At least half of the due diligence is complete when you have been a happy client of a business you decide to buy. That is how it happened for Leona Bix, the owner of Flagstaff Face & Body.
“I had been a client of the company,” Bix said. “I told them if they ever considered selling, to talk with me. I knew what I liked about the business and I could be passionate about it.”
About a year and a half later, in 2009, the owners approached her about selling the nine-year-old business.
As it turns out, the timing was perfect.
“Three years ago, I was looking to make a change,” she said.
She had been in pharmaceutical sales and a mom, but she wanted something of her own, she said. Bix bought the business and a short time later moved it into a 2,100-square-foot location at Aspen Place at the Sawmill, a move that has been good for the business.
“It’s a beautiful spa, if I do say so myself,” she said. It has state-of-the-art equipment and a top-notch staff of 14, including a medical doctor specializing in aesthetic medicine.
“I am very blessed to say I have lots of new clients. Since we’ve moved, we have a lot of new clients. It was a leap of faith, but it has been nothing short of phenomenal,” she said. “I defer to the people who work for me. I couldn’t do it without them. That is what it really comes down to. We also thank our loyal clientele who have continued to support us and help us grow and offer more advanced services.”
When there are no paying customers, her staff makes her take treatments herself.
“They make me put myself on the schedule,” she said.
She said in the past, since they were a captive audience, she would talk business during her treatments.
“They took my phone and threatened me with duct tape,” she said with a chuckle.
Her clientele ranges from women who come in each month for an eyebrow wax to women who come for the whole treatment from Botox, dermal fillers and photo rejuvenation all the way to massages, facials and laser hair removal.
Many of her clients have second homes in Flagstaff or are retired and have disposable income for the higher-end procedures.
“It is not meant to be a destination spa, but I do have some out-of-towners,” she said.
Born in Germany, her father was in the military and her mom German. The family settled in Phoenix when she was 14. She attended Phoenix schools and got her degree in Journalism from ASU in 1984. She even had an internship at Channel 12 in Phoenix, where she learned she did not want to be an on-air reporter.
“The whole goal is to be on air. I had no desire to be on air,” she said.
Instead, Bix turned to pharmaceutical sales, where she remained for several years.
But, this medical spa does seem to be her calling.
She said she has no set schedule, but she has a home office where she works at times.
“I am in and out of the office and always available by phone, or I’m just 10 minutes away.”
Most of her free time she spends with her 17-year-old daughter who is on a traveling basketball team. This summer alone, they have visited Chicago, Las Vegas and Phoenix.
“She is very serious about it,” she said. “Colleges are starting to look at her.” She also has 27-year-old twin boys.
Bix is also very involved with ChildHelp, where she is on the board of the charity that helps neglected and abused children. FBN
To learn more about the business or to make an appointment visit www.facebodyspa.com or call 928-226-9355.