Amanda Clark: Leading with What Makes You Different

Name: Amanda Clark
Title: CEO
Company: WellBiz Brands
Years in franchising: 12
Number of units: 240 Elements Massage, 206 Drybar, 168 Amazing Lash Studio, 82 Fitness Together, 58 Radiant Waxing

As CEO of WellBiz Brands, Amanda Clark’s role involves setting the strategic vision, driving growth across the portfolio, and fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration. She works closely with brand leaders to ensure the company is delivering exceptional experiences for both franchisees and their customers. At the heart of everything she does is a passion for building strong, purpose-driven businesses that make a positive impact.

Personal & Leadership Journey

Can you share a defining moment that shaped your leadership style? Very early in my career, while working at Procter & Gamble, I had a moment that fundamentally shaped how I lead. At the time, I felt like the odd person out. I didn’t fit the traditional P&G model. I didn’t go to business school, I dressed differently, and my background was in psychology and theater rather than a traditional business path.

To fit in, I started trying to emulate what I thought a typical leader at P&G should look and sound like. A former manager pulled me aside and asked, “What happened to the person we hired?” She reminded me that the very things I was trying to suppress were the reasons I had been brought onto the team in the first place.

That moment taught me the importance of embracing what makes you different instead of trying to turn every perceived weakness into a strength. It shaped my belief that leadership is most effective when it’s authentic. When you lean into your unique perspective, you create space for others to do the same. That lesson continues to guide how I build teams, support leaders, and drive change today.

How has your personal background influenced the way you lead? Who or what has most influenced your philosophy as a leader or changemaker? My leadership style has been deeply influenced by my father, who was a public servant his entire career. He served as the CEO of a nonprofit children’s agency in Florida and modeled servant leadership in a very real, hands-on way. He didn’t just lead from behind a desk; he was in the field, talking with employees, families, and the children the organization served. He truly walked the talk.

Watching that shaped my belief that leadership is about presence, service, and connection to the mission. He worked long hours, including weekends, not out of obligation but because he genuinely loved the impact of the work. That example has stayed with me throughout my career.

In my role today, that mindset shows up in how I engage with our franchise system. I spend time meeting directly with franchise owners and their teams through road shows and in-person visits, listening to their experiences, understanding their challenges, and celebrating what’s working. That proximity to the field helps ensure our strategies and decisions are grounded in real operational realities.

I’ve always been drawn to mission-driven organizations, and when the work aligns with purpose, it never feels like just a job. That connection to people, impact, and mission is what continues to guide how I lead.

Driving Change & Innovation

What significant changes or innovations have you led within your brand? At WellBiz, innovation is a core capability, and we’ve focused on building the systems and processes that allow new technology to be implemented thoughtfully and at scale across our portfolio.

One of the most impactful changes we introduced was a 12-month marketing and innovation calendar that integrates promotions, commercial innovation, and product and service innovation across our brands. This approach was driven directly by franchisee feedback and informed by insights from team members with diverse industry experience. By giving franchisees more advanced visibility and planning time, we’ve been able to improve execution quality across the system.

From a technology and AI perspective, we’ve adopted AI-powered appointment booking tools. It started within the Radiant Waxing system and later expanded to approximately half of the Amazing Lash Studio locations. This technology has improved the guest booking experience while helping reduce labor demands at the studio level.

Since I’ve joined WellBiz, we’ve launched innovation across the entire portfolio, tailoring it to each brand, including product and service innovation at Drybar, skincare innovation at Elements Massage, and commercially driven innovation at Fitness Together. Across all of this work, our focus has been on ensuring innovation is franchisee informed, operationally practical, and aligned with long-term growth.

How did you implement those changes, and what results did they bring? We were very intentional about how we implemented these changes, starting with communication. One of our guiding principles was making sure we weren’t talking to ourselves internally but truly communicating with franchise owners in a way that kept them informed early and helped them understand the “why” behind the changes. Even when the rationale felt obvious internally, we knew it was important to clearly explain the purpose, anticipate questions, and address how changes would impact franchisees at the local level.

As we looked at our existing processes, it became clear that franchise owners weren’t always being given enough lead time to execute with excellence. We used that insight, along with franchisee feedback, to reevaluate our approach. Drawing on the collective experience of a team with strong backgrounds in franchising as well as large consumer and retail brands, we asked a simple question: “If we were starting from scratch, what would the best possible system look like?”

That thinking led to the creation of a 12-month marketing and innovation calendar designed to provide clarity, consistency, and adequate planning time.

Throughout the rollout, we focused on building strong partnerships and trust, identifying internal allies, and listening carefully to areas of resistance so that we could address concerns directly rather than push past them. The result has been stronger alignment across the system and improved execution quality with franchisees better equipped to plan, staff, and deliver against initiatives with confidence.

