The very first franchise restaurant to come to Mayo, Florida is opening soon.

A small Subway franchise restaurant is being built on Main Street next to Family Dollar.

Chamber of Commerce members say it is unknown at this stage exactly how many jobs it will bring, but residents welcome the growth.

One Mayo resident, Patricia Ann Workman, said, “It’s a good thing because people need more places like this in town. It’d be nice to have a Subway. I won’t have to drive so far to get a good sub.”

Drummond Community Bank, opening in two months, is expected to provide a handful of new jobs. It’ll be located just a block or so from Subway.

The first combined Sign*A*Rama and EmbroidMe franchise celebrated its grand opening in Hollywood, Fla., on Aug. 23. Owners of the joint operation are Jose Duarte, Hussein El Fakih and Andreina Collantes. Together the two full-service franchises provide a range of customization solutions, including signage, embroidery, screen printing and promotional products, to businesses, schools, associations and individuals.

Founded in 1986 by the father-and-son team of Roy and Ray Titus, Sign*A*Rama has grown to become the largest sign franchise in the world, with more than 850 locations in 50 countries, according to the company. Founded in 2000 by Ray Titus, EmbroidMe has likewise grown to become the largest embroidery franchise in the world, with more than 350 stores in 10 countries. Both franchises are part of the United Franchise Group, based in West Palm Beach, Fla.

According to United Franchise Group president Ray Titus, his organization, which also operates Billboard Connection, World Franchisors and FranchiseMart, is always looking for new ways to be the most innovative company in the franchise industry. “Combining Sign*A*Rama and EmbroidMe in one store … creates a one-stop shopping experience for our customers,” he says.

SIGN*A*RAMA, the world's largest full-service sign franchise, has continued its growth in the African market by granting a Master License for West Africa to Amedeus Cyril Chacky.

The first flagship retail location opened in Tanzania with great success at 214 White House, Bagamoyo Road. The location features a large showroom offering a full-range of comprehensive sign and graphic services for the private and commercial segments of the business community.

Assisting SIGN*A*RAMA with their expansion into West Africa was World Franchisors. World Franchisors is a company that helps franchise companies successfully export their brands across the world. They are a team of experts who sell master licenses and help establish a strong presence outside the United States in a fraction of the time and expense.

SIGN*A*RAMA, with offices in five countries, is one of the first franchisors to place corporate offices around the world for the purpose of franchisee training and support. SIGN*A*RAMA is currently operating more than 850 locations in 50 countries around the world.

PROSHRED®'s expansion program will see its next new office in Baltimore. John Prittie, President, is particularly excited as Baltimore fills another key market in the North East. The company has offices in NY, MA, CT, PA and now MD. PROSHRED®, established in 1986, is known as the pioneer of the booming multi-billion dollar shredding and recycling industry. Prior to launching its current USA expansion in 2003, the company opened franchises throughout Canada.

Maryland Franchisee, Martin Fisher has extensive Security Industry experience. Most recently, Martin served as EVP, CFO and Board Member at Dunbar Armored, the nation’s largest independent armored car company. Martin is a licensed CPA and Harvard MBA. Upon executing the Franchise Agreement Prittie commented, “We look forward to utilizing Fisher’s security industry experience to further enhance our U.S. information security presence”.

Identity theft continues to afflict millions of U.S. consumers, according to a financial industry study. About 9.3 million people were victims of the crime in the year studied. It is believed that that one in every 23 consumers is a victim of identity theft.

Against this backdrop, Federal and State governments have promulgated new laws which create new privacy rules. More specifically the U.S. Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act is intended to combat fraud and identity theft. FACTA was recently amended to further reduce the risk of the improper disposal of consumer information. The revised Act requires anyone who possesses consumer information for a business purpose to properly dispose of such information by taking measures to protect against unauthorized access to or use of the information during its disposal. Further, it allows for harsh penalties for those who do not comply. (more…)

Cartridge World, the World's largest printer cartridge refiller and remanufacturer, has announced that its customers will help avoid 1 million pounds of carbon emissions annually by reusing its printer cartridges instead of buying new. This is the equivalent of taking almost 100 passenger cars off the road for one year and recycling 150 tons of waste instead of depositing it in a landfill.

The study, performed by Brown & Wilmanns Environmental, LLC, estimates the transport-related carbon dioxide emissions of transporting original equipment manufacturer (OEM) cartridges from overseas production facilities to U.S. retailers versus refilling or remanufacturing those cartridges locally at a Cartridge World store.

