Franchise Journal August 2021

FRANCHISE Journal THE SCOOP Behind AWATFit's Truck Design p. 52

LEARN Mobile Pet Business Best Practices for Pet Lovers p. 56

HOW TO Get Moving Toward Financial Freedom p. 16

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contents

AUGUST 2021

52

BEHIND THE MOBILE FITNESS TRUCK’S PATENTED PENDING DESIGN

16

30

et Moving Toward Financial Freedom G With An Automotive Franchise

by Seth Lederman

COVER STORY: COSTA OIL

38

22 Interview with Jeff Powell, FullSpeed

Automotive, SpeeDee Brand

by Janice Charles

I nnovative Kiosk Creates the First of Its Kind 10-Minute Oil Change

by Abbey Lanpher

26 AUTHORITY BRANDS How BuyMax & Authority Brands Help Franchises Manage the Shortage of Work Vehicles

30 PILLAR TO POST

48 CRUSHR

Air Force Veteran Launches Home Inspection Business With Hopes Of Building Special Bond With His Young Son

by Rhonda Sanderson

34 PATCHMASTER A Niche Brand Focused on Profitability & Convenience

6

AUGUST 2021 | WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM

44 MR. TRANSMISSION Growth in Uncertain Times

Crushr is Making Strides in the Waste Industry

by Camantha Magoon

52

AWATFIT Behind the Revolutionary Mobile Fitness Truck’s Patent Pending Design

by Abbey Lanpher

56 WOOFIE’S Mobile Pet Business Best Practices for Pet Lovers

by Amy Reed and Leslie Barron

60 VAVIA

A Mobile Franchise with An Advantage

by Camantha Magoon

64 LAWN DOCTOR

Continues to Grow Like a Weed

34

68 KITCHEN SOLVERS In Business for Yourself, but Not by Yourself: The Benefits of Partnership

by Camantha Magoon

74 SKILL SAMURAI The Need for STEM Education in the Automotive Industry

by Jeff Hughes

80 MEINEKE

Drives Business Through Technology

84 RODA | CHALFANT LAW Put Yourself in the Driver’s Seat When Private Equity Wants to Come Along for the Ride

by Drew Chalfant

56

90 FRANCHISE FASTLANE: HELLO GARAGE Redefining America’s True Front Door: The Garage

by Eric Maier

94 POSTNET Used Customer Experience, Franchisee Support to Attract Potential Buyers During the Pandemic

by Bill McPherson

60

98 MILEX FAMILY OF BRANDS

An Automotive Franchisor On The Move!

by Mike Ciccarelli

102 TINT WORLD

Drives the Race to Success

by Greg Gasparini

64

80 WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM | AUGUST 2021

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PLANNING ON ATTENDING A TRADE SHOW IN 2021?

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welcome T esla sold 500,000 cars in 2020. Clearly that means cars are dinosaurs and will be soon relegated to the scrap heap of history. What about the myriad of names that everyone knows like Exxon, Mobil, Meineke, MAACO, Jiffy Lube, Grease Monkey, SpeeDee, Tint World, Mr. Transmission, Moran Brand and Costa Oil? Are they to be relegated to the dust bin of history? Not when you consider there are over 250,000,000 cars in the USA. That’s alot of cars that need repair work, oil changes, paint jobs, new tires and everything else imaginable. All of these brands started somewhere in their rise to global dominance and every now and then you get to watch as an entrepreneur starts to change the world in this category.

While the death of the internal combustion engine is a well worn mantra, the reality is that it will be decades before we replace fossil fuels. Most people do not own a Tesla. In fact, the average car is over 12 years old. The oldest it's ever been. All of those cars need service

10

AUGUST 2021 | WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM

NOTES

and since the earliest days of f ranchising, automotive franchises have been at the forefront of this category.

Our cover story is entrepreneur Costa Kapothanasis and his eponymous Costa Oil brand that is taking the country by storm .

Blink your eyes and you will see one soon in your town. His family has been in the oil change business for decades and owns dozens of oil change locations in New England. Oil is in his blood. Growing up in the family business, he saw where the challenges were in opening new locations and how to make the process more efficient. His vision was the modular oil change location.

READ MORE ABOUT HOW COSTA KAPOTHANASIS IS REVOLUTIONIZING THIS INDUSTRY ON STARTING ON PAGE 42.

Since 1908 when Henry Ford rolled out the first Model T from his Detroit production line, America has been one of the world leaders in manufacturing and selling cars.

HERE ARE A FEW FACTS ABOUT THE AUTO INDUSTRY THAT WILL OPEN YOUR EYES TO THE OPPORTUNITY! 1. In 2020, there between 14-15 million cars and trucks sold in the USA!.

2. Considering that there are approximately 330 million people in the United States, that means more than 1 out of every 22 people bought a brand new car…just last year!

3. While those numbers are impressive, they’re slightly off of the high point of auto sales in 2016, when nearly 17.5 million light passenger vehicles sold, as well as 17.4 million in 2015.

4. The motor vehicle industry (including manufacturers, dealerships, used part dealers, service centers, etc.), employed almost one million U.S. workers (approximately 940,000).

5. In fact, the auto industry is responsible for about 3 to 3.5% of our entire U.S. gross domestic product.

6. We also manufacture a lot of cars in the United States these days. In fact, nearly 12 million light passenger vehicles were built in the good ‘ole U.S. of A last year.

7. At least 2.1 million of those automobiles were exported and sold abroad, spanning almost every country in the world for a total value of $57 billion.

8. Additionally, the secondary automobile parts export market is worth an impressive $80 billion, and we also exported $5.5 billion in used cars.

9. While that’s a whole lot of new cars, the U.S. is still second to China for automobile markets, both in terms of sales and production.

10. Of course, a lot of car sales mean a lot of car sales dealerships. In fact, there are currently 18,250 new vehicle dealerships in the United States.

11. According to government estimates, there are about 222 million licensed drivers in the United States, which means that about 69% of our country has a driver’s license.

12. We also know that there are approximately

260 million passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs on the roads, which adds up to 1.24 automobiles for every person with a driver’s license in the U.S.!

13. In fact, there are 260,350,940 registered vehicles in the United States, which is an all-time high.

14. That also accounts for 20 million more automobiles than 2007, and in 1990 there were only 193 million registered autos in the U.S. 15. But the car market is still heating up around the world, with new car dealers expected to bring in 916 billion by 2020, with used car sales following with 106.6 billion in sales.

16. An interesting data point is the Scrappage Rate, which measures the number of cars sent to junkyards and put out of service every year.

Over the last couple years, the Scrappage Rate fell to only 11.5 million annually, a record low when compared to the number of cars on our highways and roads.

17. If we look at the monthly budget of the average America, their rent or mortgage payment tops the list, but transportation costs (including car payments) comes in second.

In fact, when added together, housing and transportation account for about 50% of the typical American’s income.

The bottom line is that there are alot of cars on the road and that’s not changing anytime soon.

Entrepreneurs looking to invest into a required category with a long runway in front of it are smart to look at the automotive sector. In good times and bad, Americans will always need to travel and that means their cars need to be serviced on a regular basis and those are nuts and bolts you can bank on. Oh, and be sure to get your oil changed before the red light comes on!

Nick Neonakis

Editor, Franchise Journal

FOUNDER

NICK NEONAKIS DESIGN DIRECTOR

Pete Neonakis DIGITAL DIRECTOR

Abel Beyene ART DIRECTOR

Marty Greenbaum

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Chantae Arrington

ONLINE EDITOR Mike Ciccarelli

MANAGING EDITOR Brenda Lesch

VIDEO PRODUCER Matt Panepinto

SENIOR EDITOR Bill Polk

CONTRIBUTORS Leslie Barron Drew Chalfant Janice Charles Mike Ciccarelli Greg Gasparini Jeff Hughes Abbey Lanpher Seth Lederman Camantha Magoon Eric Maier Bill McPherson Amy Reed Rhonda Sanderson

ONLINE EDITOR Seth Lederman STAFF WRITER Megan Neonakis SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Abel Beyene ASSOCIATE EDITOR Mariel Miller

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AUGUST 2021 | WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM

FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM

If you want to get ahead in franchising, The Franchise Journal has the most concepts and tactics to help you become a business owner.

Share with your friends. franchisejournal.com

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A DIVISION OF KEYSER

DON’T HAVE A REAL ESTATE DEPARTMENT?

WITH F.R.E.D.

NOW YOU DO WHAT’S F.R.E.D.?

Franchise Real Estate Department (F.R.E.D.) is your team of franchise commercial real estate experts.

F.R.E.D. IS ALWAYS

ON YOUR SIDE

As a franchise-focused division of Keyser, F.R.E.D. gives you all the power and resources of a commercial real estate brokerage, with a focus on franchising.

F.R.E.D. only represents tenants, never landlords, so you know we’ve always got your back and are ready to negotiate aggressively for you and your franchisee.

From site selection, to lease negotiations and hanging your official “Now Open” sign, F.R.E.D. helps remove the hassle by coordinating with construction, legal, and your landlord throughout the entire process at no cost to you or your franchisee.

CHAT WITH F.R.E.D. ROCCO FIORENTINO

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MOBILE BUSINESSES

Get Moving Toward Financial Freedom With An Automotive Franchise

by Seth Lederman, Consultant, The Franchise Consulting Company

“ALL MANKIND IS DIVIDED INTO THREE CLASSES: THOSE THAT ARE IMMOVABLE, THOSE THAT ARE MOVABLE, AND THOSE THAT MOVE.” -BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

16

The American dream of owning a car and hitting the open road appears to be shifting. Recent surveys indicate that more cars are being leased instead of bought. In addition, people are holding onto their vehicles for longer. Over the last ten years, the average amount of time a car was owned went up by 60%, and the number of automobiles on the road that are 12 years old or more will jump 15% by the end of 2021.

A GROWING OPPORTUNITY Why does it matter if people are keeping their cars longer?

Older cars require more upkeep.

Data suggests that 18% of U.S. households will need auto repair shop services this year.

An increase in leased cars means more dealerships and auto franchise service fleets needing repairs. There is also the growth in e-hailing and car-sharing, which brings about significantly more wear and tear on cars. Between 2009 and 2016, the number of vehicles leased quadrupled— from just over one million to

AUGUST 2021 | WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM

close to 4.5 million.

All of this adds up to a significant opportunity for anyone thinking of investing in an automotive repair franchise. Experts across the industry feel the auto world is poised for a revolutionary shift over the next ten years as new technology rapidly changes how we build cars and repair them. Now is the time to take advantage of this market disruption, secure your place in the industry, and make the most of your financial future.

GET MOVING TOWARD FINANCIAL FREEDOM WITH 3 AUTOMOTIVE FRANCHISE BRANDS TO WATCH What are some of the top franchise opportunities in the automotive sector?

What makes an automotive franchise an attractive option for someone interested in owning their own business?

Here’s a look at three of the top choices that can help you enjoy the flexibility of being your own boss and start to move you toward greater financial freedom.

MAACO

A PROVEN PROCESS A trusted leader in auto repair and repainting since 1972, Maaco has a reputation for excellence and offers three potential revenue streams—spot repair work, retail paint services, and fleet services. Maaco’s established relationships with national paint and equipment suppliers mean that their franchise owners benefit from the best possible prices. Plus, locations average $1.15 million in sales per year, with a 54% profit margin.

Maaco is a solid choice for potential franchisees thanks to its proven business model, which has been honed over the past five decades.

Franchise owners don’t have to worry about how they will achieve success with their business—Maaco has created a playbook, coupled with the latest technology like a turnkey online portal to help run the company, to aid you every step of the way. And should a question or an issue arise, there is a dedicated support team ready and willing to provide whatever help is necessary.

Finally, whether you have a family or not, Maaco understands the importance of work/life balance. Their Monday through Friday hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with optional Saturdays, allows you plenty of time to rest and recharge.

