DIGITAL

ANNUAL 

MEETING 

IFA’S WASHINGTON, D.C. FLY-IN 

TEMBER 29-3O, 2O15 // JW MARRIOTT // WASHINGTON, D.C. 

PHOTO SPREAD pg. 38 

14 Simple Steps to Protect from Hackers 

18 Top 10 Reasons to Add a Franchise 

Intranet to Your Communications Plan 

22 How Websites and Email Marketing 

Boost the Bottom Line 

26 CRM for Emerging Franchisors and 

Established Brands 

30 What You Need to Know About 

Transformative Technology 

THE DIGITAL EDGE: 

USING TECHNOLOGY TO TRANSFORM YOUR BUSINESS 

IFA Names Robert Cresanti 

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VOLUME 47, NUMBER 11 

CONTENTS 

Publisher 

Robert Cresanti 

Associate Publisher 

Scott Lehr, CFE 

Executive Editor 

Alisa Harrison 

Senior Vice President, Media Relations and 

Public Affairs 

Matthew Haller 

Marketing Manager 

Courtney Moore 

Graphic Design Coordinator 

Rahath Alam 

Senior Publishing Manager 

Andrew Parker 

Senior Director of Advertising & Media Solutions 

Gregory M. Cook, CFE 

Membership & Advertising Manager 

Sara Williamson 

Senior Coordinator, Membership & Advertising 

Elizabeth Bailey 

Regional Advertising Senior Managers 

Kelley Class 

Carly Wooley 

Subscription Manager 

Rose DuPont 

Communications Manager 

Jenna Weisbord 

Franchising World (ISSN 1041-7311) “Volume 47, Number 11,” is published 

monthly by the International Franchise Association, 1900 K St., N.W., Suite 

700, Washington, D.C. 20006. Subscription rates are $50.00 per year for 12 

issues. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C., and additional mailing 

offices. Single copy price: $5.00. IFA members receive Franchising World as a 

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For advertising information, call: IFA Advertising Department (202) 628-8000. 

The full text of Franchising World is available in the electronic versions of 

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Franchising World welcomes views and comments from its readers. 

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Copyright © 2015 International Franchise Association. Printed in U.S.A. 

14 

18 

22 

26 

30 

FEATURES 

Simple Steps to Protect Your Business from Hackers 

By Ken Colburn 

10 Top Reasons to Add a Franchise Intranet to Your 

Communication Plan 

By Earl Pinsky 

The Digital Edge: How Websites, Social Media and Email 

Marketing Can Boost Your Bottom Line 

By Amanda Brief 

CRM: Sustainable Growth Tool for Emerging Franchisors 

and Established Brands 

By Stan Friedman, CFE 

What You Need to Know About Transformative Technology 

By Jamie Izaks and Katharine Nichols 

18 

6 

70 

DEPARTMENTS 

PEOPLE & NEWS BRIEFS 

MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISE INNOVATORS 

10 Top Reasons to Add a Franchise Intranet to Your Communication Plan 

2 FRANCHISING WORLD NOVEMBER 2015

ANNUAL 

MEETING 


PHOTO S PREAD 

pg. 38 

6 

10 

12 

34 

38 

45 

48 

IFA INDUSTRY INSIGHTS 

People & News Briefs 

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS & PUBLIC POLICY 

FranPAC Report Card 

BY ERICA FARAGE 

STATE REPORTS – ADVANCING FRANCHISING 

Local Level Assaults on the Franchise Model Continue 

BY JEFF HANSCOM 

FRANCHISE DEVELOPMENT 

Are Background Checks Enough in the Development 

Process? 

BY KEVIN DRUDGE, CFE 

EVENTS 

Franchise Action Network Annual Meeting Photo Spread 

COMMUNITY SERVICE 

Foundation Recognizes “Franchising Gives Back” Award 

Winners During Inaugural Dinner 

BY JOHN REYNOLDS, CFE 

BEST PRACTICES 

Don’t Set and Forget: Tips to Avoid Common Errors in 

Running Your Franchise System 

BY RICK COFFEY 

52 

54 

58 

62 

66 

68 

70 

FINANCE 

Tips for Preventing Credit Card Fraud and Avoiding 

Chargebacks 

BY KEVIN KOBS 

Five Key Lessons to an Effective Franchise Acquisition 

BY PETER HOLT, CFE 

INTERNATIONAL 

International Franchise Expo: Best Opportunity for 

Consummating International Sales 

BY DR. JOHN HAYES 

EDUCATION 

Children’s Services Franchise Sector Continues 

to Grow 

BY CHRIS GOETHE, CFE 

MANAGEMENT & OPERATIONS 

Launching a Mobile Franchising Model 

BY FRANK REPICCI 

HONORING AMERICA’S VETERANS 

Veteran Mentorship Program Offers Vital Support for 

New Owners 

BY TODD JACKSON 


Franchisees Harness Technology to Improve 

Operations, Efficiency 

BY CHRIS AND ANGELA ASHCRAFT 

38 

IFA’S MISSION 

The International Franchise Association 

protects, enhances and promotes franchising. 

IFA’S VISION 

IFA: The preeminent voice and acknowledged 

leader for franchising worldwide. 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 

Melanie Bergeron, CFE 

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK 

Chairwoman 

Aziz Hashim 

NRD Capital 

Vice Chairman 

Shelly Sun, CFE 

BrightStar Franchising, LLC 

Treasurer 

Liam Brown 

Marriott International 

Secretary 

Stephen Joyce 

Choice Hotels International 

Immediate Past Chairman 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

Jania Bailey, CFE 

FranNet Franchising, LLC 

David Barr 

PMTD Restaurants 

Cheryl Bachelder 

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen 

Charlie Chase 

FirstService Brands 

Mitch Cohen 

Baskin Robbins/Dunkin’ 

Donuts Bayshore, N.Y. 

Jerry Crawford, CFE 

Jani-King International, Inc. 

Richard Emmett 

Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. 

Kathleen Gilmartin 

Interim HealthCare Inc. 

Jeffrey Tews 

BrightStar Healthcare of 

Madison, WI 

S and J Home Care LLC 

Franchisee Forum Chairman 

Catherine Monson, CFE 

FASTSIGNS International 

Franchisor Forum Chairwoman 

Ryan Cunningham 

Javelin Solutions 

Supplier Forum Chairman 

Robert McDevitt, CFE 

Golden Corral Buffet 

& Grill 

Barry Miller 

Sylvan Learning Center 

of Girard, Ohio 

Tabbassum Mumtaz 

Apex Restaurant 

Management, Inc. 

Matthew Patinkin 

Auntie Anne’s Pretzels - 

Double P Corporation 

Guillermo Perales 

Sun Holdings, LLC 

Karen Powell, CFE 

Decor & You 

FranchisEsource Brands 

International 

Mariana Huberman 

UPS Store of Washington, D.C. 

Franchisee Forum First Vice 

Chairwoman 

Darrell Johnson, CFE 

FRANdata 

Saunda Kitchen, CFE 

Mr. Rooter 

of Sonoma County, Calif. 

Andrew Puzder 

CKE Restaurants, Inc. 

Michael Seid, CFE 

CFWshops 

Larry Weinberg, CFE 

Cassels Brock & 

Blackwell LLP 

Supplier Forum First Vice 

Chairman 

Gordon Logan 

Sport Clips, Inc. 

FRANCHISING WORLD NOVEMBER 2015 3

IFA PRESIDENT AND CEO’S COLUMN 

Franchising’s Bright 

Future 

AT THE VERY MOMENT that 

franchising shows continued 

strength, durability and growth 

as a business model, it faces 

unprecedented challenges. 

It is an exciting and 

challenging time to take the 

helm as CEO of the International 

Franchise Association. I accepted 

the challenge because I know 

an even more remarkable future 

awaits beyond these rough 

waters, over the horizon. 

This association has a dedicated and committed 

Board of Directors who generously give their talent, time 

and experience. The IFA staff is second to none and 

outperforms and out-delivers for our membership far 

beyond any other association in its class, and I could not 

be more honored at the opportunity to lead this team. 

We fight legislative battles because the first word in our 

mission statement is “protect” — and right now, we have 

to put enormous time, energy and resources into these 

battles. I know we will emerge from our local, state and 

federal legislative and regulatory challenges stronger and 

more effective than ever. 

We will win these policy battles because we will win 

the hearts and minds of policymakers, and the people 

who elect them, with a new message that heralds the 

unsurpassed benefits of franchising to this country. We 

will explain that franchising creates the jobs and starts the 

careers that contribute to each community in every town 

across the U.S. 

Our new “Changing The Narrative Task Force,” led 

by IFA Vice Chair Aziz Hashim, managing partner of 

NRD Capital, is working on a fresh set of messaging 

recommendations, due later this year, that will focus on this 

and other aspects of the extraordinary, positive story that 

franchising has to tell. 

The numbers are clear. Franchising is on track to grow 

at rates that exceed economy-wide growth, according to 

the Franchise Business Outlook third quarter report (see 

story on page 7). Although employment growth economywide 

has moderated, employment in the franchise 

sector continues to outpace growth in non-franchise 

businesses, as it has in each of the last four years. The 

report anticipates franchise employment to increase 2.9 

percent in 2015 (to 8.9 million), while total private nonfarm 

employment will increase 2.4 percent. The report is 

forecasting output growth in nominal dollars for franchise 

businesses to increase 5.5 percent in 2015 (to $891 billion), 

which is faster than the 5.0 percent gain in 2014 and up 

slightly from our June forecast. 

A positive message alone is not enough to win, 

however. We must continue to fight those groups that 

mischaracterize and malign franchising to advance their 

own financial interests. We must continue to fight those 

who seek to harm the franchise model by hijacking the 

regulatory process. The indefensible overreach by the U.S. 

National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold franchisors 

and franchisees liable as “joint employers,” on a wholesale 

basis, would ultimately destroy the franchise model and 

must be stopped. 

What is more fundamental to employment than 

knowing who your boss is? At the end of September, close 

to 400 business leaders descended on Capitol Hill during 

the Franchise Action Network Annual Meeting to push 

for the passage of H.R. 3459/S. 2015, the Protecting Local 

Business Opportunity Act. The legislation will preserve the 

franchise model for small business ownership, invalidate 

the NLRB’s ruling in Browning-Ferris Industries and restore 

the proper legal standard for determining who is a joint 

employer. We are actively seeking cosponsors for the 

bill, and will use all the tools in our arsenal to get this bill 

signed into law. 

IFA will fight tooth and nail against jurisdictions, such 

as Seattle, that would discriminate against franchise 

businesses by implementing policies that treat franchisees 

unfairly. This message resonates and has helped legislators 

see the light in Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis and 

elsewhere. 

Even as we develop our new messaging and newly 

proclaim the overwhelmingly positive and inspirational 

side of franchising, some things will not change. 

Our mission, to “Protect, Promote and Enhance” 

franchising will not change. 

Our passion will not change. 

Our dedication will not diminish. 

Along with the support of the IFA Board of Directors 

and our members, the belief in our mission will grow 

stronger as we navigate the present danger to the bright 

future just over the horizon. 


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PEOPLE & NEWS 

BRIEFS 

IFA Names New 

President & CEO 

The IFA Board of Directors has selected Robert Cresanti as President & CEO for the largest 

organization that represents franchisors, franchisees and suppliers. “We could not be more pleased 

that Robert Cresanti has accepted this position,” said IFA Chair Melanie Bergeron, CFE, chairwoman 

of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK International. “As IFA executive vice president of Government Relations 

& Public Policy and Interim COO, Robert has proven experience in representing the industry during 

very challenging times and brings seasoned judgement and leadership to this important position.” 

Cresanti joined IFA in 2014 from SAP America, Inc., where he served as vice president of Corporate 

Affairs & Government Relations since 2009. 

In his public service, he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2006 as Under Secretary for 

Technology for the Department of Commerce, the highest ranking U.S. official charged specifically 

with representing and advocating for the United States high tech industry globally. He chaired multiple bilateral technology trade 

missions for the U.S. government in the European Union, Asia and Russia and served as co-chair for the White House PCAST, the 

President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. In his nearly decade-long service on Capitol Hill, ranging from Committee 

Chief of Staff in the Senate, to Legislative Counsel in the House, he handled legislation before the Banking, Judiciary, Commerce, 

Government Affairs and Finance Committees. 

As a trade association executive, he served as vice president of Global Public Policy for the Business Software Alliance from 2001 

to 2006, representing the technology industry in international negotiations and complex regulatory, legislative and commercial legal 

matters on a global level. He also served as senior vice president and general counsel of ITAA (now TechAmerica). Immediately prior to 

joining SAP, he served as the CEO of the IPXI, the Intellectual Property Exchange. 

Cresanti received a law degree from Baylor University School of Law, a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International 

Relations from Austin College. He also received a certificate of EC Law from the University of Glasgow Law School and completed 

master’s courses in International Relations from Johns Hopkins SAIS. He replaces Steve Caldeira, CFE, who stepped down on Sept. 

16. 

PEOPLE 

Jon Shell is the new chief 

financial officer of the Dwyer 

Group and Grayson Brown is 

the company’s new general 

counsel. Shell was previously 

CFO of Barbeque Integrated. Brown most 

recently served as general counsel for 

Midas. 

Phil Russo has joined Captain D’s as vice 

president of real estate. He comes from 

FOCUS Brands, most recently serving as 

vice president of real estate. 

Todd Houghton is the winner 

of a free registration for IFA’s 

2016 Convention for filling out 

an IFA communications survey. 

Houghton works for CKFI, a 

Sodexo company, as director of franchise 

network-southeast. With 20-plus years of 

experience in franchisor and franchisee 

roles, his experience lies in brand 

development, business development, 

change management, operational strategies 

and leadership management. He lives in 

Atlanta, Ga. Congratulations Todd! For more 

information and to register for the #IFA2016 

Convention, visit convention.franchise.org 

Marty Welch has joined Legacy Franchise 

Group as chief development officer. He has 

25 years of experience in the franchising 

industry. 

6 FRANCHISING WORLD NOVEMBER 2015 

Office Pride Commercial 

Cleaning Services has added 

Gerry Henley as executive vice 

president. Henley was previously 

president of Kitchen Solvers in 

La Crosse, Wis. 

Hanover, Mass.-based Lapels Dry Cleaning 

has hired David Grippi as director of 

operations. Grippi has more than 20 years 

of experience in the dry cleaning industry, 

including at Dependable Cleaners, Seitz 

Chemical and The Cleanist. 

In-home care and medical staffing 

franchise BrightStar Care has hired Steve 

Schildwachter as chief marketing officer 

and Tom Lehr as chief financial officer. 

Schildwachter was formerly executive vice 

president and chief marketing officer for rVue 

based in Elmhurst, Ill. Lehr comes from AIA 

(Adventures in Advertising) Corp., where he 

was CFO. 

Children’s Lighthouse Learning 

Centers has appointed Monica 

Brown to serve as franchise 

development manager. Brown 

previously worked as franchise 

development coordinator for Gold’s Gym 

International. 

Huddle House has named 

Christina Chambers vice 

president of franchise 

development. Chambers has 

worked in leadership positions with 

Global Franchise Group, Quizno’s and Great 

Wraps. She was most recently director of 

franchise development for Brightway Insurance. 

Karina Rodriguez has joined the marketing 

team at Pizza 9. 

Team. 

Home Instead has appointed Mike 

Boyer vice president of 

international operations. He will 

also serve as a member of the 

company’s Executive Leadership

ADVOCACY IN ACTION 

Business Owners Testify on Joint 

Employment Standard 

Ciara Stockeland testifies Oct. 6 beofre the U.S. 

Senate HELP committee. 

Ciara Stockeland, owner and operator of 

Fargo, N.D.-based MODE designer outlets, 

testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on 

Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) 

Oct. 6 on behalf of the Coalition to Save Local 

Businesses (CSLB). IFA is a founding member 

of the coalition. Stockeland shared her story 

of small business ownership and asked the 

Committee to take action to reverse the U.S. 

National Labor Relations Board decision to alter 

the definition of joint employer. 

Nothing Bundt Cakes Franchisee Mara 

Fortin testifies before the U.S. Senate HELP 

Committee. 

“Our businesses are threatened because 

the NLRB’s new, ‘indirect’ standard may make 

employers liable for employees, even if they 

are not in their direct control,” she told the 

committee. “No longer can businesses be sure 

they will be safe from liability simply because 

they do not control the hiring, wages, or 

supervision of another business’s employees, 

Stockeland added. “No one can safely assure 

me or any other small business that we are safe 

from joint employer liability with our franchisees 

or contractors.” 

HELP Committee Chairman Sen. Lamar 

Alexander (R-Tenn.) stated in his opening 

remarks that the NLRB action represents “the 

biggest attack on the opportunity for small 

business men and women in this country to 

make their way into the middle class that we’ve 

seen in a long, long time.” 

Stockeland’s testimony occurred a week 

after three small business owners testified on 

Sept. 29 before the U.S. House Committee on 

Education and the Workforce, Subcommittee 

on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions. 

The owners requested action to reverse the 

NLRB decision to alter the joint employer 

standard. Mara Fortin, a California-based 

Nothing Bundt Cakes franchisee, stated in 

her testimony that from a legal, business 

and cultural perspective, “the joint employer 

standard is harmful to the future of my locallyowned 

business. The real world consequence 

of the NLRB’s decision is that it will lead to 

a loss of autonomy for local small business 

owners.” 

Burger King Franchisee Ed Braddy testifies 

before the U.S. Senate HELP Committee. 

Ed Braddy, a Maryland-based Burger 

King franchisee, echoed Fortin’s concerns, 

stating that, “among other devastating 

consequences, by expanding liability, I 

believe franchisors will be forced to protect 

themselves. The NLRB ruling will destroy 

the franchise model and franchisee small 

business owners along with it.” 

GROWTH 

2015 

FRANCHISE 

BUSINESS ECONOMIC OUTLOOK 

Franchise Businesses Create Jobs Faster than Other Businesses 

EMPLOYMENT 2007-2015: 

 

0.4% 

-0.9% 

-2.8% 

-5.2% 

-0.3% 

-0.8% 

2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 

New Report Shows Steady Progress for 

Franchise Industry 

The franchise industry will continue to grow 

at rates that exceed economy-wide growth, 

according to the Franchise Business Outlook 

third quarter update report from the IFA 

Educational Foundation and IHS Economics. 

