COVER STORY
Shannon Wilburn
JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS
AS A YOUNG MOM, BACK IN 1997, SHANNON WILBURN WANTED TO CONtribute to her family’s income and still have the flexibility to be home with her children. Working with other moms in her community, she started Just Between Friends, a consignment business that she first ran out of her own living room. “We had 17 consignors set up shop and we even used a utensil bin as our cash drawer. We promoted it to moms in our neighborhood, schools, and church. In our first event, we sold $2000 worth of merchandise,” she recalls. After the successful launch, she was asked to host more events and soon she was setting up shop at the local Fairgrounds in nearby Tulsa, Oklahoma. It grew from there, and Wilburn decided to test the business in other cities and eventually started franchising in 2003. Now with more than 150 franchises in 30 states, Just Between Friends offers a low-cost business that’s enjoying accelerated growth. “We provide a marketplace for families to make and save money on items that they no longer need. Today, being thrifty is trendy, and research shows that trend is growing. Yet much of this market is still untapped,” Wilburn says. Every year, franchisees organize two or three pop-up consignment events at a local venue. Local families sign up as consignors to sell new and gently used children’s and maternity items that they have outgrown. Consignors bring their items to the venue, and an online bar-code system helps price and prepare items. Franchisees and their teams organize and set up the events—typically in one day. They organize and oversee all details and handle local marketing. During the weeks leading up to the event, they may put in a lot of hours, but the rest of the year, the schedule is flexible. Franchisees usually spend about 20 hours a week prepping for the next event and marketing their businesses. Wilburn attributes the success of Just Between Friends to her franchise partners. “Our franchisees’ core values and desire to affect their community in a positive way has been a game-changer for our brand.” For more information, contact https://jbfsalefranchise.com
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