Show Me The Tan
Enjoying the Tan Biz

For well over two decades, I’ve had the pleasure to teach accredited indoor tanning salon certification courses to attendees of in-person trade events. A great ride – and I’ve enjoyed every one of them! One of the cool perks of taking (and passing) Sun is Life® Certification, either classroom or online, is that it makes you eligible to be featured in IST Magazine as a Salon of Distinction. Let’s catch up with Brian and Jami Kozuch of Show Me the Tan in Frankfort, IN.

IST: Jami, we typically start by talking about your humble beginnings in the tan biz. Fill us in!

JK: I had tanned at this salon for years and became friends with the manager. My husband and I had bought a camper and we happened to stay at the same campground together. We were chatting with her about how we were looking for a retirement plan and she brought up the salon as a possible business venture. I always enjoyed tanning and after going over the numbers I knew I would enjoy owning a salon. I made that phone call and here we are today!

IST: COVID impacted our country and clearly, many tanning facilities. What was your experience?

JK: Honestly, it has not had that much of an effect. We are a no-contact business and we sanitize everything in the salon. Our service offers individuals the chance to get out and do what they love to do …TAN! The business continues to thrive and we are still extremely happy with our decision.

IST: It was great meeting you at the Heartland Bootcamp event in February. That was really fun for me to teach Sun is Life, as well. Did you enjoy the classroom session? Share your impressions with our readers.

JK: Joe, I learned so much! Being a new salon owner, the class was very informative and you’re right – it was fun! I felt very comfortable and learned a lot from others through the personal experiences they shared during the class. I also loved the way the class was taught: not by the book, but on a more personal level.

IST: Well, thank you. I always start the classroom training by telling everyone that the manual serves as a guide and a helpful tool to keep and refer to when questions arise at the salon. But I don’t teach by the “turn to page one” method.

I find it really important for the class to learn with factual information and practical, first-hand knowledge.

IST: During our class, I reviewed how to handle the “testy tanner” – you know, the one who has a complaint. Have you had one of those?

JK: I have not yet had the opportunity to deal with that unhappy tanner, which I would say is a good thing. But I am prepared from the training I received at that event, not only in class but from the presentations, also.

IST: Alright, time to wrap up this interview. Let’s talk about goals. What are yours?

JK: I would love to franchise Show Me the Tan in the future!

IST: Well, Jami, there have been several very successful salon franchises in our industry. One in fact, was founded by IST publisher, Vince Lorraine – the Michigan-based Tropi Tan chain just celebrated 42 years in business! So, all the best to you in achieving your tan biz goal!