FRANCHISING USA FEBRUARY 2019

Franchising usa $5.95 www.franchisingusamagazine.com

The magazine for franchisees

VOL 07, ISSUE 4, feb 2019

Business Finance Depot

The Franchise Finance Experts special

business services franchising feature

innovate or perish the state of franchising LATEST NEWS

FINANCIAL ADVICE FROM THE BANKS

TOP LAWYERS’ ADVICE

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Franchising usa The magazine for franchisees

FRANCHISING USA VOLUME 7, ISSUE 4, 2019 president: Colin Bradbury. colin@cgbpublishing.com

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f r o m t he p u bl i s he r & e d i tor

Publisher: Vikki Bradbury. vikki@cgbpublishing.com

advertising: advertising@cgbpublishing.com

Welcome to the February issue of Franchising USA.

Editorial Department: managing editor:

With the holiday season now behind us, it’s time to get back to business. With 2019

Diana Cikes editor@cgbpublishing.com

brands across various industries and sizes seeking new partners to build their

projected to be a strong year for franchising, we’re now seeing multiple franchise

brands in the U.S. and beyond. So if you’ve been thinking about starting your own

Editorial team:

business, there’s no better time than right now to invest in a franchise.

Gina Gill Rob Swystun

If financing your new franchise is an issue, be sure to have a look at our Cover Story

Production:

service to all their clients, assisting and advising on every stage of the financing

usaproduction@cgbpublishing.com

DESIGN: Jejak Graphics. jejak@bigpond.com

COVER IMAGE: BUSINESS FINANCE DEPOT

CGB PUBLISHING Canadian Office: Sidney B.C Canada U.S. Office: 800 5th Ave, #101 Seattle, WA 98104-3102 Sales: 847 607 8407 Editorial: 778 426 2446 www.franchisingusamagazine.com Proud member of the IFA:

this issue with Business Finance Depot, a business that offers a wholistic, full focus process. As reliable industry leaders, Business Finance Depot can help answer any

questions you might have about financing a franchise and securing loans. Be sure to turn to page 10 to learn more about how Business Finance Depot can help get you on the right path towards financing your dreams.

Behind every great business lies a lot of business services. Our Special Feature this month is on Business Services Franchising, and our Feature Article takes a look at how business services are a strong contender in the franchising world. We’ve also gathered up some great information and advice on the industry, bringing it

to you straight from our Industry Experts including Josh Allen who looks at the explosive growth of voice search and the implications for franchise brands and

business owners. Mike Brugger also looks at The Role of Promotional Products as

a Marketing Strategy and how both large and small companies can benefit by using these products.

Don’t forget to turn to page 6 to catch up on the latest in Franchising News and take a few moments to scroll through our A-Z Franchise Directory listed at the back of the magazine.

Happy reading!

SUPPLIER FORUM International Franchise Association 1501 K Street, N.W., Suite 350 Washington, D.C. 20005 Phone: (202) 628-8000 Fax: (202) 628-0812 www.franchise.org

“Go for it now. The future is promised to no one.”

- Wayne Dyer

The information and contents in this publication are believed by the publisher to be true, correct and accurate but no independent investigation has been undertaken. Accordingly the publisher does not represent or warrant that the information and contents are true, correct or accurate and recommends that each reader seek appropriate professional advice, guidance and direction before acting or relying on all information contained herein. Opinions expressed in the articles contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. The publication is sold subject to the terms and conditions that it shall not be copied in whole or part, resold, hired out, without the express permission of the publisher.

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contents

FEBRUARY 2019

On the Cover 10 Cover Story:

Business Finance Depot: The Franchise Experts

30 Special Business Services Franchising Feature

10

20 Innovate Or Perish 14 The State of Franchising

In Every Issue 6

12

What’s New! Announcements from the industry

25 Business Services Franchising Feature 43 A-Z Franchise and Services Directory

Expert Advice

18

12 Why Obtaining the Right Talent is Vital For Your Franchise

Floyd Mayweather, Chairman, Mayweather Boxing + Fitness

14 The State of Franchising

George Knauf, Senior Franchise Business Advisor, FranChoice

20 Innovate Or Perish: A Message for Businesses in the

Franchise Space Charles Bonfiglio; Founder, President and CEO; Tint World

22 Do You Have a Business Plan for Your Franchise?

22 Franchising USA

You Should!

Evan Hackel, CEO, Tortal Training

Focus

30

18 Tuffy Tire & Auto Service

Business Services Franchising Feature On the Cover

34

36 Tips for a More Successful Franchise Renewal Season 40 The Role of Promotional Products as a Marketing Strategy In Every Issue 26 Feature News 30 Feature Article

36

Expert Advice 34 Voice Search Is Changing the Digital Marketing Landscape: Here’s What You Need To Know Josh Allen, Director of Marketing, Location3

36 Tips for a More Successful Franchise Renewal Season

Susan Grueneberg, Attorney and Member, Cozen O’Connor

38 Four Eye-Opening Ways I Learned (and Keep Learning)

38

To Run My Franchise Jeff Oddo, President, City Wide Maintenance

40 The Role of Promotional Products as a Marketing Strategy

Mike Brugger, President, Fully Promoted

40 Franchising USA

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what’s new!

COPPER BRANCH OPENS FIRST U.S. LOCATION IN NEW YORK CITY Plant-based eatery continues to lead the ‘Food Revolution’ charge by branching out to Lower Manhattan Copper Branch, a Canadian-headquartered plant-based fast casual eatery with over 30 locations in Canada has announced it will open its first location in the United States on February 1st. The new location will be situated in the SOHO/Greenwich Village area of Lower Manhattan at 195 Bleecker Street, best known for art galleries, trendy shops and eateries as well as the NYU campus.

Rio Infantino, the CEO of Copper Branch and a veteran restaurant franchise owner, states, “New York City was a clear choice for our first U.S. location as it provides great visibility for the brand and is one of the world’s most recognized active and forward-thinking cities.” Mr. Infantino further states, “Like our brand ethos, NYC epitomizes strong roots while simultaneously being dynamic and embracing the future.”

The first Copper Branch opened in 2014 in downtown Montreal.

Since then it has received worldwide recognition amongst vegans, flexitarians, and health conscious consumers. Copper Branch locations are franchisee-run and the company provides a turnkey approach whereby all restaurants are successfully managed by implementing trusted and proven systems to assure that food quality, customer service, and brand image are maintained at every location. In addition to the more than 30 locations in Canada and the new restaurant in New York City, Copper Branch is on schedule to open 15-20 locations in the U.S. by the end of 2019 in California, Massachusetts, Colorado and Florida.

For more information, visit www.EatCopperBranch.com.

24 Hour Fitness Appoints Tony Ueber as Chief Executive Officer

24 Hour Fitness has announced Tony Ueber as Chief Executive Officer, with Chris Roussos stepping down and remaining a special advisor to the Company for the next two months to ensure a smooth transition.

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“I am excited to join the 24 Hour Fitness team and believe in the vision and mission of the business and the potential for the company to become the definitive leader in the industry,” said Tony Ueber. “I am confident we can build upon the solid foundation that Chris has built to take the Company to new heights.”

experiences, Tony has the unique skill set and experience required to execute the strategic plans we have laid out to transform into the clear industry leader,” said Roland Smith, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “We thank Chris for his role in building the solid foundation on which 24 Hour Fitness sits today.”

Ueber recently led the transformation and expansion of Results Physiotherapy, where he more than doubled the number of locations. Previously at Banfield Pet Hospital, Ueber doubled revenue and delivered more than a tenfold increase in earnings.

“It has been a privilege and honor to be part of the 24 Hour Fitness team and I am proud of what we have accomplished,” added Chris Roussos. “With a solid foundation in place, the time is right to hand the reigns over to Tony and the team to execute on the long term plan.”

“With 25 years of demonstrated success across a diverse background of

For more information, visit www.24hourfitness.com.

I Heart Mac & Cheese Opens First of Four New York Stores on Long Island, NY A new I ♥ Mac & Cheese opened on Jan. 13, 2019, at New Village at Patchogue on Long Island, NY. The restaurant marks the first I ♥ Mac & Cheese to open in 2019, the first to open in the New York area and eighth overall.

The company experienced strong growth in the past year and is expecting to end 2019 with five corporate openings in the United States. Two stores are slated to open in Spring/Summer 2019 in Tallahassee, FL, and Athens, GA. Additional New York locations are scheduled to open in 2019 in Bayside, Queens; Syosset, Long Island; and Syracuse.

On the franchise side of the business, the company is projecting 20 franchises opening this year. Two locations are slated to open Spring/Summer 2019 in Cooper City, FL, and Deerfield Beach, FL. In October 2018, I ♥ Mac & Cheese sold its first food truck franchise in the South Florida market to its former general manager, Hector Gonzalez.

“With our growth, we’ve continued to remain focused on our food and our customers. We look forward to further developing franchise and corporate stores and food trucks across the country,” said Giordanella.

The address of the new Patchogue store is 3 Village Green, Patchogue, NY 11772.

For more information on franchise opportunities, visit iheartmacandcheese.com/franchise.

PIRTEK USA’s new CEO to focus on franchise-building, strengthening brand PIRTEK USA has announced the promotion of Kim Gubera to the position of chief executive officer (CEO). A certified franchise executive with the International Franchise Association, Gubera previously served as PIRTEK USA’s vice president and chief financial officer (CFO).

Gubera started out at PIRTEK USA as corporate controller before her promotion to CFO in 2018. An experienced corporate financial professional, she served with a leading, national landscaping franchise where she held the position of director of finance before joining PIRTEK USA. As CEO, she leads the company’s continued

focus on strengthening the individual

franchises and the overall PIRTEK USA brand.

“Our vision as a company remains the same: partnering with our franchise

owners to build successful businesses

while expanding the PIRTEK brand in the United States,” said Gubera. “What I find exciting and challenging is working with

the individual owners, their employees and

our corporate team, all of whom work each and every day to grow and support the brand while servicing our customers.”

A Florida native, Gubera succeeds

former CEO Glenn Duncan, who has

more than 30 years at PIRTEK and now

has transitioned to the leadership role of PIRTEK USA’s executive chairman.

For more information, visit www.pirtekusa.com.

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what’s new!

FirstLight Home Care Named to Franchise Times Fast & Serious List

Award-winning national home care franchise makes Franchise Times’ annual listing of the smartest growing brands for second straight year FirstLight Home Care, a leading national provider of nonmedical home care, has been named to the Franchise Times Fast & Serious list, an annual ranking of the smartest growing franchisors based on percentage sales growth, percentage unit growth, dollar sales growth, and numerical unit growth, among other factors.

Ranked on the list for the second consecutive year, FirstLight Home Care reported 20.1 percent sales growth in 2018. FirstLight serves seniors, adults with disabilities, new mothers, veterans, those recovering from surgery and other adults in need of assistance.

Franchise Times’ Fast & Serious is a ranking of franchises that have staying power in addition to rapid growth. The media outlet developed a proprietary 10-point formula to analyze successful franchise brands based on data sourced from the Franchise Times Top 200+ submissions, the publication’s annual ranking of the largest franchise systems based on revenue. Only companies with system-wide sales above $40 million were considered for this list.

In recent months, FirstLight Home Care has also made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing, privately held companies, the Franchise Times Top 200+ of the 500 largest franchise companies and Franchise Business Review’s Top 100 Franchises for Innovation and Top Franchises for Veterans lists.

For more information, visit www.firstlighthomecare.com.

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Texas Company Expands to More Than 100 Global Locations in Three Years

Little Land Grows with First International Location in Beijing A Texas-based company known for ensuring children are on the proper growth development path experiences its own growth internationally. Little Land reached an agreement to open more than 100 locations in the next three years across China. The first location in Beijing is expected to open by mid-2019.

“Child development is not something left to chance,” said Ernie Beltz, Jr., co-founder and CEO of Little Land. “With the use of our specially designed equipment, parents see that play has purpose along with being fun for their children.”