“Franchising is a growth engine for small 

businesses. Not only are franchises creating 

new businesses faster than other businesses, 

the outlook report signals steady growth 

in all franchise sectors over the last three 

months despite the struggles of the broader 

economy,” said IFA’s Educational Foundation 

President John Reynolds, CFE. The outlook 

forecasts a 1.6 percent increase in the 

number of franchise businesses in 2015, 

2.1% 

1.8% 

FRANCHISING 

2.3% 2.5% 

2.2% 

2.1% 

ALL BUSINESSES 

2.9% 

2.3% 

2.9% 

2.4% 

along with a 2.9 percent uptick in employment 

at franchise establishments — higher than the 

2.4 percent growth rate expected in private 

sector non-farm employment. 

Growth of the output of franchise 

businesses in nominal dollars will accelerate 

to 5.5 percent in 2015, while the gross 

domestic product of the sector will rise by 

5.2 percent to $521 billion. According to IFA’s 

Business Leader Survey completed Sept. 

21, IFA members are worried about NLRB’s 

change to the joint employer standard. The 

survey shows that 94 percent believe a 

change in the standard would raise the cost 

of doing business. Read the full Franchise 

Business Outlook Report here: http://www. 

franchise.org/sites/default/files/Franchise_ 

Business_Outlook_September_2015.pdf 

Three new groups have reached agreements 

to develop a total of 27 new Del Taco 

restaurants within central California. 

Mike Sater inked a 20-store development 

agreement spanning six counties. His first two 

stores will open in Fresno and Clovis, and a 

third is planned for Merced, Calif. 

Edible Arrangements has opened its first 

franchise on a U.S. military base at Fort Bragg 

in North Carolina. Franchisees Laverna and 

Martinez Alexander will operate the location, 

serving more than 250,000 soldiers, retirees, 

family members and civilians. 

Sam Thompson has acquired the territory 

for the existing Valpak of Greater Charleston, 

S.C. The territory involves nearly 130,000 

households in Charleston, Mount Pleasant, 

Summerville, James Island, Goose Creek and 

Moncks Corner. 

9Round has opened a location in Bethlehem, 

Pa. The expansion represents the 250th club 

in the company’s franchise network. 

World of Beer has opened its first location in 

the New York City area, in Chelsea. The site 

features more than 5,000 square feet of space 

with a 1,200-square-foot indoor patio. 

Kit Burgess has purchased a 

new franchise for Steamatic in 

Warren, Mich. The location will 

serve northern Detroit. 

SpeedPro Imaging has relocated its 

corporate headquarters from Phoenix, Ariz. 

to Denver, Colo. The new space includes a 

training and technical support center. 

(Continued on page 8) 


(Continued from page 7) 

INTERNATIONAL 

D.P. Dough Franchising has signed a multiunit 

agreement with franchisee group, Nine 

Doughs, to open nine restaurants in college 

towns throughout Ohio, Michigan, Indiana 

and Kentucky. The multi-year pact involves a 

number of investors in Nine Doughs who have a 

background in the music industry. 

resident Thomas Emmons will own and operate 

the Arizona locations. The restaurant is also 

expanding in Ohio and northern Kentucky, 

with two development agreements covering 

13 stores. Owner/operators Kevin and Randy 

Daniel (who are brothers) have added eight 

stores to an existing agreement for five. 

IFA-sponsored Franchise Trade Mission 

Explores Central America 

From Sept. 20-26, a U.S. Franchise Trade 

Mission sponsored by IFA and Franchise Times 

visited Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador. 

Thirteen IFA members joined the mission: 

Arby’s, Berlitz Franchising Corp., Bonchon 

Chicken, FASTSIGNS, Fuddruckers, Kona Grill, 

Mosquito Squad, Russo’s New York Pizzeria, 

Signal 88 Security, Sky Zone, Smashburger, 

Wayback Burgers and Xtreme Lashes. Mission 

participants received market briefings, went 

on site visits and participated in matchmaking 

meetings with pre-screened prospective 

franchisees. Many participants were impressed 

by the quality of investors, with one executive 

calling the Guatemala meetings the best in 

his 35-year career. To see more photos, visit 

www.ifafranblog.com/franchise-trade-missionexplores-central-america. 

MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS & ALLIANCES 

Doherty Enterprises has acquired 10 

Applebee’s locations in the Miami area from 

Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Apple Sauce, Inc. The 

agreement increases the company’s Applebee’s 

locations from 99 to 109, bringing Doherty’s 

restaurant portfolio to 164 locations in four 

states. 

Cheng Cohen served as lead counsel for NRD 

Capital Management’s purchase of Frisch’s 

Restaurants. The purchase represents the 

firm’s first acquisition through its investment 

fund NRD Capital Partners. 

Pet Supplies Plus has created a public dog 

park on the grounds of the brand’s internal 

distribution center in Seymour, Ind. The 

franchise company has transformed part of 

the grounds into Pet Supplies Plus Canine 

Crossroads. 

HONORS & AWARDS 

MODE is one of the winners of the 2015 

SCORE Awards, recognizing excellence in 

American small business owners. To select 

the 2015 SCORE Awards honorees, SCORE 

asked small business owners and mentors to 

nominate their business by sharing ways small 

businesses have made the world a better place 

and how meaningful relationships between 

SCORE mentors and clients have helped 

businesses prosper. 

Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants has reached 

a development agreement recently for five 

additional stores in the state of Washington. 

The new Dickey’s Barbecue Pit locations cover 

eastern Washington in the Spokane region. 

Owner/Operator Mark Engberson is partnering 

with Palouse Restaurant Group to open the 

five new stores. Dickey’s has also signed a 

deal to open four new locations in Chandler, 

Gilbert, Mesa and Queen Creek, Ariz. Phoenix 

MARKETING 

OUTREACH 

Fish Consulting has added a number of new 

clients: Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academies, World 

of Beer, Great Clips and Tin Drum Asiacafe. The 

Hollywood, Fla.-based public relations firm has 

also agreed to represent five brands within the 

Dwyer Group — Mr. Rooter, Glass Doctor, Aire 

Serv, Mr. Appliance and Rainbow International. 

Non-profit organization Tee It Up for the Troops has 

selected the first recipients of a grant designed to help military veterans 

open their own gyms. Hannah and Tristan Ambrozewski, both Iraq 

War veterans, will use a $125,000 grant and a $125,000 loan as start-up 

capital to open an Anytime Fitness gym near Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, 

N.C. Hannah Ambrozewski served as an intelligence analyst with 

the U.S. Army from 2005 to 2012, and Tristan Ambrozewski was also 

an Army intelligence analyst who now performs similar duties as a 

U.S. Department of Defense contractor. Anytime Fitness’ Heartfirst 

Charitable Foundation provided a grant to Tee It Up for the Troops, 

which then selected the Ambrozewskis as recipients from a pool of 

dozens of candidates. 

Captain D’s continues to raise money for the Share Our Strength’s 

Dine Out for No Kid Hungry campaign. The campaign connects kids in 

need with nutritious food and teaches families how to eat healthy and 

affordable meals. Captain D’s locations participated in the program 

during a fundraising drive during September. The company raised more 

than $30,000 for the charity in summer 2015 through 29 restaurants in 

Birmingham, Ala. 

More than 40 Ben’s Soft Pretzels locations are raising funds 

for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. For a minimum $1 donation, 

customers can add to a “battleship” that will be posted in local Ben’s 

Soft Pretzels bakeries. The program’s goal is to top fundraising efforts 

of nearly $17,000 from early 2015 that went to the same organization. 

Wienerschnitzel raised $125,000 at the annual fundraising gala 

for the company’s marquee charity partner, The Literacy Project, a 

non-profit organization dedicated to raising the reading skill levels 

of disadvantaged youth. Wienerschnitzel has also partnered with the 

McGrath family to raise awareness for Be the Match, a bone marrow 

organization. Rhowan and Bergen McGrath, the daughters of motocross 

champion Jeremy McGrath, started selling homemade lemonade at 

their father’s races to help raise money for Be the Match after their 

mother, Kim, was diagnosed with leukemia. Wienerschnitzel will 

continue to supply the McGrath Lemonade Stand with hot dogs for sale 

at each Lucas Oil off-road race event throughout 2015. The company 

will match funds raised up to $1,500 to benefit the organization. 


Will Your Brand Be Next?

REPORT 

CARD 

Erica Farage is senior director of political affairs & 

grassroots advocacy for the International Franchise 

Association. Find her at fransocial.franchise.org. 

IFA’s political action committee, FranPAC, supports 

pro-franchise, pro-business candidates for U.S. 

Congress. 

 

 

following “report card.” 

2015-2016 Cycle Expenditures: $217,500 

Republicans: $175,000 

Democrats: $32,000 

Other: $10,000 

U.S. Senate: 

Ayotte, Kelly (R-NH) ....................................................$5,000 

..............................................$1,500 

......................................................$10,000 

....................................................$1,000 

......................................................$5,000 

...............................................$2,500 

Heller, Dean (R-NV) ....................................................$5,000 

..................................................$1,000 

................................................$3,500 

...................................................$2,500 

...............................................$5,000 

..................................................$5,000 

..........................................................$2,500 

.......................................................$2,500 

Vitter, David (R-LA) ......................................................$1,000 

U.S. House of Representatives: 

......................................$3,000 

Byrne, Bradley (R-AL-01) .............................................$2,500 

.............................................$1,500 

...................................................$2,500 

Curbelo, Carlos (R-FL-26) ............................................$5,000 

Davis, Rodney (R-IL-13) ...............................................$1,000 

Donovan, Dan (R-NY-11) .............................................$2,500 

Farr, Sam (D-CA-20) .....................................................$1,000 

Foxx, Virginia (R-NC-05) ..............................................$2,500 

.........................................$2,500 

Jolly, David (R-FL-13) ...................................................$1,000 

................................................$10,000 

.............................$2,500 

Lipinski, Daniel (R-IL-03) .............................................$5,000 

..................$5,000 

..........................................$1,000 

Farr, Sam (D-CA-20) .....................................................$1,000 

...........................................$1,000 

Pitts, Joe (R-PA-16) .......................................................$1,500 

...............................................$1,000 

Ross, Dennis (R-FL-15) ................................................$1,000 

Scalise, Steve (R-LA-01) ...............................................$1,000 

.............................................$1,000 

...............................................$1,000 

Stefanik, Elise (R-NY-21) ..............................................$1,000 

.................................................$5,000 

...............................................$1,000 

.............................................$2,500 

PAC to PAC: 

American Society of Association Executives PAC .........$5,000 

Blue Dog PAC .............................................................$5,000 

Bluegrass Committee ...................................................$5,000 

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ........$15,000 

...........................................$2,500 

National Republican Congressional Committee ...........$15,000 

National Republican Senatorial Committee .................$15,000 

New Democrat Coalition .............................................$5,000 

Reclaim America PAC ..................................................$5,000 

Republican National Committee ..................................$15,000 

Save America PAC .......................................................$2,500 

................................$5,000 

Voice for Freedom PAC ................................................$5,000 


Servant Systems delivers franchise management software tailored to meet 

 

system, a management dashboard, or to enable mobile workers with a range 

of tablets and smart phones, we can utilize multi-platform technology to 

 

Call Don DeSmith at 734.475.1619 x 21 or email info@servantsystems.com 

to learn how Servant Systems can help you go mobile. 

www.servantsystems.com 

SUPPLIER 

FORUM

STATE ADVOCACY – ADVANCING FRANCHISING 

Local Level Assaults on 

Franchise Model Continue 

More minimum wage battles are on the horizon. IFA is already 

 

 

BY JEFF HANSCOM 

A 

mere three months ago, I wrote a column in this 

space titled “An Increasingly LOCAL Fight for 

$15” and it seems only appropriate to revisit 

those words again. A bit of background may help frame 

the renewed discussion: At its core, the “Fight for $15” 

movement and the resulting ordinances can be broken 

down into three distinct camps. 

• First, there are cities raising the wage for all hourly 

employees at the same time and at the same 

rate, i.e. every business has until 2020 to increase 

minimum wage rates to $15 per hour. 

• Next, there are cities raising the wage to $15, 

but on different timetables based on the size of 

the business, i.e. businesses with less than 250 

employees have five years to get to $15, while 

businesses with 250-plus workers may have three 

years to get to $15. 

• Third, and most concerning to the franchise model, 

there is what I will refer to as the “Seattle model,” 

which attempts to raise the hourly rate to $15 on 

different timetables for different businesses by 

dividing businesses into big versus small, but 

including local franchise establishments in the 

definition of “big” based solely on their affiliation 

with a national brand. 

In essence, this creates an unleveled playing field by 

forcing a franchise sandwich store with 10 employees to 

pay $15 an hour to its employees on a different schedule 

than the sandwich shop next door, selling the same 

products, but which is not affiliated with a national brand, 

thus giving the non-franchise sandwich shop an unfair 

competitive advantage. 

OTHER LOCALITIES FOLLOW SUIT 

Since writing on this topic in August, there have been 

developments in a number of localities including Portland, 

Maine; Kansas City and St. Louis, Mo.; and Seattle. 

• In Portland, the ballot measure calling for an increase 

in the minimum wage to $15 with language that mirrors 

the Seattle ordinance (discriminates against franchises 

based on “big” business definition) is moving forward 

and depending on the date you read this article, has 

been put to the voters. 

• In Seattle, the International Franchise Association’s 

litigation against the city continues with oral arguments 

having been heard by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals 

on Sept. 1, 2015. As of this writing, an opinion has not 

yet been released. 

• In St. Louis and Kansas City, where both cities approved 

minimum wage increases late in the summer, after many 

meetings and discussions with Kansas City officials, IFA 

was able to have the discriminatory language removed. 

However, the same was unfortunately not true in St. Louis, 

where a lawsuit has been filed challenging the ordinance on a 

number of legal points. IFA is financially supporting the suit, but 

is not a named party. 

NEW YORK: LITIGATION PROBABLE 

Not to be left out, the state of New York and Gov. Andrew 

Cuomo (D-N.Y.) circumvented the legislature in Albany and 

convened a “Wage Board” to examine wages within the quickservice 

restaurant industry. 


Given Cuomo’s longstanding close relationship with the 

Service Employees International Union and the appointment 

of an SEIU official to the three member board, it was no 

surprise when the board returned its recommendation that 

wages in the quick- service industry be increased to $15 per 

hour. 

Somewhat surprisingly, or not, depending on your opinion 

of New York politics, the Wage Board to examine wages in the 

quick-service industry did not actually include a representative 

from that industry, but is instead composed of the mayor of 

Buffalo, an SEIU representative and an online retail CEO. 

In response to his calling of the Wage Board, the IFA 

cautioned Cuomo against this discriminatory approach to 

raising wages, and submitted official testimony to the panel. 

Additionally, IFA offered testimony to the N.Y. Senate Labor 

Committee reiterating our concerns with both the formation 

of the board itself and the potential U.S. Constitution 

Commerce Clause issues. 

As of this writing, the N.Y. Department of Labor is moving 

forward with implementing the board’s recommendations, 

with the first increase in the hourly wage slated to go into 

effect before the end of 2015. This despite a litany of concerns 

with the board’s formation, not to mention the exceedingly 

vague definition of which businesses are truly covered by 

these new rules. Stay tuned as litigation is almost a certainty. 

MORE DISCRIMINATORY LEGISLATION TO COME 

Separate and apart from the ongoing minimum wage 

battles across the country, discriminatory predictive 

scheduling bills and ballot measures are beginning to crop 

up across the country. Right now, legislation is pending in 

Massachusetts, as is a potential ballot measure mirroring the 

legislation, both of which discriminate against the franchise 

industry. 

Discriminatory scheduling bills are likely to follow a similar 

path as the minimum wage bills and will likely continue to 

arise at the state and local levels going forward. Needless 

to say, IFA will continue to fight against these discriminatory 

bills, ordinances and ballot measures at every turn. 

With the federal government moving at a glacial pace on 

myriad issues, it remains very clear these fights will continue in 

state houses and city halls across the nation and will continue 

being pushed by SEIU in conjunction with their ongoing 

unionization efforts. There is no doubt there will be more 

battles on the horizon, but IFA is already fighting on several 

fronts and will continue to engage at every level. 

Jeff Hanscom is director of state government 

relations and public policy for the International 

Franchise Association. Find him at fransocial. 

franchise.org. 

ACA COMPLIANCE 

It can be a rough road navigating ACA 

as you try and avoid pothole-like 

 

But with Enhanced ACA from Paycom, 

the road is smooth and the way is 

clear. One HCM application for time 

 

document management ensures 

accuracy of ACA data and enables 

 

1094/1095-B or -C on your 

franchise’s behalf. 

Relax and let Paycom 

take the wheel. 

paycom.com/ifa/aca 

You Can Take the 

Long and Winding Way. 

Or You Can Choose 

Paycom. 


FEATURES 

Simple Steps 

to Protect 

Your Business 

from Hackers 

You don’t have to be a security expert to see that cybercrime is on 

the rise and that businesses are a prime target for hackers. 

BY KEN COLBURN 

The nature of cybercrime shifted years ago from 

those that did it for kicks to highly sophisticated 

organized crime groups. 

The speed, convenience and anonymity of the 

Internet allow them to operate in countries outside of 

our reach and target U.S. businesses. 

The reality is that everything is hackable, but are 

you accidentally making it easier to become a victim? 

Random acts of hacking occur every day because 

unsuspecting victims made it too easy for these 

sophisticated criminals. 

You may recall in the distant past, thieves would 

drive around affluent neighborhoods with various 

garage door openers to see which homes could be 

easily entered. 

Garage door manufacturers produced newer 

security measures in transmitters to combat this simple 

“hack,” but if you didn’t update your equipment, you 

continued to be an easy victim. 

Today, if you don’t continually update your security 

measures, the same thing happens. 

PASSWORDS: FORGET EVERYTHING YOU’VE 

EVER BEEN TOLD 

Passwords are generally all that stand between 

a motivated cybercriminal and your sensitive 

information, but they are the bane of your online 

existence. 

Weak and default passwords are two of the most 

common areas of exposure we come across when 

working with most businesses. 

At least eight characters long, upper and lowercase 

letters, numbers and special characters is what 

most of you have been taught. 

Unfortunately, what the tech industry has taught 

you is how to create difficult to remember passwords 

that are easy for hackers to break. 

With “brute force” computing power so readily 

available to hackers these days, no matter what 

combination of the 8 letters, numbers and special 

characters that you’ve been trained to use, it’ll take 

just over one minute to break it. 

It doesn’t matter what combination you use, 

because it’s a simple math problem that can be solved 

quickly when your password is only eight characters 

long (you can see for yourself with Gibson Research’s 

Haystack tool: https://grc.com/haystack.htm). 

Simply making passwords longer will exponentially 

increase the security against this common exploit 

known as a brute force attack (a sophisticated highspeed 

guessing process). 

All your passwords should be at least 15 characters 

long. Once you’ve stopped gasping at the thought of 

remembering multiple random strings of 15 characters, 

here’s an example: 

‘I Hate Passw0rds!’ is a 17-character password that 

takes the brute force time from 1.12 minutes (for any 

eight-character password) to 13.44 billion centuries. 