NUVINAIR

A REVOLUTIONARY CLEAN Are you looking for an automotive-based franchise opportunity that stands out from the crowd? NuVinAir differentiates itself because the chain doesn’t require ongoing royalties or even a real estate location. NuVinAir franchises work with dealerships, rental car companies, and other transportation businesses to provide healthier commutes for drivers and passengers thanks to their EPA-approved disinfectant cleaner, ReKlez-X. It kills 99.9% of germs, bacteria, and viruses, and it doesn’t affect the vehicle’s interior or compromise the safety of the employees who apply it.

One of the advantages that NuVinAir offers prospective f ranchisees is the diverse market for its technologically advanced health protection.

Franchises’ clients include car dealers, rental car companies, and car repair and service businesses. But their cleaning services are also in demand by companies with vehicle fleets, universities, RV retailers, and municipalities with vehicle fleets.

Keeping people healthy and safe has become more important to consumers than ever, and NuVinAir taps into the need to ensure that the surfaces people come in contact with are hygienic. NuVinAir helps restore automobiles to OEMlike conditions. More people leasing cars than ever before, details like top-notch cleaning between leases are becoming even more in demand.

WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM | AUGUST 2021

17

FIBRENEW

A RESTORATIVE ALTERNATIVE Another franchise option in the automotive category that doesn’t require investing in real estate, Fibrenew, specializes in repairing, restoring, and renewing leather, plastic, vinyl, fabric, and upholstery. Every year, Fibrenew does more than 300,000 restoration jobs around the world, ensuring that damaged car and marine components, as well as couches, commercial furniture, and more, are restored and renewed rather than thrown into landfills.

Fibrenew franchise owners become their bosses for less than the cost of a sports utility vehicle, and they have the

option to expand into multiple mobile restoration vehicles in their territory. Thanks to the growing numbers of older cars on the road, Fibrenew franchisees have an expanding car dealership market, rental agencies, fleet vehicles, transportation companies, and more to tap into.

The training provided by Fibrenew is comprehensive, but it is just the beginning.

Ongoing technical support is available to franchise owners and continuous education via seminars, workshops, and conferences.

Finally, thanks to the agile and efficient nature of Fibrenew, their franchise is future-proof. Since the company first started franchising in 1987, operators have thrived, thanks to the fact that consumers

and businesses are always interested in saving money, which Fibrenew delivers by providing an alternative to replacement.

If you’re ready to make your next move, contact Frannexus to explore the world of f ranchises. Set up a brief call today to discuss how Frannexus can help you capitalize on the possibilities in automotive f ranchise brands.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Seth Lederman, a Franchise Acquisition and Development Specialist, is a Multi-faceted entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in small business success, including ownership and sale of his own business enterprises.

He is a frequent contributing author to The Franchise Journal and is on the exclusive Forbes Business Council. Contact him at 312-307-1297 or at seth@ thefranchiseconsultingcompany.com.

WHAT MAKES AN IDEAL POOL SCOUTS CANDIDATE? Here’s what it takes to thrive as a Pool Scouts owner.

ANALYTICAL

Scouts can comprehend numbers like no other. Their financial acumen allows for quick decision making and smart judgment with all business transactions.

COMMUNICATIVE

Connection is key for Pool Scouts franchisees.

They make sure our technicians, customers, and team members are understood and treated with respect, just like our clients’ pools.

DRIVEN

To be a Pool Scouts owner, you must be willing to stand up as a strong leader and dive into new opportunities. Pool Scouts franchisees show a hunger for growth and always tread with purpose.

MULTITASKER

Pool Scouts franchisees must juggle the many moving parts of their business. From the people they work with to the pools they serve, Scouts are committed to keeping every element of our brand afloat.

PASSIONATE

Pool Scouts franchisees show enthusiasm for building a sustainable business and a passion for working with and serving people. They're proud to represent the brand and eager to make a splash within their community.

ADAPTABLE

Making tough decisions is inevitable when owning a business; however, Pool Scouts franchisees are trained and equipped to tackle any big waves that come their way.

Pool maintenance can be taught whereas these foundational characteristics are ingrained in a person based on their experience and personality. These are the key attributes that lead to success for our owners. We’d love to connect and tell you more about the Pool Scouts franchise opportunity!

Give us a call at 844-407-2688 or visit our website.

POOLSCOUTSFRANCHISE.COM 844-40-SCOUT

BRANDS POWERED BY

Pool Scouts Franchising, LLC | 2829 Guardian Lane, Suite 100 | VA Beach, VA 23452. This information is not intended as an offer to sell a franchise or the solicitation of an offer to buy a franchise. It is for informational purposes only.

The filing of an application for registration of an offering prospectus or the acceptance and filing thereof by the New York Department of Law as required by New York law does not constitute approval of the offering or the sale of such franchise by the New York Department of Law or the Attorney General of New York.

©

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Q & A INTERVIEW

Interview with Jeff Powell, FullSpeed Automotive, SpeeDee Brand

by Janice Charles, Consultant, The Franchise Consulting Company

Q. How and when did FullSpeed Automotive begin?

Jeff Powell: Franchising for more than 30 years, SpeeDee is part of the FullSpeed Automotive family of brands—one of the nation’s largest franchisors of automotive service centers.

Because we are not owned by an oil company, there’s no obligation to buy a specified brand of products. This means we can negotiate the best possible pricing for our franchisees and make recommendations without dictating what products franchisees must use.

Jeff Powell: The SpeeDee

Total Trust Guarantee™. We guarantee customers will be able to view services being performed on their vehicles through lobby video monitors, a lobby window looking into the bays, open bay doors, or via a photograph validating the service or repair. If we fail, the next oil change is complimentary. Our research tells us that SpeeDee

Q. Can you tell me specifically about the SpeeDee concept?

Jeff Powell: SpeeDee offers a comprehensive menu of preventive maintenance services, tune-ups, mechanical work and other repair services.

All are delivered with speed, quality, and a remarkable experience for every customer, at every visit. SpeeDee is committed to earning our customers’ trust through a transparent and educational service approach.

Q. What is your major point

of differentiation vs. your competitors and how do you capitalize on that?

22

AUGUST 2021 | WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM

customers value the trust factor above all, and they judge much of their entire service experience by the transparency of our service.

Q. Tell me about your Training Program for new Franchisees and their Employees.

Jeff Powell: Our emphasis

on training is an important distinction, and a big part of our brand identity. SpeeDee offers intensive startup training to new franchisees, including one week of instructor-led classroom training, and one week of instore training for the entire crew prior to opening. We promote continuous learning, offering numerous training opportunities for franchisees and their employees throughout the year. We’re

especially proud of our online university, with hundreds of training courses covering topics like safety, automotive technical, ASE certification prep, customer service and relationships, management, and more.

Q. Tell me about the

backgrounds of your franchisees and how many locations do you average per franchisee?

Jeff Powell: We have franchisees with varied backgrounds. Most do not have automotive experience.

Yes, it helps, but our franchisees want to grow to own multiple licenses, so

they need to understand how to manage a manager.

Previous business experience is a plus. The SpeeDee System of Operation has been thoughtfully developed to ensure the long-term success ABOUT THE AUTHOR Janice Charles is one of America’s top franchise consultants who has helped thousands of people explore franchise opportunities. She has over 40 + years of franchising experience in every aspect of the business. She was raised in the McDonald's system with her family where she learned all aspects of the business. After many years as a successful entrepreneur, Janice enjoys helping others find their way to business ownership through franchising. Contact Janice at 303-3195186 or visit www.yourfranchisesource. com to learn more.

WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM | AUGUST 2021

23

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MOBILE BUSINESSES

How BuyMax & Authority Brands Help Franchises Manage the Shortage of Work Vehicles The COVID-19 pandemic has had a swift and almost catastrophic impact on local businesses and industries worldwide. However, this impact can be felt especially hard by the automotive industry.

The 2020 COVID-19-related closures and the early 2021 unforeseen incidents, including Texas’s winter storm, Japan’s earthquake, and a microchip factory fire,

26

have brought the industry to its knees, contributing to this unprecedented break in the automotive industry’s supply chain.

AUGUST 2021 | WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR BUSINESS? Today, auto manufacturers, dealerships, and fleet management companies (FMC) have scarce vehicle

inventories as their stockpiles have been virtually depleted.

Auto manufacturers are struggling to produce vehicles and are having to make some extraordinarily difficult decisions. Some are suspending production lines, while others are cherry-picking limited models to produce.

Others are devising creative workarounds, like delaying the installation of certain parts until after a vehicle is built. Manufacturers like Ford, General Motors, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, and Volvo have all faced the brunt of this global supply chain disruption.

The industry is taking aggressive steps to get back on its feet. Still, analysts suggest that continued shortages of critical auto parts like microchips (consumed by the electronics industry) and seat foam (polypropylene doubling in price), combined with limited shipping containers and jammed ports, could continue to impact both availability and price.

As a matter of fact, as of March 2021, for every 100 requests made for a vehicle, only five are being executed.

Additionally, without enough product to meet demand, prices for new and used vehicles have soared. The price of a new vehicle is up 5.5% compared to 2020 and 10.3% compared to 2019. The price of a used vehicle is up 22% compared to 2020 and 2019.

HOW CAN BUYMAX HELP? BuyMax, a membershipbased, industry-leading strategic sourcing and group purchasing organization, aims to see its members flourish and succeed regardless of market challenges. They have kept a close eye on the automotive industry and updated its members through a series of blogs with relevant industry insights.

BuyMax is an enterprise partner of Authority Brands, the parent company of several leading home service companies.

Through its membership base of more than 1,600 customers, BuyMax can provide exclusive, unrivaled

purchasing power for franchise owners.

BuyMax members have access to its various services, including Fleet Solutions, which serves as a scalable onestop shop for all fleet needs.

Members can take advantage of BuyMax’s close relationships with its vendors by utilizing its services à-la-carte, including vehicle acquisition, rebated fuel cards, maintenance discounts, GPS technologies, and even services for vehicle disposal.

To help franchise owners through the current market challenges, the BuyMax Fleet Team draws on its deep partnerships with manufacturers and dealers to mitigate issues as they arise and reduce any impact they may have on its members.

To learn more about BuyMax and how they can help your business, visit buymax.com.

WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM | AUGUST 2021

27

FIRST OF ITS KIND

PRE-FABRICATED OIL CHANGE FRANCHISE!

Innovative Design

Speed to Open

Low Lease Payment

Minimal Staffing

Streamlined Model

costa@frandevco.co l 425.470.4451

"Passive ownership and a fully absentee model is what Sharkey's is all about, says CEO Scott Sharkey. We have been able to combine a passive ownership franchise with a model that is 100% recession proof for today and years to come. Sharkey's Cuts for Kids is not one of those trendy franchises where maybe you make back your ROI within 3-5 years before your concept gets replaced by something bigger, better, or more trendy.

Our franchise offers people the opportunity to invest in a brand that has longevity, is fun to run, is recession proof and has very little competition.

40 New Locations in 2021! SharkeysFranchisingCompany.com

#FRANCHISESTARS

Air Force Veteran Launches Home Inspection Business With Hopes Of Building Special Bond With His Young Son

by Rhonda Sanderson, CEO, Sanderson & Associates

#FranchiseStars Rhonda Sanderson is a franchise expert who has owned and operated Sanderson & Associates and Sanderson PR, both specializing in, traditional, social media and crisis PR in the franchise space since 1986. She has authored many articles, helped grow numerous franchise chains and is considered one of the Top 30 Small Business Influencers (Fit Business) in the U.S. Find her at Rhonda@ sandersonpr.com or on LinkedIn where she is the author of Franchise Stars at https://www. linkedin.com/in/rhondasanderson-a6b658/

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E

veryone has a special reason or motivation behind starting his/ her own business, but for 20-year United States Air Force veteran Nathan “Nate” Bardwell, his motivation is particularly close to his heart. That’s why becoming a franchise owner with Pillar To Post Home Inspectors®, the No. 1 home inspection company in North America, holds special significance for the 41-year-old Colorado Springs resident, who launched operations in May of this year. Bardwell serves homebuyers, sellers and agents throughout El Paso, Teller and Pueblo counties in Colorado.

