| Planet Tan A Case Study from the Max Impact Family |
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Full Speed Ahead at Planet Tan
EDITOR’S NOTE: St. Louis, Mo., native Tony Hartl, CEO and founder of Texas-based Planet Tan, describes his 120
employees as "talent." Strategic thinking keeps this forward-moving executive at the top of his game. Planet Tan's awards
include Profiles International's 2007 Client of the Year, The Dallas Business Journal's Best Places to Work in Dallas-Fort
Worth for 2006 and 2007, and INC Magazine's designation of an INC 500 Company for 2007.
Q. How did you create the name "Planet Tan"?
A. When I was starting Planet Tan, there were similar names out there -- Planet Hollywood was popular. And there were other
tanning firms with "global" and "international" in the name. I wanted to take something to infinity so we would not fall victim to
the "one-up" concept. I chose "planet," which matches the logo design.
Q. How many Planet Tan locations do you have, and where are they?
A. We have 12 with the 13th being built right now. All are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Within the next 30 months, we will add 20 additional stores.
Q. Were you living in Dallas at the time you founded the company?
A. I was living in Denver. I'd gotten a classic education in marketing and at age 23, I was the vice president of a corporation. My position gave me an understanding of
trends, as well as an access to research and data in tanning and an understanding of clients' lifestyles. So I studied where this type of client might live. I also looked at where
I wanted to live. Dallas was the answer. It's a great market, a great city from a cosmopolitan standpoint, and it has the traditional values that I grew up with in the Midwest.
Q. What are those values?
A. When you say you are going to do something, you do it. You don't need a contract. I seal many of my deals with a handshake. Also, I appreciate people. That doesn't
mean taking them for granted, but appreciating what they do. The overarching thing is the work ethic. I have been in many markets where there is a cultural difference
when it comes down to accountability and how people work. The Midwestern ethic, shaped by farm life, is that you work all day and all night. I was exposed to that at an
early age.
Q. Besides that hard work, what makes Planet Tan successful?
A. There are two points of difference between Planet Tan and our competitors. We established our brand as fun, energetic and relevant. We sponsor three sports teams. We
are the official tanning center of The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, The Dallas Mavericks Dancers and the NHL Dallas Stars Ice Girls. We are one of the few businesses to
sponsor all three major sports franchises in Dallas and this makes people think we are larger than we are. The second thing is our size. Our average stores have 50 tanning
beds, where others might have 10 or 12. We have the largest tanning facilities in the world and we are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. We have so many
beds that we gain market share very rapidly.
Q. Did you know the business would be successful from the outset?
A. Yes. I never thought I would do something that would not be successful. There is a certain level of optimism, enthusiasm and energy that entrepreneurs bring to the
table. There is a real bias for action. It's like a 16-foot speedboat. You think at lightning speed. It's in the DNA – you've got it or you don't. It's not learnable or teachable
Q. Why did you contact Profiles International?
A. We had a need. We had 88 percent attrition in 2006. We needed better assessment tools. A friend referred me to Profiles.
Q. What assessments do you use and what have you seen as a result?
A. We use ProfileXT™, ProfileXT Sales™ and Step One Survey II™. In one year, I saw a drop in attrition from 88 to 72 percent. I knew we were onto something.
Q. Have you seen other changes in your business as a result of your relationship with Profiles?
A. We take more of a deliberate approach to our hiring process now. We understand that there's not any one piece we want to do without. We use Profiles assessments,
multiple interviews and reference and background checks. We have 120 employees and that will grow to 170 by end of the year. We call people "talent," and the difference
between talent and people can be a strategic initiative for a business.
Contact us to learn how to duplicate this success story in your organization.
Source: Profiles International
EDITOR’S NOTE: St. Louis, Mo., native Tony Hartl, CEO and founder of Texas-based Planet Tan, describes his 120
employees as "talent." Strategic thinking keeps this forward-moving executive at the top of his game. Planet Tan's awards
include Profiles International's 2007 Client of the Year, The Dallas Business Journal's Best Places to Work in Dallas-Fort
Worth for 2006 and 2007, and INC Magazine's designation of an INC 500 Company for 2007.
Q. How did you create the name "Planet Tan"?
A. When I was starting Planet Tan, there were similar names out there -- Planet Hollywood was popular. And there were other
tanning firms with "global" and "international" in the name. I wanted to take something to infinity so we would not fall victim to
the "one-up" concept. I chose "planet," which matches the logo design.
Q. How many Planet Tan locations do you have, and where are they?
A. We have 12 with the 13th being built right now. All are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Within the next 30 months, we will add 20 additional stores.
Q. Were you living in Dallas at the time you founded the company?
A. I was living in Denver. I'd gotten a classic education in marketing and at age 23, I was the vice president of a corporation. My position gave me an understanding of
trends, as well as an access to research and data in tanning and an understanding of clients' lifestyles. So I studied where this type of client might live. I also looked at where
I wanted to live. Dallas was the answer. It's a great market, a great city from a cosmopolitan standpoint, and it has the traditional values that I grew up with in the Midwest.
Q. What are those values?
A. When you say you are going to do something, you do it. You don't need a contract. I seal many of my deals with a handshake. Also, I appreciate people. That doesn't
mean taking them for granted, but appreciating what they do. The overarching thing is the work ethic. I have been in many markets where there is a cultural difference
when it comes down to accountability and how people work. The Midwestern ethic, shaped by farm life, is that you work all day and all night. I was exposed to that at an
early age.
Q. Besides that hard work, what makes Planet Tan successful?
A. There are two points of difference between Planet Tan and our competitors. We established our brand as fun, energetic and relevant. We sponsor three sports teams. We
are the official tanning center of The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, The Dallas Mavericks Dancers and the NHL Dallas Stars Ice Girls. We are one of the few businesses to
sponsor all three major sports franchises in Dallas and this makes people think we are larger than we are. The second thing is our size. Our average stores have 50 tanning
beds, where others might have 10 or 12. We have the largest tanning facilities in the world and we are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. We have so many
beds that we gain market share very rapidly.
Q. Did you know the business would be successful from the outset?
A. Yes. I never thought I would do something that would not be successful. There is a certain level of optimism, enthusiasm and energy that entrepreneurs bring to the
table. There is a real bias for action. It's like a 16-foot speedboat. You think at lightning speed. It's in the DNA – you've got it or you don't. It's not learnable or teachable
Q. Why did you contact Profiles International?
A. We had a need. We had 88 percent attrition in 2006. We needed better assessment tools. A friend referred me to Profiles.
Q. What assessments do you use and what have you seen as a result?
A. We use ProfileXT™, ProfileXT Sales™ and Step One Survey II™. In one year, I saw a drop in attrition from 88 to 72 percent. I knew we were onto something.
Q. Have you seen other changes in your business as a result of your relationship with Profiles?
A. We take more of a deliberate approach to our hiring process now. We understand that there's not any one piece we want to do without. We use Profiles assessments,
multiple interviews and reference and background checks. We have 120 employees and that will grow to 170 by end of the year. We call people "talent," and the difference
between talent and people can be a strategic initiative for a business.
Contact us to learn how to duplicate this success story in your organization.
Source: Profiles International