Little Land will be a first of its kind concept in China and offers a much-needed reprieve from technology. In China, the number of children is growing quickly, and families have identified the need for specific activities to ensure their children develop on-track.

In 2014, Ernie Beltz Jr. and Debbie Garcia-Beltz, OTR/L founded the Little Land concept. Debbie has spent nearly 20 years as a pediatric occupational therapist and used her experience to create the gym’s model. All play equipment at Little Land is designed by pediatric therapists to enhance physical, sensory, and social development while being a fun activity.

“We are thrilled with the company’s progress, but when we think about how many young lives will be better because of Little Land, it’s those results that make the Little Land concept a success for children and for the business,” Debbie Garcia-Beltz said.

Little Land has seven locations open in Texas with nine additional locations planned to open in Texas by Summer 2019.

For more information, visit littlelandplaygym.com.

SLATER’S 50/50 ROLLS OUT ‘REBEL GASTROPUB’ BRANDING, NEW MENU ITEMS IN EARLY 2019 New Year Will Launch Brand Repositioning and Expanded Menu Offerings For The Burger Concept Slater’s 50/50, the full-service restaurant concept originally known for creating the innovative 50/50 burger patty made with 50% ground bacon and 50% ground beef, is starting fresh in 2019 with a move towards ‘rebel gastropub’ positioning and expanding menu options beyond its signature burger, bacon, and beer offerings.

Throughout the new year, Slater’s 50/50 will focus on changing consumers’ perceptions of the brand, and showcase a more holistic culinary prowess that masterfully combines everyday ingredients in an inconceivable, unexpected, and uniquely ‘slaterized’ way.

The first step in the repositioning is introducing menu items that are not typically found in a classic burger and bacon restaurant, like health-conscious, creative, protein-oriented offerings that appeal keto and paleo dieters. The new offerings, available through March 31 at Slater’s 50/50 locations in California, Nevada, and Texas, include Sweet & Spicy Cauliflower, Turkey Harvest Bowl, Cheeseburger Bowl, and a vegetarian Power Bowl.

“Slater’s 50/50 is best known for over-the-top, decadent menu

items, and these new protein-focused, diet-friendly items will impress with bold flavors, and with the added benefit of being better for you and low-carb,” said James Bailey, Culinary Director for Elite Restaurant Group, the parent company of Slater’s 50/50.

“In 2019, you’ll see Slater’s 50/50 go beyond the burgers, bacon, and beer perception and fully embrace a ‘rebel gastropub’ feel, while still holding true to our rule-breaking heritage.”

Slater’s 50/50 operates 11 full-service restaurants in California, Nevada, Texas, and Hawaii. For more information and to view the full menu visit www.slaters5050.com.

Modern Acupuncture’s Growth Accelerates in 2018, Firm on Target to Double Clinic Openings Through 2019 have been awarded, as well as 150 franchise licenses. In 2018 alone, more than 100,000 patient visits have been recorded. This all equates to around $8 million in revenue with no debt.

Modern Acupuncture, the acupuncture franchise that aims to bring holistic treatment to the masses, has successfully positioned itself as the fastest growing health and wellness franchise in the U.S. in only its second full year of operation.

In 2018, 32 clinics opened across the U.S., bringing the total to

38 open clinics with 55 more slated to open in 2019 under modest projections. By comparison, The Joint, a chiropractic franchise

also in the health and wellness category, opened only 17 locations

in its second year of operations. 530 regional development licenses

Last year, the company also invested in a massive brand relaunch in an effort to build a national movement around acupuncture. The “Let’s Tingle” movement features new attention-grabbing creative with original photography by famous Swedish Photographer Henrik Halvarsson that is meant to capture attention and spark conversation. Additionally, Modern Acupuncture is developing programs in each local community where they have franchises to support first responders, teachers and veterans.

Over the last two years, the company has selectively and strategically awarded regional and franchise development rights to proven operators of similar health, beauty and wellness franchise concepts. This includes Dr. Charles Anderson (MD, MPH, MBA), a Harvard trained newborn intensive care physician with degrees from Princeton University, John Hopkins and Boston University. www.modernacupuncturefranchise.com

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cov er sto ry

B us i ness F i nan c e D ep ot

Business Finance Depot The Franchise Finance Experts

Business Finance Depot is dedicated to assisting start-up franchise systems and established franchise networks and their new franchisees to secure financing.

They offer a ‘one-stop-shop’ service, utilizing 2 complementary products; SBA7a loans and equipment leases.

Franchising USA Magazine sat down with company Chief Operating Officer (COO), Marisol Cruz, to chat about the many successes Business Finance Depot achieved in 2018, and the tremendous growth expected throughout 2019.

Franchising USA

Expert Finance Advice For franchisors who are looking to give their franchisees the best possible chance at success - or start-up franchise systems seeking to hit the ground running with effective support and advice behind them - game changing financing like that offered by Business Finance Depot is a welcome addition to their finance options.

As Marisol Cruz explains, Business Finance Depot has spent years establishing and developing partnerships with franchisors and franchise organisations, making them reliable industry leaders when it comes to consulting on franchise finance and securing loans.

“As COO, I cover a few areas of the business,” Marisol says, “as well as my duties as Chief Operating Officer, I also assist and consult franchisors and individual franchisees with all of their finance options.”

Business Finance Depot offers a wholistic, full focus service to all their clients, assisting and advising on every stage of the financing process. They help filter through the many options and set their clients on the right path, assist in completing all applications and facilitation of all necessary paperwork and help plan financial projections.

Assisting in creating a template, planning and recording financial projections is certainly a massive value adding service for franchisees who may not be able to receive this advice from their franchisor. Business Finance Depot has the experience and expertise offer expert advice on these important processes.

Superior Product Offering Business Finance Depot’s products are particularly strong in serving businesses that require expensive equipment to run their business, which lends itself well to equipment leasing. Good examples are embroidery equipment, sign making equipment and fitness equipment. Also, if a vehicle is required to manage the business, the team at Business Finance Depot can arrange for the purchase at dealer’s cost and financing along with any tools and equipment needed to be in the vehicle to operate the business.

Good examples are the tools needed to do carpentry, plumbing and pool testing work at a job site.

The company can also provide up to $150,000 in working capital to home based & retail locations needed to operate the business starting from day one of operations. The SBA Express loan is

“Since starting out financing fitness gyms over a decade ago, Business Finance Depot has expanded its services to franchises and currently works with United Franchise Group’s numerous stable of brands, as well as many others.” perfect for start-ups because the repayment period is 10 years at low interest rates, and there is no prepayment penalty.

Business Finance Depot also packages larger SBA7a loans up to $5,000,000 with 3 national SBA lenders if your business requires more capital than an equipment lease and an SBA Express loan can offer.

They are able to offer a variety of alternate lending sources for cash advances, micro loans and unsecured financing lines.

The Florida based company is able to service businesses right across the United States, and is rewriting how franchisors finance their locations through a combination of these equipment and SBA7a government loans.

Growth Initiatives and Industry Partnerships Since starting out financing fitness gyms over a decade ago, Business Finance Depot has expanded its services to franchises and currently works with United Franchise Group’s numerous stable of brands, as well as many others. 2018 saw Business Finance Depot establish and develop partnerships with many other lenders and franchise organisations, including Francorp, which has set them up for a very successful year ahead.

“We currently have $32 million in finance approved, between the SBA7a and equipment loans - the highest to date,” Marisol explains. This figure is only set to rise throughout 2019 with the tremendous growth that Business Finance Depot projects over the coming months.

Meet the Team Face to Face “We currently have $32 million in finance approved, between the SBA7a and equipment loans - the highest to date.” - Marisol Cruz

While the team at Business Finance Depot work every day to provide their clients with the best financial services and consultation in the industry from their head office in Florida, they also attend numerous trade shows and industries

Marisol Cruz

conferences throughout the year and is set to be the 2019 national sponsor of all 5 MFV Expos. “We attend a lot of the trade shows and conferences, including the IFE and IFA conventions,” Marisol Cruz says.

The ability to meet with and chat to the dedicated team at Business Finance Depot at these industry events is another great advantage for franchisors and franchisees.

Tremendous Success to Come 2019 is poised to be a fantastic year for Business Finance Depot and their many valued clients. The partnerships and initiatives instigated in 2018 have allowed the company to put their best foot forward right from the start of 2019.

Business Finance Depot are committed to assisting business get the financing they need, and their dedication, expertise and wide rage of services certainly put them ahead of the competition. The company has launched an online webinar and video series dedicated to teaching perspective franchisees how to prepare to evaluate and finance a franchise.

To find out more, visit businessfinancedepot.com or contact Marisol directly via email at marisol@businessfinancedepot.com.

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ex per t advice

Floyd Mayweather, Chairman, Mayweather Boxing + Fitness

Why Obtaining t Right Talent is Vi For Your Franch Throughout my boxing career, I surrounded myself with the best team who helped me become and remain a world champion. The same principle applies to business and franchising.

Because I had never owned, operated, and built a franchise concept before Mayweather Boxing + Fitness, I knew that it was imperative for me to partner with the most talented people in the industry to develop a successful franchise.

I’ve spent over five years meticulously recruiting and developing a team with functional expertise in franchising, business development, fitness instruction, group fitness class development, and fitness technology. By forming the best team possible, we were able to create a differentiated franchise model that pairs the marketability of my name and the effectiveness of the workouts I created, with the strategic and operating capabilities of an industry-leading business team. Through this partnership, we have opened our flagship studio that became profitable within just 90 days of opening its doors, and have 30 franchised studios in development just 4 months after announcing our franchise business – with plans for 500+ over the next few years.

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the ital hise Surrounding yourself with experts in areas where you have less experience ensures that you will always be learning, growing and challenging yourself, and – most importantly in this industry – supporting your franchisees with an experienced and knowledgeable team. Some of the focus areas where we support our franchisees include: • Real estate/site selection and construction management.

• In-person training at Corporate Headquarters and through franchisee site visits; online training through franchise portals, webinars, conference calls.

• Marketing playbooks that outline tactics and road-maps throughout each phase of a studio opening and ongoing operations.

• Templates for ongoing creative assets.

• Lead generation support.

• Education on advertising strategies.

• Daily fitness workouts and programming provided through Smart TVs. • Mentoring program.

It is equally as important to identify the right people to award your franchises to, and to select those who have what it takes to flourish in your system. Not every franchise is the same, so know what makes your system unique and what it takes to succeed within it. We look for franchisees who have strong business backgrounds,

“Surrounding yourself with experts in areas where you have less experience ensures that you will always be learning, growing and challenging yourself, and – most importantly in this industry – supporting your franchisees with an experienced and knowledgeable team.” who are passionate about helping others maximize their potential, and who want their business to be a positive part of their community. The partners you bring into your business need to be dedicated, reliable and aligned with the goals and values of your franchise. This is why it’s crucial to encourage potential franchisees to do their diligence on you, and for you to be methodical in awarding franchises.

You need to spend time with franchise candidates to get to know their personalities, their business style, their operating prowess and personal ambitions.

It’s easy to award a franchise if all you are looking to do is increase your footprint quickly. The real skill is identifying those operators who share your passion for your business, who you feel confident will put all of their efforts into making it a success, and who you will enjoy sharing the journey with.

In turn, you have to impress the importance of building a strong team on your franchisees, from their management to their day-today operating team, and

the people and businesses they choose to partner with.

Having the correct individuals in place promotes terrific culture, a sense of accountability and a synergy within the organization. When customers or members walk through the doors of a franchise in your system, they will feel this. Paired with a great product or service, this is what keeps customers coming back time and time again.

Floyd Mayweather is an entrepreneur & former professional boxer. He retired in 2017 as the single most successful boxer of all time, with an undefeated 50-0 record and a reign as world champion that extends back to 1998. His latest venture, Mayweather Boxing + Fitness — where he serves as Chairman — became profitable within 90 days of opening its flagship gym in Los Angeles and is now bringing on franchise partners to expand the brand across the U.S. and internationally. www.mayweather.fit/franchise

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ex per t advice

George Knauf, Senior Franchise Business Advisor, FranChoice

Restaurants are still growing in niche categories.

