Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Naanee.
Erin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It was April 2006, I was a couple of weeks away from turning the big 21, when I decided to leave the security of guaranteed paychecks, paid vacation time, bonuses, sick pay, retirement, I was leaving my career because I purchased a franchise business in an industry – I honestly knew nothing about. I was doing well for myself and although it may have seemed that I had a great job, it wasn’t my passion – it didn’t ignite my fire, deep in my soul I knew I needed and wanted more. So, I took a huge risk and that risk was to go after my dreams. My family and those around me thought I was nuts! You see, I come from a background where you go to college, get your degree and do that for the next 20-40 years, I wasn’t surrounded by entrepreneurs, nor were there any in my family. And to paint the picture a little clearer for you, this was at a time when being an entrepreneur wasn’t the thing to do, “follow your dreams”, “find out what’s on the other side of fear” – weren’t the words being encouraged to young adults – let alone a 21-year-old female.
Despite the opposition from those around me, I pushed on and a few months later, I opened the doors to my first business, Hollywood Tans Santee. Many years of growth, learning, hard work and a lot of challenges, seven years later in 2013, together with my now husband we opened our first location together and my dream of location number two was born, Urban Sun Tanning. Feeling a little too zealous and inspired, six months later we dove into a new industry with completely new challenges with location number three – Sente Bella MedSpa. In 2018, just as the times proved to me in the past – I was taken to a greater destination than I imagined it would turn out to be and so came about location number four and the transition of our two tanning locations joining the iTAN family. Today, 14 years after my entrepreneur journey began, together with my husband we have three iTAN locations and one Medical Spa here in San Diego.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My journey has been the epitome of challenging, 30 days after opening the doors to my first business I would quickly learn that unbeknownst to me, I opened my seasonal business at the worst time of year and immediately experienced a 40% decrease that wouldn’t return for at least nine months. Just when I thought I had made it through the “hard times” the economic downturn of 2008 happened – our world instantly turned into necessities over vanities, and my business wasn’t considered a necessity. The months that were supposed to be busy – weren’t. And the months that were slow were slower than even the slowest of months. I watched everyone around me go out of business. My competitors seemed to drop one after the other, the shopping center and the neighbors next to me were now gone — Then I got the news, the franchise that I had bought into, the franchise that held the knowledge, support and expertise.
The brand that my business was attached to, the company had filed for bankruptcy. I realized the fight that I had just thought I won… this was only just the beginning. It was at that moment I realized that the brand that was plastered on the front doors no longer represented that name, it represented me, and I knew that my business and its future were solely in my hands. Determined to become the best I read books, attended conferences, workshops, trade shows. I not only wanted to learn and grow in my industry I wanted to grow as a business owner, a leader – I challenged what I was capable of, I pushed myself and I was ready and willing to master it. I was a problem solver, I begin to think outside of the box, try new things, do it different than what was considered the norm, all in an effort to tap into my highest potential. I envisioned my level, I mapped out – what that would look like, what it would take to get there, and I went after it.
After opening my third location it may seem as if I now had it all figured out, but honestly now there were more complications and struggles, with three locations in two different industries than ever before. The scale of three locations, the number of employees and the challenges of that pushed me in ways I didn’t even imagine. Learning how to scale a business, being in multiple places at once, the hiring, firing, systems and processes, losing your top producing employee… It’s simply never ending.
On your journey towards your goals and dreams you’re going to be presented with challenges and if you’re like me, after challenge after challenge – but how will you respond? There will be times where you feel that you don’t know enough or don’t have enough, or that you can’t figure things out. You’re going to feel like it’s too much to handle – and just like me you’ll be tempted to quit. Just remember when things are the hardest that’s when the real progress is being made, when things get really hard that’s when you’re going to experience a breakthrough – my biggest lessons and growth came from my biggest challenges. The fact of the matter is, life is about growing to your own personal best — growing to greatness, when you are the boss even with support there’s no one holding your hand or handing you trophies when you had your best month. When you’re going through hard times you’re required to show up, and I don’t mean just show up I mean show up and be the best you can possibly be. So when you’re striving to accomplish your goals it’s going to require that you believe in yourself, it’s going to require that you show up as your best self every single day – you have to show up when no one else will, you have to make it happen when others can’t – you are your company and the outcome of what you want is in the choices you make and how you choose to show up each and every day.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with iTAN Sun Spray Spa and Sente Bella MedSpa – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Sente Bella MedSpa Choose from a wide variety of experiences designed to address your various concerns for MedSpa, face and body. Guests who frequent Sente Bella MedSpa experience an ultimate state of relaxation combined with result-driven treatments in a tranquil and relaxing environment. We aim to exceed your expectation and help you reach the results you’re looking for.
iTAN Sun Spray Spa features skin sensing beds to the newest spray tanning formulas and our full body hydration station, iTAN provides the latest in self-administered Sun, Spray and Spa technology. Our customers choose iTAN because we provide a unique experience that delivers on our promise to fulfill our customers’ needs.
Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
From selling Crystal Light Lemonade on the corner of my street every weekend alone to taking my Girl Scout cookie selling very serious – I’ve always been a striver, from a young age I set goals and have always had a strong desire to succeed. I grew up watching my Mom and Grandma work very hard, they are the hardest working women I know. From their example, they instilled in me a strong work ethic and a burning desire to succeed. My Mom also taught me growing up that everything I wanted was within my reach, so from a very young age, I knew that I had the capability to create the life I wanted and to this day I believe I have the power to go after and make my dreams a reality.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.itan.com / www.sentebellaspa.com
- Instagram: @omg_itserin
Image Credit:
Diana Sciacca
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