Frank Munero, a 30-year veteran of the tech sector; his wife, Mary; and their daughter, Sarah, plan to open their first family business July 23: an Amazing Lash Studio franchise at 5554 Norbeck Road in Rockville. Amazing Lash, which offers eyelash extensions, tints and lifts, among other services, is a subsidiary of WellBiz Brands Inc.
What about owning a business appealed to you?
Sarah: First, I’ve always loved the cosmetic industry. I’m big on creativity, individuality and self-expression and makeup is my medium for all that. Along the same lines, I’ve always loved the idea of owning a business because it allows me to create something that is my own and watch it grow and prosper. Ever since I was in high school, I knew owning a beauty business was my calling. I’m so excited to take everything I’ve learned in business school and my passion for the beauty industry and turn it into a career.
Why Amazing Lash Studio as your first family franchise?
Frank: Sarah’s passion for beauty and cosmetics was the impetus to look for something in the general field. Mary and I are essentially funding the project and lending a hand when needed, but won’t be involved in the daily operations of the business. That’s all going to be Sarah.
Family businesses can be stressful. How do the three of you work together?
Sarah: This has worried us since the beginning, but so far, so good. My dad has been in charge of getting the infrastructure in place — getting the funding, incorporating the business, opening the bank account and retaining the accounting and legal firms.
Mary: All three of us were involved in site selection and interviewing and hiring our general manager, Brittni Paul. Brittni and Sarah are interviewing and hiring lash stylists.
Frank: Brittni, Sarah and Mary are coordinating all the marketing, ordering of supplies and getting ready for our grand opening on July 23. We’ve got a nice system in place. Once we open, Mary and I don’t plan to be overly involved in the studio operations.
Frank, how has your career in technology prepared you for life as a franchisee?
Frank: One thing I learned from my last 30 years as an IT industry recruiter is that hiring is the most important thing a company does. In the long run, it’s worth paying more to get the best people. Secondly, having the right culture where employees can grow and thrive is also very, very important. The Amazing Lash Studio brand shares in that philosophy, and I think Brittni and Sarah will set the right culture for our studio. As far as owning a franchise, we have so much support from the Amazing Lash Studio and WellBiz Brands, Inc. team that starting up this studio has been very turn-key and fairly easy. They're with us every step of the way making sure we don't mess anything up.
Are you already thinking expansion, or waiting to see how the first Amazing Lash performs?
Frank: More the latter. I haven’t bought the rights for additional studios yet, but I want to and if our Rockville studio takes off, you can bet I’ll be on it.
What kind of a financial commitment does a franchise demand, and are lenders willing to play ball, even in a pandemic?
Frank: The financial commitment for franchising is all over the map and can be anywhere from tens of thousands to millions of dollars depending on the type of business. I ended up self-financing. We did have options, but I didn’t love the terms I was being offered. I think banks dinged me more for being a first-time owner than they did because of Covid.
What were your first jobs?
Frank: I started off as a software engineer.
Mary: My first job was as a social worker in a hospital.
Sarah: I’ve had jobs in both retail and the restaurant industry but my first job was as a server at The Dish and Dram in Kensington.
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