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MIDLOTHIAN, IL January 9, 2017 - Moran Family of Brands is one of the nation's leading franchisors of general automotive repair, transmission repair, window tinting and driver safety products.
Moran Family of Brands was founded on a simple idea: Americans depend on their cars, and they can depend on us. Our franchise owners create a higher standard of excellence for automotive repair service, window film and safety products.
Moran has brought consistency to the automotive aftermarket by offering specialty chains in nearly every segment of that market. They have been listed as one of the founders in developing the concept of co-branding various franchise systems together. Most recently, Moran has expanded its franchise offering beyond the automotive aftermarket into the home improvement industry with SmartView Window Solutions.
As new avenues emerge to attract and inform potential franchisees, Moran is turning to LinkedIn to bolster its messaging and engagement with franchise candidates. "We know that the talented and qualified franchise operators we want for our franchise concepts are active and reachable on LinkedIn." said Peter Baldine, President of Moran Family of Brands. "We are excited to work with Joe Caruso and Michael Webster at Franchise-Info to reach new prospective franchise owners using the LinkedIn database and grow our franchise network."
A select group of highly regarded franchise brokers and coaches will soon receive an invitation to join the Franchise-Info LinkedIn Group to begin receiving important information pertaining to Moran Family of Brands.
"In addition, we are delighted to offer our franchise brokers and coaches the opportunity to learn how to prospect for franchise leads on the LinkedIn platform. With Franchise-Info as our teaching partner, our franchise brokers and coaches will have access to the most up to date learning platform."
"LinkedIn connects the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful. With more than 450 million members worldwide, including executives from every Fortune 500 company, LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network on the Internet." Source LinkedIn
"With LinkedIn's membership growing at a rate of more than two new members per second it's a platform that franchise sellers must use if they want to engage and recruit the best and brightest franchisees" said Joe Caruso, Principal at Franchise-info.
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About Franchise-Info
Franchising News Hub on LinkedIn. Franchise-Info provides a steady stream of Franchise news, opinion and informed commentary from around LinkedIn, blogs & digital newspapers. Growing franchise companies use Franchise-Info Prospect Marketing and the LinkedIn database for franchise recruitment sales targeting prospective franchise owners for their brands. www.franchise-info.ca
About Moran Family of Brands
Moran Family of Brands is one of the nation's leading franchisors of general automotive repair, transmission repair and automotive accessory centers. Based in Midlothian, Illinois, Moran Family of Brands provides specialty products and services in virtually every aspect of the automotive aftermarket through four individual brands and a total of more than 120 franchise locations nationwide including: Mr. Transmission, "The Professionals"; Alta Mere "The Automotive Outfitters"; Milex Complete Auto Care centers and SmartView Window Solutions. For more information on Moran Family of Brands visit www.moranfamilyofbrands.com
]]>Don't believe everything you read in the papers about student debt and bankrupcty.
Most states have fine schools which don't cost much. In NYC, the City University system has tuition of $5k or $7k depending on which college you attend, and most students get that all covered thru scholarships and Pell Grants. In 2013's graduating class, more than 80 percent of students got a 4 year degree with zero debt.
Students choose to go to colleges with hotel style accommodations, health clubs, and giant swimming pool palaces. So the colleges are responding to the demand and passing along the costs via increased tuition.
Professor salaries are bifurcated. Associate profs get paid poorly, but the tenured profs get big bucks. My favorite is at UC Berkeley, where professors studying income inequality are getting paid over $300,000 per year plus a benefits package to die for. Then there is the Univ of North Carolina law professor who teaches one class in which he chastises Republicans for making war on the poor--- he gets paid over $200k for teaching that single class.
And nobody actually pays their student loans anymore.
There are forbearance and deferment programs. When you actually do have to start paying (by which time you can be well into your 40s) you can enter into income-based programs. If you take a government job (no matter how highly paying) the debt can be discharged in as little as 10 years and all you have to pay is a percentage of income for that time.
Also bear in mind that much of what is called "student loan debt" is actually money that went to scams which are "schools" in name only.
