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Owner: Grant Miller
Locations: (5)Erie, PA
Years in Business: 15
Number of Staff: 15
Number of UV Units: 97
Lotion Brand: MR International
Salon Software: SunLync
Other Services: Spray-Tans, MyLipo Body Sculpting, HydraFacials, Whole Body CryoTherapy, Laser Hair Removal, Red-Light Therapy
Salon Operator Training: Sun is Life®
Distributor Partner: URI (shout-out to our account rep, Rick Staskus)
Best-selling Lotions: MRI Mineral Sun Intense Black Bronzer
Most Popular Package: Sun & Spray EFT for $59.99/month
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It gave me great pride to get in touch with someone from my home state of Pennsylvania for this month’s Salon of Distinction feature. If you are new to the indoor tanning business, you’ll gain some great insight from Grant Miller, Owner of five Sun Your Buns salons, and his experience at growing a tanning business. So, pay attention … class will begin!
Grant’s start in indoor tanning is somewhat different from that of many who are currently involved in the tan biz. His story begins in the late 1990s, when he was thoroughly entrenched in the thriving video rental business, owning several stores. It was during that time that there seemed to be a video store on every corner in every town. I sure remember my wife and I spending a lot of money keeping our kids happy with new releases! Well, the western PA winters can stretch well into spring and resulted in lots of movies being rented. With this as the backdrop, I caught up with Grant on a snowy, January afternoon following a Sun Your Buns staff meeting.
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IST: Grant, it seems like just yesterday – not a few years ago – that you and I were being interviewed in Harrisburg, PA during a state legislative session on indoor tanning. Give me a quick status check.
GM: Hey, we’re hanging in there! After more than a decade in the business, I still enjoy coming to work and sharing my passion for indoor tanning.
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IST: I’ve got to go with my standard opener: How did you get into the business?
GM: Back in 2001, a good friend in the video business, Russ Homer, had attended the big tanning expo in Las Vegas. He came back really excited about indoor tanning and told me he was going to install sunbeds in his video stores. He also said that I needed to jump on the bandwagon and diversify my business. Well, I waited about a year to get started. For video rentals, the month of May is usually the slowest, when warmer weather pushes people outdoors. I made the decision in May 2002 to start with four sunbeds and about a year later, added the first Mystic Tan spray-booth in the area. The video industry began to transition away from tape rentals and by 2006, I also transitioned. All of my video stores became Sun Your Buns tanning salons.
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IST: Over the years, there have been great and not-so-great product offerings for indoor tanning facilities. What technology would you say had the biggest impact?
GM: Joe, without a doubt, it’s spray-tanning. At a time when my business was starting to sputter with just UV systems, I brought in that spray-booth. Instantly, it attracted people who would not typically visit a UV tanning salon. It also served as a huge harbinger for my future. I had to keep adding products and services to augment my tanning offerings, yet keep in line with the “look good, feel great” theme of the business.
IST: Any small business owner has to overcome obstacles. What has been your biggest hurdle?
GM: Battling the negative perception of indoor tanning. The media has inundated the public with misinformation on UV exposure and it can be hard to overcome. Sun is Life® Training and Certification has been a great asset to my staff in making sure we are all on the same page when it comes to dispelling the negatives and myths regarding UV and the skin.
[gap]IST: You’ve been in the tanning industry for almost 15 years. What insights can you pass along to assist some of the new, incoming salon operators?
GM: As I mentioned earlier, it’s all about diversification. You’ve got to think outside of the box and do the things that your competition isn’t willing to do. We have slowly transitioned into a more spa-type of business by adding services such as MyLipo, HydraFacial and cryotherapy.
[gap]IST: You’ve shared some great insights with our readers. I’d like to end our interview with a look at your goals. What are they?
GM: Joe, I can easily sum it up. I will continue to bring in products and services that are “high-end/high-revenue to drive new customers to our stores!
Grant, thanks for taking the time to chat, and all the best to you and the Sun Your Buns team!
