With the first industry run Float Conference right around the corner, we wanted to take a minute to talk about what we’re excited about at Float Tank Solutions and HelmBot, since we’re all gonna be there.
This year is especially exciting for us, since no one on our team is running the Conference this year, so we finally get to participate in the Conference just like the rest of the industry.
Graham:
I’m excited to, once again, not have to explain what float tanks are to anyone around me. I’m excited to see what the Conference is like in a new city, and I’m excited to see all the Denver centers in style from the beer bus tour. Mainly, though, I’m excited to dole out hugs, to listen to crazy and inspiring stories, and to share another floaty reunion with everyone!
Ashkahn:
I’m excited for the hugs, clinking jugs, seeing everyone’s beautiful mugs, hearing how float tanks are better than drugs, learning how to kill those infectious bugs, and feeling my heartstrings get those tugs.
Also, I’m excited to get to just sit in the audience and watch the talks. Is that what you guys have been doing this whole time?
Kathryn:
It’s all about the people for me. Obviously, our whole crew is a blast to be around: some of my closest friends are also my co-workers, I haven’t seen Jocelyn (the high priestess of the Conference) in a while, and we’ve got a new team member on HelmBot who’s coming out that I’m super excited to see. Outside of the Float On party, Flux (who gave a fantastic talk at last year’s conference) didn’t make it out to Rise, so I’m hoping to run into him. Feinstein’s always great to see. The STL folks, the Float Harder friends, maybe I’ll get lucky and see the chef-turned-float-soap-making guy from RAW Goods (if you see him, ask him for pictures of cake sculptures). There are a few people who have cool art projects in and outside of floating that I’m jazzed to check in on. Oh gosh… there are just too many names. I’m so pumped to see all of you!
Derek:
Denver is one of the few cities I’ve been to more than once and that’s because it’s one of my favorite cities! I’m excited to experience the Float Conference in a new city, but also a city I’m familiar with that ISN’T Portland. I’m flying into town on Thursday and you’ll be sure to find me at the Euclid Hall for some Pad Thai Pig Ears, so let’s chat about marketing… but I digress. The thing I’m looking forward to the most is actually being able to attend all of the wonderful Friday Activities that my schedule will allow. I’ve worked the entire weekend during every #FloatCon and I’ve consistently found myself on the outside, looking in, at all the fun people are having on Friday. It’s truly one of the most unique things you’ll find at ANY conference you’ll ever attend.
Bryan:
I can’t wait to hear all the crafty ideas we as an industry have come up with to tackle the glass ceilings we invariably encounter. Certainly there is a lot of room for growth in this business, and the more we put our heads together, collaborate with and support each other, the faster we seem to break through them. The Float Conference is always inspiring for me in that way. I know that leaving Denver, I will have reinvigorated my passion for this industry, and for floating as a public service that has the potential to change the world.
The weekend, in my experience, is always a bit of a whirlwind. Kinda like getting swooped up in a tornado with a bunch of friends you never see, having the most killer of times for like, 72 hours straight, and at some point we all click our heels and wake up back on our respective couches. This year, I’m looking for a way to stay unified with all my favorite salty weirdos. If that sounds like a cool idea to you, come holler at me. I’m excited to meet you, or see you, or continue working with you. Or all of those things. Hasta luego.
P.S. – Orale. Se habla espanol, mas o menos. Necesito practicar con uds.
Frank:
Another Conference brings another chance to connect with the lovely individuals that make up the float community — and I can’t wait. It’s such an amazing experience to be able to swap salty stories, hear how everyone’s businesses (and lives) have evolved over the past year, and learn a ton about new developments in the world of floating. I am always excited about the opportunity to meet and speak with the newest and next generations of float center owner/operators. I particularly love being able to finally put faces to the many voices I’ve become familiar with on the phone over the past year. If we’ve spoken this past year, definitely come visit me at the Float Tank Solutions booth, we’ll have a lot of exciting things to share!
Juliet:
I’m so unbelievably excited for this year’s Conference. Normally, I’m running around scrambling to make sure all the talks behind the scene go off without a hitch and Ashkahn hasn’t wandered off somewhere. Now that Ashkahn is allowed to wander freely at the Conference, it frees up a lot of my time to enjoy everything else and talk to everyone present.
I’m excited for the high quality hugs that get circulated at Float Conferences. I’m excited for all the regular Conference things with Denver flavoring. I’m excited for the amazing heartfelt, intellectual, beautiful talks. I’m excited for Stephen Johnson getting more stage time. I’m excited for lunches, easy commutes, and making space for great conversation.
Come talk to me when you’re there!
Ben:
The conference is a reminder, in physical form, that there are so many amazing individuals and teams bringing this wonderful, briny health modality to the masses. It’s amazing to be surrounded by so many who share the intention to foster healing and wellness. I’m also so excited to get to see many of our current HelmBot clients in person!
