Neary’s fast-growing IV therapy franchise could open its 100th store in late 2023 and have up to 750 units by the end of 2027.
The best businesses are born from a healthy combination of inspiration, execution, and adaptability. Amy Neary, founder and CEO of Prime IV Hydration & Wellness, has taken advantage of all three to build one of the fastest growing wellness franchises in the country.
Neary founded Prime IV in 2017 after noticing a trend among consumers seeking access to IV vitamin therapy. The wellness brand offers IV treatments designed to fight fatigue, boost energy, reverse aging, and more. In 2020, Neary made the fateful decision to franchise Prime IV, setting the stage for impressive growth over the past few years.
Prime IV plans to open its 100th store at the end of 2023 and close to 100 stores in 2024 alone. On its current growth trajectory, Prime IV could have up to 750 locations by the end of 2027.
Athlete News spoke with Neary about what inspired him to launch an IV therapy brand, how Prime IV approaches the franchise business, and what’s next for Prime IV in terms of new locations and therapy offerings. I did.
This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Athlete News: Can you tell us a little about your background and what inspired you to create Prime IV Hydration & Wellness in 2017?
amy neary:It was quite a journey. I owned a few labs in Colorado Springs for over 10 years, but by 2017, many of my loyal customers coming in for their vitamin 12 shots started asking questions about IV therapy, so the market I realized that something was changing. These labs that I owned were part of a franchise system, so I went to them and asked them if they were interested in IV therapy. The answer was “not at all.” They were right to say that because it doesn’t match up with us in the lab.
After that, I started my own business in IV therapy. If we were going to build something from scratch, we wanted to make sure our formulations were the best in the country and that we were healing and administering nutrients to people’s bodies in the best way possible. . Having a medical background in biology and chemistry, I really enjoyed the research part. The hardest part was traveling to every infusion site across the country just to understand what was missing in the industry and find a place where we could do something really great.
ATN: What are the main health benefits of IV therapy?
bean paste: The biggest feature is that nutrients given by IV are absorbed 100% of the time, compared to 10-30% absorption with most types of vitamins. That’s how we help people heal at the cellular level. We support people in all areas from improving immunity to anti-aging and athletic performance. We have a treatment called NAD+, which has a huge impact on people’s brain health. Meyer’s Cocktail, which has been around for more than 50 years, helps people who suffer from migraines and chronic fatigue. These are not available in regular commercial vitamins.
ATN: In the seven years since you founded Prime IV, has public awareness of the benefits of IV therapy increased?
bean paste: Your popularity is increasing. I think post-COVID-19, people are looking for ways to be proactive about their health. I don’t think people want to end up on 5-10 different medications and age as badly as their parents did. It is a disease treatment model and a healthcare model. Seven years ago, when I told people what I had done, they just shook their heads and wondered. Currently, people either know someone who has benefited from IV therapy or they are doing it themselves. I definitely feel like there’s something I want to say here.
ATN: Prime IV will open its 100th store at the end of 2023 and is currently opening more spas across the country. What is the biggest key to its rapid growth?
bean paste: A few things: Our success as a business model itself has been incredible. When I opened my first store, it was an instant success. Our early adopters have also achieved extraordinary success.
and our absolute dedication to service and support to our franchisees. I’ve seen what happens to brands that grow too fast. So we were confident that with the right people and systems in place, we could sustain our growth. We started an in-house sales team led by my husband. These are people who really care about our brand and the people who become a part of our brand. Almost every week we ask, “Who did you say no to this week?” The care we take in our selection process and who we include in our brand has made us much stronger from the inside out.
The other is oral tradition. Most of our franchise partners refer other franchise partners or receive referrals from existing franchise partners who have successfully operated their own Prime IV stores.
ATN: How big is Prime IV likely to be domestically and potentially internationally?
bean paste: We are currently working towards expanding into Canada. That is our most concrete international expansion goal at this point. We sell our products at over 240 stores in Japan. The company uses incredible AI-powered software and says it has the potential to deploy more than 1,000 units nationwide. I’m much more comfortable with his 500-750 units or so. That’s where we’re at our best.
ATN: Was franchising always the plan for Prime IV?
bean paste: No, it wasn’t even on my radar when I started in 2017. It’s an interesting story as to how it happened. I was asked to speak at a conference in San Antonio for another franchise system that I was attending. There I was introduced to a woman named Heidi Neville. The woman heard that I had started an IV hydration business, so she said if she decided to franchise, she would like to be the first franchisee. It was a moment that changed my life because we have become great friends ever since. She was with me from the beginning.
We opened our first franchise in the midst of COVID-19. That is Heidi, which opened its grand opening in March 2020.
ATN: What does Prime IV look for in a franchise partner?
bean paste: It’s up to you whether you want to follow our system, be a good steward of the brand, or help people in your community. It’s much more important than where you are located. We are often surprised by great success in sparsely populated places. Idaho Falls is a great example. When we opened in Idaho Falls, we were concerned because it was a completely different demographic than the area we’ve been successful with. We didn’t know if people would gravitate toward IV therapy there. But they completely crushed it.
ATN: Will Prime IV offer additional wellness services beyond IV therapy?
bean paste: Yes, but we want to be very careful about what we add because we want to stay true to who we are. We have integrated peptide therapy including semaglutide, a GLP-1 agonist that has been proven to be powerful in weight loss. That had a big impact on us.
I have another new treatment that I’m really looking forward to, but it’s not ready yet. It’s something I’ve been researching and pursuing for over 10 years. I never thought I would have anything to offer the world, but life is interesting and here I am. This is a treatment that changes the lives of men and women as they age. It is currently in beta testing and is expected to be announced later this year.
