Today we’d like to introduce you to Penny Warner.
Penny, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When my daughters were 4 and 6 (this was 2004), they contracted head lice. Even though I’m a nurse, I knew very little about head lice. It was a nightmare. I tried every OTC product, every home remedy, and a prescription medication. Nothing worked. We battled it for 8 long months. Two years later, they came home with it again and I was not putting them or myself through that ordeal. I found the products we now use in our offices, developed a systematic way of combing and that time we were rid of lice very quickly. I knew I was not the only parent out there dealing with head lice and I also knew I could help others.
I set up a website, sent out letters to pediatricians and had my first client within 2 weeks. Initially, I would go to peoples homes but eventually, I got so busy I could not handle it alone. I opened up the first storefront in 2007 and there were people not only from Texas but also from out of state, coming to us for treatment. I even had one client from Africa! I then started opening locations across the state and in 2012, I sold the first franchise. Currently, there are 5 Corporate – owned offices and 5 franchised locations, including 2 in Alabama and 1 in Tennessee. More coming soon!
Has it been a smooth road?
One of the first hurdles I encountered were landlords refusing to rent office space to me once they found out the type of services we provided. Eleven years later, I still occasionally run into this issue. I had a partner for a little while and being naïve about business, I was taken advantage of by this person, he stole over $50K and there was the cost of the lawsuit that ensued. It cost me a great deal of money to get rid of him, but I’ve never looked back and the experience taught me a lot. I’ve also had to learn through the school of hard knocks the many intricacies of the Texas Workforce Commission. They are not on the employer’s side – ever.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into The Lice Place story. Tell us more about the business.
We are a professional head lice removal service. We specialize not only in the safe and effective removal of head lice but also on education. There are so many myths, stigmas, and misinformation still out there about head lice. Knowledge is key and once we’ve provided the education to our clients, you can see their stress and anxiety melt away. I am most proud of how we have prevented thousands of children from being exposed to unnecessary and potentially harmful chemicals and pesticides. There are many things that set us apart from the competition. We are nurse-owned, which means our clinics must abide by all health guidelines and the Nurse Practice Act. All of our locations offer private treatment rooms which the clients really appreciate. We offer a 30-day guarantee on our treatments and have a 99.6% success rate with just one treatment. We also have a program where we give back to the community by providing educational presentations at no charge and offering free or discounted treatments to families that may not be able to afford our services. We work very closely with school nurses to help those children in need.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
While everyone is still searching for the ‘magic’ potion to easily get rid of head lice, it just doesn’t exist. Manual removal remains the safest and most effective method of dealing with this human parasite. Therefore, this industry will continue to grow and we will be at the forefront of this growth as we continue to open locations throughout the country.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theliceplace.com
- Phone: 713-667-LICE (5423)
- Email: RN@theliceplace.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theliceplace/
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