- Start Up Cost:
- Franchise Type:
- Sector Type:
- Investment Type:
- Market:
- £250,000
- Premises Based
- Beauty
- Start-up
- B2B, B2C
The Massage Company vision is simple: to bring high-quality massage to the mainstream. The Massage Company want people to see massage as good value for money, so it can become a vital and routine part of a better and balanced quality of life. Regular high-quality massage can help improve mental and physical wellbeing and, through The Massage Company, can now become an essential part of a better and balanced life.
The Massage Company was formed by Elliot Walker and Charlie Thompson in 2015 and opened their first Centre in Camberley in Spring 2016. Elliot and Charlie have many years’ experience in the spa, well-being and fitness sectors and became aware of the phenomenal growth being experienced in the United States by Membership Based Massage Businesses (MBMBs). These businesses combined the well-proven concept of a membership-based business, as seen in most gym and fitness club models, with the growing awareness of the benefits of massage. By the end of 2018 they will have 2 further sites open, owned and operated by franchisees.
Comprehensive initial training for yourself and other staff at The Massage Company’s ‘flagship’ premises in Camberley and subsequently at your own location. Therapists and other staff members will also benefit from ongoing training and development to ensure consistency of delivery through the Massage Company’s Training Academy.
As a franchisee with The Massage Company, you will be trained in every aspects of the business, but the role is of business owner, overseeing the massage centre, managing and motivating staff, building and generating local business contacts for memberships as well as promotion of the business to the public.
The Massage Company business is about building long term relationships with customers, having a strong membership base will add significant value to your business should you come to sell it.
How honeymoon massages opened a newly-wed’s eyes to a lucrative future
What began as a dream on a honeymoon in India has turned into a reality - and a very lucrative one - for Mark Coldham.
He’s now the owner of The Massage Company’s highly successful centre in High Wycombe with such a demand for its services that he’s already considering opening a second centre.
But back in 2017, after years as a contracts project manager, Mark wanted to take in his career in a different direction.
“My wife and I had been discussing starting our own business for a long time,” he says.
“We knew we could run a business really well, but didn’t really have industry experience or a product to get our teeth into.
“We had no idea what we were doing or what we were looking for, but we felt that health and wellbeing was on the up in the UK and the marketplace wasn’t really following up with that.
“We’d been on our honeymoon in India and had a massage every other day and it was fantastic.
“So we wondered if we could bring a massage therapist over to the UK and start our own business.
“It looked difficult and we were tempted to scrap the idea, but then I saw an opportunity on a jobs board to become a franchisee of The Massage Company.
“Nobody else was doing membership-based massage in the UK, and The Massage Company was offering exactly what we needed.
“Every question I asked, they had an answer for. Everything I probed had been thought through, and there was a response and a reason why the brand does what it does.
“We went for a discovery day and saw all about the brand operationally, what it looked like from the customer perspective, and how it felt to go through the massage experience.
“The franchisors had already done the thinking on the product, the industry, on what massage is, what they can deliver, and how to do it well.
“We had a lot of help with finding the right property in the right location and support on working with landlords to get the right deal on the property.
“We also had really good support in building this centre exactly the way I wanted it, opening it with loads and loads of customers ready and waiting for us and a really good team of therapists.
“There was a flood of customers through the door to start with, no problem finding people looking for a high-quality regular massage, and we got straight on with the membership conversions as well.
“The Massage Company gave us a lot of support right from the beginning, working out everything from the cashflow, the numbers and the viability to the working capital to get us through to profitability and beyond.
“There’s no question that The Massage Company High Wycombe is a terrific success and is continuing on its growth curve the way I wanted it to be.
“With 600 members already, we’re well on our way to profitability. It’ll become our launch-pad for potentially opening centres in other towns.”
How to be a hands-off investor and own a lucrative mainstream massage business
Taran Bassi is a businessman with a finger in numerous very successful pies, so he knew he wouldn’t be able to devote much of his time to any new ventures.
That’s why he was so happy to discover The Massage Company - and get in on the ground floor, too.
“I have a number of businesses and wanted to invest in one that would really help people and make a difference to their lives,” says Taran, who is now the owner of The Massage Company centre in Tunbridge Wells.
“I was able to see the beginning of The Massage Company before the pilot site was even opened and understand how the business was being put together and make sure what we were doing was changing the industry and being a real disruptor in it.
“My IT consultancy takes up a great deal of time, so the management contract allows me to put a structure in place so I know the team is being looked after and the business is going to grow without necessarily having my day-to-day involvement.
“I like to be involved and really understand a business, so I spent two years or so really understanding how the team works, what members are looking for, and what the business needs to grow.
“Now I’ve stepped away from that role and I have a management contract in place with TMC (The Massage Company) who look after the day-to-day operations.
“But I have a real hands-on involvement in terms of understanding how the business is running on a day-to-day basis.
“The support you get from day one is really good. All the way through from finding a site, which can take a little bit of time, to the negotiation with landlords, the build, and getting quotes in and getting the right team in place.
“There was great support with the design to ensure we got the right look and feel for the business, then with the opening, marketing, and ongoing team recruitment.
“It can take six to 12 months depending on how quickly you’re able to find a site and negotiate for the property.
“TMC put a really strong management team in place and, for any franchisee, whether an owner-operator or an investor, the support you need is there.”
Asked if he had any advice for anyone hoping to follow in his footsteps, Taran says: “Go in with your eyes open. There’s an emotional and financial attachment that’s a key part of it.
“It’s a fantastic business and a growth industry because there’s no competition for us at the moment and we know the potential there is huge.
“For someone looking to invest in a new business, The Massage Company is a great opportunity.”
How redundancy pushed Sunny into the welcoming arms of The Massage Company
Losing his job may have seemed like a cloud in Sunny Sachdev’s life - but its silver lining led him into a lucrative new future as a franchisee with The Massage Company.
“The redundancy was the kick I needed,” he says from his thriving massage centre in Sutton Coldfield. “I started looking at various different business concepts and came across franchising, then The Massage Company.
“I really liked the brand and what it represented. The Massage Company introduced me to a few estate agents and we looked at a number of properties.
“The training covered everything from the recruitment of staff to systems and processes, and it’s been great.
“There are dedicated teams in the national franchise group who support training for our therapists, front-of-house, and for me as a franchise owner, and there are people I can link in with when I want any guidance or support.
“Even in between the lockdowns the demand has been there because of the product we offer and the quality of the massage we deliver.
“Since we reopened in April we’ve been very busy. We’ve got a very good core base of customers who come typically once a month and we also attract between 250 and 300 new customers every month.”
Sunny says franchisees hoping to follow in his footsteps need to be good at people-management, be flexible and adaptable, and know how to engage with customers and do what’s right for them.
“Every day’s different, says Sunny, a former call-centre manager in the UK and abroad. “You need to keep growing the business, which is what it’s all about.
“My plan always was to grow within the brand and build more centres. Right now we’re at a stage where we’re on a good trajectory in terms of building our customer base and our members.
“The business is about to hit its two-year mark, and our focus is to get it where it needs to be in terms of profitability and get the team settled and then see what next year brings.”
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