In this episode of Built to Shine, Vanessa Yakobson sits down with multi-unit franchise owner Kenny Trattner to unpack what entrepreneurship really looks like behind the scenes. From his early decision to work for himself to building and scaling multiple locations, Kenny shares the mindset, discipline, and responsibility required to succeed.
You can also read a synopsis here:
Kenny Trattner opened his first Blo Blow Dry Bar a little over a year ago. By the time this conversation happened, he had a second location running, a third recently opened, and construction starting on a fourth. That pace would strain most new business owners. For Trattner, a lifelong entrepreneur who previously ran five auto body shops in Texas, it’s less about speed for its own sake and more about a specific formula: a proven model, a partner with complementary strengths, and technology that lets him manage from a distance.
His experience offers a useful blueprint for any franchisee thinking about growing past a single unit — and a reminder that scaling fast isn’t the same as scaling recklessly.
Why He Chose a Proven Model Over Building From Scratch
Trattner describes himself as a control freak who has always wanted to be his own boss. Blo is his first franchise, and the decision to go that route rather than build something entirely from scratch again was deliberate. His daughter Lindsay had already spent two and a half years working at, and eventually running, a privately owned blow dry bar — enough exposure for the two of them to see the potential in the concept.
What sold him on franchising specifically was skipping the year of guesswork that comes with a from-scratch startup: sourcing product lines, furniture, branding, and marketing from zero. “Could I have figured it out? One hundred percent,” he says. “Is it worth the time, effort, energy, and financial commitment to figure it out? I don’t think so.” A model refined over more than a decade and a hundred-plus locations meant starting at the finish line instead of the starting line.
The Father-Daughter Division of Labor
Trattner and Lindsay run the business as genuine partners, but not as equals in every function. Lindsay owns the front end — operations, the client relationships, the stylists, and the social media presence that has driven much of their customer base since day one. Trattner handles the back end: licensing, taxes, payroll, and the parts of running a business that he says most new entrepreneurs don’t realize are required.
The arrangement works, in part, because he’s willing to step back on decisions that aren’t costly, even when he’d have made a different call. He’s more likely to intervene early on anything with a real downside. That balance — deferring to Lindsay’s strengths while protecting against expensive mistakes — is part of what he’s slowly transferring to her as he prepares to hand off more of the back-end responsibilities over time.
Using Technology to Manage From a Distance
When Trattner ran his auto body shops two decades ago, oversight meant physically driving from location to location every day. With Blo’s booking and management system and in-store cameras, he can check in real time whether a client has been checked in, confirm staff arrived on schedule, and spot problems without being on-site.
He’s candid that the visibility isn’t just about convenience — it creates accountability. Staff know the cameras are there, and a pattern of showing up a few minutes late tends to get addressed quickly. The result is a level of oversight that scales across multiple locations without requiring him to be physically present at any of them every day.
Making Room for Mistakes to Fuel Growth
Trattner is direct about the role of experimentation in growth: if you’re not willing to try something different, you’re not going to get a different result. That philosophy shows up most clearly in how the hiring process has evolved. Early on, they screened candidates with a phone call and a resume. Over time, that shifted to inviting every applicant in for a working audition — doing a blowout on Lindsay, who plays the guinea pig — because it revealed far more than a conversation ever could.
Staffing levels followed a similar learning curve. It took three to four months to figure out proper staffing for the first location; by the time the newest store opened, he already knew what to expect hour by hour on any given day of the week. Each iteration, tested and adjusted rather than assumed, made the next location easier to open.
Three Takeaways from This Episode
- A proven model buys you speed. Choosing a franchise with an established track record lets you skip a year of trial and error on sourcing, branding, and marketing — and start scaling sooner.
- Divide responsibility by strength, not by title. Pairing complementary skills — one partner on operations and client experience, another on the financial and compliance side — lets each person go deep instead of doing everything adequately.
- Build the systems that let you scale without being everywhere. Booking software and simple camera systems can replace the daily store-to-store driving that used to be required to keep multiple locations accountable.
Listen to the Full Conversation
This article covers only part of Kenny Trattner’s story. Listen to the full episode of the Built to Shine podcast to hear more about his approach to mindset and motivation, the books that have shaped his thinking, and what it’s really like building a business alongside his daughter.