Franchise Euphoria

Jennifer Lemcke is the Chief Operating Officer of Weed Man lawn care. Weed Man offers lawn care services to over 500,000 customers across North America. Weed Man’s success has been built one customer at a time through a network of devoted franchises owners. Currently Weed Man has 309 Franchise License Agreements representing over 680 territories.

Key Takeaways:

[0:18] Today’s episode of Franchise Euphoria is brought to you by IndyFranchiseLaw.com, a leading resource in the franchise space. Head over to IndyFranchiseLaw.com learn more!

[1:00] Josh introduces today’s Franchise Euphoria guest, Jennifer Lemke, the COO of Weed Man lawn care.

[1:50] Josh welcomes Jennifer Lemke to Franchise Euphoria.

[2:46] Jennifer gives a quick overview of her background in franchising. She was introduced to the franchise world at the age of 16 when her father purchased his first franchise.

[5:22] As of October 2018, Jennifer and her team officially own the Weed Man brand worldwide.

[6:27] One of the benefits of Weed Man’s model is that they are a recurring revenue system, so they don’t have to rebuild their customer base yearly.

[7:59] Josh explains that a master franchisor is a role where you acquire the rights to come to certain territories and help the franchisor grow the brand. Typically, this involves operating a certain number of franchise locations yourself in addition to recruiting new franchisees.

[9:35] Weed Man offers services pertaining to lawn care with the exception of lawn cutting services.

[11:32] Having grown up around lawn care franchises, Jennifer finds that it gives her team a sense of credibility since you know what you’re talking about and can easily roll out the plan for new franchisees.

[14:39] Weed Man is the largest multi-unit franchisee in Canada.

[17:32] Weed Man offers a unique training program where its franchise employees can undergo franchisee training and then their current operator will open a new location and run it as a partner with the newly-trained franchisee.

[18:59] Jennifer suggests that the multi-unit concept has become popular in the franchise world to grow your top line.

[21:32] Jennifer feels like throughout their journey, any mistakes that were made really made their business stronger.

[23:48] If you want to learn more about Weed Man as a franchise, head over to www.WeedManFranchise.com or you can send Jennifer an email at [email protected].

[24:37] Thanks for listening, and please, reach out to Josh anytime through email at [email protected]. If you enjoyed this interview, please leave us a review on iTunes.

Mentioned in This Episode:

[email protected]

www.franchiseeuphoria.com

www.indyfranchiselaw.com

www.weedmanusa.com

www.weedmancanada.com

www.weedmanfranchise.com

www.facebook.com/weedmanusa

www.facebook.com/weedmancanada

Hector Westerband is the founder of Acai Express. His franchise units and company survived Hurricane Maria and helped feed people after the crisis. He has now brought the brand to the USA with the same passion and persistence that not only launched the 16-unit brand but also brought him through the troubled time in Puerto Rico. Acai Express creates an experience for people to “unplug” from the noise and stress of day-to-day life. Their mission is simple--to serve the best tasting, highest quality super food bowls that go hand in hand with a lifestyle based around health and fun.

Key Takeaways:

[0:18] Today’s episode of Franchise Euphoria is brought to you by IndyFranchiseLaw.com, a leading resource in the franchise space. Head over to IndyFranchiseLaw.com learn more!

[1:00] Josh introduces today’s guest, Hector Westerband, the founder and CEO of Acai Express.

[1:59] Josh welcomes Hector Westerband to Franchise Euphoria.

[2:35] Acai Express currently has fifteen locations in Puerto Rico and is beginning to expand into the United States now.

[4:26] For Hector, recognizing the demand for his products plus having a great mentor really helped him propel his business into fruition.

[6:45] In addition to bringing the spotlight to the acai berry, which is filled with antioxidants, they also highlight other superfoods such as the pitaya.

[8:28] The first Acai Express brick and motor location was established in Cocoa Beach, FL two years ago.

[11:04] With two franchise locations in the US, Acai Express is focusing their efforts on attracting new franchisees to their model for further expansion.

[12:24] Hector recognized the demand for his business and thought to himself, if I don’t do this, somebody else will which is what led to him franchising after only a year and a half of having his business open.

