September veterans in franchising usa 3#11

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september 2015

Veterans in Franchising www.franchisingusamagazine.com

franchising for transitioning warriors program

the patch boys

fills a gap organizing

for success

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V eterans in F ranchisin g S upplement september 2 0 1 5 Our Veterans in Franchising special supplement has become a regular feature of Franchising USA. To share your story in the next issue, please contact Vikki Bradbury, Publisher Phone: 778 426 2446 Email: vikki@cgbpublishing.com

Contents Cover Story

News & Expert Advice

32 The Patch Boys

36 Organizing for Success Darcella Craven, Veterans Business Resource Center

Profiles 34 The Grounds Guys 40 Huntington Learning Center 44 Boulder Designs

42 Franchising for Transitioning

Warriors Program Jim Mingey, Veterans Business Services

46 New Funding Program Expands Access

to Franchise Ownership George Knauf, FranChoice

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C over S tor y - t h e patch boys -

B y D i a n a Ci ke s, Fra n c h is i n g USA

Filling a Gap in the Construction Industry Where most businesses strive to fill gaps in the market, one innovative niche construction business leveraged the opportunity to fill some pretty big holes.

Started in 2008, The Patch Boys found

its footing in the midst of the economic

recession when most trade businesses were closing their doors. How? By carving out its own unique market niche and starting

where others in the trades industry usually leave off: patching up holes in drywall left over from home renovations, repairs or installations.

“Let’s say you call a plumber to fix a leak

in your pipes,” explained founder and CEO Leo Goldberger. “Once he’s done fixing

the pipes he leaves you with the bill, and a big hole in the wall. And who do you

call to fix it? Big construction companies don’t want to waste time going out for

small patch jobs, and small companies or

independent contractors charge an arm and a leg. So what do you do? You call us.”

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The Patch Boys Concept Goldberger discussed the sense of competition that exists amongst skilled trade professionals and general contractors, who can generally handle both skilled trade work and construction. But the Patch Boys took a unique approach and positioned the business as a partner rather than a competitor by focusing on a single service: repairing damaged drywall. This eliminated any competition and allowed the business to capture its initial customer base through referrals from others in the trades industry.

“We come in after they finish their work and patch up the holes,” said Goldberger.

“That’s all we do, and because that’s our specialization, we do it really well and have a system to do it quickly and efficiently…We’re in and out in 3-4 hours, and in that time we fix it, patch it, paint it and complete it. We’ll also clean up afterwards by vacuuming or wiping up the dust and mess.”

The Patch Boys has since widened its market to include a wide variety of drywall repair jobs, from damage cause by mold, water damage or situations like children playing baseball in the home, to every day wear and tear from furniture rubbing up against the wall. With so many

scenarios that cause drywall damage, The Patch Boys are kept busy and the service is in demand.

The Franchising Model The Patch Boys just recently started franchising its business model in April but already has 5 franchisees successfully in operation, with several more prospects positioned to jump on board over the next few months.

Current territories include multiple counties in NY, NJ, MA and NH. The Patch Boys is proud of its territory development strategy, said Goldberger, which allows unlimited growth to its franchise owners. He added that the territory sizes are large and well protected, with opportunities for multiple franchises in each state due to the various counties and sections.

Supporting Veterans The Patch Boys’ franchising program also offers a special discount for veterans, with Goldberger having had several family members serve in the armed forces.

“I have a weakness for veterans…I appreciate what they do for this country and the sacrifices that they make. So that’s the way that I can give back to them.”

Hands-On Training and Support With a comprehensive franchisee training and support program in place, franchisees are not required to have a background in construction, which also makes it a viable option for veterans looking to start their own business.

“This is the great thing about our franchisee profile,” said Goldberger.

“Anybody and everybody can do this because we train our new franchisees from top to bottom. Even if you don’t know how to spell the word ‘construction’, by the time you finish our week long training program, you’ll be ready to handle everything.”

