Relax max

When David and Julie Nodland opened the Relax the Back store in Bonita Springs in 2007, they didn't realize how tough the economy was going to get.

The couple, both 66, had sold their interest in a summer vacation resort they managed in Iowa and put their savings into the new store, investing about $350,000 to launch their retail venture. They had considered working for someone else, but took the entrepreneurial route instead.

Only now, seven years later, are they close to realizing their goal of $1 million in annual sales. “With the recession, we basically lost three years,” says David Nodland.

The Relax the Back chain, which has more than 100 stores that sell back-support products such as chairs, beds and pillows, recently named the Nodlands' store its franchisee of the year. The husband-and-wife owners recently shared some of their ideas for success.

Be adaptable
The Nodlands moved from Iowa to Southwest Florida and left behind the comfort and security of friends and family.

Although they were in a new community, they made a point to visit physicians and physical therapists and ask them to refer patients with back problems. “It might not be your comfort zone to cold-call physicians, but you've got to do that,” says Julie Nodland. In fact, 35% of their business comes from such referrals. “I take cookies and I call on them,” she says.

Be grateful
“Say thanks,” says Julie Nodland. “It's important to let your customers and vendors know that you appreciate them.”

While many businesses thank their customers, it's important to remember vendors, too. During the downturn, vendors helped the Nodlands trim expenses. “They knocked dollars off the buy,” she says.

Be frugal
The Nodlands were careful not to write themselves paychecks in the beginning. “We don't pay ourselves much even now,” says David Nodland.

Initially, the Nodlands had visions of hiring staff. But as the economy got tougher, they delivered the furniture themselves or enlisted the part-time help of employees of the Five Guys burger restaurant next door. The Nodlands' daughter, a pediatric nurse in Fort Myers, also helped out in her parents' store in return for living with them rent-free.

Work hard
The Nodlands don't take vacations and they're in the store seven days a week. “We've always been kind of lean about our needs,” says Julie Nodland, who recalls her pharmacist father taking time off only on Sunday afternoons. Even then, she says, her father never refused to take calls at home.

Both Nodlands were raised in a rural community where hard work was ingrained in the fabric of daily life. “I was raised on the farm,” says David Nodland. Work never stopped when it came to caring for livestock.

The Nodlands are always cheerful. “We like what we do and we like each other,” Julie Nodland says. They've been married 32 years.

Take advantage of opportunities
Every customer who walks in the door gets personal assistance, from buying a $20 cold pack to an $8,000 chair. “We are selling a healthy lifestyle concept,” David Nodland says.

Referring physicians and physical therapists get pads that look like prescriptions. They tear off the sheet with a check mark on the item they need and hand it to their patients who will receive a store discount when they buy something. Once inside the store, the Nodlands hand clients a small pad and ask them to fill out their contact information to receive emails and catalogs, a more effective way to collect this information than by asking them for it out loud at the register.

“They are looking for solutions for their patients,” Julie Nodland explains. “If you service the customer, they will return, and we see that over and over.”

Follow Jean Gruss on Twitter @JeanGruss