Typically, people walking into a Hawaii Fluid Art franchise are stuck by the artwork’s beauty. The front half of each store is a gallery featuring art, jewelry, and other handmade goods from the Hawaiian Islands and elsewhere. As you pass through the gallery you step into the studio where another explosion of color greets you. This is where the art classes take place—six times a day, seven days a week. The studios offer some basic or foundational classes with different classes available at different locations as well. The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma location, for example, offers classes in fluid art, resin beach art, resin tumbler art, and glass painting. Hawaii Fluid Art is the brainchild of Maya Ratcliff. She spent most of her career as a corporate banker before moving to Hawaii with her husband. Following the move, she found herself developing an interest in fluid art and started posting her work online. Fluid art is a unique form of art in that you begin with several jars of a special type of paint and pick the colors that interest you. You then pour a small amount of paint from each jar into a container. You place a base substance on a canvas and then slowly pour the paint from the container onto the canvas. You then lift the canvas and tilt it in different directions; the paint moves across the canvas and creates a vibrant, colorful image. Maya’s art sold quickly, and people started asking her to teach them about fluid art. In the first six months, she taught over 1,000 people in her garage. Realizing that a commercial space would help her serve interested people, she opened her first studio in Waikoloa Village, which is on the big island in Hawaii. Hawaii Fluid Art is the name Maya chose for her business. Hawaii Fluid Art’s mission is to inspire and nurture the human spirit one painting at a time. Maya believes that learning fluid art takes one to a world of imagination—a place where you can let go of everything and create something beautiful. Following the launch of her first location in 2020, Maya began franchising her business in 2021. Kansas City is the first Hawaii Fluid Art franchise location. As of March 2023, Hawaii Fluid Art has 11 locations, with 20 additional locations in the works. The initial SAVVY ENTREPRENEURIAL FIRM Hawaii Fluid Art: A Promising Young Franchise Organization Growing at a Measured Pace Web: www.hawaiifluidart.com • Facebook: Hawaii Fluid Art • Instagram: @hawaiifluidart franchise fee is \($49,500\) to \($150,000,\) depending on the location. The total cost to open a Hawaii Fluid Art franchise is \($113,300\) to \($194,800\) and the ongoing royalty is 8 percent of gross sales. Hawaii Fluid Art franchisees are busy. Their days are full of art classes that are fast, fun, and suitable for all age groups. Individuals, businesses, and groups can book classes, and they can be a part of birthday parties and other special events—such as corporate events, date nights, ladies’ nights out, or family fun nights. Classes cost between \($35\) and \($150\) per person, depending on the type of class and its length of time. Maya’s goal is to bring Hawaii Fluid Art to communities across the United States and Canada.....

Discussion Questions:

1. Hawaii Fluid Art is taking its time when it comes to opening new locations. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a slow to moderate approach to franchise expansion?
2. Spend some time studying Hawaii Fluid Art’s website at www.hawaiifluidart.com. On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest), how good of a job is this firm doing to explain its franchise opportunity and the support that it offers its franchisees?
3. Spend some time looking at Hawaii Fluid Art’s Instagram page at @hawaiifluidart. What do you think?
Do the posts reflect the enjoyable experience that a franchisee promises its customers?
4. Do some research and report on the types of support that Hawaii Fluid Art provides its franchisees.