DailyFranchiseNews.com

The Right Way to Tan

Independence Day weekend is almost here, which means countless individuals will be hitting the beach to soak up some sun and have some fun. Before setting foot on the sand, however, consider the effects those UV rays can have on your skin.

"There's been much debate over the 'right' amount of UV exposure but despite statistics, many people still want that summer glow," said Todd Beckman, founder and CEO of The Tan Company, one of the fastest growing tanning chains in the U.S. "Research shows that vitamin D plays a huge role in overall health and those with low vitamin D levels have double the risk of dying from heart disease and other causes over an eight-year period. However, this is a clear case of where you can get too much of a good thing. It's imperative to take precautions any time you tan, especially when skin hasn't been exposed to UV rays in some time like this long winter. Protecting your skin during indoor and outdoor exposure should be your number one priority no matter your age."

Here are some tips from Beckman and his network of certified skincare consultants on tanning the right way this Independence Day weekend:

1. Slather on sunscreen. Apply a lotion with at least SPF 15 a minimum of 30 minutes before exposure and reapply after swimming or towel-drying - even if the product is waterproof.

2. Protect eyes and lips. Closing your eyes while tanning isn't enough; opt for FDA-compliant eyewear instead. The same goes for lips: They produce less melanin so slick on balm with SPF every time you tan.

3. Build a base. To ensure an even tan, begin by exfoliating skin and consider a few initial indoor tanning sessions: The gradual exposure can prevent a painful sunburn.

4. Note medications and family histories. Certain medications can increase the likelihood of a burn. Discuss their possible effects as well as any abnormal moles or family history of skin cancer with your physician before UV exposure.

Photo: Tan Company founder and CEO Todd Beckman.

Breakfast is Big in Birmingham

Is breakfast the most important meal of the day? It certainly is in Birmingham!

The Birmingham Business Journal reported two national franchises are poised to take advantage of the growing demand for quick service and fast casual eateries: the Egg and I and First Watch, the former of which will open in August and the latter which has plans to open three to five area restaurants within the next few years. Quick service and fast casual restaurants are the two shining spots in franchises this year and the only sector forecasted to experience growth, said Alisa Harrison, spokeswoman for the International Franchise Association. And that growth seems to stem from the current recession, she said, as households still want to eat out but are looking for more affordable options.

First Watch currently has 80 restaurants in 11 states and recently launched a franchise growth initiative after 25 years of same-store sales growth. Only seven of the 80 restaurants are not company owned but First Watch hopes to have about a dozen franchised locations open and more than 30 in various stages of development by the end 2012. “The breakfast category is growing tremendously,” said Chris Tomasso, First Watch’s chief marketing officer. “Quick-service restaurants are venturing into breakfast and bringing a higher profile to breakfast.”

Hannah is HERE!

Sanderson & Associates second VP in a month gives birth!

Something’s in the water in here--this blogger needs to check on the Hinckley Schmidt thingy because 2nd VP Kelly Aron had her little Hannah Isabel just 23 days after Evie Marie was born to VP Courtney Thomas here. 

Enough I say! Three maternity leaves in 15 months is about my limit…congrats to all and the babies are gorgeous.

Tasti D-Lite Swirls into Houston

In Houston, the average daily high temperature in the summer peaks at 94 degrees. That’s HOT, people…and it’s time to cool down.

The Houston Chronicle reported local residents can now beat the heat with Tasti D-Lite, which opened its first Houston area frozen dessert shop this month and will have two more local stores up and running by the end of the summer. Local investment banker Aaron Webster owns the new location and the Tasti D-Lite franchise rights for South Texas; he plans to open at least 40 units throughout Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Galveston over the next 10 years.

Webster discovered Tasti D-Lite in New York City when he was a student at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa. and since his shop’s soft opening about two weeks ago, he said other transplanted New Yorkers are already giving his store a word-of-mouth push. The product’s “good for you” approach – a 4-ounce serving typically contains about 80 calories or less, 1.5 grams of fat and about 5 grams of sugar – is also proving quite enticing for those watching their weight. Melissa Sellers, who works at a nearby day spa, sampled raspberry cheesecake flavored Tasti D-Lite a few days ago. “It tastes like real cheesecake,” she said. “Light and fluffy, a good raspberry taste. It doesn’t taste fake.”

Sounds delicious…can’t wait til Tasti makes its way to Chicago!

