TapSnap, the digital photo booth franchise


Most often, candid photographs become the favorite images from an event. From corporate parties to weddings and birthday bashes, unposed pictures always possess the most earnest smiles. Professional photographers often fail to capture these impromptu moments; they can’t be everywhere at once.

 

TapSnap, a portable photo booth franchise, has changed how photographs are taken, shared, printed and edited  during life’s major moments. TapSnap has made it easier, faster and smarter.

 

Attendees of corporate events, weddings and other festive events can take photographs and record videos with TapSnap and instantly share them via social media. Before sharing, guests can edit photos, draw on them digitally and even instantly print hard copies of their favorite snapshots without needing to order prints.


For TapSnap franchisees, business is a breeze. Each TapSnap “booth” is portable and easy to setup within 15 minutes. Once a TapSnap photo booth is fully functional at an event or party, little help or intervention is required on the part of the franchisee.

tapsnap franchise

The franchise’s self-serve kiosk business model makes TapSnap an ideal business opportunity for entrepreneurs seeking a second income stream. Most events are on the weekends or in the evenings, making it even easier for an entrepreneur to keep his or her full-time job when starting their TapSnap franchise. Some franchisees generate enough business that they are able to work part-time while earning full-time income.

 

Currently, TapSnap is expanding but only licensing franchises in a limited number of territories. To learn more about becoming a TapSnap franchisee and what it’s like to own a TapSnap photo booth, please visit http://www.franchiseclique.com/franchise/Tap-Snap-Portable-Photo-Booth?gclid=COWCuZn98LYCFdRa4AodEX8AdQ.

 

 

Giving You the Business Premieres Tonight

Premiering Thursday, April 25 at 10:00 p.m. EST on the Food Network is a show that not only highlights the good work of employees, it rewards them in a big, big way.

 

Each episode of Giving You the Business follows four top-performing employees from a single franchise as they face the frustrations and difficult daily situations often faced by franchise unit managers. The employees are unaware their choices and behaviors are under scrutiny and review by the CEO of each franchise.

 

Based on their actions and decision-making skills, one winner will be announced per episode. Each winner will be awarded their own franchise.

 

On the first episode, four franchisees from Famous Famiglia will be put to the test in the franchise’s Manhattan location, which is no doubt the franchise’s busiest.

 

In addition to restaurant franchise Famous Famiglia, upcoming episodes of Giving You the Business will include 16 Handles, Freshii, Jersey Mike’s Subs, La Prep, Muscle Maker Grill, Saladworks, Topper’s Pizza and Wok Box.

 

The host of the show, Walter Bond, a former NBA athlete who played for the Dallas Mavericks, is sure to bring his years on the basketball court and franchise world to the show.

Check out the trailer below. What do you think? Will you watch the show?

Dunkin Donuts Donates Time, Money to Boston

Anyone who has ever visited Boston has seen the many Dunkin Donuts that line the New England city’s streets. In light of the recent, tragic events that unfolded at this year’s Boston Marathon, Dunkin Donuts franchisees are doing all they can to ease the trauma and pain experienced within their communities.

 

Last Thursday, April 18, Dunkin Donuts donated $100,000 to The One Fund to support the families impacted by the Boston Marathon bombings. During the search for suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Dunkin Donuts franchisees delivered hot coffee, hot food and hot chocolate to volunteers, police and first responders. Some franchise locations remained open at the request of Boston police, whose officers needed a safe place to rest and refuel.

 

Beginning today, about 2,000 Dunkin Donuts restaurant franchise locations in Massachussetts will collect donations — starting at $1– from patrons to be given to The One Fund Boston. Dunkin Donuts is headquartered in Canton, Mass.

 

If you’d like to give to the families affected by the Boston Marathon bombings, visit https://onefundboston.org/. The One Fund Boston was started by Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino to aid those most affected by the bombings that occurred on April 15, 2013.

 

So far, the only other chain we’ve seen collecting donations for The One Fund is Whole Foods. If you know of any additional franchises supporting this worthwhile cause, please let us know.

Franchising – Is It for You?

When someone decides to buy a franchise, there are many questions which need to be asked before they part with their money.

 

Does the company have a solid reputation?  Do you have the required funds to make owning the business licence a reality?  Will your bank lend you additional funds to help you get started?

 

While all these questions are perfectly valid, they fail to touch on another important area which should be explored before you consider taking up a franchise opportunity.  This additional area is you.

 

It is easy to overlook your own skills and qualities when you are researching the opportunities on offer, yet these will act as the most valuable components of your potential success or failure.  You need to be sure of your own strengths and weaknesses before sinking thousands of dollars into a franchise.

 

It may be that the idea of owning your own business appeals to you, but doing it all on your own seems too daunting to consider.  Franchising offers you the security of trading under a familiar name, selling a product the buying public already knows about.  You are entering a business which, in effect, has already been sweated over and set up for you.  All the hard work has been done… right?

 

Well, not exactly.  The groundwork has been laid, yes, but there is still a lot of hard work to be done on your part, and you should be prepared to put in long hours – at least to begin with – if your franchise is to succeed.  There can be a lot of money in franchising, but as with all money making ideas, it does not work on its own.  Are you persevering enough to see it through?

