COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho, Oct 13, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — GarageTown USA began offering franchises of its successful garage “condo” business model last month under the newly formed GarageTown USA Franchise Services LLC (GTFS). For the past several years, GarageTown USA has offered individuals the opportunity to “purchase” personal, over-sized Storage units, commonly referred to as “garage condos.” Currently, there are about 19 GarageTown developments located in six states, including Idaho, Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Texas and Arizona. According to GarageTown Franchise Services Assistant Vice-President Cameron Barclift, “In the short time since receiving the approval to franchise GarageTowns, the phone hasn’t stopped ringing with inquiries from most every major market in the United States.”

The Self Storage Association estimates the self storage industry represents $20 billion in annual revenues. “Garage condo storage is where mini-storage was about 25 to 30 years ago,” notes Mike Ard, of GarageTown’s Colorado operation. “GarageTown is on the leading edge of this next generation of self storage, and now we are providing the opportunity for others to develop in-demand garage condo sites in their neighborhoods.”

GarageTown USA delivers a unique alternative to renting storage space. Instead, investors become owners of secure, enclosed units which average over 1,000 feet of usable space while reaping the same tax benefits as home or property ownership. GarageTown owners often personalize their units with custom cabinetry and flooring. Some even construct mezzanines to maximize the lofty 16′-19′ ceiling space. Owners utilize the garages for collections of classic cars, haulers and trailers; RVs and toys such as Quads and Sand Rails. Still others create personal gyms or their ultimate hobby den. Some units have security gates and most come prewired for phone, cable, Internet and HVAC. Owners are part of an Owners Association where a nominal monthly fee covers services such as building insurance, grounds maintenance, common utilities, security surveillance, and upkeep of a private clubhouse where owners can network and socialize. The overall effect being a garage condo community, where once sufficiently sold out, is self governed and self maintained.

“GarageTown USA has proven to be a successful concept and our company has done the necessary groundwork to deliver a profitable, established business model. Now, franchisees can reap the benefits of our hard work and experience,” says Ard.

Newly enlisted franchisees will attend GarageTown University, an intensive forum where they will learn about site selection, construction, legal procedures and sales and marketing to effectively construct and market their development(s). Investors will benefit from national advertising, financing, branding and PR assistance as well as sales and technical support. GarageTown USA also intends to provide lists of approved vendors, so franchisees can take advantage of the benefits of national purchasing power.

Since its inception, GarageTown USA has received hundreds of inquiries regarding franchising. The franchise arm of the company is now revisiting those inquiries, and preparing to award franchises in areas that are closely in line with its core business model. “We expect to see hundreds of GarageTown USA franchises all over North America, but we want to make sure they’re all done correctly and are successful, so we’re being very selective as to where we go and who joins our team,” adds Barclift.

Waggin’ Tailz is a new Dog Walking and Pet Sitting Franchise opportunity.

According to their website, “Waggin’ Tailz is a petsitting franchise that provides a wide variety of professional and personalized in-home pet care services.  For clients who are traveling, we can care for their pets in their home as alternative to boarding in a kennel. Pets will stay in their own environment and maintain their regular feeding and exercise schedule–a great alternative to a noisy and confined kennel!”

“Waggin’ Tailz franchises are designed for individuals who have a passion for pets and dream of running their own pet care business, but don’t want to deal with the headaches, risk, or expense of starting a pet care business from scratch.  Our sophisticated infrastructure and comprehensive business model sets the groundwork for our franchisees’ success.  As a young franchise, we are dedicated to growing our company through highly motivated and dedicated franchisees.

“With everything we provide for you–training, support, software, supplies, marketing, website, and more–you’ll be able to make your dream of working with pets a reality!  Even if you have no previous experience in running a business, our training and support system will assist you every step of the way.”

Total Investment: $10,300-$17,350  Initial Franchise Fee: $8,000  Royalty Fee: 4%  Advertising Fee: 3%

If you are familiar with the Waggin’ Tailz petsitting franchise, please leave a comment below.

