Sugaring NYC Crofton, Tara Bradley
While working with SCORE Southern Maryland, I achieved several notable successes. Prior to signing a contract with Sugaring NYC, I conducted thorough research on various franchise opportunities within the beauty industry. When faced with the setback of a lease falling through, I persevered and secured a prime (and better) location for my franchise business, ensuring my business’ future success and visibility. The culmination of these efforts was marked by the successful execution of the initial soft Grand Opening in August of 2023.
I am the franchise owner of Sugaring NYC, covering the territory of Maryland.
I come from a family of scholars. We were raised to go to college and get a good job, which I did and still have! But I always had side gigs selling homemade gift baskets and Mary Kay Cosmetics. I just really wanted to have my own beauty business. And now that my children are young adults, it was time to explore and act.
During COVID, I discovered the concept of franchising. I didn’t realize the benefits of franchising versus opening a business from scratch. With the help of my SCORE mentor and a business coach who specializes in franchising, I went through several discovery phases that ultimately led me to Sugaring NYC.
Sugaring NYC was new to franchising; there were only about 30 franchises at the time. They had a business model, along with incentives and benefits, that was attractive to me as a first-time business owner.
Sugaring NYC is a unique salon offering an organic way to remove unwanted body hair, which is made with an all-natural paste of sugar, water, and lemon juice. You can eat it; it's edible. It provides an alternative, less painful hair removal process for people who are allergic or have had bad experiences with traditional hot wax. Unlike wax, sugar paste doesn’t adhere to the skin, but rather the hair shaft. This prevents hair breakage and painful ingrown hairs, among the many benefits.
About 8 years ago, I was referred by a friend to a SCORE chapter in Pennsylvania (where we lived at the time) for help on a business plan for my idea for a medical billing business. That work came to a screeching halt when my youngest son died unexpectedly. I realized in my grief that when I was ready, I needed to start a business that brought me joy. When we relocated to Baltimore for a job opportunity, I connected with SCORE Southern Maryland to explore a franchise business.
Through its template and my mentor’s guidance, SCORE helped me to create a very interactive business plan that I still look at a minimum of 2-3 times per month. It has helped me to work through issues such as new hourly wage increases. I love, love, love the business plan. Carson also helped me with marketing to make sure that our doors stay open. He was also extremely helpful guiding me through the permitting and build-out processes of my retail space. I had no concept of how that worked.
Carson made sure I was on the right path. He always checked in to see if I was encountering any issues, always available to answer my questions, such as the timing to hire an accountant. When he didn’t have the expertise in a particular area, Carson would bring in another SCORE mentor to fill the knowledge gap.
I can help you if you are looking to start a business with the development of an Early Stage...