A lot of the problem is with fraud in the for-profit sector. That has recently come under scrutiny and the taxpayers are footing the bill for hundreds of millions of dollars in the Corinthian debacle. The Democrats have made this an issue in the current election, but what has been almost entirely ignored by the media is that the Clintons got large amounts of money (both directly and thru the Clinton Foundation) from Laureate, which is a for-profit scam which began as a franchise (Sylvan) and expanded into "college" because the money was better.
One of the best ways to immigrate to the US is to enter on a student visa; once you arrive you simply get a job and stay here. For that reason it became more difficult to get student visas, especially if you are a for-profit college. In Libya almost no student visas were being granted to for-profit attendees, but then Laureate gave a lot of money to Bill Clinton and the Clinton Foundation. After that the State Department (under Hillary Clinton) passed out student visas like candy to all comers.
The latest is that the granddaddy of all student loan scams-- the University of Phoenix-- has just been bought by a friend of Bill Clinton. The "University" got most of its money from the federal government (Dept of Defense) but when DoD started cutting off access to "information sessions" (i.e., sales pitches) on military bases and DoD started discouraging service members from enrolling in Phoenix, the stock plummeted.
Now that Hillary is going to be President, there is an expectation that she is going to restore the flow of money to University of Phoenix just as the State Department did favors for Laureate after Bill Clinton got paid. (US politics is very depressing if you think corruption should not be rewarded).
The media narrative over student loan debt in the US is very misleading due to the fact that the whole issue has become political. Nobody wants to address the fact that students arrive on campus lacking basic math and reading skills, and have never written an essay.
Even law school administrators will tell you privately that student quality is declining, and if you deal with recently-admitted lawyers the quality of pleadings is shockingly low.
Ultimately the US is moving towards socializing student debt, but the manner in which it is doing so makes it unlikely that costs will even come down to pace the inflation rate. Rather like the healthcare overhaul, the US will address the problem by shifting the expense to the government but there is no political will to address runaway costs.
]]>Quality #1 (From the Book Street Smart Franchising by Joe Matthews)
Most franchisors with meaningful and sustainable values are dedicated to helping you determine whether your personal objectives can be met using their business model. If your objectives can't be met with a high degree of probability, they will walk away from the deal. Their franchise opportunity website equips you with balanced information you can trust. Their people appear credible and informed.
You have hundreds and hundreds of franchise businesses available from which to choose and certainly not all franchise opportunities are created equal. However, a thorough systematic process to investigate your options will help you find the best franchise choice for you and your family. This process is called discovery.
A Franchise Business Discoveries consultant can help you narrow down the hundreds of alternatives to a manageable number of most appropriate options that fit your specific set of objectives, all at no cost to you. Please contact us today for a no obligation consultation. We can help you reach your dreams!
Quality #2
Most franchisors with meaningful and sustainable values have a clear understanding of individual traits, background, and capital necessary to produce success within their business model. In other words, they know who wins and who loses. They educate you online and by conversation about what it takes to win.
Quality #3
Most franchisors with meaningful and sustainable values evaluate you to determine whether you match their profile of a successful franchisee. They don't ask questions to simply ask questions or "schmooze," or to win your trust. They ask questions to determine whether you fit their success profile. They are only interested in doing business with those who will win and they say "no" to everyone else. This means you must have the experience of being effectively interviewed and screened, just as if you were applying for a key management position within the organization.
Quality #4
Most franchisors with meaningful and sustainable values have a candidate friendly process. They discard high-pressure sales techniques. [They allow the relationship to develop naturally as the discovery process unfolds in order to ensure a great fit with their environment and long-term success for everyone.] They're dedicated to helping you make the right decision for yourself and your family and do not appear to be overselling or manipulating.
Quality #5
Most franchisors with meaningful and sustainable values understand your goals and objectives. They assist you by either providing or helping you acquire the information you need to accurately evaluate the probability their business will produce the results you are looking for. They demand that you do the same.
Quality #6
Most franchisors with meaningful and sustainable values have a clear, step-by-step recruitment process. Both you and the franchisor know where you are in the process and what additional steps need to be taken. If they do not have a clear step-by-step recruitment process, they probably don't have a clear, well-thought-out easy-to-follow business model. Dismiss them as an option.
A Franchise Business Discoveries consultant can help you narrow down the hundreds of alternatives to a manageable number of most appropriate options that fit your specific set of objectives, all at no cost to you.
Please click here today for a no obligation consultation. We can help you reach your dreams!
