Franchise Interviews

We are meeting with Zach W. McLeroy, President and C.E.O., Zaxby’s Franchising, Inc. and we are going to talk to Zach about the Zaxbys franchise and how the chain is flourishing and poised to grow from a regional brand into a household name.

Zach McLeroy is not only the President and C.E.O. Zaxby’s Franchising, Inc., he is also a co-founder of the Zaxby’s concept.  Zach started Zaxby’s (then called “Zax”) in 1990, when he put his burgeoning music career on hold, selling his beloved drum set to open the first store.  It was in that first Zax location that he perfected the recipes that remain the core items of the Zaxby’s menu today, including the formulation of the original selection of Zaxby’s sauces.

Now, more than 20 years and 570 locations later, the chain is flourishing and poised to grow from a regional brand into a household name.  Zach remains active in the day to day operations of Zaxby’s Franchising, overseeing and directing brand development strategies and setting the vision for its continued growth.  He’s a Zaxby’s licensee himself, holding an ownership in over 95 Zaxby’s franchise locations.

 

In part 2, Marty discusses franchising with CBS radio host Lynn Johnson.

We are meeting with Chris Catalano, CEO of School of Rock.

ABOUT SCHOOL OF ROCK

The music school you wish you had when you were a kid, School of Rock is an ingenious concept that gets kids and adults rocking out to the classics and up and performing with their peers. With more than 100 locations in seven countries, the franchise proves that rock & roll is alive and kickin’.

Music Franchise Proves Rock & Roll is Alive and Kickin’

After 15 years and breaking the 100-school milestone, the School of Rock is creating the world’s next generation of rockers.  By inspiring the world to rock on stage and in life, the company is continuing to rock major U.S. and international cities through soulful entrepreneurs who transform the lives of kids and adults through music. 

Providing a powerful mix of a solid business model and awe inspiring performances that fill families with pride, School of Rock is expanding its franchise operation with growth opportunities in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Toronto, Vancouver and other US areas. Meanwhile, interest in the franchise continues to grow overseas, with new schools opening in Australia, the Philippines, Brazil and Chile.

“We are excited about reaching this 100 school milestone. Our sustained growth helps ensure that we can continue to expand the inspirational opportunities for our students while at the same time creating employment opportunities for musicians in the neighborhoods that we serve,” said School of Rock CEO, Chris Catalano.   “While this is certainly an occasion to pause and celebrate our partners and our growth, it is also a reminder that we are only just beginning and the best of School of Rock is yet to come.”

We are meeting with Leigh Bodden and Eric Casaburi.  Former NFL Cornerback, Leigh Bodden, has signed on to become part of Retro Fitness, America's rapidly growing fitness chain known for its low cost and high value. The athlete has plans to open clubs throughout Washington D.C., Maryland and northern Virginia with more to follow in additional markets across the East Coast.

 Bodden spent nine years playing as a cornerback in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, and most recently the New England Patriots, before pursuing options in entrepreneurship. Bodden is no stranger to the fitness industry and Retro Fitness had big expansion plans for his home market, making the pair a perfect fit. Bodden's Retro Fitness locations will be operated under The WEOU Group, a hospitality company founded by the athlete to house a variety of investments in the fitness, hotel and restaurant industries. "I always knew I wanted to be my own boss and work in business one day, even before my athletic career in the NFL," Bodden said. "I relate to Retro Fitness; I have the same core values as the Retro team and they were looking to hit my home market big, so everything aligned. I look forward to being part of this brand and growing this market in this stage of my life."

"We're a team at Retro Fitness; all of us working together toward a greater goal, and Leigh understands what it's like to have to work as a team for everyone to be successful," said Eric Casaburi, founder and CEO of Retro Fitness. "Athletes make some of the best business owners for their dedication, ambition and drive, and we're thrilled to call Leigh part of the Retro Fitness family."

In part 2, we are meeting with franchise legend Doc Cohen on our Great Quotes in Franchising Podcast.

We are meeting with Dr. Rebecca and Dr. Joseph Cipriano, founder of the new Pop Weight Loss franchise.

Pop Weight Loss, a weight management and healthy lifestyle franchise, has experienced tremendous success creating a weight-loss-as-lifestyle-change program to help the rapidly escalating obesity epidemic plaguing American men, women and children today. The "Pop" in Pop Weight Loss stands for personal, online and professional. The program offers personalized one-on-one support, online weight loss counseling, recipes, tools and suggestions, and each client is given a team of professional nutritionists.

In 2013, Dr. Rebecca published the book with her father, Kenneth Herman, EdD, a clinical psychologist titled, Pop: Burst the Diet Bubble and Finally Lose Weight. The book provides a step-by-step plan for losing weight, and is essentially a mock-up of the Pop Weight Loss program. The book also discusses how Dr. Rebecca struggled with her own weight loss after pregnancy, which is a primary reason, in addition for her passion for health and wellness, why she created Pop Weight Loss.

