Franchise Interviews

We are meeting with Tiffini Soforenko, the Founder and CEO of Yummy Cupcakes and Dennis Mulgannon, Director of Franchising at Yummy Cupcakes. Tiffini started the biz in 2004 after 18 years in the corporate world, working for Universal Studios as the Director of Operations in LA and Japan. Next month, Yummy Cupcakes is opening their first-ever franchised location in San Diego and there are more coming in Michigan and other states in the next year.  A lot of people are saying the cupcake craze is dying, but Tiffini will tell you straight up that it's not. It's just BAD cupcakes that are dying.   At Yummy Cupcakes, she has created more than 400 proprietary gourmet cupcake recipes including 94 Vegan and 23 Sugar-free. There are also gourmet cupcake treats like Cupcake Truffle Pops, Cupcake in a Jar, Cupcakie Pies, Cupcake Parfaits, Cupcake Push Pops, Cupcake on a Stick and tons more.   The LA-based company has three California locations and two internationally with a lot of plans on the horizon for franchise expansion.

This weekend is the annual International Franchise Expo in New York City at the Jacob Javits Center. Many refer to this event as the Super Bowl of franchising.  Today you will hear our interview with the founder of FranchiseWorks.com Terry Corkery who gives his advice to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to buy a franchise as well as some fantastic tips on attending franchise shows. Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, or Javits Center is a large convention center located on Eleventh Avenue, between 34th and 40th streets, on the West side of Manhattan in New York.

Entrepreneur Zabi Kator is no stranger to what it means to start from the bare minimum, with growing fast company guardNOW within nine months he has managed to open 5 franchises including Los Angeles (home base), the Bay Area and New York. Servicing all needs of business and residential security and offering no contracts for usage. Temporary security guard service from guardNOW include jobs such as fumigations, firing an employee, moving out an old roommate, an ex or any type of special event. At the young age of 26 Kator put his time into developing an affordable security guard company that did more than just the basics of security guard requirements. As a UCLA grad his experience in college as taught him how to expand his ideas to give him the 10 years of security and franchising knowledge he obtains today. Kator is currently obtaining his second degree at USC in Los Angeles.

Thursday, June 6 at 10 AM EST - The UPS Store has more than 4,300 independently owned locations in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, providing convenient and value-added business services to the small-office/home-office (SOHO) market, corporate "road warriors," and consumers. The UPS Store locations offer consumers and small businesses a wide range of products and services in one convenient location. Our range of products and services* includes professional printing and document services, mailbox services, packaging and shipping, freight, and luggage logistics, and more! For more than 30 years, entrepreneurs have been benefiting from franchise ownership with The UPS Store, Inc...The UPS Store, offers products and services designed to help small business owners and continually ranks #1* in its category by Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Franchise 500”. Franchise opportunities are now available in your community.  *Entrepreneur's Franchise 500® 1990-2003 listed as the Mail Boxes Etc. brand. The UPS Store was named #10 in their category in the 2013 American Brand Excellence Awards.  Over 250 business brands were rated and over 2,200 small business owners and managers participated in The Business Journals’ annual proprietary study. The winning companies were chosen as the brands who best met the needs of small and mid-sized business owners and managers. We are meeting with Chris Adkins, vice president of franchise development.   Part 2 is an interesting clip from our Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.

Fate can strike entrepreneurs in the strangest of ways. Just ask Lenny Verkhoglaz and Mila Feldman, a married couple whose unexpected Valentine’s Day experience nearly a decade ago has given way to a successful business venture now expanding nationwide. “Cupid’s arrow really struck us in an unforeseen way that Valentine’s Day,” remembers Feldman. “One of our elderly neighbors was alone in her home after her daughter went on vacation — she needed a helping hand. My husband Lenny and I offered to stay with her and spent Valentine’s in her home helping her out, sleeping on a floor mattress in case she needed help in the middle of the night. That experience transformed us.” It also touched Mila’s brother, Alex Feldman, who co-owns Executive Care along with the couple. He entered the picture on Valentine’s Day 2003 to take care of his young nieces while Lenny and Mila cared for their homebound elderly neighbor. After that fateful evening, the three adults collectively felt a strong desire to figure out how to provide the kind of high-quality personal and medical services far too many elderly men and women go without. They started Executive Care one year later as a way to provide a full range of in-home care services to individuals and their families. Executive Care offers services that help families often overwhelmed with the responsibility of providing care to a loved one — all while ensuring the patient remains in the comfort of his or her own home. We are meeting with Mila Feldman and Lenny Verkhoglaz.

