DailyFranchiseNews.com

Social Media Tip of the Day

Ever wonder who's utilizing the top social media sites? Knowing who's out there is important so check out the breakdown of four popular sites here.

Discovery Day At Home

If you’re interested in becoming a franchisee, many companies ask you to attend a Discovery Day at their headquarters to learn more about the concept. Wish there was a way to gain the same information from the comfort of your own home? If so, read on.

On April 2nd, BEVINCO will host an informational webinar entitled “Get in the bar business without working nights. Is BEVINCO the right fit for you?” to educate prospective franchisees on its profit control and revenue enhancement service. Two BEVINCO senior franchise partners will discuss how an audit is performed, why bar owners need BEVINCO, what it takes to be successful and other topics related to the concept. The best part: The webinar is 100-percent free! For more information, check out the Toronto-based company’s website or go right ahead and register for the seminar here. Who knows, you just may find your calling!

Part-Time = Perfection at 10 til 2

Rejoining the workforce after a hiatus is never an easy task but here are two women helping jobseekers make that transition as seamless as possible.

The Pulse-Journal reported Beth Cooper and Gina Kopera have made it their mission to connect employers and potential employees in a tight job market through 10 til 2 – a part-time placement service specializing in placing college-educated professionals into long-term, part-time positions – and have found jobs for people only interested in part-time hours was a perfect solution in a struggling economy.

"It's good for small and medium businesses looking to hire people, but aren't able to financially commit to a full-time position," Kopera said. Cooper added 10 til 2’s services can help these employers stay competitive in a challenging market. "Prospective employers are still responsible for hiring their candidates in order to find the perfect match," said Cooper. "We do all the time consuming tasks and take a lot of the pressure off these businesses. We handle initial screenings, payroll and taxes. This frees up time in finding qualified employees and taking care of expenses."

Both women said that a variety of people are signing up to find a job, ranging from people over 50 who might need to postpone early retirement because of the stock market slide, to college students looking to get experience in their field before graduation and people looking for a second job to supplement their income. The quality of their employees is high because of their work requirements: all applicants must have at least one year of college education — although 93 percent of 10 til 2's applicants have a college degree — and many of them have a wealth of experience in a variety of fields. "We feel strongly that this concept will be a help in growing the economy in our area," said Kopera. "We're still getting the word out and we have a lot of people who need jobs that we want to help."

Photo: Gina Kopera (L) and Beth Cooper (R)

Social Media Tip of the Day

Everyone seems to be on Twitter these days, including reporters, editors, producers and bloggers looking for interesting topics to cover. If you do decide to TwitPitch an idea, here are a few tips courtesy of PR Couture:

1. Avoid all caps. It's the equivalent of yelling...and it's not attractive.

2. Don’t use "net-speak" (using numerals instead of words, etc.). Send info through a link instead.

3. Don’t pitch and ditch. Keep monitoring your @replies and direct messages after you pitch; it's a good way to stay on someone's radar for future opportunities.

Going Green While Getting Clean

Kermit the Frog, be prepared to eat your words: It IS easy being green!

The Galveston County Daily News reported being green is much easier than when Kermie recorded his 1970 hit now that more businesses have embraced eco-friendly products and services. Take Mike Piznar: The U.S. Navy veteran and former environmental engineer is poised to open Martinizing Dry Cleaning in Pearland, Texas next week. Though many dry cleaners use the chemical perchloroethylene – which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calls a groundwater contaminant and has been linked to cancer, federal officials say – Martinizing uses the silicone-based, nontoxic cleaning solvent GreenEarth. Piznar has signed on to open five stores in the southwest Houston area – the second of which he hopes to open by the end of 2009.

“Though Martinizing is a total departure from anything I’ve done in the past, I think it’s a great fit for the area. Southwest Houston is an up-and-coming area and we’re part of a brand new development – two factors that I’m sure will lend themselves to our success,” said Piznar.

Number 31 and Counting

Once upon a time, Mike Kern was one of “those corporate guys.” You know the type – the person who spends the majority of their career making someone else’s business successful while secretly wishing to accomplish the same thing on their own some day – and Kern fit the description to a tee but he elected to stop dreaming and start realizing his goals.

The Bristol Herald Courier reported that after serving as a marketing executive for KFC and Long John Silver’s, the latter of which he served as the worldwide chief marketing officer for more than 20 years, Kern decided the time was right to branch out on his own. In 1999, he acquired seven Long John Silver’s restaurants. Today, he has 20 Long John Silver’s and 10 A&W All American Food restaurants throughout the Carolinas and Tennessee. While 30 restaurants may seem like more than enough for the average person, Kern is anything but average: He recently purchased restaurant number 31 – Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina in Bristol, Virginia. The restaurant, which had been closed for three weeks for retraining, reopened this past Monday under Kern’s ownership and with an increased focus on service and hospitality.

