Learn best practices for starting and running a float center:
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Something in the world of floating have you stumped?

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Show Highlights

If there’s one thing Ashkahn and Graham have learned, it’s reopening. Float On has had to shut down for repairs so many times over the years that they’ve got the process down to a science.

They share their secrets for making sure you have a full week after opening, build momentum, keep your members happy in the downtime and throw a kickin’ reopening party!

Show Resources

Listen to Just the Audio

Transcription of this episode… (in case you prefer reading)

Graham: Alright.

Ashkahn: Okay, welcome everybody.

Graham: Wooooooooo.

Ashkahn: Yeah.

Graham: Ahh, the crowd goes wild.

Ashkahn: Yeah, so you better be goin’ wild out there.

Graham: Clap, we can hear you if you’re clapping. You better clap.

I’m Graham.

Ashkahn: I’m Ashkahn.

Graham: And, today’s question is; “I am expanding my float center.”

Ashkahn: Nice.

Graham: “How can I capitalize on this so that when I grand re-open, I’ll be booked?”

Okay. Swell.

Ashkahn: Swell.

Graham: Swell. Yeah, it is a good time to reorganize some of your marketing when you’re closed, especially if you just have a bunch of contractors who are doing work and you yourself are not in charge of overseeing it or anything like that.

Ashkahn: And then hopefully, you’re expanding ’cause things are going well for you.

Graham: Yeah.

Ashkahn: Otherwise, you’re probably making a big mistake.

Graham: Also, yeah. It works the same, too. Like, if you’re moving locations, if you’re at the same location, I think a lot of this advice is going to be exactly the same.

So, the first is actually just thinking about it. Like, deciding you want to, feeling it first, I would say, before you even start thinking.

Sort of be in your body. Yeah, just existing there, really. Not even trying. Sorry, I was about to go way deeper into that. Okay. Actual advice. Well, so I guess let’s start with the goal. The goal is that when you reopen, you have a week, at least, where you’re just booked out. Like, every slot is accounted for. If you can make it two weeks, awesome, but to me that’s both the goal of a grand opening and a re-opening, is you just have back-to-back, solid appointments for about a week coming off of it.

Ashkahn: I mean, to put it more negatively, in my mind, the goal is also to counteract all the momentum and steam you’re gonna lose from being closed.

Graham: Yeah.

Ashkahn: ‘Cause that’s not easy, you know? You get hit if you’re closed for a period of time. Like, you have members, and people who float regularly, and this will throw them off their routine, maybe enough to just not come back. There’s just a difficulty if you’re closed down for any significant amount of time.

Graham: So, first off, take good care of your members, is great advice for being closed for any amount of time. Right? Like, Some of these people are people who are creatures of routine, and they come in every single week, or even multiple time a week, in some cases, and your float is part of their routine. So, make sure that they’re well taken care of, and some of that word of mouth is also going to be marketing for you when you re-open. The better that you treat your regulars, the more that they’re going to get other people to come back in. So, it may sound simple, but honestly, that’s like a big backbone of making sure you’re doing marketing right going into closing. It’s just like, take care of your existing customers.

Ashkahn: Yeah, so we’re extra communicative with our members leading up to something like this. We’ll try to prioritize getting them in for appointments as soon as we can over other people. If we’re closed for chunk of time, we will work with another float center in town, and actually just work it out so our members can go float there and use their membership floats at another float center, and then we just settle up with the other float center when we’re back up and running.

Graham: Which is so appreciated by our members, and I’m sure the other float center, too. I know for a fact that other float centers have stolen members from us doing that, and it’s totally worth it for keeping the members that you do keep happy. Right? The ones who stick with you, I mean even the members who go over to a different float center, might just be because that float center’s closer to where they live or something. And, they think you’re super awesome for giving them that opportunity and not letting it break into their weekly cycle or something like that. Not to harp too much on members, but, it’s a good one.

Ashkahn: Members are, I would say, that’s a really big thing to think about through this process. ‘Cause those are the ones that you’re really just disrupting the most. And, from our experience of being closed, which we’ve done many times, so many times, have we had to be closed for some period of time, that’s the thing that gets hit the hardest.

Graham: Yeah.