“With the idea of carbon footprinting becoming a household term, we believe consumers and businesses want to know the impact products have on the environment to get from factory to retail,” said Cartridge World CEO, Burt Yarkin. “Not only do we extend the life of a useful printer cartridge, we do so with more local content than the OEM manufacturers which is more environmentally friendly.” (more…)

Cartridge World, the World's largest printer ink cartridge refilling and remanufacturing retailer, today announced it has partnered with the Go Green Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a culture of environmental responsibility, for its “Students & Teachers Unite” September promotion.

The “Students & Teachers Unite” promotion will give students, teachers and PTA members who present valid K-12 identifications a 20 percent discount on refilled or remanufactured printer cartridges, when they exchange an empty cartridge. Cartridge World also announced it is donating $10,000 to the Go Green Initiative, and will distribute its educational materials to schools around the nation. (more…)

Ted Schwarz, 45 years old, has been a Stanley Steemer franchisee for 22 years. Mr. Schwarz spoke with StartupJournal about his two stores in Eden Prairie and Rochester, Minn. which he runs with his mother, who is semi-retired.

SJ: How did you become involved with franchising?

Mr. Schwarz: My mother made the choice. She was recently divorced and we were living in Columbus, Ohio, where Stanley Steemer’s headquarters is located. She was at a franchising class and met someone from Stanley Steemer and became involved. My dad was already involved with McDonald’s restaurants as a franchisee.

My mother, brother and I moved to Minnesota and opened a Stanley Steemer together. My brother has since left the business.

SJ: How much was your initial investment?

Mr. Schwarz: A couple of hundred thousand dollars, which included training and buying the rights to exclusive market territory in 1985. We bought the rights to nine counties — there is no other Stanley Steemer franchise that we compete with. We renewed our rights this year for a small fee. Trucks and equipment are a separate cost.

SJ: What was your biggest difficulty when you first started out?

Mr. Schwarz: Getting good people to work. You have to hire and go through a fair amount of people until you find a good employee. You need a lot of good employees, not just a few. You also have to get rid of the people in the bottom who are holding you back. It’s easy to go into autopilot and keep them, but they can harm business — whether it’s teaching other employees bad habits or showing up late. You need people who want to help your company grow. I do less of this now but I have a manager who I train and I talk about techniques and ideas for hiring.

I have about 50 people working for me. My assistants rotate and I have about a 100% turnover rate each year among assistants. My office and crew staff last between three and seven years on average, but I’ve had some stay for over 10 years.

SJ: What is your typical day like?

Mr. Schwarz: I get in here usually around 7 or 8 a.m. I do a lot of paper pushing and sometimes I go out in the field. It’s getting less entrepreneurial and more managerial. I leave usually by 4 p.m.

SJ: Do you plan on expanding?

Mr. Schwarz: Within the next couple of years I’ll probably open another satellite office in Eden Prairie. In many ways Rochester is a satellite office. My employees park the trucks there and fill up on supplies there but the managerial functions are in the Twin Cities office and all the calls come here.

SJ: Do you do much advertising?

Mr. Schwarz: Yes, I contribute 2% every month to an advertising fund that buys national television ads. I also spend a lot of money on my own advertising, over $500,000 each year. This is an advertising-driven business — no advertising means no business.

I use a lot of yellow pages and direct-mail advertising but we are moving away from that and going into more television. I supplement what the advertising fund is doing with my own television ads. We also have online advertising with offers or coupons on our own Web site and Val Pac’s Web site since I use them every month.

SJ: Do you try any low-cost advertising?

Mr. Schwarz: Not much. I find it has low returns and it’s more hassle than it’s worth. I have tried advertising in newspapers and low-cost yellow pages but I dropped them. We track advertising money. When customers call we always ask where they saw us advertised and keep a list to see what works.

SJ: Is Stanley Steemer’s corporate headquarters helpful?

Mr. Schwarz: They provide a lot of help. I had an executive here a while back to visit and go out to dinner. The franchise system is also really helpful. We get together at conventions and talk on the phone about new ideas or problems. It’s like a free human-resources database.

SJ: What is the best part of being a franchisee with Stanley Steemer? The most difficult?

Mr. Schwarz: If you’re successful it’s the money. At the end of the day it is a profitable business. We had $3.7 million in sales last year.