 

Alternately, if you like to operate totally on your own, franchising is not likely to be a good choice.  You will be your own boss to an extent, but not all the decision making will be down to you.  You need to be honest with yourself here – does this work structure appeal to you… or are you put off entirely?

 

Confidence is another keystone in the world of franchising.  If you doubt your own abilities at all, then any success you achieve is likely to be on a small scale.  You need to have an unshakeable belief in yourself – preferably one which is backed up by people who know and will support you.  No business venture is foolproof, but with an ability to recognise this and a belief that you will eventually succeed, you will be better able to plod determinedly through the hard times in order to reach a higher level of success.

 

You also need to consider which franchise would suit you best.  There are several hundred companies offering franchises to the right people, encompassing many areas of operation – clothing, business services and food outlets, to name but a few.

 

If you happen to be a vegetarian, then a franchise with McDonalds is probably not a good idea.  You need to choose a company which operates in a sector you are familiar with, and one in which you will preferably have some existing skills.  For example, if you had some experience in the clothing industry, then you will no doubt possess some useful skills which can be put into a franchise with a company such as Benetton.  Monetary input is not the only decisive factor when buying a franchise.

 

The question of location is another important area to consider.  An increasing number of franchisees – especially those with family commitments – are working from home, and you may find the advantages of this kind of franchise would appeal to you more than if you worked in a shop.  Travel expenses are virtually non-existent, you don’t have the worry of shop (and home) security when you are in one place or the other, and your working day is much more flexible.

 

With the help relevant associations in your country can give you (try a search on Google), you will be able to assess whether or not you are the right person to take on a franchise.

 

If you do have what it takes, and you make the most of the skills and abilities you have, then success in this attractive, rapidly growing and relatively secure sector of the business market may soon be yours.

 

Thriving in Franchising After Leaving Corporate America

Franchisee Profile of Fred and Lorraine Pierson
Showhomes Franchisees, Raleigh NC

Fred Pierson’s path to entrepreneurship was anything but linear. Before becoming a Showhomes Home Staging franchise owner in Raleigh, N.C., Fred Pierson had two different corporate careers.

 

In college, Pierson earned a degree in aviation management and went on to manage corporate jet facilities across the United States. Due to the nature of his work, he and his wife, Lorraine, moved frequently. After years of packing and unpacking, Fred, Lorraine and their young children settled in North Carolina and Fred left the aviation industry and his first corporate career.

 

Fred then joined Starwood Hotels and Resorts. He felt that “hospitality was similar in nature” to his aviation work. For the next decade, Pierson worked his way up the corporate ladder, eventually earning the title of General Manager. As the economy contracted during the Great Recession, Fred returned to work for a competitor at half the compensation of what he had been making.

 

“After doing corporate work for 25 years, my wife and I felt it was time to start working for ourselves,” says Pierson. “In life, opportunities present themselves occasionally, but what really made Showhomes the right opportunity for us was the timing,” he explains.

 

As luck would have it, a good friend of Fred’s was starting her own mortgage brokerage firm around the same time as his departure from the hospitality industry. Due to her encouragement, Fred became a national and state licensed mortgage loan officer — passing both tests on his first try.

 

“Old dogs can learn new tricks!” he says.

 

Working as a mortgage officer was very interesting to Pierson, though he soon realized it could put a strain on his relationships with friends.

 

“I refused to sacrifice my relationships with people to originate loans,” Pierson explains, “As such, my wife and I looked at opportunities that would provide me with a pipeline of loans without pushing me to use my personal contacts.”

 

A good friend led the Pierson’s to Showhomes, a business model they felt they would use as an “ancillary feeder” to his mortgage business that catered to those relocating to the Raleigh area.  “We quickly saw that the opportunities with Showhomes were far greater than within the mortgage business,” says Fred. “In a short period of time we saw impressive results that allowed us to walk away from the mortgage side of things and focus on Showhomes.”

 

The Pierson’s ultimately chose Showhomes over other franchise opportunities because it played to the couples’ talents. Lorraine enjoyed interior design and, as a byproduct of Fred’s aviation management days, was adept at staging houses and making them feel like homes. Fred, a self-described “turnaround specialist for companies,” easily brought in new business.

“Technically no one does what we do on a national level with the level of support and national branding that Showhomes offers,” Pierson says.

 

On what to expect when becoming a Showhomes franchisee Fred says, “You’re buying the right to a territory and what you do with that territory and how you manage it effectively is up to you.

 

As franchisees, Fred and Lorraine have learned a considerable amount about real estate and the effect staging has on the buying and selling process. The number one challenge to Showhomes as a business model, according to Fred, is demonstrating the value of a staged home to both the seller and to the realtor.  “Showhomes is here to stage, maintain, manage and protect your home. My job is to make someone fall in love with your home; it’s the Realtor’s job to find a buyer”.

 

With experiencing close to a 70-percent success rate of having homes sell within 90 days of being staged, the Pierson’s feel that the human elements—leaving slippers by the bed, The Wall Street Journal near the coffee maker– clearly make a difference and bring a human touch.

