Marla walks through exactly how she got started: googling her way into a tent and a spray gun, driving to Boston for training, and becoming profitable in under a month. From there, the conversation digs into the economics that make this business so attractive to first-time entrepreneurs — margins she estimates north of 75%, minimal startup capital, and a flexible schedule that let her build a career around being a present parent. But it's not all easy money. Marla is candid about the painful lesson every service business owner eventually learns: raising prices loses you the clients who were loyal to your old rate, but earns you the ones who are loyal to you. She talks openly about starting at $25 a tan and the pushback that came with every increase since, and why that shedding process is a normal, necessary part of growing a business.
The technical section of this episode is genuinely fascinating even if you've never thought twice about spray tanning. Marla breaks down the science behind DHA, the tanning agent responsible for how dark a spray tan develops, why genetics and natural sun response change the outcome for every client, and why FDA regulations allow companies to list DHA as an ingredient without disclosing the percentage — leaving consumers buying drugstore or Amazon self-tanners completely in the dark about product strength or quality. She explains exactly why over-application leads to that orange, artificial look people fear, and why an unregulated percentage is often the culprit. The conversation also covers a side of the business most people never consider: working with melanoma survivors and clients who can't safely tan in the sun, and why spray tan is not a substitute for sunscreen no matter what social media influencers claim.
From there, the episode shifts into pure business strategy. Sean and Tim dig into Marla's decision to convert her garage into an at-home studio to control overhead while keeping her mobile services concentrated during school hours, and how that hybrid model lets her scale bridal parties, prom groups, and college sorority clients without the cost of a storefront. They talk through succession planning as her daughter — a built-in referral engine among her own high school friend group — approaches graduation, and the trust and non-compete challenges that come with eventually training and hiring other spray tan artists to represent her brand. The back half of the conversation turns into a live strategy session, with Sean pitching Marla on B2B partnerships with wedding venues and bridal parties, an Instagram content strategy built around education and ingredient transparency, and a local micro-influencer outreach plan to expand beyond word-of-mouth growth.
Along the way, expect plenty of the Delco identity banter Bricks and Risk listeners know and love — Delco versus "Delco Light," the real story behind the Main Line, hometown loyalty in Glenside, Abington, and Colingdale, and why authenticity is baked into everything Marla does, both personally and professionally. The episode closes on the quote that defines her approach to business: people may forget what you said or did, but they will never forget how you made them feel — a philosophy that explains why her client base has turned into a genuine community over the past decade.
Whether you're a small business owner thinking about margin, pricing, and scaling a service business, or you're just here for an entertaining, honest conversation about entrepreneurship, this episode has something for you. Learn more about Marla and And So It Glows on Instagram : @andsoitglows, on Facebook at Andsoitglows, or at andsoitglows.net.