It’s nice being your own boss but it can also be a burden. Being the boss is quite a responsibility that doesn’t ever go away. If you’re an employee you can go out the door at the end of the day and forget about work.

It’s also hard writing the 7% royalty check every month.

SJ: Do you ever feel like your creativity is stifled in a franchise?

Mr. Schwarz: Stanley Steemer understands that we are our own business people. They don’t cramp our style. They don’t come in and tell you how to run your business or force you to do things against your will.

SJ: Do you any kind of new technology to run your business?

Mr. Schwarz: Yes, and we are going more and more into that direction. We have a computerized dispatching system that organizes jobs and tracks them. I also use cell phones to communicate with workers. Before cell phones we used radios, but cell phones are much cheaper and more efficient. We are finishing the process of putting our payroll on the computer.

SJ: What advice do you have any advice for potential franchisees?

Mr. Schwarz: Expect to work hard and spend money. The people who succeed in Stanley Steemer are the people who would be successful in just about any field they enter. Also, try to get good workers as quickly as possible, most importantly a good manager.

Source: Wall Street Journal

We’re not talking kid stuff: the booming children’s market is serious business, and franchises are reaping the rewards.

The franchising industry is aging beautifully, but there’s one segment of it that stays forever young. Youthful, energetic, ever-growing and impulsive, the kids’ market definitely reflects its target population.

While kids hold the key to our future, they also control their parents’ purse strings. American families spend approximately $115.6 billion a year on their children for food, clothing, personal-care items, entertainment and reading materials, according to a 2006 report by Packaged Facts. This figure is expected to increase to $143 billion by 2010. Meanwhile, the buying power of kids themselves now tops $18 billion. Kids may be small in size, but spending by them, around them and for them represents a powerful market opportunity too big to be ignored.

Much of the reason the children’s market has taken off is the fact that the traditional single-income family is rapidly disappearing. “[There is] increased attention on children and the idea, especially in dual working households, of parents trying to juggle work time, quality time and family time,” says Paul Kurnit, founder of >KidShop, a marketing communications firm specializing in the youth market. (more…)

While many start-up franchise concepts do not have the initial support strength to offer area developer agreements, the Roni Deutch Tax Center does, quickly putting together an expansion plan that includes area development opportunities just a few short months after the initial launch of the concept.

Rather than following the standard area development structure where developers are responsible for not only selling units within their exclusive territory, but also supporting franchisees, a complaint among many, Deutch adapted her program to be more attractive to her entire system by bringing the support in house. By eliminating the support aspect to the area development agreements, not only do franchisees have a stronger built-in support system but developers can focus on what they want to do most – sell.

“This is an exciting and revolutionary approach to the traditional area developer program,” Deutch said, noting that investors are already interested in becoming area developers in the Southeast, Midwest, and West. “The Roni Deutch Tax Center area developer program places the majority of the support responsibilities on the franchisor instead of the developer. This frees the developer to concentrate on sales and the operations of their individual units.” (more…)

Aspiring entrepreneurs hear the same grim stats over and over again. The vast majority of new companies fail in the first year. In fact, the odds are so long, it’s said, that the best scenario new businesses can hope for is to break even in Year 3. There is, however, one significant exception: franchises. Ninety-three percent of franchisees not only survive the first year, they’re still in business 10 years later, according to the Canadian Franchise Association.

Franchising’s ace in the hole is that the business models are always based on best practices, accumulated over the years and from each of the franchisees. As such, there is no newby fumbling over the business plan, no wild gambling over new products, or inexperienced adventures in marketing. By definition, the cornerstones of the business are supposed to be a sure thing. The instructions are clear: read the manual and apply information, chapter and verse. Don’t deviate and you won’t go wrong.

Of course, people still go wrong. There are no sure things in business, and franchising is no exception, despite the rosy stats. Franchises can and do go bankrupt and franchisees can lose hundreds of thousand dollars in the process.

Mark Wardell was here to provide advice on franchising issues, and steps to take before you invest.

Mr. Wardell is the president of Wardell Professional Development Inc., a Vancouver-based consulting firm that helps small businesses develop growth-management strategies. He frequently works on behalf of franchises and clients seeking to pursue that route. In his online column this week, he outlines the example of Kin’s Farms Markets, a Vancouver-based retailer interesting in developing a franchise. (more…)

La Quinta, California-based Club Achilles announced it is now registered to franchise in most states. The luxury indoor golf performance center is accepting applications for exclusive market territories. Club Achilles offers cutting-edge simulator technology to provide weather-proof golf, year-around, day or night with all of the amenities of a world-class golf club.

