UpClose & Personal - John Fanuzzi

I have been in the equipment business for 20 years and the past year was perhaps the toughest economic times the industry has faced. I attribute it to the wave of cheap imported portable tables sold at Costco, Sam’s Club, airline magazines and dot com distributors coupled with the recent stock market drop. (A large part of our business is portable tables.) It has hurt the entire industry. I hope future customers can get the message that by buying imports, they could be ultimately hurting themselves.

Here are my reasons:

1. If US manufacturers cave in to the lower prices of foreign imports, they could be out of business or weakened in a short time. Don’t forget, the old time manufacturers have poured millions of advertising and marketing dollars to help grow the industry rapidly over the years and have spent their profits on developing the latest tools of the trade—better equipment for you, the therapist. These companies have been loyal to this great industry. If companies are cash poor or are no longer around, the long-term effects will hurt the industry. Do you think Costco is planning to help our industry by advertising or new product development? If our company is profitable, it means better products, more advertising and trade show support, charitable contributions, better service and happier employees.

2. Will custom-built tables still be available? Definitely not from China. And perhaps not by US manufacturers either, since it may not be profitable to build them and still be competitive.

3. Are imported tables safe? What happens if your import table collapses? Do you carry $2 million in liability insurance?

4. If it squeaks or starts to shake, your customer might feel insecure and may not return. There goes all the savings you thought you made, in one shot.

5. What happens if you need service or parts? Foreign customer service? Lots of luck.

6. I would rather create more jobs for American families than to contribute to foreign economies that have a poor record in the human rights department.

7. Heard on the street: "Many of the students who have purchased the cheapest import tables have been the ones who have failed in their practices."

Here’s what Golden Ratio is doing to keep profitable so we can be strong enough to continue to serve you and the industry: (I hope our long-time competitors are thinking along the same lines.)

We are:
1. Focusing on new product design and improvements
2. Providing great customer service
3. Offering better guarantees
4. Obtaining patents on our new innovative products
5. Raising quality control standards
6. Having more face-to-face contact with our customers
7. Working closer with our loyal schools and distributors

I am proud to be a part of this industry—I think it is the BEST in the world. I want to keep the momentum so we can bridge the gap into medical spa facilities for hospitals, retirement and nursing homes, and to open the door for massage and spa treatments to be covered by insurance benefit packages in the future.

Business-Related Events:
Trips coming up for me personally—come and visit! I would love to meet you! (I am actually now officially famous. I signed my first autograph at the Face and Body show in July.)
1. Chicago Podiatry Show: August 16-18. We’ll be in BioFreeze's booth #536.
2. Orlando Premier Beauty Show, August 26-27, Booth #1837
3. Los Angeles Spacifically Show: September 11-13, Booth #1121
4. Palm Springs, CA ISPA Show: October 14-17, Booth # 148 & 150
5. Orlando ICE Show, October 27-29, Booth #752

New Products and Improvements:

1.Our Verona Royale™ has been well received at all shows this year, (maybe because customers love getting their feet wet).

2. The Mermaid™ has been improved to better facilitate face-down treatments. We removed the 6” of foam padding at each end reducing the table to a more functional 73” length, with a width of 33”. We will be bringing it to most shows. If you need to see it, give me a call at Golden Ratio, extension 120. Royalty agreements have just been signed and we plan to do more education on the cutting edge treatments for this most comfortable wassage (water massage) table.
3. Be on the lookout for our new version and very affordable electric lift table. (I am not thrilled about flying, but many new products and ideas happened at 30,000 feet, including this one.)

General News
1. Coming soon—a facelift and more multi-functional Bodyworks website. Read our newsletter for the date!
2. Had fun at the FSMTA (Florida State Massage Therapy Association) Show and are looking forward to contributing to the success of next year’s show in Jacksonville.
3. NOW OPEN! The Spa @ Golden Ratio

4. Record sales month in July—also lots of regular rain in Montana (any relation?).
5. Factory addition—GRW will be adding about 9000 square feet soon.

Visit Golden Ratio's Websites!

http://www.GoldenRatio.com

http://www.wellspringinstitute.com

NOW OPEN The Spa at Golden Ratio!

Email John: john@goldenratio.com