 

“To be successful it helps to be well-rounded and most people, because of their corporate careers, are specialists in a particular area, like sales, operations, or administrative. For this reason, it works best with a great team, similar to myself and my wife Lorraine.”

 

“I take great satisfaction in explaining Showhomes to business principals,” says Fred, “Smart people right away say, ‘That’s an amazing business model!’”

Why Restaurant Franchises Cost What They Do

A question we are often asked by entrepreneurs is, “Why do restaurant franchises require such a high investment?” While every restaurant or food franchise’s fees differ, some of the most popular food franchises require investments between $101,000 and $1,700,000.* How can a restaurant franchise cost so much? Aren’t they just selling burgers and fries?

 

The Franchise Fee:

 

Most franchises require franchisees to pay a one-time franchise fee at the start of the franchise agreement. This is, in essence, how most corporate franchise entities make money. It’s equatable to buying any good. If you want the right to own or to use something, you must pay for it first. In the case of a franchise, the franchise fee most often covers the “how-to” guide, which will instruct the franchisee on just about everything concerning his or her franchise.

 The Royalty Fee

 

Not all but many franchises require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee for use of trademarked items. After all, a franchise’s trademarks include more than its logo and slogans; you’re paying for brand recognition. The biggest difference between a double cheeseburger with special sauce and a Big Mac® is the name, not what’s between the buns.

 Operations Costs

 

Running a restaurant might seem fairly straightforward but there’s a reason why most independently owned restaurants fail. (The failure rate for restaurant and food franchises are lower.) The labor, food and operations costs are high when compared with the average 2-3 percent profit margins experienced by most restaurants and food franchises. You’ve got to charge enough to keep the lights on, to keep your servers and cooks paid— but not charge so much that your customers feel you’re unreasonable.

 

If you’re wondering why franchisees put up with so many expenses and risk of failure consider the propensity for success of restaurant franchises. The most popular kind of franchise to start is a food or restaurant franchise for one major reason: there’s huge global demand for fast-casual, quick-service and fine dining establishments with a successful track record.

 

 

*Some franchises, like Taco Bell, require franchisees to own more than one franchise. 

Snips Its Franchise: From Terrifying to Terrific

The snip-snip of scissors and buzz of hair trimmers are not music to the ears of children– unless they’re headed to Snip Its. Started in 1995 by a mother who couldn’t find a hair salon that catered to children, Snip Its has transformed haircuts into a fun experience for kids of all ages.

children's franchise

Most salons and barber shops are uninterested in dealing with wiggling, squirming kids and, even when they are willing, most lack originality in keeping children entertained. At Snip-Its, you won’t find just a box of crayons or a single tattered book to distract kids from the unpleasantness of a haircut; you’ll find an interactive, entertaining environment designed to capture a child’s attention and associate haircuts with fun. A cast of haircut-related characters, like Jean Luc Le Spritz, keeps the atmosphere light and children smiling.

 

Snip Its dedication to children extends outside of its colorful interior. Last year, the children’s haircut franchise teamed up with Autism Speaks to create a DVD for stylists and parents, preparing each to work with children with autism. Each April, Snip Its also participates in National Autism Awareness Month. The franchise also has raised funds through Cookies For Cancer, a not-for-profit that funds major pediatric cancer research.  Pediatric cancer is the top cause of death in children in the U.S.

children's franchise

Each franchisee is thoroughly trained and prepared for owning a business that not only caters to kids, but to parents as well. That, of course, begins with franchisees who are passionate, ambitious, positive and care about children. Snip Its is currently looking for franchisees with prior business experience and are able to inspire and to develop an enthusiastic team.

 

For more information on Snip Its or other children’s franchises, visit Franchise Clique.com.

 

Sandfree Wood Refinishing Has Officially Gone Green

Sandfree Logo

When Sandfree Wood Refinishing first opened its doors in 2001, they made sure to choose specific products that were not only effective, but were also safe for both the environment and their employees.

Sandfree founders did not anticipate the “green” movement and began their search for “green” products when they began working with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. At the time, the Museum was concerned that working with toxic fumes inside their buildings would have adverse effects on the art.

 

Sandfree Wood Refinishing
To become certified as carrying only green products, Sandfree did not have to change any of their materials or methods, they simply had the right people test their materials and document the information, so that they now can ‘officially’ declare what they have always known to be green, as officially GREEN.

On top of their Green guarantee, SandFree assures customers that their floors can be refinished without all the dust, mess, and disruption that a traditional sanding, staining and refinishing causes. The green cleaning franchise offers a variety of finishes that retain the floor’s appearance for up to 8 years, without using harsh chemicals.

Sandfree Wood Refinishing

Sandfree franchisees are able to offer customers an array of options to enhance, protect their home’s floors and make them last longer. Owners who prefer to remain in their home during the refinishing process may do so without worrying about toxic fumes. Although Sandfree was initially intended for commercial use, the franchise’s customer base has expanded extensively to include a wide range of residential customers. This gives the SandFree franchisees an almost infinite number of potential customers in any location!