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Veterans in Franchising april 2018
www.franchisingusamagazine.com
s.t.o.p.
franchise giveaway
7 questions
to ask your employees every quarter
franchise Fee Discount for Veterans Franchising USA
SAME DRIVE. DIFFERENT BATTLEFIELD. TAKE THE NEXT STEP > VETFRAN.COM OFFERING FINANCIAL SUPPORT, TRAINING & MENTORSHIP Veterans interested in franchising can take their skills learned in the military to successfully own and develop small businesses. Learn more and support veterans in franchising at www.vetfran.com.
• 650 franchise companies participating • 151,000 veterans and their spouses found careers in the franchise industry • 5,100 veteran franchise owners
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V e t e r a n s i n F r a n c h i s i n g S u ppl e m e n t april 2018 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 On the Cover
Veteran Profiles
48 STOP: Franchise Giveaway
52 DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen
50 7 Questions to Ask Your Employees Every Quarter
54 United Franchise Group
54 Franchise Fee Discount for Veterans
Expert Advice 50 7 Questions to Ask Your Employees Every Quarter Chris Hallberg, Author of The Business Sergeant’s Field Manual
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cover story: Service Team of Professionals
FREE FRANCHISE GIVEAWAY AnnounceD BY SERVICE TEAM OF PROFESSIONALS
Service Team of Professionals (STOP), provides premier water, smoke, fire, mold and bio/environmental damage restoration services to residential and commercial clients across the country. The STOP brand has been built on a foundation of customer service and technical expertise with our experience reaching back four decades in the cleaning and restoration industry.
Veteran Support Normally, STOP shows its commitment to veteran business ownership by offering a discount of $4800 on the initial franchise fee. As part of our ongoing efforts to
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honor veterans, STOP has announced its VETERAN FRANCHISE GIVEAWAY. STOP will grant a 100% discount on the initial franchise fee (normally $48,000). The men and women with military service often exemplify the very core values that STOP looks for in prospective franchisees. STOP is proud to currently have 5 veteranowned franchises. The franchise giveaway will go to one qualified U.S. military veteran. The contest is open to all retired (or soon-toretire) service members and honorably discharged veterans from any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Starting April 15, 2018 with an entry deadline of June 15, 2018, STOP is inviting prospective franchisees to register on our website. Veterans must visit www. stoprestorationfranchising.com/become an owner/ and submit a completed ‘Request for Consideration.’ In the comments section of the form, please reference “veterans’ giveaway.” Applicants will
“The contest is open to all retired (or soon-to-retire) service members and honorably discharged veterans from any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.” receive an email with contest rules and the required steps to complete their entry. *Additional capital will be required to start your franchise location.
STOP Teamwork We rely on our STOP franchise owners to deliver consistently exceptional results and customer service. In return, we offer unmatched support, a proven business model in a recession-resistant industry and the opportunity to own and build a business that helps residential and commercial property owners in each community we serve. If this sounds like
“We are looking for those that are confident, competitive, team builders, want to help others, managementminded and willing to learn new things.”
your kind of culture, we can train and guide you – and no prior restoration or construction experience is needed to excel with STOP.
History of STOP STOP began as a business consulting firm that served the restoration industry from 1971-2008 and began seeking start-up franchisees in 2008. STOP grants large territories and currently has 34 franchised units nationwide. STOP provides its franchisees with the tools they need to succeed, including extensive training and support, and three conventions each year. With decades of success stories, it is safe to call STOP a proven business model that’s scalable to suit one’s lifestyle. STOP’s trained and incredibly supported franchisees understand how stressful water, smoke, fire, mold and biohazard damage can be. Experience and training make the restoration process as easy as possible. The word “team” is in our name and is the foundation of STOP’s culture. Since inception, STOP has earned respect for our technical capabilities, uniform branding, and of course, our dedicated franchisees to create one of North America’s top property damage restoration franchises. To date, they’ve helped an estimated 170,000 home and business owners get back on their feet after the devastation of fire, water, smoke, mold and biohazard damage. Our focus has been on these ordinary home and business owners
since the beginning. As one’s business scales, institutional and larger commercial work can be targeted as well.
