Franchise Interviews

Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney, owners of a business called Painting with a Twist, had been friends for several years and were always coming up with new business ideas together. Six years after Hurricane Katrina, they've found great success with one that met a unique need in post-Katrina New Orleans — a place to kick back, relax and have fun with friends. "We talked about concepts ranging from architectural salvage to science fairs," said Deano. But when they came upon the idea of owning a business that hosted "painting parties" — where people come, learn how to paint, have a glass of wine and enjoy each other's company — they knew they had a good one. We wanted to do something to lift the spirits of people where we lived after Hurricane Katrina," Deano said. "Not only was New Orleans ready for a change, but so were we." The pair opened their store, called Corks N' Canvas, in Mandeville, La., in 2007. The business was quickly a success and the two opened three more studios in the New Orleans area.  

How does Brain Balance Achievement Center describe themselves? We are brain-based, not drug based. We subscribe to the theory that the brain can be changed—something once thought impossible. That means your child’s problems aren’t permanent, and the situation isn’t hopeless.   We recognize that many childhood disorders are actually manifestations of a single underlying condition. Called Functional Disconnection—an imbalance in the connections and function between and within the hemispheres (sides) of your child’s brain—this condition is responsible for a host of behavioral, academic, and social difficulties.

Ambiance Radio Brings THE RIGHT MUSIC to Franchise Industry.  Fast-Growing Company Dashes onto Music Scene in Restaurants, Hotels, Resorts and Spas. Camarillo, CA - (July 18, 2011) - Combining science, technology and hospitality industry knowledge, a fast-growing new company is tapping into the missing link for increasing customer satisfaction and increasing revenues in restaurants, hotels, resorts and spas: THE RIGHT MUSIC. Ambiance Radio, founded and led by Bradley Newberger, a young hospitality industry entrepreneur, is the only background music service geared specifically for restaurants, hotels, resorts and spas. Ambiance Radio uses proprietary software and cutting-edge technology to deliver fully customized music feeds tailored to each site's specific business objectives, taking into account demographics, psychographics and traffic volumes, day-by-day, hour-by-hour.

Find out how franchising changed Tom Scarda’s life.  Not knowing how to start up or operate a business, Tom chose to buy a franchise. After consulting with FranChoice in 2000, Tom purchased a Maui Wowi Fresh Hawaiian Blends franchise and quickly expanded his operation to three locations. In 2002 Tom was named Maui Wowi’s Franchisee of the Year, and he was also awarded with the Outstanding Support of Franchise Owners honor in 2002

Right at Home, a privately held provider of in-home elder care and assistance, was founded in 1995 by Allen Hager, a hospital administrator who was concerned patients needed additional assistance after their discharge from the hospital. He sought to assist their return to good health by becoming a certified nursing assistant and then launching Right at Home. Today, Right at Home generates more than $170 million in annual revenue through its 200-plus offices across the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil. Outlets are franchisee-owned and operated, and staff skilled professionals trained to provide home-based care for thousands of clients daily.

Great Play franchise - We are meeting with Keith Camhi, Co-founder, CEO - Great Play: Great Play first opened in Stamford, Conn. in 2006 by fitness buffs Jyl & Keith Camhi. The franchised gym concept for kids, offers fun-filled motor skill, sports skill and physical education classes for children ages six months through fifth grade as well as birthday parties. There are currently 7 locations with 4 gyms opening soon. About 20 locations are expected by the end of 2012. Great Play is redefining the youth physical development category, with an innovative new collection of programs delivered in a patent-pending Interactive Arena™ that makes developing skills fun and easy for children. And we've packaged it all into a step-by-step blueprint to help franchisees turn their passion for youth fitness into a thriving business!   The business press is calling Great Play "an innovative concept in a fast-growing industry" (see Small Business Opportunities article). The fitness industry is calling Great Play one of

Fresh To Order franchise opportunity - We are meeting with Pierre Panos, Founder and CEO. Fresh To Order: f2o is an innovative, franchised restaurant concept that fuses quality American cuisine, gourmet fresh ingredients and fast service to offer incredible food served in less than 10 minutes for around $10. The company currently has six locations and projections call for signing at least five multi-unit franchisees in 2011 with a total commitment of 15 to 20 restaurants.

