Today we’d like to introduce you to Neel and Vinita Gupte.
Neel and Vinita, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Neel was transitioning in his corporate career. We had time and money to invest. We thought, why not do something different? How about creating jobs? Small business was the immediate answer. We went to a franchise expo in Houston and learned a bit about franchises. It was an eye opener to know that success rate with franchises is far superior than trying to something on your own.
Our next stop was FranNet. Diana Trondsen from FranNet interviewed us and made three recommendations. One was a haircut salon, one was a massage parlor and one was Seva. We liked the concept of Seva—the pioneers of fast-casual spa concept thriving on Walmart foot traffic. We went through a long process of onboarding and signed an agreement to open three locations in Houston metropolitan area. It followed by a long wait of site availability, money tied up, and suddenly a fast pace process of studio construction.
Before we knew, we had our Grand Opening in June of 2017. And here we are. Our customer base is increasing steadily. People are liking us. We have a lot of happy returning customers and we get several new customers every day!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There is no such thing called a “smooth road” when you start a business. Tenacity and perseverance are essential ingredients in any start-up. With a franchise, there is a proven process. The only variable is you. We knew that. We followed the process to the tee. Vinita studied every aspect of Seva’s Beauty Destiny Protocol and ensured all Gurus—we call our employees Gurus—follow the process. We had troubles. We thought it would be a piece of cake. But no. We started realizing challenges before we even opened the studio for business.
The biggest challenge in this business was in hiring. We were on Indeed, Glassdoor, you name it. Candidates would agree for an interview but would not show up! That was beyond comprehension. The turnover, in the beginning, was more than what we could have imagined. It challenged our fundamental motivation of creating jobs. We learned fast and we over-hired. We worked on motivating our Gurus. We worked on incentives, training, and customer service. We started working on promotions through social media. The needle is moving steadily now.
Seva Beauty – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Seva is the pioneer of the concept of fast casual spa. We offer hair removal services such as eyebrow shaping and body waxing, strip or cluster eyelash extensions, eyebrow tinting, facials, and make-up. We also sell beauty products related to makeup and skin care. Our mantra is “Beauty to the People.” Everyone has the right to be beautiful. It is all about offering quality beauty service at affordable price, quick service, and almost no waiting or no need for appointments.
Our concept of beauty boost menu is unique. When you get your brows at the regular price, you can add a flash facial or strip lash extension or make up for almost 40% discounted regular price! Our Gurus are trained to be the beauty advisors of our customers. Our price points are unbeatable. The mix of services we offer is unique. We are the one stop shop for basic beauty necessities. We are inside Walmart, where people come for “every day low prices” or to “save money, live better.” We follow the exact same principle in our business. This is what differentiates us from the rest.
What we are most proud of is our happy customers. The happiness on their face, reflecting in the mirror as they see their shaped and tinted brows or with their new look with their lash extension, is priceless.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
We do not measure success in terms of dollars. We measure it in terms of smiles. Happy and satisfied customers is what one needs to be successful in business because they come back. They tell everyone. They post their pictures on Facebook and tell their friend about us. Money follows automatically when you have happy customers.
Of course, we have to manage our expenses with staffing the right number of gurus based on day of the week and time of the day. So all sound business principles still apply to us like any other business. But this business is all about customers.
Our mission is to offer beauty to the people every day, every hour, every minute. We like to see likes on Facebook, good ratings on other social media platforms such as Yelp. We would not say that we have mastered the social media yet but we are working on it.
Pricing:
- Eyebrow Shaping $9
- Brow Tinting $17 or $10 with brow shaping
- Flash Facial $17 or $10 with brow shaping
- Strip Lash Extension $17 or $10 with brow shaping
- Cluster Lash Extension $17; Line boost $5
- Make up boost $17 or $10 with brow shaping
- Full Face Hair removal (excludes neck) $25
- Facial Hair removal: Chin, neck, Side burns, upper lip, forehead $5 each
- Full Face Make Up $25
- Delux Facial in a Spa Room (45 min) $45
- Full Body Waxing $150
- Full Arms Waxing $30
- Full Legs Waxing $40
- French Bikini Waxing $30
Contact Info:
- Address: 6060 N Fry Rd Katy TX 77449
- Website: http://sevabeauty.com/location/tx/katy-n-fry-rd/
- Phone: (713) 304-6525
- Email: 4538@sevabeauty.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seva4538/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/6060NFryRd
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/seva-katy-3
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