We are meeting with Mike Best, Chief Operation Officer of Boston’s The Gourmet Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar and Boston's is a full-service, pizza-themed, casual dining restaurant and sports bar offering incredible gourmet pizzas and gourmet pasta, along with a wide variety of other great dishes, such as wings, ribs, burgers, entree size salads, sandwiches and the most delicious and fresh kid's menu in the casual dining category.

We have a great show  today.  We are meeting with Paul Pickett, VP of Franchise Development for Wild Birds Unlimited, and Ellen Davis, franchisee of the Franklin, MA storePaul Pickett, VP of Franchise Development for Wild Birds Unlimited, and Ellen Davis, franchisee of the Franklin, MA storePaul Pickett and the Wild Birds Unlimited franchisee, Ellen Davis.  Ellen shares her experiences as a Wild Birds Unlimited franchisee.

We are meeting with Zach W. McLeroy, President and C.E.O., Zaxby’s Franchising, Inc. and we are going to talk to Zach about the Zaxbys franchise and how the chain is flourishing and poised to grow from a regional brand into a household name. Zach McLeroy is not only the President and C.E.O. Zaxby’s Franchising, Inc., he is also a co-founder of the Zaxby’s concept.  Zach started Zaxby’s (then called “Zax”) in 1990, when he put his burgeoning music career on hold, selling his beloved drum set to open the first store.  It was in that first Zax location that he perfected the recipes that remain the core items of the Zaxby’s menu today, including the formulation of the original selection of Zaxby’s sauces. Now, more than 20 years and 570 locations later, the chain is flourishing and poised to grow from a regional brand into a household name.  Zach remains active in the day to day operations of Zaxby’s Franchising, overseeing and directing brand development strategies and setting the vision for its continued growth.  He’s a Zaxby’s licensee himself, holding an ownership in over 95 Zaxby’s franchise locations.   In part 2, Marty discusses franchising with CBS radio host Lynn Johnson.

We are meeting with Chris Catalano, CEO of School of Rock. ABOUT SCHOOL OF ROCK The music school you wish you had when you were a kid, School of Rock is an ingenious concept that gets kids and adults rocking out to the classics and up and performing with their peers. With more than 100 locations in seven countries, the franchise proves that rock & roll is alive and kickin’. Music Franchise Proves Rock & Roll is Alive and Kickin’ After 15 years and breaking the 100-school milestone, the School of Rock is creating the world’s next generation of rockers.  By inspiring the world to rock on stage and in life, the company is continuing to rock major U.S. and international cities through soulful entrepreneurs who transform the lives of kids and adults through music.  Providing a powerful mix of a solid business model and awe inspiring performances that fill families with pride, School of Rock is expanding its franchise operation with growth opportunities in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Toronto, Vancouver and other US areas. Meanwhile, interest in the franchise continues to grow overseas, with new schools opening in Australia, the Philippines, Brazil and Chile. “We are excited about reaching this 100 school milestone. Our sustained growth helps ensure that we can continue to expand the inspirational opportunities for our students while at the same time creating employment opportunities for musicians in the neighborhoods that we serve,” said School of Rock CEO, Chris Catalano.   “While this is certainly an occasion to pause and celebrate our partners and our growth, it is also a reminder that we are only just beginning and the best of School of Rock is yet to come.”

We are meeting with Leigh Bodden and Eric Casaburi.  Former NFL Cornerback, Leigh Bodden, has signed on to become part of Retro Fitness, America's rapidly growing fitness chain known for its low cost and high value. The athlete has plans to open clubs throughout Washington D.C., Maryland and northern Virginia with more to follow in additional markets across the East Coast.  Bodden spent nine years playing as a cornerback in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, and most recently the New England Patriots, before pursuing options in entrepreneurship. Bodden is no stranger to the fitness industry and Retro Fitness had big expansion plans for his home market, making the pair a perfect fit. Bodden's Retro Fitness locations will be operated under The WEOU Group, a hospitality company founded by the athlete to house a variety of investments in the fitness, hotel and restaurant industries. "I always knew I wanted to be my own boss and work in business one day, even before my athletic career in the NFL," Bodden said. "I relate to Retro Fitness; I have the same core values as the Retro team and they were looking to hit my home market big, so everything aligned. I look forward to being part of this brand and growing this market in this stage of my life." "We're a team at Retro Fitness; all of us working together toward a greater goal, and Leigh understands what it's like to have to work as a team for everyone to be successful," said Eric Casaburi, founder and CEO of Retro Fitness. "Athletes make some of the best business owners for their dedication, ambition and drive, and we're thrilled to call Leigh part of the Retro Fitness family." In part 2, we are meeting with franchise legend Doc Cohen on our Great Quotes in Franchising Podcast.