Support is also provided through a comprehensive CRM system, also equipped with a communication system that allows franchisees to stay in touch so they can share information or ask each other for advice or support. Head office is also available for any type of support and follows up with each franchisee twice a year to ensure everything is running smoothly and to see if the franchisee requires any additional training or assistance.

“We’re very hands on,” suggested Goldberger.

The Patch Boys Difference In addition to a unique business concept and strong support, The Patch Boys offers several other key advantages for franchisees: 1. Low investment and low overhead - The Patch Boys is set up to have extremely low start-up and overhead costs, with overhead costs that work out to less than 5% and, according to Goldberger, costs mere “pennies per month.”

2. High profit margins - “Our profit margins are unreal,” claimed Goldberger. He went on to explain that franchisees can expect to secure a customer base with in 4-6 weeks of setting up their business and are positioned to hit the profit margin within months of opening.

3. Year-round demand - Unlike seasonal businesses – like HVAC in the summer

“We’re in and out in 3-4 hours, and in that time we fix it, patch it, paint it and complete it. We’ll also clean up afterwards by vacuuming or wiping up the dust and mess.” – Leo Goldberger, Founder and CEO months or heating services in the winter – business for The Patch Boys is not seasonally dependant since there is always a need for drywall repair. “Our business is also almost economy and recession proof,” said Goldberger. “Because no matter what, people will always have the money and the responsibility to fix a hole in their dining room.”

4. Marketing support and lead generating strategies - The Patch Boys helps its franchisees attract new business with effective marketing and advertising strategies that have proven to be highly effective. From branded Smart Cars with wrap-around advertising, to lead generating concepts like following up with multiple skilled trades and industry professionals or visiting online industry chat rooms and searching for keywords that indicate the need for drywall repairs – such as

“holes in wall” or “little holes” – The Patch Boys is always on the look-out for creative ways to help its franchisees generate new business.

Opportunity Continues to Call Just when they think they’ve seen it all, a new opportunity for business will come along for The Patch Boys crew. They now have a regular customer who calls them every few weeks to repair the damage left behind from big parties he throws in his home every month. Goldberger said the office now expects his calls every month and they look forward to hearing the interesting stories about the most recent party and the damage left behind.

“We are constantly amazed at the different kinds of scenarios we come across where our services are needed. So the business opportunities really are endless.”

For more information, please visit: www.thepatchboys.com/franchising-02

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T he G rounds Gu ys

Jeff Baker

Profile

From the Front Lines

to Front Yards

There’s nothing quite like the great outdoors.

That’s how Jeff Baker, of El Dorado, Kansas describes his career path.

It started shortly after high school, when he joined the U.S. Air Force.

“I always had a patriotic mentality,” Baker explains. “I just wanted to have a chance

to see what the military was like.” And he sums up the experience in one important word that has followed him to this day: Discipline.

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To Serve and Protect Baker was stationed in Rapid City, S.D. at Ellsworth Air Force Base. Then he served two tours of duty in the Middle East – one in Saudi Arabia and one in Kuwait. He was with security forces, which was like the military police, where his duties involved keeping the air bases secure.

“In the military, the people you rely on are the people that you’re with. Franchising is kind of the same thing.” – Jeff Baker.

“It was hot,” Baker said of his time overseas. “A culture shock. I was with a bunch of people I didn’t know very well.

But you really learn to bond with the people you’re with in the service.”

Those bonds and the skilled training he received followed him as he advanced.

And after four years in the Air Force, he moved into law enforcement as a policeman with the El Dorado Police Department in Kansas. That’s where he rose to the rank of patrol sergeant, again spending time out in the community he worked to protect.

Neighborly Duties When Baker wasn’t on duty, he ran a parttime business mowing lawns. That’s how much he loved being outside. It turned into a nice side business too.

“I had anywhere from 15-25 yards,” Baker says. “And I would have other officers help me on their days off.” But he knew there was more business just waiting for him if he ever wanted to make the time.

That’s when Baker started thinking about a lawn care franchise. After 12 years on the police force, part of him was ready to run his own full-time business… if it came with the right marching orders.