The market had experienced a number of big growth trends.

Also in this category, health and beauty brands offer additional portfolio building options with semiabsentee ownership.

The State of Franchising Twice every year we invite a large list of top and emerging franchise brands to undisclosed locations so that we can have them brief us on their business, franchisees, growth and plans for the future.

What I can tell you from a global view is that the state of franchising is robust, growing, creating countless jobs across the country and keeping the money generated in communities reinvested locally not sent to far off states or offshore. The state of franchising in the U.S. is outstanding!

Now, let’s dive into some of the details.

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Restaurants are still growing in niche categories. The market had experienced a number of big growth trends in burgers, pizza and subs, so those categories are largely satisfied at the moment. Those brands will fill gaps in larger markets, explore smaller markets and develop niche opportunities. For the largest brands their major growth may still come from overseas markets.

In the food category we see growth opportunity for smaller market segments and operations that can maximize revenue while lowering overall investment. The ability to move swiftly to take advantage of new trends of market needs will be a key factor for these smaller brands as they compete with large brands.

Services abound with a growing list of market categories to consider.

Retail site based consumer services: This category is dominated by the fitness,

health, wellness and beauty avalanche.

In the fitness category the continued commoditization of big box gym memberships and movement away from large footprint offerings by people looking for better experiences, closer relationships and customization continues to contribute to one of the largest category shifts in franchise history, boutique fitness.

In the boutique fitness space consumers can pick one modality to pursue their goals or mix and match from amongst them. In our informal surveys consumers in this space often use two or three brands to create a weekly regime that they enjoy.

For the franchise owner, these businesses often offer semi-absentee portfolio building game plans where they don’t have to work in the business on a daily basis as they grow their empire.

Also in this category, health and beauty

Click here to find out more...

FRANGUIDE.COM 703-424-2980 FIND YOUR FRANCHISE WITH FREE GUIDANCE FROM INDUSTRY EXPERTS

ex per t advice

George Knauf, Senior Franchise Business Advisor, FranChoice

In the boutique fitness space consumers can pick one modality to pursue their goals or mix and match from amongst them. brands offer additional portfolio building options with semi-absentee ownership.

Non-Retail based services: Consumers and commercial customers can, more and more, find service providers that offer proven service offerings and consistent customer service.

In this category you will find home and office cleaners, commercial site services, construction, disaster recovery, repair services and much more. This category surfaces new service offerings on a regular basis, some are semi-absentee while some have full time operators.

Senior care and services: 10,000 Baby Boomers reach retirement age every day, the Millennial generation is even bigger than the Baby Boomers!

With the economy being dominated by two earner families, the way we approach aging and care has changed dramatically.

Families need help for a variety of needs from medical and non-medical home care to mobility assistance and even picking the next home for your beloved family member. Franchise owners step in and offer those mission critical services for families that are in need. Proven systems, key contacts, reliable suppliers and technology often place the franchise providers in any community among the top providers for these services.

Franchise owners entering this space have a passion for helping people and a desire to take advantage of a long term growing need in their community. Most of the

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With the economy being dominated by two earner families, the way we approach aging and care has changed dramatically.

categories in this space are relatively under served. We see this as a robust growth category.

An important note on franchise development groups, we see a lot of them.

A number of the brands we met with were represented by various franchise development groups, that can be a good thing. These development groups pool resources, streamline operations, speed time to open and assist owners with grand openings. As you might imagine, some of these teams are better than others. The groups we met with are the leaders in their space.

How do these groups potentially benefit you? Empire building‌ If you are focused on semi-absentee operations within a particular category, they will likely have your growth options when you need them. These development groups tend to specialize either within a service category or a business model (or both). So, if you buy a boutique fitness brand via one of these groups and they sell out that brand before you buy your next round, they will likely have already brought on one or more similar brands to develop next.

If you do see a franchise brand represented by a development team dig into what advanced services they offer to help their franchise brands and the franchisees of those brands achieve success.

As I said, the state of franchising is outstanding! As you look for your first

George Knauf

or next franchise you will have a lot of options, no need to settle for something that does not fit you or your goals.

What is your success story? Let’s go find it!

George Knauf is a highly sought after, trusted advisor to many companies; Public, Independent and Franchised, of all sizes and in many markets. His 20 plus years of experience in both startup and mature business operations makes him uniquely qualified to advise individuals that have dreamed of going into business for themselves in order to gain more control, independence, time flexibility and to be able to earn in proportion to their real contribution.

Contact the Franchising USA Expert George’s Hotline 703-424-2980. www.myperfectfranchise.com

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Franchise Opportunities Available.

Partner With A PROVEN Brand.

OWN YOUR TUFFY TODAY! Helping our franchisees to operate successfully and meet the challenges of today’s marketplace is the top priority for the Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Centers Franchise and Operations Team. We provide our franchisees with a proven operating system, and as a result, our franchisees have played a key role in the ongoing success of Tuffy.

Our value proposition includes (but is not limited to) the following: • Over 45 Years in Business.

• State of the Art Management, Sales & Technical Training.

• Comprehensive Marketing & Advertising Programs.

• National Vendor Partnerships.

• National & Local Support.

• Powerful Brand Proposition.

• Strong Business Model.

• On-going Research & Development.

AUTOMOTIVE EXPERIENCE NOT REQUIRED! Tuffy is looking for customer focused, ethical business owners. Our franchisees come from many different walks of life. A background in auto repair is not needed to run a successful Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center, but can be helpful.

CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION:

800-228-8339 www.TuffyFranchising.com

focus

Tuffy T i re and Au to S er v i c e

Tuffy Tire and Auto Service Franchise

aims to add value to Franchisees’ lives For one Tuffy Tire & Auto Service franchisee, the best thing about being a business owner with the company is the value added visits.

As an example, Thorington recalled a time during the district manager visit they counted how many steps the technicians were taking and together they devised a new floor plan that cut down on the steps and made his entire operation more efficient. “Their goal is to help you be profitable and add value in what they bring to the table,” Thorington noted.

Thorington says he has reviewed his Profit and Loss statement with the CFO of Tuffy personally and has benefited greatly from that interaction, saving lots of money at his business by following the CFO’s suggestions. Thorington notes the corporate culture of the franchise is one of accessibility, as everyone goes out of their way to accommodate franchisees.

Ben Thorington owner of the Tuffy location in St. Johns, FL, an area just outside of Jacksonville, says every time his district manager pays a visit to the store he aims to add value to the business.

This effort of the district managers to always make themselves valuable to the franchisees in their jurisdiction is indicative of the Tuffy culture from the CEO on down.

“Last week I was in the airport and I remembered I had a legal question so I sent my district manager a text message and before I boarded my next plane, he had the answer for me,” he said, adding

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“You have the power of feeling like a small company, but acting like a big company.” - Ben Thorington that he’s never had to wait more than a few hours for an answer to any question.

From Employee to Entrepreneur Thorington purchased an existing Tuffy location in July 2013 and spent five years building up the business before returning to his home state of Michigan.

His work experience began as a plastic injection toolmaker and design engineer and although he was happy with the work, the industry began to falter and he knew he needed to pivot his career. That landed him a role as a branch manager at Prairie Farms Dairy cooperative. Although he loved working for that company because it ran like a small business, he wasn’t in love with the industry.

At a crossroads in his life, his wife Tawnya reminded him of all the times he said he wanted to be a business owner. From there, he hired a business broker who helped him find the Tuffy location in St. Johns. After researching the franchise and talking with current franchisees and receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback, he decided it would be advantageous to join a franchise. “You have the power of feeling like a small company, but acting like a big company,” Thorington noted.

Tuffy Training Once he joined, the new franchisee underwent several weeks of training at Tuffy’s corporate training center in Toledo, Ohio. “I enjoy the fact that we were learning at an actual working store,” Thorington said. “That allowed me to learn the skills that I needed to run my own store and then go see them in action.”

After completing training in Toledo, Tuffy sends new recruits to shadow an established franchisee, which Thorington described as extremely valuable. On day one in their location, the aforementioned

“I enjoy the fact that we were learning at an actual working store.

That allowed me to learn the skills that I needed to run my own store and then go see them in action.” - Ben Thorington district managers work with the franchisees from open to close. They will continue to work with the franchisee beyond the grand opening until the new store owners are comfortable running the location on their own.

The franchise is meticulous about advertising and marketing prior to franchisees opening their store. On an ongoing basis, Tuffy offers marketing support and will help franchisees refine their marketing efforts and create localized marketing for regional events.

They’re also receptive to marketing ideas from franchisees. Thorington says he tends to write long, highly detailed emails with ideas and send them to the Tuffy marketing department at the corporate office. Generally, everyone at the head office will look at them and have input in the response.

The Tuffy annual dealer meeting features break out training sessions, a private trade show as well as a business presentation with vendors, and motivational speakers.

Tuffy University their online training program covers all aspects of the business for training and knowledge refreshment purposes. Tuffy employs a corporate

technical trainer who comes to any store if requested. If a visit is not viable, that trainer will have a video conference meeting with franchisees to assist and train on a as need basis. Often Tuffy vendors will offer additional specialized training for franchisees.

The Tuffy franchisee advisory council allows owners to share ideas that work in their respective businesses. Quarterly meetings with dealer representatives and corporate staff allow a free exchange of ideas and new programs are developed from those meetings.

For his first three years, Thorington says, he worked a lot on building the business.

His franchise continues to grow, but he is now hands off from the daily operations.

Currently, he is looking to open a store closer to home in Michigan and within five years open another location in Florida.

With today’s technology, running a business from several states away is just as easy as running it in-person, he notes.

Now that Tuffy has added so much value to his life, Thorington is ready to add even more value to the franchise with his new planned locations.

Tuffyfranchising.com

Franchising USA

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ex per t advice

Charles J. Bonfiglio, Founder, President and CEO of Tint World ® LLC

Innovate Or

A message for businesses in the franchise space Innovation in the franchise space means creating or adopting systems that streamline business operations. Integrating and streamlining processes from pointof-sale to marketing, accounting and payroll is the secret sauce of franchising success.

It requires learning from experience and putting those lessons into practice to create the systems that best serve your franchise and franchisees.

Streamlined billables One of the main pain points in franchising is the detailed accounting required if a franchisee works with, for example, 50

Franchising USA

different vendors. When you order from a lot of different vendors, there are multiple accounts to reconcile, statements to match, and a lot of bookkeeping to be done.

One innovation that can benefit franchisors and franchisees is a central billing system.

Franchisees can make one payment electronically, and the central billing system automatically disperses payments to all individual vendors. A franchisee can now just make one payment rather than 50 or more.

Electronic inventory ordering It’s critical to streamline vendor relationships with franchisees so that all locations can electronically order products on demand and stock individual stores.

This helps with inventory control. For instance, at Tint World®, we developed an e-commerce system, which allows for individual consumer online product purchases that can be delivered or installed at a customer’s local store. This helps connect the online world with the

storefront, and expanded warehouse dropship inventory that allows franchisees to benefit from e-commerce sales.

Business-management platforms Another innovation that is useful for many franchise operations is coupling a cloudbased point-of-sale with a cloud-based accounting system. Some other protocols, such as key performance indicators and payroll, are incorporated into the system, and the result is an electronic dashboard that provides real-time accounting of multiple benchmarks.

Franchisors and franchisees can log in to compare the cost of goods to sales and access data on employee productivity, purchasing and pricing. This allows both parties to see where there is room for improvement. The software allows franchisees to tie in to point-of-sale and ordering but also provides a standardized accounting system.

Perish

s

A common franchisee pain point is figuring out payroll laws, benefits, retirement, bonuses and commissions.

Let software systems do it for them.

Franchisees can use the services of a national HR accounting firm that is tied to a store bank account. With a business management platform that covers virtually all financial tasks, franchisees can focus on developing their staff and servicing customers.