During his two-decade military career, Bardwell’s specialties were wide-ranging and will serve his new career particularly well. They included Electrical and Environmental Systems Maintenance, Safety and Occupational Health, Environmental Health, Emergency Management and Human Resources Management. He had always wanted to start a small trade business of his own after his Air Force career that would provide a solid income for his family that includes wife, Karisa; daughter, Audrey; and

AUGUST 2021 | WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM

son, Matthew. He also wanted a business that he could pass down to Matthew, particularly.

“Matthew is nine years old and is on the Autism spectrum,” said Bardwell. “He is a wizard with mechanical systems and technology, and my hope is that one day he will want to work with Dad and maybe take over the family business if he chooses.”

Bardwell said his Air Force experience will pay immediate dividends in his new career in the home inspection industry. “I have wide technical knowledge of residential systems and components, vast expertise in general safety and risk management, as well as a deep understanding of identifying, evaluating and controlling health hazards from industrial and environmental contaminants,” Bardwell said.

Bardwell’s decision to become a franchise owner comes at an opportune time, because according to Pillar To Post Home Inspectors President and CEO Dan Steward, “We have rolled out some pretty

amazing technologies that are now in full swing for all Pillar To Post Home Inspections. One of these is the PTP360 tour. It is also available with a floor plan.

It is a great new innovation – fast-tracked to completion for COVID-19 response – where we saw just how well it performed.

In the long term, a huge help for busy, professional Realtors; saving time, better serving their seller, and giving prospective buyers a far better experience.

It is helping tremendously at this particular time when the housing market is bursting at the seams,” added Steward.

“One of the biggest dangers to homebuyers right now is feeling rushed to make a deal. Some anxious buyers are skipping the most important contingencies, number one being a home inspection.

Our new technologies are making the process leaner and faster so buyers feel they can get that ever important home inspection done before having to make one of the most important investments of their lives. It’s a terrible thing to skip a home inspection when buying a home,” Steward concluded.

Said Bardwell: “I chose Pillar To Post Home Inspectors because they are the largest home inspection company in North America and are on the leading edge of the home inspection industry. Their company mission, vision and values closely align with my own.”

Pillar To Post Home Inspectors has achieved the highest standings in various rankings of “Best in Category,” “Top 20

Nathan Bardwell of Colorado Springs traded his Air Force uniform for a Pillar To Post Home Inspection one.

Franchises to Buy,” “Top 10 Global Franchises” and “Top Franchises for Veterans” in addition to achieving 5-Star status with VetFran, a program offered by the International Franchise Association that provides discounted franchise fees to veterans.

Bardwell couldn’t be more enthused – nor better prepared – for this next chapter for himself and his family. “The Air Force instilled in me a strong sense of discipline, integrity, service, excellence and resiliency. I am an excellent communicator and experienced in successfully working with and leading people and teams from all walks of life,” Bardwell said. “I

also have a passion for serving my community. All of the strengths I garnered from my Air Force career will help me to be successful in my new home inspection business.”

ABOUT PILLAR TO POST HOME INSPECTORS® Founded in 1994, Pillar To Post Home Inspectors is the largest home inspection company in North America with home offices in Toronto and Tampa. There are nearly 600 franchises located in 49 states and nine Canadian provinces. The company has been named as Best in Category in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise500® ranking for 9 years in a row and appeared in the ranking for 24 years. Long-term plans include adding 500 to 600 new franchisees over the next five years. For further information, please visit www. pillartopostfranchise.com.

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Floor Cover ings Intern ational’s his wife a Mike Gille nd busin n and ess partner selected fo , M arie Gillen r July 202 were 1’s #Fran chiseStar .

an Nath r e n w 21’s ors® o spect ugust 20 n I e Hom ted for A Post o T selec r Pilla Bardwell e” .

“Nat hiseStar c n a r #F

Do You Know A

#FranchiseStar?

Send Rhonda Sanderson their story and photo at Rhonda@sandersonpr.com.

Itching

FOR A NEW OPPORTUNITY? START YOUR OWN FRANCHISE

YOUR OWN PROTECTED TERRITORY As a franchise owner, you'll have your own exclusive area.

LOW STARTUP COST Mosquito Hunters offers some of the lowest startup costs in the industry.

BE THE BOSS Choose Yourself. You get to be in charge of exactly how you run your business.

LET’S FIND OUT. GET IN TOUCH. 855-4-A-HUNTER (1-855-424-8683) franchiseinformation@mosquitohunters.com WWW.MOSQUITOHUNTERSFRANCHISE.COM

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MOBILE BUSINESSES

PATCHMASTER

A Niche Brand Focused on Profitability & Convenience WHO IS PATCHMASTER? PatchMaster’s business model offers customers a fast, professional solution for drywall repairs. Most busy handymen, large drywall companies, or contractors don’t want to perform small drywall repairs.

Service professionals like plumbers and electricians often don’t have the resources to fix holes they created, leaving it up to the homeowner to find someone else to repair the damaged areas.

PatchMaster specializes in fixing holes caused by renters,

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plumbing leaks and DIY projects that just can’t seem to get finished. In most cases, PatchMaster can complete the job in one visit.

The brand was an extension of the pioneers who built the home inspection industry! The Executive Team recognized the demand for sameday, home repair services

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leading to the creation of the PatchMaster concept in 2017. With over 40+ years of franchising experience, PatchMaster’s Executive Team created a brand capable of expanding and adapting to a variety of market conditions.

During the transition, Paul Ferrara was brought on as Chief Executive Officer and has been instrumental in growing the mobile concept from the ground up. Since their start in 2017, the company has reached the coveted franchising milestone of 100-units awarded; an achievement which Paul credits to the strength and depth of his team. “They played a huge role in our achievements over the last 5 years.” Paul professes about his team. “Only 5% of businesses hit the 100-unit mark in their first 5 years of service. The team put in a lot of hard work and demonstrated that they possess the necessary skills to create a successful and profitable brand.”

PATCHMASTER’S MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE HAVE ALLOWED THEM TO CREATE THE MOST SIMPLE AND EFFICIENT SYSTEM PAVING THE WAY FOR A LOW COST BUT HIGHLY SCALABLE BUSINESS MODEL ACROSS NORTH AMERICA. MOBILE SERVICES Service-based brands have the understanding that time is money, which is why PatchMaster created a streamlined and efficient job process to produce profitable revenue against their minimal competition. PatchMaster’s many years of experience have allowed them to create the most simple and efficient system paving the way for a low cost but highly scalable business model across North America. This Franchise provides their Owners with all the necessary tools to completely operate and run their business in a mobile

capacity. With the business on wheels, their service can get to customers within the same day it is requested.

Franchisees can hire as many technicians needed to meet consumer demand and have multiple vans on the road fulfilling service requests.

Customer service is one of the brand’s top priorities, so they take a proactive approach by providing exceptional service to all of their customers, beginning with the first point of contact. When customers contact PatchMaster for their services, they are provided with a quick and easy estimate at no additional cost. To improve

the customer experience, the brand also provides a 24/7 answering service to collect customer information, validate the service location, and deliver live transfers to the local Franchise Owner.

PatchMaster has created a smooth and efficient process that will delight customers and provide Franchise Owners with the necessary systems that generate maximum revenue.

FOR FRANCHISING INFORMATION To learn more about Franchising opportunities available with PatchMaster, visit their website at https://patchmasteropportunity.com/ or reach out to patchmaster@frandev.co!

WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM | AUGUST 2021

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REVOLUTIONARY OUTDOOR CONCIERGE FITNESS We are redefining gym ownership!

Mobile Business That Markets Itself

Low Initial Investment 78% Margins*

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awatfit@frandev.co l 980.281.2880 *Financial performance numbers obtained from Item 19 of our 2021 FDD.

DONATE FOOD & HELP FEED AMERICA During COVID-19 Think About Those Who Can't Help Themselves

For more information go to: www.FeedingAmerica.org

Put a Food Collection Box at your location and bring the food to your local food bank.

Every donation helps.

ON THE COVER

Innovative Kiosk Creates the First of Its Kind 10-Minute Oil Change

BY ABBEY LANPHER CONTENT WRITING INTERN, FRANDEVCO

Knowledge and experience of operations set brands apart from their competitors. One company that embodies these qualities is Costa Oil. This brand has broken the barrier of efficiency by creating an innovative prefabricated singlebay building for high-quality, fast oil change services.

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T

his model allows them to stick to the true quick lube model as it was intended when the industry was created.

The original quick lube model includes expensive equipment for higher liability lower margin services, which require more expensive labor, and the streamlined quick lube model lends better to absentee ownership and multi-unit capabilities making it the superior model. With only offering oil change services, working around space restraints, and training just two employees, they can simplify payroll and utilize time and space efficiently.

Costa Oil believes in streamlining and creating a business model that is efficient and easy to use for their Franchise Owners. They are breaking industry standards by forming their system to cater to industry changes that adds to their emerging success rather than hindering it. Adjusting their system to accommodate all changes has optimized time and manpower which has allowed them to work on more customers in less time. In doing so, their business model made the overhead more affordable even with the stretch in the oil change interval. It is also allowing their Franchise Owners to open their locations anywhere from 120 to 180 days, giving them a quick ramp up

“COSTA OIL KIOSK HAS THE UPSIDE OF A+ REAL ESTATE BUT WITH MUCH LOWER LEASE ECONOMICS” —Costa Kapothanasis, Founder, Costa Oil time to begin making profit.

Their Point of Sales system is easy to use, easy to learn, and versatile in its ability to provide inventory, sales, marketing and valuable customer data.

The system makes sales much easier by providing customer histories, manufacturer’s recommendations and detailed vehicle specifications.

These business features are what give Costa Oil its “First of

its Kind” title and allow them to be ahead of the competition in its industry!

THE MAN BEHIND THE INNOVATION Growing up with an “entrepreneurial itch”, Costa Kapothanasis craved running his own business.

He graduated from Mount St. Mary's University in 2009 and began working in finance

WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM | AUGUST 2021

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that same year - one in Mt. Prospect, Illinois and the other in North Versailles, Pennsylvania.

COSTA KAPOTHANASIS post-grad, he quickly realized “working in a cubicle setting was not his speed”. Luckily, he was given the opportunity to take over a quick lube store in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, from a couple that was ready to retire and settle down. This store became the location for the first-ever Costa Oils!

Social media and marketing is an aspect that is severely lacking in the quick lube industry. Costa noticed and

took that opportunity to build up his brand’s awareness online to begin his domination in the community. Costa figured if his competitors wouldn’t take the initiative to advance into this new space, he would take the advantage and come out on top. In 2016, Costa opened a second location in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, to confirm that the model worked. It did, and he opened 2 more locations

PREFABRICATED OIL KIOSK Costa Oil is all about giving back time to the customer which is what inspired the creation of their unique Oil Kiosk Design. The kiosk fits in 8 parking spaces in any retail or strip mall parking lots allowing for the quick lube industry to be located in places it has never gone before. These are all prefabricated buildings that contain everything needed to provide quick oil change services efficiently. The buildings, which feature one and two bay options, are less expensive than traditional site-constructed buildings, reducing startup costs for franchisees and allowing them to achieve profitability faster. Not only are the buildings made for efficiency, but they are also relocatable and visibly attractive. Its design combines ingenuity with modern and traditional design elements that are sure to be noticed by customers driving by.