Use pass-phrases instead of passwords: 

Going 2 Aruba in 2016! (22 characters) 

Married for 25 years! (21 characters) 


(Continued on page 16)

Don’t Reinvent 

the Wheel 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

USA UK CHINA 

FaegreBD.com/franchise


Some systems don’t allow spaces as special characters, 

so you can either use the underscore or just skip the 

spaces. 

There are certainly other ways for hackers to 

compromise your passwords, but by extending the 

length, you’ve taken yourself out of the crosshairs of a 

very common exploit. 

DEFAULT PASSWORDS 

When it comes to the equipment that you use, every 

hacker knows the default password to every device 

connected to the Internet. Leaving passwords at the 

factory default for any device you use (routers, webcams, 

etc.) makes it much easier for hackers to wreak havoc. 

LOW TECH PASSWORD MANAGEMENT 

Using unique longer passwords for every account 

makes remembering all your passwords pretty difficult, if 

not impossible, so finding a password manager of some 

sort is the key. 

Although there are lots of password management 

programs, don’t forget that a low-tech approach may be 

all you need. 

Writing down your passwords and keeping it buried 

somewhere in your desk is a far better option than using 

the same password on every account you own. 

The total number of “hackers” that can gain access 

to a physical piece of paper buried somewhere in your 

desk pales in comparison to the millions that know to try 

a compromised password everywhere. 

The key is to not make it obvious that the document 

(physical or electronic) is a list of passwords. 

Don’t use the word password anywhere on the 

document and come up with your own encryption scheme 

just in case someone does find it. 

For instance, add four random characters to the 

beginning of each entry so only you will know to ignore 

them. 

While this approach isn’t technically as secure as using 

an encrypted password management program, it’s a heck 

of a lot safer than using the same password everywhere 

and easier for non-tech savvy users to execute. 

TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION 

If you assume (and you should) that at some point your 

passwords are going to be compromised, you need to 

take some steps to protect yourself so you’ll know what to 

do when it happens. 

A very powerful security tool that can thwart cyberthieves 

even if they get your username and password is 

available for just about every online account you have. 

It’s referred to as two-factor authentication (or two-step 

verification) and it refers to something you know (your 

password) and something you own (your smartphone). 

Once it’s turned on, whenever you enter your username 

and password from a computer or mobile device that isn’t 

recognized by the system, a short code will be sent to 

your phone to verify that it’s really you. 

If you don’t enter the code, it won’t let you — or a 

hacker that has stolen your login info — to access the 

account. 

You’ve been using two-factor authentication forever 

whenever you withdraw money from an ATM. You have to 

have your debit card (something you own) and your PIN 

(something you know). 

Imagine a debit card that didn’t require a PIN; that’s how 

you should view your online accounts without two-factor 

authentication activated. 

PASSWORD FRAUD ALERTS 

The best part of using two-factor authentication is 

that it automatically becomes a fraud alert system when 

someone has your username and password. 

Remember, even if a hacker acquires your username 

and password, they won’t be able to access your account 

because they don’t have your phone in their hand. 

Now, whenever you get a text message out of the 

blue saying “here’s your access code,” you’ll know that 

someone has acquired your username and password and 

is trying to use them. 

You’ll also know that they can’t get in without your 

phone, so you can simply change your password to prevent 

future issues. 

The process for setting up two-factor authentication is 

different for every account so a great web resource to learn 

how to turn it on for the web services you use is located at: 

https://twofactorauth.org. 

SECURING YOUR MOBILE DEVICES 

Laptops, smartphones and tablets are critically 

important business tools these days, but they are also 

extremely desirable to thieves. 

Mobile devices by their very nature are more likely to 

be lost or stolen, so you should assume that it’s going to 

happen and act accordingly. 

Make sure all your devices have access passwords to 

make accessing your sensitive info more difficult and install 

a remote tracking program so you’ll know what to do when 

something goes missing. 

A really solid (and free) option is available at https:// 

preyproject.com and it’s much more helpful than Find My 

iPhone or Find My Mac. 

Not only can Prey locate your device, it can lock it 

down, take a picture of whomever is using it, along with a 

screenshot of whatever they are doing on your computer. 

Location alone is not enough for law enforcement to 

do anything in most cases, so the additional evidence is 

very helpful. 

There are certainly many other things that you should 

consider when it comes to cyber-security, but these simple 

steps will go a long way to protecting you against some of 

the most common threats. 

Ken Colburn is president of Data Doctors 

Franchise Systems, Inc. He serves as 

chairman of IFA’s Marketing and Technology 

Committee. Find him at fransocial.franchise. 

org. 


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TF3469

FEATURES 

10 Top Reasons to Add a 

Franchise Intranet to Your 

Communication Plan 

 

want one by the time you read Reason No. 10. (Hint: Generate 

New Business) 

BY EARL PINSKY 

Before we get to the top 10 reasons to add a franchise 

intranet to your communication plan, let’s define what 

a franchise intranet is. It’s basically a cloud-based 

set of software tools used to facilitate communication and 

provide a valuable resource for franchisees. 

A well-rounded franchise intranet should offer information, 

support, a sense of community and more while helping to 

reduce costs as well as ensure compliance with corporate 

objectives and branding. It is supportive, rather than intrusive, 

and should make franchisees feel that they are contributing to 

their business and to the company as a whole. 

Most franchise intranets fulfill basic franchise needs 

through the provision of applications designed specifically 

for the market. These applications typically include document 

repositories for marketing and operational materials; a 

company news or bulletin application; support directories 

to reduce repetitive head office communications; an events 

calendar; message boards to facilitate franchisee to franchisee 

interaction; a content management system to create new 

intranet sections and pages; and user management modules 

to measure franchisee logins and activity within the intranet. 

Many companies marketing franchise intranets also 

sell additional applications or modules that provide more 

capabilities and value to their franchisees as they streamline 

other daily activities. These applications can include website 

and ad builders, franchisee lead generators and related CRM 

components, task lists, sales/royalty reporting (often with 

EFT capabilities), store-opening managers, and training and 

testing modules. Some franchise intranet companies will let 

you purchase these additional applications on an as-needed 

basis to help you keep your costs in line. 

Now that you know what a franchise intranet is, let’s look 

at the top 10 reasons to add a franchise intranet to your 

communication plan. 

1. FACILITATE FREQUENT COMMUNICATIONS 

The best franchisees are informed, engaged and educated. 

A franchise intranet should contain all the documents, training 

and support required by a franchisee to help them run their 

business successfully. Whether you have five franchisees or 

500, you can’t visit them all often enough or offer the support 

they need on a daily basis through email or phone calls. That’s 

impractical and too costly; however, you can use a franchise 

intranet to easily communicate with your franchisees as often 

as you wish. 

2. KEEP IT CURRENT 

There’s nothing worse than a franchisee referencing an old 

document, promoting an expired sale, or using branding that is 

out of date. Everything in your franchise intranet should be as 

current as possible and franchisees should be trained to look to 

the intranet when they need an operations manual, a marketing 

piece, a corporate logo or ad, or any other company image. 

This will keep everyone on the same page as well as promoting 

compliance and reducing potential legal issues. 



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3. SAVE TIME AND MONEY 

Many franchise companies used to print and deliver 

operational and product manuals to their franchisees on a 

frequent basis. Not only was this an expensive practice due to 

printing and mailing costs, these documents were often out 

of date soon after they were delivered. Many companies also 

previously spent valuable dollars on support personnel who 

were tasked to answer the same questions repeatedly. Most of 

these conversations can now be avoided by providing answers 

to the most important and frequently asked questions within 

the franchise intranet. Messages boards within the franchise 

intranet can also help as franchisees communicate with each 

other and ask each other some of the questions which may 

have been previously directed to head office. 

4. ENSURE FRANCHISEE COMPLIANCE 

It can be very costly in terms of legal fees and branding 

when a franchisee strays from company practices or 

obligations. You can help to ensure that your franchisees 

stay on course when all their needs can be met within your 

franchise intranet. This can include FDDs, reports, contracts, 

branding guidelines, and more. As many franchise intranets 

also track franchisee logins and document downloads, you 

will have the proof you may need if someone has gone off 

track. 

5. FRANCHISEES AND EMPLOYEE TRAINING 

A trained franchisee or franchise employee is a valuable 

corporate asset. In many cases traditional classroom training 

is expensive and outdated. Most franchise intranets will 

offer online training and testing that tracks franchisee and 

employee training and results. This type of training is also 

available at the convenience of the franchisee and employees, 

so they can train off-hours and off-site through the cloud-based 

intranet. 

Some franchise intranet training programs will even provide 

a dynamic certificate of completion for each module or course 

with the course name, franchisee or employee name, and date of 

completion filled in immediately and available for printing right 

from the intranet. 

6. EFFECTIVE DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT 

A document management system is used to track, manage 

and store documents. Almost all franchise intranets will use a 

DMS. That allows you to make sure all your documents are up to 

date and in one place, so when a franchisee needs a document, 

he or she is getting the most correct and most current version. 

The most sophisticated DMSs are more collaborative and can 

also track document check-ins and changes so you know who has 

accessed the document and when it was updated. 

7. ENGAGE YOUR FRANCHISEES 

All people want their opinions to matter and franchisees are 

no different. You can make sure you engage your franchisees by 

using the tools provided in most franchisee intranets including 

polls, forums, and message boards. In addition to fostering a 

sense of community, you’ll gain valuable insights into what your 

franchisees are thinking and feeling. 

8. TIMELY REPORTING 

Many franchisors remember the days when franchisees faxed 

or called in their sales reports to head office — in fact, some still 

operate this way. Once the sales reports arrived, royalty reports 

were calculated and a request for payment was made back to 


the franchisee. These days most franchise intranets can 

automate those tasks from POS to sales reports to royalty 

payment calculations to electronic fund transfers right to 

your corporate accounts. Franchise intranet providers can 

customize these kinds or reports and payment methods 

based on your company’s specific needs. 

9. MAKE YOUR FRANCHISEES MORE PRODUCTIVE 

Task automation is a key way to make life easier for 

you and your franchisees. This makes franchisees more 

productive and more profitable. A couple of good examples 

of these kinds of task automation tools are website builders 

and ad builders. A website builder application will allow your 

franchisees to build their own websites in seconds, often with 

the press of a “Submit” button. 

The typical website builder will provide a branded website 

template to ensure compliance with corporate branding and 

allow the franchisee to add content to select areas such as 

staff, specials, events, services, other items. Franchisors 

can also add content globally to all franchisee websites in 

seconds. 

In similar fashion, an ad builder application will allow 

franchisees to use a preformatted template for a printable 

ad, door knocker, brochure, or other marketing piece so they 

can create professional looking sales and marketing materials 

with their own location information in seconds. 

10. GENERATE NEW BUSINESS 

A franchisee intranet can be used to generate and manage 

franchisee leads through an associated lead application 

that resides on your corporate, franchisee, or franchising 

websites. 

When a prospective franchisee fills out an application or a 

request for franchise information, the form results are sent to 

the franchise intranet where designated corporate personnel 

such as a franchise development manager can evaluate the 

lead and process it as soon as possible. 

A good franchise intranet will notify the appropriate 

personnel (such as a franchisee development manager) by 

email as soon as a lead is generated for immediate review. 

Some franchisee lead generators/managers will also score 

the leads based on your criteria and then present “Hot Leads” 

with more prominence. Similar applications that generate 

leads for the franchisees themselves or for employment 

applications can also be used to send completed forms to 

the franchise intranet. 

Franchise intranets save franchisors time and money and 

help ensure compliance with franchise legal requirements 

and branding initiatives. Many franchise intranets can 

be implemented at a very low cost, with a couple offered 

for no cost at all for a basic intranet. These intranets have 

been designed specifically for franchise or multi-location 

companies and are great ways to improve your franchisee 

communications and provide much more. 

Earl S. Pinsky is president and CEO of Franchise 

Software Systems. Find him at fransocial. 


Cloud computing is the practice of using a network of 

remote servers hosted on the Internet to store data and 

access online programs, rather than use a local server or a 

personal computer for those purposes. In simple terms, if 

your data is stored on the intranet, rather than on a hard 

drive on your computer or in your office, you’re using 

cloud computing. If you are accessing programs over the 

Internet, you’re in the cloud. 

When we talk about cloud-based business computing, 

there is a model called SaaS, which means software as 

a service. In this model, a business subscribes to an 

application it accesses over the Internet. An example 

of this SaaS model would be a payroll service where all 

your information and data is stored and maintained by a 

third party company who are used to process your payroll. 

When it’s time to process the payroll, you simply go online 

and use the application to make any employee related 

additions, deletions or edits, then click a button and your 

employees get paid. The entire payroll program and all 

the employee information is stored on servers owned and 

controlled by the payroll company. 

This SaaS model is big business and is being embraced 

by businesses of all sizes in every vertical market. A 

recent report from the research firm MarketsandMarkets 

reported that the cloud market is expected to grow to 

$121 billion dollars by 2015. This represents a 26 percent 

compound annual growth rate from the $37 billion value 

in 2010. 

So why is the Internet called the “cloud”? The term 

goes back to the days of flowcharts when the Internet was 

represented by a big fluffy cloud. Even today, if you have 

a song on iTunes stored on their servers, the download is 

depicted as a cloud with a downward facing arrow. 

Cloud computing saves you time, money, and it’s 

convenient. You can let someone else worry about server 

costs and maintenance, storage space, and application 

updates while you run your business. Using the cloud also 

means that you can access your programs and data from 

any computer in the world with an Internet connection. 

And best of all, cloud computing is now available to 

help you with your franchisee communications, support, 

training, and operations. 

. 

CLOUD COMPUTING: A REFRESHER 


FEATURES 

The Digital Edge: 

How Websites, Social 

Media and Email 

Marketing Can Boost 

Your Bottom Line 

It’s no secret that the digital landscape has changed the 

marketing game for franchisors. Today, potential customers 

navigate the online kingdom through myriad different 

channels and devices. As a result, it’s more important than 

ever for franchisors to rethink their marketing strategy in order 

to break from the clutter and grab the attention of their best 

customers. 

FIRST, CREATE A BRAND-CONSISTENT WEBSITE 

The key to becoming discoverable starts with a brandconsistent 

website. As a franchisor, think of your website 

as your virtual storefront. It should place your franchise in a 

national context with content and messaging that is consistent 

across your network. Your website should also include content 

that appeals to consumers by emphasizing the services, 

terminology and values that matter most in your franchise 

community. Ensure your customers can find you by adding 

keywords and phrases relevant to your business. Remember, 

write for the customer first, then the search engines. 

WEBSITE TIPS 

• Distributed marketing: Your website should be 

optimized to expose localized and national content to 

search engines. 

• Responsive design: Build your site so that the content 

adjusts to suit virtually any size screen. 

To succeed and 

grow your business, stay 

abreast of emerging technology 

and tailor your marketing to 

consumers at the right time 

with the right message using 

the right channel. 

BY AMANDA BRIEF 

CHANGE THE WAY YOU DO EMAIL MARKETING 

The advent of wearable technology and smart devices has 

caused a major shift in the way that people engage with email 

marketing. Consumers can now sort through emails with the 

swipe of a finger while commuting or working out at the gym. 

According to Pew Research Center, 52 percent of cell phone 

owners use their mobile devices to send or receive emails. As 

a result, franchisors need to design responsive email templates 

that can be opened on any device. 

Franchisors must also pay attention to the type of email 

messages that they are sending to potential customers 

throughout the day. If you’re looking to promote a flash-sale 

deal for your franchise network, engagement levels are likely to 

rise if you send the email outside of traditional work hours when 

consumers are away from their desks and not easily distracted 

with work-related matters. On the other hand, if you’re looking 

to send a survey email, your response rate will likely be higher 

when consumers are navigating their inboxes from desktop 

computers as it is harder to complete a survey from a mobile 

device or tablet. 

PREPARE TO TARGET DIFFERENT AUDIENCES WITH 

SOCIAL MEDIA 

It is important to note that consumers navigate social media 

sites differently across the board. For example, one consumer 

may use Facebook to skim industry news while another may use 


it to connect with peers. 

Therefore, franchisors 

must rethink their social 

media strategy in order to 

captivate their audiences 

in the networking sites that 

matter most to them. 

Having trouble figuring 

out how your target 

audience uses social media? 

Quick tip: Take a look at how 

your competitor is leveraging 

social channels. If you see that 

it garners strong engagement 

after posting a promo code on 

Twitter, you may want to test 

Twitter as a revenue-generating 

tool. 

Social media behavior also 

fluctuates depending on a 

number of demographic factors. 

According to the Pew Research 

Center, Facebook remains the No. 

1 social media site; however, photo sharing apps such 

as Instagram continue to rise for adults ages 18 to 29. If 

you’re operating a local gym targeting 18 to 34 year olds, 

you may want to consider using Instagram to promote your 

franchise network in order to drive new leads. 

It’s important to note that gender also plays a key role in 

social media behavior. According to Business Insider, men 

are more likely to use Twitter and LinkedIn while women are 

more likely to use photo-sharing sites such as Pinterest and 

Instagram. These factors should play a role in your decision to 

launch promotions and contests through social media. 

Of course, you also need to establish your presence and 

build a foundation of followers so that promotions actually 

reach people. Share fresh content across your social networking 

site and use catchy headlines to attract the attention of your 

consumers. Need some inspiration? Engage your social users 

by sharing how-to articles and asking trivia questions. 

TECHNOLOGY WILL CONTINUE TO EVOLVE 

The digital landscape changes each day with the influx 

of new technology and applications. What once was popular 

today (remember MySpace?) may be obsolete tomorrow. In 

order to succeed as a franchise and grow your business, you 

must stay abreast of emerging technology trends and tailor 

your marketing activities so that they hit consumers at the right 

time with the right message using the right channel. 

Amanda Brief is marketing manager for Yodle. 

Find her at fransocial.franchise.org. 

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Putting a million people 

to work. 

It all started when Bob Funk, 

CEO and Chairman of Express 

Employment Professionals 

moved from Washington to pursue 

an opportunity in Oklahoma. “I am 

an Oklahoman, not by birth, but by 

choice,” Funk said. “For me, coming 

to Oklahoma was a turning point in 

my life. I am convinced that no other 

state would have offered the business 

opportunities that I experienced as a 

young entrepreneur.” 

“At 18, I decided I wanted to be 

three things simultaneously - a minister, 

a rancher, and an entrepreneur,” Funk 

said. “When I made that declaration to 

my boss, he told me I was dreaming. 

But, I didn’t let that stop me. I worked 

my way through college and became 

the first to graduate out of 32 cousins. 