[13:25] Acai Express has tried a number of strategies for attracting new franchisees but are currently putting their efforts into bringing leads in through their website. They also use a third party company to assist with their growth.

[14:27] Hector believes that one of the biggest differentiators for their industry is the quality level their products provide.

[16:28] If you’re interested in learning more about Acai Express, you can visit AcaiExpress.com or for franchise information visit AcaiExpressFranchise.com.

[17:07] Thanks for listening, and please, reach out to Josh anytime through email at [email protected]. If you enjoyed this interview, please leave us a review on iTunes.

Mentioned in This Episode:

[email protected]

www.franchiseeuphoria.com

www.indyfranchiselaw.com

www.AcaiExpress.com

www.AcaiExpressFranchise.com

facebook.com/AcaiExpressPR

instagram.com/acaiexpress

Tab Burkhalter is the managing partner of The Burkhalter Group, which is composed of a regional law firm, regional CPA firm, business start-up and back-office service provider (Numbers House) and commercial real estate lessor. Tab has extensive experience in helping franchisees establish their businesses.

Key Takeaways:

[0:18] Today’s episode of Franchise Euphoria is brought to you by IndyFranchiseLaw.com, a leading resource in the franchise space. Head over to IndyFranchiseLaw.com learn more!

[1:00] Our episode today features Tab Burkhalter, the leading manager at the Burkhalter Group and is also a CPA.

[1:51] Josh welcomes Tab Burkhalter to Franchise Euphoria.

[2:14] Tab takes a minute to tell Franchise Euphoria about his background as a CPA and how he came into the franchising industry.

[3:39] About 80% of the work Tab does deals with restaurants.

[5:07] One of the biggest decisions a franchisee can make when opening their second location is determining whether they will open a separate LLC to conduct the business.

[7:08] When setting businesses up, Tab suggests establishing yourself as an LLC but elect to be taxed as an S Corp so that you save on self-employment taxes.

[9:05] Tab suggests the second consideration franchisees should be making when considering a second location is what tax grants or incentives are there for where you’re putting your second location?

[12:42] When buying a second franchise, you must redo your due diligence in looking over the Franchise Agreement, because while you’re already familiar with the version you signed years ago, there have likely been updates made that you may or may not approve of.

[15:18] As has been evidenced in this episode, Josh notes how important it is to have a CPA on your team to make sure you get the proper deductions, make sure you’re doing things the right way, and ultimately save money in the long run.

[17:25] When you start planning your exit strategy for a franchise system, you need to familiarize yourself with the terms your franchisor has set out for you.

[20:51] In certain situations, Tab will sometimes advise the franchisee to purchase the property that the franchise is on, so that way they have some cards to play when negotiating a successor or just general corporation with their franchisor.

[22:21] Tab often finds that franchisees just look at the first three years of their business when cultivating a plan when they need to be thinking through five to ten years.

[25:11] If you want to learn more about Tab or seek his expertise, you can visit his website at www.TabBurkhalter.com or call (865) 984-4080.

[25:45] Thanks for listening, and please, reach out to Josh anytime through email at [email protected]. If you enjoyed this interview, please leave us a review on iTunes.

Mentioned in This Episode:

[email protected]

www.franchiseeuphoria.com

www.indyfranchiselaw.com

www.tabburkhalter.com

www.thenumbershouse.com

www.facebook.com/NumbersHouse

twitter.com/thenumbershouse

www.instagram.com/thenumbershouse

www.linkedin.com/company/the-numbers-house

Key Takeaways:

[0:18] Today’s episode of Franchise Euphoria is brought to you by IndyFranchiseLaw.com, a leading resource in the franchise space. Head over to IndyFranchiseLaw.com learn more!

[1:00] For today’s episode, Josh heads into the archives of early Franchise Euphoria to bring back an episode with esteemed business author, Carol Tice, who was featured on the third ever episode of Franchise Euphoria.

[2:06] The flashback begins with Josh introducing Carol Tice, a franchise writer and blogger who has incredible insight on the risks associated with franchising.

[3:20] Carol’s writing career really took off when she transitioned to reporting. She spent five years writing about home improvement--specifically lumber yards--which served as her introduction into the business world.