Founder Karen Stewart is touted as a national “divorce guru” by media and supporters alike. Stewart is the author of the newly released book Clean Break: How to Divorce with Dignity and Move on with Your Life. She is also the founder and CEO of Fairway Divorce Solutions®, the first real alternative to the traditional divorce process. With Fairway Divorce Solutions, she has created another category that fairly represents both parties when dealing with all issues of divorce.

Today, Fairway Divorce Solutions, Ltd., announced the opening of its first two additional franchises. One has opened in Edmonton and a second in Calgary, rolling into action a strategic plan to aggressively expand its operations throughout Canada and the United States.

The Fairway flagship office opened its doors in 2006. “We are extremely pleased to grow our successful Fairway Divorce Solutions® franchise beginning right here in Alberta. The new Edmonton satellite and second Calgary offices are the first of many to be opened throughout Canada and eventually the United States.” said Karen Stewart, President and CEO, Fairway Divorce Solutions.

“We have responded quickly to heightened demand. Since our inception, it became apparent clients valued our revolutionary new system for divorce, which uses a practical, step-by-step process to dramatically reduce time, reduce costs, the emotional pain of traditional divorce and, most importantly, to protect the children.”

Margot Gyorgy, owner of the new Calgary franchise, has worked closely with owner Karen Stewart at Fairway’s flagship office as Executive Vice-President, Sales & Marketing, for almost two years and jumped at the opportunity to grow the company. “It was apparent working at Fairway that Karen’s new divorce paradigm, The Fairway Process™, was a clear winner. I am thrilled to be one of the first to take the company to a new level and offer this efficient service to more people looking for a sensible alternative to the traditional divorce.”

The new Calgary franchise is located in south Calgary, making it more accessible to clients in that area. The phone numbers for both locations are: Additional franchises are scheduled to open across Western Canada in fall 2008. Movement into Eastern Canada will begin in late 2008 and traction into the United States will commence in 2010. Cameron Herold, Executive Vice President of Corporate Development for Fairway Divorce Solutions, is the driving force behind the franchising growth. Prior to Fairway, Mr. Herold was a leading force behind 1-800-GOT-JUNK?’s explosive success, growing from a start-up in Vancouver to a franchised company in virtually every major city in North America and Australia.

As the beacon for a “new alternative divorce,” Fairway Divorce Solutions is Changing the Way Divorce Happens™ by saving people money, stress, time and most importantly children from needless financial and emotional pain. It is an alternative to the traditional process of divorce, whereby a couple is taken step by step through The Fairway Process with a trained negotiator, who facilitates resolution on all issues in divorce.

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The Hygienic Home is a unique franchise that makes the world better and meets a growing demand for green services. The Hygienic Home® is a revolutionary franchise offering. As a franchisee, you’ll be on the cutting edge of the $500 billion green movement by offering homeowners a single source for all of their green cleaning needs.

Year Established: 2006 Franchising Since: 2007

Franchised Units: 0 0%
Company-Owned Units: 1 100%
Total Operating Units: 1

States with operating units: New Jersey:

Franchise Investment:
Minimum Net Worth: $75K
Cash Investment: $25K
Total Investment: $67.8-82.4K
Average Total Investment: $75K

Fees:
Initial Franchise Fee: $25K
Average Franchise Fee: $25K
On-Going Royalty: $600-1050
Average Royalty: 0%
Advertising Fee: $200

Average Number of Employees: 1 Full-time, 0 Part-time

Source: World Franchising, FranBest
Research links: Franchise Marketing, Franchisor Marketing, Franchise Publicity

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Village Coffee’s licensing program is designed for individuals who want to open a turnkey gourmet, community coffee shop without the high costs and restrictions of a traditional franchise. The Village Coffee license program is designed to provide more freedom, lower costs and a strong community marketing philosophy to help individuals build a business they can be proud of.