Marketing online fulfillment systems and the ordering process for promotional materials should also be automated. This allows franchisees to order shirts, hats and other merchandise from a standardized marketing and merchandise fulfillment center, keeping your brand on point and again allowing your franchisees to focus on their staff and customers instead of negotiating with local vendors.

Go franchise-wide Provide these automated systems across your franchise. Franchisees only need a general understanding of the systems and principles, and they don’t have to figure out advertising, marketing, suppliers or accounting. Your franchisees want to run a business, not be financial or accounting experts. It’s easier to run a profitable business if your franchisees don’t get bogged down in details and have an easily accessible, automated accounting system.

It also simplifies and promotes owning multiple franchises that adds value to both the franchisor and franchisee growth.

These single-access programs can also benefit customers and bring them back for more business. At Tint World®, we have automatic tracking and communication of everything from real estate lease renewal terms to warranty information and automated reminders. This allows the franchise owner to focus on even better customer relations and maintains compliance.

Automating the hard parts Running a franchise gets harder as time goes on if franchisors are not staying ahead of the curve. If you aren’t evolving, your business becomes less sustainable.

Increasingly, prospective franchisees are interested in owning bigger stores and multiple locations that are basically turnkey operations. This is an easier sell if all the hard parts are automated. If you streamline the franchise and franchisee level, it makes it easier for franchise owners who own multiple locations.

Summing it up In closing, here’s some advice for franchisors who want to innovate: If you don’t get behind the counter to see what your franchisee’s pain points are, you are

Charles Bonfiglio

not going to have the information you need to implement positive changes. Get behind that counter and try to run operations for a while. Listen to what your franchisees tell you. Establish a franchise advisory council so store owners can communicate problems.

As for franchisors who don’t care about innovation or improving and streamlining operations? Get ready to be left behind because that’s what is going to happen.

Charles J. Bonfiglio is the founder, president and chief executive officer of Tint World® LLC, a privately-owned franchise chain of independent retail window tinting, mobile electronics, auto accessories and appearance centers. www.tintworld.com

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ex per t advice

Evan Hackel, CEO, Tortal Training

Do You Have a Business Plan for Your Franchise?

You Should!

Any enterprise - be it a franchise or any other business - can only succeed through careful planning. A plan defines your goals and how you will achieve them. It gives you the tools you need to grow. Yet the process of creating a business plan for a franchise is a bit different from creating a plan for an independent business.

One difference is that as a franchise owner, you can refer to your franchise’s operations manual as you write your plan. It offers you a great advantage as you plan and set goals.

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Getting Your People on Board If you are determined to grow your business, start by meeting with your employees and staff and brainstorming with them about what you need to do to increase your business. From that meeting, you can put together a budget that lays out what your goals will be for the next year, and for the years to follow.

Review your budget and hold planning meetings with your team every month, or perhaps quarterly. That will allow people to see the progress that your franchise is making toward achieving your goals.

It can also be very effective to create a theme or overarching goal for the coming year. You could say, for example, that year 2019 will be a “Year of Execution” when you will put into action a number of initiatives that have been in the planning stage for too long. Or you could say that you are entering your “Year of Expansion” when you will add a specific number of new

“Consider the initiatives set out by your franchisor, and your own key initiatives. Take the best ideas from both and use that information to create a budget and a plan.” but they normally involve a lot of work and writing.

For a plan that you will use internally to orient and drive growth, you just need a basic outline, made up of key bullet points.

As you draft it, look at the key areas of your business: • Marketing • Cost control • Improving customer service • Improving employee satisfaction locations. Or it could be your “Year of Momentum” when you begin marketing or other activities that will position you for explosive growth in the following year.

A Classic Business Plan vs. a Strategic Plan for Growth If you look online, you will find templates that you can fill out for classic business plans. If you are applying for bank loan, completing one of those may make sense,

• Growth of current business • Expansion Over the course of several meetings, brainstorm ideas with your full team. As you do, consider the initiatives set out by your franchisor, and your own key initiatives. Take the best ideas from both and use that information to create a budget and a plan.

When you’re done, put your plan in bullet

“For a plan that you will use internally to orient and drive growth, you just need a basic outline, made up of key bullet points.”

Evan Hackel

points, one page is fine. That’s it, you’re done. Simple and easy . The simpler and easier you make it, the better everyone will understand your plan. The last step is to share the information with your team.

Evan Hackel is a 35-year franchising veteran as both a franchisor and franchisee. He is CEO of Tortal Training, a leading training development company in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Principal and Founder of Ingage Consulting in Woburn, Massachusetts. Evan is the host of Training Unleashed and author of Ingaging Leadership. Evan speaks on Seeking Excellence, Better Together, Ingaging Leadership and Attitude is Everything. To hire Evan as a speaker, visit www.evanspeaksfranchising.com.

Follow @ehackel.

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The public and policymakers need to understand franchising.

Our purpose

@OurFranchise is an industry-wide campaign created to spread the word about the value of franchising and share the stories of men and women just like you, who are leading the way as franchisors, franchisees, and franchise employees. The franchise business model has been proven time and time again to work, but it’s threatened when the public and politicians don’t understand how it operates to benefit local, independent franchise establishment owners and their communities. Putting a spotlight on real leaders succeeding with the franchise model is how we’ll ensure franchising is stronger than ever before.

Follow us

Share the tools and resources offered on AtOurFranchise.org/resources

Help us keep the momentum going

Since our launch in June 2016, we’ve reached 1.7 million people through outreach efforts, including events in key cities and states, where we spoke directly with business owners, employees, policymakers, and the media. Additionally, we’ve reached people across America through our website and social media channels, digital advertisements, and the promotion of We the Franchisees on Politico – but there is much more work to do. As a franchisor, franchisee, or franchise vendor, you are a leader in your community – and we need your support, now more than ever.

You benefit by joining

By joining @OurFranchise, you’ll get access to exclusive stories and resources that can help grow your franchise business, educate employees at all levels about the franchise business model, and share the economic importance of franchising with consumers. You will also have the opportunity to share your franchise success story with your peers.

Visit AtOurFranchise.org Contact Erica Farage, Senior Director of Political Affairs and Grassroots Advocacy and Multi-Unit Franchisee Engagement International Franchise Association efarage@franchise.org (202) 662-0760

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a

x

Our Franchise

@OurFranchise

@OurFranchise

This is just the beginning

Make sure you stay up to date with the campaign’s latest efforts through email updates and social media.

Visit our website to read and share the latest stories of franchisors and franchisees making an impact in their communities. Become a franchise advocate to help ensure Americans, now and in the future, have the opportunity to start franchise businesses. Take the lead today!

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successful franchise renewal season the role of

promotional products

as a marketing strategy

febru a ry 2019

Busi ness Serv ices Franch isi ng Feat ure

what’s new!

The McLean Group Plays Key Role in Tint World® Names Home Services Consolidations 2018 Franchisee of the investment opportunities; however, Harvest Partners’ acquisition of the many lack the size and scale that would Dwyer Group seeminglyYear acted as a catalyst for accelerated consolidation among home service franchisors.

The McLean Group recently represented Outdoor Living Brands on its divestiture of Mosquito Squad to Authority Brands, a portfolio company of Apax Partners. The Mosquito Squad acquisition represented the third home services add-on acquisition for Authority Brands (Homewatch Caregivers and America’s Swimming Pool being the prior two).

Given the fragmentation among home services franchisors, the market is ripe for consolidation. This trend provides smaller franchisors an attractive exit or partnership opportunity as well as the professional “backbone” of a larger franchisor to accelerate future growth. Notably, home services franchisors are fielding inbound interest from private equity firms seeking

identify them as standalone investment opportunities for the typical private equity firm.

In advising Outdoor Living Brands, The McLean Group evaluated potential offers from buyers considering acquiring its entire business as well as just Mosquito Squad, its largest brand. The McLean Group’s analysis ultimately found that in selling just Mosquito Squad, Outdoor Living Brands could unlock substantial value for its shareholders while enabling the company’s existing senior management team to continue to develop its four other brands: Archadeck, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives, Conserva Irrigation and Renew Crew.

The McLean Group franchising practice team anticipates that consolidation will continue to accelerate among home

services franchisors as well as in in other franchise sectors, based on five other franchise M&A deals the firm closed in 2018.

For more information, visit mcleanllc.com.

Motivational Speaker, Les Brown, Partners with Hossein Kasmai’s Franchise Creator as a Brand Ambassador

Franchise Creator has partnered with legendary motivational speaker, Les Brown, as their new Brand Ambassador. Together they hope to share their mutual vision of empowering business leaders to take action, and make their professional dreams come true.

Les Brown once said, “It’s necessary

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that you align yourself with people and attract people into your business that are hungry. People that are unstoppable and unreasonable.” That is why Les Brown has teamed with Franchise Creator, a leader in the franchising industry, to promote the business model of franchising and help others expand their business to a reality they once thought unimaginable.

Franchise Creator is led by CEO Hossein Kasmai, a leader in the franchising world.

“After selling my company, I wasn’t content with being retired. I wanted to help people realize their dreams, essentially the American dream, just as I had done,” said Hossein Kasmai. “I sincerely believe in the franchising model and through Franchise Creator we make sure people

get the proper help they need in order to grow their business exponentially. . . . Franchising is the extraordinary step for a business owner that opens the door to many possibilities. Les Brown has a history of motivating people to utilize the entrepreneurship inside them to take extraordinary steps in order to make a change in their lives and we’re honored that he has partnered with us to do just that.”, said Hossein Kasmai.

For more information, please visit the company website at www.lesbrownfranchise.com.

For more information about Franchise Creator, please visit the company website at www.franchisecreator.com.

Inkling Announces Results of Survey Highlighting How Businesses are Using Mobile to Better Train and Onboard Frontline Employees How are retailers and restaurant chains combatting turnover in a tight labor market, while also delivering exceptional experiences today’s modern consumers are expecting? They are swapping paper manuals for digital training tools, according to a Vanson Bourne survey commissioned by Inkling Systems, a modern digital learning enablement platform for frontline employees.

In fact, among those surveyed, almost all reported implementing, or beginning to implement, mobile devices (99%) and mobile apps and software (97%) for their workforces. However, while many organizations are making strides to go mobile, nearly half still use paper-based training materials even though 90 percent agree that a switch from paper to mobile-based training is beneficial.

“Today’s workforce expects immediate access to information that is personalized for their needs and available with the same engaging visual experiences they’ve become accustomed to through the use of smartphones and tablets,” said Jeff Carr, CEO of Inkling. “Increasingly, employers are recognizing the need to invest in digital tools and mobile devices that enable employees to search for information at any time and both learn and collaborate in the flow of their daily work.”

The survey also revealed the critical role frontline employees play in the workplace, with 90 percent of respondents agreeing that customer-facing staff are their best organizational asset for shaping the customer experience. For those already mobileenabled, 86 percent reported that their frontline staff are now better able to meet customer expectations.

To learn more about how employers are going mobile, see to learn more about how employers are going mobile, see discover.inkling.com/registration-ebook-vb-survey.html for the complete survey.

SOCi Launches Enhanced Solution for Social Content Boosting at Scale New Boost Plus offering provides Multi-Location Brands a solution to regain lost organic reach and engagement from localized social content Today, over 70% of brand engagement on social is happening on a franchise’s local pages, according to a recent joint report from SOCi and the Local Search Association (LSA).

This requires marketers to spend a great deal of time and effort on creating local content for these pages. However, after Facebook’s algorithm change in early 2018, organic reach of these social posts have sharply declined - in some cases by as much as 20 times.

To remedy this, SOCi, the leader in social media and reputation management for multi-location brands has launched SOCi Boost Plus, the only social boosting solution that can boost multiple social posts across multiple pages at the same time at both the location and group level.

While content boosting isn’t new, existing solutions did not provide an efficient or effective way to boost posts at mass scale so SOCi created a solution to address the unique social and digital needs of multi-

location brands. Boost Plus was built with enhanced features and functionalities to save marketers time and effort when boosting hundreds of posts across hundreds or thousands of individual pages while enhancing marketers ability to make strategic decisions as an organization and by individual locations.

