Tag Archives: franchise

Christian Brothers Automotive: Interview with Top Management

Posted on by

One of the fastest growing automotive franchises isn’t looking for franchisees with past automotive experience. It’s why Automotive Repair For Dummies is required reading for a new Christian Brothers Automotive franchisee. Christian Brothers Automotive isn’t in the car business; it’s in the customer care business.

 

One of the most anxiety-ridden processes is dealing with car trouble. So often we’re told stories of product-pushing mechanics and cumulative costs high enough to make you faint. It’s rare to hear about a place that puts the comfort of the customer first, except at Christian Brothers Automotive.

 

The successful concept began as one garage owned and operated by chief executive officer Mark Carr. Carr is a self-made businessman who fell into the car business accidentally when a member of his Bible study group mentioned he wanted help opening up a garage.

 

Now, 19 years later, Christian Brothers Automotive has 85 locations already serving customers across the U.S. and plenty more locations coming own the pipeline.

 

We interviewed Vice President of Franchise Development Josh F. Wall about Christian Brothers Automotive, what it looks for in new franchisees, how their franchising process works and finally, what we can expect from the franchise in the future.

Interview with Christian Brothers Automotive VP of Development Josh Wall

You can follow Christian Brothers Automotive via Twitter and find the location nearest you on Facebook.

 

Batteries Plus Franchisee Interview

Posted on by


Listening to Bates Kennedy’s smooth southern accent you begin to understand why he’s experienced success as a Batteries Plus franchisee. Since 2001, Kennedy has opened eight of the battery and light bulb retail stores in his home state of South Carolina as well as one in Savannah, Ga.

 

It’s not uncommon for franchisees to leave one industry and enter into another when becoming franchise owners. Kennedy couldn’t have told you a thing about batteries or light bulbs 11 years ago. In 2001 Kennedy was driving down the interstate listening to the radio when PBS aired a story on Batteries Plus.

 

“I remembered they mentioned it was 50 percent commercial and 50 percent retail sales. I knew I could handle the commercial,” said Kennedy, recently unemployed at the time. Before Batteries Plus he was a textile manufacturing sales representative. As the climate of the textile industry changed so did Bates’ employment opportunities. He liked what the radio had to say about Batteries Plus and later in the year, on September 11, 2001, he purchased his first location in North Charleston.

 

Today, almost 11 years later, Kennedy is a franchise veteran. As he speaks about his experience with Batteries Plus, he remarks on both the best and the worst parts about being a franchisee:

 

“These days dealing with banks is the worst part,” says Kennedy, referring to the anxiety shared by small business owners and entrepreneurs alike over finding capital and securing bank loans in today’s economy. Opening any business “takes a lot of capital. You’re going to live without and it’s going to be a time commitment.” Bates adds that being a Batteries Plus franchisee was more than he expected, in a good way. His decade-long partnership with Batteries Plus has been filled with “evolving support” and he feels the franchise has a “good model.”

 

“In the beginning there were a lot of moving pieces,” he continued. “It takes a few months to get the retail location ready. When you’re finally open for business you’re looking at all your brand new inventory and you’re excited. Then you wonder, where are all the customers? Once I had someone walk in, look around, turn to me and say, ‘Batteries. Good luck!’ and walk out the door.”

 

It’s in these beginning moments franchisees begin to realize the financial implications of their franchise agreement. “They’re going to take their cut,” says Kennedy of franchisors, “Whether you write a check or they draft your account.” Bates isn’t bothered by what he pays to Batteries Plus. It pays for all the things he couldn’t or doesn’t have time to handle himself but needs in order to be successful, like marketing. He’s thankful for it.

 

Bates admits franchising “is not for everyone” and he understands why the relationship between franchisee and franchisor can become strained, especially in the beginning and especially when it comes to money. That being said, he’s very happy to be a Batteries Plus franchisee.

 

In the end, “A lot depends on you,” he concludes.