Photo: Aaron Webster sampling some Tasti D-Lite in his new Houston shop.

Lights, Camera, Shelving!

Franchisees are required to wear a lot of hats to ensure the success of their operations. This is something Troy Cook is used to, as his collection of metaphorical headgear was already quite considerable before starting a business.

The Fort Collins Coloradoan reported that for 13 years, Cook traveled the world as a cameraman, producer and writer. He worked his way up the ranks, learning enough on the job to eventually start his own commercial production company writing and directing, but reached a crux in his life about a decade ago where he decided to move to Northern Colorado to focus on his family. In that time, Cook has penned two mystery novels, one of which is in the process of being turned into a screen play for a film by Doug Liman, and has started a new business, ShelfGenie.

"Anywhere that has a cabinet, we can design a solution for it," said Cook of his business, which installs kitchen pull-out shelves and remodels storage units for easier access.

Sounds like a blockbuster of a business to us!

An Appetite for Success

Few things in life are certain but for Gerry Arnholt, there was no question owning a business was the right decision for him.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that after 16 years in automotive sales, Arnholt saw signs of change in the industry and conferred with his wife about beginning a new line of work. After months of searching, he quit the car business and started selling submarines instead as the owner of Cousins Subs in Watertown and Jefferson, Wis.

"I've been married the last 12 years, have three children under the age of 10, and it was a major undertaking to decide, yeah, it's time to do something different,” said Arnholt. “Over six months to a year, I looked around really hard until I found something that I thought I would like to do. It's easy just to wander around out there and try to find something, but you kind of have to go back to your own roots and say, 'What am I good at? What do I know? What have I done in the past?'"

One may wonder what cars and sandwiches have nothing in common but Arnholt said both businesses required a savvy sales mentality and his experience as the GM of a dealership lends itself to his new career on a daily basis. “Cars, obviously, you're in a sales mode 100 percent of the time. And really here, with my people, when they work the cash registers or I'm at the cash registers, I tell them, you're a salesperson right now. You're not just a cashier. You're a salesperson. You need to help people along because a lot of times, people come in, they don't know what they want here," he said.

“I’m Glad We Got Laid Off”

Though the title of this entry is not a statement most people would utter, O.J. and Dana Flowers aren’t “most people” because they're using the recession to their advantage!

CNNMoney.com reported O.J. and Dana were loan officers at the California bank IndyMac but when the bank went bust in mid 2008, the couple decided to go into business for themselves. With $60,000 down and a $300,000 small business loan, the couple opened up a Hungry Howie's Pizza franchise in Atlanta four months ago – the first of its kind in the area.

It hasn't yet replaced their previous income of around $140,000 a year, but they're trying to get there and beyond: They plan on opening 12 to 15 of the restaurants over the next five years. "We're employing people, and we're controlling our own destiny," said O.J. "I'm glad we got laid off."

This blogger is definitely inspired…way to go, O.J. and Dana!

Help When It’s Needed Most

We may be in the midst of a recession but the human body pays no mind to that detail: When it needs help, help better be available and in South Florida, Jim Wright is the man to call for that assistance.

The Naples Daily News reported Wright is the owner of Amramp and one of the company's 40 franchisee-owned operations throughout the nation that sells and installs steel access ramps for the disabled on homes and for events like high school graduation ceremonies. Since opening for business in February, Wright has installed $12,000 in ramps and plans to break $50,000 by the end of 2009. He says Most of the sales are rentals installed on the homes of people with work-related injuries. Wright plans to sell $50,000 by year-end. “The demand is there,” Wright said.

Wright first looked into an Amramp franchise last year after the building stand-still ate away 75 percent of the contracts at his Naples-based electrical contracting business, Wright Electrical Services Inc. Wright said he was unsure what the demand for ramps would be like locally but after talking with case workers and rehabilitation specialists in Southwest Florida, Wright found his market. Being the only franchise in South Florida, Wright has driven as far away as Key West for an installation. Most of the installation business is directed his way from the Amramp call center in Boston that helps with finding insurance money for customers who have funding concerns.

Company-wide Amramp sales grew by 31 percent from 2007 to 2008. The company is a large provider for the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, which pays for ramps installed on the homes of wounded troops. Wright has seen some of that business in Florida. “What’s making our business successful is the way health care is practiced in this country: No one wants to keep you in the hospital,” said Amramp president Julian Gordon from the company’s Boston headquarters. Amramp will award seven new franchises this year, as it has since 2006, from about 80 applicants looking only for those that have the “fire in their belly” it takes to start a new business, Gordon said.

