Meet Lisa Nevins | Franchise Owner of The NOW Massage South Bay

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Nevins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, how has your background shaped the person you are today?

I was born and raised in Palm Springs, California to an immigrant mother from the Philippines and an Irish and German father, born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. My single mother worked as a live-in maid. My father found work as the only white gardener in the Coachella Valley in the 1980s.

They both instilled in me determination, resilience, a tenacious work ethic, and the importance and value of living a life of service.

At the age of six, my father Rex Nevins, planted an entrepreneurial seed in me. I opened my very first business “Rock Creations,” a table we’d set up every weekend at five in the morning at a local flea market in Joshua Tree. I’d glue tiny pewter pieces to crystal slabs, price them, and nervously answer any questions customers had.

That seed grew to be an unstoppable force as I found my life’s journey blossom into a role as a successful mortgage loan officer at the age of 24. The peak of my career came in2019 when I was ranked in the top 1% in the country for volume, out of over 4,000 loan originators with Wells Fargo’s Private Mortgage Bank.

Shortly after this success, in February of 2020, I found myself experiencing random bouts of crying for 24 days straight. After a couple of doctors’ visits, I found out I had mentally and physically burned out.

A year later, I decided to take a leap of faith, resign from my 16-year-career in Private Mortgage Banking with over a billion dollars funded, and rollover every single dollar of my retirement into building out and opening a franchise ofThe NOW Massage in the South Bay.

What should our readers know about your business?

In November of 2015 as I was scrolling through Instagram, I came across a post about Kendall Jenner’s 20th birthday celebration at a new spa in Los Angeles. That same month, I booked a massage at The NOW in West Hollywood and fell in love! In 2017 I became a member, in 2020 I purchased my first franchise unit and in 2021, I opened the very first NOW Massage franchise in California.

Opening a business as a solo, female entrepreneur in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic required a lot of faith and optimism. I toured 52 retail spaces from El Segundo to Palos Verdes and it took seven long months between submitting a letter of intent for our El Segundo unit to receiving keys to start our build out.

Each day before our doors officially opened, I set an intention to learn something new. I’d sit at a little desk on the outdoor patio of the BizHaus coworking space in El Segundo and research how to understand commercial leases and what were important interview questions. I planned a pop-up strategy to introduce our brand to the South Bay communities, I customized a 50 page employee handbook, hired our first employees, started training, and eventually became a part of and learned all about the commercial build out process.

I was so excited living in a world I created each day, for a purpose much bigger than I could have ever imagined.

Without a formal business degree and with limited management experience, in two years we’ve grown to 32 employees, 730 members, and average over 1,100 services a month.

I’m so proud to be a part of a brand that focuses on offering high quality, customizable massage services in an inspired setting that include mesmerizing crystal grids, dimly lit basket lights in our Journey Room, a cactus gallery in our lobby, and live edge wood slabs throughout the space.

From repairwoman to plumber, human resources to accounting, marketing to welcoming in our amazing guests — I truly enjoy what I do. Most of all, my heart is so full knowing I can support such kind and giving individuals that make up our NOW South Bay team I lovingly call “family.”

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

I dedicate my shoutout to the 32 beautiful souls I’m honored to call my employees. They are our talented healers who are certified Massage Therapists and our front desk superstars, my Experience Guides, who love on our guests and bring me strength and sunshine as a solo owner and general manager. To our very special members and guests who allow us to be a part of your self-care, I am truly grateful. To our South Bay community, especially my dearest Natalie and Stan of Two Guns Espresso and Lynette of Hammer and Nails South Bay, I am so thankful for your warm welcome, sharing your wisdom as business owners, and continued support! To my husband Kent, my mom Lina, and late father Rex and late step-father Joe, thank you for believing in me. And most importantly to The NOW’s co-founder Gara Post, for her determination to grow four L.A. boutiques into a national franchise and share her dream with all of us. Without you, our amazing NOW family from coast to coast would not exist. With gratitude NOW and always! xo

Website: https://thenowmassage.com/south-bay/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisacaldwellmeeks

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lacaldwellmeeks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNOWMassageSouthBay/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-now-massage-south-bay-el-segundo-3

Image Credits
Photos by Public 311 Design