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BlogThe Deep End competition: Could your idea for business growth win you $50,000 and expert mentoring?In the beauty, wellness, and fitness space, business growth comes in many flavors. Here are three:
There are many more flavors, of course, and the possibilities for growth are a function of your ambition. Zenoti is paving the way for you to pursue the business growth you envision.
Imagine pitching your growth strategy to industry-leading judges, sharing your brand’s story, and walking away with a prize to fuel your next steps. That’s the thrill of Deep End, a competition for beauty, wellness, and fitness businesses. Whether you run one center or several, if you’re already generating revenue and ready to grow, the Deep End stage could be yours.
This year’s judges: SkinSpirit CEO Lynn Heublein, Van Michael Salon founder Van Council, and Self Esteem Brands CEO Dave Mortensen. You won’t just get feedback. You’ll get industry wisdom that money can’t buy.
Circle September 15, 2025, on your calendar. That’s when Deep End lights up the stage at the Innergize conference in Seattle from September 14-16.
Three finalists will earn paid admission to Innergize, and the big winner takes home a $50,000 prize plus top-tier mentoring. The application deadline is August 29, 2025.
Want proof that Deep End changes the trajectory for real businesses? Just look at last year’s champs: Well Infused co-founders Dr. Staci Blume and Dr. Lacey Book. They entered when their two-location business was just getting started with franchising, and their journey delivers serious inspiration.
“The prize money was incredibly valuable, and we are so grateful to have received that,” Staci said. It helped pay for website optimization and legal costs for the brand’s franchise disclosure documents.
We picked Staci’s brain to help this year’s Deep End hopefuls. Here you go!
You may know your business inside out, but the application and pitch will challenge you to rethink how you approach growth: scaling impact, improving systems, and future-proofing your business.
It was easy for Staci and Lacey to speak on stage about their processes, the franchise, and their business model. “The preparation to get to that day was the tough part. We’d prepared. You can never overprepare, but we were as close to it as we possibly could have been,” Staci said.
Completing the application forced her to critically evaluate how they were structuring the Well Infused franchise. The exercise gave her confidence that they’d “put together a great product that was actually saleable on the franchise market.”
Being selected as a finalist wins you so much more than the chance at a hefty take-home: admission to Innergize, face time with trailblazers, and industry cred.
Staci shared the non-monetary benefits of winning: “Making connections with the judges but also making sure that what we had built was worthy of standing on a stage with people who’ve built other large, very well-known franchises. [Deep End judge] Shane Evans [CEO, Heights Wellness Retreat] was fantastic to get on the phone with. We’ve been able to have some mentorship with them, which has been really helpful."
“The prize money has allowed us to invest in having key people in the right positions to support us as we grow,” Staci added. “It also gave us the fuel to feel like, okay, we belong here, and it makes sense to keep going.”
Staci admitted to moments of self-doubt and wondering how Well Infused would stack against the competition.
“You’ll always turn out better than you started just by putting in the work to be there,” she said. “You’ll never regret putting in 100% effort because the outcome is always going to be something you can be proud of.”
Giving 100% paid off even before the winners were announced. “We knew, walking off the stage, that we had done a good job. Feeling like we communicated what we wanted in those five minutes, not just for us to feel like we would have a chance at winning that prize, but also because I think it’s inspiring to other potential franchise owners.”
Ready to throw your hat in the ring? Last year’s theme was franchising. This year’s theme is broader: business growth.
Here’s the game plan:
You’ll refine your vision, make career-changing connections, gain free entry to an iconic industry conference, and perhaps even win $50,000.
We created Gearing up for Deep End, a webinar packed with helpful advice from Zenoti leader Dawn Cassidy and former Massage Envy CEO Dave Crisalli. “We want to put you in the best possible position to succeed,” says Dave.
The webinar walks you through the application process and includes the must-haves for a winning pitch. Watch it now.
Where to apply: Deep End 2025
How to prepare: Gearing up for Deep End
Featured image L-R: Deep End 2024 judges Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa CEO John Teza, Heights Wellness Retreat CEO Shane Evans, TPG Capital partner Paul Hackwell, and television personality Bethenny Frankel
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