Franchise Foundations: The Role of Site Selection and Design
with Ryan Rao, Chief Development Officer at VIO Med Spa
Ryan Rao reveals how VIO Med Spa scaled to 65 locations by obsessing over franchisee selection, site psychology, and creating an experience customers refuse to give up — even in a downturn.
Listen now:
ServiceChannel
Ryan shares how the brand scaled from a single Ohio location to 65 franchises across 20 states by prioritizing franchisee selection, site psychology, and a curated in-location experience. He breaks down what it takes to maintain brand consistency at scale and how a membership model creates loyalty that holds even in tough economic conditions.
Welcome to Elevating Brick and Mortar.
A podcast about how operations and facilities drive brand performance.
On today’s episode, we talk with Ryan Rao, Chief Development Officer at VIO Med Spa. With an experienced career, Ryan has helped grow VIO from its founding in 2017 into one of the country’s top-ranked med spa franchise concepts, now operating in 20 states and counting.
About the Guest
Ryan Rao is a passionate franchise professional who co-founded Apex Franchise Development Group, a full-service, highly professional business development solution for brands that want to franchise their business or take their current franchise business to the next level.
With his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for franchising, Ryan has consulted for multiple franchise-based businesses that grew into national and international brands with a focus on unique and differentiated business models.
Ryan has vast experience in franchise sales, real estate, start-up financing, and the intricacies of growing and developing a brand. He is always looking for new challenges and ways to innovate and improve the franchise industry.
“ It is a curated experience that we hold our franchise owners accountable to”
— Ryan Rao
TIMESTAMPS
**01:06 – About VIO Med Spa: Brand, services & history
**04:56 – Ryan’s path into franchising
**09:03 – Differentiating in a competitive wellness market
**12:40 – Site selection & brand standards across locations
**20:52 – VIO’s brand & digital refresh
**26:59 – Pre- vs. post-COVID consumer mindset & AI strategy
**37:12 – Advice for franchise leaders & what’s next for VIO
SPONSOR:
ServiceChannel brings you peace of mind through peak facilities performance.
Rest easy knowing your locations are:
- Offering the best possible guest experience
- Living up to brand standards
- Operating with minimal downtime
ServiceChannel partners with more than 500 leading brands globally to provide visibility across operations, the flexibility to grow and adapt to consumer expectations, and accelerated performance from their asset fleet and service providers.