Today, I am so blessed to have seen all 

three of those dreams come true.” 

“I became a true entrepreneur 

in 1983 with the start of Express 

Employment Professionals, and the 

staffing industry became my ministry, 

because we are able to give hope and 

encouragement to so many people,” 

Funk said. 

Express has become a powerful 

economic leader in Oklahoma, in large 

measure, because of the fearless work 

ethic of Funk and the employees at the 

company’s international headquarters. 

Hard work and determination are part 

of the Oklahoma culture, and part of the 

reason Express has reached its current 

level of success. 

“Under Funk’s leadership, Express has put 

more than six million people to work” 

“The 450 individuals at our 

international headquarters in Oklahoma 

City and our 30 offices throughout 

the state of Oklahoma are the most 

productive, loyal, and driven employees 

I could ask for,” 

Funk said. “The company is 

successful because of the relationships 

we build with employees, potential 

employees, franchisees, businesses, and 

the community.” 

Funk aspires to the notion that 

everyone deserves to experience the 

satisfaction and self-esteem that comes 

from being engaged in meaningful 

work. Whether you’re an IT professional, 

an entrepreneur, a warehouse worker, 

or any and everything in between, 

meaningful work can add purpose and 

fulfillment to your life. It can help shape 

your future and your children’s future. 

Work can add to your satisfaction, 

success, and happiness. It can give 

hope. 

“Employment impacts all of our lives. 

When we help people find a job, it helps 

restore confidence and provides them 

hope,” Funk said. “A job helps them 

take care of their family. There is honor 

and fulfillment in hard work. There is 

tremendous personal value in a job well 

done.” 

Express is the third largest employer 

in the State of Oklahoma, employing 

more than 30,000 people in 2014. 

Under Funk’s leadership, Express has 

put more than six million people to 

work. Our long-term goal is to put a 

million people to work annually. 

“There is honor and fulfillment in hard work. 

There is tremendous personal value in a job 

well done.” 

Express not only provides hope 

through employment, but believes in 

investing in the community. In the last 

10 years, the Express Philanthropic Fund 

has contributed more than $7.5 million 

to charitable organizations throughout 

Oklahoma. 

“Giving back is not just a moral 

obligation for the Express franchise 

network,” Funk said. “We are 

community driven and our people 

have a passion to help others. We 

know we would not be where we are 

today without the support of the local 

communities in which our offices are 

located.” 

Bob Funk, Chairman and CEO 

Funk is CEO and Chairman of 

the Board for Express Employment 

Professionals. With its international 

headquarters in Oklahoma City, 

Express has more than 750 franchises 

and reached sales of $2.85 billion in 

2014. Staffing Industry Analysts named 

Express as one of the fastest growing 

major staffing companies and ranked 

the company No. 1 in industrial staffing 

in 2014. 

“We are community driven and our people 

have a passion to help others.” 

Express provides staffing expertise 

in evaluation hire, temporary and 

flexible staffing, professional search, 

and human resources, and works across 

a wide variety of industries with more 

ExpressPros.com 

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FEATURES 

CRM: Sustainable Growth 

Tool for Emerging 

Franchisors and 

Established Brands 

Customer relationship tools enable franchisors to 

better manage relationships with prospective and 

existing franchisees. 

BY STAN FRIEDMAN, CFE 

Fabled football coach Lou Holtz once said: “In this world 

you’re either growing or you’re dying.” 

There’s lots of truth to that quote, but I respectfully 

modify it for franchising to say, “Without sustainable growth, 

you’re dying.” That goes for both legacy and established 

brands, as well as for those just emerging. In today’s market, 

sustainable growth does not just happen; it requires discipline, 

professional management and systems reliance. 

Where better to begin introducing those attributes within 

your franchise company than at the starting line: customer 

relationship management tools that deliver self-directed and 

managed experiences for franchise candidates while also 

providing franchise development teams with reliable ways to 

track candidates as they embark upon their discovery journeys 

to learn more about your brands, opportunities and processes. 

Fact: Google has changed forever the way candidates 

discover information about franchise opportunities and how 

they go about doing due diligence on these brands. More, now 

than ever, high quality, direct candidates self-identify much 

later in the game, having already done a significant portion 

of their early-stage learning about your brand independently. 

With acquisition costs for quality leads as high as they are 

today, franchisors can ill-afford to allow even one such lead to 

fall through the cracks. 

FRANCHISORS NO LONGER DICTATE DISCOVERY 

Gone too are the days when franchisors could unilaterally 

dictate how candidates manage their discovery processes, 

much less fully control a candidate’s learning experience. 

Smart franchisors know that they still need some type of guard 

rails around their processes, while providing candidates 

the freedoms they expect, in terms of learning about their 

opportunities. 

Those same franchisors realize too that while these 

candidates are moving around with more self-directed 

discovery, franchise sales teams must still be able to 

properly track and guide candidates through the funnel 

consistently and properly. Franchise CRM technology makes 

all of this possible and also enables franchisors to rest 

assured that candidates are receiving the right information 

at the appropriate stages of the process and that franchise 

development directors are actually spending face and phone 

time with those candidates that are most likely to continue 

moving forward, as opposed to wasting time with those least 

likely to proceed. 

No matter the source of your leads, it is essential that 

you have the tools in place to assure that your development 

teams execute well. That all-important “speed to lead” 

is something that far too few really excel at. Yet it is easily 

accomplished with CRM and is a must if you hope to convert 

inquiries into engaged candidates. Franchisors must still 

find ways to assure consistency in the management of their 

processes and that their development teams, much less their 

candidates, remain on task. 

Candidates today are not just looking at you. They are 

often juggling communications and materials from multiple 

brands, all at the same time. Those franchisors who are 

communicating with candidates and managing these 

relationships utilizing professional tools like CRM can rest 



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assured these tools are helping to assure their candidates remain 

focused and engaged. In fact, it’s a safe bet that franchisors that 

are systems reliant, as opposed to just being people dependent, 

will almost always be more certain to win their opportunities. 

CRM tools such as candidate portals help brands better 

tell their stories in environments that are not competing for 

the attention of the prospects. And, in these environments, 

franchisors can constantly update content, because they control 

it. The franchisor has the ability to serve up ever-changing, 

topical and timely digital information about their offerings, as 

opposed to being locked into old school, static media or virtual 

brochures. 

CANDIDATE PORTALS PAY DIVIDENDS 

There’s no better way to keep information about your concept 

fresh, communicate your brand’s story and provide meaningful 

information about your offering, than to lay down a track for 

your candidates inside a candidate portal, still allowing them the 

freedom of self-direction. 

Candidate portals also pay dividends to the sellers. They do 

so, by reporting each click candidates make back to the seller’s 

dashboard. As candidates open and review the digital assets 

you’ve made available for them, franchise sales personnel know 

they’ve been there and what they’ve viewed. This kind of business 

intelligence is powerful and empowers the franchise development 

team to easily identify which candidates are actually engaged 

and doing their assigned work between scheduled calls. It also 

helps your team determine who they should be focusing their 

time and energy on. 

In no uncertain terms, tools like these very quickly help your 

teams separate the wheat from the chaff. They can place a greater 

focus on those candidates that are most likely to cross the finish 

line one way or the other. We know that most candidates don’t 

cross the finish line as a “yes.” But if you know how many “noes” 

it takes to get to your next “yes,” these tools will help your 

sellers remain focused on those candidates that will ultimately 

come to some decision, as opposed to those who will ultimately 

just disappear into the ether. High performance professionals 

in franchise development work best with structured licensing 

systems powered by tools like these. CRM for sustainable growth 

however, does not end here. 

FOR EMERGING FRANCHISORS 

You wear many hats and don’t always have budget for the 

headcount you wish you could add to the corporate team. Your 

time is spent juggling operational support, legal/compliance 

issues and of course, franchise sales. For far less than you’d 

spend adding even one new person, CRM could help you reclaim 

many cycles of time, currently lost on mundane tasks and chores. 

Franchise-centric CRM could easily and efficiently streamline 

many things: 

• Collaborative communication tools that easily associate 

contacts with the entities that own units and all of the 

agreements associated with those contacts and entities. 

• Location records could be linked to important dates, 

anniversaries and work flows. 

• Triggers, alerts, milestones and dependencies could all 

be organized in ways that would always keep you and 

your teams in front of important dates and events. 

• Relevant documents associated with all of the above 

could also be comprehensively linked together. 

• E-mails originated by anyone on the corporate team 

or from franchisees to corporate could all be housed, 

archived, stored and associated within the appropriate 

contact or location records. 

This type of contact/content management brings a 

higher level of organizational efficiency to your business and 

empowers you to work both in it, as well as on it. Reports 

generated by CRM create metrics, KPIs and trackable trends 

that let you better manage what you measure. More of your 

time could then be spent focusing on building top and bottom 

line growth, which brings us back to where we started, it’s all 

about sustainable growth. 

While all of these advantages could benefit emerging 

franchisors, the same holds true for established brands, but 

there the needs are even more complex and compelling. 

FOR ESTABLISHED BRANDS 

With layers of personnel and management between c-suites 

and front lines at legacy or established brands, it is essential for 

leadership to have tools which enable better communication, 

collaboration, transparency and reporting. CRM can easily 

empower sustainable growth for these companies, as their 

need for communication, relationship management and 

compliance is further complicated by the multiples. In these 

organizations the likelihood is high that many franchisees are 

multi-unit/multi-branded and there may even be franchisees 

in these organizations who are associated with more than one 

ownership group. 

The need for franchisors to know who’s who inside these 

franchise populations and where else they may have nexus 

to other individuals or entities within the brand could be 

paramount. Ready access to data and information that can 

be easily sorted, reported and dash-boarded is simple to 

accomplish with tools such as these. 

SUSTAINABLE GROWTH: A MUST, NOT AN OPTION 

No matter where you currently find yourself on the maturity 

continuum, CRM empowers and enables franchisors and 

their teams to better manage relationships with prospective 

and existing franchisees. It helps you manage because it 

helps you measure. CRM also empowers and enables better 

communication within your organization and helps teams work 

more efficiently. 

Bringing 21st century CRM tools into your business will, 

at the very least, spark change. As we all know, people resist 

change. Sadly, in most businesses as in life, change is certain, 

growth however is optional. In franchising though, sustainable 

growth is a must, not an option. If you plan to continue 

growing and scaling your business successfully, tools such as 

CRM are a must, as they assist you in meeting and exceeding 

your goals. 

Stan Friedman, CFE is President of FRM Solutions. 

Find him at fransocial.franchise.org 


FEATURES 

What You Need to Know About 

Transformative 

Technology 

Attention Franchise Marketers: The future is arriving … quickly! 

BY JAMIE IZAKS AND KATHARINE NICHOLS 

Transformative technology is technology that inspires 

a change or causes a shift in viewpoint. The term 

encompasses multiple industries and sectors from 

education to healthcare and also applies to marketing. 

In marketing, there have been several transformative 

technologies that have changed the industry over the past 20 

years, including the Internet, smart phones, the “cloud,” and 

social media, among many others. 

Technology is constantly evolving, becoming more 

streamlined, mobile, connected and automated. There are 

new opportunities for advertising and marketing than ever 

before, but also more nuances and details. Mobile marketing, 

nearfield communication and marketing automation have 

become huge game changers that can greatly impact one’s 

return on investment. The industry’s biggest players including 

Apple, Google and Facebook, maintain significant control in 

many instances, so marketers must be savvy to the constantly 

evolving playing field. 

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR FRANCHISORS AND 

FRANCHISEES? 

Although transformative technology can be a daunting 

concept, we encourage you to take it one step at a time. 

There are many small steps to create a comprehensive plan 

that embraces transformative technology options. 

Here are five key points to keep in mind: 

Seismic cultural shift to mobile. 

According to a study by comScore, the number of mobile 

users exceeded the number of desktop users in 2014 in the 

United States. Additionally, consumers are spending most 

their time consuming digital media within applications. In fact, 

the percentage of time spent on apps is 86 percent, compared 

to 14 percent for mobile web. 

The shift to mobile and mobile apps is not a fad; it’s a 

cultural transformation. Making sure your website is mobileoptimized 

and that you are considering potential apps are 

important discussions to be having today. 


Make sure you are well-protected. 

According to Experian’s 2015 Data Breach Industry Forecast, 

“For businesses, the risk of experiencing a data breach is 

higher than ever with almost half of organizations suffering at 

least one security incident in the last 12 months. To address 

this, 48 percent of organizations increased investments in 

security technologies in the same timeframe, and 73 percent 

acknowledged the likelihood of a breach by developing a data 

breach response plan.” 

In fact, “hacking as a service” is now a growing industry. 

Making sure you have a cyber security system and a crisis 

management plan in place is extremely important. Consider 

everything hackable. 

Information is easier to find than ever. 

Google search terms and Boolean logic make finding 

information as easy as typing in a few characters. Someone who 

wants to find information can search Google, scan social media, 

look at review sites, or get access to public records. These tools 

can be extremely helpful or an extreme nuisance. Be cognizant 

of what you post or share online. Almost everything online is 

archived and can be found. 

Streamline your social media with helpful apps. 

There are a number of helpful apps that can be utilized to 

streamline social media sites for franchisors and franchisees. 

These include HootSuite and Crowdbooster, which allow you 

to post to multiple social media platforms at the same time 

from one dashboard and visualize your analytics. 

WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND ABOUT TRANSFORMATIVE 

TECHNOLOGY 

The opportunities to market your brand are endless, but it’s 

important to examine everything with a critical eye. 

Here are four main points to keep in mind as you examine 

new technologies: 


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Walk before you run. 

Take each suggestion and recommendation to transform 

your tech one step at a time. If your website is not yet mobileoptimized, 

use that as your starting block. If you are already 

mobile-optimized, start to examine apps. 

Evaluate opportunities, but don’t feel compelled to do 

everything. 

This point is especially important for social media purposes. 

For example, a restaurant or vendor that sells products would 

probably benefit from a Pinterest and Instagram account, 

where they can show off specific items. A service-based 

franchise, however, may not be a good fit for visual social 

media platforms. 

Stay true to your brand and demographic. 

Creating a loyal online following comes after you have 

created a loyal customer base. Utilize technology to enhance 

your brand, but not to change it. Apps and social media sites 

provide new platforms to reach your demographic, but can 

also lead you astray. 

DEEPER DIVE: FIVE WAYS TRANSFORMATIVE 

TECHNOLOGY CAN MORE EFFICIENTLY TELL YOUR 

BRAND’S STORY 

Now that you know more about transformative technologies 

and how to integrate them into your franchise businesses, 

let us transition into a discussion on how they can provide 

compelling pathways for brand storytelling — how you share 

your brand’s vibe, culture and values through persistent and 

engaging marketing programs. 

1. Incorporate video into all forms of digital marketing 

First and foremost, in today’s online marketing world, 

video always wins. Why? Because human beings are likely to 

spend extended periods of time watching moving images and 

sounds. Static text or photos don’t command the same kind of 

attention from web. As such, search engines and social media 

sites such as Facebook reward the use of video. 

Incorporate well-shot and tightly edited video productions 

into your digital assets. Websites, social posts, blogs, landing 

pages and more with video always outperform other formats. 

Pivoting your mindset on this from static text and photos to 

active video takes a team effort. Your social and public relations 

team, web developers, e-mail distribution company and more 

all need to collaborate to bring video to the forefront. Several 

marketing departments at franchise companies are already 

shifting resources towards full-time video production teams. 

2. Mobile apps are more than just for placing orders 

Mobile apps provide brands a unique storytelling 

opportunity, but it takes creative ideas to think beyond the 

typical app, which most commonly is designed to allow 

customers to place orders. 

Additional options to consider include: 

• Customer-driven, branded photos and videos, 

• Video games, 

• Project management – keep your customers up to 

date, 

• Behind the scenes access to news, information and 

executives only available on the app, and 

• Alert push notifications. 

The list goes on, but more importantly, mobile apps 

provide a platform to continue the story about your brand. As 

mobile devices outpace other forms of computer technologies, 

developing an app strategy is going to become increasingly 

common. 

3. Tread lightly on in-store technologies 

There are a variety of in-store marketing considerations to 

make, such as oversized monitors and self-ordering kiosks, but 

today’s hottest in-store marketing topic is the beacon. 

Becoming all the rage in retail, beacons are simple 

Bluetooth technologies that can customize dining, shopping, 

traveling and entertainment experiences by tracking customer 

experiences. 

For example, a guest could arrive at hotel and be greeted 

with a very personal message based on their preferences and 

travel history. Their hotel amenities usage, such as restaurants 

and workout facility, could all be tracked, and special messages 

could then be shared with that guest throughout their visit. The 

transmission of data back and forth between customers and 

brands is powerful and can be used to create an experience 

completely personal. 

4. Content aggregation 

Until recently it was hard to justify spending the thousands 

that it would take to thoroughly monitor your brand online – 

review sites, social media, message boards, blogs and more. 

But, content aggregation tools have come a long way. 

These monitoring applications can assist immensely and will 

be transformative in terms of your ability to assess sentiment, 

respond to complaints, resolve issues and more effectively tell 

your brand story. 

You will take greater control over your brand’s story by 

being able to “social listen” with greater ease and shape 

conversation in real time. 

A few to consider include Hootsuite for Agencies, Likeable 

VIP and Agorapulse. 

5. Virtual Reality 

Now this is some heavy stuff. It’s rarely seen today, but 

you’ll be hearing more about it on a regular basis in the coming 

years. Virtual reality will become a consumer marketing channel 

that will vastly enhance brand storytelling. 

Consider that you will be able to visit a restaurant virtually 

before setting foot in it. Or, that you can visualize products 

and services before they are actually in hand or performed. 

Leading companies such as Google have begun to transform 

our world into virtual experiences. 

Gartner, a technology research firm, predicts that 25 million 

virtual headsets will be in consumer hands by 2018…the future 

is arriving quickly. 

Jamie Izaks is president and 

founder of All Points Public 

Relations and Katharine Nichols 

is a senior lead for the company. 

Find them at fransocial.franchise. 

org 


FRANCHISE DEVELOPMENT 

Are Background 

Checks Enough in the 

Development Process? 

Research prospects’ credit, driving histories, criminal backgrounds and 

 

much more. 

BY KEVIN DRUDGE, CFE 

The answer is not as simple as it may seem. With the 

tremendous amount of information now available on 

the web, franchise development is much different 

than it was 15, 10 or even five years ago. As a result of the 

information explosion, prospective franchisees are engaging 

us from a position of knowledge. 

Even before the first meeting, having the proper 

information is mission-critical to attracting quality 

candidates to your brand. The information available for 

public consumption can be overwhelming depending on 

which strategies are used for development efforts: franchise 

specific websites, portals, social media, public relations, 

pay-per-click, webinars, blogs, virtual tradeshows and more. 