]]>What is the silver tsunami? The term "silver tsunami" is used to describe the tidal wave of baby boomers approaching their senior years and the approaching challenge of caring for our loved ones as they age. Is the challenge of caring for this silver tsunami a problem or an opportunity?
The U.S Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging's latest statistics show:
The population age 65 and over numbered 44.7 million in 2013, an increase of 8.8 million or 24.7% since 2003.
The number of Americans aged 45-64--who will reach 65 over the next two decades--increased by 20.7% between 2003 and 2013.
About one in every seven, or 14.1%, of the population is an older American.
Persons reaching age 65 have an average life expectancy of an additional 19.3 years (20.5 years for females and 17.9 years for males).
What happens when these folks are no longer able to care for themselves? Are they going to want to leave their home and go into an assisted living facility or nursing home? How can you be part of the solution and help them stay safely in their homes?
The reality is that most families put off facing the difficult decisions related to helping their loved ones remain safe until it is too late. Maybe mom falls and breaks her hip or grandpa has a stroke and struggles to think clearly.
All of a sudden they are unable to independently live safely in their homes. In the hospital the discharge planner will want to know that mom and grandpa will be safe when they return home.
Family members are faced with difficult decisions that have to be made within a matter of a few days. How long will it take mom to recover? Who is going to stay with grandpa?
The answer for many is arranging for professional caregivers to provide in-home care. If you care about seniors and their families you can make a difference in your community now.
There are strong senior care franchise systems in place that can enable you to provide services for families in need to preserve quality of life for everyone involved.
Now is the time to get in on the ground floor to take advantage of the impending "silver tsunami" while becoming a valuable resource in your community. This is a tidal wave you may want to learn to ride!
]]>Every spring, CAFA has a Lunch and Learn for the most important developments in franchise sales.
This year, we have stellar group of experienced sales professionals to lead our panel discussion.
1. What's New in franchise Sales?
How has Social Selling affected franchise sales?
Do you know the 3 different ways you can recruit new franchise operators on LinkedIn? Which is most effective? Which is most risky?
Why advertising on Facebook may be a waste of your brand's time and money. And why your new website redesign may fail.
Why LinkedIn company pages are the way to recruit, and what you have to do to be successful. How you can help your franchise brokers to expand your brand's reach in LinkedIn.
2. What hasn't changed in franchise sales?
The "series of mental operations" your franchise prospects must complete remains unchanged.
Your brand requires a written, formal and defined franchise sales process with:
1. A way to qualify candidates.
2. A way to move qualified candidates through your process.
Why experienced professionals are needed. How to use a CRM or automated sales process to complement your professionals.
3. What have people forgotten about Franchise Sales?
Many franchisors have forgotten the art of prospecting. Everyone new to franchising wants leads, without doing the work to prospect.
Joe Caruso, " I got my franchising start over 20 years ago with Hardee's and Carl's Jr, during a restructuing.
I had to change everything we did and rebuild our franchise sales process.
So I re-designed the entire process - which is still in use today."
Dr. Michael (Mick) Riddiough, "Having worked within the franchise industry for 30 years, I have extensive knowledge of the essential tools needed to succeed in today's market. "
"Recently, by utilizing new media, digital marketing and a wide range of classic sales methods and development models ... we were able to help a franchisor grow from 9 units to 92".
Sidney Lee, For 11 years I "manged largest and most strategic licensed account relationship in the Starbucks Coffee Company LS portfolio."
Now, my company Choice Advisors, "helps entrepreneurs succeed in either buying a franchise or transitioning an existing business from an "operator model" to a "franchise growth model".
Warren Lee Lewis Moderator, is the author, The Franchise Seller's Handbook, 2010.
And recently awarded, The Best Lawyers in America 2009-2016, Listed in Washington, D.C. for Franchise Law
Time: Tuesday, May 24th from 11:45 - 2pm
Tower Club, Tysons Corner, Northern Virginia.
For our newer members, please review the Tower Club's Dress Code.
Registration 11:45 - 12:15 - Lunch 12:15 - 12:45 - RoundTable 12:45-2:00
]]>There is a new game in FranchiseTown; the recently created The Franchise Consulting Group. It's founder, Nick Neonakis, is the author of The Franchise MBA™ - Mastering the Four Essential Steps to Owning a Franchise), Amazon's highest rated book on the topic of franchising and is one of the most respected members of the franchise community.
