Franchisee Interview with Marcee Locke, Any Lab Test Now® Franchise Owner of Wichita, KS
Marcee Locke, Any Lab Test Now Owner, Wichita, KS
Over 300 franchise brands participated in an independent study conducted by Franchise Business Review (FBR) between July 2019 and February 2021. Each franchise brand requested their franchisees fill out an FBR satisfaction survey that asked 33 benchmark questions about their experience and satisfaction regarding critical areas of their franchise systems, including training and support, operations, franchisor/franchisee relations, and financial opportunity. After collecting more than 31,000 franchisee responses, Franchise Business Review (FBR) awarded Any Lab Test Now® as a Top Recession-Proof Business for 2021.
With an honor this high, our corporate team wanted to get a home team insider’s perspective on the real-time value of exactly what recession-proof meant through the eyes of one of our very own Franchisees. Marcee Locke, owner of Any Lab Test Now of Wichita, KS shared her story with us about what it was like to open her franchise location in the middle of the economic downturn of 2020. For Marcee and her husband Nick, their story of success started with a personal need they turned into a local community solution. As they moved through the process of becoming entrepreneurs, they pushed beyond overwhelming fears and instead chose to step into their dream opportunity with the courage and resolve to succeed despite the challenges they faced during the height of the pandemic. As you can imagine their story is inspiring, motivating, and most of all, a tribute to how important it is to support independent businesses that provide health and wellness services to their local communities.
Personal Needs Turned into Community Solutions
At the onset of our conversation, we asked Marcee if she had always wanted to own a business in the healthcare industry and she said:
“My husband and I, Nick, had always wanted to start our own business that we felt was new to Wichita. Then, one day I was looking for some lab testing, and I wasn’t able to find any pricing online, I wasn’t able to go anywhere without a doctor’s order. Even though I had insurance, I had no way of knowing what I was going to pay. And that was really frustrating for me, because I’m a firm believer in pricing transparency.
I just thought, you know, there has to be a better way. I did some research trying to figure out, is there a better way, and, you know, it turns out there is, and it’s called Any Lab Test Now.
I noticed that there weren’t any locations in Kansas, but that there were a lot of locations all across the country. So, I thought, wow, this could really be my opportunity to bring something unique to Wichita. We just fell in love with the concept. It was really easy for us to feel passionate about the idea of bringing affordable, and convenient access to lab testing for all of Wichita.”
Good Old-Fashioned Customer Service Wins Their Hearts
Next, we asked, what made her, and her husband choose Any Lab Test Now® as their business model and she shared:
“Any Lab Test Now jumped to the front immediately with the variety of services that they offer the focus on customer service.
I love good customer service, and it’s so rare these days, that I just felt like I really wanted something where customer service would be a huge competitive advantage for us, because I knew that I could provide that. We also wanted to find something that that would really make a difference to people. Ultimately, that focus on good customer service was really appealing to me because the whole company is all about that customer experience.”
Starting a Business in the Middle of a Recession
As we talked with Marcee, we asked her or her husband had ever felt scared about taking the plunge to open their franchise location and she replied:
“My husband and I had countless conversations and asked ourselves is this crazy? We didn’t want to let the excitement of the concept cloud the reality of the situation that we’re in the middle of the pandemic, but, you know, ultimately, with the scenarios that we ran, we felt confident in the overall demand for these services were for the long-term.
We were willing to take the risk up front. We didn’t want to let something short-term like a pandemic, stop us from moving forward with our dream opportunity.
I remember it was really scary and terrifying in fact. It was the number one thing that almost stopped us to be honest. I’m really happy we had the courage to move forward despite the pandemic, and if I could go back, I would 100% do it again!”
Finding Success with a Healthcare Business Model
Marcee and Nick Locke Grand Opening, Any Lab Test Now, Wichita, KS
Marcee also shared how their location was performing, so it was natural to ask her if she felt confident long-term success was in their future and she responded:
“Our first few months have beat my expectations.
COVID has increased the attention we have for our health and that’s a good thing. People are like, wow, you know, life is short, I need to really take care of this one body that I’ve been given. So, I think we have a new focus on health.
People are so used to dealing with insurance and dealing with having no idea what they’re going to pay for their lab work. So many people are shocked that we provide the doctor’s order, they’re like, wait, so my doctor doesn’t have to send me.
We educate people so they know, we do provide this. You can literally walk through our door and get tested for pretty much anything you want.”
Community-Driven Passion Fills Hearts with Joy
While we were talking with Marcee, we also inquired on what she felt her business value was to her local community and she replied:
“I didn’t have any healthcare background at all and before starting this I worked in corporate America for about 11 years.
Now, my days are filled with people who come in and say, “oh, my goodness, I’m so glad that you guys are open, I have been wanting to get tested for years.”
Some people who don’t have insurance, they haven’t been to the doctor in years, they haven’t been tested for a single thing, not even a standard CDC or CMP. When I hear them say, “I finally have an affordable option where I can just come in and get some key things checked”, that’s the most rewarding thing for me is to just give people that accessible way of finally getting the lab work that they’ve wanted done forever. That really keeps me going as far as the passion for just helping people.
When people leave, and they say, “wow, that was really fast”, or, “wow, that was such a great experience”, that’s providing a service that people truly value. It doesn’t really get more fulfilling than that!”
Business Thrives When You Wake Up and Love What You Do
As we started to come to the end of our conversation we went out on a limb and asked Marcee, what are the top three things you love about owning an Any Lab Test Now franchise location and she responded:
“Number one, it’s the focus on health. At the end of the day, if somebody has $100, and that’s their total disposable income, if you have an option to go get your hair done, or go buy some clothes, most people are going to pick your health with their limited disposable income that they do have. Health is very important to people.
Number two, I think is accessibility. We do schedule appointments walk-ins are welcome. We also have convenient hours so people can come after work or over their lunch hour and we’re also open on Saturdays. We’re open when people need us.
Number three, we are really focused on the safety and health and well-being of our customers. Just that focus on actually helping and caring about our customers and that huge emphasis on customer experience is what makes it recession-proof.”
Empowering a Community with a Service-Based Business
At the end of our discussion, we asked Marcee to share how she felt about having a business model that is in-service to others and she said:
“One of the trademarked slogans by Any Lab Test Now, is Take Control of Your Health®—that’s exactly what this business allows you to do.
The true service to me is accessible health care for people want to monitor their health. They want other options. They want transparency and price. I think that the ease of accessibility to people who may not have had access to this before is the true service to the community. We make it easy for people because they’re in and out in 10 to 15 minutes. I think our true service is accessible health care.”
A big thank you to Marcee for taking the time out of her busy schedule to share her story and perspective of what it was like to open her franchise location in 2020!
If you’re looking around at what business opportunities are open to you, please reach out to us directly. We’re more than happy to provide you with information and answer questions. Learning about the available opportunities in your local area is the first step in discovering how you can find success with an Any Lab Test Now® franchise business.