Ashkahn: We always get a solid depletion of members every time we have to close for any significant length of time. Then it takes months to build those numbers back up,

Graham: Yeah, I mean anywhere from like, 20 to 50 percent, is how much we’ve lost in terms of members, and yeah, it’s rough. So, I think that’s why that’s top of mind as well.

And, kind of related to that, and with communication; being really open with your customers and even, I guess, your customers to be, or your prospects, on why you’re closing, what upgrades you’re doing, and things like that.

I mean, Facebook is a great way to share what you’re up to; to actually take pictures of some of the construction to get people excited about it. Right? Like, if you’re expanding, especially if you’re remodeling or nice-ifying your business, or adding sound-proofing, or adding new tanks, all of these are great reasons for anyone who’s floated there already to come back in. And, reasons for people who maybe haven’t tried it out yet to take advantage of the new scenery and the new tanks and come in then. So, don’t try to hide that you’re under construction, or feel like you’re doing something wrong. Be very public about it and as many behind the scenes photos as you can share, I think, the better.

Ashkahn: Definitely every avenue you use to reach people, you should plan something for, based around your re-opening. I mean, it’s definitely like, a newsletter blast, social media posting, it’s even signage in your windows. You’re going through all your channels because you want that to be something that people know is happening and are exciting about and it’s kind of fun. I mean, you’re expanding. That’s all good news. And, it’s going to be even cooler for people when they come back in. There’s gonna be new float tanks to hop into. It’s all very positive.

Graham: Probably, inevitably, you’ll do some kind of re-opening event. And that can just help for promotion. Right. Like, you only have so many floats you can run a day, but you can get a lot of your members, a lot of your customers, just a lot of friends and people, out to see your new digs; to check out the new construction, and see what’s up.

And, running an event doesn’t have to cost more than a few hundred dollars. We’ve talked about that in other podcast episodes we’ll link to in the show notes. But, it’s not the craziest thing to run an event in your center. And, yeah, anyway, it’s just where it’s-

Ashkahn: And it’s cathartic after doing a big construction project.

Graham: Without even going through all the trouble of the press release, you can almost always get small events like that listed in newspapers for free, put it up online in local directories that people search for, for goings ons. And even if you do have to pay, I mean, we’re not talking about a ton of money for event listings like that. Usually, it’s maybe, 15 to 50 dollars for listing, if they do require any payment at all.

Something else that, if you are reopening, you can use the reopening party as the thing you’re promoting in a little bit in addition to the changes that are going on.

I would, so, wait, you got something to say today? We breathed in very deeply at the same time, and it got confusing.

Ashkahn: I was just gonna mention the fact that construction timelines can be kinda slippery.

Graham: Oh, that’s actually a great thing to mention, yeah.

Ashkahn: So just be a little careful.

Graham: That’s why you took that deep breath.

Ashkahn: Yeah, so it’s a good deep breath. If you’re like, book, I’m gonna be back open on like, June fifth, and I should just start slamming my schedule completely full. It’s a little tricky. We do a lot of doing people on wait lists, and like in our helm software, we can just put everyone on wait lists, and then if we so open that day, it will just start contacting them.

Graham: Automatically, without us doing anything.

Ashkahn: So, something like that is a little bit safer of an approach. And just also realize if you are expanding and adding new rooms, it’s gonna be kinda like your experience when you first opened up. There’s gonna be a period of time-

Graham: Remember that? Remember when you first opened and how crazy it was?

Ashkahn: I know you probably blacked it out at this point, but things might go wrong. You know, there’s quirks, there’s little things in the room that you’re just gonna have to get used to, so be a little bit careful about overextending yourself for that first period.

Graham: Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. And I mean, just for context, you know, if we think a construction project is gonna take a couple weeks, depending on the nature of it, we might block off three or four weeks for that construction project. And great, if it takes two weeks, we just open up the two weeks we blocked off and we’re good to go.

Ashkahn: Yeah, contact your members and say they can come back in.

Graham: Yeah, hey, you’re good, and then, if it does take longer, or if it takes longer, then you fail an inspection, and then it takes even longer. I mean, having that safety margin built in is so much nicer than having to cancel on people, push them back a week and then maybe even call them a second time to cancel and push them back another week. We know because we’ve been there, and it’s just awful.

Ashkahn: Yeah, it is rough.

Graham: You feel like a really incompetent person. You know you’re not coming across good to your customers, you know. And again, if we’re closed for a month, it might be, we block off two extra weeks, but, at minimum, a week extra, on top of construction projects, no matter what their length is, just be on the safe side.