[5:30] One of the big things you want to buy with a franchise is expertise and a proven model. Oftentimes, businesses start selling franchises quickly after opening their first location. This can be a red flag to anybody looking to purchase a franchise.

[7:38] As a franchisee, you need to ask yourself what you are getting out of your franchisor in return for the royalty fee you pay them.

[9:41] While you miss out on brand recognition by buying into the franchises, on the other hand, you are presented with ground floor opportunity.

[10:52] Buying a franchise is kind of like a romance movie. People fall in love with the brand and commit to purchasing a franchise, but the problem is that they don’t do their due diligence.

[12:00] Carol suggests that you ask yourself the following questions before you buy a franchise: (1) How many of these franchises have been sold off, closed, or changed hands in the past year? (2) Have you spent a day job shadowing an owner who operates their business? (3) Have you called up owners and asked them if they would buy the franchise again if they go could back in time?

[14:53] Many people don’t realize that franchise failure happens behind the scenes.

[19:04] Some people will really hate being franchisees because they want more freedom to do their own thing.

[22:30] Franchising often appears as a safer option than starting your own “Mom & Pop” business, but Carol is not entirely convinced that is the case.

[24:51] Carol suggests that something that new and potential franchisees don’t account for is how much money they will need to get over the hump of starting a new franchise location.

[27:52] In franchising, once you sign your franchise fees, you never get that money back, so it’s all the more important to be very careful on the front end and do extra due diligence.

[30:26] You have to realize that there is no guarantee for success when it comes to franchising, but you can increase your likelihood by doing some real research before getting yourself into that situation.

[35:37] Thanks for listening, and please, reach out to Josh anytime through email at [email protected]. If you enjoyed this interview, please leave us a review on iTunes.

Mentioned in This Episode:

[email protected]

www.franchiseeuphoria.com

www.indyfranchiselaw.com

Carol’s Forbes Blog

www.caroltice.com

With a business career spanning 38 years, including 35 years in franchise and entrepreneurial environments, FirstLight Home Care CEO and founder Jeff Bevis has a unique and aggressive perspective for what it takes to build successful franchise systems. FirstLight is an innovative offering for non-medical in-home care and expanded to over 250 markets in 33 states in just seven years.

Key Takeaways:

[0:22] Today’s episode of Franchise Euphoria is brought to you by IndyFranchiseLaw.com, a leading resource in the franchise space. Head over to IndyFranchiseLaw.com to learn more!

[1:00] Today’s guest is Jeff Bevis, the founder and CEO of FirstLight Home Care, a non-medical in home care franchise system.

[2:17] Josh welcomes Jeff to Franchise Euphoria.

[2:56] Jeff’s involvement with franchising goes back 35 years and has included involvement with six different franchise systems.

[4:38] After years of discussing going into business together, Jeff and his son ultimately landed on a non-medical in-home care model after being customers of businesses of those types and not being satisfied with the service they received.

[6:42] When Jeff and his son began franchising, they had no corporate team to start, which led them to be very focused on client satisfaction from day one.

[8:24] One of the unique aspects of FirstLight is their client to caregiver matching program that ensures a quality pairing is made for the care each customer receives.

[9:43] It wasn’t until a year and a half in that they decided to add in any additional corporate team members.

[10:47] Although FirstLight was developed in the Midwest, their first franchise locations were in Florida in Nebraska. They have always looked to find the right people who are a good fit for the business, and to them that was more important than having their candidates be within a certain radius.

[14:31] For FirstLight, they find the right people who are interested in becoming part of the franchise first and then check with their software that confirms whether their demographic is a good fit for their model to ensure the quality of their franchisees.

[15:33] FirstLight was the first company in the industry to become totally web-based.

[17:01] A common misconception in their industry is that to be a franchisee, you have to have background in the healthcare industry. You don't. FirstLight looks for franchisees with strong communication, presentation, and management skills.

[18:33] One of the biggest challenges FirstLight faced as a growing franchise system is keeping up with the demand of the industry while not cutting corners to maintain quality.

[20:18] In regard to the marketing side of any franchise, Jeff suggests jumping in with both feet first from the get-go.

[21:57] If you have any questions relating to the franchisor or franchisee sides of FirstLight, feel free to email Jeff at [email protected].

