Wall, the Current Chief Growth Officer of Unleashed Brands, Looks Forward to Contributing to the Salon Franchise’s Growth
IMAGE Studios, a franchisor of upscale, turnkey salon suites backed by MPK Equity Partners, has named Josh Wall to its board of directors. The franchise industry veteran has 20 years of extensive leadership, franchise relations and real estate experience.
“I have been impressed by the way IMAGE Studios positions themselves within the beauty and wellness industry. Their unique business model anchored in real estate is attractive to franchisees, and I’m looking forward to adding value to their team as they continue to grow and expand,” Wall said. “I see founder and CEO Jason Olsen as a visionary in the beauty and wellness space, which ultimately makes IMAGE Studios a leader in the industry.”
Wall currently serves as the chief growth officer for Unleashed Brands, the franchisor of Urban Air Adventure Park, Sylvan Learning, The Little Gym, Snapology, Premier Martial Arts, Class 101 and XP League. “We are doing big things at Unleashed Brands, and I look forward to advising MPK and the IMAGE Studios team,” he said.
Wall previously served on the board of directors for Just Between Friends, which he said was a great opportunity to be around smart people who are driven to continually grow and improve. “I learn so much while I’m serving these companies,” he said. “It gives me a lot of energy and challenges me in the way I think about different strategies.”
Olsen said Wall’s strategic insight and extensive experience will be essential as IMAGE Studios expands across the country. “This partnership represents a significant milestone in our mission to empower beauty professionals to launch their own businesses safely and easily at one of our many locations nationwide,” Olsen said. “We were particularly impressed by the remarkable growth achieved by Josh and his team at Unleashed Brands over the past several years, and we’re looking forward to collaborating with him to drive our vision forward.”
From Consulting to Franchising
Wall entered franchising after leaving political consulting to work at Christian Brothers Automotive as a corporate trainer helping operators launch and learn the automotive franchise’s processes. During his 16 years with the automotive franchise, he ultimately was promoted to the position of vice president of franchise and strategic development and later to CDO, playing a role in growing the brand from 21 units to more than 265. “I was given a distinct opportunity to start and learn a new role, industry and team, and I’m forever grateful to founder Mark Carr for trusting me with this role,” Wall said.
Wall is so passionate about the franchising business model that he inspired his parents to become entrepreneurs. “I saw what a great business model franchising was and how it provided such good systems for aspiring business owners to execute, thus lowering the risk for getting into business for oneself,” he said. “From there, I couldn’t help but talk it up to my parents as a way for them to escape working for someone else, give themselves some more time, freedom and an opportunity to control their own wealth building. They were successful franchise business owners for 16 years, and that decision helped change their family tree.”
To be successful, Wall advises aspiring franchise owners to follow processes, cast a clear vision for their teams, enjoy serving people and hold themselves and those around them accountable.
About IMAGE Studios
Founded in 2009 by Jason Olsen, IMAGE Studios provides high-end salon studios to beauty and wellness professionals, including hair stylists, barbers, medical spa professionals, estheticians, tattoo artists, makeup artists, nail artists, massage therapists and more. Currently, the salon franchisor has 93 locations across 22 states and a pipeline of 220 stores in development.
In March of this year, IMAGE Studios received an investment from MPK Equity Partners, a previous investor in Unleashed Brands that worked alongside Wall on a successful exit.
