Face Foundrie Founder/CEO Michele Henry

As the co-founder of Primp, a Minneapolis-based “cheap chic” boutique chain that grew to nine stores throughout the Midwest and a robust online following, Michele Henry had barely taken time off with her first two kids. When her third baby arrived, she vowed to take a true maternity leave, and that’s when she realized that an entrepreneur never really stops. Short on time for herself with three little ones at home and suddenly dealing with postpartum skin issues, Henry wished for a spa where she could run in for a quickie skin treatment—without all the trappings, or price tag, that typically go along with a “spa day.” Express facial spas were beginning to pop up on the coasts, but there wasn’t one in the Twin Cities. She went to work on a business plan for Face Foundrie, a facial bar focused on “efficient, effective, approachable” skincare. In late 2018, Henry sold her half of Primp to her founding partner and immediately signed a lease for her first Face Foundrie, which is now a fast growing franchise chain on pace to hit 100 units sold nationwide by end of year. “If I could pinpoint what I like most about building businesses,” Henry says, “it’s really problem solving. How do I, for the least amount of money, make this feel really high end?” This spring, Henry also launched Face Foundrie’s first aesthetics school and a product line that is rolling out to all Face Foundrie locations. She walks us through the process of building a franchise business, and how her role has evolved from serving customers to serving franchisees, many of whom were Face Foundrie clients that left corporate careers to start locations of their own. “I think people came out of Covid and said, ‘Life is short, nothing is guaranteed. Am I happy? Am I going to be happy doing this long term?’ A lot of franchisees at their core, want to make people feel good. Their mission is the same as ours. It’s very easy spot who will make it in this system, who we want to partner with.” Face Foundrie is now headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn. with 8