Ashkahn: Yeah. And, I guess we’re giving a lot of precautions here, but but in terms of filling tanks-

Graham: Sorry, all the bad things start coming back to us and stuff, so. I mean, this is also a great time. You’ll just hopefully, again, have some time on your hands. So, it’s a perfect time to launch into arranging a new program once you open. You know, we don’t run a lot of discounts. You know, I lot of 30 to 50 percent off floats or anything at Float On, but, if we did, this would be a great time to run discounts as well; leading up to your re-opening.

Ashkahn: Yeah, I mean, you can especially easily justify a discount for your new rooms. You’re like, hey, I just built these new rooms. Like, be one of the first people to try them. You can even mention they’re like, test floats or something, so you can have a period where you’re getting the quirks out of the way. It’s all nicely justified. You’re doing test floats for two weeks in these two room specifically and the people get 25 percent off for booking in there. Like, that’s a great way to fill those up and actually get feedback from people and make sure that sound-proofing is solid and light-proofing is solid and all that sort of stuff.

Graham: Yeah, depending on the amount of members you have and the length of time you’re closed, a Float On way to do this would be to give a bunch of free floats to members to share with their friends. So for example, we have about 250 members, so if we were closing for a month, both as a way to try to keep members, and apologize for being closed, I’d be really tempted to offer them all a free float within the couple weeks after reopening, come in with a friend. Maybe they expire two weeks after re-opening. But really, again, trying to get that week, especially, right after you reopen, totally booked. And when I say that, I mean with paid or unpaid floats. You really just want people coming in, and that momentum will carry itself forward, very similar to a regular opening, is how you’re using a re-opening.

But, yeah. Taking advantage of word of mouth from existing customers, in this case members, I think, is also a great way to tie it in.

Ashkahn: Yeah. Sometimes we pay people to stand out front of our shop in big fake mustaches, and as people be walking by being like, ah, yeah it’s a float tank place. Yeah, that cured my sister of blindness.

Graham: That’s how I got hired on there, yeah.

Ashkahn: That was Graham’s first job. So that’s another strategy.

Graham: Yeah, again, basically just use your time to promote and hustle. You know what you’ve been doing so far for your float center. You know what kinds of campaigns you like running. And, just don’t pull any punches on this one. Go all out. Reach out to people. Share what you’ve actually be up to. Again, offer a discount, offer free floats and through whatever means, try to book those up. Right?

Ashkahn: Yeah. Hopefully, you’ve got some marketing that’s working, ’cause you needed to expand.

Graham: Yeah. Yeah exactly. And, if you don’t, again, the classics are Facebook, mailing list, figuring out a campaign for free floats, offering discounted floats, running an event right when you open, getting that list of newspapers. It’s kind of like the gamut that we’ve been going through in quick, summary form here.

Ashkahn: And plants to stand outside of your float center. All the things we’ve been telling-

Graham: Just a giant mustache.

Alright, thanks for the question.

Ashkahn: Yeah. And if you have any questions.

Graham: I’m Graham.

Ashkahn: No, we did that already.

Graham: Oh right right.

Ashkahn: So if you out there listening have a question that you want us to answer, you can go to floattanksolutions.com/podcast.

Yup, that’s right. And, that’s it.

Graham: We’ll talk to you soon.

Ashkahn: And that’s the end of this episode.

Graham: Bye.

Recent Podcast Episodes

Can I Keep My Old Ceiling With My Buildout? – DSP 264

Hopefully everyone had a lovely time at the Friday Activities and the after-party.

Ashkahn is still busy running the conference, but Graham and Jake have stepped in to talk about construction!

Today the guys talk about keeping a drop ceiling or T-bar ceiling in an existing space that you’re converting to a float center. The short answer is don’t keep it, as it can cause problems, but the guys do have some workarounds if your landlord is opposed to changing the ceiling. 

What to Expect When Expanding from 1 to 3 Tanks? – DSP 263

Ashkahn is busy preparing for everything that happens tonight and tomorrow for the Conference, but that doesn’t mean Daily Solutions will stop being daily. 

Graham and Jake talk construction and what to expect when you’re expecting… a giant expansion for your float center. What’s it look like when you go from one tank to three? How do the demands change? What needs to be put in place to make sure that you’re not hitting snags? 