Currently available on desktop (with general availability within the mobile app expected in Q2), Boost Plus also provides tools to analyze and compare campaigns across one or multiple accounts, simplifying reporting.

For more information, visit www.meetsoci.com.

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Busi ness Serv ices Franch isi ng Feat ure

what’s new!

Location3 Named Tint World® Names Agency of Record for 2018 Franchisee of the Self Esteem Brands Year

Expansion of current partnership between Franchise Marketing Agency and Global Health & Fitness Franchisor to focus on centralizing strategy and supporting franchisee revenue growth Location3, the leading franchise marketing agency in the United States, announced today that it has been named the agency of record for Self Esteem Brands, a pioneer in the Health & Fitness category with more than 4,000 global franchise locations encompassing three established brands: Anytime Fitness, Waxing The City and Basecamp Fitness.

While the two organizations have partnered on franchise marketing initiatives since February 2016, today’s announcement highlights the centralization of marketing strategy under Location3 management including all advertising and media buying “As we continue to advance our vision of improving the selfesteem of the world, Self Esteem Brands signifies the ultimate opportunity for any person to improve their health and well-being at any time,” said Kristen Pechacek, Digital Marketing Director & Certified Franchise Executive at Self Esteem Brands. “In solidifying our partnership with Location3 and further integrating with their innovative franchise marketing platform, LOCALACT, we are confident that our brands and franchisees are in a strong position to gain market share and grow our customer base in 2019 and beyond.”

Tint World® Opens New Location in Eastern North Carolina Local entrepreneur and his family return home after 12 years to open National Automotive Styling Centers™ franchise in Jacksonville Tint World® Automotive Styling Centers™, a leading auto accessory and window tinting franchise, has opened a new store in Jacksonville, North Carolina, owned and operated by local entrepreneur David “Kit” Pelletier. Pelletier, a native of Eastern North Carolina, is returning to the area with his family after 12 years in New Jersey, where he worked in the transportation industry.

“We really wanted to come back home,” Pelletier said. “My family and I looked at all the franchise opportunities that were available and really liked what Tint World® offered. They approach the business like a family, and the support they offer franchisees is the best in the industry. On top of that, they’re offering amazing products and services for the whole family, whether that’s safety enhancements, aesthetic upgrades, protection or audio-visual features.”

Pelletier’s preparation for the store opening was interrupted

by Hurricane Florence in September. After the storm, Pelletier encouraged the contractor who was building out his store to instead help repair local homes damaged by the storm.

A core aspect of the partnership will focus on directly supporting Self Esteem Brands franchisees as they seek to effectively market their locations online and grow in-store revenue, while leveraging the proprietary software built by Location3’s in-house engineering team, LOCALACT.

Tint World® of Jacksonville provides a full range of automotive styling and safety services including automotive tint, automotive paint protection film, mobile electronics, advanced driverassistance systems and car stereo upgrades, and residential and commercial window film. Many of the products for automobiles are also available for boats and other marine vehicles.

Learn more at www.location3.com/franchise-digital-marketing and www.sebrands.com.

To find out more, please visit www.tintworld.com and tintworldfranchise.com.

Franchising USA

Busi ness Serv ices Franch isi ng Feat ure

Featu re

b y G i n a G i l l Fr a n c h i s i n g U S A

Business Services Franchising feature As the saying should go, behind every great business are a lot of business services.

A business services is a company that provides a specific service to other businesses. Whether it ‘s cleaning, tech support or even mail services, all types of businesses are reliant on outside factors.

Business services is a strong contender in the franchising world. There are numerous different choices to consider, each with its

Franchising USA

own pros and cons dependending on your own personal needs.

For example, one business service might only function after regular work hours, while another might require more involvement from a franchisee than others. Some business service franchises completely run themselves providing a great work life balance and others have are mobile franchise that have low start-up fees.

A clear understanding of what one would expect and want from a business would be best considered before looking into any investments.

Tech services A lot of businesses rely on others to provide technology services. Though some small businesses will likely only need an internet service provider, as well as a few computers, what happens when that computer ceases to function? Or when you can’t access your email? Or your cash register is down?

Whether we like it or not, there are a lot of technologies attached to everyday business functions. Cash registers, debit machines, light sensors, alarms, thermostats – a lot of gadgets may be dependent on a particular

“Cash registers, debit machines, light sensors, alarms, thermostats – a lot of gadgets may be dependent on a particular type of technology that will need servicing.”

Repair Services

“Dependending on what exactly one is expecting from a business experience, a business service can provide a lot of the points on an investor’s checklist.” type of technology that will need servicing. Nothing is as simple as calling a repairman anymore. If you can make something digital, it will be.

Companies now use iPads and iPods for a variety of functions but may not have the manpower to service any of these gadgets when they falter. As the use of technology increases and we become more and more dependent on all its abilities, the services needed for such devices will inevitably increase..

There is no need for tech experience, but expertise in the field would be of benefit.

Though there are no expectations from franchisees, it’s a great business option for those interested in the IT field.

The repair field reaches across many different areas: plumbing, electricity, and even general handyman fixes.

When running a business, there are a lot of services that need tending or even updating. Businesses are dependent on those experienced in the trades to help them keep their buildings up and running.

There are a lot of franchise opportunities specializing in such fields.

For those with a background in trades, the franchise option is much less riskier.

It usually comes with a list of loyal clients and provides expertise, support and marketing. Take a surveillance of the territory and see what the competition is and how much a particular service trade is needed within the area before investing. Though all businesses may need trade support, it doesn’t necessarily mean the consumers are looking for a new opportunity.

When it comes to repair services, a lot of business owners have “a guy” who they trust and who is well known within the community. Do some digging to see what the atmosphere feels like and what the realities of competition are in your area.

Some franchises specializes in different trades and cover a variety of services to many businesses. This type of franchise may have a higher profit but could take more work and have more of an expectation from the franchisee.

Coffee and Food Services Nowadays a lot of companies order in food to their establishment for a variety of reasons and under a lot of different circumstances. Some larger establishments, like hospitals or residences rely on food services to provide their cafeteria with all the food they need. Some food service franchises have really big clients that keep them constantly busy, like government cafeterias or children’s schools. Look at a franchises’ list of clients and investigate how many contracts they hold within your community.

Some businesses request restocking services from different mobile franchises.

There are offices that have coffee machines that need constant refilling and depend on a franchise to show up and fill the shelves with their java needs, and a lot of companies have water coolers and set up contracts with a franchise to have their

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b y G i n a G i l l Fr a n c h i s i n g U S A

“As the use of technology increases and we become more and more dependent on all its abilities, the services needed for such devices will inevitably increase.” water delivered monthly. There are also vending machines in the lobby of many companies and businesses that need to be refilled.

The majority of these franchises are mobile businesses which have low start up fees. Employees do not necessarily have an office or tangible location, but have a mobile office that delivers food and services to other running businesses.

“With the internet, online shopping has been a big part of a lot retail venues, increasing the demands on the shipping industry.”

Shipping and Delivery Services Every businesses needs goods delivered to them, and also need to ship things out.

Some companies have products they need to distribute or essential supplies they need shipped in. As easy as it might seem to pick up products, a lot of entrepreneurs don’t have time or may have found a cheaper bulk option that they can have ordered in.

Certain companies may rely heavily on their delivery and shipping partners to gain profit. Sending product out may be their main source of service themselves, so their partnership with a delivery service is very important.

With the internet, online shopping has been a big part of a lot retail venues, increasing the demands on the shipping industry.

From a franchising perspective there are a lot of heavy competitors in this field.

Big name companies have a stronghold on the mail service; it would be wise to look directly at the competing services and how it would affect your choices. One could

Franchising USA

also look at opportunities within the big name shipping companies.

If you want a genuine understanding of how much a business relies on others to function, take a step into your favourite restaurant or store. There are so many hands needed to keep a business running, and you could be an integral part of that process. While a lot of businesses are reliant on others to keep them going, a business services franchises would mainly run on its own with the support of a franchisor.

Dependending on what exactly one is expecting from a business experience, a business service can provide a lot of the points on an investor’s checklist. There are

enough opportunities that one could step into easily, with low risk and easy success.

A business service franchise tend to come with a well groomed reputation, as well as a list of clients – it is a recipe for success without too much work or effort on the franchisee’s end: all you have to do is figure out which one suits you best.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: After receiving an English Degree, followed by a Journalism Diploma, Gina Gill became a freelance journalist in 2008. She has worked as a reporter and in communications, focusing on social media. She currently works as a community information officer with Epilepsy Society, while pursuing her writing career at the same time.

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B US I N ESS F I N A N C E D E P OT

“As COO, I cover a few areas of the business,” Marisol says, “as well as my duties as Chief Operating Officer, I also assist and consult franchisors and individual franchisees with all of their finance options.”

BUSINESS FINANCE DEPOT THE FRANCHISE FINANCE EXPERTS

Business Finance Depot offers a wholistic, full focus service to all their clients, assisting and advising on every stage of the financing process. They help filter through the many options and set their clients on the right path, assist in completing all applications and facilitation of all necessary paperwork and help plan financial projections.

Assisting in creating a template, planning and recording financial projections is certainly a massive value adding service for franchisees who may not be able to receive this advice from their franchisor. Business Finance Depot has the experience and expertise offer expert advice on these important processes.

Superior Product Offering

Business Finance Depot is dedicated to assisting start-up franchise systems and established franchise networks and their new franchisees to secure financing.

They offer a ‘one-stop-shop’ service, utilizing 2 complementary products; SBA7a loans and equipment leases.

Franchising USA Magazine sat down with company Chief Operating Officer (COO), Marisol Cruz, to chat about the many successes Business Finance Depot achieved in 2018, and the tremendous growth expected throughout 2019.

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Business Finance Depot’s products are particularly strong in serving businesses that require expensive equipment to run their business, which lends itself well to equipment leasing. Good examples are embroidery equipment, sign making equipment and fitness equipment. Also, if a vehicle is required to manage the business, the team at Business Finance Depot can arrange for the purchase at dealer’s cost and financing along with any tools and equipment needed to be in the vehicle to operate the business.

Good examples are the tools needed to do carpentry, plumbing and pool testing work at a job site.

Expert Finance Advice For franchisors who are looking to give their franchisees the best possible chance at success - or start-up franchise systems seeking to hit the ground running with effective support and advice behind them - game changing financing like that offered by Business Finance Depot is a welcome addition to their finance options.

As Marisol Cruz explains, Business Finance Depot has spent years establishing and developing partnerships with franchisors and franchise organisations, making them reliable industry leaders when it comes to consulting on franchise finance and securing loans.

The company can also provide up to $150,000 in working capital to home based & retail locations needed to operate the business starting from day one of operations. The SBA Express loan is

“Since starting out financing fitness gyms over a decade ago, Business Finance Depot has expanded its services to franchises and currently works with United Franchise Group’s numerous stable of brands, as well as many others.” perfect for start-ups because the repayment period is 10 years at low interest rates, and there is no prepayment penalty.

Business Finance Depot also packages larger SBA7a loans up to $5,000,000 with 3 national SBA lenders if your business requires more capital than an equipment lease and an SBA Express loan can offer.

They are able to offer a variety of alternate lending sources for cash advances, micro loans and unsecured financing lines.

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The Florida based company is able to service businesses right across the United States, and is rewriting how franchisors finance their locations through a combination of these equipment and SBA7a government T H E loans.

MAGAZINE

Growth Initiatives and Industry Partnerships

$5.95 www.franchisingusamagazine.com

Marisol Cruz

Fconferences O R F throughout R A N Cthe Hyear I S and E EisSset

VOL 07, ISSUE 4, FEB 2019

to be the 2019 national sponsor of all 5 MFV Expos. “We attend a lot of the trade shows and conferences, including the IFE and IFA conventions,” Marisol Cruz says.

The ability to meet with and chat to the dedicated team at Business Finance Depot at these industry events is another great advantage for franchisors and franchisees.

