LACC, LIAA and AmCham Event Calendar
 

New Director for Latvian Investment and Development Agency

Member Spotlight. Baiba Sisco
Owner of restaurant "La Merise French Cuisine "   Denver, Colorado

My name is Baiba Sisco. I was born in Sigulda, Latvia. I graduated from Business school of  “Turiba” – Tourism and hospitality management in 2002.

Here is a story of how Baiba found herself in United States…
 

Here is little bit of How Baiba become an owner of successful restaurant in Denver

In 2011, my business partner Elena Zasytiene (from Lithuania) and I opened La Merise French Cuisine restaurant in Denver.  The restaurant is located in Cherry Creek.  It offers the ambiance and character of Paris combined with your favorite French dishes and an extensive wine list. We both are involved in the day-to-day restaurant operation. Last year we opened another restaurant Bon Ami Bistro and Creperie in West Washington Park area. This restaurant is more casual and it is neighborhood gem. We are currently working on building our customer base and getting more repeat customers. It is challenging to manage both restaurants at the same time, yet it is very rewarding.
 

What Baiba can offer to other LACC members?
I have been working in hospitality industry for over 20 years and I think I can be a great asset to LACC with any assistance. 

Here is the link for restaurant  "La Merise French Cuisine"

Member Spotlight. Antra Getzoff

Cryotherapy Pioneer and Holistic Wellness Expert
Helping Owners of Cryotherapy Business Around the World Succeed

This is the story how Antra being very heavily involved in business back in Latvia found herself in United States… 
 

In the summer of 2010, I was approached by a few people in the United States regarding bringing whole body cryotherapy, a niche wellness treatment, to the United States. It was a project by an engineer who was looking for a partner who could take charge of business development. I had 20 years of experience in business, as well as some knowledge of cryotherapy. Mainly from the user's perspective. After a few months of preliminary research, I agreed to take the challenge and moved to the US in December of 2010.

In April of 2011, I had become a member of a Chamber of Commerce in a small San Francisco Bay Area town, opened a demonstration office and made the very first steps towards introducing the American public to the benefits of extreme cold. Nobody in the US knew what cryotherapy was, though. Standing almost naked in extremely cold air sounded crazy to most, and most of the time we were either ignored or laughed at.

Nevertheless, we were driven by believing in nature-based medication-free wellness that was getting increasingly popular in Europe. We were confident that the trend to awaken the body’s natural ability to heal from within instead of taking a pill for every discomfort or ache was there to stay.

There is no need to say that it was a rocky start. We had no money to invest, all I could rely on was $10,000 I had borrowed from a friend to finance my first steps in the US. The demo facility was seeing about 5 people per week, mostly curious referrals from friends and family, not willing to pay a dime for their “freezing”. Before opening my sales office in California, I had personally walked into most nearby wellness facilities to invite people to come to the ribbon cutting, but nobody showed up!  Luckily, we attracted attention of Dr. Oz, a popular TV show discussing most recent or bizarre trends in wellness, and NBA Dallas Mavericks were willing to give it a try. So, the 9-year journey of trial and error began.

Fast forward, I found a way to be successful in cryotherapy business and guaranteed myself a 6-digit income in 2016 and every year thereafter. The industry was born, and the number of cryotherapy locations have been growing at a stable double-digit rate per year ever since. Now, South America and Asia are coming on board, and Europe is experiencing a cryotherapy renaissance. There is a greater variety of cryotherapy devices on the market. At the same time, I have seen heartbreaking failures, and by far too many cryo-practitioners are struggling with becoming profitable.

These factors made me leave the previous role of selling equipment and helping the emerging cryotherapy locations set up operations and launch their businesses.  My business supports the entire cryotherapy industry and helps its players grow stronger and make more money.

 

I founded the International Alliance for Cryotherapy Professionals (CryoProsUnited) because I know how challenging it is to build a thriving business in a novel, extremely niche industry. I made it work for myself, and I wanted to help others succeed.

My company's goal is to help cryotherapy entrepreneurs work on their businesses rather than in them; to have MORE TIME for what matters; to enjoy better ROI, faster GROWTH, and a TRIBE of like-minded people to rely on.  A true believer in holistic wellness, I KNOW I CAN impact lives of countless people around the world through helping cryotherapy providers and other wellness entrepreneurs succeed while also promoting nature-based medication-free ways to better health, like cryotherapy, to the public.

CryoProsUnited is a brand-neutral all-inclusive RESOURCES and RELATIONSHIPS COMPANY. We act as a platform to provide everything that a cryotherapy entrepreneur needs, from industry-specific information and knowledge to training in wellness and business, systems and tools, individual and group consulting and coaching, support and community. We are also committed to projects that benefit the entire industry, like development of meaningful standards and regulations.

 
If Antra needs to tell about one project she is working on within her industry, this is her answer:

The entire business is project-based. I just started doing consulting internationally with helping a Dubai-based cryotherapy business build a franchise in the Middle East. I am also working on launching an online course on the business of cryotherapy.

The biggest challenge in a knowledge-based business like mine is building a team to grow capacity. I am currently trading my time for money, but it is limiting growth of the business and is not sustainable.  I needed to transition from being the business myself to running a business.

 

For Antras business growth and success she could benefit from being introduced to more contacts. Here are more specific details of people to whom Antra would like to be introduced:
 

- owners or executives of businesses that provide cryotherapy services or equipment, regardless the country of operation
- owner or executives of businesses that sell to cryo businesses. e.g.supplies, insurance, financing, marketing, or legal services
- prospective providers of cryotherapy services
- other wellness professionals, as the model I am developing will also be applicable to other branches of wellness

 

With experience in Cryotherapy industry as well as being university professor and managing different kind of projects, this is what Antra can help with to LACC community...
 

Mainly experience in business development, project management and running member-based associations. I used to run Latvian Association for Quality and represent Latvia at the General Assembly of the European Organization for Quality for a number of years back in early to mid-2000-s. I was also in charge of the Alumni Association of Riga Business School before moving to the US. I have organized events, large and small, from open houses to conferences with hundreds of participants.

 

Here is little bit about Antras business travel plans:

My business will increasingly require travel, but I do not have any "set in stone" travel plans, except a trip to Las Vegas in early June.
 
Check out Antras business Webpage to find out more information about Cryotherapy: