Veterans in franchising march 2016 franchising usa 4#5 3

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Veterans in Franchising march 2016

www.franchisingusamagazine.com

franchising

gives back

our town america

serving country and community get ahead of the curve

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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 eterans in F ranchisin g S upplement march 2 0 1 6 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

62 Our Town America:

From Serving Our Country to Serving

Our Communities

64 MyVA Will Be Good for Veterans and

Franchising Too Jim Mingey, Founder and Managing Director,

Franchisor in Depth 66 Two Men and a Truck 70 Two Maids and a Mop

Veterans Business Services (VBS)

68 Franchising Gives Back:

Highlights VetFran 25th VetFran

72 Get Ahead of the Curve:

It’s Time to Start Omni-Channel Retailing Steve Rosenblum, Co-founder, The KASE

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Veter ans in Fr anch ising

C over S tor y - Ou r Town A m er ica

From Serving our Country to Serving our Communities

While there are countless leading executives throughout the franchising community who are committed to providing opportunities for veterans, few can match the continued dedication of Our Town America CEO Michael Plummer Jr.

An Army veteran himself, Plummer personally understands what our nation’s heroes endure on and off the battlefield; and thus, he’s particularly passionate about empowering servicemen through business ownership.

Since taking over Our Town America in 2009, Plummer has been hard at work turning his father’s company into the nation’s fastest growing New Mover Marketing franchise. As part of that effort, Plummer has been laser focused on attracting his fellow veterans to the Our Town America family by offering $10,000 off the initial franchise fee for any honorably discharged veteran. They currently have 4 veteran-owned franchise units, which accounted for 11.4% of the total gross revenue in 2015.

Plummer and the Our Town America team are honored to be able to provide veterans with a New Mover Marketing franchise opportunity that allows each business owner to celebrate and support the local business owners and residents who make their community great.

Our Town America CEO Michael Plummer Jr. in his early years as an Army Medic.

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“The Our Town America business model is custom-built for veterans because it inspires each business owner to become fully immersed in their community,” says Plummer. “As New Mover Marketers, our franchisees help local business owners welcome new movers to town through personalized welcoming packages. This means they wake up each and every day on a mission to meet and interact with

“The Our Town America business model is custom-built for veterans because it inspires each business owner to become fully immersed in their community.”

- Michael Plummer Jr., CEO, Our Town America local business owners and area residents who are fixtures in their community. It’s the perfect fit for veterans who are eager to assimilate back into American culture and connect with new folks in their town all while capitalizing on a powerful and profitable business ownership opportunity.”

From One Battlefield to Another From the time he was five, Michael Plummer Jr. has been stuffing envelopes at Our Town America – a company his father launched in 1972. Michael Plummer Sr. built the company from scratch and wanted nothing more than to hand the reigns over to Jr., his son and best friend, when the time was right. However, after years working on the company’s front lines, Jr. decided he needed to create his own path by serving in the Army as a combat medic.

After serving our country for 4 years, Michael Plummer Jr. was called home from his station in South Korea on emergency leave because his father had suffered a major heart attack. This was a pivotal, life-changing moment for Jr. as the challenging time inspired him to realize his true calling – helping others succeed, particularly those he trusts and loves most.

The military had helped him grow up and learn a lot about himself – now, it was time to get back to helping drive the family business forward (which, by that point, had transformed into a successful franchise system).

“I loved serving my country and I would do it again in a heartbeat,” says Plummer.

“But I’m so glad I decided to make a change when my father had his first heart attack. It allowed me to work alongside my father for almost a decade – something I will cherish forever as he was my mentor, my hero, and my best friend.”

Those years working with his father and developing a firm understanding of his

vision for the company proved invaluable when Michael Plummer, Sr. passed away unexpectedly in 2009. Literally overnight, Plummer Jr. found himself sitting at his father’s desk assuming the responsibility of building upon his father’s legacy while dealing with the loss of his best friend, boss and father.

Thankfully, Plummer Jr.’s depth of experience in the military and the proverbial corporate battlefield made it possible for him to handle the transition with grace, dignity and unwavering resolve. And in the years since, Plummer Jr. has made countless tough decisions to install strategic and efficient policies to ensure his father’s company can thrive regardless of who takes over down the road.