In part 2 we meet with franchise expert Steve Beagleman from our Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.  Steve talks about the advantages of going with a small and larger franchise system.

Are you a start-up or small business looking to raise capital? In order to do so, you must have a business plan that investors will love.

 

Cheree Warrick, author of Creating Business Plans that Actually Get Financed, will be our guest. During our interview, she’ll reveal the following:

 

Shocking statistics about how much money is actually out there Six (6) parts to an invest-able business plan Biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when writing their business plans Why banks and angel investors say NO to great business ideas How to give an irresistible 60 second pitch that’ll have investors pulling out their calendars to schedule time with you Why non-tech companies (or companies outside of the technology field) have better changes of receiving financing from angels The secret to receiving financing offers from multiple sources And much more

March 14, 2013 at 10AM EST -Over the last month, we discussed several franchise opportunities for aspiring dadpreneurs. This week we are meeting with the ProTect Painters franchise opportunity. Wayne Scherger, a veteran of the painting industry since 1981, founded ProTect Painters in 1994. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, ProTect Painters opened territories east of the Mississippi River and forged a reputation for quality service and exceptional value. In 2009, Service Brands International (SBI) acquired ProTect Painters with the goal of expanding the brand into a leading national franchise business, serving both the residential and commercial markets. "With SBI's financial resources, franchising expertise, and support professionals, we have created a new kind of painting franchise opportunity: one built on innovation, integrity and infinite opportunities," said Wayne.  We are meeting with Gregory Lee of ProTect Painters in Richardson, TX.  Today we are going to speak with Greg about his experience and life as a ProTect Painters franchisee and how he balances that work life as a “dadpreneur.

We also play a clip from our "Great Quotes in Franchising" podcast with Toppers franchisee Derek Henze.

The franchisor dilemma: overcoming the challenges of change and how to "sell" the franchise system on cloud communications.

 

We are meeting with Bonnie Lam of Ring Central.  RingCentral is a cloud-based phone system provider that has started to work with more and more franchise companies over the last few years. Bonnie will discuss how to move a franchise system's business communication infrastructure to the cloud - the benefits and cost analysis.

We will discuss how to improve efficiency of phone, text and fax communication with franchisees, as well as improve communication between franchisees and their employees.  We will also discuss the traditional pitfalls of unmonitored phone communication with customers in a growing franchise system: professionalizing outgoing messaging, streamlining announcements of promotions, events, closures, etc. in real-time.

One of the themes of February has been the topic of dadpreneurs.  Recent studies have shown that in the past 10 years, the number of work-from-home dads has more than doubled. The number of stay/work-at-home dads has risen from 81,000 in 2001 (1.6 percent of the total) to a startling 176,000 in the past year (3.4 percent of the total), according the U.S. Census. While the reasons for this trend may vary, Erik Flores is an example of a work-from-home dad who left a career outside the home to launch businesses that would allow hmi the flexibility and independence that only a home-based franchise provides. Erik Flores owned a car detailing business for four years. He used Chem-Dry upholstery cleaning products on the interiors of vehicles and was impressed with the results. He also has the responsibilities associated with three children and a local church where he serves as the director. So, a year and a half ago, he sold the car detailing business to purchase the Plainview, TX Chem-Dry franchise. Now, the 32 year old sets his own hours, travels and has the time to devote to both his ministry and his children.

One of the themes of February has been the topic of dadpreneurs.  Recent studies have shown that in the past 10 years, the number of work-from-home dads has more than doubled. The number of stay/work-at-home dads has risen from 81,000 in 2001 (1.6 percent of the total) to a startling 176,000 in the past year (3.4 percent of the total), according the U.S. Census. While the reasons for this trend may vary, Erik Flores is an example of a work-from-home dad who left a career outside the home to launch businesses that would allow hmi the flexibility and independence that only a home-based franchise provides. Erik Flores owned a car detailing business for four years. He used Chem-Dry upholstery cleaning products on the interiors of vehicles and was impressed with the results. He also has the responsibilities associated with three children and a local church where he serves as the director. So, a year and a half ago, he sold the car detailing business to purchase the Plainview, TX Chem-Dry franchise. Now, the 32 year old sets his own hours, travels and has the time to devote to both his ministry and his children.

Over the next two weeks, we are talking about dadpreneurs and franchising. Recent studies have shown that in the past 10 years, the number of work-from-home dads has more than doubled. The number of stay/work-at-home dads has risen from 81,000 in 2001 (1.6 percent of the total) to a startling 176,000 in the past year (3.4 percent of the total), according the U.S. Census. Our first guest will be Rick Werner of Unishippers. And Rick Werner owns a Unishippers franchise, a third party shipping adviser for small to mid-sized businesses. He has been in business since January and works from home, building his business while serving as the primary caretaker for his 18 month-old daughter. He and his wife live in Auburn, AL