Franchise Interviews

We are meeting with Dr. Rebecca and Dr. Joseph Cipriano, founder of the new Pop Weight Loss franchise. Pop Weight Loss, a weight management and healthy lifestyle franchise, has experienced tremendous success creating a weight-loss-as-lifestyle-change program to help the rapidly escalating obesity epidemic plaguing American men, women and children today. The "Pop" in Pop Weight Loss stands for personal, online and professional. The program offers personalized one-on-one support, online weight loss counseling, recipes, tools and suggestions, and each client is given a team of professional nutritionists. In 2013, Dr. Rebecca published the book with her father, Kenneth Herman, EdD, a clinical psychologist titled, Pop: Burst the Diet Bubble and Finally Lose Weight. The book provides a step-by-step plan for losing weight, and is essentially a mock-up of the Pop Weight Loss program. The book also discusses how Dr. Rebecca struggled with her own weight loss after pregnancy, which is a primary reason, in addition for her passion for health and wellness, why she created Pop Weight Loss. In part 2 we meet with franchise expert Steve Beagleman from our Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.  Steve talks about the advantages of going with a small and larger franchise system.

Are you a start-up or small business looking to raise capital? In order to do so, you must have a business plan that investors will love.   Cheree Warrick, author of Creating Business Plans that Actually Get Financed, will be our guest. During our interview, she’ll reveal the following:   Shocking statistics about how much money is actually out there Six (6) parts to an invest-able business plan Biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when writing their business plans Why banks and angel investors say NO to great business ideas How to give an irresistible 60 second pitch that’ll have investors pulling out their calendars to schedule time with you Why non-tech companies (or companies outside of the technology field) have better changes of receiving financing from angels The secret to receiving financing offers from multiple sources And much more

March 14, 2013 at 10AM EST -Over the last month, we discussed several franchise opportunities for aspiring dadpreneurs. This week we are meeting with the ProTect Painters franchise opportunity. Wayne Scherger, a veteran of the painting industry since 1981, founded ProTect Painters in 1994. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, ProTect Painters opened territories east of the Mississippi River and forged a reputation for quality service and exceptional value. In 2009, Service Brands International (SBI) acquired ProTect Painters with the goal of expanding the brand into a leading national franchise business, serving both the residential and commercial markets. "With SBI's financial resources, franchising expertise, and support professionals, we have created a new kind of painting franchise opportunity: one built on innovation, integrity and infinite opportunities," said Wayne.  We are meeting with Gregory Lee of ProTect Painters in Richardson, TX.  Today we are going to speak with Greg about his experience and life as a ProTect Painters franchisee and how he balances that work life as a “dadpreneur. We also play a clip from our "Great Quotes in Franchising" podcast with Toppers franchisee Derek Henze.

The franchisor dilemma: overcoming the challenges of change and how to "sell" the franchise system on cloud communications.   We are meeting with Bonnie Lam of Ring Central.  RingCentral is a cloud-based phone system provider that has started to work with more and more franchise companies over the last few years. Bonnie will discuss how to move a franchise system's business communication infrastructure to the cloud - the benefits and cost analysis. We will discuss how to improve efficiency of phone, text and fax communication with franchisees, as well as improve communication between franchisees and their employees.  We will also discuss the traditional pitfalls of unmonitored phone communication with customers in a growing franchise system: professionalizing outgoing messaging, streamlining announcements of promotions, events, closures, etc. in real-time.

One of the themes of February has been the topic of dadpreneurs.  Recent studies have shown that in the past 10 years, the number of work-from-home dads has more than doubled. The number of stay/work-at-home dads has risen from 81,000 in 2001 (1.6 percent of the total) to a startling 176,000 in the past year (3.4 percent of the total), according the U.S. Census. While the reasons for this trend may vary, Erik Flores is an example of a work-from-home dad who left a career outside the home to launch businesses that would allow hmi the flexibility and independence that only a home-based franchise provides. Erik Flores owned a car detailing business for four years. He used Chem-Dry upholstery cleaning products on the interiors of vehicles and was impressed with the results. He also has the responsibilities associated with three children and a local church where he serves as the director. So, a year and a half ago, he sold the car detailing business to purchase the Plainview, TX Chem-Dry franchise. Now, the 32 year old sets his own hours, travels and has the time to devote to both his ministry and his children.

