Scott Bushey, Solarius Spa

For owner Scott Bushey, Solarius Spa is an expression of his natural strengths as an entrepreneur. Thirty years in business as Albuquerque’s primary source for luxury tanning and skincare has taught him many lessons, and he has continued to evolve as the age of the Internet changes what it means to be a high-end brand:

I always had a desire to sell unique sunglasses in the salon – it just made sense to me. Three years into our operation, I started selling brands that were high-end lines. Back then, these brands were very exclusive and I had to convince them that we weren’t the average tanning salon in order to carry their product.

We were the sunglass destination in town, even though customers had other choices. But the Internet became a big factor that changed our business. We had to change as high-end lines became more available online – and at a discount I couldn’t offer. These brands became so saturated that their audience wasn’t as exclusive anymore. At that point, people would come in to try sunglasses on in person, but then they’d go home and buy them online. So, we decided to drop those products. Now we only carry products that are handmade, exclusive, and unavailable for a discount online.

And we don’t participate in popular discounts to advertise our business, either. I don’t do Groupon or LivingSocial; we don’t send postcards and I never have a sale. If you were to go into Louis Vuitton and ask for their sale items, they would look at you like you were insane. We simply don’t act like the rest.

Our advertising is through the reputation that we have earned. We even tried offering an incentive for referrals and people weren’t interested. They simply tell people about their experience because it was exceptional and they expect nothing in return. We just communicate who we are through our service, atmosphere and website. It has a special look and feel.