.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Looking for some ways to reduce your stress in 2008?

One way might be to treat yourself to a massage more often. Trisha and Steve McFadden have launched Massage Heights in West Des Moines. Located at 640 S. 50th St., it’s Iowa’s first location for this franchised membership-based massage clinic chain. As the master franchisers for Nebraska and Iowa, the McFaddens hope to license 17 Massage Heights locations over the next three years.

Another stress reducer: knowing that your possessions are documented for insurance coverage in the event of a total loss. Gabriel Glynn and his wife, Amanda, have formed Asset Protection Specialists LLC, which provides a complete video, photographic and paper trail of your home’s contents. Their Ankeny home-based business can be found online at www.iowaAPS.com.

The two businesses exemplify how some young professional couples are choosing to combine their skills and interests to bring some cool new services to Greater Des Moines. And for these couples and many like them, starting a business was not just about making money; it’s about making a difference in their clients’ lives as they improve their own families’ quality of life.

Sherry Shafer, director of the Mid Iowa Small Business Development Center, estimates that 40 percent of the start-up businesses the center counsels are owned by married couples. Though family-owned businesses have always been prevalent, “there are changes in our environment and families that may be pointing to why some younger couples are starting businesses,” she said.

Gabriel Glynn, who always had to work during the holidays as a loss prevention specialist for Target Corp., got to spend this past Christmas with his family instead. “I’ve always had ambitions that one day I would own my own business,” he said, “and hopefully leave behind a legacy that’s more than an insurance check when I go.”

Before launching the business in April, Glynn had helped a friend who owned a ServiceMaster franchise sift for several days through the charred remains of a client’s house that had burned down

“That was what really drove me to do this,” he said, noting that the homeowner had little documentation for the high-priced items he lost. His expertise in retail loss prevention gave him the know-how to set up the business.

“I would frequently have homeowners come into the store who had had their homes broken into,” Glynn said. “One of the things I would do for them is to do some of the investigating to try to find some of the items on eBay or Craig’s List, and consequently find the person who had broken into the home. After I left Target, I had that on my mind, understanding the importance of knowing exactly what you have lost.”

The couple’s service, which costs from $299 to $649 depending on the size of the home, includes video and photographic documentation of all the items in the house, along with a printed photo portfolio, a record of items’ model and serial numbers and other documentation of value. The business also maintains backup copies of the information in secure locations. As an added service, APS sends a $10 coffeeshop gift certificate to each client’s insurance agent, to encourage the agent to sit down with the client to update his or her coverage.

Amanda Glynn, a marketing specialist with Strategic America, uses her expertise to handle the communications aspects of the business.

The business is “definitely growing; it’s grown multiple times over the past months,” she said. “We’re trying to find unique ways to communicate this unique service. It’s not something you can just put a coupon in the paper and expect people to respond to. It’s an educational mission we’re on to educate people about this new industry, so it takes different kinds of media.”

Lowering cost barriers

The McFaddens, who have bought and fixed up several houses together, used a business broker to research franchise opportunities. The idea of a membership approach to massage to lower the cost of massages appealed to them, said Trisha, who has worked for the past seven years as a real estate agent.

“Cost has traditionally been a barrier to getting regular massages,” she said. The revenue from monthly membership fees enables them to keep the cost down. The $49.99 fee includes one massage, with each additional massage costing $39.99.

“Another factor is convenience,” she said, noting that the business is open seven days a week, with hours that extend into the evenings.

The San Antonio-based franchise company has provided significant support in getting the business off the ground, and has enabled the McFaddens to offer their 10 licensed massage therapists a full benefits package and continuing education opportunities. “We definitely want our therapists to stay, and to be trained and educated,” she said.

Steve, who is familiar with the construction end of the business, has been working closely with a local brokerage firm to set up the franchise sales, while Trisha handles the day-to-day management of the massage clinic. The couple hopes to begin awarding franchises “as soon as possible.”

There’s a definite pride to starting a small business, Trisha McFadden said, noting that customer traffic since their Nov. 2 opening has exceeded her expectations. Nationwide, the franchise has 16 clinics open and nearly 300 more in various stages of development.

“And I feel like we’re doing something good for people; it is a healthy thing to do,” she said. “I feel that the whole health aspect of massage is so new for the Midwest, that we get the benefit of being on the inside curve of that. I think this is going to be a really big thing. … It’s exciting to be part of that; we’re making it affordable and convenient for people to do that.”