Danielle:
I’m so jazzed to have the pleasure and privilege to see old faces and meet new people. Putting a name to the face for HelmBot clients brings me so much joy! I’m looking forward to rejuvenating my love for floating, which always spikes during the Conference. I especially enjoy listening to other people’s stories and hearing about their personal experiences in the float universe. How the heck did they get here?! And who doesn’t love a solid embrace from a fellow floater?
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The Most Ambitious Float On Project Yet
We have a new endeavor that we’ve been working on in private for awhile now, and we think that it’s going to make a big splash in our salty little industry. After many years of testing behind closed doors, we’re finally ready to take the plunge and release our secret project to you, the floatation community.
You might want to sit down for this one….
The Start-a-Center Giveaway Returns!
Everyone knows that, when it comes to gifts, it’s much more fun to give than to receive. With this year’s Start-a-Center Giveaway, however, I’m not so sure anymore. With over $13,000 in Float Tank Solutions products going to one lucky duck (plus $4,000 worth of goodies from other float industry homies), we humbly suggest that we may have finally tipped the scales in favor of the recipient.
If you’re Charlie, this Giveaway is the Golden Ticket, which I guess makes the Construction Package a Wonka bar and the Ninja Fans are the Fizzy Lifting Drink. So, what do you have to do for a chance at all the Everlasting Gobstoppers?
It’s been three years since our last Giveaway, and we thought that it was long overdue for another one. So, what’s the dealio? The Giveaway is a chance to give a big ol’ boost to a deserving Float-Center-To-Be. This time around, we’re taking things to a whole new level, with over three times the value of products and services being given away. To you. For free.
Dear Everyone: Please reconsider building your own tanks
Look, we get it. Really. Float tanks are expensive – especially for what can seem, from the outside, like a glorified bathtub with spa parts attached. It doesn’t take long to go from, “Why is this so expensive?” to “I’ll bet I could save money by making my own tank!” After you start mulling it over, you get excited. You could be offering something no one else does right now… because it’d be your own creation! How hard can it possibly be?
As experts in only thinking about half of the consequences of our actions (at best), we’d like to say, “Incredibly hard, actually!”
Location Checklist – The Search for Your Float Center’s Home
In honor of our newly minted, fresh off the press, prize winning Construction Packet, we are releasing one of its more succinct components, the Location Checklist, as a free resource. Don’t let the fact that it’s only one page fool you – this set of questions breaks down the major site and location considerations for your center.
Financing Your Center With Bank Loans
If you are looking to open a center, at some point, you have to face the reality that you’re going to need to spend, and thus track down, a good chunk of money. There are many ways to fund a float center – personal capital, family and friends, sending travel funds to the exiled Liberian prince that you met on the internet and using the forthcoming reward money, etc. This post, however, will focus on financing using bank loans.
A Peek Into Our Construction Packet: Planning Your Space – Square Footage and Number of Float Rooms
For anyone opening a float center, one of the earliest questions they’ll have to tackle is, “How big should my space be?” This can be one of the most difficult queries to answer, because it hinges on many variables.
Will you be offering other services? What types of tanks are you getting? What other rooms will your space need? If you’re planning on installing a float tank water slide, that’ll take up extra space, too. I know it’s unreasonable, but Jake really wants someone to do it.
All of these questions aren’t even factoring in thinking about profit margins. It quickly becomes a daunting task that can feel overwhelming.
How to Launch a Successful Kickstarter Campaign
At Float Tank Solutions, our main goal is simple.
We want to provide access to floating for as many people as possible. That’s why, this week, we are opening up our blog to our friend, Shane Stott. Shane, an avid float ambassador, life coach, and founder of Zen Float Co., will walk us through the essentials of running a Kickstarter campaign, with a highlight on his current efforts to raise money through Kickstarter for a documentary on floating.
4,937 Things to Know About Buying a Used Float Tank
You’re thinking about buying a used float tank. Whether this is for a new center, an addition to an existing operation, or a purchase for your home, this is a big decision.
We’ve compiled together some of the major questions and considerations to entertain before making a purchase. While you do have the opportunity to save some money and snag a good deal, there can be hidden costs and unknowns to weigh against those savings.
Offering Overnight Floats
Almost three years ago, we discussed the merits of running overnight floats from an employee’s perspective, focusing on the opportunities of this unique experience as well as its challenges. We’d like to take a deeper dive into this issue because, while the majority of floaters come through our tanks during “normal” business hours, overnight floats form an important part of not only Float On’s identity, but also its business structure and broader culture.
How to Talk About Floating
You step into the elevator and shuffle to the side to make room for the kind-eyed, old woman with the miniature poodle.
“Good morning,” you say with a smile.
“Good morning,” she beams back, her gaze resting briefly on your water bottle with the logo from your float center’s annual party.
After a brief pause, she asks, “What is Float-a-Palooza?”
You take a breath, smile, and launch into your literal elevator pitch.
So, what do you say?