What are we looking for, and what do we offer? We are looking for those that are confident, competitive, team builders, want to help others, management-minded and willing to learn new things. No prior restoration or construction experience is needed. Our franchise owners represent a diverse group of men and women. Some come from a background in water damage restoration. Other times, this industry is brand new to them. Either way, the STOP brand offers extensive training in management, marketing and technical areas, an established reputation, name recognition, and credibility, putting our franchisees far ahead of independent business owners trying to start from scratch. We are committed to helping our franchisees be the best they can be and provide them with the training and tools they need to grow and succeed. When you become a property restoration franchise owner with STOP, you’ll start with written goals and timelines for achieving those goals. Your training and ongoing support will provide everything you need to hit the ground running. We make owning your own business easier than ever with clear-cut steps to ownership
and a low initial investment. The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Service Team of Professionals Franchise business ranges from $78,400 to $138,500. With solid business and marketing planning, you can launch a STOP franchise with a limited amount of equipment, no shop (work from home), and few to no employees. All new STOP franchisees get over 26 days of training in the first year, which includes: • Six days of Initial Training • 13 days of industry “certified” technical training • 6 days of on-going training (at our three annual conventions) • 12 hours – estimating software training In addition to our first-year training program and annual conventions, we offer our franchisees unlimited support via on-call consulting. We understand that many people choose franchising because they want that dedicated support and collaboration, and that’s what our on-call consulting is all about. Whenever there’s a question, a need for guidance, or a refresh on specific training, our team is just a phone call away. With more than 40 years of industry experience, we offer our franchisees proven strategies designed to help achieve success in the property restoration business. In fact, in the most recent calendar year, our “five-years plus” franchisees averaged over $1,300,000 in sales. When you join STOP, we’re dedicated to helping you succeed! www.stoprestorationfranchising.com/ become an owner
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Expert Advice: Chris Hallberg, author of The Business Sergeant’s Field Manual
7 Questions
to Ask Your Employees Every Quarter Most leaders (the less than great ones) can become afraid of learning their employees’ true feelings towards the company and its overall structure. In turn, they shy away from even initiating such conversations and asking the important questions. Chris Hallberg
Franchising USA
Strong leaders, on the other hand, happily ask these questions with an eye on
making things better for their team. When everyone is heard and acknowledged, only then can a leader make the right decisions and give each employee what he or she needs. If you don’t ask, who will?
1. What is your overall satisfaction with your team? This question is pretty straightforward, but perhaps the most powerful. As a manager, it allows you to gain access to the big picture—providing key understanding on what’s working and what isn’t, directly from your staff. It’s no secret that dissatisfaction with overall team performance is a primary reason for top talent to exit. Taking the initiative to ask your employees for feedback, and
“When everyone is heard and acknowledged, only then can a leader make the right decisions and give each employee what he or she needs. If you don’t ask, who will?” tools to compete and win? Do you train them in new skills and technologies that allow them to be more effective?
3. How well does your leader hold you accountable? This is very important to a highperformance culture. Highly engaged and highly accountable teams outperform those who lack both. When you have the right people in the right seats, the best employees don’t mind being held accountable for their actions and their results. Those standards are what make them feel “elite.” After all, who wants to be part of a team that anyone can be a part of? If they are accountable, they know others are held accountable too, and that’s one of the main ingredients to employees giving their best day in and day out.
4. How well does your leader hold OTHERS accountable?
frequently, will not only provide you with valuable insight, but put you in a position to rectify concerns before the damage is done.
2. How well does your leader do with supporting and developing you? (Consider time, tools and training.) One of the top responses on employee satisfaction surveys, across the board, is how well we do with making our people a better version of themselves. If you are not actively investing in your employees, they will eventually move on to find someone who will. Do you give them enough of your time? Do you give them the right
This question smokes out if your employees feel like there is any favoritism or double standards in play at your company. Obviously, you want to treat everyone on the team the same, but sometimes that doesn’t happen. Oftentimes you’ll discover that leadership and the “favorites” get a pass and the troops get the stick. When leaders are held to a higher standard and not a special one, you’ll find that it’s much easier to get buy-in and acceptance for so many things that seem tough to get. This is particularly relevant to family-owned businesses, where your last name matters more than it should.
to get hired. My company is world-class!” Or would the conversation be more like, “Well, if you can get past a ton of B.S., politics and red tape, you can grind out a living just like I do!”