[22:20] Thanks for listening, and please, reach out to Josh anytime through email at [email protected]. If you enjoyed this interview, please leave us a review on iTunes.

Mentioned in This Episode:

[email protected]
www.franchiseeuphoria.com
www.indyfranchiselaw.com
www.firstlighthomecare.com
www.firstlighthomecare.com
www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbevis/#642abbd11736

Key Takeaways:

[0:22] Today’s episode of Franchise Euphoria is brought to you by The Franchise 5 package. Head over to franchiseeuphoria.com/franchise5 to learn more!

[1:01] With his two youngest daughters in the office with him today, Josh thought it was fitting to record an episode about leaving your legacy.

[2:15] Whether you decide you want to pass your business along to a family member, it is still important to at least develop a plan for your exit strategy.

[2:48] Surprisingly, most businesspeople don’t consider developing a succession plan when they start a business.

[3:10] When developing your business succession plan, Josh’s first piece of advice is ensuring that you have a qualified trust and estate lawyer who either understands business or is working with a business lawyer.

[3:25] Secondly, you need to envision at the start how (or if) you would like to see your business succeed after you exit.

[3:55] It is important to consider the tax consequences of selling or transferring a business as well.

[4:33] Thanks for listening, and please, reach out to Josh anytime through email at [email protected]. If you enjoyed this interview, please leave us a review on iTunes.

Mentioned in This Episode:

[email protected]

www.franchiseeuphoria.com

www.franchiseeuphoria.com/franchise5

Abdo Riani is the founder of StartupCircle.co where aspiring and rising entrepreneurs can connect with and learn from successful founders over daily live Q&A sessions. He also mentors and guides entrepreneurs to first paying customers and beyond.

Key Takeaways:

[0:22] Today’s episode of Franchise Euphoria is brought to you by The Franchise 5 package. Head over to franchiseeuphoria.com/franchise5 to learn more!

[1:01] Josh introduces today’s guest, Abdo Riani, the founder of StartupCircle.co, a place where aspiring and rising entrepreneurs can connect with successful founders via daily live Q&A sessions.

[2:20] Josh welcomes Abdo to Franchise Euphoria.

[2:46] Abdo gives Franchise Euphoria a brief overview of his business background and how he came to create Startup Circle.

[5:15] Abdo suggests that many business startups focus on the product and not the solution when their efforts should be focused on backing the solution if they want to gain traction.

[7:54] With some of his previous endeavors, Abdo worked with a lot of tech startups, but recently he has turned his focus to entrepreneurs.

[9:02] The vision of Startup Circle is to democratize guidance, and the way that is done is by creating a space where experts come into an easily accessible space to benefit those individuals seeking their direction.

[12:02] Josh makes the point that one of the benefits of Startup Circle is the small group opportunity it provides for budding entrepreneurs to get one-on-one interaction and direct communication with these mentors.

[16:11] With their current phase of their growth, Startup Circle is actually training some of the frequent session attendees to become session hosts themselves, which in turn gives them the opportunity to meet some experts that they look up to.

[17:06] Starting in 2018, one of Abdo’s goals was to launch coaching services, but he found that audience was an issue for him. This led him to document the journeys of over 100 entrepreneurs. In this, he was able to leverage the audience of the experts who come on Startup Circle. He connects this to the franchising space, as many franchisees are already sponsoring local events, and Abdo believes he could connect those franchisees to host these sponsored events to grow their brand and build partnerships with local businesses.

[21:06] Abdo suggests that franchisees need to focus on the content of these events in order to successfully execute them and furthermore highlight the content through quality guest speakers with large audiences.

[22:22] Franchisees should be recruiting speakers who they either want to work or can bring in an audience of people they want to work with.

[25:35] If you want to learn more about Startup Circle, head over to startupcircle.co, and if you want to learn more about Abdo Riani, you can visit abdoriani.com.

[25:47] Thanks for listening, and please, reach out to Josh anytime through email at [email protected]. If you enjoyed this interview, please leave us a review on iTunes.