The Franchise Consulting Company™ will be dedicated to finding the perfect franchisee partners for franchisors who represent a variety of industries. As an already recognized top franchise consultant, Nick has dedicated his career to the education and empowerment of prospective franchise buyers and plans to build The Franchise Consulting Group using this pragmatic education on a vast scale by uniting quality franchise companies and those interested in owning them.
Said Neonakis, "Franchising is a business model that ideally would match the perfect franchisee candidate to the best fit possible in a franchisor. This way everyone succeeds. Franchisors grow their brands with quality franchisees who in turn are happy about the huge change they've made in their lives. Often the candidates are ending their careers to go into business for themselves and start a whole new life. This can be a thrilling but anxious time for them. I have seen many matches, good ones and not so good between entrepreneurs and franchisee candidates," continued Neonakis. The goal of The Franchise Consulting Company will be to make sure the match is the right match between franchisor and franchisee. This is not always the case at the current time."
The Franchising Consulting Company will be comprised of senior level franchise executives who have a motivation to educate prospective franchise owners about franchising, and proceed to introduce them to the franchisor who is the best fit for them. The service is free of charge to the potential candidate.
"From helping people with their business planning, franchise selection, competitive analysis and real world investigations, to helping them learn about the rich resources the International Franchise Association (IFA) offers in terms of legal and financial guidance - we want to open the doors to a great new life in franchising to anyone who is interested."
This orientation towards education and empowerment of franchise owners is shared across many levels of the franchise community.
Rocco Fiorentino; the co-chair of the IFA's Membership Committee, past chairman of the National Multi-Unit Franchise Conference, multi-unit franchise owner and President of Benetrends, a premier franchise finance group founded in 1983 states," Nick is considered an industry leader by his peers, and we look forward to working with him in his new endeavor."
Dave Schaefers, Chief Development Officer at Driven Brands, the parent company of Meineke, MAACO and other national automotive franchise companies echoes this assessment "as franchising grows in scale around the world, it is imperative that the partnerships we create are based not only upon cultural fit but also management capabilities. Nick's practical and educational approach has proven to be the basis for many of our most successful franchisee partners. We look forward to working closely with his organization and growing together in the future"
For further information go to www.thefranchiseconsultingcompany.com or contact Nick Neonakis at nick@thefranchiseconsultingcompany.com or 800-321-6072.
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More about Nick Neonakis
Nick Neonakis has been a fixture in the franchise community for many years on both the franchisor and consulting side.
Mr. Neonakis' academic credentials include a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A) in Finance, Marketing and Strategy from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH, a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Trinity College in Hartford, CT and a degree from the Albert Ludwigs Universitat in Freiburg, Germany. In addition, he has taken numerous post-graduate courses in business, strategy and management. He speaks English and Greek and is comfortable in Spanish, French and German. He guest lectures on the topic of franchising at the Weatherhead School of Management and Miami Dade College and has been interviewed in many publications.
Today, Mr. Neonakis uses his 20 years of experience in franchising, finance and business to help people realize their dream of independent business ownership. Mr. Neonakis lives in Coral Gables, FL with his wife Stephanie and their children, Megan, Max and Alex. In his spare time, he enjoys boating, fishing, travelling and cooking.
]]>(Wellington, Florida) LED lighting will soon no longer be just an efficient choice.
It will be a mandate.
GE recently announced that they will discontinue the production of fluorescent light bulbs at the end of 2016.
Can it be any clearer? To attend a free webinar about this topic on February 24th at 11:00am EST register at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7172154302799108098
According to a report in Radiant Insights the LED lighting market is anticipated to grow 45% per year through 2020. LED lights accounted for $13.6 billion in 2014, are anticipated to reach $63.1 billion by 2020. The lighting market is moving towards 100% LED replacement of existing technology including incandescent and fluorescent.
LED Source, the first and only franchisor of LED lighting systems, has introduced a new program seeking out franchisee partners that currently own, operate or work for a lighting or similar type business. According to company president Marcel Fairbairn, "We currently have 15 excellent franchisees doing very well. While supporting them, it occurred to us that those who were already in a related industry can hit the ground running and achieved much quicker results. The future is full of demand (LED Source is currently adding new National Accounts Partner Program clients who are retrofitting stores with LED lighting), that we can easily dominate."