For Franchising Information Visit their website http:// costaoilsfranchise.com/ or reach out to costa@frandev. co to learn more about Franchising opportunities with Costa Oil!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR FranDevCo’s Content Writing Intern, Abbey Lanpher, has a background in Communication Studies and Creative Writing at UNC-Wilmington in Wilmington, North Carolina.

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AUGUST 2021 | WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM

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FBR Average Rating

INVESTMENT RANGE $88,031-$113,292

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kitchensolvers@frandev.co

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THE AUTOMOTIVE ISSUE

Growth in Uncertain Times

MR. TRANSMISSION/MILEX COMPLETE AUTO CARE

is a customer’s one-stopshop for all automotive repair and transmission needs. This Co-Branding dynamic offers franchisees the advantage of two revenue streams while having the same fixed overhead as a single brand shop. Mr. Transmission specializes in transmission and drive-train repair while Milex casts a wide net offering general repair services including oil changes and general maintenance.

Having both brands at one

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location promotes long term customer relationships by providing a single point of service focused on quality and positive customer experiences.

Backed by Moran Family of Brands, a second generation, family-owned franchise system, Mr. Transmission/ Milex franchisees receive the necessary system and support to operate a successful location – even if franchisees have little to no automotive experience.

One franchisee says that Moran Family of Brands “allows me to be an independent owner while

AUGUST 2021 | WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM

also providing the guidance and direction when needed in order to elevate the business in a changing economy.” Despite the impact of Covid-19, Moran Family of Brands continues to prosper opening new locations.

Most recently, new stores have opened in Columbus, OH, Glenolden, PA, Miami, FL, Concord, NC and Durham, NC. For more information on Mr. Transmission Milex and Moran Family of Brands, visit www. moranfamilyofbrands.com.

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MOBILE BUSINESSES

is Making Strides in the Waste Industry

by Camantha Magoon, Communications & Content Specialist, FranDevCo

Crushr has been compacting trash in open top dumpsters since 2016 under the expertise of Founder, CEO & President, Scott Dennison. His extensive experience comprising 30+ years of franchising in various roles and industries has granted him a unique perspective, allowing him to understand not only how to build a successful franchise system, but also how to create a lean, low overhead and high margin business model!

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EQUIPMENT ADVANTAGE With Crushr’s disruptive technology, they are changing the industry and offering Franchise Owners a lightweight, pulverizer patented design with an exclusive manufacturing agreement that sets them apart from their competition and increases sales.

Specifications of the Crushr vehicle: • 23 feet long • 24,000 pounds • Compact It is 9 feet shorter than competitors and allows for better maneuvering and access to tight spaces! This provides a faster rate of execution time from beginning to end with an average 12 minutes to crush.

“Our truck is smaller, making it a more nimble and efficient piece of equipment” - Scott Dennison, Founder, CEO & President of Crushr COST REDUCTION = MORE BUSINESS When customers average less than 5-6 tons per haul in their roll off bin, they’re literally paying to haul away air! Crushr’s patented equipment pushes the air out of the waste and maximizes the haul weight, reducing monthly hauling expenses by 50-75%, which reduces overall waste removal expenses by 15-30%, guaranteeing repeat customers! Businesses choose Crushr to get the best bang for their buck, and after just one demo they’re hooked.

Crushr is also ecologically friendly. By reducing round trips to the landfill, Crushr is effectively reducing the amount of diesel fuel consumed in the process,

which significantly reduces the amount of CO2 emissions.

With this lucrative mobile brand, trash is less than the size it usually would be going into the landfill and therefore by starving the landfill they are helping to save the planet!

SUPPORT Once a Franchise comes on board with Crushr, they get immense on-going support in the form of operations, sales and marketing in addition to bi-monthly sales calls from Crushr’s National Sales Director. They are also granted access to the brand’s sales strategy and support team to help Owners get in front of qualified leads.All marketing and sales materials are crafted

by Crushr and the home office team can help Franchise Partners build a plan based on those materials, or others that they bring to the table. Crushr is a united brand, but they also realize that local markets aren’t all the same, so they help support every Owner by creating in-market plans that accomplish what they believe will be most successful in their market.

PARTNERSHIP Crushr’s ideal Franchise Partner is a motivated, selfstarter who has experience in

owning their own business or has a background in corporate sales. “We are looking for men and women who recognize the value of partnerships and relationships,'' Scott Dennison, CEO of Crushr explains. Anyone who is customer focused and an out of the box thinker will fit right in with this simple and lucrative concept. Franchise Owners should be passionate about providing excellent service to their community and growing the Crushr brand to achieve maximum potential in their respective areas. Individuals that are sales and operations driven with an ability to leverage their community relationships will be most successful as a Crushr Franchise Owner.

Who’s ready to crush the mobile Franchise Industry?

Reserve Your Territory Today!

Visit https://dumpstercrushr. com/franchise/ or reach out to crushr@frandev.co to start Crushr’s fast-track qualifying process.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR FranDevCo’s Communications & Content Specialist, Camantha Magoon, has a background in Anthropology and Linguistics from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan

WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM | AUGUST 2021

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AMERICA'S #1 FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY CONTACT CHRIS.BROWN@DRIVENBRANDS.COM OR VISIT US @ MAACOFRANCHISE.COM

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MOBILE BUSINESSES

Behind the Revolutionary Mobile Fitness Truck’s Patent Pending Design

by Abbey Lanpher, Content Writing Intern, FranDevCo

TRUCK INSPIRATION AWATfit is a fully versatile, mobile gym that offers concierge fitness to individuals or small groups in an open air outdoor environment via their “All Weather All Terrain” vehicles. Founder Richard Decker has 35 years of experience in the fitness industry from designing and owning facilities, gyms and restaurants, to creating fitness equipment with two

52

U.S. fitness patents. Wanting to jump out of the brick and mortar space, he was inspired by the idea of creating a fully mobile, outdoor fitness concept. Decker took his truck to the metal manufacturer and fabricated the first version of his fully versatile mobile gym, based out of the Hamptons of Long Island, New York. His goal was to utilize a variety of workout possibilities with the truck that were not

AUGUST 2021 | WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM

weight-bearing. What started from an idea has evolved into a revolutionary way of training utilizing the benefits of the outdoors.

INNOVATIVE DESIGN AWATfit has designed their vehicles with quality and simplicity in mind. At the metal manufacturer, custom racks are made from the same nuts and bolts used on airplanes in order to provide

AWAT'S BUSINESS MODEL IS VERY LEAN, NEEDING ONLY THE WRAPPED VEHICLE, EQUIPMENT AND ONE TRAINER!

extra security. The rack that houses the resistance bands and gorilla bows extends four feet on each side of the truck, and weighted workout ropes are used in high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts. The training equipment included with the truck is essential to sustain all weather elements, which is why it is stored in locked waterproof drawers in the bed of the truck

that is available for clients of all ages. In addition, the truck is equipped with JBL weatherproof speakers which is essential for any great workout and of course the trainer’s favorite! They are controlled by the master on/ off switch inside the truck that connects to all streaming services so the trainers get to choose their own music that sets the tone of the client’s workouts.

ROLLING BILLBOARD A rolling billboard is made when the truck receives its wrap. Naturally, the truck attracts compliments and attention wherever it goes which creates invaluable brand awareness - saving marketing dollars in Owner’s local markets. AWAT’s business model is very lean, needing only the wrapped vehicle and equipment and one trainer. One of the biggest benefits of running a fully mobile business is there are zero operational costs if the truck is not in operation, creating higher margins for the business. The fully mobile aspect allows for no rent, landlord, utilities, municipalities, or high staffing.

Franchise Owners will have the option to offer classes when and where they want because the truck can be used for both business and personal use. The features on the “All Weather All Terrain'' trucks were handcrafted and strategically designed by Decker to create the ultimate outdoor workout experience for his trainers and clients as well as provide its drivers with the space needed for personal truck use.

For Franchising Information To learn more about Franchising opportunities available with AWATfit, visit their website at https:// awatfitfranchise.com/ or reach out to awatfit@frandev.co!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR FranDevCo’s Content Writing Intern, Abbey Lanpher, has a background in Communication Studies and Creative Writing at UNC-Wilmington in Wilmington, North Carolina.

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!

Y L I M A F R U O JOIN Be a part of the Fastest-Growing Concept in the Automotive Maintenance Industry!

“It is such an exciting time to be a part of Strickland Brothers 10 Minute Oil Change. Our staff is eager to help and grow with our Franchise Partners. The family atmosphere is what makes Strickland Brothers who we are. Each customer is our most valued customer.”

—Justin Strickland, CEO/President

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MOBILE BUSINESSES

Mobile Pet Business Best Practices for Pet Lovers

by Amy Reed and Leslie Barron, Founders, Woof ie's required due diligence when hiring staff, and use current technology to hold their mobile staff accountable, build client trust, and ensure brand loyalty.

According to the American Pet Products Association’s 2021-22 report, pet ownership is at an all-time high with 70% of all U.S households (equating to nearly 90 million homes) now owning at least one pet.

Today, people are pampering their pets more than ever before and need help to care for them - outsourcing many services to mobile businesses that offer walking, sitting, and grooming services. Low investment, low overhead, and high profit margins have caused a proliferation of mobile services in the U. S. by people who are looking for a change in careers, want to spend more time at home with their families and pets, and want to see a quick ROI. They are also realizing how profitable and rewarding working with pets can be. To build a successful mobile pet business, they need to pay strict attention to the personalized customer experience, always do the

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PERSONALIZE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE Making the commitment early on to deliver extraordinary customer service to pet parents and their pets will market your business favorably from the start. Going above and beyond to ensure our customers are always taken care of adds the personal touch that differentiates

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our brand from other mobile services that are not customized or have a proven system to follow. Personalizing the customer experience with dog walking, pet sitting, and mobile grooming services entails having staff meet with prospective clients at their home to ensure they gather all of the required information about the pet prior to our first service. We believe that taking the time to meet our clients and assess their pets in their own surroundings guarantees the parents convenience, peace of mind and a personalized experience.

CAREFUL SELECTION OF STAFF Our mobile staff is the first impression the clients will have about our brand. In order to make a superb impression, it is important to hire energetic, compassionate and motivated pet walkers and sitters who share our passion for animals. The mobile grooming staff always needs to be independent, professionally trained, and able to share their knowledge about pets in a relatable way that will gain the trust and confidence of our clients.

The groomers, walkers, and sitters should share many of the same personality traits.

However, a professional groomer will need additional skills to fit the unique needs of a mobile environment.

The staff should always be respectful, focus on the safety of the pet, the security of the home, and the convenience of the client. They should truly love working with pets and exercise good judgment and safe handling at all times.

TECHNOLOGY TO ENSURE TRUST AND BRAND LOYALTY Mobile business technology has advanced significantly

THE USE OF A DIGITAL PLATFORM TO WRITE AND SEND JOURNAL ENTRIES TO THE PARENTS, ALONG WITH A CUTE PHOTO, HELPS TO BUILD TRUST AND ASSURES THEM THAT BOTH THEIR PET AND HOME ARE SECURE. over the years. Nanny cams, video doorbells, text alerts, and GPS tracking allow you to communicate with your clients in real time and track the activity of your mobile staff. Parents enjoy checking in on their pets and like to see how happy they are. They also want to be alerted immediately to any situations that may arise while they are absent.

The use of a digital platform to write and send journal entries to the parents, along with a cute photo, helps to build trust and assures them that both their pet and home are secure.

When pet parents and their pets receive superior, customized service, they

look forward to the expert care given by employees to their cherished pets. Additionally, by keeping them informed in a timely manner about the services provided, they will remain loyal to your mobile business brand, and become your greatest advocates.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS Amy Reed and Leslie Barron started Woofie’s in 2004 in order to fill a gap in the pet services industry in Ashburn, VA. Sixteen years later, they have demonstrated a proven system for integrating the pet sitting and dog walking services with mobile grooming.

