When Rick Kueber and his brother originally got into business, tanning took a backseat to video rentals. But after seeing an opportunity in their market, the duo enjoyed indoor tanning revenues great enough to convince them that opening a salon was a smart choice. Considering that Sun Tan City has launched over 230 salons and has become one of the largest indoor tanning salon franchises in the country since opening their doors in 1999, it seems they made a good choice. These days, Kueber is still focused on the business, but he’s also investing in the future of the industry as one of the founding members of the American Suntanning Association.

Q: What are some of the most common questions from potential franchisees?

A: Really the biggest question is “How much is it?” They view franchising as a cost instead of an investment. A lot of people think it will cost a lot, but if you’re a nice size salon with good equipment, the average conversion cost is only a few thousand dollars, and we have credits that can offset those costs.

People are also fearful about buying from approved vendors and wonder if they are going to save money. We have vendor contracts in place and we don’t make anything up. We can almost guarantee that they will save a substantial sum of money because we negotiate with vendors on nearly everything from plastic bags to equipment. There isn’t one thing inside these stores that we didn’t negotiate.

Click here to read the entire article in the latest issue of Smart Tan Magazine online.