BUSINESS FINANCE DEPOT

Since starting out financing fitness gyms over a decade ago, Business Finance Depot has expanded its services to franchises and currently works with United Franchise Group’s numerous stable of brands, as well as many others. 2018 saw Business Finance Depot establish and develop partnerships with many other lenders and franchise organisations, including Francorp, which has set them up for a very successful year ahead.

Tremendous Success to Come

2019 is poised to be a fantastic year for THE FRANCHISE Business Finance Depot and their many FINANCE EXPERTS valued clients. The partnerships and

“We currently have $32 million in SPECIAL finance approved, between the SBA7a and equipment loans - the highest to date,” Marisol explains. This figure is only set to rise throughout 2019 with the tremendous growth that Business Finance Depot projects over the coming months.

initiatives instigated in 2018 have allowed the company to put their best foot forward right from the start of 2019.

BUSINESS SERVICES FRANCHISING

Meet the FEATURE Team Face to Face “We currently have $32 million in finance approved, between the SBA7a and equipment loans - the highest to date.” - Marisol Cruz

COV ER STO RY

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While the team at Business Finance Depot work every day to provide their clients with the best financial services and consultation in the industry from their head office in Florida, they also attend numerous trade shows and industries

INNOVATE OR PERISH

Business Finance Depot are committed to assisting business get the financing they need, and their dedication, expertise and wide rage of services certainly put them ahead of the competition. The company has launched an online webinar and video series dedicated to teaching perspective franchisees how to prepare to evaluate and finance a franchise.

To find out more, visit businessfinancedepot.com or contact Marisol directly via email at marisol@businessfinancedepot.com.

Franchising USA

THE STATE OF FRANCHISING LATEST NEWS

FINANCIAL ADVICE FROM THE BANKS

TOP LAWYERS’ ADVICE Business Franchise Australia and New Zealand 1

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Expert Advice: Josh Allen, Director of Marketing, Location3

Voice Search Is Changing the Digital Marketing Landscape: Here’s What You Need To Know

As we head toward one of the most prominent advertising events of the annual calendar year – the Super Bowl – you can likely expect to see a wealth of marketing and advertising focused on the growing multitude of digital assistants like Google Home, Facebook Portal, Amazon Alexa and others now available to consumers.

With a variety of devices and smart speaker options on the market, eMarketer expects usage to increase by 15%, with nearly 75 million people owning and using the devices in the U.S. alone.

This explosive growth has particular implications for franchise brands and business owners, so it’s important to determine how you can leverage voice search now as well as better understand what may lie ahead for this evolving marketing channel.

How Are Consumers Actually Using These Devices?

The aforementioned eMarketer study from December 2018 notes that the three voice-activated actions taken most often

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by users on smart speakers are listening to music (79.8%), searching for information (73%) and shopping online (37.1%). While companies like Apple are building their devices around the music experience, the latter two statistics have companies like Google and Amazon innovating and competing for consumer attention. For example, when conducting a voice search on a Google Home or while using the Google Digital Assistant on one of the company’s pixel phones, it should come as no surprise that the default search engine returning results is Google Chrome. If an Amazon Alexa user is looking for a specific product that can be purchased on Amazon it is likely that the user will receive an Amazon product result, but it’s important to note that Alexa actually uses Bing as its default search engine for general user questions and queries like “where can I find the best gym in Atlanta”.

How Can Local Businesses Connect With User Voice Searches?

Because many franchises have a brickand-mortar presence, it’s critical that their location data and their local website presence are optimized to properly return key business information that is relevant to a user’s voice-activated search. The back end of your website or local business page should include the proper structured data (also known as “local schema”) related to your business name, address and phone number. This structured markup simply allows search engine crawlers to better understand your actual location

Josh Allen

and presents a more user-friendly display of results to the consumer. An extension of this strategy should also incorporate optimized business profiles on places like Google My Business (for Google Home searches) and Bing Places (for Amazon Alexa searches) with the same information and local content. If your goal as a franchise owner is to drive customers to your business location, taking each of these important steps can help a consumer find your business with their initial search and then get additional info like hours of operation, directions, or even call your business with their next voice command.

Ecommerce and Product Sales with Voice Search If you’re a franchise business that sells products (in-store or online) and have the ability to ship to the consumer, tapping into Google Express and setting up key “Shopping Actions” can be a great way to increase sales with voice search - and is

often a better fit in general for franchises than Amazon. Google Express can actually shorten the purchase process from search to checkout when implemented properly, and if users link their Google accounts properly then the devices themselves can recognize purchasing patterns and increase repeat purchases of products. In order to execute this tactic, your business will be required to enable product feeds within the Google Merchant Center and provide additional information like shipping details and sales tax figures when setting up your Storefront. While Google Express may only be a fit for specific franchise businesses, it certainly increases the opportunity to sell products easily and efficiently via voice search, when applicable.

In Summary Voice search, while exploding in user adoption, is still very much evolving as a marketing channel. Future opportunities will likely include integration of

“This explosive growth has particular implications for franchise brands and business owners, so it’s important to determine how you can leverage voice search now as well as better understand what may lie ahead for this evolving marketing channel.� traditional paid search and paid social marketing opportunities, as industry giants like Google and Facebook improve their advertising interfaces to provide better, more specific advertising results for voice-activated user searches. Ensuring your business information can be easily recognized by digital assistants with the proper technical updates, and enabling relevant product feeds where available, can give your franchise a boost in customer volume in the short term and keep your business one step ahead of the competition when it comes to capitalizing on the long term growth that is expected of voice search in the future.

developing and managing Location3

As Senior Director of Marketing, Josh Allen is responsible for planning,

www.location3.com/franchise-digital-

and LOCALACT brand strategies, with a focus on establishing new business partnerships among franchise systems and multi-location brands.

He also works with Location3 client partners to establish key initiatives for increased franchise engagement and growth. He is an active member of the International Franchise Association and has previously been featured by the American Marketing Association, Franchise Update Media, MediaPost and more discussing franchise digital marketing strategy. marketing

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Expert Advice: Susan Grueneberg, Attorney and Member, Cozen O’Connor

Tips for a more

Successful Franchise Renewal Season keep its registration in a state active in case there is a transfer of a franchise, or a franchisee is coming up to the end of its term. The states in which some type of filing is necessary are California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

As spring approaches, most people look forward to relief from the long winter’s cold and the advent of new life. This annual renewal stands in stark contrast to the specter of renewal season in franchising.

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Each spring, franchisors with a December 31st fiscal year end face the sometimes Herculean task of updating their disclosure documents to reflect developments during the year just ended.

Since most franchisors have a December 31st fiscal year end, and many are interested in expanding in states that regulate the offer and sale of franchises, this also means that they have to file renewal registration applications with those states. Even if expansion is not on the horizon, a franchisor may want to

With so many companies planning to make these filings, the state agencies charged with regulating the offer and sale of franchises can be overwhelmed with applications. By necessity, this work overload causes delays in responses and frustration for all parties involved. Of course, franchisors do not want delay in sales activities. But this is not just a franchisor-related problem. Franchisees also experience frustration if they can’t proceed with the sale process. Financing can fall through. Locations can be lost.

Partners can lose interest.

Is there any way to make this process smoother and more efficient? Over the years, we have developed various tips to increase the odds that annual updates and renewals will be less disruptive.

Start Early to File Early Most franchisors file their renewal registration application during the last half of March. This creates the logjam in states that review these applications that you want to avoid. Don’t get caught in

“Keeping current with developments in legal and accounting issues will save time in preparing annual updates.”

Designate a Compliance Officer

traffic! Begin your update process as soon as possible after year end. Better yet, start getting organized in December.

Develop Information Gathering Systems Don’t wait until you are faced with hard filing deadlines to figure out how to assemble everything necessary to update your Franchise Disclosure Document. Set up systems to gather and sort information such as lists of franchisees, business addresses and telephone numbers arranged alphabetically by state and, within a state, alphabetically by city name. Delegate responsibility for compiling specific information to various individuals in the company who can access it most readily.

Put Your Auditor on Deadline If you can schedule your audit earlier in the year, your financial statements will likely issue earlier. Negotiate a schedule in December and follow up to make sure deadlines are being met. Delay in the issuance of audited financial statements is often the most important factor in the timely preparation of annual updates and filing renewal registration applications.

Legal and Accounting Updates Keeping current with developments in legal and accounting issues will save time in preparing annual updates. For example, FASB accounting standards are changing to adjust when initial franchise fees are recognized beginning in 2018 for public companies and 2019 for privately-owned

companies. This will be reflected in audits issued in 2019 for public companies and 2020 for privately-owned companies. If you haven’t already prepared for this, you should start.

Know What Your Regulators Want States vary quite a bit on how they want documents filed. Some only permit online filing; others permit it but document sizes can cause problems. Don’t wait to upload documents until 11 p.m. on the day they are due. If you run into problems, there will not be anyone at the state to help you.

Other states only allow paper filing; some prefer paper and CD-roms. Check the website of states in which you are filing – often there are tips on how to file.

At some point early in every franchisor’s business life, it is advisable to task a member of the organization with the responsibility of coordinating not only the annual update and renewal process, but also overall compliance with franchise laws. Setting up a compliance system lessens the likelihood of an inadvertent violation of the laws or mistakes in the registration process.

These simple steps will not ensure a peaceful springtime renewal process without delays or sales down time, but they will increase your chances!

Susan Grueneberg has been working with franchisors in industries ranging from food and beverage to transportation, fitness, senior care, health care, pet services, real estate, children’s activities, automotive care and construction for the past 30 years.

She assists franchisors in setting up franchise systems and expanding them nationally and internationally. To learn more, you can reach Susan at 213-8927996 or sgrueneberg@cozen.com. www.cozen.com/people/bios/gruenebergsusan

Be Alert to Changes All Year Long Keep a running electronic file on your desktop to store thoughts you have throughout the year to improve your franchise system and your Franchise Agreement. Encourage your reports to do the same. And make sure you are working with a lawyer who is tracking legal developments in the field so that it is easy and economical to go over any changes that can improve your contracts. Case in point – many Franchise Agreements still have anti-poaching provisions despite the fact that franchise systems have been targeted by state attorneys general for this practice.

Susan Grueneberg

Franchising USA

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Expert Advice: Jeff Oddo, President, City Wide Maintenance

Four EyeOpening Ways I Learned (and Keep Learning) To Run My Franchise

I’ve experienced many milestones in my life. One of the most significant occurred in 1999 when I took over as president of City Wide Maintenance— my family’s long-standing business since 1961.

It was an exciting time for me, but also a time I discovered what I hadn’t learned yet.

While I’ve had great ideas to freshen up and propel my family’s business forward, it’s not possible for me to take credit for

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much of its success. This brings me to an important point: We need each other to make big things happen. Below are four ways I learned (and am still learning) to run my franchise business.

I learned everything about business from my father and brothers Before I took over City Wide in 1999, my father had been running it as a traditional janitorial company. Back when my father started the business, this model worked perfectly. After all, he started it from scratch after learning about all of the challenges associate with keeping his family’s grocery stores clean.

Growing up, my brothers and I were

immersed in my father’s business talk at the kitchen table. By the time I stepped in as president I had learned everything from my father—and my brothers—who had also gone on to run one of our family businesses.

But a point came when I had learned everything I could from them. Now what? This is when I realized it was time for me to build new ideas and gain new perspectives that would challenge my assumptions about how the industry worked out there. The point is, I was blessed to have a foundation to build on, but it’s important to remember we must continue to challenge our assumptions—or what we’ve grown up knowing—in order to keep building something great.

So, that being said, who is challenging you these days?

I had to become a reader to be a leader Many franchise owners, like me, are likely subscribed to dozens of weekly industry newsletters. But subscribing to them, reading them, and acting on them are three different things. Just like you, I understand we only have so many hours in a day we can dedicate to learning. But it should be a priority, because if you are not evolving as fast as your competition, you are falling behind. Time needs to be set aside on your calendar for this activity.