Woofie’s is proud to offer pet franchise opportunities to investors who are interested in providing high quality, mobile pet care services. info@franchisejournal.com

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grow a healthy business Saladworks is the original create-your-own, fast-casual salad franchise.

Healthy – USDA reports that American adults are choosing healthier foods such as fruits and vegetables to support a healthier lifestyle. That’s why nearly half of all Millennial and Gen Z consumers buy 3+ entrée salads per week away from home. Saladworks is on-trend.

grow a healthyequipment-light business and easy Simple – Our concept is asset-light, Saladworks is the original create-your-own, to operate. No fryers and salad no hood means less expensive fast-casual franchise. buildout costs for Healthy you.– USDA Just chop, sliceadults and dice to serve the reports that American are choosing healthier foods such as fruits and vegetables to support a tastiest create-your-own salads is turn-key. healthier lifestyle.

That’s whyaround. nearly half of all Saladworks Millennial and Gen Z consumers buy 3+ entrée salads per week away from home. Saladworks is on-trend.

Accessible – The fast-casual landscape is overbuilt and Simple – Our concept is asset-light, equipment-light and easy to operate. No fryers and no hood means less expensive cluttered with create-your-own burger, sandwich, pizza, buildout costs for you. Just chop, slice and dice to serve the tastiest create-your-own salads around. Saladworks is turn-key.

Mexican and smoothie concepts. Landlords are looking for Accessible – The fast-casual landscape is overbuilt and healthy concepts like ours.

We have market, venue, format cluttered with create-your-own burger,the sandwich, pizza, Mexican and smoothie concepts. Landlords are looking for Saladworks is the original create-your-own, concepts like ours. We have the venue, format and footprint you healthy want.

Saladworks ismarket, available. fast-casual salad franchise.

grow a healthy business

and footprint you want. Saladworks is available.

saladworksfranchising.com

fransales@saladworks.com

* Details located at Item 19 inside Saladworks Franchise Disclosure Document.

Healthy – USDA reports that American adults are choosing healthier foods such as fruits and vegetables to support a healthier lifestyle. That’s why nearly half of all Millennial and Gen Z consumers buy 3+ entrée salads per week away from home. Saladworks is on-trend.

$1,227,858 median net sales for top quartile*

saladworksfranchising.com

Simple – Our concept is asset-light, equipment-light and easy to operate. No fryers and no hood means less expensive fransales@saladworks.com buildout costs for you. Just chop, slice and dice to serve the tastiest create-your-own salads around. Saladworks is turn-key.

* Details located at Item 19 inside Saladworks Franchise Disclosure Document.

t sales for top quartile*

Accessible – The fast-casual landscape is overbuilt and cluttered with create-your-own burger, sandwich, pizza, Mexican and smoothie concepts. Landlords are looking for healthy concepts like ours. We have the market, venue, format and footprint you want. Saladworks is available.

$1,227,858 median

saladworksfranchising.com

fransales@saladworks.com

* Details located at Item 19 inside Saladworks Franchise Disclosure Document.

$1,227,858 median net sales for top quartile*

JOIN THE LEADER IN LARGE-FORMAT PRINTING Why SpeedPro? B2B model All-inclusive startup package Unlimited scalability High gross profit margin Non-retail hours Few employees needed Fast-paced, creative business KickStart Program Initial and ongoing training as your business grows Best in class support in a growing and exciting industry

Pathways to Ownership New Studio Start-ups: SpeedPro has available territories all over the U.S. and Canada, underscoring the opportunity to open and build your large-format printing business wherever you reside.

Resales: SpeedPro Resales are a great fit for anyone interested in buying an established business.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SPEEDPRO FRANCHISING, CONTACT: 888.598.5065 live@speedprofranchising.com SpeedProFranchising.com SPEEDPRO.COM 2020 SpeedPro – All Rights Reserved. This ad does not constitute an offer. Financial Performance Representations (FPRs) are made based on our Franchise Disclosure Document. Your results may vary.

MOBILE BUSINESSES

A Mobile Franchise with An Advantage

by Camantha Magoon, Communications & Content Specialist, FranDevCo

L

ooking for a mobile Franchise opportunity that has a distinct market advantage?

Look no further than VaVia. Founded as a way to serve an unfulfilled need in the waste disposal business, VaVia (Italian for “It goes away”)

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was started by Co-Founders, Phillip Nappi, John Crawford and Mike Ampe. They entered the waste industry in 1999 as entrepreneurs who built what would soon become the largest independent hauler and recycler in the southeast.

Now the trio are part of the

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Executives of a small-haul mobile waste Franchise that is changing the way we see B2B & B2C business.

“Our competition is franchise people who got into the waste business. We're the opposite. We're waste people who got into the franchising

“OUR COMPETITION IS FRANCHISE PEOPLE WHO GOT INTO THE WASTE BUSINESS. WE'RE THE OPPOSITE. WE'RE WASTE PEOPLE WHO GOT INTO THE FRANCHISING BUSINESS. THAT'S A HUGE ADVANTAGE.” —Phillip Nappi, Co-Founder & President of VaVia

business. That's a huge advantage.” - Phillip Nappi, CoFounder & President of VaVia Co-Founder Phillip Nappi explained part of the reason he started the Franchise. “My dad was a business owner his whole life, so I knew that was something I wanted to do from a young age.” Business ownership is something he wanted to offer others as well, and so VaVia was born.

VaVia outpaces the competition. They have unmatched leadership with 50+ years of experience in the waste, franchising, and technology development industries. To them, selling dumpsters is the easiest thing in the world. “If you’ve got a smile and provide good service, you’re going to get the business” Phillip expresses, and at VaVia, they understand each market is unique and comes with it’s own set of opportunities and challenges. As such, they are continuously refining their playbook alongside their Franchise Owners so they can be successful in their local markets. “In the industry the biggest expense is disposal

costs, but with VaVia we’ve been able to leverage our relationships and prenegotiate this cost for our Franchise Owners at or below market rates.”

Their expansion in the southeast isn’t by chance either. “We like being near our Franchise Partners so we can really provide great support. At the drop of a hat we are able to hop in the car or on a flight and reach them in no time for anything they might need.”

VaVia looks for Owners who have strong sales capability and are passionate about providing superior customer service. Individuals that have

management experience and are dedicated to creating lasting business relationships are the kind of customercentered leaders that will excel within VaVia. Interested in Learning more about VaVia? Visit their website at https:// www.govavia.com/franchisewith-us/ or reach out to franchising@govavia.com!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR FranDevCo’s Communications & Content Specialist, Camantha Magoon, has a background in Anthropology and Linguistics from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan

WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM | AUGUST 2021

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MOBILE BUSINESSES

Lawn Doctor Continues to Grow Like a Weed

Lawn Doctor, the largest lawn care franchise in the country, is comprised of locally owned and operated businesses supported by a national brand. The Lawn Doctor family of approximately 600 franchises in more than 40 states uses proprietary technology and equipment, designed and built in Lawn Doctor’s NJ manufacturing facility. Backed by a 100% guarantee, the licensed services provided by Lawn Doctor help maintain and improve overall condition and appearance of our customers’

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properties, as well as protect health and comfort with mosquito and tick control.

Lawn Doctor has been offering custom lawn care, pest control, and tree and shrub care services to property owners since 1967 — and has been doing it in ways the competition simply can’t match. The attention to detail and service means franchisees enjoy a customer retention rate of 80%, the highest in the industry. The Lawn Doctor name is synonymous with excellence, and is mentioned in the same breath with many other iconic franchise brands. Lawn Doctor, along with Subway, McDonalds, Martinizing, and Dunkin Donuts, are the only five brands to have been featured on Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 every single year since inception over 40

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THE ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND SERVICE MEANS FRANCHISEES ENJOY A CUSTOMER RETENTION RATE OF 80%, THE HIGHEST IN THE INDUSTRY. years ago. This incredible, long standing success is attributed to the quality of people within the organization and continued innovation to keep the brand and related solutions relevant.

According to Vice President of Franchise Development, Eric Martin, the Lawn Doctor brand leverages its infrastructure and over five decades of experience to stay on the cutting edge and provide world class support for its owners. “Our franchise partners understand the immense value in our centralized media programs that drive leads and significant local demand” said Martin.

“They also know quick customer response is key in this business and take full advantage of our state-ofthe-art in-house sales center to address speed to lead and convert their inquiries into sales.”

While those affiliated with Lawn Doctor embrace its rich history, the brand is constantly evolving and looking forward.

In fact, Lawn Doctor recently experienced its single best year in 2020 after growing same store sales by double digits. Being a mobile and recurring service with no reliance on a storefront or face to face customer interaction,

the company continues to thrive by providing its essential services around the country.

In a world of uncertainty, Lawn Doctor will continue to enjoy success in a recession resistant and pandemic resilient business.

“OUR FRANCHISE PARTNERS UNDERSTAND THE IMMENSE VALUE IN OUR CENTRALIZED MEDIA PROGRAMS THAT DRIVE LEADS AND SIGNIFICANT LOCAL DEMAND” SAID MARTIN. WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM | AUGUST 2021

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POWERFUL FRANCHISING OPPORTUNITY AWAITS SpeeDee is a leading franchiser with over 40 years of experience in the automotive maintenance, service and repair industry—helping guide franchisees in all aspects of business through unparalleled support: • Site Selection & Negotiation • Marketing & Advertising • Field Staff Consultation • Third-Party Financing • Training (Initial, Ongoing and • Business Management & Accounting In-Store)

SPEEDEEOILFRANCHISE.COM Jeff Powell Sr. Director of Franchise Recruitment 1-800-364-0352 jpowell@fullspeedautomotive.com

SpeeDee Worlwide, LLC 5575 DTC Parkway, Suite 100 Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Recruiting Specialists

We’ve added EXECUTIVE SEARCH to our popular model

MORE POSSIBILITIES SAME LOW PRICE

TAKING EXECUTIVE RECRUITING TO THE NEXT LEVEL While we will still maintain our staffing services in our CORE niche, expanding into Executive Search opens up more possibilities, for the same, low price franchise offering, thereby exponentially increasing franchisees ability to maximize ROI in a home based, low overhead, professional model.

With the Patrice & Associates Executive Search channel, franchisees can: Create an additional revenue stream to impact ROI Place professional, management and C Suite positions both in and outside of hospitality Take advantage of industries and job functions that are booming RIGHT NOW! Secure higher fees

Examples of Recent Executive Search Placements include: Multi Store Operations Supervisor, Brand Grocery Store Chain Executive Chef, Hospital Chief Operating Officer, Lawn Care Company Director of Marketing, Nationwide Dry Cleaning Company Director of Finance, Global Entertainment Company

About the Pandemic Patrice & Associates has continued to service its clients throughout the Pandemic and beyond. With more and more businesses beginning to resume operations, they are calling on us to help them re-staff and backfill positions in our CORE niche of Hospitality and Food/Beverage. We’re getting leads for new clients every week that want our help. As the economy rebounds, we’ll be there to help our client’s staff back up!

In Business for Yourself, but Not by Yourself: The Benefits of Partnership

by Camantha Magoon, Communications & Content Specialist, FranDevCo

is the world's premier Franchise development company and one-stop-shop for all Franchise development needs. They offer real-world solutions to growing a Franchise Brand, and with their experience and insight, brands are able to expand and develop their concept to become the best in their industry!

Brands that partner with FranDevCo see consistent development and growth with their strategic practices. Just take a look at FranDevCo’s partnering brand Kitchen Solvers!