“I’m definitely a person who believes in structure and having systems in place to deliver certain things,” Baker said. He learned that in the military and on the police force. Now he wanted to find that for his own business.

It’s all about following orders, he explained. “In this case, a certain service.”

Ground Operations That’s when Baker found The Grounds Guys, one of the fastest-growing grounds care and lawn maintenance franchisors

“There’s no cutting corners. There’s no deciding to do something half as good as you should.

Just give a good performance, and you will be rewarded.” – Jeff Baker. in North America. He liked that their Code of Care for taking care of customers paralleled the structure he enjoyed in both law enforcement and the military. Baker was also very impressed by the systems and structure that the business had in place, not to mention fellow franchise owners he could consider his peers. In that way, it was a lot like the military.

“In the military, the people you rely on are the people that you’re with,” Baker said.

“Franchising is kind of the same thing.

Because you can befriend people in your industry, even your competitors. But when you are a part of a franchise, you can call on people with the very same brand, and those people are going to give you solid advice. They are not really competing against you. You are all advancing together.”

Since opening The Grounds Guys of East Wichita in October of 2013, Baker has been advancing nicely. He doesn’t just mow lawns anymore. Today, his business provides irrigation services, sod installation, snow removal, full landscaping and more.

“Once I got up and going, it confirmed my decision that The Grounds Guys was the right business for me,” Baker said. “It’s not just a business. It’s a lifestyle.”

And the results have been amazing. Like his years in the military and on the police force, Baker has learned to prioritize duties at The Grounds Guys.

“There’s no cutting corners,” he said.

“There’s no deciding to do something half as good as you should. Just give a good performance, and you will be rewarded.” www.groundsguys.com/east-wichita

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Darcella K. Craven, Executive Director, Veterans Business Resource Center

Organizing for Success In the beginning, you have an idea for the perfect business. You dream about it turning into a multi-million dollar agency where you are being featured on the cover of magazines, the keynote at conferences or just being able to send your kids off to college.

In preparation you get the business plan together, set up the cool home office and start networking. You are on the road to entrepreneurship. You get great advice from successful small business owners like “Don’t forget to work “on” your business and not just “in” it.” And they are correct, you cannot forget to move out of the implementation phase of small business and work on the strategy.

Unfortunately, too many business owners get caught up in the dream and the hype and jump straight into the “on” your business without ensuring that all of the “in” it stuff is in place. You must deal with the minutia up front so that when your big opportunity comes (and it will) you are prepared. This is the “in” your

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business part of small business. Let’s get into how to ensure you are setting things up properly which will lead you to success and not failure.

One area that many new entrepreneurs forget to address is organizing their filing system.

Your memory is great right now with one or two client files, however, you will probably not be able to remember everything for 50 clients.

Imagine tomorrow that 50 new clients knock on your door and want your products or service. Great, but how will you keep their orders organized? You need an efficient filing system in place before the rush. Follow these simple steps for quick results:

1

Begin by deciding where your files are going to live in your office Yes, I said live. Files are living, breathing entities that will need care and attending.

Even if they are archival or permanent

files, you will need to know what is in there just in case you need to find that information. As well as how to keep them and when you can shred.

As your clients and vendors expand so will your filing system, so be sure to give yourself enough room to grow. If you do not have file drawers, start with file containers. Just be sure to label the outside of the box to avoid opening up several of them before you get to the one you need.

Keep your business files separate from your personal files. Put all personal papers in a separate drawer, file container or another room. This will also help you keep fit but that is another column.

2

Determine the categories you will need to create

Category suggestions include Clients & Vendors, Accounts Payable & Receivable, Internal Forms and Company “Must Have” paperwork just to name a few. Make as many as you need and add more when you need. Remember, living.

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Darcella K. Craven, Executive Director, Veterans Business Resource Center

“Preparing your filing system may not be the most fun and exciting part of a business plan.

However setting them up properly at the beginning will help you run a more efficient operation when business is really booming.”

HINT: Use color coded hanging files to find categories faster! Save RED files for the most important papers as it indicates “URGENT”. Use other colors based on your preferences and what will trigger your memory as to what the file folder contains.