Remember, all business owners, including franchisees, need to surround themselves with people they can learn from. And if you can’t commit yourself to reading, try other outlets like online classes, podcasts, or even joining organizations such as Vistage, Entrepreneurs’ Organization, Young Presidents’ Organization, or Acumen in your city. Joining Vistage was a game-changer for me professionally. I was able to surround myself with noncompetitive peers who I could wrestle ideas with and help fight my battles. It is very difficult to be on an island and try to run a business all by yourself.

What podcast or newsletter have you discovered that’s helping you grow?

Go to lunch with someone every day There will be days you want to step out of the office for lunch by yourself—or skip lunch because there’s never a good time to leave. However, I want to stress the need to take lunch. Just don’t go alone.

Whether it’s a client, an employee, or a long-time friend I haven’t seen in a while, I try to go out and share lunch with someone every day. Why? It’s a perfect time to learn things from others. I’m always amazed with the conversations I have during that time of the day, and how it can help me come back to the office with a renewed mind, new inspiration, or new ideas I can’t wait to scribble down at my desk.

Who will you put on your list to have lunch with this month?

There is never a perfect time to start learning new things A long time ago, I realized that waiting to start something new until all of your proverbial ducks are in a row is not a good idea. If you wait until then, chances are it will never happen. Don’t wait. It’s like having kids; there is rarely a perfect time so take action now.

The same goes for finding a mentor who can show you the ropes. To be honest, most franchisees don’t know anything about our industry when joining—and they’re looking for help. When I started thinking about how to franchise our company in 2001, I also took a steep learning curve— and I needed help to understand what the franchise world in the building and maintenance industry was all about.

you things you didn’t know you needed until you met them.

Remember, the most successful people don’t wait for things to happen to them.

Identify your needs and it’ll make spotting these small moments of guidance so much easier.

So, what is the biggest challenge you are facing and what are you going to do about it?

Jeff Oddo is the president of City Wide Maintenance, a sales management company in the building maintenance industry with more than 50 franchise locations across the United States. www.citywidefranchise.com

What did I learn? Waiting for the perfect person or mentor to show up and teach me everything was a waste of time.

Fortunately, I had a revolving door of people coming into different parts of my life, giving valuable advice. To be honest, I’m not sure they knew how much of an impression they left on me during those encounters.

My point is, keep your eyes open to everything people are offering you right there and then. The timing may feel inconvenient, but it’s in the unexpected places I’ve met people who have helped me the most. Those people might teach

Jeff Oddo

Franchising USA

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Expert Advice: Mike Brugger, President, Fully Promoted

The Role of

Promotional Products

as a Marketing Strategy Promotional items are a huge part of any successful marketing strategy. Both large and small companies can benefit by using these products, as they provide a means of targeting an audience.

The goal is to enhance awareness of a brand and promote the advantages of loyalty to that brand. The end game is to

impress new customers, retain old ones, keep and motivate employees along with sending positive messages about the brand.

The first step is to identify the product.

The saying “you only get one chance to make a good impression,” is true socially, but it’s also true for companies that provide promotional products. Businesses differ, so make appropriate suggestions.

For example, a landscape company requires different items than a healthcare company or a restaurant. The key is accessing promotional products that fit all vertical markets. Products must match the needs, or that “first impression” may be the last impression.

Other critical factors in product selection include identifying how long a product will be used, the type of event at which it will be used, the budget, and the target audience. Is the product a basic handout or giveaway, or is it something you want employees and/or clients to hold onto?

Don’t forget to consider the climate and season when suggesting products. Those questions must be answered before the product selection process takes place.

Also, the popularity of a specific item varies depending on the region and target audience. In my experience, the most popular promotional products are quality shirts and writing instruments.

Different Sizes, Different Needs Large corporations are intent on retaining employee loyalty, and awards and incentive products are usually very effective. But large companies want more than just an end-user marketing strategy.

They want to market their employees as representatives of their brand, and that

“The key is accessing promotional products that fit all vertical markets. Products must match the needs, or that “first impression” may be the last impression.”

Franchising USA

“Social media plays such a huge role in messaging, so promotional product companies should use this medium to its fullest.”

opens a world of product possibilities.

Smaller companies normally have tighter budgets, so it’s important for them to be more creative with their marketing strategy. The flexibility to cater to both large and small businesses is vital for the success of companies that sell promotional products. From experience, networking and trade shows are a great way for smaller companies to thrive. Pens, tote bags, mints are popular handouts and very cost-effective.

The Cycle of Need It’s also important to evaluate a product’s life cycle. For example, a restaurant may order 100 shirts regularly, but with staff turnover, they may need only 50 in certain months. Some customers may do trade shows quarterly, while others may hold an annual event and place one large order.

Keep track of what I call their “cycle of need”. Awareness of that intangible makes an impression on your client because they know you will quickly react to their needs.

Pay attention to a brand’s most requested products and the time of year they will need it. Creating awareness and being in tune to your clients’ needs provides the most impact.

The Next Level Marketing is vital in taking a company to the next level. Promotional products and wearable items are great, but the ability to get leads from source partners and online advertising is also important. Businesses should take advantage of a full marketing suite - from promotional items to print advertising to digital media. Lead-building programs can attract new business, whereas sending promotional products to top clients for special occasions, or during the holidays, benefits customer retention.

Employing marketing techniques is what

I call a “360 solution” - it helps grow business.

Social media plays such a huge role in messaging, so promotional product companies should use this medium to its fullest. Develop an active online campaign to remind customers of different events and what you can offer for those events.

Announcing an event on social media 45 to 90 days out enables timely ordering and delivery of products that support the event. Communicate with businesses and retail clients in advance - it’s a unique opportunity to secure promotional products that enhance morale, help employee retention, and raise awareness of your brand.

2000, he opened and managed the first EmbroidMe store in West Palm Beach, a company later re-branded as Fully Promoted. Over the years, Brugger managed marketing, technology, and training departments, and prior to being named president of Fully Promoted, served as the Vice President of Operations Emerging Brands for United Franchise Group. fullypromotedfranchise.com

At Fully Promoted, we have more than one million different products, so we narrow down to about four or five relevant items that provide the most impact. Know your customers’ needs, react to their needs, and provide products that make an impression.

That is the foundation of success.

Mike Brugger is president of Fully Promoted, a brand of United Franchise Group in West Palm Beach, Florida. He joined UFG in 1994 and successfully supervised multiple operations. In

Mike Brugger

Franchising USA

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franchising usa A-Z Listings are a great way to promote your business, giving you a presence within our publication and also the Franchising USA website.

Each detailed, full colour A-Z listing comes with a 150 word write up and your logo.

Assisted Living Locators Assisted Living Locators provides the vital function to seniors and their families of identifying their ideal alternative living solutions and other related services – all at no cost to them.

Our proprietary evaluation system results in free residential referrals that enable our clients to make the best possible decisions for their loved ones. Our elder care advisors are trained to find solutions that meet our clients’ needs and to personally accompany them on guided tours of facilities that match their individual preferences.

Ours is a truly turn-key program that puts our owners on the path to success through a proven executive business model with high profit margins, low overhead, minimum employees,

Business Finance Depot

Excellent for branding and recognition.

Choose a 12 or 6 month package or simply add the A-Z directory onto your Focus, Profile or Ad! To learn about the A-Z directory or any other products please contact Vikki Bradbury: advertising@cgbpublishing.com or 778-426-2446

repeat referrals, and residual income. Even more importantly, many of the industry’s most desired areas of the country remain available for new development.

If you’re aware of the unsurpassed value of the assisted living market, if you’ve always dreamed about the freedom and independence that business ownership could bring you, and if you’ve been waiting for the perfect, local, affordable opportunity to carve out your piece of the industry, Assisted Living Locators may be just the match you’ve been seeking.

For more information please contact Mary Ann Russo or Tom Ingle at: Phone: 800-267-7816 Email: franchise@assistedlivinglocators.com Website: http://www.assistedlivinglocators.com/

Business Finance Depot specializes in packaging equipment leases and SBA Express Working Capital loans for start-up and existing businesses.

Our company also works with SBA 7(a) lenders, alternate financing sources, crowd funding financing sources and companies that specialize in using retirement funds to capitalize a new business. Please visit our website for more information.

Our main clients are franchisors seeking financing for their new franchisees and manufacturers seeking financing for their equipment purchases.

Website: www.businessfinancedepot.com Email: paul@businessfinancedepot.com Phone: (800) 788-3884 Contact: Paul Bosley

Clayton Kendall

displays, printed materials, promotional products and apparel. Our services include graphic design, merchandising, sourcing, warehousing and fulfillment, kitting and proprietary technology with advanced management reports. All programs are scalable and user-friendly. Customer service is our forte’.

Clayton Kendall provides comprehensive branded merchandise programs for more than sixty franchise communities nationwide, resulting in greater brand exposure, cost-savings, streamlined operations and brand compliance.

With a customized online store as the organizing principle, our websites give franchisees the ability to purchase their advertising and marketing tools in one easy-to use program.

We provide marketing collateral, signage, POP

Fresh Coat The average Fresh Coat on average earns 41.22% gross profit and $507,883.18 in revenue!* (*See Item 19 of our April 1, 2018 Franchise Disclosure Document for details. Based on data reported by franchisees that were open and operating full-time for at least 1 year for the period ending December 31, 2017 and that reported Gross Revenues and income statements. A new franchise owner’s results may differ.

Our owners continually testify about the amazing amount of help they receive from our company. From coaching and onboarding, to marketing and operational support, we guide you every step of the way.

Marketing Support & Operation Support – At Fresh Coat, our franchisees are constantly surrounded by support from both

Contact: Dan Broudy, Chief Executive Officer Phone: 412-798-7120 Email: dan@claytonkendall.com Website: www.claytonkendall.com

our Marketing Department and our Operations Team. We have national and local marketing initiatives and resources to drive customers to your place of business, and experts to guide and coach you for as long as you own your Fresh Coat franchise.

Fresh Coat is committed to leading the painting industry by driving platinum level customer service delivered by a team of professionals and painting experts. To do this, our franchisees only hire the most skilled and experienced painters, allowing their franchise businesses to offer 6 unique services. Your painters provide positive experiences from the initial quote to final touch-ups.

Phone: (513) 605-4877 Email: freshcoatpaintersfranchise@gmail.com Website: www.freshcoatfranchise.com

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The Growth Coach The Growth Coach is an industry-leading business coaching franchise, established in over 150 markets in the United States and abroad.

Since our founding in 1992, our coaches have helped thousands of small business owners achieve their personal ®

R

International Franchise Professionals Group

P: (877) 498-3626 W: https://growthcoachfranchise.com E: GrowthCoachFranchiseOpps@gmail.com

IFPG to power their business. All of these individuals understand the value of being associated with IFPG.

The International Franchise Professionals Group (also known as IFPG) is a membership based organization that has over 700 members. Our members consist of Franchisors, Franchisor Brokers, Lenders, and other Franchise Professionals that help potential candidates in the process of buying a franchise.

The IFPG is a strictly membership based organization that does not participate in any referral fees from our franchisor members or our brokers, thereby allowing all of our members to work freely together.

Our long-term success is predicated on retaining our members and providing all the tools needed to help you sell more franchises, and close more deals.

Hundreds of nationally recognized franchise companies have chosen the IFPG and its members to represent their brand; hundreds of experienced franchise consultants and brokers have chosen the

If you’re a franchisor, franchisor broker, or another profession that serves the franchising industry call us today at (888) 977-IFPG to learn about membership opportunities.

LEAKPRO INTERNATIONAL Incorporated

A commitment to Service Excellence and a willingness to learn are required. The ability to deal with people in a friendly, professional and courteous manner combined with the determination to succeed could put you on the road to financial freedom.

LEAKPRO is a unique Mobile business serving new and used car and truck dealerships, body shops, fleets and RV Dealers detecting and repairing Automotive Water Leaks, Air Leaks, Wind-Noises, sunroof and convertible issues.

