DailyFranchiseNews.com

bevinco to the rescue

When it comes to owning your own business, every cent matters. Toronto-based Bevinco, a two-decade-old company specializing in liquor inventory auditing equipment and systems, understands this and offers services to help businesses save.

The Montgomery County Gazette reports that the work of local Bevinco franchisee Michele Gaidelis has saved at least one establishment a hefty sum. Gaidelis was hired by Ho Chang, owner of Orange Ball Billiards and Café in Rockville, last summer because he was looking for ways to save money and make his business more efficient. After only a short time using Bevinco’s alcohol and beverage inventory control and sales auditing program, Chang couldn’t be happier.

‘‘We have probably saved as much as $5,000 a week,” Chang said. ‘‘It’s definitely worked well for us.”

Industry reports reveal that the average restaurant and bar loses roughly 15 percent of its liquor through sloppy pouring, free drinks and theft. Bevinco’s auditing system aims to reduce this loss to three percent or less by using scanners, scales and laptops to monitor the amount of alcohol distributed.

‘‘The loss at Orange Ball was probably up to about 20 percent when we started,” Gaidelis said, a former bartender and restaurant manager. ‘‘We’ve gotten that down to as low as 4 percent. This system pays for itself.”

Gaidelis and her team often begin work as early as 4 a.m. in order not to disrupt the business of her customers. Orange Ball has 366 bottles and kegs to weigh out each week, Gaidelis said, though some clients have upwards of 500 bottles. Once the contents have been weighed, the data are compared with bar sales records, such as cash register receipts, to discover potential discrepancies. Bevinco doesn’t just offer auditing; they are a “full-fledged consulting service,” said Gaidelis, who works closely with the owners to assure the establishment runs smoothly.

‘‘When we find a big loss, we usually call a meeting of employees and talk to them about how to reduce the loss,” Gaidelis said. ‘‘It’s important to work with employees and get them to understand how fast things that may seem small to them, like giving a friend a free drink, can add up.”

An Eye For Design

A career change can happen at any age. Judi Cogen would know.

The 43-year old held multiple executive-level positions for several major companies in Cincinnati and New York for 20 years before leaving the corporate world to work for a local nonprofit agency, reported the Cincinnati Enquirer. When the nonprofit laid her off, Cogen employed her knowledge from both sectors, and $500,000, to open Designs Of The Interior in Deerfield Towne Center in Mason, Ohio.

Cogen’s DOTI features a 4,200-square-foot showroom that sells furniture, accessories, lighting, window treatments and rugs from over 170 vendors. The store also includes a design studio with four design consultants offering free interior design advice.

For Cogen, DOTI represented an opportunity to structure her business and create a culture she and her employees would all benefit from.

"I'm really excited about running my own business because it allows me to be my own boss and create a work environment where people are valued and respected everyday," Cogen told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Home Care Services are Still Booming—Thanks to Boomers!

According to the Sioux City Journal, non medical home care services are still on the rise.  This blogger is a boomer and for sure when Subway only had 140 stores we did NOT see this type of franchise on the horizon!  However, there are now several and they each have a few unique features, but all in all, the concept caters to boomers and others who work all day and need help caring for elderly family members, for just one example. From transportation to doctors appointments, help with prescriptions and simple house chores to daily companions – many people need an extra hand at home and this has become big business for smart franchisors.

Home Instead, Comfort Keepers and Synergy HomeCare are just a few leaders in this industry.  Synergy HomeCare, founded in 2002 by Peter Tourian, began franchising in 2005 after experiencing explosive growth in its home state of Arizona. Fueled by the aging of the nation's 76 million baby boomers who will begin retiring in the next few years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the home health industry will increase by more than 55 percent between 2002 and 2012.  More than 50 million family members currently care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member, according to the National Family Caregivers Association.

Franchising is Top of Mind for Daily Herald’s Kim Mikus

In her well-read small business column, Daily Herald reporter Kim Mikus featured stories on two suburban Chicago companies. “Partnership grows local promotional supply company,” describes Lisa Robinson and Sami Ozgen who operate Corporate Image Group. Robinson and Ozgen recently partnered with Adventures in Advertising, a network of franchised and affiliated promotional product and corporate apparel distributorships throughout the United States. The promotional products are items imprinted with a logo or slogan and given out to promote a company, organization, product, service, special achievement or event. Items include apparel, drinkware, writing instruments and business accessories. Robinson and Ozgen’s business is growing at a clip of 60 to 70 percent every year and expects to grow even faster with the support of AIA.