According to Larry Neal, a Vietnam veteran and Detroit-based Our Town America franchisee, Plummer’s military background has been instrumental to the company’s recent growth and prosperity.

“Michael Plummer Sr.’s passing was tough for everyone in the Our Town America family, but nothing can compare to what Jr. went through,” says Neal. “However, Jr. has been an absolute inspiration to all of us. He has committed himself completely to this company and has proven to be one of the most accessible, humble and passionate executives I’ve ever met. And while I know he’d shy away from this compliment, I know I speak on behalf of all Our Town America franchisees when I say we’re honored to have a true American hero leading our company.”

Our Town America - A Franchise Opportunity Built for Veterans As the nation’s premier New Mover Marketing franchise, Our Town America is a company built on a foundation of “paying it forward” – helping local

Our Town America Multi-unit Franchisee and Vietnam Veteran Larry Neal.

businesses foster long term, loyal relationships with new movers through personalized welcoming packages full of powerful offers to try out new products and services for free.

It’s a concept veterans love as they’re able to make a true difference in the lives of fellow community residents. As Our Town America franchise owners, they’re able to help local business owners improve their bottom line while helping new residents find reliable local businesses offering the products and services they’re seeking. And according to Neal, that’s just part of what makes the Our Town America franchise opportunity a perfect fit for his fellow veterans.

“All veteran business owners want to be able to make a powerful impact in their community, but that desire is meaningless unless the business model fits their skill set and bank account,” says Neal.

“From a financial perspective, Our Town America is an excellent fit as the corporate office offers a $10,000 discount on what is already an affordable, home-based franchise opportunity. Additionally, the business model itself is a perfect fit for veterans because each owner can follow a blueprint of proven processes and procedures toward personal success. It truly is a win-win because you can make a huge difference in your community while successfully realizing your own entrepreneurial dreams.”

For any veteran interested in exploring the Our Town America franchise opportunity, please visit the following website - http://www.ourtownamerica. com/franchise-us/.

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

MyVA Will Be Good for Veterans and Franchising Too Getting your community behind your franchise business would be an awesome win/win/win proposition.

Great for the community because it generates economic activity; great for a Veteran because it can help families reintegrate back into the community

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faster and great for new Veteran owned franchise because the whole process can offer business exposure and access to relationship that can accelerate local Veteran success stories.

Normally a few of typical ways to garner community support would be to join the local Chamber of Commerce or maybe service organizations like the Rotary, Lions or a Veteran Service Organization (VSO) such as the American Legion or the

Veterans of Foreign Wars. These are all great networking opportunities but they have to be tackled one at a time and time is a precious commodity for any business.

In an age of multi-tasking and the speed of social media a new Veteran entrepreneur needs to develop relationships quickly that can quickly enhance a Veteran business and Veteran family life as well.

There's a new networking opportunity which is evolving as I write this article.

“In an age of multi-tasking and the speed of social media a new Veteran entrepreneur needs to develop relationships quickly that can quickly enhance a Veteran business and Veteran family life as well.”

It's called MyVA and represents a dramatic new reorganization effort for the Veterans Administration across the country. And it looks very promising for Veterans and Communities alike.

It’s not about entitlements; it’s about community leaders taking a very serious approach to help Veteran families. The MyVA effort is about shifting traditional command and control systems within VA to collaborations and partnerships at the local and regional level. It's about using the entire local institutional infrastructure to deliver real results to Veterans in a holistic fashion. Essentially the model is intended to balance veteran resources and the communication processes surrounding them. The model is also very inclusive of many business facets and relationships in local markets. From the local financial network to marketing franchise products and services for corporate procurement opportunities; from local mentoring relationships to shaping Veterans leadership opportunities in business.

MyVA will be all about relationships!

Basically MyVA is organic and can provide a Veteran the opportunity to get in the same room with dozens of local institutional players, including business actors, that are all focused on helping Veterans with a new customized approach for the local market. The VA is just one of the players in their 5 new MyVA regions.

The rules, the mixing and matching of resources flow in a horizontal rather that a top down fashion. So how does a Veteran entrepreneur leverage this new MyVA network model for marketing exposure and key business relationships to advance a business quickly? It’s not about being a huckster in the network. It’s about helping

MyVA succeed and build real relationships in many facets of Veteran life in the community. Helping fellow Veterans through MyVA might be the best strategic activity for building your own business and helping Veterans too. Let's hope so.