We are meeting with the Penn Station East Coast Subs franchise.  We will be speaking with Craig Dunaway, President of Penn Station East Coast Subs. PENN STATION: Fast-casual East Coast-style sub sandwich chain that has about 225 restaurants in 12 states. Projections call for 25 restaurants in 2011 - with 325 total restaurants open by the end of 2013. They serve hot and cold subs, fresh, hand-cut, made-to-order French fries, hand-squeezed lemonade and more. Consistently ranked as one of the top Franchise Opportunities in the U.S. by Entrepreneur magazine. Ranked #1 Restaurant Franchise Company by Success Magazine in its October 2000 Annual ranking of the top 200 American franchises. Ranked as one of the top 40 Movers and Shakers by Fast Casual in its 2007, 2008 and 2009 Annual Movers and Shakers listing. Recognized nationally as one of the Top Ten Restaurant Chains in customer satisfaction by Sandelman & Associates in their 2009 Quick Track Research Program.  

We are excited to meet with  the Juice It Up franchise opportunity.  We will speak with Frank Easterbrook, CEO for Juice It Up! Juice It Up!: First launched in 1995, Juice It Up! is a franchised smoothie and juice bar chain with more than 90 locations. The company anticipates opening between six to 10 new locations by the end of 2012. Juice It Up! is a franchised smoothie and juice bar chain that specializes in blended-to-order fresh fruit smoothies, fresh-squeezed juices and other beverages served in a relaxed, family-friendly environment. Juice It Up! combines fruit, proprietary fruit juices, non-fat yogurt, sherbet and nutritional and vitamin supplements to create smoothies that are consistently voted “best tasting” in blind taste tests among the top smoothie and juice bar chains. Franchising World voted Juice It Up! as one of the top 25 Most Popular Franchises for Veterans.  

Michael Stone and Tyoka Jackson will discuss the Professional Athlete Franchise Initiative.  PAFI educates professional athletes about franchising.  They recently had their summit in Atlanta. We will talk about what happened at the summit and what is in store for the rest of 2011 and into 2012.

The Edible Arrangements franchise concept was first launched in East Haven, CT in 1999. The company began franchising in 2001 in Massachusetts with additional stores quickly following in Connecticut, Georgia and New Jersey. Today there are over 800 locations operating or coming soon throughout the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, UK and the UAE. Edible Arrangements stores specialize in designing fresh fruit bouquets overflowing with juicy strawberries, pineapple, grapes, oranges, and cantaloupe

Live 2 B HealthyTM Senior Fitness franchise opportunity seeks to inspire older generations to live longer, healthier lives. Our company has been at the forefront of the senior fitness movement since 2008. Working with residents of all shapes and ability levels, the Live 2 B HealthyTM Senior Fitness Team has witnessed miraculous social and physical benefits for elder care residents. We’re proud to bring senior fitness services to residential residential communities, allowing them to support a healthier lifestyle for residents. We are meeting with with Cory Czepa, CEO to Live 2 B Healthy

From pizza and doughnuts to personal training and massages Jeff Jervik, president and CEO of Fitness Together Franchise Holdings, Inc. Jervik is a franchise industry maven, which ultimately brought him to his current position, which he's held since 2008. He's the head of the world's largest wellness company, which includes Fitness Together and Elements Therapeutic Massage. Before this position, he had a rather different route in franchising - selling pizza and doughnuts. Jervik's career began as an hourly employee selling pizza at Pizza Hut. He worked his way up within the PepsiCo company, spending 14 years there, and ending with his title of national vice president of operations of Pizza Hut. He was responsible for the operations of over 1,000 Pizza Hut restaurants with sales of approximately $800 million and over 25,000 employees. Jervik came to the realization that despite the temporary satisfaction a pizza or doughnut might bring for someone, he wasn't changing anyone's life. He wanted to help peo

Excerpt How many would like more success? How many would like more success faster? Anybody not? Well you have come to the right place. My name is Danny Lyon and the colour of my underwear is...........BLUE! The name for this book came about from his own business experience and presentations to fellow business owners, groups & associations and individulas. Coming from a business owning family in a small town plus over 20 years in telecommunications, Danny has spent the last 13 years in his business. Part of his business entails helping other people get into business for themselves and then supporting them in their business operations and growth. Danny stated, "It has been an amazing learning experience for me and an honour and a privilege to see people from so many walks of life create such diverse levels of business success."

