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Co-Owners: Justin Carpenter & Jason Hadley
Location: Lansing, MI Area
Years in Business: 5
Number of Salons: 6
Staff Members: 30 (5/salon)
Number of UV Units: 75 (Avg 12/salon)
Sunless Units: 4 Handheld
Lotion: New Sunshine Premier Salon: Australian Gold, California Tan, Designer Skin, Swedish Beauty
Salon Software: Helios
Distributor Partner: CTS
Best Selling Lotion: JWOWW One and Done Intensifier
Most Popular Package: Level 2 EFT Membership
[gap height=”40″]For some areas of the U.S. the “journey” from winter to spring was unusually long this year, with very few “whiffs” of warmth. Sometimes, this results in a longer run of primetime indoor tanning. If you had unseasonably cold weather where you are, I hope it also brought you some revenue to go with it!
[gap height=”20″]As our prime season continues to wind down, I caught up with Justin Carpenter of J2 Tanning in Lansing, MI. I heard the weather lament from the IST Magazine corporate team in Flint, so I knew without asking that Justin had endured the chilly Michigan spring, as well!
[gap height=”20″]Justin and his business partner, Jason Hadley (hence the J2), have been plying the indoor tanning trade for over five years. I caught up with Justin for some Q&A as he took a brief break from running the salon.
[gap height=”40″]How did you get started in the tanning industry?
[gap height=”20″]It was actually some sort of a joke! No, really – Jason and I were both tanning at the same facility and knew we could “do it better” than the owners of that salon. We laughed sometimes at the audacity of it, but after some planning, we launched our dream. We picked our hometown for the first location and used the local competition as the source for “what not to do” in designing our business model. No offense to others; but the motifs at some of the older salons were kind of worn, and we wanted to offer tanners in our community a place with a more modern, yet inviting feel.
[gap height=”40″]Are you involved in your community?
[gap height=”20″]Absolutely! It not only makes us feel good as human beings, but it’s also great exposure for J2. We participate in many local charities and with donations, such as school raffles.
[gap height=”40″]How would you sum up the success of your salons?
[gap height=”20″]It’s sometimes difficult to maintain continuity, because like many other small businesses, we endure some staff turnover. However, we’ve got a fantastic team that does a great job of communicating with salon guests about our tanning services in a professional and educated manner. A great staff is definitely a key to success.
[gap height=”40″]What is the biggest obstacle for your business?
[gap height=”20″]Joe, it seems like the media continues to drive a pretty negative view of indoor tanning. I think that to some extent, the younger generation has listened to the positioning by those against our industry – that of sun abstinence. The belief that sessions in indoor tanning equipment are stronger and more harmful than outdoor sun exposure seems to have gained some traction with younger people. Our staff must continue to make the public and our customers aware of the difference between the controlled UV exposure we offer – with skin-typing and timing systems – and the risk of overexposure and sunburn from the uncontrolled environment of natural sunlight.
[gap height=”40″]Justin, we agree that folks still desire a tan, albeit some prefer to do it outdoors. What do you see as the future of J2? What is your five-year goal?
[gap height=”20″]With the current success of our six salons, we feel that we have a really good handle on our daily operations, management and staff training. That said, we’d like to open several more facilities over the next five years.
[gap height=”40″]What drives you to come to work every day?
[gap height=”20″]Indoor tanning is a fun industry! It’s really a retail type of environment with all of the ancillary products we sell, but it sure is enjoyable. We make our guests look good and feel good about themselves. They always leave J2 in better spirits than when they walked in!
[gap height=”40″]Justin, it sounds like you and Jason are making it happen in Lansing. All the best to you and Team J2!