Ultimately, these changes have reinforced why we believe so strongly in franchising. When franchise owners are supported with clear communication, thoughtful planning, and the right tools, they’re able to take the brands further, and that’s the outcome we’re focused on driving.

What role have you had in adopting new technologies, including AI? I’m not a technology expert by training, but I’m a strong advocate for finding solutions that work and thoughtfully applying them across brands where they can add real value. I work closely with our technology team and senior leadership to evaluate opportunities and identify where tools can meaningfully improve both the franchisee and guest experience.

A strong example is AI-powered appointment booking. At Radiant Waxing, AI-driven SMS booking was already in place when the brand joined the portfolio, allowing guests to book appointments without relying on front-desk labor. After seeing the impact, I partnered with our tech team and brand leadership to extend that same technology to approximately half of the Amazing Lash Studio locations. This helped improve the guest booking experience, increase appointment volume, and reduce labor pressure at the studio level.

More broadly, I view AI as a practical enabler rather than a trend. By working cross-functionally and staying focused on evolving consumer needs, we’re able to adopt technology in ways that are scalable, thoughtful, and aligned with long-term brand growth.

How do you identify when it’s time for a brand to evolve? Brand evolution is continuous, and it doesn’t always require a major change. More often, it’s about paying close attention to how consumers are changing and responding with intention.

Consumer needs and expectations shift constantly, and each generation engages with beauty and wellness brands through a different lens. We look closely at where our target consumers are in their journey, how they want to be spoken to, what they value, and how they prefer to experience a brand.

When we see those expectations shifting, it signals an opportunity to evolve our messaging, offerings, or experience in ways that feel authentic and relevant. The goal is always to meet consumers where they are and connect with them genuinely within our category while ensuring the brand continues to grow alongside them.

How do you communicate change effectively to franchisees? My personal belief is that you can’t overcommunicate when it comes to change. Our approach is to communicate early, often, consistently, and clearly while recognizing that franchise owners prefer to receive information in different ways.

We intentionally customize our communication channels to meet franchisees where they are. For those who prefer visual and live engagement, we host quarterly executive webinars that focus on system-wide priorities and strategic updates along with monthly operations webinars designed to support day-to-day execution.

For franchisees who like to read and reference information on their own time, we provide a biweekly News You Can Use newsletter that highlights key updates, deadlines, and actionable insights. And for more independent information seekers, we maintain a centralized information hub on MyStudio, where franchisees can easily access the latest resources, announcements, and tools whenever they need them.

By offering multiple, consistent touchpoints, we ensure franchisees aren’t relying on a single channel or message to stay informed. This equity-based approach to communication helps improve understanding, reduce confusion, and build confidence during periods of change.

Challenges & Resilience

What obstacles have you encountered while driving change, and how did you overcome them? One of the biggest obstacles is that people are naturally wired to be skeptical of change because change can feel like a risk, especially when it affects someone’s day-to-day work or business. Resistance often isn’t about disagreement with the idea itself; it’s about uncertainty and personal impact.

A common mistake we’ve seen is assuming the change will land smoothly because it’s been discussed extensively internally. Leadership may have talked it through to the point where the “why” feels obvious, but for the rest of the system, it’s the first time they’re hearing it. That’s where misalignment and confusion can show up.

To overcome that, we focus on clearly explaining the “why” for different audiences, anticipating the questions we know franchisees and teams will have, and addressing concerns directly, like the question everyone asks silently: “What does this mean for me?”

Strong partnerships and trust are critical in those moments, and we also intentionally identify and engage internal allies who can help reinforce the message and support adoption.

Ultimately, maintaining momentum comes down to understanding the root of resistance and responding with clarity, context, and consistency rather than simply repeating the decision.

How do you balance short-term pressures with long-term vision? Having the advantage of working within a private company gives us greater strategic flexibility to stay focused on the long term rather than managing solely quarter to quarter. In public environments, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture when near-term performance becomes the primary driver. That’s why creating a clear North Star is so important as a leader.

We spend time defining where we want to be five years out and then mapping the interim steps that will get us there. That long-term vision provides direction and helps ensure short-term decisions are aligned with where the business is ultimately headed.

At the same time, business realities don’t pause. When unexpected challenges arise, it’s important to assess what’s happening in the short term, identify gaps that may be getting in the way, and pivot thoughtfully. In those moments, we may adjust tactics without abandoning the strategy, evaluating whether a different short-term approach will better support the long-term goal.

Balancing the two comes down to staying anchored to the vision while remaining flexible enough to adapt as circumstances change.