Leslie Epstein is the owner and CEO of Your Tanning Bar, the airbrush tanning solution in Cedar Rapids, Coralville and Bettendorf that provides a UV-free alternative to traditional tanning.
Leslie shares how her grandfather influenced her entrepreneurial spirit when she was young, the story of how tanning an entire sorority gave her a first taste of success, and how she capitalized on her niche as well as being early to the Iowa market. Leslie also digs into why her partnership with the Hall-Perrine Cancer Center and educating the community about “Safe Sun” has been so important, what her early business plan meant to her later success, and Leslie teaches me how airbrush tanning actually works.
I learned a lot, and I think you will too.
Sponsored by MidWestOne Bank, this is the latest edition of the CBJ’s new podcast feature with Nate Kaeding and notable Iowa business and cultural leaders, available first to CBJ members. Listen to this episode below, and subscribe on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher.
Nate Kaeding: Tell us about your origin story. Did you always have the entrepreneurial bug or was that something that came about when you were a student at the University of Iowa?
Leslie Epstein: First off, thanks for having me. I really appreciate this. I feel like I grew up in an entrepreneurial environment. My grandpa left Rockwell Collins and started his own automotive shop over 70 years ago. I was always down at his shop listening to him banter with his customers and seeing his work ethic. My parents had some endeavors that I witnessed, and my brother was truly somebody that I could relate to. We always joked around that he could literally sell rocks, and he did at age three on our street. So I feel like it was kind of just in my blood, honestly.
What were your jobs in high school growing up? Was there anything that stood out?
I was in the tanning industry. I worked at a conventional tanning salon — conventional meaning UV rays and the old school beds — that’s where I started at 16 and I loved it. I loved the atmosphere and I loved the clients. I saw that it was making people feel good. At the time, I didn’t necessarily know the health risks because this was before they were proven. So it was an industry that I loved and I was good at it.
Then you came here to the University of Iowa and studied business?
Yeah, business entrepreneurship was my minor and, at that point, it was only a minor. It wasn’t offered as a major. I could have gone to business school, but I was a C+ student and I wasn’t about to work that hard, to be honest with you. But I knew my parents really needed me to have that degree. So I studied sociology and then business entrepreneurship, and I think I went to maybe 20% of my sociology classes and every single one of my business entrepreneurship classes. I was there thriving.
Where did this idea for Your Tanning Bar begin?
So, I’d worked at the conventional tanning salon since I was 16 and ended up getting a small bout of skin cancer, and that really changed my ways a little bit. I saw the industry and where it was going, and my biggest change was seeing that spray tanning was starting to become popular on the East Coast and West Coast. Sometimes, in Iowa, we get a lot of things last. We don’t need to be the trendsetters. We’re conservative. We’re stable here. I just saw that it was really taking off, and I knew that this was exactly where this industry was going.
When did this potential opportunity you saw become real for you?
I wrote my business plan and I feel like, right when I started writing it, I knew. My husband always tells this story. He came into my room and I had all of these Post-It notes sitting on my bed and I was sitting there with my laptop creating this business plan, and I had all these crazy ideas that come with it. But the fun part is that so many of those fundamentals that I literally wrote on all these Post-It notes on my bed that day are things that we still implement right now.
What did the early business model for Your Tanning Bar look like?
The business model was simple. I was 19 and had no money, so I was going to start mobile. I was going to people’s houses and literally throwing up a Facebook page saying, “hey, this is what I do. I’ll come to your house. This is what we charge.” There wasn’t Venmo or PayPal, so you had to pay me cash.
It really just took off. Then I realized so many people were calling me every single week and I was busy. It was an awesome little side gig. I went into a sorority, did 80 tans in one night, and realized I was a millionaire in college.
Can you walk me through how Your Tanning Bar is different from old, traditional tanning salons?
This is spray tanning applied by a technician, also known as airbrush tanning. An actual technician will apply the tan right onto your skin, so it’s customized to your skin tone. The chemistry behind it is that, basically, it works with your own cells to produce that color. So it’s actually almost like a stain for your skin.
Is there a certification for these technicians?
Yeah. I went out to California right away to get certified in this because, at the time, that was kind of really the only option. Now if you go to beauty school, they’ll train you. But we have a certification program that we take all of our technicians through. They’re on the floor for about a month, learning the ins and outs of skin and how to customize a tan.
You look at a magazine and that’s all airbrush. That’s not their natural skin tone 99% of the time. People think it’s Photoshop but, in reality, it’s a good spray tan. We can highlight your muscles, we can do anything from pageants to weddings. It’s an instant confidence boost.
At first, when I started this business, I was like, “I’m tanning people. Should I really be promoting that? Not to be cool in your own skin? What do kids think of this?” In reality, you’re getting them out of tanning beds for our healthier solution. You can literally drink it. It’s completely organic. It’s just a way to practice “safe sun.” We’ve built the business around really, really educating our clients on safe sun. We all love the sun, but the sun doesn’t love us necessarily. And I think we’re all kind of learning that sunscreen is cool and it is a necessity. We’ve partnered with Hall-Perrine Cancer Center. They are huge advocates of us.