FranBest recently had the pleasure of interviewing Village Coffee President Tommy Lowrey

FranBest: Thanks for sharing your story with us, Tommy. How did you first get involved in the coffee business?
TL: I have always enjoyed coffee. Morning devotions and a cup of coffee is a God send. I tinkered around with a small roaster and green beans and began roasting my own blends some years ago. I was operating several seasonal businesses, and when I began looking for something that would provide steadier revenue, coffee was a natural choice.

FranBest: What did you do in your prior life?
TL: I spent 20 years in management, developing systems first for the Air Force and then for a series of businesses I started. In 2000, I launched out and opened my first business, then a second. After that, we opened our 3 coffee shops. Now we are helping others to use our efficient business systems to achieve success in their own businesses.

FranBest: How do you describe the Village Coffee license concept?
TL: Village Coffee is founded on a passion for coffee. We use the world’s highest quality coffee beans, expertly roasted and diligently brewed to create a variety of gourmet espressos and coffee blends. But Village Coffee is just as much about community as it is about coffee. The inspiration for our name was, in part, the village square that used to be the central gathering place in most small towns across America. The village square was a place where neighbors would gather to socialize, exchange ideas, debate current issues or just be together. And while few towns still have lively village squares, Village Coffee shops are filling the void, providing a warm friendly, gathering spot where neighbors, friends and family can enjoy a warm welcome, hot drinks, and pleasant company.

As a business opportunity, I’d describe it as easy and affordable. We help with financing, we have a real estate office to help secure a great location and even negotiates the rent , and improvement allowance for our customer. We have a track record in finding great locations for our customers. We also have a design team and setup team to make sure the store is ready and Village Coffee approved. Also for what we offer in our package, the price can’t be beat.

FranBest: When did you launch the Village Coffee franchise/license program? How many franchise/licensees are up and running?
TL: We began marketing and hired our sales team in May of 2007. We currently have 4 stores in development and about 14 in the planning and financing stages. It takes about 4 to 6 months to get the store opened, sometimes longer if the site is being custom built.

FranBest: What do you see as the key difference between your “license” arrangement and the typical “franchise” arrangement?
TL: Our licensing program is designed to give the licensee gets much more freedom in what they can do. Franchisees generally have little input to color schemes, furniture, pictures, etc.. With us we include them, even in the design and layout of their store. Our stores have a warm relaxing feel to them, you want to walk in and kick your shoes off and stay awhile. (Yes, we do have this happen.) People need a family friendly place to visit. And we let the owners make it more personally theirs.

FranBest: Where are you looking to expand? What types of markets and demographics work best?
TL: The continental US. We believe a medium household income of $35,000 and at least a population of 10,000 around your location will make a good return on your investment.

FranBest: What is the need in the marketplace that Village Coffee owners will meet?
TL: Village Coffee coffeeshops have a lot to offer the community: freshly baked muffins for breakfast, espresso macchiato whenever, meeting new folks. But one of the most rewarding things to see is the wide range of people that come through our doors – moms, factory workers, pastors, neighborhood kids, professors, and college students – and they all have the same basic human needs. The need for companionship is so easily met by a coffee shop. It’s a friendly, hospitable space and the sociable nature of coffee allows people to relax and open up to each other.

FranBest: Tell us a little bit about the kind of person who would make a good Village Coffee franchise/license owner?
TL: Our licensees are from all walks of life. We have a retired store manager, an IRS auditor, bankers, truck dispatchers, you name it. What they share is a passion for great coffee, great people, and the magic that happens when you bring them both together.

Our tag line is “Making our customers day better one drink at a time” They would need to be someone who stands behind this.

FranBest: What qualities are important to you in selecting new franchise/licensees for your system?
TL: We want to build our team with integrity and a great work ethic. Our employees love working for our company, and we we want owners who will be good managers but treat their staff with a spirit of respect. The way the staff if treated will be reflected in the stores atmosphere, I guarantee it.

FranBest: What makes a good franchise/licensee?
TL: A people-person who listens to the customers and staff, who can have fun but who is also a good money manager, who is organized, and can maintain an efficient and clean store.