Example: Here we have client Shepherd Maximus, who is also affiliated with Purple Shoe Inc. as we can tell in the cross reference short code (xref). We know his client number in case there is an electronic database to reference. There are notes for sales people that he orders every six months. His bill is due within 60 days, not later than 90 or he receives a 10% penalty. He became a client on January 15, 2002.

Once you have all of these the way you like. Write what is filed in the drawer or box on a sheet of paper and keep it in the front of the drawer. This quick reference sheet will help you and your employees get to know your system and have less wasted time on trying to guess where you may have put an important document.

You can do this same thing electronically on many different devices out there.

Research to find the one that works best for you. Whether it is virtual or physical the categories can look the same.

3

Decide what the order you want the files to be in

Will your files be in chronological order or in alphabetical order?

Which way you use will be determined by your business needs. A concierge business may choose an alphabetical order verses a manufacturing company with orders placed in chronological order. The order is yours to determine, just be sure to write it on your front sheet so you do not forget.

4

Start filing

Make a pile of all of the papers in your office, sit in a comfortable place and start sorting. This can be the most tedious part of the process so make it fun. Put on music that makes you feel successful or of an artist that inspires you, download an audio business book, or listen to a podcast about new concepts in your industry or marketing strategy. This is a great way to work ON your business and IN your business at the same time.

While sorting, work in 15 minute increments. You can do anything for 15 minutes! Then take a break and set your sights on the next 15 minutes. During that 15 minutes, do not let anything distract you – INCLUDING the phone, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter…..

Make quick decisions. If you can’t name

Maximus, Shepherd (Client #12345)

xref: Purple Shoe Inc. Date created:1/15/02

Notes: Order every 6 months

due 60 days; NLT 90 or 10% penalty

Darcella K. Craven

it – it doesn’t have a home. Drop it to the side and come back later.

Set a realistic goal. If you have been working on your business for months, give yourself a couple of weeks to complete this project, but remember you must schedule at least one day a week to Organize for Success!

Preparing your filing system may not be the most fun and exciting part of a business plan. However setting them up properly at the beginning will help you run a more efficient operation when business is really booming.

Darcella K Craven has over 20 years of experience in corporate, government, non-profit and military organizations.

She is currently the Executive Director of the Veterans Business Resource Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting Honorably Discharged Veterans, National Guard and Reservist and Active Duty personnel and their families with transitioning back into civilian life with starting and expanding businesses.

An Army Veteran, she holds a Masters of Arts in Management from Webster University and is currently pursuing her Doctors of Management focusing on impact of military experience on small business decision making. Darcella has been featured in numerous articles for her transition from the military and the welfare system to an accomplished business woman and is actively involved in many civic organizations.

For more information: www.vetbiz.com

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V e t er ans in Fr anchising

H unting ton Lea r ning C enter

Hear from Shawn Livingston

US Army Veteran & Huntington Learning Center multi-unit owner

Shawn Livingston

Profile

How would you describe Huntington Learning Center as a business?

As a business, if you follow the Huntington system and put in the time, your center will be highly profitable. The greatest satisfaction to me as a franchise owner is knowing that my destiny is in my hands—Huntington provides you with the support and tools you need, and the execution and the financial gains are controlled by you. Additionally, there’s a substantial community component—it’s very rewarding to know that you’re helping someone. And, once you get into it, within a few months you start seeing the impact that you’re having.

Do you think Huntington is a good fit for fellow veterans?

In my career serving in the US Army I have found my fellow Service Members to be very good at implementing proven systems, and that’s what you get at Huntington, a proven system. There’s also a sort of self-selecting that happens in the military—many military members are called to serve and there’s a strong element of providing for your community associated with running a Huntington franchise. I highly recommend Huntington to Veterans who want to own their own business.

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Did you think about going into other industries or choosing any of Huntington’s competitors and, if so, why did you choose Huntington?

“When you put the time in and follow the system, you’ll get great results. It works for the students we teach and it works running the business.”