Making sure you have the proper messaging and utilizing 

this information to the fullest extent possible is crucial to 

the success of your development efforts. As development 

professionals we must leverage this information or run the 

risk of falling behind. 

NO LONGER GATEKEEPERS 

Today, prospective franchisees have a wealth of 

information at their fingertips and are choosing to be 

much better informed earlier in the process regarding their 

options and are using it to determine when and if they will 

engage us. Franchise development personnel are no longer 

the gatekeepers of information. This role shift means they 

no longer control every part of the process nor are they the 

sole source of information for what prospective franchisees 

hear and see regarding our offerings. Proper messaging is 

essential and how it’s is conveyed across different sources 

and target audiences is increasingly critical. 

The franchise development landscape is highly competitive 

and becoming more so. This, coupled with the reality that 

strong franchise candidates are typically considering multiple 

options, means development staff must fight tooth and nail 

to bring them into their networks. Information, and its proper 

use, has rapidly become the determining factor in who wins. 

Bringing on the “perfect” new franchisee is the ultimate goal 

of every franchise. 

But what is that perfect franchisee? People can look 

perfect on paper, interview like champions, carry themselves 

well or speak intelligently and make us think they are the best 

fit for our brands. But do we really know this person after 30 




to 60 days of conversation or two chats a week and 

one face-to-face meeting? 

You can run credit, driving history, criminal 

background checks and utilize personality profiling 

tools — all of which are important, but there are 

opportunities to learn so much more through the world 

we live in. Consider the length of your typical sales 

process. Recognizing that time kills all deals, most 

franchisors try to run the shortest timeframe possible 

while giving prospective buyers time to properly 

evaluate the opportunity. The financial burden is 

extremely high. Industry sources such as FRANdata 

and Franchise Update Media Group estimate the 

average cost per deal between $10,000 and $25,000 

or more, and this doesn’t include compensating the 

salesperson. The bottom line: franchise development 

efforts are very expensive and also one of the most 

important elements of a successful franchise company. 

WHAT MOTIVATES PROSPECTS TO MAKE A 

CHANGE? 

Prospective franchisees are learning everything 

they can about a brand as quickly as possible in order 

to make an informed decision. Given the readily 

available data, shouldn’t we be doing the same 

thing to get to know our prospects personally and 

professionally? 

Many of our franchise prospects today try to 

connect with us on social media or at least look at our 

profiles, both personal and corporate, to investigate 

the development staff, executive team and our 

company during the process and beyond. I encourage 

all franchisors to accept most of these invitations as 

a means of getting to better know our prospective 

franchisees. 

This may cause concern for some who prefer some 

level of personal privacy. On the other hand, we should 

consider the opportunity it creates to help better vet 

prospects and see what interests and drivers they 

have motivating them to make a major change. 

After all, the efforts each party goes through to 

properly conduct due diligence is expensive and time 

consuming, but well worth the effort. Think about 

the last time you made a major purchase, sought 

employment, or tried to volunteer for a school, 

church or youth sports league. Most of the time we 

are accustomed to being “checked out,” whether it 

is simply pulling our credit or driving records, or even 

criminal backgrounds and histories. 

We need to adopt policies and practices in our 

franchise development processes that allow us to 

portray ourselves and our companies in manners that 

address prospects’ emotional drivers while we engage 

and get to know them. Part of this effort involves 

not just being selective in who we administer these 

processes with, but doing it with every candidate at 

the appropriate time in the development process. Do 

it smartly, in a non-alarming way and don’t be afraid to 

research the people you plan to do business with over 

the next 10 to 20 years. After all, they are doing the 

same thing to every company they consider. 

By not being responsible franchisors and fully 

vetting prospective franchisees, we run the risk of 

bringing in under-performing franchisees and setting 

our brands up for additional headaches down the road. 

We also run the risk of thinking we have a great new 

franchisee only to find out during the lending process 

that he is not able to access the necessary funding for 

the project. Now both parties have wasted time and 

money on someone who shouldn’t have been awarded 

a franchise in the first place. 

SET YOUR BRAND UP FOR SUCCESS 

As we evolve and adapt our franchise development 

processes we should keep in mind certain types 

of franchise companies draw more scrutiny from 

customers, lenders or suppliers. With readily available 

information, partners and customers can quickly and 

easily find out about our franchisees — meaning 

one “bad apple” can really impact your growth and 

development, both short and long term. 

Technology and information are reshaping our 

franchise development efforts. Properly using it 

to identify and vet the right prospects will set our 

franchise brands up for success. No longer are the 

old staples like credit pulls or background checks 

sufficient. It’s not a question of should we incorporate 

all of these new sources of information, it’s a matter of 

how and when and in what manner that makes sense 

given our development process and franchise offering. 

To arrive at the “perfect” new franchisee we must 

gather as much relevant information and incorporate 

these practices into our marketing and development 

processes routinely. 

Kevin Drudge, CFE, is Chief Development 

Officer at AdvantaClean. Find him at 

fransocial.franchise.org. 

ADOPT POLICIES THAT ADDRESS PROSPECTS’ 

EMOTIONAL DRIVERS 

It has become a mainstream practice in our lives 

to protect ourselves, our families and everyone’s 

well-being. Don’t be afraid to utilize these traditional 

means of vetting prospective franchisees, but also 

incorporate these new sources of information at the 

same time. 


1 2 

IFA FRANCHISE ACTION NETWORK TELLS 

CONGRESS TO PROTECT THE FRANCHISE 

BUSINESS MODEL 

BY ANDREW PARKER 

ANNUAL 

MEETING 


SEPTEMBER 29-3O, 2O15 // JW MARRIOTT // WASHINGTON, D.C. 

Nearly 400 business owners traveled to Washington, 

D.C. Sept. 29-30 to take part in IFA’s Franchise Action 

Network (FAN) Annual Meeting. Members of FAN 

participated in close to 300 meetings Sept. 30 with members 

of Congress to support H.R. 3459/S. 2015, the Protecting 

Local Business Opportunity Act. The legislation, sponsored 

by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Rep. John Kline 

(R-Minn.), would clarify that two or more employers would 

only be considered “joint-employers” if each shares direct 

control over hiring and termination. The U.S. National Labor 

Relations Board (NLRB) expanded the criteria for determining 

joint-employer status in an Aug. 27 ruling involving Browning- 

Ferris Industries of California. 



3 4 

5 6 7 

Top row, page 38 (from left to right): (1) IFA President & CEO Robert Cresanti emphasizes the importance of the Franchise 

Action Network shortly after the association announced his promotion to its top staff leadership post.; (2) Members of the 

Coalition to Save Local Businesses (CSLB), which IFA is a founding member, promote their support of the Protecting Local 

Business Opportunities Act during a Sept. 30 press conference; (3) IFA Chair Melanie Bergeron, CFE, chairwoman of TWO 

MEN AND A TRUCK International, reminds Franchise Action Network members the importance of getting the “We Are Local” 

message out to legislators.; (4) New IFA Board member and CEO of Viridian Group John Draper with Board member Matthew 

Patinkin, co-owner of Double P Corp./Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, at the Congressional reception. 

Bottom row (from left to right): (5) IFA Board member, Andrew Puzder, president and CEO of CKE Restaurant Holdings, 

speaks about joint-employer legislation during a panel discussion; (6) IFA Treasurer Shelly Sun, CFE, (left), CEO and co-founder 

of BrightStar Franchising, listens to Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) as Home Instead Senior Care’s Phyllis Hegstrom, IFA members 

and Blunt’s staff look on at a meeting with the legislator during the Franchise Action Network Annual Meeting.; (7) Franchise 

Action Network members from Nebraska meet with Sen. Deb Fischer (R), shown at left, to discuss the impact of joint employer 

legislation on their franchise businesses. 


FASTSIGNS 

International CEO 

Catherine Monson, 

CFE, delivers a pep 

talk to Franchise 

Action Network 

members just prior to 

visits with legislators 

on Capitol Hill. 

Ways to improve business operations took center 

stage at the Franchisee Growth Conference. 

Batteries Plus Bulbs franchisee Dustin Myers 

(above) shared best practices during the opening 

general session, followed by breakout sessions. 

FRANCHISEE GROWTH CONFERENCE 

HIGHLIGHTS BEST PRACTICES, FRANCHISE 

RELATIONS 

Franchisees converged on Washington, D.C. Sept. 

28-29 for the first Franchisee Growth Conference, 

held just prior to the Franchise Action Network 

Annual Meeting. 

The opening general session featured guest 

speakers Russ Reynolds, CEO of Batteries Plus Bulbs, 

along with franchisee Dustin Myers, who explained 

the challenges involved with a three-year process to 

expand the company’s brand by adding light bulbs 

and device repair into the existing battery business. 

Later in the day, Mariana Huberman, UPS Store 

franchisee and vice chair of IFA’s Franchisee Forum, 

led a discussion on the Key to Growth Readiness 

with two multi-unit franchisees, Danny Malamis, with 

Jersey Mike’s and David Melton with Domino’s. 

“The conference sessions provided a great 

opportunity to hear fresh solutions to common 

challenges that franchisees face in their business,” 

said Tamra Kennedy, a franchisee with Twin City T.J.’s. 

Chuck Stempler said the conference was “focused 

specifically on the needs and opportunities of 

franchisees. Six excellent sessions ranging from data 

security to franchisor-franchisee collaboration. A very 

worthwhile investment of my time.” 

On Sept. 29, Tim Lightener, owner of TWO MEN 

AND A TRUCK locations and second vice chair of 

the Franchisee Forum, led a discussion about how to 

protect your business from hackers with Ken Colburn, 

president and CEO of Data Doctors. Other speakers 

included Lynn Berberich with BrightStar Care; Mara 

Fortin with Nothing Bundt Cakes; Dallas Kerley, 

CFE, with Benetrends; Jim Ilaria, CEO of Potomac 

Family Dining Group; Kathleen Schneider with Instant 

Imprints; Anjali Varma with Kidville; Mark Whittle with 

Hooters; and Seth Goldstein with Dunkin’ Donuts/ 

Baskin Robbins. 

Caroline Moore with BrightStar Care described 

the conference as “an invaluable resource on key 

issues for my business. It offered knowledgeable 

speakers and insightful conversation and experiences 

being shared across multiple concepts. I will not miss 

it next year!” 

U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx 

(R-N.C.) meets with 

Chris Brandon (left) of 

Domino’s and Matthew 

Shepherd (right) with 

Great Clips on Sept. 30 

during the Franchise 

Action Network visits 

to Capitol Hill. 


Sen. James 

Lankford (R-Okla.), 

at right in the 

gray suit, listens 

to the Oklahoma 

delegation discuss 

the impact of 

joint employer 

legislation during 

Franchise Action 

Network meetings 

on Capitol Hill. 

“Franchises are local. We are families and locally owned businesses,” 

said Barbara Craigie, a FASTSIGNS business owner. “I think there is a 

perception that it’s just fast-food restaurants or that we are big business. 

I don’t think they understand that we are small business, that we are 

independent — the independent part really gets missed.” 

It’s important to visit Capitol Hill in person, noted Bob Smith, a 

ServiceMaster owner and Franchise Action Network member, “because I 

think when you take someone’s time, you’re looking at them face-to-face 

with what you have to say. We’re not just sending a letter or an email.” 

The issues involved are “very personal,” explained Caroline Moore, a 

BrightStar Care business owner. “This is my business, and that’s why I’m 

here to advocate for what is affecting my business personally as well as 

professionally.” 

Andrew Holland, a franchise owner with Tropical Smoothie Café, told 

members of Congress that during his first year of operations he had to 

“cut my salary to nothing” in order to ensure the business was healthy. 

“Hearing that we have this business owner that’s in there working 90 

hours a week for nothing, makes you not seem like a big corporation, it 

shows how much you are a small business.” 



1 

2 

IFA presented the FranPAC MVP award to 

Doc Cohen, CFE during the Franchise Action 

Network Annual Meeting. 

FORMER IFA CHAIR DOC COHEN RECEIVES 

FRANPAC MVP AWARD 

During the Franchise Action Network Annual 

Meeting on Sept. 29, IFA presented the Sid 

Feltenstein FranPAC MVP award to Lawrence 

‘Doc’ Cohen, CFE, former IFA chairman and 

president of Cookie Associates. Cohen received 

the award for his leadership and dedication 

in supporting FranPAC, IFA’s political action 

committee. The award, which recognizes an 

individual who has made extraordinary efforts to 

involved IFA members in FranPAC, is named after 

past IFA Chairman Sid Feltenstein, who founded 

FranPAC in 1978. 

Cohen joined the association’s board of 

directors in 2004 and became the first-ever 

franchisee named to IFA’s Hall of Fame in 2011. 

He currently serves as chairman of the IFA 

Educational Foundation Board of Trustees, and 

is a member of the Past Chairs Council. He has 

also served on many IFA committees, including 

Franchise Relations, Awards, Long Range Planning 

and Convention, in addition to serving as 

Treasurer of the IFA for five years. 

3 

4 

(1) Left to right, franchisee James Cook with Grease 

Monkey International in Mundelin, Ill. and Jamie Izaks, 

president of All Points Public Relations, talk with a staff 

representative for Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) (2) At left, Sen. 

Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) listens to the Arkansas delegation 

during a Sept. 30 visit as part of the Franchise Action 

Network Annual Meeting. (3) Left to right, 

Raymond Bramble with Air Serv of Front Royal; Rep. 

Barbara Comstock (R-Va.); Rosemarie Hartnett, CFE, 

with Abrakadoodle Remarkable Art Education; Tina 

Bramble with Air Serv of Front Royal; and Kevin Sullivan 

with Paul David Restoration of Ashburn speak about joint 

employer legislation. (4) The Idaho delegation — Darin 

Davies with Paul Davis Restoration; Peter Riggs, CFE, 

with Pita Pit; Lane Kofoed, CFE, of Assisting Hands 

Home Care; Caroline Moore with BrightStar Care; and 

Teresa Nelson with Home Helpers — arrives on Capitol 

Hill after a short bus ride from the Franchise Action 

Network Annual Meeting. 



The visits to Congress followed a series of Franchise Action 

Network and IFA committee meetings on Sept. 29, with opening 

remarks from IFA Chair Melanie Bergeron, CFE. Members of the 

Franchise Action Network and people within the industry, Bergeron 

said, “must defend the franchise business model. At the same time, 

we must all express in our own words how important franchising 

is for each of us, our families, our franchisees and our employees. 

We must ensure the franchise business model, as we know it, keeps 

moving forward.” 

At the urging of labor groups, NLRB is making it easier for 

franchisors and franchisees to be deemed joint employers. “We 

need to stop that from happening because the change would hurt 

every aspect of the franchising relationship,” said IFA President & 

CEO Robert Cresanti. “That will be our number one objective this 

week.” 

See more photos from the meetings on IFA’s Facebook page at 

www.facebook.com/IFA.DC, and on Twitter at #FranchiseForward. 

Watch the recap video on IFA’s YouTube page and take action today 

by sending a letter to your Congressional representative online at: 

www.votervoice.net/FRANCHISE/campaigns/42515/respond 

1 

2 

IFA Chair Melanie Bergeron, CFE, presents the 2015 

Legislator of the Year award to U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander 

(R-Tenn.). 

SEN. ALEXANDER, REP. KLINE RECOGNIZED AS IFA 

LEGISLATORS OF THE YEAR 

IFA named Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Rep. 

John Kline (R-Minn.) as recipients of the 2015 Legislator of 

the Year award. Given during the Franchise Action Network 

Annual Meeting, the award recognizes lawmakers who 

support a pro-franchising, pro-business agenda. Alexander 

and Kline are co-sponsors of the Protecting Local Business 

Opportunity Act. 

“We applaud Sen. Alexander and Rep. Kline for 

their leadership highlighting the issues of concern to 

the franchising community and working to address the 

challenges facing the franchise business leaders,” said IFA 

President & CEO Robert Cresanti. 

Sen. Alexander and Rep. Kline, as chairmen of the 

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) 

Committee and the House Education & Workforce 

Committee, respectively, have helped raise small business 

owners’ concerns about government overreach in their 

day-to-day business operations. 

(1) TWO MEN AND A TRUCK International franchisees 

with chairwoman of the board and IFA Chair Melanie 

Bergeron, CFE (right) during a Congressional reception 

at the Franchise Action Network Annual Meeting.; (2) 

Todd and Sonya Jackson with Newk’s Franchising of 

Helena, Ala. pause for a photo in front of the U.S. Capitol 

during the Congressional reception.; (3) Members of the 

Caring Senior Services franchise group together for a 

photo during the Congressional reception. 

3 


IFA Members 

Chronicle Visit 

to Capitol Hill on 

Social Media 

Representatives of the franchising industry met with members of 

Congress on Sept. 30 as part of the Franchise Action Network Annual 

Meeting in Washington, D.C. IFA staff teamed with conference planners to 

snap hundreds of photos during the visits, resulting in close to 100 Tweets 

sent over the course of a few hours. The #FranchiseForward hashtag and 

IFA’s Twitter account (@Franchising411) reached more than 250,000 Twitter 

users that day, with impressions topping 1 million. 

See more photos and share your experience from the meetings on IFA’s 

Facebook page at www.facebook.com/IFA.DC, and on Twitter 

@Franchising411 with the hashtag #FranchiseForward. Watch the recap 

video on IFA’s YouTube page and take action today by sending a letter 

to your Congressional representative online at: www.votervoice.net/ 

FRANCHISE/campaigns/42515/respond 

Tweets using 

#FranchiseForward 

hashtag 

ANNUAL 

MEETING 


SEPTEMBER 29-3O, 2O15 // JW MARRIOTT // WASHINGTON, D.C. 

Twitter accounts reached with 

@Franchising411 

SOCIAL 

MEDIA 

IMPACT 

Twitter Impressions Made with 


Retweets, replies or 

favorites from 


tweets 

80 Tweets Sent from 


Twitter Accounts Reached with 

#FranchiseForward Hashtag 

Twitter impressions made with #FranchiseForward hashtag 


2015 

FRANCHISEE 

OF THE YEAR 

Award 

WINNERS 

As the members, friends 

and supporters of the 

International Franchise 

Association gathered in 

Washington, D.C. for the 

Franchise Action Network 

Annual Meeting, we are 

pleased to honor and 

recognize the outstanding 

achievements and 

accomplishments of the 

2015 IFA Franchisee of the 

Year Award Winners. 

Congratulations! 

James and Michelle Alex ................................ FirstLight HomeCare of Valparaiso, FirstLight HomeCare 

Angela and Chris Ashcraft .............................. Express Employment Professionals of Mobile, AL, Express 

Services, Inc. 

