Kyla Dufresne, Founder of Foxy Box Wax & Laser Bar.
One of the things I love the most about Pink Tank, is having the opportunity to meet and be connected to so many amazing women who create inspiration on a daily basis. Through a casual conversation with Ritz Clinging, Founder of I Love My Muff, she opened my eyes to Foxy Box Wax & Laser Bar and the founder behind it. Everything about Foxy Box I love - from the name, the bold branding, to the story behind it. Kyla started waxing out of the back of a jewelry store and has since created a multi location enterprise complete with franchises across the country. So much respect. Read on to find out more about how she got the idea to start Foxy Box, future plans, her biggest takeaway as an entrepreneur and more.
(Pink Tank Group): Congrats on your success with Foxy Box! Can you share how you were inspired to start the first original Foxy Box?
(Kyla): My inspiration to start came after my first waxing experience. My best friend brought me in for my very first Brazilian to a lady who had a waxing studio in the basement of her house. After my first wax I was hooked! I used to go in with my bestie, watch the wax go on, the strip come off and see the smooth skin sparkling underneath. I fell in love with the art of waxing! Jessica, my waxer, made me feel so comfortable in an uncomfortable situation and I quickly realized the missing market for a comfortable, convenient and affordable place to get waxed. 10 years ago the only places to get a Brazilian wax were in a high end spa where you would spend upwards of $90 in a dimly lit room to get a mediocre service, the back of a nail salon which maybe didn’t have the highest cleanliness standards, or a home spa if you were lucky enough to find someone and be able to get an appointment. People 1 needed access to this magical, uplifting service and I set out on a mission to provide that for them.
(Pink Tank Group): Your logo is absolutely amazing! Were you involved in the creative of this or how did it come to be?
(Kyla): I owe this lady named Tara Williamson a trip to Brazil one day. She’s a professional illustrator and an absolute genius. I literally took her for a beer one day before starting Foxy Box and told her ‘I’m starting a business, it’s called Foxy Box, and I’m going to specialize in Brazilian Waxes’. She pulled over a napkin and drew with a pen the Logo that you see today. I paid her $100 and the Logo and Brand have been legendary ever since. Legitarally, it’s in my vision board to do something big for this lady one day.
(Pink Tank Group): How did the idea to franchise Foxy Box come about?
(Kyla): I always knew I wanted to Franchise, but I actually didn’t even know what that meant. Before I even put myself through waxing school I would tell everyone: “I’m going to start a wax bar called Foxy Box, I’m going to Franchise and I’m going to take over the world One Box at a Time!” Through a lot of trial and error, including my first failed Franchise attempt, here we are now with 13 Locations open, 2 more under construction and big plans for expansion.
(Pink Tank Group): What are you currently excited about with future plans for Foxy Box?
(Kyla): I think what excites me the most about our brand is the ability to have such a huge impact on our communities. Every year we do Fundraisers and events like our Foxy Fest Fundraiser on International Women's Day and our annual Client Appreciation Day.
It’s so important that we give back where we can and use our brand power and platform to make a positive shift on this planet.
Last year, we made the decision to become a green company to reduce our carbon impact on this planet we call home. As we grow and scale it was important to me that we weren’t leaving a wake of waste in our efforts to grow. All of our single use items, which normally wouldn’t be recyclable because of wax remnants are picked up, incinerated to create power for our gridlines and the waste from that is used to pave roads. It excites me that as we grow, we have more of an opportunity to create positive shifts on this planet. I’ve had it on my vision board to have a Foxy Foundation for quite some time now and I’m excited about the opportunity to flush that out fully.
(Pink Tank Group): What has been the biggest takeaway from your experience as an entrepreneur?
(Kyla): I think my biggest takeaway is that it's okay to not be okay. Being an entrepreneur is like being on a never ending rollercoaster. Some times are exciting, heart stopping and amazing, some are anxiety inducing and other times you’ll want to break down and cry. All of these feelings are COMPLETELY NORMAL and it’s okay to feel them. Let yourself be vulnerable, don’t be afraid to reach out for help, get yourself a mentor or a coach and surround yourself with people who can uplift you.
Failure is a part of success and everyone needs to know that.
It’s so important to celebrate every small win. If you set your goals so high and don’t celebrate the small steps in between to get to that Victory, you’re going to have a lot of miserable years. Reflect back at your accomplishments, give yourself a pat on the back and when you slip ask yourself ‘okay, what did we learn from this’ and move forward with more knowledge. Entrepreneurship isn’t easy, if it was everyone would do it, but at the end of the day it is the most rewarding journey for myself and many others.
(Pink Tank Group): What are you most proud of in your career?