When I was deciding what to do after the Army, I was looking at several industries.

What brought me into education and eventually Huntington, was that I was looking for more of a professional business that had a substantial community element.

As I considered other tutoring companies I evaluated several competitors and when I did my research on how they operate and the programs involved, I felt like Huntington was the premier service and offered the greatest potential as a business.

Any parting thoughts for those considering investing in Huntington?

The business is like the program for students. When you put the time in and follow the system, you’ll get great results.

It works for the students we teach and it works running the business. Being devoted to running your business will make you successful. Tutoring isn’t going to go anywhere as a business—parents are always going to be focused on their kids, and it’s rewarding to control my own success.

Shawn Livingston owns two Huntington Learning Centers in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Huntington Learning Center is the #1 revenue producing tutoring franchise. Our franchise owners earn 61% more revenue as compared to our closest competitor.

Huntington was founded in 1977, began franchising in 1985 and has grown to be one of the most established and well-respected brands in education.

Today, Huntington operates nearly 300 centers in 38 states from coast to coast and is recognized as a pioneer and leader in the tutoring industry, providing quality instruction to tens of thousands of students through our national network of franchised and company-owned tutoring centers. To honor the service and courage of our military, Huntington offers a 50% reduction in the initial franchise fee for Active Duty and US Military Veterans. This is a reduction from $22,000 to $11,000.

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Jim Mingey, Founder Founder& &Managing ManagingDirector, Director,VBS’ VBS

Franchising

for Transitioning Warriors Program A collaborative success story for the franchise industry

VetToCEO, in collaboration with Veterans Business Services (VBS), and four franchising organizations, and two resource providers, were able to offer and deliver an insightful and informative online interactive franchising course for transitioning Veterans.

Through initial marketing efforts of the course, Veteran enrollment was at 120 Veterans by the start of the course on

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June 23rd. One of the impressive features of the program included the ability of all the Veterans and the presenters to interact through an online social forum which included what VetToCEO calls the “Warrior Website”. Participants can revisit any presentations made throughout the course and revisit any course work required for the program through the website and interact with the facilitators of the course for additional support.

VBS reached out to the franchise industry to get sponsors for the free online course, “Franchising for Transitioning Warriors Program” and received an incredible response to fulfill all seven course sessions with experienced franchise industry professionals.

The course kicked off with both VetToCEO instructors John Panaccione

and Michael Horn, who are both Veterans and experienced entrepreneurs, leading the programs. Although they had offered the VetToCEO entrepreneurial course many times in the past, this course was geared specifically to franchising and the unique aspects of the franchise industry which required significant planning and efforts to update the materials and coordination to find the right presenters and materials for each session.

The first session focused on Marketing Research which was supported by presenter Michelle Bearden, Vice President of Franchise Operations at Link Staffing. The second session focusing on marketing planning and was supported

by Rachelle Piranio from UPS Stores.

The third session focusing on mission was supported by Jon Rucker, Military Program Manager at Snap-On Tools

Franchise. The fourth session focusing on business execution and legal issues was supported by Kenneth Kaplan, CEO of the Kaplan Franchise Group. The fifth session which focused on logistics and finance was supported by three representatives from Two Men and a Truck, including Jeff Wesley CFO, Joey Hale franchisee for the past 16 years, and David Richardson Accountant and franchisee. The sixth session focusing on finance strategies was supported by James Drayton from Corporate Capital Funding. The last session focusing on organizational and networking tools was supported by Jim Mingey from Veterans Business Services.

The course was received very well by the military participants and throughout each two hour session, Veterans were able to ask franchise industry experts specific questions about their business models, learn about how the franchise industry functions, learn how to finance a franchise opportunity and why franchising is a great option for Veteran entrepreneurs.

Participants were able to discuss their business interests and differentiate why franchising can be a better option than starting their own independent small business.

The VetToCEO sponsors also benefited very much through their interaction with the Veteran participants.

“The VettoCEO Program gave amazing insight and practical, need-to-know information. In our world of “information overload”, I found the VettoCEO curriculum easy to understand and vector.