Dean Bingham ............................................... Mr. Transmission of Greenville, SC, Moran Family of Brands 

Raymond Bramble .......................................... Aire Serv of Fort Royal, VA, The Dwyer Group 

Dawn Bransky ................................................ Caring Senior Service of Dallas Mid-Cities, Caring Senior Service 

Eric Bueter ..................................................... E&S Bueter Corporation, Marco’s Pizza 

JD and Tammy Busch, CFE ............................. Amazing Lash Studio of Dallas, TX, Amazing Lash Studio 

Franchise LLC 

Michael Cardamone ....................................... Huntington Learning Center of Bowie, MD, Huntington Learning 

Centers, Inc. 

Jim Cook ........................................................ Grease Monkey International of Mundelein, IL, Grease Monkey 

International, Inc. 

Elizabeth and Mike Crippen ........................... MilliCare Textile and Carpet Care of Charlotte, NC, MilliCare 

Textile and Carpet Care 

Jeff Davis ........................................................ Jani-King International of Fairfax, VA, Jani-King International, Inc. 

Beth and Phillip Dow ..................................... Home Helpers of Newman, GA, Strategic Franchising Systems 

Greg Goodman .............................................. Alta Mere of Oklahoma City, OK, Moran Family of Brands 

Manav Gupta ................................................. InXpress of Princeton, NJ, InXpress 

Joey Hale ....................................................... Two Men And A Truck of Chattanooga, TN, Two Men And A 

Truck®/International 

Earle Hobbs .................................................... Snap-on Tools of New Kent, VA, Snap-on-Tools Company, LLC 

Todd and Sonya Jackson ................................. Newk’s Franchising of Helena, AL, Newk’s Franchise 

Company, LLC 

Manuel Jacome and Shae Kalyani ................. The Learning Experience of Edison, NJ, The Learning Experience 

Laura Jankowski ............................................. Tropical Smoothie Cafe of New York, Tropical Smoothie Cafe 

Timothy Kjaer ................................................. Tint World of Shoreham, NY, TINT WORLD 

Greg and Kim Kling ........................................ Assisting Hands of Cincinnati, OH, Assisting Hands Home 

Care LLC 

David and Geneve Labate .............................. Home Instead Senior Care of Riverside, CA, Home Instead 

Senior Care 

Ed Lease and David Smith .............................. Stratus Building Solutions of Nashville, TN, Stratus Building 

Solutions 

Penny Loome .................................................. Sylvan Learning of Boca Raton, FL, Sylvan Learning, Inc. 

Ravi Manoo and Zorida Pritipal ..................... Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill of Orlando, FL, Golden 

Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill 

Jean and Rob McLean .................................... Maui Wowi Coffees & Smoothies of Denver, CO, Maui Wowi 

Franchising, Inc. 

Maureen and Peter Moore ............................. BrightStar Care of Norwalk, CT, BrightStar Franchising, LLC 

Heather Pitsaladis .......................................... MODE of Bismarck, ND, MODE 

Donovan Reese .............................................. Renters Warehouse of Arizona, Renter’s Warehouse USA 

Lisa Riley ........................................................ Pinot’s Palette Studios of Tulsa, OK, Pinot’s Palette 

Eric Silver ....................................................... Fish Window Cleaning of Haltom City, TX, Fish Window 

Cleaning Services, Inc. 

Amanda and Brad Sims .................................. Mr. Rooter of Mount Pleasant, MI, The Dwyer Group 

Glenn Smith ................................................... Tilted Kilt of Orange, CA, Tilted Kilt Franchise Operating LLC 

Grant Springer ............................................... CruiseOne of Edgewater, MD, CruiseOne 

Terry and Kathy Stokes .................................. PostNet of Steamboat Springs, CO, PostNet International 

Franchise Corp. 

Joseph Tocco .................................................. Deuceco Enterprises, Coverall North America 

Joel Walker .................................................... Interstate All Battery Center of Georgetown, TX, Interstate Battery 

Franchising & Development, Inc. 

Tony Williams ................................................. Big O Tires of San Tan Valley, AZ, Big O Tires, LLC 

Kerry Woodson .............................................. CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts of St. Peters, MO, CARSTAR 

Franchise Systems, Inc. 


COMMUNITY SERVICE 

Foundation Recognizes 

“Franchising Gives Back” 

Award Winners during 

Inaugural Dinner 

Fifteen International 

Franchise Association 

members and their 

charities recognized 

for service to their 

communities 

BY JOHN REYNOLDS, CFE 

Shaping the 

Future of 

Franchising 

There is a famous quote by Winston Churchill that goes like this — “We 

make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” This was 

clearly the theme of the inaugural Franchising Gives Back Celebration 

and Awards Dinner when International Franchise Association volunteer leaders 

gathered this fall in Washington, D.C., for the Franchise Action Network Annual 

Meeting. 

Fifteen IFA members and their charities — five Gold Award Winners and 10 

Silver Award Winners — were recognized for their outstanding service to their 

communities. Collectively, these 15 businesses and their charities have helped 

children, veterans, sufferers of chronic diseases, and entire communities. In 

terms of total impact, these businesses have donated more than $127 million 

dollars, engaged more than 30,000 volunteers, donated hundreds of thousands 

of hours, and helped millions of people in thousands of communities around the 

United States. 

The awards dinner also celebrated reaching a milestone in the first year of 

Franchising Gives Back, whose purpose is to recognize businesses for their 

charitable acts and encourage others to do the same. During the dinner, the 

top award-winning charities also received donations of $5,000 from the IFA 

Educational Foundation. More than 200 IFA members attended the dinner and 

there was an outpouring of support from sponsors who financially contributed 

to the success of the event, including founding sponsor Roark Capital Group, 

and awards dinner sponsor Ecolab. (See sidebar: Franchising Gives Back 

Sponsors Support Awards Dinner.) 

HONORING OUR GOLD AWARD WINNERS 

This year, we presented five Gold Awards to franchise businesses that 

contributed millions of dollars in monetary and in-kind donations and employees 

devoted countless hours volunteering to make a difference in their communities. 

(Visit FranchisingGivesBack.org for profiles on all the awards winners.) 




Denny’s, recipient of the Spirit of Franchising Award, 

raised nearly $945,000 last year by selling coupons in its 1,400 

restaurants to support No Kid Hungry’s efforts to help more than 

16 million American children who struggle with hunger. 

“Over the last five years, Denny’s has emerged as a true 

leader in the fight to end childhood hunger in this country,” said 

Billy Shore, founder and CEO of national non-profit organization 

Share Our Strength which manages the No Kid Hungry campaign. 

“Through the leadership of their executives and franchisees and 

the commitment from their staff, Denny’s has grown to be one of 

the top fundraising restaurants. Their determination continues to 

inspire all of us at Share Our Strength and serves as reminder that 

together we can make No Kid Hungry a reality.” 

CertaPro Painters, the Support Our Veterans Award winner, 

raised $260,000 and an additional $160,000 through in-kind 

donations as a national sponsor for Homes for Our Troops, which 

builds specially adapted, mortgage-free homes nationwide for 

the most severely injured veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. 

“Despite life-altering injuries, many veterans in the Homes for 

Our Troops program have embarked on new careers, completed 

college degrees and started families,” said Tim McHale, president 

and CEO of Homes for Our Troops. “Because of sponsors like 

CertaPro, veterans do not have to worry about a mortgage, but 

instead are empowered to focus on recovering and rebuilding 

their lives.” 

Jersey Mike’s, which won the Enduring Impact Award, has 

hosted a fundraising program every March to raise money for 

local charity partners. The campaign culminates on Jersey Mike’s 

Day of Giving and, over the past five years, the brand has raised 

$8.3 million for organizations across the United States. 

Figaro’s Italian Pizza Inc., winner of the Innovation and Impact 

Award, has used its pizza boxes to raise money for local schools. 

Through its H.E.L.P. program, franchisees donate a portion of 

every dollar spent to a local school and Figaro’s makes matching 

donations. In less than five years, H.E.L.P. has issued more than 

400 grants totaling more than $94,000. 

Church’s Chicken, recipient of The Newcomer Award, 

launched the Church’s Scholar Program to provide scholarships 

for students pursuing higher education. In 2014, customers, 

franchisees and company-owned restaurants raised $50,000 for 

scholarships. 

MOVING FORWARD ON GIVING BACK 

I encourage you to visit franchisinggivesback.org to create a 

profile, share your stories and help us continue the momentum of 

the first year of Franchising Gives Back. 

The IFA Educational Foundation will compile your collective 

stories — including dollars raised and hours volunteered — to 

publish its first Franchising Gives Back National Registry and 

Annual Report highlighting the industry’s contributions. 

For more information on how you can get involved in 

Franchising Gives Back, including becoming a partner to sponsor 

the Annual Awards program, the National Registry and other 

activities, contact me by email at jreynolds@franchise.org. 

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2015 FRANCHISING 

GIVES BACK SILVER AWARD WINNERS 

• Spirit of Franchising Award — Massage Envy Spa 

(The Arthritis Foundation) and Sport Clips Haircuts 

(American Red Cross) 

• Enduring Impact Award — Marriott International 

(Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals) and The Melting 

Pot (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital) 

• Support Our Veterans Award — CKE Restaurant 

Holdings Inc. (Stars for Heroes) and Golden Corral 

(Camp Corral) 

• Innovation and Impact Award — Jibu (Water Club 

Program) and Wingstop (Wingstop Flavor Tour) 

• The Newcomer Award — Moe’s Southwest Grill in 

Abilene, Texas (Taylor County Sheriff’s Office) and 

SOLDIERFIT (22 Needs A Face) 

SPONSORS 

Founding Sponsor 

Roark Capital Group 

Franchising Gives Back Partners 

Massage Envy Franchising 

Focus Brands 

FranConnect 

Awards Dinner Sponsor 

Ecolab 

Awards Category Sponsors 

Safeguard Business Systems 

Apple Pie Capital 

Franchise Business Review 

BDO 

PR & Marketing Partners 

Fish Consulting 

Wheat Creative 

Media Sponsor 

Franchise Times 

John Reynolds, CFE, is president of the International 

Franchise Association Educational Foundation. Find 

him at fransocial.franchise.org. ` 

® 


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BEST PRACTICES 

Don’t Set and Forget: Tips 

to Avoid Common Errors 

in Running Your Franchise 

System 

Just because you have established a model that works does not 

mean the path to success will be clear. 

BY RICK COFFEY 

Building a business into a franchise 

is a major accomplishment. It 

means people like your product, 

appreciate your business, and want 

whatever you are selling. It means your 

brand stands out and its value extends 

beyond one market. However, the journey 

is far from over. Running a franchise is 

not a “set-it-and-forget-it” proposition. 

Franchisors need formulas and systems 

in place that make the business easyto-replicate, 

but there are still plenty of 

opportunities for errors to seep in. 

Success in any business is by no 

means guaranteed. But there are ways to 

address some common mistakes. Here 

are four of those mistakes and tips on 

how to avoid them. 

CUTTING CORNERS 

While in many cases the cost of 

opening a franchise can be less than 

opening the original location, this does 

not mean you can cut corners. Each 

new franchise has to attract customers, 

whether they are customers who 

already know (and like) your business, 

or customers who have never heard of 

your system before. The old adage of 

“you only get one chance to make a first 

impression” rings true here. If customers 

walk in to find cheap furniture and 

fixtures, a shortened menu of services, 

or a skeleton staff, that will affect the way 

they perceive your business. 

There is nothing wrong with looking 

for opportunities to trim the fat in order 

to maintain or increase profits, however 

this can be taken too far. Reducing 

costs can’t come at the expense of the 

customer experience. Focus instead 

on optimizing efficiency, and look for 

creative ways to save time and money. 

BAD HOUSEKEEPING 

Another common mistake is to let 

housekeeping slide. A franchisor can’t 

always be present at every location to 

ensure that standards of cleanliness, 

sanitation and organization are 

maintained. However, the second these 

standards are relaxed, customers will 

start walking out the door, and in many 

cases, they will apply their experience at 

one location to the franchise as a whole. 

As a pet care business, Barkefellers, 

knew from day one just how important 

high standards of housekeeping are. 




Animals are messy, and maintaining cleanliness requires 

constant vigilance, as well as having clear protocols 

in place. Chances are that a new franchisee will not 

intuitively know how often to wash pet blankets or clean 

rubber floor play surfaces. When training franchisees, 

we dedicate significant time to the importance of good 

housekeeping and lay out clearly what is expected. We 

make sure that every franchisee and employee has a 

good grasp of the tools and receives the training needed 

to keep the level of sanitation where it needs to be, and 

an accountability system helps prevent those standards 

from slipping. 

POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE 

High customer service standards are also essential. 

“The customer is always right” is dogma (pun intended) 

in the pet care business, with the responsibility of caring 

for people’s beloved companions. When people drop 

off their dogs or cats, they vest in us a huge amount 

of trust. Pet owners need to know that their pets are 

going to be happy and safe. This requires listening to 

customers, who know their pets better than we do, while 

showing that we care about their concerns and respect 

their wishes. 

The emotional component to pet care makes customer 

service even more important, but it matters across all 

franchise sectors. Poor customer service leads to billions 

lost each year in the U.S. alone. These experiences can 

include feeling unappreciated, interacting with rude or 

unhelpful staff, a lack of staff knowledge or difficulty 

getting questions answered. 

Whatever the case, customer 

service will make or break 

your business. 

Whatever the case, customer service will make or 

break your business. As with housekeeping, the franchisor 

sets the example and the expectations. Emphasize the 

importance of customer service to all franchisees and 

employees. Train them on how to effectively deal with 

customers and have systems in place for dealing with 

customer concerns. Prepare new hires for customer 

service issues they are likely to face and how to handle 

them. Recognize (and reward) those franchisees and 

employees who demonstrate superior customer service 

skills. 

Maintaining morale within a company is vital. 

Customers know when employees are unhappy. They can 

feel it in the air, and this will compromise the way they 

view your business. 

LOW MORALE 

Maintaining morale within a company is vital. 

Customers know when employees are unhappy. They 

can feel it in the air, and this will compromise the way 

they view your business. For example, if employees are 

unhappy working at Barkefellers — if they are moping 

around, frowning, or unmotivated — then there is a 

greater chance the pets are not happy either. Happy 

people treat pets with enthusiasm and care, and the 

last thing pet owners want is to leave their dogs with 

someone who seems apathetic, annoyed, or blue. Higher 

morale says to customers that employees care about 

their jobs, are committed to maintaining standards, and 

that the business as a whole is trustworthy. 

As the franchisor, it is your 

responsibility to create 

a company culture that 

cultivates strong morale. 

As the franchisor, it is your responsibility to create a 

company culture that cultivates strong morale. Make sure 

all employees feel that they are members of the team 

and that their job is important to the overall business. 

Make them feel valued and reward them for good work. 

You can also keep up morale by throwing social 

events that promote friendships outside the business 

such as barbecues, baseball game trips, and bowling 

parties. Camaraderie is a key ingredient to happiness 

at work, and the mere opportunity for friendships 

increases employee job satisfaction and organizational 

effectiveness. 

Franchising presents a valuable opportunity for an 

entrepreneur to scale his business and for franchisees 

to run their own businesses without all the risk and work 

involved in starting from scratch. However, just because 

you have established a model that works does not 

mean the path to success will be clear. Each individual 

franchise location is unique. Success requires living up to 

the standards that helped build the original location into 

a profitable, sustainable enterprise. Fortunately, with the 

right systems and training in place, you can avoid these 

mistakes and enjoy watching your business grow. 

Rick Coffey is president and founder of 

Barkefellers. Find him at fransocial.franchise. 

org. 


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FINANCE 

Tips for Preventing Credit 

Card Fraud and Avoiding 

Chargebacks 

Protect your franchise and your bottom line in card-present 

and card-not-present transactions. 

BY KEVIN KOBS 

Today’s shoppers expect to be able to pay with 

credit cards wherever they shop, whether in person 

or online, in the field or by phone. It’s a fact of 

life that businesses that accept payment cards are more 

competitive and can potentially realize increased revenue 

from the new customers they attract. 

Sadly, credit card fraud is another fact of life, but one 

that can be addressed and protected against. Credit card 

fraud is defined as the unauthorized use of cards or card 

account numbers for financial gain, often by using them 

to purchase goods and services. 

According to the 2013 Federal Reserve Payments 

Study, the estimated annual number of unauthorized 

transactions (third-party fraud) in 2012 was 31.1 million, 

with a value of $6.1 billion. Among signature debit and 

credit card payments in 2012, card-not-present fraud 

rates were estimated to be more than three times as high 

as card-present fraud rates. 

What can you do to help keep credit card transactions 

at your franchise business as secure as possible and save 

money by reducing the potential for fraudulent activity 

and costly chargebacks? Here are some tips. 

CARD-PRESENT TRANSACTIONS 

It’s easier to identify some of the behaviors associated 

with credit card fraud when both the cardholder and the 

card are physically at the point of sale. Some examples 

of suspicious behavior that you should watch for include 

customers who: 

• Purchase of multiples of the same type of 

merchandise or very expensive merchandise, 

especially if they don’t ask any questions about 

the items, 

• Purchase a wide selection of the same merchandise 

without regard to size, color or price, 

• Leave the store after making a purchase only to 

return later to make additional purchases, 

• Try to distract or rush you during the transaction, 

especially if they’re accompanied by others, and, 

• Time their purchases for when the store is opening 

or closing for the day. 

Additionally, you can help protect your business from 

becoming a victim of credit card fraud by adopting the 

following strategies: 

• Never accept an expired credit card or one that 

appears to have been altered. 

• Look for built-in security features and make sure 

they are intact. Embossing on the card should 

be clear and straight, the account number on 

the front of the card must match the one printed 

on the back, the hologram should be three 

dimensional and smooth with the card surface, 

and the signature panel should be unblemished. 

• If the card is not signed, have the customer sign 

the card in your presence and check the signature 

against the customer’s picture ID. 

• When you process the card, verify that the 

account number on the terminal matches the 

account number on the card. Compare the name 

printed on the electronic sales receipt to the 

name embossed on the card, and the signature 

on the sales draft with the signature on the back 

of the card. No match, no sale. 

• If you receive a “call center” or “pick up 

card” message through your terminal, call the 

authorization center and follow their instructions. 

Pay attention to any messages from the card 

authorization center. If you receive a “do not honor” or 

“decline” message through your terminal, do not proceed 

with the transaction. Even if you run the transaction again 

and receive an approval code, there is no protection for 


a transaction after you have received a “decline” or “do not 

honor” message. 

If a sale seems suspicious, call the authorization center and 

ask for a Code 10 authorization. This is a universal code that 

alerts the center that you have concerns about a transaction. 