“You can get in and out quickly and get a great meal for $6 to $7. I’ve noticed people are moving away from the more expensive, white-tablecloth restaurants during this economic downturn and they’re looking to spend less for a good meal. When a business like this opens, it means jobs – 22 to be exact – and it’s a real bright spot,” said Kern, 51. “Guest service and hospitality – that’s been a mantra for me.” And it will continue to be, as Kern hopes to develop between six and 10 more Salsarita’s restaurants throughout Virginia, Tennessee and the Carolinas over the next five years.

“Mike represents the ideal profile of a multi-unit developer that forms the foundation of Salsarita’s brand strength and we are proud to have Mike and his team on board,” said Salsarita’s president and CEO Paul Mangiamele.

Photo: Salsarita's president and CEO Paul Mangiamele

Smaller Could Be Better

While there weren't as many exhibitors at the IFE in Washington, D.C. this past weekend, there seemed to be some nice traffic going through the exhibit hall. And, like all else during these times, it'll be survival of the fittest in franchising, too. Good concepts and leadership will prevail. People WERE looking to buy.

Some fun events too like the Lucky Strike exhibitor’s party sponsored by MFV Expo and USA Today among others…always a gas and who can resist the fried macaroni and cheese balls!! Then USA Today party in Georgetown where we were in stitches over the antics of John Kersh from Anytime Fitness.

Some of the more colorful exhibitors were MassageLuxe and The Tan Company from St. Louis who had a great booth and gorgeous shirts. And Bijoux Terner! This blogger went through LaGuardia last May and stopped at the Bijoux Terner boutique to buy 12 scarves for $10 each. All fabulous colors and quality and I was steaming because I had paid $118 for several of the same from Nordstrom’s a few months before. Imagine how amazed I was to see the same boutique exhibiting at the IFE! Who knew they were franchising? And CEO Gabriel Bottazi was thrilled to hear that I was the one who “cleaned them out” at LaGuardia. He kindly gave Megan Downey and Jenny Kinkopf, both of Sanderson & Associates, lovely watches. Handbags, scarves, jewelry—great concept for airports where you have lots of time to browse and are always forgetting some accessory. 

Top left photo: Todd Beckman, president and CEO of The Tan Company and MassageLuxe.

Bottom right photo: Megan Downey (left), Jenny Kinkopf (center) and Bijoux Terner CEO Gabriel Bottazi (right).

Go Green or Go Home..or Go Green IN Your Home!

Buying a home is one of the biggest investments a person can make but how does one blend function and style while keeping the environment in mind? Start from the ground up.

"Green is really becoming a big focus in the flooring industry," Floor Coverings International's Dan Jensen told KLEW 3. "We hear and talk about green everyday. It might be somebody buying a new hybrid car or trying to be a little more conservative with water consumption. It goes to all aspects of our life. The flooring industry, they've become very aware of the movement and there are a lot of products now that have that green title."

Jensen – who owns his Lewiston, Idaho business with his wife Carla and was recently named Floor Coverings International’s Franchisee of the Year for the second year in a row – said they have products that are better for the environment. "Bamboo actually is a grass so it recovers very quickly, much like the lawns in our backyards, but a lot tougher. Cork floors are actually bark off of an oak tree that's native to the Mediterranean. They can shave the bark off the trees and the bark grows back so they haven’t had to chop that tree down and cut it up into boards like conventional hardwood flooring. There are carpet mills now that are recycling a lot of the carpet yarns."

There's also tile on the market that's made from 40 to 50 percent recycled content. And Jensen said going green won't hurt your wallet as much as you might expect. "Typically what I see in the green products, qualities are very high, most of them are being introduced on a higher fashion type offering so when you compare quality and fashion the prices are very competitive," said Jensen.

And as part of their commitment to green, the Lewiston Floor Coverings International won franchise of the year.

Social Media Tip of the Day

Is your company on Twitter? Great, but be careful! If you only tweet about your concept and ignore everything else going on around you, you won’t attract many followers. Follow, retweet and direct message others who have posted interesting comments and your Twitter posse (or Twosse as they say in the Twitterverse) will grow!

IFE Kicks Off Today!

In the Washington, D.C. area this weekend? If so, head on over to the International Franchise Expo at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center! The show is in its 18th year and this blogger can tell you that it just keeps getting better! Can't make it? Fear not: We'll be back next week with a full recap..check in with us then!