FranBest: How do Village Coffee franchise/license owners attract new customers? How do they create repeat business?
TL: We focus on customer service and grassroots “Village” marketing techniques, including maintaining a lively and friendly store environment, consistent drink preparation, suggestive selling and sampling, take complimentary drinks to nearby businesses, marketing our gift card program, and active community involvement and sponsorships.

FranBest: Of the training and support services you provide franchise/licensees, which do you think are most valuable to their long-term success?
TL: Besides the drink making and store operations I would have to say, make sure you let the customer know you appreciate them. They usually spend between $3.00 and $4.00 dollars per visit. You need to let them know that you appreciate them, and always give them a reason to return again and again.

FranBest: I understand you are outsourcing services to FC Dadson and possibly service providers. How does outsourcing help enable your growth and/or better service your owners?
TL: A key growth strategy of Village Coffee is to partner with top quality service providers to bolster our in-house team. For instance, FC Dadson has a great reputation and years of experience designing and building out similar store concepts. Troy and his team is great. We are also partnering with top quality roasters, suppliers and real estate professionals. Harnessing their expertise enables us to provide first rate support for our licensees without having to add costly staff and overhead.

FranBest: What role does technology play in your organization?
TL: Great Question. Technology plays a key role in the efficiency of our operation. Our electronic POS system provides in house gift card and loyalty card processing. Our licensees have the capability to log into their store’s POS system remotely to check the status of each store. We can look at the sales, find out who is on shift, look at yesterday or last weeks sales report.

Additionally, licensees can opt for having digital video cameras in their stores that they can access remotely via the Internet. It provides security for the employees and security for the owner.

FranBest: What makes Village Coffee different from other coffee franchise/license opportunities?

TL: Our program is really structured to benefit the licensees:

The reason this is a unique opportunity is because you have a name and products that really can compete with the big boys in the industry. People continually say that our products stand out in the marketplace. There are so many names out there, but Village Coffee just says it all. It’s inviting.

FranBest: Does Village Coffee have a mission other than creating a profitable business? Is giving back to the community an integral part of your or your licensees businesses?
TL: Yes we want to give the community a safe place that even their kids will be welcome. The environment that we have is a place where mothers can come in, kick off their shoes, and put their feet up on the couch while reading their favorite book. Also, business professionals, church groups, etc. have a great place to meet.

We want to help foster a spirit of community, and a spirit of giving. Fundraising and charity involvement are a fundamental part of the Village Coffee philosophy.

FranBest: Thanks very much for sharing your vision of Village Coffee and the Village Coffee licensing opportunity.
TL: Thank you.

“Dos Compadres brings a wealth of knowledge to PURE Taqueria with a proven track record of 25 years experience in the restaurant industry,” said John Kibler, PURE Taqueria co-founder and chief operating officer, in a statement. “There has been a tremendous demand for our authentic, up-scale Mexican food, freshly prepared in an exhibition kitchen, and served in a hip, casual, high-energy atmosphere. Dos Compadres is a perfect fit to add strength to our brand as we expand in the Southeast and beyond.”

What makes PURE Taquerias unique? First, their decor and design makes them look like 1920′s neighborhood garages. Second, they feature more than 80 different tequilas.

Now Joel is providing the benefit of his decades of franchise experience through a new inexpensive franchise eBook available for instant download.
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Click here: Essential Steps to Researching a Franchise Opportunity, Joel Libava

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Franchisees, customers & experts vote for their favorite new franchises at Top New Franchise: Who’s hot. Who’s not.

(FranchisePick.com The franchise blog)  Proving that business can be all fun and games, Games2U, a mobile video game theater and laser tag franchise, is bursting onto the entertainment scene with an aggressive entrance into the U.S. market. Today, the new franchise concept announced a partnership with the Findley Group, the Waco, Texas-based, leading franchise development company led by Gary Findley, the former President of Curves International who was responsible for taking the chain from just a handful to several thousand units worldwide.