According to the program's criteria, the best candidates would be long tenured sales reps for an LED or lighting manufacturer, electrical contractors looking to boost revenue, or people in the industry for at least two years who are watching the exciting growth from commercial LED sales and retrofits, understand it's a "coming boom" and want to quickly get into the business.
The biggest advantages for new LED Source franchisees already in the LED retrofit business are:
Among many other accolades LED Source has been named in Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the top new franchises and is the front runner in a new industry that's putting an environmentally conscious spin on 140-year-old lighting technology. The company has also been the subject of two major articles in the publication.
Founded in 2005 by Gavin Cooper and Marcel Fairbairn, LED Source is the world's first franchisor of LED lighting products and a dynamic innovative company that focuses on providing full-service, state-of-the-art LED lighting solutions, to commercial clients wishing to convert their traditional lighting. LED Source has created one of the most extensive LED lighting distribution networks in North America, leveraging huge buying discounts to provide discount pricing along with expertise in cost-saving retrofits.
]]>As chosen by our readers in LinkedIn, here are the top stories for the week that was.
(Rankings are the result of impressions and click throughs from readers in LinkedIn to the articles.)
How can a really sweet deal turn into a really bad nightmare? That is perhaps what two franchise founders are saying to each other about now. Michael and Kathy Butler (collectively the "Butlers") are seasoned public relations folks. Michael Butler has had his own PR firm for 30 years.
The Butlers came up with the idea to open a retail store that offered PR and marketing services to small businesses. They liked the concept so much, they decided to franchise it. They called the franchise the PR Shop. They contracted with a franchise broker to sell PR Shop franchises. The broker did a good job.
A franchise prospect in New York wound up buying 20 franchise outlets.
Then the nightmare began. New York requires franchisors to complete a franchise registration prior to the offering or selling of franchises in the state of New York. PR Shop filed a franchise registration. But, it was not complete or effective at the time that the PR Shop franchises were sold to the prospect in New York. This was uncovered by the prospect turned franchisee. He called the state of New York wanting to complain about 20 PR Shop franchises.
Go no further. The franchise registration was not effective when the franchisee bought the franchises. The franchisor must offer the franchisee rescission. Rescission means, pretend like the franchise agreement was never signed and the franchisee gets all his money back.
One problem, by this time the franchise has dissolved. The franchise's founders (the Butlers) have filed personal bankruptcy. This whole thing cannot be written off that easy. Can it? Really? No. The case is In re Michael L. Butler and Kathy H. Butler v. John Mangione. The bankruptcy court did not look fondly upon the Bulters' conduct.
The court found that Michael and Kathy Butler were personally liable to John Mangione, the New York franchisee. And, the Butler's liability to Mr. Mangione was not dischargeable in bankruptcy. The Butlers must repay Mr. Mangione his initial franchise fees, for all 20 franchises + interest + Mr. Mangione's attorney's fees totally $714,000.
The Butlers broke state law by not completing the franchise registration prior to selling the franchises in New York. The Butlers did not hold the initial franchise fees in escrow as instructed by the state. Failure to put the initial franchise fees in escrow, in the court's opinion, was akin to stealing. The Butlers committed fraud by misrepresenting to the franchisee that PR Shop was registered in New York. The court did not take a soft approach in this case.
Lesson from the Court: Register it before you sell it or the deal may be unraveled post facto.
For the 5 Most Fascinating Stories in Franchising, a weekly report, click here & sign up.
]]>More often than not, I get phone calls like this from prospective franchisees. (If you want you can skip directly to my free advice at the bottom.)
Prospect: Mr. Solomon, I am looking at a franchise to buy and I would like you to advise me about it.
Me: What franchise are you looking at?
Prospect: I am looking at an ice cream franchise called Tombstone Creamery.
Me: That's just about the worst franchise on the planet. If you invest in that you will only end up with years of misery and poverty.
Prospect: They tell me it is a wonderful investment for a good small business, and everybody eats ice cream. How can that possibly go wrong? I spoke to several franchisees and they all say they are happy.