Mentioned in This Episode:

[email protected]

www.franchiseeuphoria.com

www.franchiseeuphoria.com/franchise5

https://startupcircle.co/

abdoriani.com

linkedin.com/in/abdo-riani-40b34745/

https://twitter.com/abdoriani

Rick Cesari has helped major brands from GoPro to George Foreman build billion-dollar brands through Brand Response advertising and strategic video marketing. His newly-released book, Building Billion Dollar Brands, aims to put valuable knowledge of the big brands into the hands of inventors, small business owners, entrepreneurs, Amazon sellers and others to help create innovative, successful marketing campaigns. A bestselling author, speaker, consultant, and marketing & brand strategy guru, Rick is bringing his expertise to us today to talk branding, video marketing and more.

Key Takeaways:

[0:22] Today’s episode of Franchise Euphoria is brought to you by The Franchise 5 package. Head over to franchiseeuphoria.com/franchise5 to learn more!

[1:01] Josh introduces today’s guest, Rick Cesari, author of Building Billion Dollar Brands.

[2:08] Josh welcomes Rick Cesari back to Franchise Euphoria.

[3:28] Rick gives us a recap of some of the businesses he’s worked with over the years.

[5:02] Rick’s new book is really about the lessons he learned from working with these companies over the years, and how he identified patterns of tactics that many of them used to grow their brand.

[6:32] The first tactic is what Rick calls “always upsell,” which may seem obvious, but is often overlooked when people are faced with customers.

[8:12] Josh chimes in that the easiest way to make a sale is to go to people who have already purchased.

[9:55] For the second tip, Rick suggests it’s important to learn from other people’s experiences, specifically through books published by people who have achieved the success you want to see.

[12:05] Tactic three covers the “Blue Ocean” strategy, which is one that Josh used himself when developing his law practice.

[14:56] “If you try to please everybody, you end up pleasing no one.”

[15:38] Josh introduces tip four as “the number one rule in sales.”

[17:45] Tactic five covers the concept of educating your consumer, which is something Rick really focuses on when launching a new product or service.

[21:16] The sixth tactic is establishing credibility with your target audience, the underlying reason for which is being people will always be skeptical of advertising until you give them a reason to trust you.

[24:05] Tip seven, using key opinion leaders and influencers, goes hand in hand with the sixth tactic as it is a great way to help establish the credibility of your business.

[24:13] Josh notes that tip eight, knowing your customer, is one of the most important things a business owner can do.

[25:09] One of the first things Rick does with new clients is set up interviews with proven clientele that usually ends up being testimonial collateral for their business.

[26:14] A timeless strategy Rick has employed over the years, which is his tenth tip is having powerful before and after demonstrations. This stems from Rick’s background of using direct response television ads.

[28:20] For Rick’s final tip, he suggests the importance of “making the customer the hero.”

[32:27] If you want to learn more about Rick Cesari or purchase his book, you can visit www.RickCesari.com.

[33:03] Thanks for listening, and please, reach out to Josh anytime through email at [email protected]. If you enjoyed this interview, please leave us a review on iTunes.

Mentioned in This Episode:

[email protected]

www.franchiseeuphoria.com

www.franchiseeuphoria.com/franchise5

rickcesari.com

rickcesari.com/euphoria

franchiseeuphoria.com/building-brand-rick-cesari

Todd Evans joined uBreakiFix as VP of Franchising in July 2015. He is instrumental in ensuring that uBreakiFix partners with the right individuals to represent the brand in new and growing markets. With his guidance, uBreakiFix has consistently been named among the fastest growing companies. He previously held the same position at Aaron’s Inc. where he launched a mega-successful franchise division. 

Key Takeaways:

[0:22] Today’s episode of Franchise Euphoria is brought to you by The Franchise 5 package. Head over to franchiseeuphoria.com/franchise5 to learn more!

[1:01] Today’s Franchise Euphoria guest is Todd Evans, the VP of Franchising at uBreakiFix.

[2:21] Josh welcomes Todd to Franchise Euphoria.

[2:42] Todd does a quick overview of the uBreakiFix franchise concept; they are a technology repair company that will “fix anything with a power button.”

[3:24] Before his involvement with uBreakiFix, Todd worked for Aarons, Inc. for 23 years.

[5:20] The nature of the franchising industry is to find a need in the industry. uBreakiFix is well-suited for this as nearly everybody uses new technology these days, especially phones and tablets.

