Franchise Interviews

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

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

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

Thursday, June 6 at 10 AM EST - The UPS Store has more than 4,300 independently owned locations in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, providing convenient and value-added business services to the small-office/home-office (SOHO) market, corporate "road warriors," and consumers. The UPS Store locations offer consumers and small businesses a wide range of products and services in one convenient location. Our range of products and services* includes professional printing and document services, mailbox services, packaging and shipping, freight, and luggage logistics, and more! For more than 30 years, entrepreneurs have been benefiting from franchise ownership with The UPS Store, Inc...The UPS Store, offers products and services designed to help small business owners and continually ranks #1* in its category by Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Franchise 500”. Franchise opportunities are now available in your community.  *Entrepreneur's Franchise 500® 1990-2003 listed as the Mail Boxes Etc. brand. The UP

Fate can strike entrepreneurs in the strangest of ways. Just ask Lenny Verkhoglaz and Mila Feldman, a married couple whose unexpected Valentine’s Day experience nearly a decade ago has given way to a successful business venture now expanding nationwide. “Cupid’s arrow really struck us in an unforeseen way that Valentine’s Day,” remembers Feldman. “One of our elderly neighbors was alone in her home after her daughter went on vacation — she needed a helping hand. My husband Lenny and I offered to stay with her and spent Valentine’s in her home helping her out, sleeping on a floor mattress in case she needed help in the middle of the night. That experience transformed us.” It also touched Mila’s brother, Alex Feldman, who co-owns Executive Care along with the couple. He entered the picture on Valentine’s Day 2003 to take care of his young nieces while Lenny and Mila cared for their homebound elderly neighbor. After that fateful evening, the three adults collectively felt a strong desire to figure out how to pr

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

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

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

We are meeting with Chris Catalano, CEO of School of Rock. ABOUT SCHOOL OF ROCK The music school you wish you had when you were a kid, School of Rock is an ingenious concept that gets kids and adults rocking out to the classics and up and performing with their peers. With more than 100 locations in seven countries, the franchise proves that rock & roll is alive and kickin’. Music Franchise Proves Rock & Roll is Alive and Kickin’ After 15 years and breaking the 100-school milestone, the School of Rock is creating the world’s next generation of rockers.  By inspiring the world to rock on stage and in life, the company is continuing to rock major U.S. and international cities through soulful entrepreneurs who transform the lives of kids and adults through music.  Providing a powerful mix of a solid business model and awe inspiring performances that fill families with pride, School of Rock is expanding its franchise operation with growth opportunities in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Seattle, Po

We are meeting with Leigh Bodden and Eric Casaburi.  Former NFL Cornerback, Leigh Bodden, has signed on to become part of Retro Fitness, America's rapidly growing fitness chain known for its low cost and high value. The athlete has plans to open clubs throughout Washington D.C., Maryland and northern Virginia with more to follow in additional markets across the East Coast.  Bodden spent nine years playing as a cornerback in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, and most recently the New England Patriots, before pursuing options in entrepreneurship. Bodden is no stranger to the fitness industry and Retro Fitness had big expansion plans for his home market, making the pair a perfect fit. Bodden's Retro Fitness locations will be operated under The WEOU Group, a hospitality company founded by the athlete to house a variety of investments in the fitness, hotel and restaurant industries. "I always knew I wanted to be my own boss and work in business one day, even before my athletic career in the NFL," B

We are meeting with Dr. Rebecca and Dr. Joseph Cipriano, founder of the new Pop Weight Loss franchise. Pop Weight Loss, a weight management and healthy lifestyle franchise, has experienced tremendous success creating a weight-loss-as-lifestyle-change program to help the rapidly escalating obesity epidemic plaguing American men, women and children today. The "Pop" in Pop Weight Loss stands for personal, online and professional. The program offers personalized one-on-one support, online weight loss counseling, recipes, tools and suggestions, and each client is given a team of professional nutritionists. In 2013, Dr. Rebecca published the book with her father, Kenneth Herman, EdD, a clinical psychologist titled, Pop: Burst the Diet Bubble and Finally Lose Weight. The book provides a step-by-step plan for losing weight, and is essentially a mock-up of the Pop Weight Loss program. The book also discusses how Dr. Rebecca struggled with her own weight loss after pregnancy, which is a primary reason, in addition fo

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

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

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

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

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

Mr. Handyman Franchise Announces Limited-Time Accelerated Launch Program for New Franchisees The Mr. Handyman franchise opportunity recently announced from Dec. 1, 2012 until Mar. 31, 2013, any new owner who has signed a franchise agreement will be eligible to participate in the program, which offers a cash infusion of up to $20,000 to help get their business up-and-running. "We're an organization that prides itself on having an extensive support network for our franchisees and celebrating five percent same-store sales growth in 2011," said Mr. Handyman President Alex Roberts. "The accelerated launch program and cash infusion option is one way to show our newest franchisees that we're willing to do whatever it takes to help our owners with proven marketing and operations programs." Mr. Handyman will invest up to $20,000 of the initial franchise fees collected for a new home repair business during the first 12 months of operation. The investment will be spent on business-building activities and will be desi

A Gastro-What? GASTROPUB: It's a British (AMERICAN!) term for a pub which specializes in high-quality food a step above the traditional grub pub. Gastropubs have an atmosphere which is relaxed and focused on offering a particular cuisine prepared as well as the best restaurants. Staying true to the format requires a menu that complements the assortment or beers and wines (and bourbon!) the gastropub offers. What Makes Our Place Unique? Bar 145 specializes in "Burgers, Bands, and Bourbon." A gastro pub has an atmosphere that is relaxed and focused on offering a particular cuisine prepared as well as the best restaurants. Our tag line: "Red Chucks, White China" emphasizes our culture clash having all of our food served on white china while our employees are sporting red Chuck Taylor tennis shoes. Bar 145 provides a spacious patio with high rise tables, a 50-seat oval bar split by an industrial size garage door, and flat screen TVs strategically placed for viewing. Utilizing local farmers and purchasing fresh p

We are excited to meet with Arby's President, Hala Moddelmog, to discuss the company's refranchising success and significant investment into the brand at a time of great economic uncertainty. Some of the topics we will discuss with Hala are the following: • This past fall, Arby's introduced a new line of turkey roasters. Hala will discuss why Arby's found it important to expand its menu beyond its signature roast beef offerings. • Arby's is now testing a new restaurant design/layout in select markets. Hala will discuss what Arby's hopes to achieve with a new look and feel. • Arby's recently made several changes to its leadership team. Hala will provide rundown of these changes. • How have all these big changes paid off for the brand? • In order to overcome obstacles to growth, particularly the ongoing credit crunch, restaurant executives are focusing their efforts on attracting multi-unit and multi-brand operators with strong cash flow to not only open new units, but purchase established corporate stores

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