Over the next two weeks, we are talking about dadpreneurs and franchising. Recent studies have shown that in the past 10 years, the number of work-from-home dads has more than doubled. The number of stay/work-at-home dads has risen from 81,000 in 2001 (1.6 percent of the total) to a startling 176,000 in the past year (3.4 percent of the total), according the U.S. Census. Our first guest will be Rick Werner of Unishippers. And Rick Werner owns a Unishippers franchise, a third party shipping adviser for small to mid-sized businesses. He has been in business since January and works from home, building his business while serving as the primary caretaker for his 18 month-old daughter. He and his wife live in Auburn, AL

Mr. Handyman Franchise Announces Limited-Time Accelerated Launch Program for New Franchisees The Mr. Handyman franchise opportunity recently announced from Dec. 1, 2012 until Mar. 31, 2013, any new owner who has signed a franchise agreement will be eligible to participate in the program, which offers a cash infusion of up to $20,000 to help get their business up-and-running. "We're an organization that prides itself on having an extensive support network for our franchisees and celebrating five percent same-store sales growth in 2011," said Mr. Handyman President Alex Roberts. "The accelerated launch program and cash infusion option is one way to show our newest franchisees that we're willing to do whatever it takes to help our owners with proven marketing and operations programs." Mr. Handyman will invest up to $20,000 of the initial franchise fees collected for a new home repair business during the first 12 months of operation. The investment will be spent on business-building activities and will be designated for programs at the discretion of the franchisor. These funds are designed to provide supplemental working capital for the franchisees' business and will be invested in addition to the normal working capital required. To participate, any new owner must meet certain criteria set out by Mr. Handyman in advance. It has been well documented that home improvement businesses have been growing steadily since the start of the recession. More homeowners have turned to maintaining the properties they own while the housing market is down, leading to lucrative opportunities for owners in a franchise system like Mr. Handyman. A study by Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies projects double-digit growth in home-improvement spending for the first half of 2013. We are meeting with Mr. Handyman President Alex Roberts.

A Gastro-What? GASTROPUB: It's a British (AMERICAN!) term for a pub which specializes in high-quality food a step above the traditional grub pub. Gastropubs have an atmosphere which is relaxed and focused on offering a particular cuisine prepared as well as the best restaurants. Staying true to the format requires a menu that complements the assortment or beers and wines (and bourbon!) the gastropub offers. What Makes Our Place Unique? Bar 145 specializes in "Burgers, Bands, and Bourbon." A gastro pub has an atmosphere that is relaxed and focused on offering a particular cuisine prepared as well as the best restaurants. Our tag line: "Red Chucks, White China" emphasizes our culture clash having all of our food served on white china while our employees are sporting red Chuck Taylor tennis shoes. Bar 145 provides a spacious patio with high rise tables, a 50-seat oval bar split by an industrial size garage door, and flat screen TVs strategically placed for viewing. Utilizing local farmers and purchasing fresh products daily allows Bar 145 to offer customers a vast amount of exclusive specials. With the option to "stack your own," customers are given an opportunity to create a burger or sandwich choosing from twelve artisan cheeses, 21 house-made sauces, and 24 toppings ranging from vine ripe tomatoes to in house cured bacon.

We are excited to meet with Arby's President, Hala Moddelmog, to discuss the company's refranchising success and significant investment into the brand at a time of great economic uncertainty. Some of the topics we will discuss with Hala are the following: • This past fall, Arby's introduced a new line of turkey roasters. Hala will discuss why Arby's found it important to expand its menu beyond its signature roast beef offerings. • Arby's is now testing a new restaurant design/layout in select markets. Hala will discuss what Arby's hopes to achieve with a new look and feel. • Arby's recently made several changes to its leadership team. Hala will provide rundown of these changes. • How have all these big changes paid off for the brand? • In order to overcome obstacles to growth, particularly the ongoing credit crunch, restaurant executives are focusing their efforts on attracting multi-unit and multi-brand operators with strong cash flow to not only open new units, but purchase established corporate stores to help revitalize and remodel stagnant locations. Has Arby's been a part of this "refranchising" trend? While many companies and business owners are slashing their operating budgets, investments, and jobs in light of the looming "fiscal cliff," some are optimistic about the future and continue to invest extensive resources. Over 8800 downloads!

Chris Hurn - Entrepreneur, Speaker, Writer/Blogger, Leader. Mercantile Capital Corporation only finances commercial real estate for other entrepreneurs and small business owners all over the U.S. utilizing the SmartChoice Commercial Loan program (aka the SBA 504 loan). Christopher G. Hurn, chief executive officer of Mercantile Capital Corporation in Orlando, is the author of The Entrepreneur's Secret to Creating Wealth: How the Smartest Business Owners Build Their Fortunes, his first book. He also has a special offer for entrepreneurs: buy two or more copies of his new book, and he will donate all proceeds to the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation. The book, which sells for $19.95, offers Hurn's unique perspective on wealth he gained lending money - over $424.2 million in 2012 - to fund the efforts of small business entrepreneurs to acquire or develop their own facilities. Hurn, a frequent guest as a small business commentator on Fox Business News, The Huffington Post, PBS and other media outlets, said he knows how small business entrepreneurs think because he is one.