This is something pretty much every float center deals with on a regular basis. The first objection that a lot of people will say when they first hear about floating is “Oh, I’m too claustrophobic for that”. Which… feels like getting shut down straight out of the gate. 

Graham and Ashkahn, as seasoned float center owners, have heard this all too often and are not only familiar with it, but have some excellent ideas as to why this is the first major objection people throw out there as well as good ways to combat this concern. 

Graham and Ashkahn talk from their (admittedly very biased) perspectives on the merits and flaws of getting involved with a business partner for a float center. Most of the things they talk about are just universal truths for starting any startup. Realistically, it’s going to have a major impact on your workload, your decision making, your investments, and even your free time. 

It’s worked out well for these two, but the reality is that sometimes having a business partner is a lot like being married. How do you find the right person? How do you handle disagreements? It can be one of the most daunting, and rewarding decisions to make when starting up. 

Sure, this is a great podcast, but it’s over after ten minutes in the day. What other podcasts are out there for you to get your fix once the high of listening to Graham and Ashkahn wears off? Fortunately, Graham and Ashkahn have solved this problem too!

So this episode is all about other podcasts. This one isn’t the only one in the industry, and there’s tons of other podcasts that are great for any startup, so they talk about some of their favorites as well. Graham also throws out some philosophy podcasts for those who want to flex their mental muscles too. 

Check out the resources on this episode for some great suggestions!

Obviously float centers need a lot of salt. The average float tank requires roughly a thousand pounds of salt to maintain a specific gravity high enough to be functional. What about after you get your tanks filled and ready to go, how much do you need to have on hand just for maintaining that level? Fortunately, Graham and Ashkahn have a good rule of thumb for how they run Float On to use as a metric, as well as some good simple tips to keep in mind about storage in your float centers. 

Opening a float center is a huge expense. There are several major investments that can seem daunting being on the outside looking in. Where to you skimp? The float tanks themselves are definitely a huge part of that, but getting everything right for construction seems even more daunting possibly. It’s a natural inclination to save money and it can definitely seem like there has to be a corner to cut somewhere to bring that bottom line down a little bit more. You want to do it correctly though, it doesn’t really seem worth it if it’s going to end up costing you more money down the line to fix or replace whatever it is you have now. 

Construction and buildout are likely  going to be some of the largest expenses for any float center. Possibly even more than the float tanks themselves in some situations. Most float center owners aren’t millionaires, and when faced with these large expenditures, it can be difficult to decide what to cut to keep your costs down. Doing your own construction can be an effective way to go about that, but with so much technical work needed to go into building a float center, is that really the right thing to do?

Graham and Ashkahn lay down some knowledge on this, having both worked on a lot of their buildout themselves initially, as well as hired out workers for repairs and upgrades. 

Marketing is a big gamble for any industry. You have to invest in a strategy on a platform and just hope that it pays off. It’s certainly one of the most essential investments for your business, but how do you know what will work and what won’t? This problem seems especially aggravated for float centers. Whatever marketing you do needs to tell people more than just that you exist, it also needs to explain what floating is and why people need it. How do you overcome these hurdles? And are traditional mediums even viable? 

Getting together with other wellness businesses seems like a slam dunk for float centers. Or at least it should be. Floating seems to have a special sort of synergy with things like yoga, massage, acupuncture, or what have you, but that doesn’t always mean that other wellness practitioners are going to be your greatest advocates. How do you turn that acupuncturist across the street into your biggest advocate?

Graham and Ashkahn have tried it all and worked closely with tons of businesses in joint marketing ventures as well as referral programs. They share what has worked best for them, and some of the surprises they’ve found with stuff they thought would work that just totally didn’t. 

It’s human nature to suck at planning. we can’t help having inefficient mental systems for establishing the importance of a project when we’re working on it. This problem can be especially bad for float centers too, given that certain projects, if not addressed quickly, can dramatically become exponentially worse, like with salt damage. 

Graham and Ashkahn face these exact same problems when they undertake any project, but still manage to find ways to be productive. In this episode, they share some of their tips as well as personal philosophies on work. Plus, Ashkahn’s strong desire to have a waterslide.