The Old Way >>>The New Way The MyVA model has already advanced to point where there over 37 regional MyVA Boards which facilitate local Veteran support networks that include a wide swath of key local leaders. There’s nothing new about available resources, what’s new here is about how they will be coordinated All Veteran business owners will be welcome even so go get involved. For more information on MyVA, visit www. veteranscorp.org/connections/#articlespublications.

And if you’re building a franchise business with resources provided by the VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VRE) program, invite your VA Counselor along to a Board meeting and show him/her how MyVA can enhance the feasibility of your self-employment plan.

James Mingey

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. www.VeteransBusinessServices.us

Finally, if you already have a VA certification such as a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), when go to a local Board meeting make sure you wear your VA SDVOSB emblem which many view as the gold standard for certification in both the Government and Corporate marketplace.

Let the Board and participants know what it means.

Just get involved with MyVA, the investment of your time will help you and your community as well.

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T WO M EN A N D A T RUCK 速

How a Former Navy Aviation Electronics Technician BECAME

a TWO MEN AND A 速 TRUCK Franchisee

After graduating high school, Michael Sham joined the Navy where he served for six years as an aviation electronics technician (AT). During this time, he worked on S-3B Vikings and P-3 Orions in San Diego, Calif., and Jacksonville, Fla. His duties included working on tactical air navigation (TACAN), radios, radar, instrument landing system (ILS), and other electronic devices in the aircraft. At the young age of 19, Sham was given a great deal of responsibility, sometimes giving orders to men twice his age.

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“It certainly prepared me to be a leader and taught me how to be ready for anything that may come up,” said Sham.

“There were so many different types of personalities in the military that it made me a better people person.”

Prior to joining TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® in 2013, he attended Belhaven University and earned a degree in exercise physiology. While pursuing his dream of becoming a strength and conditioning coach, which would allow him to train athletes, he ran the small moving company.

After working as a mover for two months, Sham took on the role of general manager at the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Jackson, Miss., franchise and truly launched his career within the system. As a participant in the first-ever Mary Ellen’s Moving People Forward® scholarship program, he and seven other managers across the system dedicated one year of extensive training to further enhance their knowledge of the inner workings of the franchising system, and ultimately lay the foundation for them in becoming a successful franchisee. As a result, Sham was awarded $10,000 to go toward opening his own franchise in partnership with his current franchisee.

“The scholarship program taught me what it takes to get a successful new franchise off the ground. There is a lot that goes into getting an operation up and running

“The relationships that were built during the program with Home Office and other franchisees and managers are invaluable. A lot of what I learned, I was able to implement at my current franchise.” – Michael Sham and all the bases were covered in the program,” said Sham. “The relationships that were built during the program with Home Office and other franchisees and managers are invaluable. A lot of what I learned, I was able to implement at my current franchise.”

Sham plans to open his new franchise in Southaven, Miss., May 2016 alongside Jackson, Miss., Franchisees Jeff Taylor and Jack Christopher.

“Michael has been a successful manager and is a shining example of the hard work and development that leads to success in our system. We are blessed as Michael moves forward to ownership and the great things he will accomplish,” said TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® CEO Jeff Wesley.

“I’m so thankful to have been brought on by my partners to live the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® dream,” said Sham. “I never imagined that one day I would be a small business owner.”

In addition, the Mary Ellen’s Moving People Forward® Scholarship Program, which launches careers forward internally within the system, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® also offers those outside of the system opportunities. Veterans interested in franchising with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® will receive a 10% discount off the royalty fee.

For more information on franchising opportunities, visit https://franchise. twomenandatruck.com Article written by Jessy Howe

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VetFran Jim Mingey, Founder & Managing Director, VBS’

FRANCHISING GIVES BACK HIGHLIGHTS VETFRAN 25th More than 60 IFA member volunteers and staff gathered on Friday at the Warrior and Family Support Center (WFSC), part of the Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio for the annual Franchising Gives Back Volunteer Activity.

The WFSC provides coordinated services to patients, next-of-kin and extended family members with a primary focus on Wounded Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom Warriors.