Me: They told you that because they think you are working for the franchisor and looking for anyone saying negative things so that the franchisor can retaliate against them.
The truth is that this franchise is a one way street to misery and you need to run like hell.
No one trusts franchisee interviews anymore. Most of them are scared to say anything real.
Prospect: I don't understand how you can say that. Can you be more specific? And if not that, what about a sandwich shop franchise?
Me: Sandwich shops are almost as bad as ice cream franchises. Don't buy one of those either.
Prospect: What don't you like about those? Do you have a good thing to say about anything? I'm getting sorry that I called you.
Me: To answer your questions one at a time, there are too many sandwich shops and price competition is eating them alive. There is oversaturation everywhere.
Moreover, the prices franchisees have to pay to vendors to enable the vendors to pay rebates to the franchisors takes away all value of group purchasing from the franchisees and transfers that value to the franchisor like an added royalty.
The cost of being a franchisee in a sandwich shop franchise system is over 20 % of gross sales when you add up all the extraneous costs associated with being their franchisee, not what the disclosure documents tell you.
I like very few franchises because so few are revenue credible in the sense that when you go home at night you have made any money. There are a very few good ones in net revenue terms and you may not be qualified, for all I know about you, to buy one of those.
But you haven't hired me yet, so you have lost nothing by this phone call. If you can find a lawyer who will give you this much insight into the business risks of buying a franchise, hire him immediately.
Prospect: What would you have me do?
Me: You are apparently inexperienced at small business investment due diligence. You are listening to anecdotes and not demanding any corroboration of the sales pitch. You need to revise how you go about doing your homework.
I have something to share with you that may save you from bankruptcy.
Prospect: How much do you charge for that?
Me: This is something I give away so that you can prove to yourself that I know what I am talking about. Follow these 8 magical steps.
1. Go onto the Internet and do a Google Search using the words business broker in (name of your home town).
2. Contact business brokers telling them that you are looking for a business to buy and you do not want a start up. Tell them you want a business that has been open and operating for at least five years. You can give them the name of a few franchises that you think you are interested in. Tombstone Creameries and any sandwich shop franchise would be good areas to look at.
3. The business brokers will have dozens or hundreds of these that are up for resale.
4. Tell them that you need to see copies of the actual signed federal tax returns, including all the exhibits, for the last three years (five would be better).
5. All you have to do is sign a confidentiality agreement that says you will not disclose the information to others. You can disclose it to your attorney and your accountant.
6. Now you will see the financial realities of these franchises you think you are interested in.
7. You or your accountant/lawyer will be able to do realistic financial analysis based on the information in the tax returns.
8. This is the way you start looking seriously at small business ownership investment, franchised or independent. You will be amazed at the difference between what you see in the tax returns and what these franchise salespeople are telling you.
When you think you have found something you are interested in after looking at the real financial results of ownership, if you want me to be your lawyer, you can call me back.
You are welcome. But, do call me back.
Author Richard Solomon is a Franchise Lawyer with 50 years of experience in business development, antitrust and franchise law, management counseling and dispute resolution including trials and crisis management. Give him a call at 281-584-0519.
For the 5 Most Fascinating Stories in Franchising, a weekly report, click here & sign up.
]]>
For the past five years I've had the privilege of being the President of the Capital Area Franchise Association (CAFA).
For CAFA's January 2015 lunch & learn program schedule we were honored to hear from Robert Cresanti, then Executive Vice President of Government Relations & Public Policy of the International Franchise Association (IFA).
Robert had a full house and shared his perspective on the state of franchising. He spoke candidly about what the IFA was forecasting for 2015, the priorities for the year: credit access, taxes, health care, veterans in franchising and the continued importance and impact of franchising in our economy.
Now, I am pleased to announce that Robert Cresanti, as the new IFA President & CEO, will be back to CAFA to launch our 2016 lunch & learn program schedule on Tuesday, January 19, 2016 at The Tower Club in Tysons Corners, VA.
Start the year by hearing from someone who clearly understands the issues and opportunities for franchising in 2016.
At this year's event we will have an "Actor's Studio" style exchange between Robert and Warren Lee Lewis of Akerman LLP with ample opportunity for audience participation and questions.
For over 20 years, CAFA, 6 times a year on the 3rd Tuesday of alternating months, brought together some of the best, brightest and most innovative franchisors, franchisees and franchising professionals in the Mid-Atlantic region to share their franchising knowledge and insights.