The system itself, besides using ultrasound technology combined with the latest proprietary tools and products has a unique trademark, decor and logo. LEAKPRO offers intensive hand on training, OEM warranty approved products, factory trained technicians and up to a Lifetime warranty.

Our training not only teaches leak repair, but day-today business management and sales techniques. Prior Automotive experience is not required but helpful.

Military Coffees Veterans, military retirees and public safety professionals have been enjoying the unique experience of drinking the freshest, 100% USDA certified organic coffees available.

In addition, the ability to personalize the label on just one bag is something that nobody else is doing. With the combined power of owning a printing company, a coffee company and a shipping center, Military Coffees is able to print the label, roast the coffee and ship it same or next day.

MONKEE’S FRANCHISING Monkee’s Franchising, LLC is a franchisor of upscale ladies’ boutiques specializing in shoes, clothing and accessories.

Headquartered in Winston-Salem, NC, Monkee’s was founded in 1995 and has become one of the most successful organizations of independently owned boutiques in the Southeast. Our boutiques can now be found in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky,

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and professional goals. With 28 million businesses in the United States, the demand for business coaching has grown to a tremendous $11 billion industry.

With NO effective competition and the high demand for this service - it’s a Winning combination. This Mobile business is a low-overhead, profitable opportunity. To join this MultiAward winning TEAM call 888.532.5349 or visit www.leakpro. com today! Individual, Master and Regional Opportunities exist all throughout the USA. Contact: John R. Allen Founder & President Phone: 905.829.LEAK{5325) 1.888.532.5349 Email :john@leakpro.com Website: www.leakpro.com

Their tagline is “Green to gone in 48 hours,” meaning that the green beans that are imported from organic farmers across the coffee growing regions of the globe are roasted and in your cup within 48 hours.

If you have never had fresh roasted specialty coffee (an industry that is growing by 20% annually), you are missing out on a small slice of heaven in a cup.

For additional information on the Fighting Force Specialty Coffee franchise opportunity, please visit their website at www.militarycoffees.com.

North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia and we are excited as our growth continues nationally.

Monkee’s is recognized throughout this region as a leader in providing the finest fashions from the world’s top designers.

Contact: Troy Taylor Phone: 336-529-5200 Email: troy@shopmonkees.com Website: www.ownamonkees.com

NaturaLawn of America, Inc. Called “too far ahead of its time” in 1987, NaturaLawn of America—an organic-based lawn care company—today has 90 franchise locations in 25 states serving over 93,000 customers and generates annual revenues in excess of $64 million. Their natural lawn care system consists of a proprietary line of organic lawn care products, and provides business opportunities to individuals wishing to secure their own franchise.

With an average gross revenue of over $1.5 million per location and the highest reoccurring revenues in the industry, NaturaLawn of America is the premier choice when seeking a franchise service business. Franchise owners have the additional benefit of offering mosquito and flea and tick control

Nestlé® Toll House® Café

by Chip® Nestlé® Toll House® Café by Chip® is a premiere dessert and bakery café offering customers an unrivaled experience through the use of fine ingredients, indulgent creations, distinct flavor profiles, and the rich tradition of the very best Nestlé® brands.

Cafes offer freshly baked cookies, customized cookie cakes, a wide assortment of freshly baked confections, specialty coffee, ice cream, smoothies and savory items including paninis, wraps and flatbreads, sandwiches, salads and soups (in select locations).

Our Town America For 45+ years, Our Town America has been providing new movers with traditional hospitality by mailing warm housewarming gifts from local businesses in a premium welcome package.

under the separate brands Mosquito Ranger and Tick Ranger.

Each franchise is given an exclusive protected territory of between 50,000 to 70,000 single-family homes, as well as the company’s patented and exclusive fertilizers.

Franchise owners also benefit from advertising, marketing, accounting, purchasing, business management and other support provided from NaturaLawn of America’s home office.

A franchise support team visits new franchise locations an average of eight times a year for their first two years in business.

NaturaLawn of America has grown its revenue by 26 percent since 2014.

Contact: Blaine Young Phone: 301-694-5440 Email: Franchise@naturalawnfranchise.com Website: https://naturalawnfranchise.com

Crest Foods Inc., franchisor of Nestlé® Toll House® Café

by Chip®, based in Richardson, Texas, is a premiere restaurant franchisor company. The company currently franchises more than 150 bakery cafés in the United States, Canada and the Middle East. The concept has kiosk, in-line mall, lifestyle, and street café locations. The first café opened in 2000. Nestlé® Toll House® Café by Chip® has been recognized by Entrepreneur magazine’s “Franchise 500.” For more information please visit nestlecafe.com.

Contact: Benjamin Padilla Phone: (214) 495-9533 Email: franchising@nestlecafe.com Website: www.nestlecafe.com

Our Town America program, while dozens of locally-owned franchises validate the Our Town America concept as a viable business opportunity. Franchisees are neighborhood marketing consultants, showing local business owners how to target their best prospects with enticing offers via direct mail.

It is Our Town America’s mission to welcome new movers into their community, to help local businesses gain new loyal and long-term customers, and to provide franchisees with an excellent business opportunity. In the New Mover Marketing industry, we mix proven & perfected methods of direct mail with new technologies.

Since beginning to franchise in 2005, Our Town America has been consistently ranked a Top 50 Franchise by the Franchise Business Review, making them the only Advertising brand to land a spot in the 10-year Hall of Fame and the sole company to be crowned the Franchise Business Review’s All-time Top Company. They are the 2018 #1 Advertising & Sales franchise.

Thousands of satisfied business owners throughout the United States attest to the success and effectiveness of the

Website: https://www.ourtownamerica.com/ Email: franchising@ourtownamerica.com

Pollo Campero

With 6 straight years of Compounded Annual Sales Growth, we are now positioned to rapidly expand throughout the US.

Pollo Campero has served flavorful chicken made with our original family recipe since 1971.

Our menu includes fried, grilled, and boneless chicken for wholesome, customizable, easy-toshare meals.

In 2017, we were named #6 in Business Insider’s “25 best fast-food chains in America right now.”

With 350 system-wide locations, including company-owned and franchised stores, we have established a support network for franchisees who want to join our growing family.

Franchising with Pollo Campero means serving up fresh, unique flavors with broad appeal and taking part in a franchise opportunity with strong earnings potential. Join our family!

Phone: (972) 770-2800 Website: us.campero.com/franchising Email: franchising@campero.com Contact: Gustavo Duran, Executive Vice President

pool scouts

• Recurring revenue business

Backed by multi brand franchisor, Buzz Franchise Brands – winner of Inc. 500, Pool Scouts helps franchisees hit the ground running.

A Pool Scouts franchise is a business opportunity that can be run from virtually any home or office. We are talking to motivated people to operate Pool Scouts businesses across the United States. Individual territories or area development opportunities are available. Pool Scouts…Perfect Pools, Scouts Honor!

Pool Scouts is the franchise opportunity poised to make a splash in the industry.

Here are some compelling attributes: • Fragmented market in a $3 Billion industry • Fast growing franchise opportunity • Low franchise fee and fast start up

Phone: 1-844-407-2688 Email: franchising@poolscouts.com Website: poolscoutsfranchise.com

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Re-Bath In an industry of independent home remodeling contractors, Re-Bath stands out as a unified, trusted national brand. Re-Bath is known for providing expert, affordable and effortless bathroom remodeling solutions that transform homeowners’ bathrooms in days, not weeks. We offer a spirit of innovation and an alternative to cover-up or overpriced remodeling.

We handle both the design and the installation – it’s a branded, one-stop customer experience that the industry sorely needs. We are the go-to resource for bathroom remodeling in the markets our franchisees currently serve, and our national reputation strengthens as we continue to connect the dots across the country.

The Interface Financial Group – IFG 50/50 The Interface Financial Group – IFG 50/50 is an affordable home-based franchise that provides short-term working capital to small and medium-sized businesses by purchasing current, quality invoices at a discount, thus accelerating the client’s cash flow and growth.

All transactions are syndicated 50/50 with the franchisee and the franchisor, and that means less working capital required to fund transaction: IFG does the bulk of the due diligence and the ‘paperwork’ for the transactions, and IFG 50/50 franchisees will concentrate their efforts on building the referral relationships – they do the ‘people work’.

Key advantages of being an IFG 50/50 franchisee include: • No staff to hire, fire, or manage

TopFire Media TopFire Media is an integrated digital marketing and public relations agency, specializing in the franchise industry.

Our clients benefit from our years of experience in franchise SEO service, public relations, media relations, content writing and management, social media marketing, and web design. We work to bring all of these elements together to achieve a common goal – our clients’ success.

TruBlue Total House Care There are thousands of Senior Care companies taking care of the person, but NO ONE is taking care of their homes. Sadly, Seniors are forced to leave their beloved home and memories too soon because the home becomes too hard to maintain. Regrettably, they end up in nursing homes and retirement facilities. All of that has changed and created a business opportunity of a lifetime.

TruBlue is the ONLY national provider that specializes in Total House Care for Seniors, so they can stay in their homes longer… “age in place” with confidence, comfort, safety and independence.

We provide complete and on-going house care, both inside and outside the home: • Repairs • Cleaning

Tuffy Tire and Auto In 1970, the first Tuffy Muffler shop opened in Detroit, Michigan. To keep up with changing times, we’ve changed and evolved too, from just a Muffler shop to an auto service center. Our service line up currently includes brakes, shocks, struts, springs, alignment, front-end, oil change, mufflers, tires, air conditioning, batteries, starting and charging, flush and fill, and C.V. joints. We take care of all your auto repair needs.

Helping our franchisees to operate successfully and meet the challenges of today’s marketplace is the top priority for the Tuffy® Tire & Auto Service Centers. We provide our franchisees with a proven operating system, and as a result,

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Of course, it helps to have the trust of renowned companies like Home Depot. Re-Bath is the nation’s largest complete bathroom remodeling franchise with presence in more than 150 cities and 43 states.

The ideal candidate for Re-Bath should have sales, marketing, and/or management experience and be extremely results oriented. Construction knowledge is not required. You must have a minimum of $100,000 in liquid capital, and be ready to make a full-time commitment.

Contact: Samantha Wilson Phone: 866-721-7761 Email: swilson@sfdpros.com Website: www.rebathfranchise.com

• No storefront to own, lease, or maintain • No Inventory or stock to purchase • No extensive travel because IFG franchisees do business locally • Business-to-Business, professional environment with regular business hours of operation • Flexibility to relocate for part of the year or permanently and continue doing business Our franchisees are excellent communicators, relationship builders with decision-making and problem-solving skills, and much more sales & marketing oriented. IFG has been in the ‘invoice discounting’ business since 1972, and employs its franchise network in the US, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, Ireland, Australia, Mexico and South Africa. www.interfacefinancial.com

Our integrated approach combines our public relations and franchise SEO service prowess and is designed to generate brand awareness, drive consumer engagement, and build credibility for your company.

Phone: (708) 249-1090 Fax: (708) 957-2395 Website: www.topfiremedia.com Email: info@topfiremedia.com Contact: Matthew Jonas

• Yard work • Special projects (such as wheelchair access, safety audits, and fall prevention, to name a few) • Home Watch TruBlue Total House Care services busy families, as well. They’re constantly running from school activity to sporting event most evenings and weekends. While they have disposable income, they have little free time or desire to handle the endless chores around the house. They gladly turn to TruBlue for complete and affordable house care, inside and out, where we act as their Total House Care Manager and provide them with a convenient and hassle-free lifestyle.

Phone: 866-498-3218 Website: www.trubluefranchise.com

our franchisees have played a key role in the success of Tuffy. Tuffy, is looking for customer focused, ethical business owners.

With over 45 years in business, franchisees are provided a value proposition that includes a state-of-the-art management, sales and Technical Training, comprehensive marketing and advertising programs, national vendor partnerships, national and local support, a powerful brand proposition, a strong business model and on-going research and development.

Contact: Travis Mulligan Phone: 800-228-8339 Email: Travis@tuffy.com Website: Tuffyfranchising.com

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