Today we’d like to introduce you to TiAnn Walker.
Hi TiAnn, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Even if I had a crystal ball, I wouldn’t have believed that I’d one day be the owner of a massage wellness center franchise. I was born and raised in Indiana and moved to Decatur, GA immediately upon graduation from college. I realized very early in life that the future of my success would be found outside of my comfort zone. I attended Indiana State University with a double major in Psychology and Criminology. In all honesty, entrepreneurship was not on my grid as a young adult. Like most Gen Xers, I was raised to “go to college and get a good job,” and that’s exactly what I did.
In my early career, I pursued professions that aligned with my undergraduate studies. I worked as a Probation Officer and Counselor with the State of Georgia. I enjoyed the work, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that I needed more. As a newly divorced mother of twin toddlers, I decided to take my first dip into entrepreneurship. I’d always been a highly organized “people person”, I started to plan weddings and events as a side-hustle. It didn’t take long before my side hustle was competing for time with my 9 to 5. I decided to take a leap of faith; I resigned from my full-time job to run my event company. I loved taking an idea or concept and putting together all of the pieces to create a beautiful event. Destination weddings were my absolute favorite! My first international trip was a destination wedding. I was blessed to travel to Jamaica, the Virgin Islands, and Bahamas to do the work that I loved.
After three years of being self-employed, the Great Recession of 2008 hit and the elaborate wedding bookings began to slow down. I went from jet-setting and having events booked every weekend to barely one event per month. It didn’t take long before I was back in the workforce. Upgraded from state employee, I began my career with the federal government. After a short stint with the IRS, I began working as a benefits specialist for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The time spent at VA was fulfilling for several reasons. I was engaged meaningful work–awarding benefits to veterans when and where they needed it most. I honestly thought I’d work for the federal government until I reached retirement age–until the pandemic hit.
Now remarried, the family invested in our first franchise business. We did custom yard greetings for birthdays and other celebrations. Ironically, very much in line with my time as event planner, just on a smaller scale. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Although many traditional businesses were suffering, the pandemic grew our yard sign business beyond what we ever imagined. Everyone was doing drive-by birthday parades, etc. However, the day to day grind was very physical and demanding. My twins were now 17 and graduating soon. So we decided to look at more ideas for business investment. Leaving a legacy for our future generations was our ultimate goal. Yard signs was not going to accomplish that vision.
After a couple of failed attempts at acquiring property for short-term rentals, we were back to the drawing board. My husband and I took a staycation for our 3rd Anniversary at a local resort and winery. While we were away, we decided to have some time at the spa. I literally had an “aha” moment during our massage service. I could barely get out of the establishment before I was telling him that THIS IS IT! Yes, this was the business model that I wanted to explore and invest. Once I’m sure about something, it’s all GO! I spent hundreds of hours researching the ins and outs of the massage business. I’m not a massage therapist, but as a person who deals with chronic back pain due to scoliosis, I know the value of massage therapy. I ran across an article about franchise massage business and it sparked my attention. I definitely knew the value of franchise support. As an outsider to the industry, I did not want to recreate the wheel, so to speak.
Financially, I wasn’t sure taking on a franchise of this magnitude would be feasible for me. I come from very humble beginnings. No inheritance and investment funds from family was absolutely out of the question. But God! One step led to another, one phone call, one bank referral, and a million little steps along the way eventually let me to being owner and operator of LaVida Massage of Grayson, located in Loganville, GA. We are a 2800 sq. ft. massage wellness center located in the Publix Plaza at Grayson Village. The suite consists of 10 treatment rooms. We currently have four licensed massage therapists and counting. We will also have licensed estheticians and offer facials later this year!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Smooth road? Absolutely not! I decided to open a massage wellness center in the midst of a pandemic. There has been no shortage of obstacles along the way. Securing the location was probably the smoothest part of the process. Many commercial landlords suffered a great deal of rental loss in 2020-2021, so I believe we got a pretty good deal on lease space. Then the journey began to get real. The price of construction materials doubled during our build-out. The final contractor quote came back $40k higher than the first quote in less than 30 days. The skilled labor shortage is real. We only hire massage therapists licensed by the State Board of Georgia and the pickings are slim. Many licensed therapists are just now rejoining the workforce, and most massage companies are in need of employees. And worst of all, just as we started to gain momentum, the pandemic re-emerged with a vengeance.
I soon learned that I couldn’t serve two masters. I had to make a tough decision in December 2021 to leave my federal career and become a full-time small business owner.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about LaVida Massage?
LaVida Massage of Grayson, GA offers many services related to health and wellness. We promote personal well-being in an elegant yet casual atmosphere where certified massage therapists are experienced in customizing treatments to your specific needs.
LaVida Massage specializes in providing personalized massage sessions which offer benefits such as pain relief, increased joint mobility and flexibility, increased energy and deep relaxation. Different types of massage may include Swedish, Deep Tissue, Aromatherapy, Hot Stone, Prenatal and Couples.
We also offer multiple service enhancements, such as hot stones, topical pain relief, muscle and joint balm, and aromatherapy.
I’m most proud of providing affordable wellness. Our monthly benefits program allows our guests to save on massage services, retail products, and more!
What matters most to you?
I’m also a Certified Life Coach. Community, freedom of choice, and celebrating diversity matters most to me. I’ve always been the person to root for the underdog. We are living in a world focused on trends and sameness. I think it’s important to celebrate what makes us each unique. We need to move away from the notion of tolerance and more towards acceptance.
Representation Matters! Minority Franchise owners make of less than 5% of ownership in the US. I founded Black Franchise Foundation, Inc. to educate and provide resources for aspiring minority franchise owners.
Pricing:
- $59.95 for 60-Minute Custom Massage Session*
- $79.95 for 90-Minute Custom Massage Session*
- $119.90 for Couple’s 60-Minute Custom Massage Session*
- $119.90 for 120-Minute Custom Massage Session*
- *Pricing for First-time guests/Members
Contact Info:
- Email: grayson.ga@lavidamassage.com
- Website: www.LaVidaMassageGraysonGA.com
- Instagram: lavidamassageofgraysonga
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaVidaMassageGraysonGA
- Other: www.businessbff.org
