ANY LAB TEST NOW Franchisee Power Couples!
Does working with your spouse sound like a dream or a nightmare? Any Lab Test Now is proud to boast more than a few power couples who prove owning and running one of our direct access lab franchises is a great way to continue building your dreams together. Whether just embarking on the entrepreneurial journey or being one of our founding franchisees, these three couples — with nine children and nearly 80 years of marriage between them — prove there is (good) life after leaving the corporate rat race.
Randi and Lloyd Beesing – Jacksonville, Florida
After years of talking about owning their own business, Randi and Lloyd Beesing didn’t just dip their toes in last year; they jumped in with both feet! The couple bought two territories in Jacksonville, Florida; opened one location in February, seized the opportunity to take over an existing store just eight months later, and a third location is still on the horizon.
“We have grown faster than expected,” laughs Randi. “But this is a perfect fit for us, it’s right in our wheelhouse and right in our neighborhood.”
Randi and Lloyd both had/have careers in the healthcare industry. Lloyd was the director of operations for a healthcare IT company for more than 20 years, and Randi still works in medical sales and diagnostics. Once they learned what Any Lab Test Now does, and knowing firsthand how the health insurance industry is changing, they considered an investment into the direct access lab company a no brainer. They divvy up the workload by playing to each other’s strengths. Lloyd does the day-to-day running of the lab and financials, and Randi handles sales and marketing. The structure and support that comes with buying into a franchise gave them even more confidence that they could forge their own path.
“The opportunity to get out of corporate America and be in control of our future, and have a residual income as we head into our retirement years, is such a blessing,” Randi said. “We love that we have the freedom to make our own decisions and create something that will be successful.”
Married almost 30 years, the Beesings have learned the same things that make a marriage successful can make running a business together successful.
Best Advice: Respect each other’s experience and strengths and don’t tell each other how to do things. Set aside time when you agree NOT to talk about the business.
Tom and Carrie Powers – Tulsa, Oklahoma
Customer service has always been Carrie Powers’ calling card. In fact, it was the handwritten thank you notes she sent as manager of a Coach retail store that resulted in a customer becoming her husband! Now going on 20 years of marriage, Carrie and Tom are setting the standard for Any Lab Test Now franchisees by serving as a training site to help others achieve the success they have in just two short years as franchise owners. 
“We get busier every day; our numbers are really good. We give really good customer service and a great experience,” says Carrie, who takes special pride in their growing bank of 5-star reviews (178 and counting).
But she admits that, initially, Tom had to convince her to jump on board. After a long career in medical sales for large corporations, Tom was ready to trade in mergers, acquisitions, and weekly business trips for nightly dinners with his wife and three kids and a business to call his own. From the beginning, he knew he wanted a lab business because he saw the need in the healthcare industry. But Carrie was an HGTV girl and was more interested in house flipping. That is, until she took the time to learn more about what Any Lab Test Now provides and the way insurance works. The clincher was when they visited a store in Dallas and saw firsthand what the day-to-day looked like.
“I thought, ‘Oh, we can totally do this. And we can do it really well and make it a great customer experience.’ I’m in,” she declared. And now their Tulsa store is a training site for other franchisees.
In addition to creating a great atmosphere with furniture, color, and signage, Carrie handles operations and focuses on what she does best — provide great customer service, and Tom focuses on what he does best — sales and marketing. Together, they work to offer a welcoming, non-judgmental experience for their clients, even if it means coming in after hours.
Now the Powers, named Tennis Family of the Year for Oklahoma by the US Tennis Association, have more time to play tennis together.
Best Advice: Stay in your lane. Pick your battles. Give each other time to do your own thing so you don’t get resentful. You both need time for yourself.
Mark and Julie Frost – Springfield, Missouri 
Their hometown of Springfield, Missouri, may not be big (pop. 167,376) but that hasn’t stopped Mark and Julie Frost from building one of the Top 5 performing stores in the Any Lab Test Now family. When you treat people like family, you can count on 70 percent of your customers being repeat business.
When the Frost’s cashed out a 401K more than 10 years ago to invest as the 10th franchisee of Any Lab Test Now, some might have called it risky. But after 30 years traveling all 50 states as part of the pharmaceutical industry, Mark had grown weary of corporate America, had plenty of contacts with hospitals and doctors, and could see the appeal for direct access lab tests, exclaiming to Julie, “We have to do this!”
In the last 10 years, the market has created an even greater demand for direct access lab services, and the Frosts haven’t looked back. Three years ago, Julie left her teaching job to run the front desk while Mark works in the back, often seeing 50–60 customers a day. They have chosen to run the store completely on their own, although all four of their children have spent time helping, making it a true family business.
The Frost’s run a tight ship, right down to Mark being able to rattle off their overhead price per minute daily ($1.18). But that goal-oriented nature keeps them on track for success with an eye toward the future when they plan to enjoy more time off.
“The most rewarding thing is to see how far we have come in building this, that we can compete in sales with stores in big cities, and that we are considered family by our customers,” said Mark. “Success is our mindset.”
Best Advice: Set daily goals together. Look for the good and find a way to keep it fun. Whatever you choose in life, it has to be fun or it’s not worth doing.
All of our power couples agree one of the best things about owning an Any Lab Test Now with their spouse, is that together they are doing important work that is making a real difference in their customers’ lives.
