Mobile Sauna Business Elevates the Wellness Scene
Elevated Embers of Hillsborough County
When husband and wife team, Nate and Kelly Hammond, went searching for new ways to feel better and healthier, they stumbled upon an interesting practice that involved sauna and cold plunge therapy. “We decided to launch this type of business after we decided to use this type of therapy ourselves, for the physical aspects of it and the mental health aspects. Sauna and cold plunge as a combo have been really helpful for recovery and our mental health and mental clarity,” Kelly Hammond said.
After trying the exciting new therapy combo and seeing positive results the couple decided it was time to share it with others. That’s when they came up with the idea to create a mobile sauna business, specializing in sauna, personal sauna rentals, and contrast therapy between sauna and ice plunge therapy. The only problem? How would they turn this idea into a reality?
Knowing that they would need guidance for this unique business idea, the couple reached out to their local Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County office and were quickly paired with business consultant, Shawn Ferguson. Ferguson would then help the entrepreneurs turn their idea into a reality through business startup assistance. “We needed a starting point and Shawn was able to sit down, point us in the right direction and be there every step of the way to get us to our launching phase,” Nate Hammond said. The couple was guided through the business basics in order to set up a business foundation that would thrive. “Our business has grown from the starting point of permitting, licensing, just everything on the back end that we needed to get started to being pushed in directions of marketing, website development, social media,” Nate Hammond said.
“Our biggest success so far is watching this dream come into fruition into a completely tangible business,” Hammond said. The couple also expressed how fast they were able to bring their dreams to life. “I told Shawn, I had to take a step back and look and appreciate how much has gotten accomplished in such a short amount of time,” Nate Hammond said.
Moving forward, the duo mentions how they will use the services of the Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County to move their business in the right direction. “As we continue to grow, I think we will absolutely utilize the resources that are available to us through the Florida SBDC here in Hillsborough County. Just being here and the different tools that he’s shown us I think are things that will absolutely help us throughout the life of our business. Our goal is to continue to grow and to get bigger and add more and we know we can’t do it on our own, so we plan to stay involved every step of the way” Kelly Hammond expressed.
Passing on their own knowledge based on their experience, the couple advises other small business owners to seek help within their community, saying, “if there is any question on where to go, this would be one of the first places I would reach out to. Their guidance has just been helpful beyond belief and through this continuing growth process every time a question rises, they’re always able to point us in the right direction.”
The small business owners also went on to express how grateful they are for having worked with Shawn Ferguson throughout the whole process. “I would just like to say thank you to Shawn, we had no idea where to begin and we couldn’t have done this without him, so we are super grateful. Our experience here has been wonderful, and we appreciate you,” Kelly Hammond said. Followed by an “absolutely,” from Nate Hammond.