Franchising Gives Back volunteers helped to maintain the surrounding grounds of the facility. VetFran Program Manager George Eldridge said the project had a “direct, positive impact on today’s military members and their families. It was a small but significant way to say thank you to those families that continue to make a great sacrifice every day for our nation.”

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“Through their efforts — by contributing countless hours of volunteer time and financial support to local charities and service organizations — they are making a huge impact on their local communities and have been for years.”

Find out more at franchisinggivesback.org The story of who we are at Franchising Gives Back would not be complete without explaining how we began.

Franchising Gives Back began at the IFA Annual Convention when a group of IFA members – franchisors, franchisees, and suppliers – organized a volunteer effort to serve a specific need in the community.

For many the spirit of teamwork and “giving back” to the community where IFA’s convention was being held was the highlight of their convention experience.

As we heard stories about how these business leaders give back by supporting charities in their local communities,

we began to realize something very important. Franchise businesses are engaged in charitable and community support activities every day in thousands of communities across the U.S. and around the world. Through their efforts — by contributing countless hours of volunteer time and financial support to local charities and service organizations — they are making a huge impact on their local communities and have been for years.

Moving Forward On Giving Back Today, Franchising Gives Back recognizes and promotes the contributions of franchise business leaders year-round.

“For many the spirit of teamwork and ‘giving back’ to the community where IFA’s convention was being held was the highlight of their convention experience.”

From supporting Little League baseball teams, to donating food for homeless shelters, to organizing marches for cancer research, franchise businesses donate billions of volunteer hours and dollars to give back to their communities. Big or small, the combined local contributions of franchising create a significant impact worldwide.

Franchising Gives Back recognizes the leaders who are giving back to move communities forward and inspiring their peers to do the same.

The Franchising Gives Back Awards celebrate the stories of how franchisors, franchisees and suppliers have established themselves as true leaders through their commitment to giving back to their communities. The Awards salute the best, most innovative community leaders and charitable programs and the collective impact of these efforts across the U.S. and around the world.

Who is eligible?

The Franchising Gives Back Awards program is open to any franchisor, franchisee or supplier who is an IFA member during the year of the awards

program, and/or any of their affiliated organizations, such as foundations.

Nominations can be submitted by an owner/employee of the organization or one of its affiliated partners (e.g. public relations agency).

Who are the judges?

Finalists will be selected in each category using a criteria and point system. Finalists will then be recommended to a panel of judges representing the IFA and IFA Educational Foundation leadership.

How do I nominate someone?

You can submit a nomination for any charitable or community support activity that you, your business, and/or your company has engaged in during the past year.

Nominations should demonstrate how the member saw an unmet charitable need in the community and worked to improve it.

Enduring Impact Award

Submit a nomination by June 17 Nominate

Honor an IFA member with a longstanding commitment to his or her community that has been executing an outstanding charitable or community support program(s) for at least five (consecutive) years. Entries detail the significant impact the initiatives have made, whether through total dollars raised, in-kind contributions, hours volunteered, etc.

Support Our Veterans Award Submit a nomination by June 17 Nominate

Recognize an IFA member whose charitable or community support program has gone above and beyond the call of duty to help those men and women who have served in the U.S. military and their families, and positively impacted their local community along the way. franchisinggivesback.org

Spirit of Franchising Award Submit a nomination by June 17 Nominate

Recognize an IFA member whose charitable or community support program embodies the spirit of what it means to be a part of the franchising industry by giving back to his or her local community.

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Two M aids & A M op

VETERANS GAIN FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIES

THROUGH TWO MAIDS & A MOP VETFRAN MEMBERSHIP Two Maids & A Mop, one of the nation’s fastest growing cleaning companies headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., recently signed franchise agreements with two U.S. Veterans through its partnership with VetFran, an organization dedicated to providing franchising opportunities to veterans and their spouses.

Through its VetFran membership, Two Maids & A Mop was able to provide veterans Matthew Lewellen and Michael Luda with franchise opportunities in Savannah, GA and Greenville, SC. Founded in 1991, VetFran member companies total 650 brands that offer financial incentives, mentorship and training for aspiring veteran franchisees and employment seekers.

“We are honored to work with VetFran and proud to provide these two deserving veterans with franchising opportunities,”

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“Two Maids & A Mop is providing me with an opportunity to build a business that is backed by a successful model of growth that has more than twelve years of proven success.”

