If you were to ask entrepreneur Dennis Ligon what he considers to be the primary ingredient for success, he'll tell you immediately: family. "All I have to do is look into the eyes of my children, and I have my 'why'," he says. Indeed, Ligon's devotion to his two children and his knack for recognizing brands and services that people can trust have propelled him to the top of his game, not only as the owner of the leading tanning salon chain in Virginia but also as a top Vemma and Verve distributor.
It's Always Sunny in Virginia
Ligon's life story is one that truly parallels the Great American Dream. Having graduated from college with a degree in education, Ligon decided rather than pursue work as a teacher he would instead create his own destiny. After a few years building up a direct sales company within the insurance industry, he didn't achieve the satisfaction he wanted, and chose to pursue a business that involved his passions, in particular the pursuit of good health and youthful vitality. An avid indoor tanner, Ligon traveled the country, taking note of how various salons on the East and West Coasts operated. In the early 1990s he settled in Virginia Beach and, after seeing how local salons charged outrageous membership fees for use of sub-par equipment, found his calling.
With few possessions but much business savvy and determination, Ligon opened the first Sundays Tanning Resort in 1993. Featuring twenty-five beds - three times more than what the average salon offered - and a very affordable membership fee of only $19.95 a month, STR (as it would become known) was an immediate hit. As years passed, Ligon invested time and effort into his business to introduce new innovations in tanning to Hampton Roads, becoming the area's first salon owner to set up UV-free spray tanning booths and lower the monthly tanning rate to $18.88 a month - a practice Ligon's competitors have tried to imitate despite their lack of comparable equipment.
Today, Ligon owns an unprecedented twelve salons in the metropolitan Tidewater region (Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News) with a thirteenth location in Tampa, Florida. The salon chain, now called Sundays Blue Box Tanning Resort, is home to premium European beds and booths designed to perfectly tan any body to a desirable shade. Sundays Blue Box gained further notability through an award-winning, local reality TV show, Tanner's Point, which used Sundays locations as the setting. Ligon's salons also hold a record for being voted "Best of Hampton Roads" by readers of The Virginian-Pilot for 17 consecutive years.
Working Up the "Verve" to Succeed
For all his success in the indoor tanning industry, however, Dennis knew he wanted to make a bigger impact by not only helping people look good on the outside, but feeling healthy and energetic on the inside. As Sundays Blue Box grew into one of the Mid-Atlantic's greatest success stories, Ligon began a side business formulating and marketing weight loss supplements. Called PhysEdge, the program gained praise and regional media attention when a North Carolina radio celebrity lost close to 200 pounds using it! Ligon, hardly one to rest on his laurels, wanted to work with something that appealed to people of all sizes seeking a healthy way to live. In 2006, he found the answer in a tasty, vitamin-packed drink called Vemma.
With one established business available to jumpstart his distributorship, Ligon stocked Vemma and Verve drinks in all his salons. As members finished tanning and sought something cold to quench their thirsts, they too experienced how these incredible drinks boosted metabolism and inspired healthier living. Soon tanning members sought to join Ligon's circle of Vemma partners - his business instincts had paid off once again.
Now, the man who once trained to become a teacher educates prospective Vemma distributors on how to succeed in their own businesses.
Through all the successes and challenges during this twenty-year journey, which began with a man living in his car while working to achieve his dream, Ligon never lost focus of the important things in life: namely family. Ligon lives in Virginia Beach with his two greatest accomplishments, daughter Jordan and son Josh, and abides by the same principles held by this country's greatest entrepreneurs - put people first, as they are any company's greatest asset.
