Rich Samuel, Maximum Tan

Smart Tan Magazine’s January Member of the Month was Rich Samuel, owner of Maximum Tan in New York. Rich carried his passionate personality and bodybuilding work ethic into his first tanning salon in 1997. Fifteen years later, the brand is thriving with seven locations.

Q: How has the economy affected your salon?

A: I have not seen the economy affect my business. The area we are in is conservative: When the economy boomed and crashed at the national level, it didn’t do much of either here. Every year I have been in business, I have seen an increase — except when the Tan Tax went in place. The summer of 2010, bad press took it’s toll. We bounced back in three or four months, but the bad press honestly hurt more than the tax itself.

Q: What advice do you have for other salon owners?

A:  Be prepared! The keys are having a good staff and having systems in place. You don’t want to be in the middle of busy season running out of lotion and burning out bulbs without the systems in place to manage those kinds of things.