Kitchen Solvers believes

the kitchen is the heart and soul of every household. The company offers design and installation services for full kitchen remodels, including new custom cabinetry, countertops, backsplashes, flooring, and more. Kitchen Solvers also specializes in cabinet refacing, allowing homeowners to update their kitchen using their existing cabinetry. With options for upgrades, to hybrid projects, to full kitchen remodels and everything in between, Kitchen Solvers has solved over 45,000 kitchens. Their focus on providing a pleasant remodeling experience and consultation approach to

kitchen remodeling has led to happy clients who become repeat customers and generate referrals for their Franchise Owners.

That isn’t even the best part about Kitchen Solvers!

When it comes to growing their Franchise, this brand knows what it takes to gain and retain successful partners.

This service brand has been building strong Franchise Owner partnerships since 1984 and they recognize the value customers find in unmatched quality products and impeccable customer experience. With Kitchen Solvers, Franchise Partners are granted leading industry

MANY FRANCHISE PARTNERS TELL US WE HAVE A “FAMILY” LIKE FEEL AND SAY THEY HAVE ALWAYS FELT MORE CONNECTED AND SUPPORTED IN THE PROCESS WITH KITCHEN SOLVERS THAN ANY OTHER SERVICE BRAND THEY SPEAK WITH. 68

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experts, top-notch coaching, and culture and support that contributes to above industry average Franchise Partner success that is represented in their awards from the Franchise Business Review!

“Culture is a really big part of Kitchen Solvers” Director of Marketing, Kali Morgenthaler said when asked why individuals decide to partner with them.

“Many Franchise Partners tell us we have a “family” like feel and say they have always felt more connected and supported in the process with Kitchen Solvers than any other service brand they speak with.

It is a big commitment to own a franchise and it is always great to hear our franchise partners feel supported during onboarding, training, and throughout their business growth..”

It’s no secret that being supported is one of the biggest benefits of investing in a Franchise. It is quite honestly the holy grail of buying into an already established concept.

Of course those of us in the industry already know that, but for anyone who may be on the verge of planning that next step in their

career and are interested in business ownership but don’t really know where to start, becoming a Franchise Owner grants like-minded individuals the opportunity to access lucrative concepts like Kitchen Solvers! Franchise Partners are offered extensive support in the form of personalized business plans and marketing, experienced vendors, top of the line technology and Van Program, and a family of people in business with you that believes your success is their success.

This holds true for current Kitchen Solvers Owners.

Charlie Kongkaeow, Owner of Kitchen Solvers of Grayslake, has had the opportunity to be a part of the brand’s Van Program! The

program provides Franchise Owners with a new van for their business that helps them market the brand wherever they go with a sleek customized wrap. All they have to do is sign the paperwork, and the corporate team will find them a brand new vehicle, wrap it, and stock it with shelving so it’s ready to be filled with supplies. It’s Kitchen Solvers’ hassle-free way to support new Owners in the growth of their business.

With Kitchen Solvers, Franchise Partners not only know that their business will flourish, they can just about guarantee it.

“Kitchen Solvers really sets themselves apart due to their openness, honesty, and interest in understanding

WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM | AUGUST 2021

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“IT WASN’T A SALES PITCH ABOUT HOW THEY COULD GET ME TO JOIN, BUT INSTEAD A SINCERE FEELING THAT MY GOAL WAS NOW THEIR GOAL AND WE WERE GOING TO REACH IT TOGETHER. —Josh Uebelhor, Owner of Kitchen Solvers of South Bend where I was coming from, starting at day one” tells Josh Uebelhor, Owner of Kitchen Solvers of South Bend.

“It wasn’t a sales pitch about how they could get me to join, but instead a sincere feeling that my goal was now their goal and we were going to reach it together. Quite honestly knowing that not only were the plans and footprints laid out for the structure that has proven sound for over 3 decades, which spoke for itself and calmed any fears for

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me, but the customization and personalization that the group provides and will continue to provide is beyond my expectations.”

Being part of a Franchise is about more than just loving a concept enough to sell it. It’s about having the freedom to be in business for yourself, but never by yourself. The true benefit of partnership is support, and when it comes to Franchising, there isn’t anywhere better to find it than with Kitchen Solvers.

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For Franchising Information To learn more about Franchising opportunities available with Kitchen Solvers, visit their website at https:// kitchensolversfranchise. com/ or reach out to kitchensolvers@frandev.co!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR FranDevCo’s Communications & Content Specialist, Camantha Magoon, has a background in Anthropology and Linguistics from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan

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THE AUTOMOTIVE ISSUE

The Need for STEM Education in the Automotive Industry

by Jeff Hughes, President, Skill Samurai

Since its creation,

the automotive industry has been at the forefront of countless technological advancements. Their impact is seen not only in the vehicles they create, but in engineering, manufacturing, and the creation of new technology developed by automotive pioneers.

The word “STEM” is becoming increasingly popular (STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in the automotive industry.

The automotive industry is in the midst of a massive shift, as the move away from the internal combustion engine,

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which was developed in 1876, towards hybrid and electric vehicles. Even through electric vehicles seem like a modern invention, they have existed since the 1800s (https://www. energy.gov/articles/historyelectric-car) It is only recently that this technology has become more viable and attractive to consumers.

The change is being driven by customer demand, and government regulations mandating that carmakers make clean vehicles.

Traditional automakers like Volkswagen and Audi have committed to make electric versions of all of their models, while other companies like Ford expect electric

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car sales to make up 40% of their overall sales (cnbc. com/2021/05/26). The rise in popularity of electric cars have fueled the creation of multiple electric car companies. Tesla is presently the largest in the United States, but there are over 20 other electric car companies developing and releasing electric vehicles in

the near future.

By 2040, electric cars could outsell gasoline and diesel cars Source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance The US auto industry is also dealing with vehicles that are increasingly more integrated with the IT sector, to create such features as navigation, and entertainment displays, wi-fi, apps, intelligent cars, 3D glass, sensors, rear view displays, and autonomous vehicles. The connection between IT and automotive manufacturing will continue

to grow. This means that automotive manufacturers will require more workers skilled in STEM to meet the growing demand for more sophisticated vehicles.

Car companies are facing a crisis of obtaining STEM trained employees at the very moment they need them most, they are fighting for talent from high paying IT companies like Google, and Amazon.

The automobile industry staffing problems can summed up as follows: • As vehicles embed more sophisticated systems in their cars, automakers require more skilled IT workers.

• They are facing new competition from IT companies, like Google, and Apple who are developing their own proprietary technologies.

• US automakers, like many firms, are finding it difficult to locate and hire skilled IT workers from the US

population.

• The automotive workforce is aging and retiring.

• Many young professionals who are trained in STEM fields prefer to work in IT and to migrate to the East and West coasts, leaving the Midwest increasingly starved for skilled talent.

According to a recent Economic Policy Institute report, the US will have over 1.1 Million unfulfilled STEM jobs

due to a lack of trained USborn workers. Varas (2016) The future of the US automotive industry depends on their ability to develop a new generation of STEM trained talent.

By almost every measure, STEM-related jobs offer the surest path to a comfortable middles class life to millions of people in the years ahead.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that STEM salaries are growing at a rate of 5-8% where the average wages for US workers have failed to increase.

STEM jobs are going unfulfilled in large numbers.

According to the US news and World report, there are an estimated 40,000 bachelor’s degrees in computer science earned every year, but a staggering four million vacancies. Rothwell. “Short on STEM talent” (2014) If the automotive industry trains a new STEM workforce, they should be able to scale for future growth rather than being hindered as they currently are.

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BY ALMOST EVERY MEASURE, STEM-RELATED JOBS OFFER THE SUREST PATH TO A COMFORTABLE MIDDLES CLASS LIFE TO MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN THE YEARS AHEAD. The increase in technology in cars is leading to the creation of new industries and roles, there is a demand for a new breed of mechanics, technicians, and automotive shops that focus on electric vehicles.

There is a great opportunity for future employees and future entrepreneurs in the automotive industry.

Electric car mechanic, battery replacement, reprogramming, modifying classic cars. The future is bright for students who want to be a part of the automotive industry.

STEM franchises like Skill Samurai are uniquely positioned to train the next generation of highly skilled STEM pioneers. Skill Samurai works closely with local companies to train students and retrain employees to fill specific roles that they have.

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Solving the Automotive STEM Crisis Until the automotive industry can grow their talent their long-term growth will be hampered.

What can be done? I believe that the following approach can solve the automotive STEM crisis.

1. Recruit and train workers at a younger age. a) Develop in house training programs that replace the need for traditional fouryear degrees b) Focus on the strategy of teaching a little and using it a lot. A four-year degree wastes a lot of time on courses that aren’t specific to the automotive industry. c) Attract students at a younger age and begin giving them internships before IT firms can lure them away.

2. Retraining current workforce. a) Make the investment in the skills development of your current workforce. b) Current employees have a knowledge of the industry that can’t easily be replaced. c) Locate current employees who have an aptitude and ability to develop their IT skills.

3. Promote the benefits of the automotive industry to attract more employees. a) Less than 1% of students would consider working for a car company. b) A great deal of advertising needs to be done to demonstrate that automotive industry is increasingly like IT firms

in terms of R&D, salaries, career opportunities, and quality of life. c) The automotive industry is now and IT company, and should promote itself as such.

4. Partner with IT and STEM related firms a) There are numerous companies throughout the US that specialize in STEM and IT training, so the automotive industry does not need to develop these tools on their own. They ecosystem already exists b) Partner with STEM companies to develop curriculum and tools that the companies can use in their lessons with children to enhance the image of the automotive industry c) Create scholarship programs and internship programs for students so that they can see that value in working in the automotive industry. d) Build relationships with STEM-teaching companies to develop and recruit talent while students are still in high school. e) Create specific programs for girls in STEM to highlight the ways that young women can be a part of a worldchanging movement to make cars better for the environment.

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THE AUTOMOTIVE ISSUE

Meineke Drives Business Through Technology

W

ith Meineke’s technology, our franchisees are in the driver’s seat. Our team simply provides the roadmap. In a world where technology and innovation have taken everyone by storm, it is essential to provide franchise owners with the tools they need to succeed.

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Meineke understands the value of a technology-focused management system and ensures franchise owners have the metrics and information to track their business KPIs, improve performance and exceed their goals.

When franchise owners are given the support systems, educational processes and

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devices that enable smooth operability of their store, they feel empowered and see the value in high-performing technological systems.

Empowered owners are confident and understand how technology has brought them success, which may lead them to expand their Meineke ownership capabilities. Many

of Meineke’s owners are multiunit operators due to our impactful programming that gets the job done.

EINSPECTION TOOL We have several unique technological programs in place that drive business for our franchise owners. A top platform that our owners and customers love is the Meineke eInspection tool. As the first-of-its-kind tool in the aftercare automotive industry, the eInspection tool uses an iPad-based software that can

WHEN FRANCHISE OWNERS ARE GIVEN THE SUPPORT SYSTEMS, EDUCATIONAL PROCESSES AND DEVICES THAT ENABLE SMOOTH OPERABILITY OF THEIR STORE, THEY FEEL EMPOWERED AND SEE THE VALUE IN HIGH-PERFORMING TECHNOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

GIVEN THE ABILITY TO DIRECTLY ACCESS DATA, FRANCHISEES CAN SET GOALS, IMPROVE OPERATIONS AND INCREASE PROFITABILITY BASED ON WHAT THE NUMBERS TELL THEM. audit each vehicle, recognize services performed in the past and recommend needed services. Providing real-time service updates, pictures and the ability to make choices should a problem arise, eInspection establishes trust and convenience for each customer. Customers love the complete transparency it provides as it helps them understand what is going on with their vehicles — and it helps our owners better identify issues.

KPI DASHBOARD Franchise owners can easily keep track of how their business is performing through Meineke’s KPI Dashboard. Given the ability to directly access data, franchisees can set goals, improve operations and increase profitability based on what the numbers tell them. And, the ease of the Management Portal enables owners to identify daily priorities, order products, manage employees and oversee operations in one convenient online location.

