We’ve seen it happening more and more lately, and it can be heartbreaking to hear about float centers closing their doors, but tonight’s special guest brings some hope and an amazing spirit about closing the doors to his center. Carlos Casias of Float Los Alamos recently announced that he’ll be shutting down his operation after about four and a half years of ups and downs. He talks about the struggles his center encountered last year, and how they had big plans to restructure, rebrand, and relaunch… and then a pandemic hit. He battled the decision to continue taking on more debt or to “be selfish” and stop the financial crisis that was beginning to grow. He talks about all of those moments of realizing that bankruptcy is on the horizon, but how it is now going to be a relief, not the gloom and doom one would expect, as he begins to see a glimmer of hope after investing all of his time and energy into running his center, a two-person, two-tank dream for the past few years.

Sponsors
The Buoy Project – Keeping Centers Floating
Floataway

We’re getting excited about the 2020 Virtual Float Conference! We searched high and low to find some folks who are willing to talk to us about what’s happening with this year’s event, and thankfully, we found a few board members who were willing to talk about this year’s event! We got the inside scoop about what’s coming up this September, including how you’ll have an opportunity to not only hear some amazing speakers, but also have really cool ways to connect with fellow attendees, “create your own” topics, see some familiar floaty faces, and still party Float Con style! And a big spoiler: if you can’t attend a session live, you’ll have immediate access to watch it later!

Links
Float Conference Tickets (early bird special ends July 31st)

Sponsors
The Buoy Project
Maximum Floats
Floataway

As we’re all re-emerging from the COVID closures, we have to be smart about what to expect and how we operate. Jeremy Jacob, owner of FLOAT in San Antonio, joins us to share his experiences. He recently expanded his center with additional tanks and new services, and then closed after just 6 weeks. He talks about how his reputation and the trust his guests have in his center have helped him stay afloat (pun intended) as he reopened. The crew shares how they cut some costs and how they tapped into new marketing strategies to bring in new clients. 

Sponsors
The Buoy Project
Floataway

In the past few episodes, you’ve heard how important it is to continue marketing efforts. In this episode, we dive in deeper into one particular marketing strategy – consultation programs. First, you’ll hear some tips about what to look for if you’re hiring a marketing partner, and then Kyle from Maximum Floats sheds light on some things that float center owners can do on their own to implement programs that bring in new guests and increase the frequency in which they float. One of the key points is to sell programs that solve problems, or “pain points”, not to sell floats. 

Gloria is in the process of kicking off a program with Maximum Floats, and Kim shares a bit about a similar program that she launched on her own at her center. And if you’re a non-salesy center, you’ll pick up a few ideas for how to share information and deals without coming across as pushy – how to be a helper instead. 

Sponsors
The Buoy Project – Get your social media content for the month!
Floataway