Art Of The Float

145: The Last Float Conference - With Ashkahn by Art of the Float

Beth Jones is on the show this week to talk about her experiences in opening a float center (and continuing on to franchise) in North Carolina and battling through the strict request from the local health department. After just two years of being open, Beth started working towards franchising her operation after being approached by several interested parties. At Float Spa X, she’s challenging the status quo for how most franchises recruit and establish themselves as a successful venture. If you find yourself feeling like you’re the only one who can do things the way you want them done, be sure to listen for Beth’s strategy for making sure you can “own a business worth having and live a life worth living, all at the same time.”

This week, Dana Highfill joins the crew to give an update on Float North, the latest center preparing to open in the Portland area. Dana recently hosted an Open House to invite the public out to see her space and learn about floating. She shares how she handled the event itself, and the highs and lows that came immediately after. Her grand opening is just a few days away, and she’s mostly ready.

She’s back! Amy Grimes, our beloved co-host is back from a little leave spent opening her second location in Tennessee. She recaps the challenges of her opening, including going several months past their target date, being over budget, getting through challenging inspections, strained relationships, an unreliable and unethical contractor, and learning and taking over new modalities. Easy peasy stuff, yes? She shares the lessons they learned and how they survived all of the stress of nearly hitting financial rock bottom, and she talks about the reality of all that comes with this process when things go off track, including the tough emotions and the need for support.

Danielle Savory, a certified life coach and mindfulness teacher, joins us in this episode to share wisdom about avoiding burnout and reducing stress as a small business owner.

It’s Q&A time! This episode veers away from our traditional model of having a guest or a specific topic, and instead, we’re diving in to answer questions we’ve received from the community. You’ll hear about how to start building the vision and business plan for a new center, how to pick an effective heater to warm up a tank overnight, and what to look for in a pump for a DIY tank. Dylan describes the evolution of his photography for the Patreon photos he releases each month, and the intention and vision behind his strategy.

We’re excited to have Richard Bonk join us this week! Richard started floating through his work with Tom Fine where they began float research many years ago. Through a practice of floating and transcendental meditation (TM), Richard began to explore “alternate waking states” that felt at times like lucid dreams or out-of-body experiences while in an alert, awake state. Find full show notes at https://wp.me/p3DUt1-Hz

This week is a wild one… we opened up an invitation to the float community to join us for a conversation with and about the Float Tank Association (FTA). Kevin Johnson, Shoshana Leibner, and Glenn and Lee Perry (all FTA board members) join the crew and several float center owners to have an earnest conversation about the state of the organization.

It’s a float podcaster party! Graham and Ashkahn from Float Tank Solutions/Float On/The Float Conference join us this week. With Dylan, they discuss the current hot topic of the Float Tank Association (FTA) and the need for the organization. They’ve been on the road, attending different health department events to discuss float tank water sanitation with the health inspectors and experts across several states. They hold nothing back as they hit another favorite topic: Groupon. They talk about when they think it’s a good idea to run a campaign, and how we should be cautious about coordinating efforts with other centers. The conversation evolves to exploring the growth in the industry and how centers differentiate themselves when multiple businesses are in the same city.

Hilary Sedovic of Float STL joins the podcast to discuss how we can as float centers bring floating to those who might not otherwise be able to float due to income, lack of awareness etc. Please fill out her survey here!: https://goo.gl/forms/Bn4cXgYSBy1hUPeh2

As if we didn’t love the Laureate Institute for Brain Research enough for their work with floating and anxiety, Dr. Sahib Khalsa joins us today to talk about yet another study they’re completing - float therapy with anorexia treatment. Dr. Sahib’s is currently running a second study with participants who have anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder with a very high mortality rate.

Ryan Duey from Capitol Floats in Sacramento joins the crew this week to discuss an exciting research project for MAPS, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. It’s a non-profit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana.

Shoshana Leibner joins todays episode to discuss the history of the FTA and what it is doing today to help individuals and the industry as a whole. Find full show notes here: https://wp.me/p3DUt1-Gz

This week, Dylan and Brian share their experiences from the Rise Float Gathering in St. Louis last month. The beauty of the event is the intimacy and intentionally small number of participants, where everyone has a chance to spend time together. The environment felt welcoming and fluid, with a heart-centered vibe. The revisit how the roundtable discussion flowed, and how great it was to hear from so many individuals on a specific topic, all the while realizing there is no right or wrong answer to the question that was posed.

Dylan, Jeremy Jacob & Kim Hannan host a roundtable discussion live from the Rise Float Gathering! What's the best way to give an introduction? How much information is too much? How best can we make our clients feel comfortable and at home? Tune in to hear from your float community!

Amy and Dylan share tips about decisions you should make during the construction phase that will have a lasting impact on the day-to-day operations later, from plumbing to heating and cooling your rooms… and why you need rugs. They discuss the experience needed in order to tune into the details of a project, beyond just opening your own center, and how to find a balance between keeping an eye on the budget and spending money for the long-run. Get full show notes here: https://wp.me/p3DUt1-G1

128: Float Alchemy is Open! (somewhat) by Art of the Float

Since she was last on the show, Bek has moved to Portland and now works at The Float Shoppe with Dylan. In addition to some personal decisions, she wanted to continue to grow the project, and some of the culture in Australia doesn’t support their vision for incorporating cannabis as a treatment method. She shares how floating has helped her, and how she struggled at times to get in the tank. Find full show notes here: https://wp.me/p3DUt1-FQ

Kevin McCulloch joins the show to talk about the Rise Float Gathering's second year and what the float industry has to look forward to!

Note: This week, we talk about some adult themes, so if your kiddos are around, you might want to hold off on listening until later. Marilyn Olmsted, the first franchisee of Urban Float, joins the crew this week. Marilyn was previously a tax consultant in an accounting firm, and she explains why she chose a franchise model and how she sees her role in the business. She has a unique view of what she brings to the business and why she loves having competition. find full show notes at https://wp.me/p3DUt1-Fq