Incredible staff knowledge and instructor professionalism. Thank you for offering this course to our nation’s heroes… For any veteran interested in the wonderful world of franchise ownership, this course is a MUST-DO!” - Jon Rucker, Military Program Manager, Snap-On Tools Franchise.

“We were honored to participate in the Vet to CEO Program recently as subject

“Overall, the Franchising for Transitioning Warriors Program was a great success for both the Veteran participants and the franchise sponsors.” matter experts in the financial field of business ownership. It’s rewarding to work with veterans, expand their business knowledge, and be able to highlight the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® system opportunities to such a proven group of leaders. The Vet to CEO program format is truly invaluable for training veterans who aspire to become business owners.”

- Noelle Burak, Franchise Development Manager, Two Men and a Truck International.

“At Link Staffing, we are passionate about supporting our veterans and believe a proven franchise model aligns strategically with the training and experience they receive serving in our military. We are grateful to VBS for providing a forum to present Link Staffing because we do not find a lot of opportunities to engage with our veterans in educating them on franchising and franchise opportunities. I am always honored to participate in programs like VetToCEO, to share my knowledge on franchising and Link, and to be a future resource for our Veterans.”

- Michelle Bearden, Vice President of Franchise Operations, Link Staffing.

Overall, the Franchising for Transitioning Warriors Program was a great success for both the Veteran participants and the franchise sponsors and VBS hopes to continue supporting the VetToCEO entrepreneurial courses in the future.

To learn more about the available courses go to www.vettoceo.org and to learn more about franchise opportunities and business resources visit www.veteransbusinessservices.us

VBS’ Founder and Managing Director, Jim Mingey, is a decorated Vietnam veteran raised from a proud military background. An entrepreneur for more than 35 years, Jim can relate on a personal level to the needs of the veteran small businessperson, and possesses the practical knowledge to implement his experience in today’s market. Jim participated in the EBV Program at Purdue University, is a mentor at American Corporate Partners, developed the first approved franchise training program for the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) Program at Veterans Administration, and was instrumental in forming the first equity fund in the United States exclusively for veteran owned small businesses and franchises: The Veterans Opportunity Fund. Jim intends to keep on ‘advocating’ for veterans in franchising.

For more information: E: jmingey@VeteransBusinessServices.us P: 202.349.0860 W: www.VeteransBusinessServices.us

James Mingey

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B oulder Desig ns

Unique Signage

Company Offers Franchisees

Rock Solid Opportunity for Success One company’s take on business signage offers the right franchisee candidates a relatively competition-free and easy-to-run business that also allows them to transition into ownership at their own pace.

proprietary admixtures.”

The man-made boulders are completely solid and are not just designed to look like boulders, but are actually 100 percent solid and are meant to last as long as a natural boulder would.

Company logos, photos, memorials, fire pits and more can all be made by the company, but the boulders are mainly used for company signage, Mogavero said.

Boulder Designs, headquartered in Waco, TX, does in just a few weeks what Mother Nature takes thousands of years to do.

Although Mogavero just purchased the company a few months ago, it’s actually been around officially since 2008 and — together with its sister company Border Magic — currently has around 95 franchise units.

“We actually build boulders — rocks, if you will — from the ground up,” brand new company owner Butch Mogavero said during a recent interview from the company’s Texas headquarters. “We build them out of common aggregates and

Although Mogavero’s landscaping and curbing business was doing well, the

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Prior to owning Boulder Designs, Mogavero had a curbing and landscaping business, as did the original owner of Boulder Designs, Eldean Bergman.

entrepreneur said, he recognized that Bergman’s business — Border Magic — had superior products and he decided he wanted to acquire it.

When he first inquired about acquiring Border Magic in 2010, that company had just introduced the Boulder Designs concept. Mogavero finally made his move in 2015 to acquire the company and it seems that the boulder building arm of the company has turned out to have the highest potential for success because it has the least amount of competition.

“There’s very little competition, if any, because nobody else builds them like this,” the business owner said.