“Games2U is actually leading a new segment within the video gaming industry, so it is exciting for it to be the first entertainment franchise we have partnered with since launching in 2005,” Findley said. “By tapping into the $18 billion video game market, Games2U realized the potential in blending video games with children’s events, and the Findley Group will help make the brand a household name in the marketplace.”

Findley struck the partnership deal with co-founders David and Stuart Pikoff, who recognized the tremendous benefit of being teamed up with an established authority in the franchising world.

“A Games2U franchise requires very-little start-up capital and a minimal amount of employees to run it, making it a wonderful franchise opportunity that can literally be up and running in 90 days” said David Pikoff. “Now, with the Findley Group, we are gearing up to offer this truly unique franchise opportunity, which combines two thriving industries, children’s entertainment and video gaming.”

The Pikoffs have carved out a distinctive niche for Games2U. The self-powered, climate controlled theaters feature state-of-the-art electronics, including multiple 50-inch flat-screen HDTV displays and enhanced surround sound, for the optimum gaming experience on any one of the three video gaming systems, X-Box 360, Nintendo Wii, or Sony Playstation 3. Additionally, a highly trained Game Coach oversees the entire experience and personally manages each Games2U Mobile Video Game Theater.

“As parents to young children, my brother and I both recognized the void in the entertainment segment. Pizza parties and bowling are essentially what the nation’s youth have to choose from” Stuart said. “We allow kids to experience all three of the video gaming systems out today with their friends while still satisfying parents’ desire for them to be outside in the fresh air. It’s like a mini-carnival that pulls up to your house.”

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Franchisees, customers & experts vote for their favorite new franchises at Top New Franchise: Who’s hot. Who’s not.

(FranchisePick.com The franchise blog) 

Hot dogs are the All-American food, and Franktitude was launched to make sure we always have a hot dog with all the fixins close at hand.
It was “burger and burger” everywhere, with no hot dog expert serving the fresh, tasty gourmet hot dogs at an affordable price. That’s why the concept started offering its freshly prepared products and gifted all food lovers an exclusive range of hot dog options with a variety of toppings as surprising additions.
This fast-food joint established its first business center in the downtown Miami area in 2006. With infinite hot dog combinations, and fresh franks (turkey, beef and veggie), the concept even allows customers to customize their orders. Making its distinct presence felt in the food business, Franktitude expects to open up almost 25 units within the next 3 years, some of which are already under construction.
After establishing itself in the food industry, Franktitude initiated offering a franchise business for sale. The franchisor follows a simple business model, with reasonable start-up costs and a low franchise fee. Furthermore, there is no cooking required, making operations further simpler! The franchisor is there to provide you with exclusive territories, so that no other unit can eat into your profit. The full-service franchisor also helps you in lease negotiation and real-estate selection processes. Moreover, if you want architectural and construction support or an on-going operational assistance, Franktitude is there to help just like any other top franchise.
If you are starting a franchise of Franktitude, it will offer you comprehensive and excellent initial training as well post-establishment marketing support to ensure complete success of your business. Since there is no cooking business involved and you just serve pre-cooked and chopped ingredients, you will require minimal employees to run your business. What’s more, Franktitude supports absentee ownership as well.

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Franchisees, customers & experts vote for their favorite new franchises at Top New Franchise: Who’s hot. Who’s not.

(FranchisePick.com The franchise blog)  According to Mlive, The Wine Loft, a new restaurant in downtown Kalamazoo, expects to have its liquor license next month and open its doors by mid- to late-August.

“Tiffany Cornelius, president and co-owner of West Michigan Wine Loft Inc., said the franchise wine and tapas bar has hired a general manager and assistant manager and is taking applications for other staff. “We’ve already gotten a couple dozen applications,” Cornelius said. Workers have knocked a hole a in the east side of the Haymarket building to provide access to a planned patio, but Cornelius said the outdoor dining area won’t be open until next year.

“Cornelius said she is meeting with sales reps from wine companies – the restaurant is expected to have more than 100 wines by the bottle – but can’t purchase any until the liquor license is approved. “We’re working through all the legalities here,” she said. “

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