Over the course of our 20+ year history, many corporate America leaders have found success as franchise owners. Mitchell and his wife, Debbie, launched their first Retreat in the Irvine area in 2013 and, over the next four years, added four additional locations across California to their portfolio. Keep reading to find out more about this dynamic duo who have found multi-unit ownership success as Heights's franchisees.

Meet Mitchell Simon

“I grew up in Los Angeles and have always lived in Southern California. I’ve earned two degrees - a BS in Finance and an MBA in Professional Accounting, and I’m also a registered CPA in the state of California. I’ve been happily married now for 41 years. After retiring from a 30+ year career in Systems Consulting, I found a lot of enjoyment in having my wife as my business partner. She handles what I call the ‘Face’ side of the business, and I essentially handle the massage side and, of course, the financial side of the operations as well. We do have a COO that has been with us for about eight years now that handles more of the human resources side of our operations. We have three daughters and two grandchildren.”

On Pursuing an Entrepreneurial Future…

“In my experience as a Partner at Andersen, it became easy to compare the similarities of Andersen’s business model with that of a franchising model. Essentially, about 50 owners at Heights run the business, and it’s fairly easy to get your arms around it. From my perspective, I’m fortunate to have worked for both public and privately held companies. With publicly held companies, there’s a very short-term viewpoint and they operate quarter-to-quarter. And with private, it has its own separate set of issues, as you always struggle to meet certain deadlines. But it’s also way less brutal.”

On What Attracted Him to the Heights Franchise Opportunity

“All in all, I’ve spent what feels like a lifetime working in a business-to-business (B2B) environment. When I retired back in 2013, I thought that it would be fun to experience business-to-consumer (B2C) or the retail sector. As I described earlier, franchising just seemed like an easy model to understand. And, of course, the health and wellness sectors are always recession resistant and remains strong and growing. I’d say that Heights easily checked all the right boxes. Essentially, you really only need to book between 30–50 appointments each day to make things work. What other business can you think of where you only need about 50 customers a day to be successful? And it doesn’t hurt that the price points are much higher, so you typically only see more savvy and financially stable customers. It’s also well worth mentioning that prior to becoming a franchise owner with Heights, I had been a loyal customer of Heights for years. I always did – and still do - enjoy getting regular massages.”

On His Experiences as a Multi-Unit Heights Franchise Owner

“Having done this for many years, I’ve found the real key to success is that you must have a very experienced team of people working for you that are capable of vetting both the customers and employees. That’s it. The secret to success is to recruit, nurture, and retain the best possible team.”

Let’s Chat!

Heights Wellness Retreat is a leader in massage therapy, skincare and wellness, helping guests prioritize self-care through expert-driven, high-quality services. With 100+ Massage Heights franchise locations across North America, we offer a proven business model in the booming wellness industry.

If you're ready to explore an exciting future as a Heights franchise owner, we’d love to connect. Contact us today, and one of our franchise development representatives will be in touch to help you take the next step.