The Code 10 operator will ask you a series of “yes” or “no” 

questions to help determine if it is a fraudulent transaction. 

Follow the operator’s instructions. 

CARD-NOT-PRESENT TRANSACTIONS 

If your franchise deals in card-not-present transactions, such 

as Internet orders or mail order/telephone order, recognizing 

fraud can be trickier because neither the customer nor the 

credit card is physically present. 

Fraudsters use lost, stolen or fabricated credit cards or 

account numbers to steal products and services in CNP 

situations. When the actual cardholder receives the statement 

with the fraudulent charge and disputes it, a chargeback is 

initiated. Until it is settled, the amount of the sale is deducted 

from the business’ merchant account and a chargeback fee 

is added. Without a credit card imprint receipt or customer 

signature to confirm the transaction, it’s very difficult for you to 

win a disputed charge, so you’re out the merchandise or service 

you provided, the amount of the sale and the chargeback fee. 

To help lessen your chances of being victimized by a 

fraudulent CNP transaction, always require the cardholder’s 

credit card number, validation code and expiration date; 

the name that appears on the front of the credit card; the 

cardholder’s billing address and phone number; and a 

description of the merchandise or services rendered. 

Additionally, be alert for incoming orders that: 

• Are larger than normal for your business, especially 

when you don’t know the customer, 

• Include several of the same item or very expensive 

items 

• Request “rush” or “overnight” shipment, 

• Ship to the same address but were purchased on 

different cards, 

• Charge transactions to account numbers that are 

sequential, 

• Provide multiple card numbers from a single Internet 

address, 

• Charge multiple transactions to one card over a very 

short period of time, or, 

• Ship to an international address, since they cannot be 

verified by an Address Verification Service. 

AVS is an important service offered by your merchant 

account provider that compares the shipping address provided 

to the merchant with the cardholder’s billing address that’s on 

file with the issuing bank. If the two do not match, do not ship 

the merchandise. Ship merchandise only to the cardholder’s 

billing address, and consider requiring a certified signature as 

proof that the merchandise was delivered. 

Finally, share what you have learned with your employees. 

Train them in the right ways to handle card-present and cardnot-present 

transactions as a first line of defense against 

fraudsters. 

Preventing credit card fraud is the responsibility of every 

party involved in an electronic payment transaction — 

merchants, issuing banks and merchant services providers — 

and chargeback prevention is critical to the bottom line of all 

businesses. These tips will be helpful in addressing both. 

Kevin Kobs is vice president of business 

development at TransFirst. Find him at fransocial. 



FINANCE 

5 

Key Lessons to an 

Effective Franchise 

Acquisition 

Acquisitions are critical to the evolution of most businesses. 

BY PETER HOLT, CFE 

I 

have been active in the franchise community managing franchise 

systems in both domestic and international markets for nearly 30 

years. Most recently, I was president and CEO of Tasti D-Lite and 

Planet Smoothie. I was with the company for eight years; initially as 

COO and for the past three years as president and CEO. Among my 

responsibilities, I led the successful acquisition of Planet Smoothie 

by Tasti D Lite in 2011 and subsequently in June, I managed the 

acquisition of Planet Smoothie and Tasti D Lite by Kahala Brands. 

If there is a common theme to my career beyond franchising, 

it is experience with acquisitions. Virtually every company I have 

worked for has acquired additional companies or has been acquired 

during my tenure. I have been an active participant (if not leading 

the process) in 12 major completed acquisitions and dozens more 

that ultimately did not result in agreement. From these diverse 

experiences I have learned the following lessons: 

1. ASK THE CORRECT QUESTIONS IN THE DUE DILIGENCE 

PROCESS. 

Before you drill down on the financial and legal review, focus 

on the essential question of why the company is being offered 

for sale. Is the purpose to buy out the founder or investors? Is it 

to raise additional capital for expansion or other key initiatives? 

Or, is it to address issues with the franchise model due to market 

condition changes? There are myriad other potential reasons. 

Understanding the “why” of the sale goes a long way in tailoring 

the due diligence to ensure you are gaining the specific and key 

information necessary to make good decisions. 



Promote your franchising opportunity every Wednesday to 

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3.3 The million first Wednesday readers* in of Franchising every month, the Today. Franchising Today section 

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industry trends. 

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2. MEET THE LEADERS IN THE FRANCHISE 

NETWORK YOU ARE SEEKING TO ACQUIRE. 

Franchising is a relationship driven business. As you 

move into the final stages of your due diligence, meet 

with the most important franchisees, area developers 

and, if relevant, international master franchisees 

in the system. Typically this must be done under 

the supervision of the franchisor or the investment 

banker. Before Tasti D Lite acquired Planet Smoothie 

we created a list of key questions and interviewed 

25 franchisees and area developers controlling 75 

percent of the system. These conversations gave 

us critical insights into the system. It also created 

an excellent basis for the development of our 

relationships with the franchisees post-acquisition. 

3. UNDERSTAND ROLES AND 

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CORPORATE STAFF. 

Request detailed job descriptions and 

performance reviews as a part of the due diligence. 

Based on your own company’s structure and needs 

going forward, you will be making decisions about 

which staff will remain in place post acquisition. During 

the acquisition process it is most likely you will have 

limited access to staff members. Once the acquisition 

is completed, it will be important to spend time 

with the retained staff and learn about their history 

and experience with the company. As the acquiring 

company, it is easy to dismiss the information and 

perspective from the previous regime. This is a 

mistake. Listening to those who have experience 

within the system will help you to understand issues 

that were not as clear pre-acquisition. You want to 

minimize the uncertainty and concerns around a 

transaction. Listening helps address these concerns. 

4. CREATE YOUR TRANSITION PLAN LONG 

BEFORE THE ACQUISITION CLOSES. 

One of the scariest conversations I had while a 

company I worked for was in the final stages of being 

acquired was being told several days before the close 

that there was no transition plan in place. An example 

of how to correctly handle a transition can be found 

in part of the final due diligence when Tasti D-Lite 

acquired Planet Smoothie. We created a detailed 

Excel spreadsheet, broken down by department, 

which listed key activities for the transition, who 

was responsible for each task and the timeline 

expected for completion. It covered key areas such as 

administration, legal, technology, operations, training 

and education, marketing and public relations, 

franchise development, real estate, construction and 

design, product management, and distribution and 

supply. It took a great deal of time to create this plan, 

but was an essential guide through the transition 

process, minimizing the disruption of the transaction 

for everyone concerned and establishing processes 

for accountability. 

5. CREATE A DETAILED PLAN FOR 

COMMUNICATION WITH STAFF, THE 

FRANCHISE NETWORK, VENDORS, AND 

CUSTOMERS AS THE INTEGRATION OF THE 

BUSINESS TAKES PLACE. 

It is not enough to send out a press release and 

a letter to the franchise network and the vendors. 

The first 90 days is a critical time for a transaction. 

No one is comfortable with change. This is a time 

when all parties are trying to understand the 

transition and how their own role will change going 

forward. My experience has been that the absence of 

reliable information feeds people’s fears and has the 

potential to be far more destructive to the network 

than responsible sharing of information, even when it 

is difficult to do that. You cannot over-communicate 

during this period. The more clearly your staff 

understands the vision going forward, the more 

effectively they can advocate your position. 

For example, when I was with 24Seven, we 

acquired vending companies and converted their 

vending routes, historically driven by corporate 

drivers, to routes to be sold to franchisees. The 

corporate drivers were understandably uncertain 

as to what the change would mean for their jobs. 

Some routes would be eliminated. Others could 

be converted and sold as a franchise. We held an 

initial meeting with the staff to outline and gain 

their support for the conversion. We met with all 

the drivers and regularly communicated with them 

concerning the status of the process. While some 

of these meetings were difficult, in the end we were 

able to implement the program with a minimum of 

disruption to the ongoing business. 

Acquisitions are critical to the evolution of most 

businesses. Handling the process well by creating 

a detailed plan of action, conducting careful 

due diligence, listening to the key players and 

communicating clearly is the most effective way to 

maximize the value of the transaction. 

Peter Holt, CFE, is the former president 

and CEO of Tasti D-Lite and Planet 

Smoothie, and a former IFA board 

member. Find him at fransocial.franchise. 


BETTER PREPARATION. BETTER PERFORMANCE. 

“I am a CFE because… 

The CFE program has become the gold 

standard in franchising to ensure consistency, 

knowledge and core competency for success 

no matter what your concept. It provides the 

franchising professional with a threshold of 

knowledge with higher potential for success.” 

The International Franchise Association’s 

Institute of Certified Franchise Executives offers a 

substantive mastery of franchising to successful 

candidates, and confers recognition with the Certified 

Franchise Executive (CFE) designation. Among 

franchise leaders, the CFE has become known and 

appreciated as a mark of distinction 

and professionalism. 

To learn more about the CFE designation, see 

www.franchise.org/cfe or contact Rose DuPont at 

(202) 662-0771 or rdupont@franchise.org 

Jeff Bevis, CFE 

President & CEO, FirstLight HomeCare 

What will YOUR CFE Story Be?

INTERNATIONAL 


Expo: Prime Opportunity 

for Consummating 

International Sales 

Internet communications are great but they don’t replace face-to-face 

meetings. That’s what makes franchise expos valuable. 

BY DR. JOHN HAYES 

Four brothers visiting the 2015 International Franchise 

Expo glanced at a poster touting international sales at 

the Wayback Burgers booth and said to the franchisor, 

“No Pakistan?” 

“Not yet, but you could be the first,” responded an 

enthusiastic Bill Chemero, executive vice president. That 

answer initiated a 15-minute discussion, followed by a 

private sales presentation, and ultimately the sale of the 

master license for Pakistan. 

Meanwhile, the guys at the Sanoserv booth, first-time 

IFE exhibitors from Malta, were closing down five minutes 

before the end of the last day of the show and a prospect 

stopped to ask for information about their hygiene business. 

Several weeks and several discussions later that prospect, 

an engineer looking for his own business, bought the master 

license for Ecuador. 

HIGHEST QUALITY DOMESTIC AND 

INTERNATIONAL PROSPECTS 

These are just two of many examples that explain why 

franchisors rely on the IFE not only for their domestic 

expansion in the United States, but for international sales 

too. Through the years, most companies that exhibit at 

the IFE do so for the domestic opportunities because 

approximately 80 percent of the visitors come from the 

United States. However, as international attendance has 

grown, many exhibitors have launched their international 

expansion from the IFE simply because the right prospect 

showed up at their booth. 

What began almost 25 years ago as the only national 

franchise expo in the United States has since become a 


springboard to franchise development worldwide. “The IFE 

attracts the highest qualified prospects from all 50 states 

and 122 countries,” explains show producer Tom Portesy, 

president of MFV Expositions. 

“In seven years of franchise development,” said franchise 

veteran Chemero, “we’ve opened 97 units and we have 350 

more in development in the USA alone. Fifteen percent of 

those sales are a result of the IFE and other expos” produced 

by MFV Expositions and sponsored by the International 

Franchise Association. 

“Ninety percent of my international sales came from the 

IFE,” explained Ray Margiano, who won an international 

franchising award from the IFE in 2005 for his vast 

productivity. He sold master licenses for Heel Quik, his shoe 

repair business, in 30 countries. At the first IFE, Margiano 

sold a master license for Japan to Duskin, one of the world’s 

largest franchise conglomerates. He eventually sold his 

interest in Heel Quik, but returned to the IFE in 2000 with 

a new concept, Foot Solutions. Since then he’s sold master 

licenses in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, 

Germany, Ireland, England, Scotland, Malaysia, South Africa, 

Australia, and Singapore – all from the IFE. 

CELEBRATING IFE’S SILVER ANNIVERSARY 

In 2016, the IFE will celebrate its silver jubilee at the 

Javits Center in New York City. Plans are already in the 

works to produce a record crowd of visitors and exhibitors. 

MFV Expositions dedicates a multi-million dollar budget to 

advertising and promotion, and relies on dozens of strategic 

partners worldwide to produce aisles filled with qualified 

prospects for the three-day expo. 


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“We have hundreds of strategic relationships around 

the world with publications, associations, franchise portals, 

and event organizers,” continues Portesy, “but none is more 

important than our relationship with the U.S. Department 

of Commerce’s International Buyer Program. That’s an 

honor granted every year to a small number of huge trade 

shows in the USA. The IFE doesn’t qualify because of its 

size, but because franchising contributes to the economic 

development of countries worldwide.” 

The Commerce Department markets the IFE to 

individuals, groups and organizations around the world. 

“They seek out prospects who want to buy or start a 

franchise,” continues Portesy, who was IFE’s first show 

manager in 1992. “The prospects arrive in delegations, 

some as large as 200 people, some as small as three people, 

and we know they are well qualified and looking for a variety 

of opportunities.” 

Noting the significance of these groups, IFE entertains 

them on a World Yacht Cruise while in New York City, and 

gives exhibitors the opportunity to network privately with 

this group. 

COST-EFFECTIVE INTERNATIONAL FRANCHISE 

SALES 

For IFE exhibitors, the expo can dramatically reduce 

the time and cost of selling a franchise domestically and 

internationally. As Margiano pointed out, “Being able to 

speak to people from across the world for a few days at the 

IFE is a lot less costly than visiting even one country to find 

a master (licensee).” 

“The IFE targets the United States, which is still the 

home of franchising,” says Tony Foley, international director 

for United Franchise Group, which includes Signarama, 

EmbroidMe and four other franchise opportunities. UFG 

exhibits at all IFA-sponsored expos. “At any of these shows, 

we will sell 10 domestic franchises, and two to five master 

licenses internationally.” 

Noting that he makes up to 20 international trips annually, 

Foley said that without the IFE he would need to almost 

double his travel schedule to meet his sales goals. “There’s 

a limit to how much money a company can invest to get 

in front of international prospects, so that’s another reason 

why the IFE is valuable to exhibitors.” 

“CAN YOU FRANCHISE IN UGANDA?” 

In addition to cost savings, the IFE produces master 

franchise opportunities that otherwise would not occur. 

“Tunisia, Iraq, Uganda, Namibia – these markets are not 

on my Top 10 list for franchise expansion,” explains Foley, 

a veteran of international development. “But we have 

opportunities in all of these markets, and many others, 

because the IFE brought them to us. That’s a tremendous 

benefit, and it’s always a pleasant surprise to see where 

people are coming from and where they want to develop 

our franchise businesses. Some come from small and out of 

the way territories and they’re often afraid that we won’t be 

interested. But we almost always are!” 

Margiano confirmed that for budget reasons he would 

not have traveled to many of the countries where he’s sold 

master licenses as a result of the IFE. “It’s a lot easier to go to 

a foreign country when you are closing a deal than when you 

are looking for a potential partner,” he said. 

Even franchise suppliers who exhibit at the IFE have 

discovered the value of the expo’s international draw. Larry 

Schwartz is principal and senior consultant for RBZ-Armanino, 

a franchise services group that met the Japan External 

Trade Organization at the 2014 IFE. JETRO is an extension 

of the Japanese government with offices in New York and 

Los Angeles. The group helps facilitate Japanese franchise 

development in the United States, and since mid-2014 has 

relied on RBZ-Armanino for consultation and development 

of franchise system infrastructures that comply with U.S. law. 

JETRO introduced RBZ-Armanino to a half dozen Japanese 

companies that launched their development in the U.S. 

market while exhibiting at the 2015 IFE. 

IT’S A PLACE TO MEET FACE-TO-FACE 

Exhibitors point out the importance of face-to-face 

communications with franchise prospects. “The IFE is great for 

networking and building relationships,” said Jerry Crawford, 

president and CEO of Jani-King International, which always 

presents a sprawling booth at the IFE. “Investors from around 

the world come to us because they recognize the success of 

American franchise organizations and they want to join us.” 

Kelli Schindelegger, senior manager for global 

development for Brinker International, noted how the IFE 

helps to cultivate new relationships as well as drive top-ofmind 

brand awareness. Margiano said he would not have 

been able to attract the behemoth Duskin to even consider 

his tiny business without a personal connection at the IFE. 

“Exhibiting helps you bring credibility to the table because 

you’re associated with the IFE and the IFA,” continued 

Margiano. “I know that times have changed since that first 

IFE, but not so much for international prospects. They want to 

meet you face-to-face and develop a relationship, and that’s 

in the best interests of both parties. 

International prospects are not always looking for the big 

brands. Many of them want something that’s new so they can 

be the first to develop in their part of the world, but they also 

want to know who you are. They want to spend time with you, 

and the expo presents those opportunities.” 

Foley agreed. “You can’t rely on the Internet, email, and 

Skype, even though they are great tools. But they don’t 

replace face-to-face meetings and that’s what makes the IFE, 

and all of the expos, all the more valuable.” 

For prospects such as the four brothers from Pakistan, 

and the engineer from Ecuador, the IFE is the difference 

between thinking about buying a master license and actually 

signing on the dotted line. The expo is a prime opportunity 

for consummating international sales. “Some people say they 

don’t exhibit at the IFE because of the time and the money,” 

scoffed Foley. “But how could you not be there?” 

Dr. John P. Hayes is a freelance writer who 

teaches marketing, franchising and 

communications at Gulf University for Science & 

Technology in Kuwait. 


SAVE the DATE

EDUCATION 

CHILDREN’S SERVICES 

Franchise Sector 

Continues to Grow 

Demand for early education and care franchises expected to increase for 

years to come. 

BY CHRIS GOETHE, CFE 

In the past several years, the franchise industry has 

seen exponential growth over other economic sectors. 

Even through the recession, the industry was able to 

continue growing largely due to the franchise model, which 

naturally lends itself to resource sharing, more buying 

power and greater market share. The rebound the economy 

has experienced since 2009 has only strengthened the 

industry’s growth, with the children’s services, quick-service 

restaurants and personal-services franchise sectors leading 

the way. 

According to a 2015 Franchise Grade report, the 

children’s services sector, which includes educational 

services, day care, child sports/fitness training and 

enrichment/arts programs for children, is one of the fastest 

growing franchise sectors in the United States. Since 2013, 

it has been growing at more than three times the average of 

other franchise sectors. This ranking comes as no surprise 

to those in this field and is a direct result of a number of 

stimulants, including President Obama’s 2013 State of the 

Union speech, which called for “Pre-K for All.” 

At the time, President Obama called on Congress to 

expand access to high-quality early education to every 

child in America. He referenced research showing how 

building a foundation of skills during the earliest years 

of a child’s life is critical for future success. Fast-forward 

to today, political leaders, the business community and, 

most importantly, parents, have taken notice of the need 

to nurture our nation’s next generation. The importance 

of supporting children’s social-emotional, cognitive and 

creative development early is no longer debated, and is 

in fact viewed as critical to building a strong and globally 

competitive future workforce. 

