Stephanie Coffey
“Ultimately, I’m not afraid to make the right decision for the business and the brand even if it’s not the popular decision.”
Frenchies Revolution
“Culture is not a fluff thing, it’s everything” Written by KERRY PIPES
STEPHANIE COFFEY
Co-Founder, COO Company: Frenchies Modern Nail Care Units: 23 Age: 56 Years in franchising: 15 Years in current position: 5
40 | Franchise Update | Issue 1, 2023
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tephanie Coffey is a visionary leader who saw a need to shake up the $14 billion nail care sector. Identifying some fundamental issues in the space, she set out to offer a healthy, clean environment for guests and team members, along with a top-tier guest experience. And that’s exactly what she did in 2014, when she and her husband, Guy, co-founded Frenchies Modern Nail Care. Today, she serves as COO of the emerging brand, which has 23 locations and slow-andsteady post-pandemic plans for growth. One of the first things that becomes clear about Coffey is her passion for helping franchisees
pursue their dream of owning their own studio. Perhaps that stems from a previous position she held as a franchise consultant with Anytime Fitness, where she coached more than 140 franchisees who owned a combined 560 clubs. She also served as president and SVP of franchise development and support for Waxing The City. As a membership-based concept, Frenchies has been a real disrupter, says Coffey. “Customers are attracted to our nontoxic products and variety of healthy, unique offerings. The beauty industry as a whole has seen a focus on consumers demanding organic, nontoxic options for the beauty services and products they use every day, and Frenchies is delivering on both fronts.” With Covid in the rearview mirror for now, Coffey says unit growth is back on the table and she expects to add one unit per month this year. The brand is also looking to add new products to its line that can help keep costs down and quality up. LEADERSHIP What is your role as co-founder and COO? My role as co-founder is to grow and push our brand forward. I’m responsible for crafting and executing our strategic plan to meet our goals. I do this through sound decision-making, leading our small but mighty team, developing key partnerships, and, most important, supporting our franchise owners while they are on this journey with us. How has Covid-19 affected the way you have led your brand? We have been successfully promoting our “clean and healthy” services to separate ourselves from the typical nail salon experience since our inception. We have not changed our business model—we just focused on reminding customers of our health and wellness benefits that were present pre-pandemic and are now arguably more important than ever. Even before the pandemic hit, all new Frenchies studios installed leading-edge energy recovery ventilators, the kind you see in hospitals that remove stale air and pump in fresh air, critical for fighting infection. And we didn’t stop there. Each client has a personal ventilation system at