In 2009, Kelli Lookabaugh partnered with her fiancé Mark Antonopoulus to open House of Tans. To Mark, it was the opportunity to flex the sales muscles he built after years of hard work with a mortgage company and a car dealership. For Kelli, it felt a little more like destiny.

Eight-year-old Kelli caught a glimpse of her stepmother’s sun-kissed skin after a visit to the salon and was infatuated by the glamor of indoor tanning. Growing up, she hoped to work at a stylish salon and give people that same beautiful glow. But when the time finally came, Mark helped her dream a little bigger.

As the kind of guy who liked to close deals and take risks, he knew that they had what it took to bear the learning curve and succeed in a business of their own. Six years and six locations later, the business is still going strong due to that risk-taking mentality. From management structure to marketing, the couple has consistently grown their business through their willingness to keep investing in the business. The payoff amounts to more than dollars and cents: It has resulted in a corporate culture that keeps employees and customers coming back from more.

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