Revive Energy Vending

Posted on by

Remember exam time during college? Twice a year we subsisted on caffeine, Red Bull and whatever snacks we could smuggle into the library. As the clock moved past midnight eyelids at every table began to droop. Soon, there’d be a cacophony of opening energy drink cans, a burst of energy and a crash into more tiredness.

 

The problem with energy drinks, aside from their taste and high price, is they only provide a short burst of energy. When you’re cramming for finals, helping someone move or trying to stay awake on a long drive the last thing you want is to end up more tired.

 

Revive Healthy Energy has somehow managed to make mints that slowly release caffeine and antioxidants for sustained energy. Instead of a burst of energy followed by fatigue, Revive’s mints keep its users happy and energized longer.

Video: The Science Behind Revive

 

Fresh Healthy Vending: Guilt-Free Vending Machines

Posted on by

It’s clearly a concept born in California—vending machines filled not with Twinkies, but with 100% juices, smoothies, fruits, veggies and organic snacks.

 

Fresh Healthy Vending is a franchise concept that is changing snack options in school and office vending machines across the U.S. It’s the new, “Why didn’t I think of that?” idea.

 

Instead of potato chips, candy bars, sodas and other empty calorie foods, Fresh Healthy Vending offers well-known junk food alternative brands like Annie’s, Horizon, Barbara’s Bakery Snacks, Odwalla, Kashi, Clif, R.W. Knudsen and Stonyfield. It’s not just granola bars and naturally sweetened drinks, either. Depending upon the vending machine, you can find entire meals from Thai Kitchen, yogurt from Wallaby’s and even get a daily serving of fruit.

 

Fresh Healthy Vending and similar healthy vending ideas benefitted from President Barack Obama’s The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Created in hopes of challenging the U.S.’ obesity and nutrition problems through the use of healthier school meals, the Act is expected to boost organic food industry sales—which showed a growth of almost 8% in 2010 and grossed over $28.6 billion dollars.

 

All the buzz has meant sweet success for Fresh Healthy Vending. In four months the company made $3.8 million from selling franchises, and they’re looking for more fresh franchisees to make the brand even bigger.

<iframe width=”560″ height=”349″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/GPcQfVWHaAI” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>

Why RedBox Rocks

Posted on by

 

How DVD Kiosks Are Changing The Video Rental Business

 

DVD kiosks from Blockbuster, RedBox and DVDNow seem to be popping up everywhere these days. Within 50 miles of where I’m sitting there are over 80 DVD kiosks—and for good reason—the small DVD rental locations are more convenient and less expensive than their traditional movie rental store counterparts and movie theater tickets.

Like I said, it’s cheap. The cost to rent a DVD from a kiosk is usually between $1 to $3 dollars for 24 hours. Subsequent rental days are usually around $0.99. Most DVDs available are new releases. For the average price of a movie ticket, $7.89 according to the National Association of Theater Owners, you can rent one new release for a week. For the owner of the kiosk it’s less expensive, too. No employees and no brick and mortar location means less overhead and more revenue.

 

Secondly, it’s convenient. DVD kiosks are everywhere: airports, fast food franchises, supermarkets, gas stations, drug stores, and famous places like the Empire State Building.

 

DVD kiosk-adjacent businesses also benefit from the concept’s popularity. For example, a number of RedBox locations are located near a McDonald’s. You can pick up dinner and a movie for less than what you’d pay to walk into a movie theater. Some DVD kiosks, like those from DVDNow, have advertising options further cushioning an owner’s income stream, and the financial benefits don’t stop there.

 

According to thestreet.com, Coinstar, the company behind RedBox, boasted substantial first quarter earnings in 2011 which are projected to continue. The only problem? RedBox (and Blockbuster for that matter) aren’t franchises. Unless you work for RedBox (i.e. Coinstar) or Blockbuster you can’t have a piece of the million-dollar DVD kiosk revenue pie.

 

That is unless you own a DVDNow kiosk.