6. Do you feel adequately recognized for your contributions to the team? This is another top response that I see on employee satisfaction surveys. Employees work hard, sometimes stay late, give their all and go above and beyond. If they aren’t recognized for these sacrifices, they will usually stop these activities because they don’t seem to matter. Sometimes others unjustly steal credit for their work, or leaders are simply oblivious to their contributions. What is your format to make sure this doesn’t happen at your company?
7. How likely are you to seek advancement at your company? This is a great way to identify your next leaders. It also speaks to how your leaders are perceived by the staff. If they feel your managers are a bit of a joke, are clueless and cannot imagine themselves being one of those types, you might have a bigger issue on your hands. Not everyone wants to be a leader, and that is perfectly OK. If they say no, ask why, but don’t try to “sell” management to them. It’s better to understand what their reasons are and to respect them.
5. How likely are you to recommend your company to a friend that is looking for work?
The sum of all of these questions together will give you valuable information on where you are doing well and where needs immediate attention. If you ask these 10 questions every 90 days, you can compare your team’s last quarter responses and spot any problem areas before things get too caustic to your beloved culture. Again, if you don’t ask, you are guessing and that might not work out well for you or for your team!
This is like the Net Promoter Score for you as a leader, and for the company at large. If they were at a BBQ with their friends on a weekend and the topic came up, how do you think your team would respond? Would your employee say, “You’d be lucky
Chris Hallberg, ranked #9 on Inc.’s “Top 50 Leadership and Management Experts,” is a seasoned business consultant, turnaround expert, United States Army veteran, and author of The Business Sergeant’s Field Manual.
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Profile: DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen
DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen a Military Times Top Franchise for Vets “the best options” for veterans interested in franchising.
Don Dwyer Sr., the father of DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen President Doug Dwyer, founded the IFA’s VetFran program. It is one of his many enduring legacies.
DreamMaker Bath and Kitchen has been recognized as one of the best franchises for veterans by Military Times. The remodeling franchise was named a Top Franchise for Veterans based on a number of factors, including the company’s culture, performance, costs and the support it offers current and former service members and their families. The list features 53 franchises that are considered
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“The franchise brands on this list make the extra effort for their veteran and military-connected franchisees,” said George Altman, the Military Times editor in charge of the rankings. “They earned their places on these rankings through their dedication to current and former service members, and their efforts should get the attention of veterans considering their launching a franchise.” DreamMaker Bath and Kitchen was founded as Worldwide Refinishing Systems by Don Dwyer Sr, the creator of the International Franchise Association’s VetFran Program. A Vietnam veteran, he started the Vet Fran Program after the Gulf War to help veterans across the country become business owners through franchising. Today, the franchise is known as DreamMaker Bath and Kitchen and is run by his son, Doug Dwyer, who prefers the titles of Chief Stewarding Officer (CSO) to CEO. He notes that while the discount is a small acknowledgement of the sacrifice and dedication of service members, it pays great dividends, adding that veterans make excellent franchise owners. The exact traits that they learn and express through their
service — dedication, honor, commitment to excellence, leadership, attention to detail, perseverance, camaraderie — are the same traits that help a business owner succeed, especially when they are able to work with proven systems and enjoy training and ongoing support. “If you are a veteran, first of all, thank you,” he said. “We owe you a tremendous debt. Without the efforts of you and your fellow service members, we wouldn’t enjoy the freedoms that have allowed us to build a growing business based on Biblical principles. DreamMaker is working to make lives better for veterans, whether they need help remodeling, or are looking for a new career.” In addition to offering service members and veterans a $5,000 discount, VetFran provides other incentives, mentoring and education about franchise ownership. The program has helped more than 5,000 veterans become franchise business owners since 2010, according to the International Franchise Association. DreamMaker is no stranger to veteran outreach. Many DreamMaker franchise owners have remodeled homes for disabled veterans — creating more accessible baths and kitchens, and backyard decks with ramps instead of stairs. At the same
s