“Club Achilles provides access to one of the country’s most popular outdoor sports with all the benefits of an indoor, climate-controlled environment and a country club setting,” said Dan Geraci, chairman & CEO. “This allows for a year-around playing season for those that are used to putting their clubs away 6 months out of the year.” (more…)

Take it from a person who never had any intention of owning a business — who was under the impression that to be a successful entrepreneur, she would have to work 100-hour weeks and be willing to risk every penny — a person who worked at a job she enjoyed and made a comfortable salary so when presented with the choice of a regular paycheck versus total uncertainty, the former sounded much more appealing than the latter. Then she learned the truth.

Many women share this mindset. Owning a business sounds intriguing to them, but they are hesitant because they believe it involves too much of a risk and that those who own their businesses don’t get the training and support found in the corporate world.

Source: BizJournals.com

Nestled between several rival high schools, just down the street from Cool Springs Galleria and the Factory of Franklin, under a 10 minute drive to antique shops, museum and mansions is the NEW Bar-B-Cutie franchise Restaurant.

Bar-B-Cutie® opened its doors today, on a Nashville, TN record-breaking 104° F day, a day when Bar-B-Cutie® will probably sell more BBQ Salads than BBQ Sandwiches. Yes, today something other than the weather is sizzling! Franklin residents have been eagerly awaiting Bar-B-Cutie®’s opening. “One of the finest BBQ restaurants we had closed over a year ago. There are so many schools, churches, and families out here who love to pick up those home cooked veggies and barbecue. I know we’ll all make good use of the new Bar-B-Cutie® right here in Franklin,” says Lynn Lunn, a Franklin resident. (more…)

Navis Pack & Ship, a packing and shipping franchise that specializes in fragile and valuable art and antiques, has its hands, trucks and warehouse full this week packing items auctioned by the Sisters of Providence and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. (more…)

City Wok, the Southern California based fresh casual Chinese restaurant chain recently signed a multi-unit franchising agreement with local entrepreneur Greg Gala bringing the restaurants to North Carolina. Mr. Gala will open City Wok restaurants in parts of Charlotte and also in the southwest portion of the Raleigh metro. He expects to open his first restaurant in early 2008.

“The Chinese food segment is very hot right now and City Wok is the best I’ve ever had. The format is 50% carry out and 50% dine in and they enjoy tremendous volumes in relatively small spaces,” says Gala. “City Wok is incredibly popular on the west coast and we are confident that North Carolina residents are going to love this concept.” (more…)

More than 100 MaidPro team members from around the United States met in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to celebrate success, share knowledge and soak up the sun during the 2007 MaidPro Convention, held August 17-19.

Owners and managers from 48 MaidPro franchise offices joined representatives from the home office for three days of workshops, roundtable discussions and presentations. The franchisor also introduced its newly elected Franchise Advisory Board. (more…)

Customers at a Jamba Juice in San Jose may have been exposed to Hepatitis A this month, health officials said today.

A food handler at the smoothie franchise’s store at 1140 Lincoln Ave. tested positive for the disease and was infectious for 12 days this month while working, officials said. The employee worked Aug. 1-3, 6-9 and 11-16.

People who have been vaccinated for hepatitis A or have had the illness in the past are not at risk of infection. (more…)

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts today announced that it is realigning its Franchise and Company Stores Operations. The changes will primarily affect the Krispy Kreme Support Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. As part of the changes, Jeff Welch and Steve Lineberger, current members of the Company’s Executive Team, will take on expanded responsibilities in the Franchise and Company Stores business segments. (more…)

Sandella’s Flatbread, the largest and fastest growing flatbread concept in the world recently closed a multi-unit franchising deal with Nick and Mark Horton bringing ten new restaurants to Virginia. The father, son duo expect to open their first restaurant by early next year and are currently looking for real estate in Ashburn, Herndon, Sterling, Leesburg and Reston. (more…)

Exit Realty, a fast-growing real estate franchise with an unusual commission structure, has crossed the ocean to Hawaii.

Howard and Doredda Richmond, formerly of Palm Beach, Fla., decided to open up Exit’s first regional franchise office in Hawaii after they fell in love with the islands during their wedding here 18 months ago. (more…)