Going back to your origin story — how did you make the leap from mobile to a brick and mortar location?
I was doing medical sales after I graduated, and I lasted maybe six months. I was selling medical software after I graduated and still doing the mobile side of spray tanning. I was going into offices to talk to these doctors and nurses to sell them this medical software, and they were like, “Gosh, that’s a great tan.” I wasn’t getting calls back from the doctors and nurses to have the software. They were calling me back in because they wanted me to spray tan them. Within six months, I looked at my boss and I was like, “I have to be honest with you. You think I’m going into doctor so-and-so’s office to sell our medical software and, in reality, I’m there every week because I’m spraying their entire staff.” It was beautiful. She giggled a little. She may have been a little pissed, but she congratulated me and said, “Go follow your path.” So I opened a little brick and mortar on First Avenue in Cedar Rapids, rented out a little room, and truly grew organically.
Now you’re at three locations: one in Coralville, one in Cedar Rapids, and one in the Quad Cities. What were the most challenging aspects for you in those early years?
I didn’t know sales would be such a huge part of this. I never really told people about the product side of things. I was like, “great, you love your tan. Maybe schedule again next week or the week after if you want to come back.” There’s so much more involved, even though it’s a one-service operation and very niche. There’s so many outlets. I would say that was where I actually became a business: When I realized all the add-ons, the inner workings, marketing, and memberships actually make money. Once I got that first tax bill, I realized you have to make your money.
Did you have any regrets once you got into it?
No, honestly. I had my head down and I knew I needed to hustle. I knew I wanted to grow this thing. I realized early on that I started way too young for the industry. It’s funny because my professor gave me a C+ for that business plan and now he asks me to come and speak to his class. I always joke about it to all of his kids and say, “don’t actually listen to his grading system. He gave me a C+ and now he calls me every semester to talk to you guys.”
How do you manage the business on a day-to-day basis?
This is a part-time job for a lot of my team. It’s their next step after college. They’re going to get what I call a “big boy” or “big girl” job.” I totally get that. I was in their shoes working at a tanning salon knowing that it wasn’t my end-all. But we have amazing clients. We have regular members that come in every week or every other week. We know their family, their kids, their livelihood, and their everything. We make people feel good every single day, which is so satisfying. It’s such a positive, uplifting environment that we have. My job is more about growing the business, getting involved in our community, and doing more of the outreach. Whereas, my manager’s day-to-day is really about handling all of our staff, all of our clients, and our members.
You became a new mom within the last year. Can you speak to how that has changed things for you?
We weren’t actually going to have kids. I’m 35 and I just woke up and said, “no, we need to have kids.” I felt this urge. My brother and sister-in-law had a baby, and that really changed my ways. I was just going to be this business woman who maybe wasn’t necessarily going to wear that mom title. It kind of scared me, and I had seen so many women in business leave their business to do the mom life, and I was just so adamant that was not going to be me. Now I freaking love it and I’m all about it. It turns out you can do both.
Yeah, it’s definitely changed my day to day. I think I value my team so much more, to be honest with you. I was able to step away completely this last year and just really encompass being with my babes and doing what I want to do for my business. That was a huge thing. I didn’t feel like I was actually working for my business. I did the things that I wanted to do, and felt blessed that we’re at a place now where, if there’s something that we’re not good at, we’re going to hire somebody who is good at it. I think that’s part of being a leader: delegating and putting the right people in those right positions.
Do you have any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
I would just say to embrace where you’re at. My kiddo turns one next month and I swear I was just pregnant. It’s so quick, and I know that’s cheesy to say. Everyone tells you that and then, when you’re in it, it really hits home. I would say to any moms or dads out there wanting to start a business, do it. If you want to be the most motivated you’ll ever be in your life, either have no money and start a business in your 20s or bring a child into this world. That will really motivate you. It did for me. I want to show her what a hardworking mom looks like.
You strike me as someone who is naturally curious and a lifelong learner. Do you have any favorite podcasts or books you’re reading right now?
I feel like I’m always up to date on podcasts. I love a good female entrepreneurship podcast. I like Girl Boss. Alli Webb is a huge staple in my world. You’re probably not necessarily familiar with Alli Webb, but she is the creator of Drybar. She’s just really good at branding herself. She could literally have a (slow cooker) and brand it, and it’ll be the hottest thing tomorrow. There’s definitely certain people that I’ve always followed and admired. I love to go to conferences. I will sit down in any educational setting that has to do with any business mindset. I love meeting fellow entrepreneurs.
What does Real Success mean to you?
Oh, man. I would say success to me is truly being comfortable in your own shoes. I don’t think you can get too content in your shoes, but I think happiness and being comfortable in your position, and having that confidence in yourself, defines success.