[6:15] Over Todd’s first 24 months, he found that the business was extremely scaleable, and with this in mind, the business has grown to over 400 locations with another 490 franchise locations committed to open over the next 36 months.

[7:02] One of the most attractive aspects of the franchise system has been the area development agreement, which consists of franchisees receiving the rights to a specific area to open multiple units within over the course of time.

[8:02] uBreakiFix also sells technology accessories like phone cases, but they have to be careful to make sure their suppliers don’t view them as competition.

[9:40] The inception of uBreakiFix started with their founder and CEO, Justin, who broke his iPhone while he was in college. When he took it to a repair business, he found that it would be a five day wait before it could get looked at on top of exorbitant fees. He then fixed it himself, and the business was born.

[11:26] The first uBreakiFix location was opened in Orlando, FL.

[12:07] Their franchising efforts began will selling about half of their corporate owned stores to the onsite store managers for each location.

[14:55] uBreakiFix has four types of potential franchisees they typically focus their efforts on.

[18:11] Todd believes uBreakiFix has four glaring points that set them apart from competitors in the business.

[21:56] If you want to learn more about uBreakiFix, click here!

[22:25] Thanks for listening, and please, reach out to Josh anytime through email at [email protected]. If you enjoyed this interview, please leave us a review on iTunes.

Mentioned in This Episode:

[email protected]

www.franchiseeuphoria.com

www.franchiseeuphoria.com/franchise5

https://www.ubreakifix.com/franchising?utm_source=franchise_euphoria

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDheXpUYU70

Christian Hageseth, CEO and Chairman of ONE Cannabis Group, has over 8 years of experience in the Colorado legal cannabis industry and more than 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur. In 2009, he founded Green Man Cannabis and by 2016 had four retail dispensary locations and two grow operations in Colorado.

While operating Green Man, Christian recognized the next step in the evolution of the retail dispensary experience: a cannabis brand that was for every consumer along with a chance for other entrepreneurs to use this brand and his expertise. In 2017, he formed ONE Cannabis as the brand in retail cannabis. Furthermore, he is the Founder & President of American Cannabis Partners, author of Big Weed: An Entrepreneur’s High Stakes Adventures in the Budding Legal Marijuana Industry, and six-time winner of Denver’s High Times Cannabis Cup.

Key Takeaways:

[0:22] Today’s episode of Franchise Euphoria is brought to you by The Franchise 5 package. Head over to franchiseeuphoria.com/franchise5 to learn more!

[1:01] Josh introduces today’s guest, Christian Hageseth, the founder and CEO of ONE Cannabis.

[3:11] Welcome to Franchise Euphoria, Christian Hageseth!

[3:36] Christian gives a brief overview of what led him to the franchise cannabis industry.

[6:58] ONE Cannabis has sold units in Ohio, Colorado, and Michigan.

[7:52] The cannabis industry has actually been around for a while now California having legalized it in 1996 and Colorado in 1999.

[9:07] One of the biggest challenges with a cannabis business is getting financial backing through banks and credit unions.

[13:36] ONE Cannabis is a fully-vertical marijuana business meaning that they are involved in the process from cultivating the product to retailing it.

[16:40] ONE Cannabis didn’t even begin considering the franchise model until they had eight years of experience in the industry and fully ensuring they had mastered their craft.

[22:13] Currently, ONE Cannabis is focused on expanding into California. Once they overcome some franchise registration hurtles, they will benefit from having ample amount of cultivation areas for their product.

[24:36] For their franchised locations, the ideal structure is having their franchisees be the head of the business operations but with a management team in place beneath them who have relevant industry experience.

[27:00] Christian looks forward to adding the real estate component to the business since one of the biggest challenges in the cannabis business is getting the right location.

[31:26] If you want to learn more about ONE Cannabis, you should visit one-cannabis.com or give them a call at (303) 922-2122.

[32:09] Thanks for listening, and please, reach out to Josh anytime through email at [email protected]. If you enjoyed this interview, please leave us a review on iTunes.

Mentioned in This Episode:

[email protected]

www.franchiseeuphoria.com

www.franchiseeuphoria.com/franchise5

one-canfranchisecolorado.com