Enter DVDNow, a DVD rental kiosk that’s fast, convenient, inexpensive and most importantly, a viable source of income for a franchisee. In addition to renting movies, DVDNow users can also purchase DVDs and rent video games, too. DVDNow’s design allows for businesses to advertise their services using an integrated HD television and signage on the front of the kiosk providing franchise owners with additional income opportunities.

 

Dunkin’ Donuts: A Tasty Franchise

Posted on by


HI, MY NAME IS ANNABEL, AND I AM A CAFFEINE ADDICT…

Every morning it’s the same routine: I drowsily silence my alarm clock and roll out to the edge of my bed, depending on gravity to literally get me out of bed. What can I say? I am not a morning person. I shuffle, half awake, to the kitchen and make a pot of coffee. My workday hasn’t officially started until my first sip of piping hot java.

 

YOU KNOW WHAT GOES WELL WITH COFFEE, RIGHT?

A staple of early morning staff meetings, the doughnut is an important part of Americana (even though its cultural origins are disputed). You cannot mention doughnuts (or coffee) without a nod to Dunkin’ Donuts.

 

In 1946, William Rosenberg founded Industrial Luncheon Services, a company that delivered meals, snacks and coffee to Boston factory workers. Industrial Luncheon Services’ success led Rosenberg to open his first coffee and doughnut shop, Open Kettle, which later became Dunkin’ Donuts in 1950. Today, Rosenberg’s franchise has more than 9,700 locations in 31 countries worldwide. Of course, the majority of Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants are in the U.S.

 

Though the original Dunkin’ Donuts location in Quincy, Massachusetts focused on coffee and doughnuts, modern day locations serve much more than the ubiquitous breakfast food. Today, you’ll find apple pie, bagels, breakfast sandwiches, cookies, danishes, and even tuna sandwiches on the menu.

 

Did I mention they serve coffee? While “donuts” might be part of its name, Dunkin’ Donuts’ coffee comprises almost 50 percent of its profits. For the past five years, the company has held the number one spot for customer loyalty in Brand Keys’ coffee category. I’m not surprised, I drink at least one cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee every day. After all, American runs on Dunkin’. Or so they say.

 

FUN DUNKIN’ FACTS

  • Dunkin’ Donuts makes over 1,000 different kinds of doughnuts. My favorite? The French Crueller, feel free to send me a dozen.
  • In 2009 and in 2010 Dunkin’ Donuts held a campaign for the general public to create the next Dunkin’ Donut. Each winner won $12,000 respectively and had their doughnuts offered for a limited time in Dunkin’ Donuts locations. Did you try one: Monkey See Monkey Donut and Toffee For Your Coffee?

 

WHY COFFEE & DOUGHNUT RETAIL FRANCHISES ARE GOOD INVESTMENTS


As a country, 50 percent of Americans drink coffee drink an average of 3.2 cups of coffee every day. At 9 ounces a cup, we’re consuming almost 29 ounces per person per day. It should come as no surprise the U.S. dominates the world in coffee consumption. It’s predicted that by the end of 2011 there will be over 50,000 coffee shops in the United States. There’s an undeniable demand for coffee and its accompanying sweet treats, making coffee and doughnut retail franchises good investments.

SIMILAR COFFEE & DOUGHNUT BUSINESSES AND FRANCHISES

  • Caribou Coffee
  • Café2U
  • Honey Dew Donuts (New England)
  • Big Apple Donuts and Coffee (Asia)
  • J. CO Donuts & Coffee (Indonesia)
  • Krispy Kreme
  • Happy Haus
  • Mister Donut
  • New England Coffee
  • Starbucks
  • The Whole Donut (New England)
  • Tim Hortons
  • Country Style
  • The Coffee Beanery

 

October National Sales Meeting

Posted on by

On Tuesday, October 25, FranchiseClique held a national sales meeting at our headquarters in Charleston, SC. Department heads and regional managers from around the country gathered together to discuss ideas and some exciting new features that will be rolling out soon. Dave Schwartz, CEO, was quoted as saying, “It was a wonderful opportunity for the whole team to come together and collaborate.” Another national sales meeting is scheduled for November.