New Real Estate Franchise Opportunity

New franchise: Nothnagle Realtors Real Estate Agency Franchise

Armand D’Alfonso, Nothnagle Realtors’ president and chief executive, recently announced that Nothnagle Realtors plans to offer franchise opportunities to real estate agencies across the country “similar to Century 21 and Coldwell Banker.” According to an article in the Democrat and Chronicle:

Nothnagle will initially offer franchising rights in cities such as Buffalo, Syracuse and Albany and areas downstate, said John Arquette, vice president of franchise sales and new business development… The most likely franchisees would be small agencies that could benefit from Nothnagle’s technological and marketing knowhow. Under a franchise arrangement, the agencies would remain independently owned.

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Nothnagle also has a history of franchising. In 1950, John T. Nothnagle opened the first Gallery of Homes at the Granite Building in downtown Rochester, where prospective buyers could view photos of houses for sale. Before that, houses were sold to buyers visiting the property. John Nothnagle franchised the concept and, at its peak, there were more than 1,200 galleries around the country. The gallery franchise was sold in 1983, Arquette said. The Gallery of Homes concept was the forerunner of today’s Internet marketing, said John Masters, broker at Nothnagle’s Greece office.

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Some competitors said Nothnagle’s plan makes sense because it reduces the cost of doing business for franchisees while enabling Nothnagle to become a national player. The company already ranks 36th in the country with more than $1.2 billion in annual real estate transactions. “It’s very difficult for a mom-and-pop to keep their costs down,” said Larry Mastrella, manager of RealtyUSA’s Pittsford office, explaining why a small agency in some other part of the country might want to affiliate with Nothnagle.

Professional Pet-Sitting and Dog-Walking Franchise

“I created this business with a mission that no pet should go uncared for,” said Paul Mann, founder and CEO. “When a pet owner hires FETCH! Pet Care, they know they will come home to a happy pet. The majority of FETCH! Pet Care customers prefer not to kennel their pets due to health or safety concerns, or they simply feel better having their pets at home, in the safety and comfort of the pet’s own environment.”
After experiencing frustration in finding professional, reliable care for his own pets, FETCH! Pet Care franchise founder Paul Mann walked away from a lucrative career in the technology industry, determined to fill an obvious hole in the market. Since its founding in 2002, FETCH! Pet Care has blossomed into a multi-million dollar franchise that continues to grow by more than 200 percent each year in this rapidly growing industry. Mann notes more than two-thirds of U.S. households own pets, and an estimated $43 billion will be spent in the pet industry this year — double the amount spent only a decade ago. The industry is expected to grow to $52 billion in just two years.

Paul Mann claims to have built the nation’s largest and most professional at-home pet sitting and dog-walking franchise, with 200 FETCH! Pet Care franchise locations in more than 1,800 communities across 35 states.

FETCH! Pet Care, with a fitting tagline of “We’ve Got Your Tail Covered,” continues to expand at a rapid pace, opening 10-15 new franchises per month, nationwide, by breaking down the No. 1 barrier to pet ownership: a lack of proper care for pets while their owners work or travel. The franchise provides professionally trained, bonded and insured pet sitters for owners of any kind of pet, from dogs and cats, to hamsters, birds, fish, iguanas and more. Caregivers can be hired for ongoing daily services, as well as on weekends, during busy holidays or on short notice.

In addition to its basic pet care services, FETCH! Pet Care also offers daily pet visits, private dog walks, group off-leash dog outings, in-home overnight sitting, private boarding, day and evening care, pet fitness services, pet taxi services, home care, yard pet waste cleanup, and medication for pets.

Mann maintains that while there are many independent pet sitters who are loving and caring, the vast majority don’t have great business acumen, which has affected the perception of the pet care industry. With criminal background checks for all of its caregivers, a sophisticated telephone dispatch system and advanced software that tracks assignments and delivers real-time electronic client order confirmations and automated sitter assignment reminders, FETCH! Pet Care is changing that image. The business can be run from home and requires an initial franchise fee of only $12,000.

Are you familiar with the FETCH! Pet Care franchise? Leave a comment… tell us what you think.

New Pet Waste Cleanup and Removal Franchise

Since launching its franchise operations in the fall of 2005, Pet Butler has grown from a company servicing a single market to 100 franchises, covering half of the country. Its newest franchises are located in St. Petersburg, Florida; Randolph, New Jersey; Boca Raton, Florida; The Woodlands, Texas; and Naples, Florida. Existing franchise partners in Philadelphia; Houston; and Bartlett, Illinois, have expanded their businesses by acquiring additional franchises, which has contributed to the company’s recent franchise milestone.

Pet Butler provides professional pet waste cleanup and removal services and supplies for individual yards, parks, and multi-family communities. The company’s mission is to make life more convenient, enjoyable, and safe for pet owners and to give them more quality time with their pets and families. Together with its nationwide network of franchise partners, the company has been cleaning up poop for 20 years.

For a small per-visit fee, Pet Butler animal waste specialists clean up and safely dispose of grass-killing dog droppings. They keep the yards of individual homeowners and their pets, as well as multi-family communities and parks across the nation, poop-free. The company proudly bills itself as “#1 in the #2″ business.”

Pet Butler’s franchise model offers clients best-in-class customer service and support through the company’s national customer service center, known as “Poop Central Command.” Franchise partners also benefit from ARF (Administration, Routing, Franchising), the company’s fully automated and integrated Web-based network that manages the daily operations of each franchises’ routing, accounting, customer service, and field activities. Pet Butler has also recently launched an online customer service feature that has enabled franchise partners to expand their business by signing up, scheduling and accepting payments for new clients 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The company also provides a wireless mobile software solution through its PoopNet network, which allows franchisees to easily track their routes and communicate with the company’s customer service center via handheld computers while in the field. Pet Butler franchise partners are able to leave the administrative details to the home office, so they can focus on business development and providing excellent service to their commercial and residential clients.

Pet Butler attributes much of its franchise growth to the fact that they take the headaches out of owning a small business. Pet Butler generated more than $3.5 million in revenue in 2007 and expects substantial growth, including the addition of 50 franchises, in 2008.

Are you familiar with the Pet Butler franchise opportunity? Share a comment below.

Top New Franchise: Village Coffee’s Tommy Lowery

Tommy Lowery, President
Village Coffee
Year Founded: 2004
Year Franchised/licensed: 2007
Number of units, company: 3
Number of units, licensed: 4 in development; 14 in planning
Initial investment: $175k – $225k
Net worth/Financial Req.: $250k
Priority Markets for Expansion: USA
Website: VillageCoffee.biz
Contact information for franchise/license program: tommy@villagecoffee.biz

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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.

New Tax Preparation Franchise

Roni Deutch Tax Center When it comes to taxes, the Roni Deutch name is known by millions of Americans across the country. Tax attorney Roni Deutch, owner of the nation’s largest tax resolution law firm, founded the Roni Deutch Tax Center to answer the call for competent tax return preparation. Roni’s now enabling Roni Deutch Tax Center franchise owners are part of an incredibly exciting culture, with the support structures in place to assist our franchisees grow their business.

Also check out: Franbest’s franchise information guide, Ameritax tax franchise information, and the home-based hauling franchise College Hunks Hauling Junk