Although the business is now Mogavero’s, Bergman is still with the company on the production side and is still making boulders for the company’s original corporate store in Rantoul, IL, Boulder Designs and Border Magic National Franchise Representative Les Sander said during an interview from Rantoul.

Bergman started Border Magic around 1987, Sander said and originally expanded the company via dealerships, but switched to a franchising model in 2003. Bergman introduced the Boulder Designs model in 2002, Sander said, to give his Border Magic franchisees something to do during the winter months and quickly realized it would stand alone as its own franchise.

Boulder Designs officially became its own franchise brand in 2008.

Boulder Designs took off in popularity, Sander said, because of the uniqueness of their signage and the fact that amidst all the wooden and plastic signage out there, the natural looking boulders really stand out.

“The natural look of a boulder is aesthetically pleasing and we’re finding it is much more welcomed in towns and municipalities that are doing beautification,” Sander said.

People persons need apply Franchisees who are interested in Boulder Designs should like working with people, Sander said. They don’t need past experience in any certain area, as the franchise has developed a system that allows anyone to do it.

Although it’s not necessary for the franchisees to work outside, someone who does enjoy being outside would do well.

It’s a good fit for people who don’t want to work in an office anymore, the national franchise representative said, as it gives them ample opportunity to do hands-on work.

Aside from the obvious uniqueness of the product, Boulder Designs also offers a unique way to get into business ownership.

“There’s very little competition, if any, because nobody else builds them like this,” the business owner said.

Designs, meaning it can be just an owner-operator outfit without having to worry about hiring employees until the franchisee is ready to expand their business.

This, along with the franchising system Boulder Designs has set up that virtually allows anyone to be able to run one, makes it ideal for veterans looking to get into business ownership.

“I think a lot of veterans like systems,” Sander said.

Many veterans, when looking into business ownership, can be leery of jumping in right away, he pointed out, and Boulder Designs’ ability to allow them to transition into business ownership slowly is appealing.

“We have a much more easy transition than most franchises,” he added.

While many other franchises will require a leap of faith into full business ownership, franchisees can transition into business ownership at their own pace with Boulder Designs.

Training

It’s not uncommon for franchisees to only do their Boulder Designs work on a part-time basis as they get their feet under them, Sander said. They can keep their regular job while they get their business going and grow the franchise at their own pace.

After that, franchisees go home and set up their shops. Boulder Designs supports them with that and will go to their location if necessary.

One person can effectively run a Boulder

Training is at the company’s corporate headquarters and consists of four days of hands on training about how to make the product, plus sales and marketing training.

“Most guys find they are able to get going right away with the tools we give them during that initial four-day training,” Sander said.

Currently, Boulder Designs is concentrated east of the Mississippi River, in the Ohio Valley and throughout Pennsylvania, although it does have franchises in New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, along the east coast, and in New England.

It still has locations available right across the continental 48 states with the only place where they’ve reached the saturation point being the greater Indianapolis area.

There are still some territories available in northeast Indiana and Michigan.

Competition-free If there is any competition for Boulder Designs, it would be companies that make monuments and headstones working with marble and granite. If they are working with rocks, these companies will typically sandblast something into an existing rock.

The problem with that, Sander said, is that a customer has to first find a rock and then make sure it’s big enough to hold what they want it to say.

That’s not the case with Boulder Designs.

“We take what you want on your rock and we design the rock around it,” he noted.

This also helps Boulder Designs to accommodate their customers’ budgets better.

For veterans and other franchisees looking for a solid franchising opportunity, Boulder Designs delivers. www.boulderdesigns.net/franchisee

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V e t er ans in Fr anchising

George Knauf, Senior Franchise Business Advisor, FranChoice

New Fu Pro Expa Acce Fran Owne When we see big opportunities for our candidates to pursue their dreams it is usually a new franchise brand, product or service that has appeared.

In the past weeks a very different game changing benefit has appeared, a funding solution that could open up franchise ownership to a group of candidates that could not find the funding to pursue their dreams before.