Tasty Image began mid 2003 in Jupiter, Florida. After becoming a part-time affiliate to sell printed chocolates, I saw rather quickly that there was income waiting to happen within the chocolate industry. I quickly moved forward with the purchase of my first Food Imaging System and began to promote and sell printed personalized chocolates out of my home. Business grew as did demand. Customers requested a variety of chocolate items which, at that time, were not available through Tasty Image. It didn’t take very long to realize that there was a need, a market and a void that needed to be filled. Why NOT increase product line? Why NOT incorporate molded chocolate? Why NOT bring in chocolate fountains? The natural progression to expand, to create, and to satisfy more customers. Before I knew it, I was providing chocolate fountains to weddings and parties, packaging up handmade truffles, and designing gift baskets for each and every major holiday. Thus, today you have the first full retail Chocolate Shop Franchise

Jaime Brenkus   Founder/America’s Premier Weight Loss Coach and Fitness Trainer Jaime has dedicated his life to providing time-oriented approaches to enhancing one's lifestyle through proper nutrition and fitness. For the past 25 years, Jaime has trained with thousands of clients on a personal level, and has helped millions of people with his famous, nationally acclaimed 8 Minute Abs Workout Series. Jaime designed supermodel Kathy Ireland's videos as well as featured on radio, TV, and publications. Jaime was awarded a Fitness Advocate for the President's Challenge. Brenkus maintains certification as a Health and Fitness Instructor from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).  

BannaStrow’s, a quick-service crepe franchise, is gearing up for expansion in the QSR industry by bringing taste, price and portability to an un-touched marketplace in America; crepes. With four locations throughout Florida, the brand is set to add 25 locations in 2011. BannaStrow’s has created a model that is based on expanding through non-traditional venues such as kiosks in airports and malls, college campuses, and they also have a truck model. To fuel the brands growth process, BannaStrow’s is forming relationships with larger developers and institutional partners (such as arenas, concessions, etc.) to build awareness in high traffic areas to spur growth regionally. We are meeting with Mauricio Acevedo, CEO and Founder of BannaStrow’s

We are going to discuss the state of the restaurant industry in the new economy.  Restaurants suffered their biggest declines in a generation in 2009 (7 percent below 2007 levels), and sales increased just 0.1 percent in 2010 according to Technomic, a Chicago-based restaurant consultancy. While many sectors of the restaurant industry continue to struggle, the fast-casual segment is driving the industry's growth. In fact, leading fast casual dining chains have grown in sales during the last three years, and total visits grew by 17 percent according to RestaurantsNews.com.  Moreover, fast casual is expected to remain the fastest growing segment of the restaurant industry in 2011.  We are meeting with Paul Damico, President of Moe's Southwest Grill. Moe's, the fast-casual franchise known for fresh made-to-order burritos,quesadillas and more, posted 5.4 percent same-store sales growth in 2010 and is opening 65 units in 2011.

This franchise rewind edition is a bit different.  We talk about surveillance.   The technology provided by DTT is truly amazing and very helpful to franchisors and franchisees.  If you have been in a McDonalds, Burger, Subway or Taco Bell, you have probably been viewed through DTT Surveillance’s technology.  You are going to hear some very interesting stories on this show.  There is a great story discussed about a woman that claimed to fall inside a Subway.   Next week, Thursday, June 9 we are going to discuss the state of the restaurant industry in the new economy.  Restaurants suffered their biggest declines in a generation in 2009 (7 percent below 2007 levels), and sales increased just 0.1 percent in 2010 according to Technomic, a Chicago-based restaurant consultancy. While many sectors of the restaurant industry continue to struggle, the fast-casual segment is driving the industry's growth. In fact, leading fast casual dining chains have grown in sales during the last three years, and total visits grew

Over the last 4 years, Marty and Don have referenced the Aarons Sales and Lease Franchise Opportunity. Find out why on tomorrows franchise rewind. Find out what we mean when we say...date a little.