According to the latest U.S. Census report, there are 

approximately 25 million preschool-aged children in the 

United States, 60 percent of whom are within ages three to 

five years and are enrolled in a preschool program. To better 

understand how the children’s services franchise sector, 

specifically educational child care franchises, is growing, 

we have to look at the development of the industry, market 

size and demand, and the financial and personal appeal to 

entrepreneurs. 

DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDUSTRY 

Before the 1980s, the day care industry was thought to 

simply offer play time and day care for children. Services 

were largely provided by independently-owned, single-site 

day care centers. In the 80s, however, the perception of child 

care started to shift. Parents began feeling the gap between 

early care and education, creating demand for higher quality 

preschool options that incorporated curriculum. Providers 

such as Primrose Schools began franchising and offering 

both the early education and care components that parents 

were seeking. These private franchise providers, required 

to meet certain regulations and accreditation guidelines, 

offered a higher standard for early childhood education for 

the first time in the industry. 

Over the years, the industry has steadily grown and as 

more research has surfaced on the critical role the first five 

years play in children’s long-term development, the early 

education franchise sector has flourished. Moreover, the 

national dialogue on early education has added to the surge 

in demand and franchise opportunities. 

MARKET SIZE AND DEMAND 

Entrepreneur magazine has noted the increased demand 

for children’s services franchises. In its latest annual 

Franchise 500 ranking, children’s services was listed as one 


communities across the country. For example, 

Primrose Schools has seen an all-time high 

enrollment this year, with average full-time 

occupancy at mature schools open at least three 

years reaching 85.1 percent (as of June). Growth 

isn’t expected to slow anytime soon. IBISWorld 

indicates the child-care industry will continue 

to grow as disposable income increases for 

families, allowing parents and guardians to 

spend more on high-value services such as early 

education. 

of the top five fastest growing franchise sectors. The child 

care industry as a whole is growing as well. As of May, the 

industry was valued at $45 billion, according to research 

firm IBISWorld. 

Historically, Primrose Schools and other early education 

providers have found greater demand in suburban markets; 

younger Americans have traditionally moved away from 

urban areas as they settle down and start families. Over the 

past few years, however, city growth in the United States 

has been outpacing that of suburban markets, and now 

both areas are growing steadily. Urban markets are now 

positioning themselves as live, work, play communities. 

According to experts from the Urban Land Institute, many 

families are making the decision to stay in the city with their 

children. This “urban migration” isn’t limited to the United 

States; it is affecting as many as 2.5 billion people around 

the world. 

This shift has caused an increase in demand for highquality 

early education and care in both urban and rural 

FAST FACTS 

• According the latest U.S. Census report, there are 

approximately 25 million preschool-aged children in 

the U.S. 

• In Entrepreneur’s latest annual Franchise 500 ranking, 

children’s services placed among the top five fastest 

growing franchise sectors. 

• IBISWorld indicates the $45 billion child care industry 

will continue to grow as disposable income increases 

for parents and guardians, allowing families to spend 

more on high-value services such as early education. 

• According to Forbes, 88 percent of millennials are 

seeking work with a greater purpose, and more than 4.5 

million people ages 50 to 70 have left their first career 

for an “encore career” in a business that combines 

personal and social impact with continued income. 

• Between 2010 and 2014, 75 percent of all children’s 

services franchises have achieved positive net growth. 

FINANCIAL AND PERSONAL REWARDS 

Increasing demand is not the only factor 

attracting entrepreneurs to early education. 

The financial and personal rewards from owning 

a children’s services franchise are proven and 

abundant. According to a 2015 Franchise Grade 

report, 75 percent of all children’s services 

franchises have achieved positive net growth 

between 2010 and 2014 and have generated more than $450 

million in revenue per year. Additionally, the children’s services 

sector provides favorable terms compared to other industry 

sectors, including lower initial terms of agreement, longer 

renewal terms and a greater number of renewal options. The 

result is an overall term that is longer than industry averages 

at 20.1 years. 

While many franchise sectors provide financial return to 

the investing franchisees, few also offer broad impact and 

personal reward. Research shows that many entrepreneurs 

are now looking for more meaningful franchise opportunities, 

including opening early education and care schools. 

According to Forbes magazine, 88 percent of millennials 

are seeking work with a greater purpose, and more than 4.5 

million people ages 50 to 70 have left their first career for 

an “encore career” in a business that combines personal and 

social impact with continued income. 

Moreover, unlike other franchise sectors, children’s 

services offer franchisees the unique opportunity to build 

long-lasting relationships with the families they serve while 

making a greater positive impact on their community and the 

next generation. 

There has certainly been a spotlight on the children’s 

services franchise sector over the past couple of years, but it’s 

not fading anytime soon. A growing number of entrepreneurs 

are seeing this franchise opportunity as a means to invest 

in a more meaningful and personally gratifying business. 

Early education and care franchises continue to provide an 

essential service to American families and communities — a 

service that will continue to be in demand for many years to 

come. 

Chris Goethe, CFE, is vice president of franchising 

for Primrose School Franchising Co. Find him at 



MAKE YOUR PLANS NOW FOR THE 

HENRY B. GONZALEZ CONVENTION CENTER & MARRIOTT RIVERCENTER 

convention.franchise.org

FRANCHISE EVENT OF THE YEAR! 

If you attended the 2015 International Franchise Association Convention in Las Vegas, 

you’re probably wondering how we can top it. Well, we can and we will! #IFA2016 will 

be brighter, bolder and bigger - since everything’s bigger in Texas. If you didn’t 

join us, you missed out on an important opportunity to learn, improve and network. 

Join more than 3,500 of your franchise industry colleagues at the biggest franchise event 

of the year! 

February 20-23, 2016 

Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center & 

Marriott Rivercenter 

San Antonio, TX 

Interested in exhibiting or sponsoring? Contact Lynette James at ljames@franchise.org.

MANAGEMENT & OPERATIONS 

LAUNCHING A MOBILE 

FRANCHISING MODEL 

A simple Old World recipe started it all. A century later, Repicci’s 

Italian Ice is hitting the road. 

BY FRANK REPICCI 

My grandfather, Dominic Francesco 

Repicci, immigrated in 1911 

to southern Philadelphia from 

Messina, Italy. Along with his Italian heritage, 

Dominic brought his family’s Old World 

recipe for Italian Ice to the New World. 

At first, he shared our family’s delicious 

traditional treat with friends and neighbors in 

his new American home, but it wasn’t long 

before he found himself working to meet an 

overwhelming demand for the dessert. 

That was when Repicci’s Italian Ice was 

born. Our century-old company has thrived 

in the 21st century’s mobile franchising 

concept, and currently has 48 franchisees 

across the United States. 

I was raised in Tennessee, but our family 

would travel across the country to visit my 

grandfather in Pennsylvania every other 

year throughout my childhood. It was during 

these precious times with family that I was 

taught the recipe and process for making our 

Real Italian Ice. 

As an adult, I requested and received 

my grandfather’s blessing to use his recipe 

to reinvent the company on a larger scale as 

FDR Enterprises Inc. I assumed the role of 

CEO and decided to open a manufacturing 

plant, which initially supplied concessions 

for Chattanooga, Tenn. parks, recreation 

facilities and surrounding distributors. 

OUR DECISION TO ENTER 

FRANCHISING 

In 2005, FDR Enterprises launched 

Repicci’s Franchise Group, selling eventbased 

franchises. Our first franchisees saw 

success using seasonal tents at spring and 

summertime events. But the company 

wanted to find a way to make Repicci’s a 

full-time and year-round revenue opportunity 

for our franchisees. 

In 2010, we decided to add mobile 

trailers to our franchising model, making it 

easier and more efficient for franchisees to 

attend events located further apart. This 

expanded their opportunities and increased 

their revenue potential, but the value of 

mobile vehicles became apparent. In 2012, 

we developed a food truck platform to begin 

testing and performance validation in our 

Birmingham, Ala. franchise territory. 

We are now able to serve as a vendor at 

all types of events, such as the Steel City Jazz 

Festival, the Hangout Music Festival to the 

SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met, 

as well as being a fixture at Barber Motor 

Sports for events such as the Indy Grand Prix 

of Alabama. 

Our food truck enables us to set up 

outside businesses that invite us to offer 

refreshments to their employees during the 

workday or become part of the “going out” 

scene by frequenting popular downtown 

corners. Because of these successful 

results, since August new Repicci’s Italian 

Ice & Gelato franchisees have purchased 

Mercedes Sprinter food trucks to launch their 

new territories. We have three active trucks 

as of Nov. 1. 

CHOOSING A FOOD TRUCK THAT 

WILL INCREASE EFFICIENCIES 

Selecting the Mercedes Sprinter was a 

long and arduous process. Not all food trucks 

are created equal, and we were looking for 


one that would fit our needs exactly. We wanted a model 

that was totally self-contained, meaning our franchisees 

could safely store and serve our Italian Ice and Gelato and 

be approved by local health departments. By doing this, 

franchisees are able to sell longer before heading back to 

their business’ home base to re-stock and clean up. 

When considering your business’ POS flow, it’s important 

to think about ways to make the process of serving customers 

convenient and streamlined. The food truck we selected allows 

up to four employees to work comfortably inside. Because 

our truck operators are having a blast serving customers at 

concerts and community festivals, the fun atmosphere may 

be too loud for employees to shout orders back and forth. 

So, we can use video monitor ordering screens to help ensure 

accuracy and minimize customer wait time. Outdoor menu 

screens on the side of the food truck can be changed as 

needed to show updated flavors and prices, as well as serving 

as a rolling message center. 

HELPING CUSTOMERS FIND YOU 

The beauty and the challenge of having a food truck 

business model is its mobility. Without brick and mortar, you 

are free to take your products to wherever your customers 

are, evolving with geographical and event-based demand. 

But your constantly changing location can make it difficult for 

new or returning customers to find you. 

We have partnered with an SMS-based marketing service 

and a schedule-posting, web-integrated service to help us 

overcome this obstacle. By empowering franchisees to collect 

customers’ contact information, they are able to create a 

database of loyal followers, while keeping fans updated on 

new product promotions, coupons and, of course, where 

food trucks will be and when. Messages are sent out via short 

texts, with the possibility of linking to our corporate websites 

or microsites built for specific products or events. 

Our schedule-posting, web-integrated service creates 

a more efficient process for franchisees to announce where 

they will be and when across all their digital platforms. 

Initially, we tried to get weekly schedules posted to our 

corporate websites by manual entry, but the process was 

time-consuming. By November, we will have launched the 

system that allows franchisees to post their schedules once 

and populate websites and social media simultaneously. 

PRODUCT ADDITIONS TO BOOST YEAR-ROUND 

SALES 

While the amount of possible selling venues seems 

endless during the spring and summer, it is challenging to 

maintain volumes during the colder months. As a franchisor, 

we are working to meet these challenges by expanding 

our menu of Real Italian products during this fall to include 

hot beverages and an authentic, hot Italian sandwich. Hot 

chocolate and freshly-brewed Italian coffee are already on 

the menu in some Repicci’s locations, and other products are 

in the developmental stage. 

REPICCI’S ALWAYS LOOKS TO THE FUTURE 

We will continue to discover new challenges to overcome 

as we continue unrolling (pun intended) our food truck model. 

Just as Dominic Francesco Repicci learned to adapt to a new 

country during the Industrial Revolution, Repicci’s Real Italian 

& Gelato is adapting to a new marketing structure based on 

wheels. 

Frank Repicci is CEO and a franchise owner of 

Repicci’s Italian Ice & Gelato. Find him at 

fransocial.franchise.org 


HONORING AMERICA’S HEROES 

Veteran Mentorship 

Program Offers Vital 

Support for New Owners 

“Troops in Transition” program adding to Budget Blinds ranks of 

franchisees. 

BY TODD JACKSON 

U.S. military veterans compose an extremely important 

community within the fabric of our nation. These men 

and women have put their own lives on the line to 

solidify our freedom. They are heroes in every form, and they 

walk among us each and every day. 

How can we possibly give back to, and show our support 

for, these American heroes who have given so much for us? 

That is the exact question we, at Home Franchise 

Concepts (HFC), were pondering back in 2014. We knew that 

we had to give back to our nation’s heroes, but it had to have 

a long-term, positive impact on their lives and the lives of 

their families. 

In early 2015, after a year of discovery and education from 

national veterans’ organizations, Home Franchise Concepts 

launched its Troops in Transition program for Budget Blinds. 

The program targets veterans that have left, or will leave, 

active duty within two years. Troops in Transition waives 

the initial fees of $75,000 required to become a franchise 

business owner with Budget Blinds under its general offering. 

Removing the financial barrier for veterans was certainly 

a step in the right direction, but this program is about more 

than just offering a deep discount. It’s also about offering 

these men and women an opportunity to successfully utilize 

their skills learned while serving our nation: skills such as 

structure, perseverance, organization and leadership, true 


skills that any great entrepreneur should embody. 

For this reason, Budget Blinds also ensures that 

all veterans joining through the Troops in Transition 

program are thoughtfully matched with a mentor. 

These mentors are carefully selected from our 

existing franchisee network and are those who have 

demonstrated the tenacity and skills that it takes 

to achieve success in the world of independent 

franchise business ownership. 

Nearly a year since beginning the program, our 

new veteran-franchisees are thriving. Their success 

is best told through their stories. 

WALT AND MELISSA BYARS 

Walt Byars was the first veteran who signed on 

with Budget Blinds through our Troops in Transition 

program. Byars served in the U.S. Navy for more 

than 22 years, and after a successful career of 

service, he was ready for change. He and his wife, 

Melissa, began looking at franchising opportunities 

and considering their options for independent 

business ownership. After inquiring about Budget 

Blinds and learning about the support systems we 

have available, the two decided to become business 

owners and opened Budget Blinds serving Zachary, 

La. in May. 

While preparing to begin work in their territory, 

Walt and Melissa were introduced to Brian Gargan, 

owner of Budget Blinds serving San Angelo, Texas, 

as a mentor. Working closely with Brian, the Byars 

executed a successful introduction to the market 

and have been going strong ever since. Gargan has 

been there to challenge them on creative solutions, 

assist when issues arose, as well as to help keep them 

motivated during slow sales periods. Together, the 

Byars and Gargan are strengthening their territory 

and we look forward to checking in with them during 

our annual convention in January. 

REYNALDO (REY) PINLAC 

Reynaldo (Rey) Pinlac served in the U.S. Navy for 

14 years, and was introduced to Budget Blinds by 

taking a job as an installer for an existing franchise 

owner in Washington state. After learning more 

about the incentives that our system offers veterans, 

he decided to follow his entrepreneurial spirit and 

open his own franchise. In June, he opened Budget 

Blinds serving Olympia. 

Since opening for business, Pinlac has been 

mentored by his former employer, Amber 

Koebberling, whom he worked for as installer. With 

a strong track record of success, Koebberling provided 

insight on the ownership side of the business and 

successfully helped transition Pinlac from installer to 

independent franchise business owner. 

When Pinlac’s child was born, he and Koebberling 

worked together by sharing employees to ensure that 

their customers were taken care of at all times. These 

two truly showcase what a great mentor/mentee 

relationship our franchisees provide for one another 

even in a “non-official” capacity. 

THARON AND LEAR COOK 

Tharon and Lear Cook met while both were serving 

in the U.S. Army in Germany, and they married in 1995. 

Tharon served for 21 years before retiring in 2015, 

and shortly thereafter he and Lear began looking for 

their next adventure. After speaking with his brother, 

Cedric, Lear learned about the program that Cedric 

was helping the HFC and Budget Blinds corporate 

teams develop for recently-retired veterans. 

Cedric, a retired U.S. Marine, owns his own Budget 

Blinds franchise with his wife, Clarita. With the support 

of their family, Tharon and Lear made the decision 

to join the company and opened their franchise in 

Newport News, Va. in July. 

Although his brother is based in Texas, Tharon still 

speaks with him on a regular basis and is able to tap 

into Cedric’s expertise in successful business practices 

and teamwork. Richard Grice of Suffolk, Va. has also 

mentored the Cooks, giving invaluable insight on 

building a strong business foundation that will support 

their long-term goals. With an outpouring of mentoring 

support, the Cooks have started strong and show no 

signs of slowing down. 

These veterans, along with a number of others 

that make up 10 percent of our franchise system, 

demonstrate an outstanding ability to work successfully 

as a team and that is what our mentorship program will 

continue to cultivate. It is our goal to provide all of our 

franchisees with an unwavering support system. The 

true backbone of our company is the spirit of family, 

and we look forward to strengthening this family in the 

years to come. 

Todd Jackson is one of the five founders 

and COO of Budget Blinds. Find him at 




Franchisees Harness 

Technology to Help 

Improve Operations, 

Effi ciency 

Franchising’s highachieving, 

multi-unit 

franchisees share 

views on key topics. 

Question: How have you moved more toward using technology to 

enhance the customer experience? 

In July 2006, Chris and Angela 

Ashcraft opened their Mobile, Ala. 

Express office to assist local job 

seekers in finding employment 

and helping area businesses 

find qualified employees. The 

Ashcrafts fulfilled their dream 

of helping others through a 

successful business and decided 

to open a second Express office in 

Summerdale, Ala. in March 2013. In 

2014, the Mobile and Summerdale 

Express offices put 2,000 people 

to work. 

CHRIS AND ANGELA ASHCRAFT: Our vision at Express Employment 

Professionals is to help as many people as possible find good jobs by assisting clients in finding good 

people. Our franchise system currently has its sights set on putting one million people to work annually 

through a franchise network of 750 locations in the United States, Canada and South Africa. We 

depend on technology to help us enhance the customer experience. 

We have moved toward technology, especially social media, to connect our two customer types: 

“Associates” and “Clients.” 

Social media has allowed us to communicate quickly with our customers. On a daily basis, Express 

Employment Professionals advertises on Facebook with hot jobs that need to be filled quickly. We 

post content that resonates with and engages our audience, including the latest on the employment 

situation, the economy or local business trends in Mobile or Summerdale, Ala. 

On Twitter, Express shares content based on what’s happening in employment, as well as 

motivational and leadership articles. We use Twitter and LinkedIn to post jobs on a regular basis for our 

professional staffing line of business. While connecting quickly with customers, we are very careful to 

protect the names of our clients and associates. 

At two office locations, we also use email marketing and a localized website specific to our markets 

to enhance the customer experience. We send hot job alerts to recruit associates, as well as email 

clients about top candidates who are in the recruiting pipeline. Being proactive with this technology 

helps us generate numerous new job orders. 

The move toward technology, both locally and from our international headquarters in Oklahoma City, 

has helped us reach prospective candidates faster, satisfying their need for a job and our client’s desire 

to fill job openings quickly. 


TM 

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