MEINEKE REWARDS In addition to the ease of operations our technology drives for our franchise owners, we use it to ramp up customer loyalty as well. The Meineke Rewards program works through a mobile app and allows customers to redeem points earned through services and maintenance bonuses.

Named one of the Best Loyalty Programs in 2021

by Newsweek, Meineke Rewards ensures the brand’s pledge of “Doing Car Care Right” is consistently upheld.

Through extensive research and tracked performance records, Meineke franchise owners have shown strong sales performances aided by the technology in place at each store. Meineke is a force to be reckoned with in the thriving automotive aftermarket care sector. As people rely on technology now more than ever, Meineke franchise owners are at the forefront of incorporating innovation into exceptional car care.

WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM | AUGUST 2021

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WWW.KOALAINSULATION.COM/FRANCHISE Disclaimer: This is not an offer to sell a franchise. An offer can only be made through the Koala Franchise, LLC., 2020 Franchise Disclosure Document. Certain states require franchise registration, check the Koala Franchise, LLC., 2020 Franchise Disclosure Document regarding your state.

PART ONE: RODA l CHALFANT SERIES

PUT YOURSELF IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT When Private Equity Wants to Come Along for the Ride

by Drew Chalfant, Partner and Founder at Roda | Chalfant Law The franchise world is abuzz lately with news of private equity firms purchasing franchise systems and multiunit franchisee operators. PE firms that would have laughed at the idea of purchasing an emerging or adolescent system with less than 100 units a decade ago are now looking at the “platform” model where they can centralize systems and processes and apply them to multiple acquired brands in a portfolio. This means smaller systems are ripe for acquisition and PE firms have been paying attractive multiples on these smaller systems to build their platform portfolios.

What can you do as a relatively

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young franchisor to increase the value of your system and make the acquisition process as painless (and lucrative) as possible?

UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU’RE ACTUALLY SELLING At a high level, a sale of a franchise system can be broken down into the purchase of two primary asset components – intellectual property rights and contract rights. The PE firm will be purchasing all of the “hard” IP such as trademarks, patents, domain names, and proprietary formulas and recipes, as well as all of the “soft” IP such as operating

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methods, know-how, brand standards, etc. In addition to the franchisor’s intellectual property, the PE firm is buying all of the franchisor’s contracts - namely the franchise agreements, area development agreements, and any vendor agreements.

It’s important to recognize a franchise system for what it really is – a house of contracts. The strength of those contracts and your compliance practices will have a MAJOR impact on the value of the franchise system. Having your house

in order from a contractual and compliance standpoint can help to avoid any nasty surprises during the due diligence process. These surprises will either reduce the purchase price for your system or obligate the seller to indemnify the buyer from any liabilities that result from, among other things, poorly drafted agreements or violations of franchise laws and regulations.

BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND An obvious first step in ensuring that you’re on solid legal footing is to have a well drafted FDD and Franchise Agreement prepared by experienced franchise counsel. This is only half the battle though – how you use these documents is just as important. Do you have a system for tracking disclosure dates and collecting FDD receipts? Do you have a system to track franchise registrations that cross references where your candidates live and where they intend to operate their franchise? Does your sales team know the FDD inside and out – including what is and isn’t in your Item 19 financial performance representations? Are you willing to negotiate your Franchise Agreement and to what extent? How are changes being made – inside the document or via an easy to review amendment? Do your sales materials match up with

your FDD and have they been reviewed by your franchise attorney? Poor compliance management on these and many other items can lead to nightmares when the PE firm’s due diligence attorneys come sniffing around. And sniff they will! During due diligence you will be expected to produce every franchise agreement, every FDD receipt, records of your franchise registration status, every piece of sales collateral, and the list goes on. Having solid documents and using them properly is a key first step in maximizing and preserving your “house of contracts”.

MANAGE YOUR FRANCHISEE RELATIONSHIPS OPERATIONALLY AND LEGALLY The best franchise systems view their franchisees as partners - but it’s crucial to recognize that they are your business partners and not old college friends. Sure the annual conference can be a great time to build relationships and blow off some steam with franchisees and the franchisor team but when it comes to managing the relationship from a business and legal perspective – document, document, document! As painful as it may sound, properly documenting changes and updates in the franchise relationship along the way is an ounce of prevention in lieu of a pound of cure. Have you allowed a franchisee to miss their

opening deadline by a few months? Did you grant a formal extension or just say “no big deal – open when you feel ready” over the phone?

A franchisee faces a family emergency and needs to go dark for a bit so you agreed to waive minimum royalties for “a bit” – is this documented?

How? A text message?! While it’s natural to develop a sense of comfort and collegiality between franchisor and franchisee – it’s important to remember that when it comes time to answer to the PE due diligence squad – this stuff matters. Documenting these types of changes doesn’t need to be an overly formal affair – a simple acknowledgement form signed by the franchisee and added to their file will work in many cases.

That being said - for major changes to your agreements, a more formal amendment may be appropriate and may need to include a release of claims from your franchisees. It’s the nature of the beast of franchising that litigation is always a possibility and using releases as a “checkpoint” along the franchise relationship can prove invaluable when the due diligence team examines your franchisee files.

DEAL WITH THE SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET So you’re under a signed letter of intent with a PE firm and the first due diligence requests start coming over.

You feel the sweat begin to build on the back of your neck as you turn page after page of demands for documents, communications, issues you’re aware of, issues you

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should be aware of. You start to panic – “I think we sold a franchise in a state before we were registered – I know we haven’t been documenting extensions of opening deadlines – did the Tucson location threaten to speak to their lawyer last month or was that another franchise fever dream?!? AHHHHHH…..!”

Just breathe. These types of issues are common and PE expects to find them – this is what the due diligence process is for. As you work your way through the process you need to identify where areas of compliance have been lacking and what can be done to mitigate any issues they will cause during the sale. In essence, you will want to mirror the due diligence

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efforts that the PE buyer will do and determine what types of “clean-up” efforts can be made prior to closing on the deal. Sticking your head in the sand or attempting to hide issues from the Buyer is a horrible idea that leads to indemnification issues and downstream litigation risks.

It’s best to face the music and develop a plan with your broker and attorneys to get your system into shape.

CROSSING THE FINISH LINE Once due diligence is completed there is a high likelihood that the Buyer will ask for a combination of purchase price reductions and contractual obligations from you to protect them against any major issues that were

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identified in the due diligence process. While this can vary widely from deal to deal - it is not uncommon for the PE firm to “reserve” cash from the purchase price to cover these potential liabilities and then release it over a period of time as the risk of litigation diminishes. Engaging competent professionals on the accounting, brokering, and legal side before, during and after and PE sale is your best bet to reap the maximum reward from all of your efforts in building your franchise system.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Drew Chalfant is a Partner and Founder at Roda | Chalfant Law a boutique franchise and business law firm. We are the attorneys who've been there before.

JOSEPH H. RODA, Esq.

Joe co-founded Roda & Chalfant, LLC in 2020 and serves as a partner, attorney and trusted business advisor to his clients. Since 2010, Joe has co-founded several business development companies and franchise systems, including St. Gregory Development Group, CycleBar, and Fueled Collective. Joe served as Vice President and General Counsel at St. Gregory, while overseeing the sale and compliance management of over 7,000 franchises worldwide. Following St. Gregory and CycleBar’s acquisition, Joe served as a shareholder and board member to numerous franchise systems, including Xponential Fitness (Pure Barre, Club Pilates, CycleBar, Row House, Stretch Lab, Yoga Six).

DREW A. CHALFANT, Esq.

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Drew co-founded Roda & Chalfant, LLC in 2020 and serves as a partner, attorney, and counselor to his clients. After graduating summa cum laude from the Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Drew quickly rose to the rank of General Counsel for the first-in-class franchise development firm, St. Gregory Development Group.

Drew also served as in-house counsel for a number of franchise brands within the St. Gregory portfolio, including Shred415 Franchising, CycleBar Franchising, Fueled Collective Franchising, and LB Franchising.

As General Counsel, Drew was responsible for all day-to-day legal issues that faced this multi-faceted organization, including intellectual property matters, contracts and transactional issues, real estate matters and commercial lease reviews and negotiations, employment and labor issues, franchise disclosure document and franchise agreement drafting, and general franchise regulatory compliance matters.

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REDEFINING AMERICA’S TRUE FRONT DOOR: THE GARAGE Garage renovation is a $2 billion segment that’s continuing to grow year-over-year, yet no major brand franchise is leading the way. Enter Hello Garage. Dave Thrasher, founder of this emerging home service franchise, is not easily intimidated which is why he didn’t hesitate in launching a new company in the midst of a pandemic.

With a year under their belt, the garage renovation franchise has grown to 59 territory units across the nation. Having doubled their sales performance during the first half of 2021, Hello Garage has also recently expanded into five new states: Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho and Missouri.

Backed by parent company, Supportworks, Inc., Hello Garage continues to raise home contractor standards and elevate garages across the country. To date in 2021, Thrasher and team has secured 10 new openings and brought on nine new franchise partners.

So how does an emerging brand obtain such great success within one year, especially in the middle of a global pandemic? A strong franchise

support system, innovative technology and the right business model.

“As a brand, we are all about redefining the industry and continuously look for ways to evolve and be more innovative in doing so,” said Dave Thrasher.

“Having decades of experience in the home service industry, our team has kept that proven model in mind which has led to the great success we’ve had in our first year.”

While earning a profit is crucial for any business, Hello Garage isn’t all about signing a sale – it values and has the resources to ensure future success for all of their franchisees. To name one example, the brand utilizes a proprietary sales software called GarageView that each franchisee is provided with to ensure a seamless sales experience. Every franchisee is also supported with a team of more than 115 employees each step of their journey.

Kim Marmolejo, owner of Hello Garage – Naperville, IL, was Hello Garage’s first female franchise owner. “I have decades of work experience, but when it came to starting my own business, I had no idea what I was doing,” shared Marmolejo.

“I was immediately drawn to Hello Garage’s high level of support – I knew I would never be left to figure anything out on my own and their team instilled so much confidence in me.”

She operates the business with her four sons and initially started this new endeavor so she would have something to leave her family one day. Each son has a different responsibility or role, and the eldest even hopes to purchase a franchise location one day.

During the first few months since inception, Thrasher and the leadership team hand-selected qualified prospects who could set the brand up for immediate success. Today, the system has grown immensely and is made up of franchisees like Kim who are primed for success.

Heading into the second half of the year, Hello Garage has plans to sign on 15 more franchise partners and open 30 additional units in the 2nd half of this year. “I am really looking forward to hitting new goals as a system but also growing our robust team of franchisees,” stated Thrasher.

Working with the sales trainers & production trainers & going through the training systems helped us go from nothing to a fully operational and functioning business in no time.”

ERIC MAIER, owner of Hello Garage of Memorial

To learn more about Hello Garage and how to join their growing team of franchise partners, visit their website or email hellogarageleads@franchisefastlane.com

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PostNet Used Customer Experience, Franchisee Support to Attract Potential Buyers During the Pandemic

by Bill McPherson, Vice President of Franchise Development, PostNet

T

he pandemic took many companies by surprise during 2020.

For some, what was supposed to be a year of growth turned out to be a year of pitfalls and uncertainty.

This resulted in some businesses shutting their doors temporarily or permanently in some cases. For business owners to succeed, there had to be changes made to the business model and approach to the industry.

For franchisors, such as PostNet, we had to develop new methods and goals to ensure that we thrived during the turbulent business climate. At PostNet, we were aided by being deemed an essential business.

The franchise kept about 98% of its locations open during the apex of the pandemic.

Through public relations and marketing efforts, we were able to get the message out that we were still open and thriving during the pandemic, seeing a 7% growth in terms of sales in 2020 compared to 2019. This helped draw interest to potential f ranchise owners and gave us an opportunity to educate them on our business model.