- Michael Cuda, franchisee says Ron Holt, CEO and Founder of Two Maids & A Mop. “The training these veterans received in their respective branches of service will serve them well in opening a Two Maids & A Mop franchise.

We appreciate their service to our country, and we will continue to actively pursue opportunities for veterans like Matthew and Michael.”

These two new businesses will represent the 22nd and 23rd franchises opened to date. With its aggressive franchising strategy in place, the company currently serves nineteen markets throughout eight states and has plans to open more than 100 locations within the next five years.

In addition, five new franchise locations across five states are set to open in the next four months.

“I am grateful and excited for this franchising opportunity with Two Maids & A Mop,” says Matthew Lewellen, new franchise owner and veteran of the United States Air Force. “The growth opportunity and unique marketing process is what

attracted me to the franchise initially.

But Ron’s success and dedication to his business became infectious during the discovery process, and this expedited my decision to develop the Savannah market immediately.”

Franchise locations of the Two Maids & A Mop brand have full access to replicate the successful business model created

by Holt, including the industry-changing “Pay for Performance” compensation plan.

With this model in place, office locations have experienced exponential growth along with a very healthy bottom line.

The brand’s unique approach to its sales and marketing process allows franchise partners to quickly control a significant amount of their local market share by focusing solely on online marketing initiatives; including social media campaigns, search engine optimization and targeted digital advertisements directed to a demographically-profiled potential buyer.

“Two Maids & A Mop is providing me

with an opportunity to build a business that is backed by a successful model of growth that has more than twelve years of proven success,” says Michael Cuda, new franchise owner and veteran of the United States Marine Corps. “I am excited to get started and would definitely recommend this opportunity to other veterans.”

With two different franchisee options available, a potential investor can choose to participate in the “owner-operator” model or the “absentee ownership” method. The “owner-operator” model involves an investor who has the money needed and a passion to run the business, whereas the “absentee ownership” method simply requires the investment while Two Maids & A Mop provides a qualified sweat equity partner to manage day-to-day and operate the franchise effectively.

The company also recently earned a spot on Inc. Magazine’s 2015 list of 5,000 fastest growing private companies in

America for the third consecutive year.

Two Maids & A Mop ranked No. 782 on the list, making them the second fastest growing cleaning company in America, the fifth fastest growing company in Birmingham and ninth in Alabama.

Most recently, Two Maids & A Mop was awarded a Silver Award in the Stevie Awards Company of the Year – Diversified Services category of the 2015 American Business Awards, the nation’s preeminent business awards program.

important for a fast-growing business to have a proper base of operations in order to handle the quick growth,” said Holt.

Two Maids A Mop and its loyal customers attribute much of the company’s success to its steadfast business model and to its “Pay for Performance” compensation plan, a proprietary formula that determines employee wages based on customer feedback and is the only one of its kind in the cleaning industry.

TWO MAIDS & A MOP is a residential housekeeping company headquartered in Birmingham, Ala. The business uses a proprietary “Pay for Performance” compensation scale, where employees’ wages are based on customer feedback, as opposed to number of houses cleaned.

Two Maids & A Mop was named the 2012 National Maid Service of the Year

by Cleaning For A Reason, a nationwide charitable foundation that provides free house cleaning services to women undergoing cancer treatment. There are XX current locations spanning including Alabama, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

“Fast growth for a business without a proper infrastructure can actually undermine the success of a company. It is

For information on Two Maids & A Mop franchising opportunities, please visit www.twomaidsfranchise.com

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Steve Rosenblum, Co-founder, The KASE Jim Mingey, Founder & Managing Director, VBS’

Get Ahead of the Curve:

It’s Time to Start Omni-Channel Retailing When Amazon launched in 1995, it did so with the simple goal of providing a platform for consumers to browse millions of book titles in one place.

Who would have thought just 20 years later that Amazon would be worth nearly $250 billion, becoming the most valuable retail outlet in the world.

Since those early days of Amazon, online shopping has grown substantially, especially when considering the market over the last 10 years. With more than 100,000 online retail outlets now

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operating, sales in the ecommerce industry have grown by nearly $830 billion since 2010, now reaching revenues of more than $1.4 trillion in 2015.

Even though Amazon is now exploring more physical presence in the consumer market, the company along with its e-commerce competitors, are happy to see those growth statistics continue to rise.