Franchise buyers can now borrow up to $150,000 with a signed franchise agreement from an approved franchise brand and with very approachable qualification criteria.

Here is your part of the equation: • $10,000 available to invest in a franchise

Franchising USA

• Credit score of 680+ • The ability to cover your household expenses and this loan payment for 9 months, could qualify with a working spouse as well.

That may have just doubled the number of potential new franchise owners!

A few months ago if a candidate called in with that position we would have had to regretfully tell them that they would have few, if any, options to consider. In fact, we are currently sorting through our databases trying to track down all of those past candidates that we could not do much for and walking them through this program. The response so far has been great, our phones are ringing off the hook.

The franchisor has to qualify in their own way just so their franchisees can apply for this loan. The franchisor first has to be listed on the SBA registry, an industry resource that tells lenders if a brands documents, most specifically their

“With an approved loan, fund a week. So, not only have th they have made it easy money to p franchise agreement, have been reviewed by the SBA. The second step a franchisor has to take is to apply with the specific lender to be part of the program, this may entail a closer look at the brand and how it operates. The reason these steps are being taken is that the lender is taking a low down payment and will find most of their security in what they feel to be your ability to make future loan payments, though they are not attesting you your likelihood for success or that you will achieve any particular numbers.

There is a small but fast growing list of franchise firms that are applying for this program. At this point it would make more sense to pick a high quality

unding ogram pands ess to nchise ership

ding can come in as fast as hey made it easy to qualify, y to apply and they get you pursue your dreams FAST.� opportunity and then see if they have applied and qualified for the program than to try to keep up with the fast changing list.

With these criteria met my both you and the franchisor the lending process is quite simple. A quick application with the lender, should only take you a little time to put that together. Once the lender has received the application they do a review and approval can be as quick as one business day.

With an approved loan, funding can come in as fast as a week. So, not only have they made it easy to qualify, they have made it easy to apply and they get you money to pursue your dreams FAST. How do you start moving forward with

this and pursuing your dreams?

The key, as always, is finding the right franchise for you. Your perfect match should be a quality company where your skills, drive and desire can leverage their proven model.

To get approved and funded you have to sign a franchise agreement from an approved franchise company so your process likely begins with the franchise investigation to select a company you feel comfortable moving forward with.

There is no obligation to look at a franchise company but signing a franchise agreement would make you a franchisee so let’s make sure you pick the best options in front of you. If you need assistance in this step feel free to contact me.

We would guide our candidates go through a full search and investigation beginning with building a model of their skills, strengths, desired work role and lifestyle goals. Then we look at the companies that match the combination of their model and the financial parameters of the lending program.

To begin the application process for the loan you will need to be well into a targeted franchise investigation. We would brief the lender on why you are considering the franchises you are investigating and on where your skills matched the business. Having expert guidance in this lending process could work to your advantage in getting approved.

Since you would be targeting franchises below $150,000 in total investment you would most likely be looking at proven brands in a range of service categories. To keep costs down it would be unlikely that you would be looking at restaurants or similar businesses with a big commercial location or a lot of equipment, inventory or staff. In general service businesses offer: low start-up cost, high margin and faster ramp up speeds.

In selecting a franchise that fits both you and this lending program you would not need to exclude businesses with a commercial location, but you would simply need to choose wisely when it comes to startup costs.

George Knauf

Both full time and semi-absentee businesses may be possible targets in this franchise search. The big benefit of any semi-absentee franchise model that applies is that you would have the added income to show as a method to cover living expenses and loan payments.

Candidates in our free franchise consulting program will be using all of our resources to maximize their franchise search and use this new loan program.

We will be encouraging top franchisors to apply for the program when we see they are not yet involved. Our goal is to get great candidates lined up with top franchisors and make sure the resources they need to pursue their goals are available to them.

If you have been sitting on the sidelines thinking you could not afford to pursue your dreams then it may be time to get in the game and look at your options.

Lending programs are not around forever, you may want to aggressively pursue this option while it is available.

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

For more information visit www.FranGuide.com

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