(Kyla): I think there are 2 things here so I’ll let you choose what you see fit:
1. Navigating Covid. The world turned pretty dark pretty quickly. I made it my mission to stay the course, keep on a team of rockstars and help bring positivity to the world in a time where people needed it the most. Every morning I met with my team and we brainstormed ways to give back and make people smile. We launched our ‘make a sister smile’ campaign where we gave away a $20 gift card each day we were closed. We had people post their favorite joke or a recipe they were trying or what music they were listening too and then tag their friend in it. We gave massive discounts on bundles to keep revenues streaming in for our stores and Franchisee. Each purchase of a bundle we donated a Gift Card to a nurse or health care practitioner as our way of giving back to our Healthcare Heroes.
We ensured that we kept our foot on the gas and didn’t just take a vacation so that when the world re-opened, Foxy Box was the first thing on peoples minds and also so that we could shine a bit of light in a time that was dark for many people.
2. Our Foxy Fest Fundraiser is something I’m very proud of. I had a big idea to hold a fundraiser and it would be like ‘Lilith Fair’ with Sarah McLachlan and Alanis Morissette coming out to raise money for amazing charities. Well, although I don’t have those iconic ladies numbers in my iphone, I decided we should start somewhere and locally is where it was. We launched our first annual Foxy Fest Fundraiser 4 years ago now at a live venue in each community that we were located and a plethora of talented women came out and volunteered their time and talent to put on an incredible show. We raised over $5000 the first year for some 3 incredible local charities. Each year as we grow in new communities, we have the ability to raise more funds and make a larger impact.
(Pink Tank Group): How do you get inspired?
(Kyla): Traveling and Yoga!! I LOVE visiting different areas of the world. Seeing new cultures and experiencing new restaurants and trends sets my soul on fire. I live in a pretty serene and calm location so visiting big cities recharges my batteries.
I love seeing how people can be so creative and innovative with their buildouts and the energy they are trying to create in their different businesses.
Taking home bits and pieces and applying them to our business fuels me. I get inspired all the time and wish I could start a million businesses which is probably not a good idea lol. Yoga is also my time to connect with my spirit guides and make big decisions. Whenever I have big decisions to make or I’m feeling lost, I hit up a hot yoga room and let in all of the energy. I come away with a lot of clarity and focus.
(Pink Tank Group): Being an entrepreneur can be so rewarding but also challenging. What is the biggest challenge that comes with being a Founder?
(Kyla): The biggest challenge with being a Founder is bearing the emotional weight of everyone's success. I have people who have invested everything into being a part of our Brand and System as a Franchisee. I also have over 100 employees across our system who come in and represent our brand on a daily basis. My job as the Chief Energy Officer is to be everyone’s cheerleader and support them in having a fulfilling career. If any store or employee is struggling, it definitely takes a toll on me.
I’m very fortunate to have surrounded myself with incredible women who step in to help each other out when we need each other the most.
I couldn’t do what I do without the amazing energy and people that make up Foxy Box HQ Support Team.
(Pink Tank Group): Do you have any advice for the next generation of business women?
(Kyla): Go for it sister!! There is no ‘right time’ to start achieving your dreams. Surround yourself with like minded individuals, people who inspire you to be your best without judgement. If you slip up, if you fail, take a minute, let yourself feel the emotions, go through it and then pick yourself up and keep going, this time stronger and more experienced. Being an entrepreneur is challenging, it is difficult, success does not come overnight but don’t give up. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, find a mentor. Surround yourself with other women in business, we are all here to support one another and see each other thrive and we’ll always lend advice and a hand where we can.
(Pink Tank Group): How do you feel that women can best support each other?
(Kyla): We can all learn from one another if we all support one another. I have friends who are Founders and CEO’s of competing beauty brands and we can literally call or text each other for advice any time.
If one brand has done something that’s awesome (like becoming green circle certified), we should all jump on board to do this.
If one business has tried something and there were hiccups in the process or system, why wouldn’t you want to share that information with your fellow Founder. If we stick together we can make a bigger impact and also create a fair marketplace. Let’s look at each other's price points so that we’re all on the same page and succeeding together. Let’s look at our systems and see how we can make a positive difference on the planet. The more positive attention we can bring to the beauty industry, the more customers are going to want to support it. It’s a win win. And lastly, a piece of advice I learned from a Franchise Convention was that you should be friendly with everyone, even your competition, what if one day you wanted to be acquired or sell your business, wouldn’t it be nice if you had a relationship with someone who may want to take you up on that opportunity.
Learn more about Kyla and Foxy Box:
Website: Foxyboxwaxbar.com
Instagram: @Foxyboxwaxbar