But, where does that leave retail operations that only have a presence in the traditional brick-and-mortar store? And what can they do to increase their relevance? It means it’s time to adapt.

For many business owners, the idea of changing their operation model can be a daunting thought, but adapting to a constantly changing business climate is a reality every entrepreneur must face. And, if done correctly reshaping a business could catapult it to a new level of prosperity and give it the resurrection it needs.

One of the most effective ways to do that is through omni-channel retailing.

In the most basic definition, omni-channel retailing is a business model that uses all physical retail channels (brick-and-mortar stores) and combines them with all digital channels to offer a seamless and unified customer experience across the collection of retail platforms.

The omni-channel retailing process is a relatively new practice — mainly gaining popularity in the last five years — and is proving to be a critical tool for traditional retailers to embrace the changing business climate. And it’s giving small, medium and even large businesses the ability to compete with online retail titans like Amazon.

At The KASE, an international retail franchise specializing in mobile phone and tablet accessories, executive leaders embraced omni-channel retailing from the company’s inception in 2012. Now

the company bolsters more than 150 units worldwide in key markets like France, United States, Germany, Singapore and India.

But, one of the biggest examples of effective omni-channel retailing is Walmart’s recent foray into the business strategy. Forbes.com detailed the marketing strategy and explained the company hopes to improve store productivity by implementing the omnichannel approach. Gone is Walmart’s “low-price guarantee” marketing strategy, which has fallen second to the company’s effort to improve customer service and enhance the overall customer experience, which Forbes forecasts will be a key driver in Walmart’s growth future.

Of course, Walmart’s multi-billion dollar success is attributed to a number of things and is an unrealistic target for many businesses, its marketing strategies can and should be embraced by companies of all sizes.

This is especially true in today’s climate as more and more consumers start to embrace a multi-channel approach to shopping. Retail industry experts are even recognizing that shoppers are at time going as far as browsing online shopping platforms while within the confines of the actual retail store. These shifts are great for the consumer, offering a level of convenience that’s never been available to them before, but it is also changing their expectations while shopping.

“Omni-channel retailing is just one option for companies to consider, but as online and mobile shopping platforms continue to grow in popularity, it won’t be long before it becomes the exclusive option.” group of people and a little finesse can go a long way.

It’s a good idea to start with a Voice of the Customer analysis to understand which retail channels are preferred for what scenarios. Gathering, categorizing and prioritizing consumer needs will provide an opportunity for the company to understand rational, emotional preferences and habits of the average customer. Also, remember that consumers are not identical and not every channel will be appropriate for each scenario.

When adopting a customer-centric strategy, it’s also important for everyone involved in the company to buy into the system. Without total buy in from every company representative, whether it’s the customer service associate or the C-level executive, the marketing structure may become compromised. It’s as simple as getting everyone on the same page, heading in the same direction for the betterment of the company.

That’s why now is the time to embrace omni-channel retailing, before it becomes the gold standard and loses its competitive advantage. It’s all about staying ahead of the curve in retail, and that begins by developing a highly-focused business strategy.

From there, it’s time to implement the strategy. Make sure to deliver consistent experiences from platform to platform, effectively creating a seamless customer journey through the new multi-channel engagement. This will help in branding and optimizing the strengths of each channel, and facilitate the consumers desire to engage their favorite brands and products.

For a genuine transformation, one of the best actions a company can take is to simply ask their customers want. Of course, there needs to be a systematic approach to canvassing a highly diverse

The bottom line is, consumers have hundreds of retail options literally at their fingertips, so it’s important to stand out among the crowd. Omni-channel retailing is just one option for companies

to consider, but as online and mobile shopping platforms continue to grow in popularity, it won’t be long before it becomes the exclusive option. It’s time to embrace it and get ahead of the curve.

Steve Rosenblum is Co-founder of The KASE, an international multichannel retail franchise specializing in fashionable and customized mobile phone and tablet accessories, with more than 140 locations worldwide. Because of his broad experience in e-commerce and investor relations, Rosenblum has spent more than a decade developing and opening unique startup companies with his family. He has served on the board of several organizations including Deezer, MySocialBook, Le Palais de Tokyo and Dixons Retail. He also cofounded the Pixmania Group. www.thekase.com

Steve Rosenblum

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