Franchise Interviews

We are meeting with Braden Poole as Operations Manager of Honest-1 Auto Care.  Honest-1 Auto Care® is the only national full-service auto care company that is 100% ESA® Certified Eco-Friendly. Honest-1® leads the industry in numerous eco-friendly initiatives including strict recycling of automotive materials, pollution prevention, resource conservation and offering Eco-Friendly Auto Care® services such as the ECO TuneUp® and ECO Oil Change. In addition to its high environmental standards, Honest-1® has a very unique customer centric approach to the auto care industry providing centers which are family-friendly, characterized by clean and upscale waiting areas, Internet cafes, children's play areas, comfortable leather chairs and couches, big screen TVs and complimentary beverage stations. With 30 locations operating, Honest-1® plans to open 15 more locations nationwide in the next year. Honest-1® was ranked 338 in Entrepreneur magazine’s 2011 “Franchise 500.” Additionally, Honest-1® ranked as one of the top companies in the Lube and Oil News 2011 “Top Oil Change-Plus Chains.” To further show its commitment to the environment, Honest-1 Auto Care partnered with American Forests, the leading nonprofit organization that plants trees for environmental restoration. Honest-1 Auto Care locations nationwide funded the planting of 100,000 new trees through the charitable donation of revenues collected from repair orders, at no additional cost to customers.

We have a great show today.  We are meeting James Walker of The Brass Tap.  The Brass Tap is an upscale craft beer and wine bar celebrated for its more than 300 varieties of imports, local craft beers and a large selection of premium wines and cigars. With three open units and 19 signed agreements, The Brass Tap is positioned to quadruple in size in the Southeast and beyond. In June 2012, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s acquired the rights to franchise The Brass Tap.

Founded in 1991 by Marie DeNicola as a direct sales company, Mainstream Boutique is a women's retail clothing and accessories franchise that offers a variety of affordable, fashion-forward pieces for women of all ages. The franchise has 22 successful boutiques operating in 10 states with four locations currently under development. The Minnesota based company, which began franchising in 1998, is set to double in size by 2014 with expansion plans in Texas, Illinois, Colorado and Wisconsin.  In part 2 we meet with the legendary Michael Gerber on our Great Quotes in Franchising Podcast.

We have a great show today.  We are meeting with Matthew Eichhorst, President of Expedia CruiseShipCenters, and Mary Beth Casey, franchisee of Expedia CruiseShipCenters in Ft. Lauderdale. ABOUT EXPEDIA CRUISESHIPCENTERS Expedia, Inc., the largest online travel company in the world, has partnered with Expedia CruiseShipCenters to provide travelers a one stop shop for cruises and vacations.  Expedia CruiseShipCenters was founded in 1987 and offers the best value in the industry with nearly 4,000 Cruise Consultants in more than 150 franchise locations throughout North America.  In part 2, franchise expert Gary Ochiogrosso discusses the "Three Legged Stool" of franchising on our Great Quotes in Franchising Podcast.

Today's show we a talking about adding a franchise to your existing business.  Dan Lyden of Eradico Services will highlight both the Weed Man and Christmas Decor franchise opportunities. Eradico Pest Control was founded in 1931 by entrepreneur Myron Sempliner. Today Eradico Services, Inc. unifies all of our affiliated services under one recognizable brand. They remain committed to continually improving our customer care, which includes implementing advancements in technology and incorporating new research into our methods. In segment 2, you will hear part of our interview on CBS radio with Lynn Johnson.

The Lash Lounge, headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, currently operates six franchise and corporate locations throughout Texas.  The company was founded in 2006 and is the first franchise concept of its kind, specializing in the art of semi-permanent eyelash extensions and permanent make-up.  To add to the luxurious spa experience, each Lash Lounge location offers a variety of beauty products and trendy ladies’ boutique items for customers to browse while they receive services by Lash Lounge’s licensed technicians.  A comprehensive training model has been developed by Founder Anna Phillips to ensure a visit to any Lash Lounge exceeds industry standards and customer satisfaction.  The tried and true methods have been seamlessly replicated in each salon to make effortless glamour more convenient.  We are meeting with Anna Phillips, Founder, and President of The Lash Lounge. In part 2 we meet with franchise expert Karol Mercurio.  Karol gives advice to aspiring frantrepreneurs.

On Thursday, August 30, Franchise Interviews weekly radio show will host its first Automotive Symposium.  Marty McDermott, the President of Franchise Interviews stated, “Listeners will be supplied with a great deal of information on the automotive industry.  They might be pleasantly surprised.”  Interviews with automotive franchises like Aamco, Maaco, 1-800-Radiator, Express Oil and Moran Industries.

We arre meeting with Jerry Flanagan, of J Dog Junk Removal.  J Dog Junk Removal is a full-service junk removal company that removes almost anything. We offer junk removal services for your home or business including offices, retail locations, storage units, churches, apartments, warehouses and more. Junk Removal, a full-service junk removal franchise, which is taking veteran employment assistance to new heights with the creation of a low-cost franchise opportunity, offered exclusively to veterans and active-duty members of the United States Military. The newly-launched concept was created by an Army veteran in response to the disproportionately high unemployment rate for returning service members.   In an effort to ease the transition from military to civilian life, JDog Junk Removal offers veterans and active-duty Military members the hands-on training, business support systems and assistance programs needed to effectively get their business off the ground quickly. The concept has a rapid launch capability of less than 90 days. In addition, owners have the ability to gain extra income with multiple revenue stream opportunities.  No other franchise has ever been developed by a veteran solely for veterans.

We are meeting with Steve Baxter – General Manager, Global Mid-Market Solutions of Satmetrix. Satmetrix is the leading provider of cloud-based customer experience software for companies worldwide. As co-developer of the industry-leading Net Promoter® methodology, their applications deliver full process support to help companies reduce customer churn, mobilize loyal promoters, generate more powerful insights, and drive customer obsession through accountability. Steve talks about what the Satmetrix software can do for franchise businesses. In part 2, we hear from two franchisees from the franchise opportunity Cartridge World for our Great Quotes in Franchising Podcast.  We speak with Jeffrey Bier who owns and operates the Franklin Lakes, New Jersey location and Norman Friedman a multi store Cartridge World owner who owns and operates the Brick, New Jersey and the Toms River, New Jersey Cartridge World locations.

We are meeting with Emma Dickison of Home Helpers – Emma is the President of a nationwide home care agency franchise. According to a recent report by Ed Teixeira, there are more than 40 home health care franchise companies with approximately 12 million clients, and Home Helpers ranks number two among them all. Emma can talk about how to stand out in such a crowded arena. She will talk about staying ahead of the curve as well as home health care topics including technologies that keep aging loved ones at home longer. As everyday life becomes more challenging, a little help can go a long way. For over a decade, Home Helpers’ Compassionate Caregivers have been providing one-on-one companion care and in home care services to seniors, new & expectant mothers, working parents and individuals in need of continuing and recuperative home care. From a few hours a week to 24/7 home care, we’re there when and where you need us to help make life easier and maximize independence!