Franchised businesses have always attracted a wide cross-section of people and those living in Wisconsin’s Oak Creek area are no exception.
OakCreekNOW.com reported that many area residents have taken advantage of franchising opportunities in recent years. Take Sue Ann McCotter: After 27 years working in casual claims insurance, McCotter found herself longing for a change and it was her love of dogs that drove her to open Central Bark in Oak Creek in 2006. The facility provides daily and overnight care for dogs, as well as grooming, training, retail offerings and other activities, and serves an average of 25 dogs per day. At first she thought about opening her own indoor dog park or day care, but realized launching a business from the bottom up would be a complicated, time-consuming task. When she discovered a friend was already operating a Central Bark elsewhere in Wisconsin, McCotter decided to interview for a similar franchising opportunity. It was a perfect fit, she said. “Obviously I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t really love dogs,” she said.
There are also those individuals that enjoyed their past careers and wanted to take them one step further, like brother and sister Thomas Jones and Cheryl Jones. They’d worked for Cousins Subs since 1998 – first at the restaurant level and later in their marketing office – and liked the company so much that Thomas purchased his first franchise in South Milwaukee in January 2006. He was so pleased with the results that he opened a franchise in Franklin in May 2007, and two more in Oak Creek and Greenfield in April 2008, eventually asking Cheryl to become his business partner. The duo handles everything from scheduling and payroll for their 60 employees to filling in shifts and keeping up employee morale. “It’s rewarding to know that the harder you push and work, the more profit you can make,” Thomas said.
Though operating a business is hard work, franchising can take away the risk of establishing a new brand or service from scratch; and experts say that now is a perfect time to explore the option. Phil and Patti Bowen, owners of Spring-Green Lawn Care in Oak Creek, agree and often rely on the support services franchisors provide especially since their business has doubled since they began operating it about five years ago “Our support reps are invaluable in terms of helping us know and understand how to go about what we do, and they’re always available, not just in terms of knowledge but also in relation to encouragement,” Phil said. “That type of moral support goes a long way.”