching people on a daily basis
with you know short, like threeto five minute videos how to
(28:55):
care for themselves.
Before we opened, I hired alocal HVAC company to install an
air scrubber.
So rather than having airpurifiers in each room, which
only had like a small range thatwould work, I had something
installed directly to our HVACunit so that when the fan was
running and I made sure it wasrunning continuously it was
scrubbing the air in the wholestudio.
(29:16):
And it was a thousand dollarsand I didn't have a thousand
dollars.
We were closed and the onlything I sell is physical touch,
so I wasn't making any moneyRight.
But again, I didn't.
I never wanted to be the typeof person that valued what my
bank account said versus thesafety of other people, and so I
(29:37):
had this thing installed.
I made a big stink about itonline.
I got a picture and I'm likelike Soma is a safe place to
come Right.
I did a number and I did anumber of things that I could
continue.
I mean we could do a wholepodcast just on the things I did
during the pandemic, but it dida number and I did a number of
things that I could continue.
I mean we could do a wholepodcast just on the things I did
during the pandemic, but I dida number of things where I
really tried to show people Ireally care about you.
Like we're again, we'rehealthcare workers.
(29:58):
I'm not doing your nails, I'mnot cutting your hair, not
bringing you margarita.
Like we are healthcare workersand it's our job to keep our
employees and our clients safeand healthy.
To keep our employees and ourclients safe and healthy and
what you know if I have a COVIDspread through the office, then
no one can work.
Clients don't feel you knowsafe to come back and then again
(30:19):
, and then you're cause.
You're chasing the profitsinstead of the people.
So when I really put thatforward and really made it super
like these were already myvalues.
But when I really likevocalized them and shined a
light on them, people were likethis place is different, this is
special, and it reallyattracted.
It attracted a ton of clients,the right kinds of clients too,
(30:40):
and it attracted the right kindsof therapists who wanted to
feel you know safe and protectedin a space like that.
Julie (30:46):
Well, and it strikes me too that in some ways it was a
preparation for you to gothrough the exercise of becoming
a franchisor, because you werealready thinking about and
articulating policies andprocesses and and the things
that ultimately you had to sitdown and put into operations,
(31:07):
manual and other places.
Amber (31:09):
Yeah, no, absolutely, and it was again.
I hadn't thought aboutfranchising in 2020.
I was just thinking about-.
Julie (31:15):
Hang alive.
No, that was what I wasthinking of.
Amber (31:20):
But when we reopened exactly a year to the day, so we
had we closed March 20th, wereopened May 20th, so only two
months, because I'm in Texas andapparently COVID doesn't exist
down here.
So we were only closed for twomonths, but in that time, my
team had gone from 13 therapistsdown to four and one of our
(31:41):
locations had closed, and then,one by one, therapists continued
to quit.
So in those two, just those twomonths alone were devastating.
So in those two, those two,just those two months alone,
were devastating.
But when we reopened, wereopened May, may 20th, 2020.
And then one year to the day tothe day, may 20th 2021, that's
when we reopened in our newlocation.
It has twice as many rooms.
I now have 25 massagetherapists on staff.
(32:03):
That's our primary location.
That's the one that makes usthe most money.
The one that makes us the mostmoney, but we that that has been
just.
I was not thinking in 2020 or2021 about franchising.
I was just thinking about howdo I keep this thing from
falling apart, right?
And then, and then, when Icontinued to see the success
(32:24):
when we reopened in thatlocation, and then our, our,
just, our, we just were able toscale up and I just kept
thinking.
I came back from this vacation.
I'm like how can I live in thetrees in the Olympic Peninsula?
And I had this text message andit was waiting for me, asking
me if I was interested infranchising.
It just kind of sparked thisbrainstorm that a lot of your
listeners can probably relate to.
It's like this is anopportunity.
(32:46):
I hadn't even thought aboutwhat would this look like, and
you just kind of do the that,you do your homework and you
start exploring differentoptions and it just felt right
and that's what we're doing nowtoday.
Julie (32:56):
Yeah, yeah.
And how do you feel like you'regrowing as a CEO through all of
this?
Amber (33:01):
Oh yeah, I really trust my leadership and decision,
decision making a lot more thanI ever have, because I can see.
I can see the success thatwe've experienced during a time
that was devastating for womenand devastating for small
(33:22):
businesses, and for me to be awoman owning a small business
and um and emerge as strongly aswe did made me think like maybe
it was on the right track.
With all of this, um, I also,um, you know, the encouragement
of my coach, um, rick Grossman.
He, you know, he, he, I didn'tunderstand this until months, if
(33:45):
not maybe a year, later, afterI had, um, you know, signed a
contract with the FranchiseBible Coach to be my, I guess my
consulting firm for this.
I didn't realize that they'revery, very picky about who they
take on.
They're not going to take onjust anyone and any business
model, right.
And they, you know, they choseme and they chose Soma because
they also saw the potential inthis and that just kind of also
(34:06):
sort of gave me like theconfidence boost that I needed.
It's like I, you know, I don'tknow everything, I'll never know
everything, but I know enough,and I'm surrounded by a team
that believes in me, both atSoma and with my franchise team,
that, um, that I really feellike we could all together, we
can really kind of launch thisto the next level and we can be
(34:27):
the next big brand coast tocoast.
So I just I feel just moreconfident in my decision-making
because I've seen the successand because I understand the
potential and the sustainabilityof this business model really
has just sort of given me sortof like the pat on the back.
Julie (34:45):
The right decisions.
Yeah, yeah, good.
Well, I can't wait to see whereyou go from here and I want to
thank you so much for chattingwith me today and we'll put, of
course, all your info in theshow notes so people will be
able to find you and learn more,and I'm wishing you all the
best.
Thanks for joining me.
Amber (35:06):
Thanks so much, Julie.
Julie (35:11):
This was a real delight.
Appreciate you.
I hope you enjoyed today'sepisode.
Please remember to hitsubscribe on your favorite
podcast platform so you won'tmiss any episodes.
Figure 8 isn't just a podcast.
It's a way of seeing the big,gorgeous goals of women
entrepreneurs coming to life.
If you're interested inlearning more, you can find my
book Big Gorgeous Goals onAmazon, anywhere you might live.
(35:34):
For more about my growth andleadership training programs,
visit www.
julieellis.
ca to see how we might worktogether.
Read my blog or sign up to getyour free diagnostic.
Are you ready for growth?
Once again, that's www.
julieellis.
ca.
(35:57):
When we work together, we allwin.
See you again soon for anotherepisode of Figure 8.
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