John Busenbark, a businessman and beauty industry guru with a 20-plus-year career in consumer products, is now leveraging his decades of high-level experience to expand Heyday’s presence in Philadelphia, becoming the first franchisee for the brand in the City of Brotherly Love.
For John Busenbark, the transition into becoming a Heyday franchise owner seemed rather natural. Armed with 20 years of experience in consumer products with an emphasis and expertise in beauty, he has worked — in a leadership capacity — for some of the best beauty, haircare, cosmetics, fragrance and skincare companies in the industry, including Unilever, L’Oréal, and Coty.
The Salt Lake City, Utah, native moved throughout the West Coast and had the chance to live in California, Arizona, Texas, and Oregon before settling himself in Glenside, Pennsylvania — the state where he would launch his first Heyday location after he saw an announcement in a trade magazine.
Now, with his Heyday location set to open in summer 2022, Busenbark is excited to play a role in helping local clients develop their own personalized skincare routine and experience the tailored services that Heyday is known for.
“Everything that we’re doing at Heyday is conducive to a specific consumer need,” Busenbark said.
According to Busenbark, consumers are starved for individualized skincare recommendations after years of receiving information about products from word of mouth or online reviews. It was this gap in the market that prompted Busenbark to open several Heyday locations of his own, continuing to expand the options for affordable, personalized skincare in Philadelphia and providing a trusted resource for advice and skincare recommendations from certified skincare professionals.
“Heyday has the potential to change the way consumers interface with skincare,” Busenbark said. “It’s challenging to get expert advice on your skin, and it’s so individualized that, until you have that face-to-face, one-on-one interaction and create a routine, that need for personalized skincare recommendations will never be met. This brand has the potential to change the way the consumer thinks about taking care of their skin.”
Now, armed with a wealth of experience pulled from years working in the corporate beauty space, Busenbark plans to bring substantial knowledge to the table to help communicate Heyday’s unique offerings with clients in the Philadelphia area, especially among younger demographics.
For many, and particularly among millennials and Gen Z’ers, skincare is a way of life, and it’s an industry that gains traction each year. And, while the industry itself continues to grow, there remains to be an established leader within the space. Heyday aims to be that trusted leader and Busenbark believes that the concept will sweep across the country over the next few years.
As he works toward opening next summer, Busenbark said he feels like his timing to enter the franchise is just right, and he plans to open additional locations in the surrounding Philadelphia area over the next few years.
This endeavor to thrive and expand as a franchisee with Heyday is certainly something that Sean Bock, Heyday president of franchising , believes that Busenbark can achieve.
“As a vetted skincare and beauty industry leader, John is the perfect fit for us as a Heyday owner. He is poised for success as he continues to grow Heyday’s presence in Philadelphia, joining our existing corporate location in Rittenhouse,” Bock said.
Heyday’s startup costs range between $574,000 to $755,500, depending on which market the store is located. Other factors like design, configuration and labor costs will also impact the total investment. Click here to see the full cost breakdown.