Our pack-and-ship model allowed us to remain viable during the height of the pandemic. With more people working from home, packand-ship become a necessity for businesses. People needed the service to send marketing materials, promotion mailers and other items, and we positioned PostNet as the company to rely on. That helped our franchise continue to grow.

Entrepreneurs saw the success and wanted to be a part of it.

RE-ENGAGING THE CUSTOMER Customer engagement was important for our franchise’s success. PostNet invested more into Google AdWords, pay-perclick and social media to reach existing and new customers.

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Once we were able to get their attention, we put an emphasis on customer experience to ensure the consumer was satisfied. We wanted to go above and beyond to provide the essential services to our customers.

Health and safety concerns were a priority for PostNet, too. We wanted our customers to feel safe once they arrived at their local PostNet. Being creative with COVID-19 messaging helped generate a message that was valuable to the consumer base. We wanted to display the most up-to-date guidelines in a way that was unique and grabbed the customers’ attention.

We needed them to know they were safe inside our establishments.

Continually seeing that customers are dedicated to and satisfied with the brand, even during the hard times, is very attractive to potential franchisees.

INTERNAL DEVELOPMENT FOR SUCCESS The pandemic allowed us to dive deeper into our internal processes to determine how to better utilize them for the

betterment of our franchisees.

The PostNet marketing team aggressively pivoted to get franchise owners the tools they needed to market to new growing verticals that were discovered during the pandemic. Those new areas included school functions, celebrations and restaurants, and PostNet leaders developed new initiatives to specifically target those verticals.

On the franchisor side, we enhanced our whole learning and development curriculum to guarantee our franchisees could continue learning virtually. The new overhauled platform created more opportunities for franchiseefranchisor engagement as well, which was key to our success. By having training and development courses online, more franchise owners and staff members were able to attend. This was a tremendous help as we began rolling out initiatives for the new verticals.

PostNet also introduced a new

help desk technology to assist franchisees. The technology gave PostNet owners a more robust and quicker turnaround when dealing with issues that could hinder production or business overall. With systems and processes running more efficiently, PostNet owners were able to focus their energy on the customer instead of repairs.

Entrepreneurs interested in buying a franchise wanted to see the franchisor provide resources and tools to help them succeed, and we did just that during the pandemic.

THE CULTURE While increasing focus on the customer and internally-facing processes played a huge role in our success in attracting new franchisees, the culture of our franchise was paramount.

Maintaining a family culture is extremely important when going through hard times.

Having that partnership between the franchisor and franchisee is priceless and

creates the mentality that you are never alone. Because of that, we had positive growth when almost every other business was seeing negative 20% or more.

Having that relationship between headquarters and the franchisees is what ties everything together and builds success. From the franchisor developing strategies to the franchisees taking part in online training, these measures all revert back to the trust both parties have with each other. Without building a winning culture, none of the other processes would be as effective.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bill McPherson is the vice president of franchise development for PostNet, a global leader in high-quality printing and shipping solutions, and AlphaGraphics, a leading franchisor of printing and marketing solutions. With over 29 years of franchise leadership, he has led franchise development and real estate for B2B, B2C, retail, and inhome senior care concepts.

For more information on PostNet, please visit: https://www.postnet.com/.

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THE AUTOMOTIVE ISSUE

MILEX FAMILY OF BRANDS An Automotive Franchisor On The Move!

by Mike Ciccarelli, Consultant, The Franchise Consulting Company

T

hough a lot of franchise industries were negatively impacted by the pandemic, automotive franchises didn’t sustain as hard of a hit. There are more cars on the road than ever with over 286 million vehicles in operation in the US…As we come out of the lockdowns the majority of us are ready to hit the road again after dealing with a several months of “cabin fever”. Then factor in that automobiles are for many an “essential” part of everyday life with more people being comfortable traveling in their cars vs mass transit, you have a franchise sector that is big business for would be prospective franchisees.

With all of the vehicles on the road, they have to be serviced and that is where the companies that make up the automotive franchise industry come in…One established franchise leader that is seeing strong growth is Moran Family of Brands, they have been in

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business for over 50 years…

Moran Family of Brands offers several franchise models for prospective auto franchisees to consider in the automotive after-market which includes: auto accessories as well as one-stop auto maintenance and repair… Mr. Transmission and Milex Complete Auto Care are two of those brands who are seeing strong growth all over the US. Mr. Transmission specializes in the repair and installation of transmission and drive train components for the hundreds of thousands of vehicles that are growing in age. Milex is a complete auto care model that can handle most of your maintenance and repair needs.

One of the benefits franchisees appreciate is that you can actually co-brand both brands under one roof which provides multiple revenue streams and a “one shop stop” for customers. The newest brand that has been added to Moran Family of Brands portfolio is Turbo Tint…Turbo Tint is well positioned in the very fragmented automotive, architectural window tinting and auto paint protection sectors. This is a low-labor, low inventory high margin model that is great for scaling. With several options to consider the franchisor is ready to educate those looking to get into this multi-billion-dollar industry.

I always like to share the benefits of a particular franchise industry, here are some of the key benefits of automotive based franchises: • Recession and Pandemic

Resistant: Whether cars require oil changes and fuel or if they are electric vehicles or hybrids, they will always have to be serviced irrespective of the whether the economy is good or bad.

There are plenty of models that are pandemic resistant in that they are essential as well as the fact that direct contact with the customer isn’t always necessary for the vehicle to be serviced.

• Acquisitions and Conversions: Some automotive franchises offer an “acquisition and conversion” program. Once you become a franchisee the franchisor will work with you to seek out

processes and technology to drive the key performing indicators (KPI’s) and are designed for semi-absentee manage the manager ownership. You are working on the business and not in it which enables an investor to scale the business.

• Auto-Experience: You do not necessarily have to have automotive experience…

However, you do have to be driven, passionate and a good business acumen can only help. Another key trait of successful automotive franchisees is feeling comfortable on building and leading a successful customer focused team of managers and employees.

ONE OF THE BENEFITS FRANCHISEES APPRECIATE IS THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY CO-BRAND BOTH BRANDS UNDER ONE ROOF WHICH PROVIDES MULTIPLE REVENUE STREAMS AND A “ONE SHOP STOP” FOR CUSTOMERS. independent auto shops that can be acquired and converted into the franchise. Typically, these existing businesses already have a base of customers and cash flow that will help investors compress time and capital.

• Semi-Absentee Models: Most automotive franchises leverage strong systems,

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mike Ciccarelli is a seasoned Franchise Specialist with over 29 years in the industry having been a multi-unit and master franchisee as well as serving in corporate franchise leadership roles.

His passion now is to help corporate leaders, entrepreneurs and anyone interested in business ownership learn how to use franchises as a career or diversification strategy. Contact at 678-641-6473 or at michael@ thefranchiseconsultingcompany.com.

Visit www.focusedfranresults.com for more information.

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My Community Franchise is bringing a new kind of business to the American public. We go above and beyond for our customers by bringing perfected and professional tax and multi-services to their communities. We aren’t just another print services place or tax prep group. We climb the extra mile by being a one-stop-shop for various services, including tax preparation, car insurance, defensive driving, and so much more. We at My Community Franchise are here to provide entrepreneurs looking for a business opportunity the chance to get in on the ground floor of an exciting, easy-to-operate concept.

>>> We are a company with a great track record of growth, exceptional experience in the industry, and proprietary operational advantages for an owner-operator. My Community Franchise is ready to share its proven operational practices and dialedin services with the rest of the States. Our brand has been built on a firm foundation and is now seeking qualified candidates for an enticing franchise offering!

My Community Franchise offers an extensive array of services that build a fast and favored reputation within any city. We are the all-stars within our current five locations in Texas and are confident that our services will be well-received no matter where we are. We are proud to offer the following services:

TAX PREPARATION

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The My Community Franchise brand is beckoning entrepreneurial hopefuls who want a business with reasonable overhead, affordable start-up costs, impressive ROI, and sprawling market applicability.

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THE AUTOMOTIVE ISSUE

Tint World Drives the Race to SUCCESS

by Greg Gasparini, Consultant, The Franchise Consulting Company

W

hen Tint World’s CEO and president, Charles Bonfiglio, has a story to tell – you can’t help but want to gather around to listen.

Especially when it comes to talking about the history - and future growth of the franchise.

After opening its doors in 2007, Bonfiglio stuck to the plan of building the brand organically, selectively adding no more than 10 to 15 franchises a year.

By doing so, Bonfiglio spent his first decade as a franchisor, developing the right growth systems and processes while broadening the backend office in a parallel path.

At the start of his journey, Bonfiglio focused on developing what he saw as the most crucial areas, such as training, support, technology, operations, and marketing systems. His goal was to provide each new franchise owner with the tools and resources needed to be profitable within the first three to six months of opening.

Bonfiglio stated, “I focused on that because I didn’t want to have a lot of stores open if the system wasn’t sound and secure [enough] to grow quickly.” Since 2007, Bonfiglio

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and the corporate team have grown the brand to more than 80 locations, with many more currently in development.

Fast forward to Tint World’s February 2020 annual convention, “Race to Success: Shifting Gears,” Bonfiglio announced the launch of two new organizational programs designed to exponentially increase Tint World’s growth.

The first program, which specifically focused on franchisee growth, encouraged

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all franchise owners to increase samestore sales by adding more products and services, as well as adding more stores to expand existing locations. The second program Bonfiglio announced was geared towards increasing overall franchise growth through multiple avenues, such as working with franchise brokers, expanding online marketing, and investing in

lead generation programs for new franchisees.

To close out the Race to Success convention, Bonfiglio left a powerful final remark for the team resonate with, “I am no different than you. I am going to focus on growing the overall company to build our brand so it’s a household name, and I’m racing to success to help grow the franchise to 300 stores by 2025.” Bonfiglio said he had not seen a more upbeat group of franchisees in the 25+ years he has been in the franchising industry.

However shortly after heading back to business, Bonfiglio, the corporate team and existing franchise owners were faced with the many unknowns led on by the pandemic. Fortunately, Tint World was considered an essential business and was permitted to keep their doors open. Not only were stores able to operate during this time, but they also experienced incredible growth in same-store sales.

Tint World headquarters proceeded with integrating their new Race to Success programs in mid-April, however they also provided many support systems and resources to empower franchisees through the pandemic. By effectively adapting to the change in the environment, Bonfiglio and the rest of the corporate team was able to understand the needs of their franchisees and customers. In June of 2020, as a result of hard work and

dedication, Bonfiglio and the corporate team were back on track and quickly awarding franchise licenses again.

Tint World closed out 2020 with 21 franchise licenses awarded in the second half of the year. Following that success, they awarded 26 franchises in the first quarter of 2021. Still on incline, Tint World’s second quarter numbers are anticipated to be similar to 46 stores in the pipeline –all in the opening, development, or beginning stages. With these strong numbers rolling in, Bonfiglio is expecting massive growth in the future.

In addition to Tint World’s new franchise growth, they also have plans to increase store sizes for future and existing franchise owners.

When Bonfiglio first launched

Tint World, store sizes were as small as 2,000 square feet.

However, given the influx of business driven through marketing efforts and services, stores are much too busy to have such a small space.

Between new franchisees coming onboard, and existing franchisees renewing leases or adding locations, stores now typically range from 4,000 to 7,000 square feet.

Bonfiglio’s goal is to continue to Race to Success by growing, optimizing and improving the Tint World brand.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Greg Gasparini, a Franchise Acquisition and Development Specialist, is a Multi-faceted entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in small business success, including ownership and sale of his own business enterprises. Contact Greg at 434-466-9094 or at greg@ thefranchiseconsultingcompany.com

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THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN AMERICA AGED 65 AND OLDER WILL HIT 70 MILLION BY 2020 Now is the best time to start a business in this $300 billion dollar industry.

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