Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Black.
Hi Angela, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve worked all kinds of random jobs. Everything from retail floor worker to sandwich shops to serving tables. But one day, I got lucky and landed an interview at Cloud 9.
At the time, I was working as a hostess at a restaurant near Westpark. One afternoon, Sean and his then business partner came in for lunch. They were looking to hire a front desk and Sean asked if I was open to a new opportunity and ended up interviewing with them shortly after. It’s now a funny story, mostly because his business partner was a little embarrassed by how forward Sean had been. But that’s Sean in a nutshell, he’s always saying, “What’s the big deal?” He’s bold, unafraid, and rarely hesitates to act on instinct. He’s become a big source of inspiration for me.
At the time, I was in school pursuing nursing, something my mom encouraged more than something I felt personally passionate about. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do yet. I did have some experience in healthcare as my dad was diagnosed with cancer during my senior year of high school, and my sister and I spent a year caring for him in and out of the hospital. So it was a world I was familiar with. It’s hard to say, but looking back on it, I got back and forth whether nursing would have working out or not.
But working the front desk at Cloud 9, something clicked. I felt naturally drawn to how the business operated. Sean took notice to how I would ask a lot of questions and frequently offer suggestions for how things could run more smoothly. He was the one who encouraged me to switch my major to business and I’m so glad I did.
From there, everything unfolded quickly. About a year and a half later, Sean promoted me to manager. That’s when things really started to take off. We opened another location in Pearland, then acquired one in Sugar Land. In 2024, we decided to take it even further and expand his vision through franchising.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely wasn’t a smooth road, but I always look back with gratitude for the journey. To be honest, at the time, Sean was living in California, so while I sometimes thrived on having full autonomy over the business, there were also moments where I felt alone trying to navigate the day-to-day operations.
Sean was supportive from afar, but I struggled at times juggling responsibilities, learning through trial and error, and feeling the weight of making decisions without always knowing if I was doing the right thing. Still, those challenges became some of the most valuable parts of my growth. They pushed me to become more confident, resourceful, and committed to building something meaningful.
Many of our staff were Chinese, and I didn’t speak the language. While that presented some challenges, I’ve come to see that it’s absolutely manageable and there were many positives that came from working in a multilingual, multicultural environment. Being young and inexperienced added another layer of difficulty, and my tendency to not ask for help and try to figure everything out on my own definitely made things harder than they needed to be! haha
Like most small business owners, we went through it all. We had staff challenges, a fire in our building causing us to close for a few months, and launched a new store during a global pandemic. It was exhausting at times, and discouraging at others, but we always kept pushing forward. That perseverance was only possible because of the support from Sean and our incredible team, who have become like family. 10 Years later, we have so many of our original team members still with us at our original location in Houston – our now manager Scarlett, and incredible therapists – Wayne, Amy, William, Anna and Jenny.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We specialize in high quality, affordable massage services in a warm, family friendly environment. Our offerings range from foot reflexology and Swedish massage to deep tissue bodywork, each designed to promote relaxation, recovery, and overall well being.
What truly sets us apart is our family friendly and social concept. We believe massage should be accessible to everyone, including children. That’s why we encourage families to enjoy communal foot massages together. It’s a relaxing, bonding experience that welcomes all ages.
We’re most proud of our long standing team. Many of our therapists and staff members have been with us since we opened our first Houston location over 10 years ago. Their dedication, consistency, and care are the heart of Cloud 9 and the reason so many of our guests return again and again.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My sister and I used to make late night snack runs to the local shop. One night, as we were walking back, I was eating a piece of cake and accidentally dropped it. Without even thinking, I picked it up and just shoved it in my mouth. For some reason, we both completely lost it. We laughed so hard we could barely breathe!
To this day, I’m not really sure why it was so funny, but it’s one of those early childhood memories that’s stuck with me. It reminds me that no matter what we’re doing, if I’m with my sister, we’ll always find a reason to laugh and have a good time.
Pricing:
- 1 Hour Foot $50
- 1 Hour Swedish $65
- 1 Hour Deep Tissue $75
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cloud9.spa/about-us/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cloud9footspahq/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cl9udspa/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cl9udspa
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cloud-9-foot-spa-houston-5