You No Longer Need To Call In Sick To Hang On The Golf Course

If asked to name a franchise, what would you say? If you’re like most people, you’d probably answer with McDonald’s, Wendy’s or Burger King. But today, franchising is a far cry from the early days of fast food. Chances are, if you’re looking for a franchise, there’s one out there perfectly suited for you.

The Omaha Daily Record recently featured a story on LTS LeaderBoard Tournament Systems, a company using cutting-edge proprietary software technology to transform the way charity, corporate and pro-am golf tournaments are scored and managed, making them more entertaining and profitable. The “scannable” scorecard is an amazing concept for those of us who’ve spent hours tallying scores. Not only is it 100 percent accurate, but it provides lighting-fast PGA-style scoring!

Who knew you could get paid to spend so much time on the golf course?

Franchising helps Colorado Family overcome tragedy

One of the greatest benefits of franchising is its ability to provide a sound business model for someone who might not otherwise have the experience to run his/her own business. This is certainly the case with Jonathan Spreng, a Fort Collins, Colo. resident and CSU student. After his family’s feed mill plant burned to the ground, Spreng, 20, stepped to the plate and purchased a FiltaFry franchise to help support his family. FiltaFry is a home-based franchise specializing in mobile, onsite maintenance of deep fryers in restaurants and commercial kitchens through a comprehensive fryer management program that includes micro-filtration of cooking oil, thermostat calibration, vacuum-based cleaning of deep fryers and operations guidance. An article in Saturday’s Fort Collins Coloradoan profiles Spreng and his unique business. By buying into a franchise, Spreng was able to turn a family tragedy into a new opportunity.

Want to Learn Secrets of Successful franchisees? Listen to this Webcast

We admit, we're still pretty green when it comes to webcasts, but today we found something to aspire to.

The Central Valley Business Times features a short story on Floor Coverings International franchisee Bill McConahy. But the real content is in the web cast. This approximately 15 minute interview between McConahy and CVBT Managing Editor Doug Caldwell touches on a variety of subjects ranging from purchasing a franchise versus starting a business from scratch; launching and marketing a small business; competing with big box retailers and more. For those thinking about purchasing a franchise, Mr. McConahy has some great advice to share.

Juice It Up! Franchisee Beats Cancer and Opens Smoothie Shop

Conquering cancer would be a challenge enough for most people, but not for Californian Amber Samarti. She's been cancer free for six years and while life might still throw her a curveball, she recently decided that instead of wasting energy worrying about a relapse, she would put her heart and soul into another challenge: starting her own business.

When Samarti learned that her friend was selling her Juice It Up! franchise in Southern California, she thought she'd love to run a business even though she didn't know the first thing about it. Her friend assured her that when you buy a franchise, you're in business by yourself, not for yourself. But Samarti and her husband didn't have the finances to do it on their own. The Samartis didn't have to look far for investors. They partnered with Samarti's retired parents who had built a sizeable nest egg.

Read today's Daily Bulletin for more of Amber Samarti's story.

Meet Five Former Executives Turned Franchisees

Franchise insiders have seen more and more of it lately: Former corporate executives leaving their successful careers behind to open franchises. Increased travel, forced relocation, early retirement, leadership changes due to mergers and acquisitions, not to mention burnout, are all reasons people are leaving decade long careers in corporate America to start their own businesses.

CNNMoney.com profiles five such people in a September small business package. The story includes Jim Hewell, a former vice president for Texas Instruments who is now an AlphaGraphics franchisee; Matt Schuman, an IT veteran turned LTS LeaderBoard Tournament Systems franchisee; Forrest Bassett, a former vice president with Mattel who is now a Signs By Tomorrow owner; Beth Stubenrauch, a former senior vice president at a financial services firm and now We The People owner and Don Lapp who was a VP of human resources for Barnes & Noble before opening his Express Personnel franchise.

Michigan Couple Not Stereotypical Franchise Owners

There really is no such thing as a stereotypical franchise owner. Franchisees run the gamut from corporate refugees to former stay-at-home moms to retirees wanting to go back work. But you wont find too many franchisees with backgrounds anywhere close to those of Cory and January Chvala. Cory is a college drop out and former punk rocker. His wife, January, is a former model. With those descriptions you wouldn't guess these 20-somethings were business savvy, but they've certainly proved they are.

The two Wisconsin natives wanted to open a Culver's Frozen Custard in their home state, but as Corey told the Lansing State Journal, "unless you're an existing franchise in Wisconsin, you're not allowed to own a store."

The Chvalas were so determined to become Culver's franchisees they moved to Michigan to open a franchise three years ago. The hands-on owners have developed a very successful business and are looking to expand further.