Photo: Jim Wright and his wife, Connie, installing an Amramp ramp.

For the Love of the Game

Next time you drive by a little league game, keep your eyes peeled (and not just for foul balls): You could witness one of the next great professional baseball players getting their start.

The Eagle reported this could have been the case for onlookers nearly three decades ago when Trey Moore began playing T-ball. He eventually became an All-American pitcher at Texas A&M before spending 11 years playing in the major leagues. Players try not to think about retirement, focusing only on the game that day, said Moore, 36, s o he didn't think much about retirement until 2004, when three or four major league contracts fell through for him at the last minute. Moore took it as an omen that he should retire. After a year of not playing, however, Moore felt restless and began looking at franchising opportunities. When he came across the opportunity to own an Extra Innings – the nation’s premier indoor baseball and softball training center – he knew it would be the perfect fit. It’s currently the only facility in the Brazos Valley with batting cages and trainers that sells professional equipment.

"There was absolutely nothing like this when I was growing up," Moore said. The facility draws baseball and softball players from 40 to 45 miles away. One player drives more than an hour from Rockdale for a 30-minute training session, Moore said. "We've got a very loyal customer base in the outskirts of Bryan-College Station," he said.

Former minor-league players Joe Luis and Rob Nash opened the first Extra Innings in 1996 in Danvers, Mass. The franchise now has more than 35 locations in 17 states and projections call for almost 100 locations to be in operation by the end of 2010. Moore said he'd learned a lot about being a boss and operating a business through Extra Innings but he’s still figuring out the transition from professional baseball player to boss. He said his life has also changed dramatically: As his children become more involved in sports and other activities -- whatever they may be -- Moore wants to be able to travel too see them compete. "I want to be available and see them play like my folks did for me," he said. "I eventually need to be in a position where I can follow them around."

A Winning Gamble

Are you a betting man (or woman)? Throughout much of his career, Rob Cox has been but it’s his latest gamble that’s poised to produce the biggest payoff. 

The Star-Ledger reported Cox, a former Citigroup trader, used to bring in $100,000 for the firm and take home enough to pay his mortgage for the year but since taking a buyout in the midst of company downsizing, he has set his sights on a new venture. Later this month, the 33-year-old plans to open a Jersey City franchise for Tasti D-Lite, a chain that aims to add 30 to 40 stores over the next few years in New Jersey alone.

"Every crowd is into this dessert. Why wouldn't you be into it?" Cox said of Tasti D-Lite, which is offered in flavors like Snickers, cake batter and banana pudding. "I'm going in, and I'm going to be successful." Tasti D-Lite, which started franchising last year after a change in ownership, recently surveyed more than 300 markets across the country and ranked the Garden State in the top 20 percent based on consumption and exercise habits, said Nikki Sells, vice president of franchise and development. The chain is now recruiting franchisees to open stores in suburban markets such as Livingston, Summit, Morristown, Westfield, South Orange and Millburn, she said. And though he’s not yet open for business, Cox is already eyeing his next step: If he can break even in six months, he said, he might be able to obtain loans to open other Tasti D-Lite locations in Jersey City, Livingston, Caldwell, Newark and Long Island. "I have ambition," he said. "I'm going to try to be number one in the nation."

Meanwhile, Panchero's Mexican Grill, a quick-service franchise that opened its first New Jersey location in Mount Laurel last year, is planning to add another 75 to 150 stores across the state over the next decade. The expansion is being spearheaded by Raj and Navina Patel, food franchise veterans who have opened two Panchero's locations in the past year. Craving a bigger challenge, they signed up with Panchero's in 2007 because the small, but rapidly expanding, chain offered them a chance to act as area managers for the entire state. The Patels invested about $400,000 in their Mount Laurel location, and they estimate each new store will bring in between $850,000 and $1.6 million in annual revenue.

Raj, who worked as an engineer for Ford and General Motors until the early 1990s, said the recent turmoil in the auto industry reaffirmed his decision to go into restaurant and fast-food franchises. With the Mount Laurel store already selling 150 burritos an hour during peak traffic and the average menu item costing less than $10, he's confident he has found a recession-proof niche. "The price is right," said Patel, 47, of North Brunswick. "People can still afford it in this economy."