CAFA is member organization dedicated to the best in franchising and franchise education that encourages guest attendance at all meetings.
]]>Vince Stoakley Finds Success with Pillar To Post Franchise
(Houston)---For two decades, Vince Stoakley was a globetrotter, traveling the world as a member of the U.S. Army. After retiring from the Army in 2012, Stoakley needed to find a calling that was not just a job, but a career, and one that would let him expand his roots. He found that when he opened his Pillar To Post Home Inspectors franchise where he serves the Houston area with home inspection services for residential buildings of all kinds.
Vince was a Sergeant in the Army, a position he says made him well-suited to sate the entrepreneurial spirit that drove him to consider purchasing a franchise for North America's largest home inspection company. Weighing his options, Vince, along with his wife Thaija, were most impressed by Pillar To Post's commitment to the VetFran program, which provides military veterans with discounts on initial franchise fees. "My military experience has provided me with the integrity and multi-tasking ability that is so crucial to running a successful business," said Stoakley. "It was important to me that any franchise I was part of respected my military background and Pillar To Post clearly did."
Beyond the franchise's VetFran assistance, Stoakley also pointed to Pillar To Post's support system in place for new franchisees as being defining factors that has allowed his business to not just endure, but thrive. "The system in place for new franchisees at Pillar To Post is the perfect safety net; I never felt like I was going it alone as I grew my business. It made the transition from active military member to franchisee an easy one."
"We try to be both a businessman and a friend to each customer," added Stoakley. "We also love giving back to the community; so far, we've helped build three homes in the area as part of Habitat For Humanity. We also plan to donate one free home inspection a month to a service member. We are certain that our unique emphasis on the community will help ensure that our Pillar To Post franchise remains successful for a long time."
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About Pillar To Post Home Inspectors
Founded in 1994, Pillar To Post Home Inspectors is the largest home inspection company in North America with 450 franchisees, located in 48 states and eight Canadian provinces. Long-term plans include adding 500-600 new franchisees over the next five years. Pillar To Post has been ranked the No. 1 home inspection franchise in North America by Entrepreneur Magazine. For further information, please visit www.pillartopostfranchise.com.
Contact: Sanderson & Associates FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Samantha Amato
312-829-4350
Samantha@sandersonpr.com
October 28, 2015
Vince and Thaija Stoakley, owners of Pillar To Post Home Inspectors of Richmond, Texas
]]>Former MAACO Executive, Spa Developer Growing Brand
(CHERRY HILL, N.J.)---A new concept in hair care has made its way to the U.S., growing what has become a $40 billion a year global hair salon industry. Cherry Blow Dry Bar is an expanding franchise that provides blowouts, hair extensions and makeup services for a perfectly finished look.
Owners and franchise experts Steve Vicario and Fred Vicario, bought the U.S. rights to the popular Australian chain and are reinventing it to meet Americans' growing demand for quality hair care while also providing a business opportunity to entrepreneurs interested in the booming industry.
Offering blowouts for hair of any length for $35, hair extensions starting at $395 and a membership program starting at $59 for two blowouts with a membership for unlimited blowouts available, Cherry Blow Dry Bar is making a new name for itself in an industry that has taken off since 2010. Aimed at creating chic styles in an elegant yet classic blowout-bar setting, it's targeted to any woman looking for beautiful hair, no longer needing to be justified by a special occasion.
"Cherry Blow Dry Bar is taking what used to be considered a luxury and turning it into an affordable way to maintain one's hair style, far more frequently than would be possible at pricier salons," said Cherry Blow Dry Bar President Fred Vicario, who, along with brother Steve, was inspired to take over a franchise concept they determined ripe for growth. "Our focus is going to be on creating the perfect membership model for the industry."
"The way the blow dry industry is today, most businesses can't keep up with the demand," said Fred Vicario. "Cherry Blow Dry Bar meets that demand, but what makes our concept unique is that it does so by providing blowouts, which most women expect to be sold for a premium. Ours are at a price that that's far more reasonable than most competitors, a cost that allows women to have their hair done often. Many of our clients come two to three times a week."
