Worldwide vision is no Stretch (hktdc.com)


	Stretch founder Chris Watts works on a Hong Kong executive as he builds what he plans will be a global therapy brand

Body therapist Chris Watts founded his Hong Kong business literally on the backs of the city's stressed-out executives.

Briton Mr Watts set up therapy clinic Stretch in 1999 using a revolutionary technique called Active Isolated Stretching, which he learnt from its founder Aaron Mattes, after graduating from the Sarasota's Therapeutic School of Massage in Florida.

"Ninety per cent of people will experience back pain at some point in their lives, but 70 per cent of sedentary people have back pain, period," said Mr Watts, who has the title of Chief Stretch Officer on his name card.

Productivity boost

Without good health, there is no productivity, he said. "I am just amazed at how people who have back problems work. In a workaholic city like Hong Kong, some people work 12 hours a day so you need to get your backs strong and flexible. There are so many ways to get people stretched at work."

After arriving in Hong Kong in 1997 to take part in the great handover party, and to join his wife Sylvie – then his fiancee – he knew he would be doing something in business. After stints working in two separate spas, Mr Watts arrived at the conclusion that "the spa world was not ready for me and vice versa. I'm a very proactive kind of person and the spa world is too zen. I need to communicate more with the client."

Easy beginnings

Mr Watts founded Stretch in October 1999. Armed with as little as HK$15,000 (US$1,928), a massage bed and an air purifier, he set up in a small room in a martial art studio in Central.

"I didn't need much, my business was in my hands. I already had a good client base and a solid cash flow. I was busy from the start and saw between 40-50 clients a week."

Two years later, he ventured out and set up in 1,100 sq ft of space with three beds and employed two other therapists from overseas. The present Stretch Studio opened in 2004 with 2,300 sq ft. There are now five therapists in Stretch and a total of eight people in the operation, including his wife Sylvie, a marketing, financial and administration honcho and the "brains behind the business".

"Hong Kong without a doubt is one of the easiest places in the world to do business," said Mr Watts. "When I moved into this office, all that was needed was a plaque at the reception area as we are on the fourth floor. Hong Kong is such a ‘by word of mouth' kind of place that if you are good, it spreads like wild fire. I am dealing with a small community of 100,000 people who move in more or less the same circle."

SME advantages

Mr Watts said Hong Kong has more advantages than the UK in terms of setting up a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME).

"Hong Kong is value-for-money for an entrepreneur like myself. I pay HK$22 (US$3) per sq ft for this prime location in Central, whereas in London I would have to pay three to four times the amount. A company secretary does my business registration; everything is simple, transparent and quick. Auditing took only a week and cost HK$10,000 (US$1,300). In London, it would take twice as long and cost three times as much."

There are all sorts of fees that have to be paid before one can start a business in London. "You have to pay fees for the music played in the studio, for the medical licence, etc. London is big and quite cliquey. You need a massive and expensive public relations and marketing plan to succeed and you will usually need at least six months to get into any of the top publications, whereas in Hong Kong we do our own PR and marketing," Mr Watts said.

It was a referral from Goldman Sachs Hong Kong that managed to secure an introduction to the Goldman Sachs London office where Chris was commissioned to set up stretch exercises and lectures on posture for some of their 4,000 plus workers.

"I am hoping one day to have therapists on the trading floor working on these people and teaching them stretching exercises at their desks. It was just a simple 10 minute stretch but most of the people don't have the time to come to our place," he said.

Ambitious plans

Mr Watts has big plans for Stretch. He is opening up a "business within a business" in Hong Kong, leading and teaching a two day programme for people in the fitness industry as well as running a two-week course for primary healthcare practitioners working with the Hong Kong Polytechnic physiotherapist department. He is also creating a licensing agreement with a business based in the UK to operate their own Stretch clinic in the city of London and in a sporting estate in the north of England, leveraging on the Stretch website, stretch systems and know-how. "We will send our clients there as a lot of them move between Hong Kong and London."

What does he think is the secret of his success?

"The secret of my success has to do with not only the actual Stretch work that we do but also the atmosphere that we have created here. A casual but professional approach to the whole stretch experience is key. It is essential in this fast paced city where trends move like the prevailing winds and you have to be very media savvy and speak authoritatively on your topic, " said Mr Watts.

"An eccentric look and image also adds value to your brand. Ordinary doesn't work for me. I like to go to the nth degree on everything I do. Otherwise, I might as well just relax on my deserted beach and while away my time in natural surroundings," he added.

"One day I shall do that, but only after Stretch is rolling out around the world."