time, the company has created a path for veterans to move into skilled trades and to become franchise owners. One such veteran franchise owner is Air Force Veteran Nate Coombs, Owner of DreamMaker of Ogden, Utah. The father of three is committed to making homes safer for veterans, and notes that there are grant programs to help disable veterans remodel their homes for greater accessibility. “Disabled veterans and seniors often face obstacles in their homes as they age, and it takes someone with universal design
expertise to help them start making life a little easier,” he says. “It always amazes me that many small changes in homes can be huge for veterans and seniors,” he said. Several of DreamMaker’s most successful franchisees come from backgrounds outside the construction and remodeling industry. DreamMaker’s business systems, coaching and support help people learn the business and thrive. And business is good. DreamMaker unit store sales growth has increased by more than 80 percent over the past six years
Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times. The company is part of Sightline Media Group, a Regent company. The rankings are published in each of the newspapers’ print editions and online at MilitaryTimes.com, as well as ArmyTimes. com, NavyTimes.com, AirForceTimes.com
Military Times includes Army Times, Navy
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Profile: United Franchise Group
United Franchise Group Offers Franchise Fee Discount for Veterans VetFran Program Offers up to 50 Percent Discount
people haven’t learned to identify and trust an established, successful process. With UFG, there is a logical, systemic approach to becoming a franchisor, with the training, backing and support of the parent company, as well as support from other franchise owners.”
Nancy Montgomery, U.S. Navy veteran and Signarama franchise owner
As tens of thousands of service men and women return from deployment, expanded opportunities are needed to ensure veterans and their families can transition successfully into the civilian economy. With its rapid training opportunities, scalability, and need for operational execution and excellence, the franchising industry provides an ideal career path to enable returning veterans to become leaders of and productive participants in the U.S. economy. United Franchise Group’s (UFG’s) brands are proud members of the VetFran program, which helps returning service members access franchise opportunities through training, financial assistance and
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industry support. The franchise industry is offering attractive career opportunities for veterans in this growing, diverse business sector. As a global leader for entrepreneurs, UFG is taking the lead in offering veterans unique opportunities for a pathway to success through discounts on franchise fees for their brands.
“The way that I learned to trust a set of guidelines in the military has helped me with opening my own franchise. As a bonus, my husband has institutional knowledge with work as a graphic designer and digital press operator, which made him a great partner with me in the Signarama business model, so this was a natural fit for our family,” continued Montgomery.
UFG brands Signarama®, Fully Promoted®, Experimac®, SuperGreen Solutions®, Jon Smith Subs®, Transworld Business Advisors® and Venture X® each offer discounts on the full new franchise fee, for veterans. The discounts are based on years of service, with a 10 percent discount for fewer than 11 years of service, a 25 percent discount for 11-20 years of service, and an impressive 50 percent discount for veterans who have served over 20 years.
“Nancy is a perfect example of how the VetFran program can help veterans transition into starting a successful business, with all the tools they need to make it work,” said UFG CEO Ray Titus. “We don’t want the franchise fee to be a barrier for entry in this field for our veterans, who have been loyal in their service to our country and are now looking for the right opportunity for post-service employment. This is our way of giving back to those who have already given so much to our country, and to help strengthen the economy at the same time through the addition of new business locations for these proven, successful brands.”
“In the military, there is a process for everything, even if it isn’t clear at first,” said Nancy Montgomery, U.S. Navy veteran and Signarama franchise owner. “You learn that trusting the process brings great results. In the civilian world, many
Veterans interested in the VetFran program can visit: unitedfranchisegroup.com/veterans/ to learn more about the program or to enroll, or call 561-425-6829 for more information.
Franchise opportunities are now available locally and worldwide with new and existing shops. If you enjoy working with people, leading your own team, learning new skills and are ready for an exciting new challenge, contact us today! The Subway® franchise fee is $15,000 which is included in the total investment. The total investment can range from $147,050 to $320,700+ (See Franchise Disclosure Document for further details.) Restaurant owners should have half of the total investment in cash and finance the other half. Please visit subway.com or call Ralph Piselli, Franchise Sales Manager: 800.888.4848 x 1312 .
SUBWAY® is a Registered Trademark of Subway IP Inc. ©2018 Subway IP Inc.
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Own your own sandwich shop.
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