At the young age of three, while most of his friends were playing with their toys, Scott Bushey used them to start his first business. Although giving rides down the street on his Radio Flyer didn’t pan out to be a million dollar idea, it was only the first of many.

At the age of 20, when most of his peers were waiting tables to get though college, Scott decided that starting his own business would be the way to cover his bills. He saw the burgeoning tanning industry of 1985 and knew that it was the place for him. On his trusty IBM typewriter, he clacked away at a business plan with humble hope that this idea would net him a mere $1,000 monthly to finance his collegiate lifestyle.

With a longing nostalgia, Scott remembers financing his business the old fashioned way: “A good idea, a handshake, and an honest attempt to make things happen.”

If you would have asked him then, he never would have told you that he’d still be running Solarius Spa 30 years later, but the successful two-location tanning spa has brought him many years of joy. A business he once expected to be a jumping off point became the crown jewel of his career and community.

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