123: Opening a Float Center: Setting Expectations
This week, we invited a guest host to join us as we talk about expectations of how things go when opening a float center. Kim Hannan of Sukhino Float Center in New Albany, Indiana, is in the early stages of this process, and since Amy is close-ish to opening her second location, they both have current experiences with this topic. (Kim also writes the show notes found at artofthefloat.com, so she admits it’s a bit bizarre to write about herself in third person here…)
In exciting news, the Art of the Float photography service is now live! If you missed a photo set in the Patreon campaign, you can still access those separately on the website, but Patreon supporters will still get the best deal.
Amy and Kim both share suggestions about what to do during the inevitable construction delays, and how to stay proactive so you’re prepared when all the wheels are in motion later. The entire gang shares ideas about marketing, retention, building partnerships with other businesses, and using beta testers and focus groups along the way. Amy is taking a phased rollout approach for each section of her new location and she explains how they plan to handle the last bits of construction and final touches while some sections of the building are open for business. Dylan and Amy top it off by sharing their biggest surprises that they discovered after they opened.
In our weekly recap, Dylan shares about his time spent with Chris Petrovic, the owner of ProFloat, a tank manufacturer in Canada, and how important it is to have a great relationship with your manufacturers. Amy’s Rutherford County inspector saga continues. Kim shares about the challenges she and her husband have had so far: bank rejections, finding the right location, and managing unresponsive contractors. She talks about how using GoFundMe helped to get the word out, and some of the successes and lessons learned through that process.
Show Links
Float Helm – Show Sponsor
Float Fuel – Show Sponsor
Rise: A Float Community Gathering - Show Sponsor
Pro Float Products
Patreon