Sarah Collins didn’t follow the typical path to sun spa ownership. With zero tanning industry experience but two decades of HR leadership under her belt, she opened her first Glo location in Weatherford, Texas, and within months stepped back from daily operations to focus on aggressive expansion. Today, she’s simultaneously developing three additional locations in Abilene, Midlothian, and Hurst, with plans to reach five total locations by year’s end.
Her story answers a question many successful professionals ask themselves: Can I transition into a completely different industry without starting from scratch?
The Power of Transferable Leadership
Before Glo, Sarah spent over 20 years in human resources for a large dealership group, where she mastered the art of hiring, team management, payroll systems, and operational oversight. She also co-founded a plumbing company with her husband, Ken, building it from just $1,500 in startup capital through side jobs and self-taught entrepreneurship.
That plumbing venture taught Sarah hard lessons about starting from zero. Late nights learning QuickBooks, managing spreadsheets by trial and error, and making costly mistakes without guidance. When the opportunity arose to become a Glo franchisee, the contrast was immediate.
“The difference between starting a business on your own versus opening a Glo is that there’s a structured approach from start to finish, from the minute you’re approved as a franchisee,” Sarah explains. “With a franchise, everybody uses the same systems, the same products, the same processes. Having all of us face the same challenges means it’s easier to have people on your side who’ve already dealt with what you’re going through.”
Industry Experience? Not Required
Sarah’s success proves that Glo’s franchise model prioritizes leadership capability over technical industry knowledge. The comprehensive training program, standardized systems, and ongoing support create a framework where business acumen matters more than knowing how to operate a tanning bed.
“Someone without any salon industry background can absolutely come into this and succeed,” Sarah says confidently. “If you’ve got leadership ability, all of the systems that Glo puts you through before opening will set you up for success, even if you’ve never seen a tanning bed before.”
The dashboard and operational tools eliminated guesswork around critical business decisions like staffing levels and inventory management. Sarah’s HR background prepared her perfectly for the people-focused aspects of the business, while Glo’s proven processes handled the technical elements she’d never encountered.
Real-World Challenges & Corporate Support
Of course, no business venture is without obstacles. Sarah recalls her first week vividly—bed breakdowns, equipment resets, T-Max system troubleshooting, learning how to change bulbs and reset breakers. These weren’t scenarios covered in training manuals.
“There are so many real-world things you can’t train for until they happen,” she admits. “That first week, I was constantly reaching out to the corporate team asking, ‘This happened, now what?’ But now my team is so confident they could be on the maintenance crew themselves.”
She also learned inventory management through experience, including one memorable occasion when she ran out of spray solution and had to borrow from another salon. But rather than feeling abandoned during these learning curves, Sarah felt supported by both Glo’s corporate team and her fellow franchisees who opened around the same time.
Building for Passive Income & Early Retirement
Within three months of opening Weatherford, Sarah achieved what many business owners spend years working toward: she stepped back from daily operations. Her sister-in-law now serves as store manager and is completing operator mentorship training to manage multiple locations as Sarah’s portfolio expands.
Remote management tools, including security cameras, nightly scorecards, and the SunLink app, allow Sarah to oversee operations without being physically present. But she’s quick to dispel one common misconception about franchise ownership.
“It’s very hands-on at the start. People assume they’ll hire a team and just sit back and watch it make money. That’s not how it works, at least not for us.” Even with a manager in place, Sarah still handles ordering supplies, payroll, hiring, and financial oversight. The difference is she’s building systems and training teams that will eventually create the passive income and early retirement she and Ken envision.
The idea is to retire as young as possible and oversee all of these ventures while we travel,” Sarah shares. “Honestly, I don’t see us stopping at five. We’re going to either take over the whole west side of Texas or move into Louisiana. Five locations is just the beginning.”
From Questioning to Trusting the System
Sarah describes herself as logic-based, someone who needs to understand the “why” behind every decision. During her first location’s development, she questioned nearly everything, even paint color choices.
“I’m the type who needs to know the reasoning before implementing something,” she explains. “If somebody can give me the why, I’m all in. But I definitely questioned things throughout the whole first time.”
After successfully opening Weatherford and seeing the system work, her approach transformed. Now, as she develops three locations simultaneously, her mindset has shifted to simply trusting and executing Glo’s proven processes.
“Once I got through Weatherford, and I’m moving forward with more locations, it’s much easier for me to just say, okay, what do you want me to do? The trust is there. Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”
The Franchise Advantage
When asked about the biggest difference between building her plumbing company from scratch and opening Glo locations, Sarah’s answer is immediate: structure, support, and community.
Starting from zero means figuring everything out yourself with no roadmap and a high risk of costly mistakes. Franchising with Glo provides established brand recognition, proven systems, standardized processes across all locations, and a built-in support network of fellow franchisees facing similar challenges.
“When you’re building something from nothing, you’re alone figuring it all out,” Sarah reflects. “With Glo, there’s an entire community of franchisees who understand exactly what you’re experiencing because they’re using the same systems and facing the same scenarios. That support network is invaluable.”
Your Leadership Journey Awaits
Sarah Collins’ transformation from HR executive to rapidly scaling multi-unit wellness entrepreneur demonstrates that the right franchise model, combined with strong leadership skills, creates a faster path to success than starting from scratch. Her trajectory proves that Glo’s comprehensive support system and proven business model enable professionals from any background to build thriving wellness businesses.
If you’re a successful professional or entrepreneur from another industry wondering whether you can transition into the sun spa business, Sarah’s answer is clear: your leadership ability matters more than industry experience. With Glo’s structured approach, standardized systems, and supportive community, you already have what it takes to succeed.
Interested in learning more about franchise opportunities with Glo or careers that could lead to ownership? Visit glotanning.com/franchise or check out current openings at glotanning.com/careers.