Fortunately, these guys know the score and are happy to share. 

All About Floor Drains – DSP 262

As Ashkahn gets everything ready for the Start a Center Workshop (happening today) and the Float Conference this weekend, Graham and Jake tackle answering construction questions on the podcast. 

Today they’re talking about floor drains. What to consider for drains and how they might pair with different types of flooring. Given the hefty price tag for these more advanced drains, having as much research before making a decision on these is essential. Luckily, the guys have done the hard part already and identified a lot of things to consider. 

How to Deal with Float Room Humidity – DSP 261

Graham and Jake are at the helm again while Ashkahn puts the finishing touches on the Float Conference. 

Today, the guys are talking all about humidity and how to deal with it when constructing your float rooms. They talk about all the little nuances that you (or your contractor) might not think about when it comes to humidity and how soundproofing and regular airflow may not always go hand in hand. 

Long Term Construction for Float Centers – DSP 260

Ashkahn is still gone, getting ready for the Float Conference. The festivities kick up this week, and he’s busy working diligently to make all our dreams a reality.

In the meantime, Jake and Graham tackle the notion of ongoing maintenance and the ever evolving nature of a float center. Jake sets the record straight on the concept of having a “finished” float center, as new problems always arise. It’s not all bad news, though, as these changes allow for new opportunities for your centers. 

Latest Blog Posts

The Float Tour Blog – Issue #24

The Float Tour Blog – Issue #24

Alberta is often called the Texas of Canada. Part large oil industry, part cattle country.

Don’t Mess With Alberta!

At the base of the Rocky Mountains, replete with an Olympic Stadium, Calgary is a world-class destination for winter sports. The float community developed here similarly to Edmonton – there wasn’t anything nearby except for one or two residential float tanks, and then, in a short period of time, several centers opened all at once. Instead of competing, they’ve decided to work together and have developed one of the tightest knit float communities we’ve seen. They even have monthly Float Dinners, much like we do with the float centers in Portland. They don’t keep meeting minutes, so it’s hard to determine what they talk about at these dinners; my guess would be salt, the effects of salt on various substances, and how salty salt damage can make someone salty.

The Float Tour Blog – Issue #23

The Float Tour Blog – Issue #23

After Montana, we blazed our way back into Canada. The drive was long, but the scenery was beautiful. We followed the Rockies north, driving up to Edmonton. It’s a bit of a detour but, there are so many float centers in Edmonton, it seemed crazy not to stop by.

The city itself is primarily made up of workers from the oil fields – high risk, high income jobs that fuel the economy. At least until recently. Our visit was right in the middle of the Fort McMurray wildfire which has displaced a lot of the workforce, forcing 100,000 people to leave their homes. Many came to Edmonton, being the nearest metropolitan area to Fort McMurray. Some already split their time between the two cities, living in Edmonton and traveling to Fort McMurray for weeks or months at a time for work.

It’s understood that, in economic hardship, luxury commodities are typically the first thing people cut back on. Surprisingly, this doesn’t seem to be the case for floating. In fact, more people seem to be trying it to help alleviate the stress, many centers even offering free or discounted services to those displaced in an effort to help in a small way.

The Float Tour Blog – Issue #22

The Float Tour Blog – Issue #22

We’ve got two more stops in Colorado Springs before heading west. It’s a town known for its military base and long history of weapons testing. With such a large military presence, it comes as no surprise that the float center owners here are veterans, themselves.

After that, we shoot across to Salt Lake City. Utah is filled with gorgeous sights, from breathtaking lakes to stunning painted hills. With an international landmark famous for its effects on buoyancy, Salt Lake City should be pretty familiar with the concept of floating. With five different float centers, and the manufacturer of the Zen Tent out there, there could be some cause and effect.

After that, we head up into Idaho and Montana to close out the Central United States portion of our Tour. We’ll follow the Rocky Mountains north, taking in the scenery along the way.

The Float Tour Blog – Issue #21

The Float Tour Blog – Issue #21

Denver has been home to a vibrant float community for a long time. Some of the earliest commercial centers that started up in the ‘70s and ‘80s were out here. 30 years is a long time, and most of the old centers aren’t around anymore, but there’s a conscious community that has been floating since the old days and they love how much the industry has evolved and grown.