Each possessing years of franchising experience, brothers Fred Vicario and Steve Vicario saw a lot of promise in Cherry Blow Dry Bar. Formerly an executive at Maaco for 20 years, Fred Vicario grew that franchise from 300 units to 550 units during his tenure. He was also a Goddard School franchisee for 15 years, and, along with Steve, a regional developer for Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa that they grew by more than 30 locations. The Vicario brothers knew a good business opportunity when they saw it.
"We saw a similar blowout concept in California and were intrigued by the potential," said Steve Vicario. "We came upon Cherry Blow Dry Bar and liked what we saw. We became regional developers in 2014, initially signed up to cover Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. But after negotiations with the previous owner it became clear that under our leadership, we could truly grow the brand not only regionally, but beyond."
Recognizing areas in the system that could be improved, the brothers took over the franchise and began to leverage their business acumen and contacts immediately.
"Our successful experience with Hand & Stone gave us the confidence that we knew what needed to be done to turn this system around," said Steve Vicario. "We hired our Director of Education and Operations, MariLynne Cosmillo, to provide a level of training to help franchisees succeed out of the gate. MariLynne has been in the hair care and blowout industry for over 10 years and quickly focused on the key issues we needed to solve."
With eight locations currently in operation throughout California, Florida, New Jersey, Tennessee and Virginia, and several new franchises in the pipeline, the new owners of Cherry Blow Dry Bar see big growth for the system. Within the next five years they aim to add an additional 200 franchised locations to the mix. Given their background, Steve Vicario believes that goal is readily attainable.
"Steve and I already had our own ventures before coming to Cherry Blow Dry Bar, so we wouldn't have come aboard had we not seen something special in it," said Steve Vicario. "Cherry has the right concept and has a core set of principles we really believed in. With the changes we've made, the quality styling we provide and the additional services we hope to soon offer, Cherry has a bright future ahead."
About Cherry Blow Dry Bar:
Headquartered in Cherry Hills, NJ, Cherry Blow Dry Bar was taken over by two of its regional developers, brothers Fred Vicario and Steve Vicario in 2014, franchise experts who recognized huge growth potential for the system. Making a name in what is a $40 billion per year global hair salon industry, Cherry Blow Dry Bar is aggressively expanding, aiming to add 200 franchisees by 2020. Cherry Blow Dry Bar has locations in California, Florida, New Jersey, Tennessee and Virginia. For more information about a Cherry Blow Dry Bar franchise, visit http://www.cherryblowdrybar.com/franchise/.
Media Contact: Sanderson & Associates FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rhonda Sanderson
312-829-4350
Rhonda@sandersonpr.com
Fred Vicario
215-530-8142
Fred@cherryblowdrybar.com
October 22, 2015
Fred Vicario (right) and Steve Vicario, owners of Cherry Blow Dry Bar
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]]>There are many key steps in the franchising process but none are more important than evaluating a franchises' Item 19, or Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
The Item 19 outlines earnings, expenses and other relevant factors that will affect the future financial performance of a franchisee once they are up and operating. Unless a prospect is opening a franchise with the goal of saving the world, making profit may be one of their motives.
Today, prospects have become progressively more thorough in their search process, with more and more looking for hard numbers to give them deeper insight into the earnings potential of a franchise brand.
Providing straightforward, valuable financial data to prospects contributes to developing a high level of trust.
The "How Much Money Can I Make?" Franchise Question
At AdvantaClean, the financial performance of our franchises vary tremendously. Many of the factors that influence revenue and profit are controlled directly by franchisees' efforts and their management skills. Differing investment options and different approaches to business ownership make overall results harder to qualify and report.
So, to put it bluntly, we can't tell you with certainty how much money you can make owning and running an AdvantaClean franchise because so many of the contributing factors depend on you.
What we can tell you is that your best judgment about your chances for financial success with us will come from talking directly with our franchisees.
We do publish some key financial metrics that attest to the strength of our business model, and we can also tell you that, with close to a 98% success rate, our business model works for just about anyone who can follow it.
The top 50% of established AdvantaClean franchisees1 are doing really well.
Here's how we know; these figures are taken directly from our current Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD):
1Established franchisees represents franchisees operating more than 49 months.
2Largest single job is the highest revenue job performed by a franchisee operating between 12-24 months in business. For more information please see the AdvantaClean Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
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