Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2017 i Entrepreneur Magazine

“I DON'T THINK THE PEOPLE PICKING UP PRESS RELEASES ARE JOURNALISTS. THEY’RE WEBSITES DESIGNED TO PICK UP PRESS RELEASES SO PR FOLKS HAVE WEBSITES TO SHOW THEY PICKED THEM UP.” So you hired a PR firm. And on the eve of your first big announcement, your new rep lays out a plan for a press release. This press release will go everywhere, the rep says, to thousands of outlets, with a potential audience of nearly 100 million people. He gives you a lot of other numbers as well. You don’t quite understand them, but then you’re not a PR person, and 100 million people is a lot of people. Sounds great, you say. And out it goes. You’ve just participated in the press release industrial complex, a system in which…

Waxing the City salons are all about making a woman feel like the best version of herself. But for Jane and Jo Haubrich, the owners of two franchise locations in Minnesota, that mission applies to their customers and employees. The sisters grew up in a farming family of eight, and while they dreamed of taking over the farm, their father told them that the agriculture world was no place for women. Undaunted, they looked for opportunities elsewhere. They ended up building successful careers across varied industries, such as healthcare, hospitality, consulting, and magazine publishing. In 2013, they became Waxing the City franchisees, and they vowed to do everything they could to provide career opportunity to all women in their community—pointedly hiring those who have battled obstacles from illness to legal…

There are many rewards in owning your own business, but starting a business on your own comes with many challenges. There is no manual or operating system in a start-up, and you’ll need to create your own processes for every facet of the business from marketing to operations. That can make solo entrepreneurship feel lonely, intimidating, and risky. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce the risks. One of those is by investing in a franchise organization in which owners have the satisfaction of local ownership, the advantage of a national brand with a proven system, and a growth record unrivaled in the hair care industry. That’s exactly what Great Clips, Inc. has provided its independent business owners for the past 35 years. Each of the 4,200 Great Clips® salons across…

It might have taken 15 years, but thank goodness Tim James finally realized he was not born to sit in a chair and desperately needed to leave his career as a corporate tax specialist. Always comfortable working with his hands, the 39-year-old Tim and his wife and business partner, Laura, opened a Pillar To Post Home Inspectors® franchise in April 2015. The rest has been a happy blur. In 2016 the couple beat out nearly 100 other franchisees to be named Pillar To Post’s “Rookie of the Year”. They’ve added several inspectors since and have grown to become the largest home inspection company in Northwest Indiana, serving Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Jasper and Newton counties. “We hit revenue and inspection volume goals within two years that we anticipated would take closer…

An Industry Disruptor In 2000, Camp Bow Wow transformed the kennel model. Unlike a traditional kennel where dogs are locked in cages for most of the day, Camp Bow Wow provides an environment that is more like a summer Camp for dogs. Dogs play all day with other dogs their size and temperament, while under constant supervision from loving Camp Counselors. At night, soothing music is played while pups enjoy their own Cabin with a comfy cot, fleece blanket, and even a nightly treat. Now, pet parents are free from guilt knowing their pup is having a great time, getting exercise, making friends, and receiving lots of TLC. Creating “Pull Demand” Our four-legged customers love Camp Bow Wow. We anecdotally measure this by something we call the “pull factor”; If…

Behold the weird entrepreneurial trajectory of Stephen Dubner. He starts out as a working journalist and profiles a brilliant, quirky economist named Steven Levitt for The New York Times Magazine, then ends up cowriting the runaway best-seller Freakonomics with him, followed by sequels that together sell in the ballpark of eight million copies. He hits the speaker circuit and launches a show called Freakonomics Radio that also blows up. This inspires him to start a podcast production company, Renbud Radio, to launch more fun, fascinating shows, such as Tell Me Something I Don’t Know, a new one in which smart people tell him…well, you saw the title. Now this former scribe suddenly finds himself running a business and managing people. And as he told us recently, it’s been a bit…

ALBERT VUOSO / Customer experience team lead “Despite the success of this company, everybody is still extremely down-to-earth. I mean, our CEOs come to work every day. They’re hanging out in the kitchen, eating snacks and walking around. Every single person from the top to the very beginning level has a humble personality.” BO ZHAO / Eyewear designer “I love that I can design something and a year later, it goes to market. I can say, ‘See, this is my design.’ Usually at a company like this, it’s not easy to get your personal designs out there. But at Warby Parker, people really care what you’re thinking and take your designs seriously. It’s really motivating.” EVA HEIBERG / Merchandising manager “There’s a really big focus on making an impact on…

The Camp Transformation Center is changing the fitness model for the better. With a weight-loss model that generates long-term customers thanks to life-changing results, the Camp is uniquely positioned in the fitness industry space. Aided by a successful digital marketing program to bring in customers, franchisees (and their staff) take care of the sales and customer service and create an atmosphere of positive reinforcement and caring. For aspiring entrepreneurs, the Camp Transformation Center’s model is exceedingly scalable. Due to the low cost of entry – with a limited equipment package and affordable real estate options – combined with robust local marketing and a simple operations plan proven out by franchisees, The Camp is a business that entrepreneurs can grow across locations and quickly scale. While the business model is attractive…

Who Are Our Owners? Wild Birds Unlimited franchise store owners are enthusiastic about the hobby of bird feeding and about helping their community enjoy birds and nature in their own backyards. They’re also passionate about self-employment and building a business enterprise that will be a joy to operate. WBU Owners Love Their Business! Wild Birds Unlimited has been ranked #1 in Owner Satisfaction in the Retail category by Franchise Business Review for the past four years. This is not by chance. Our staff at the WBU Franchise Support Center provides dedicated, personalized coaching to train and equip our owners to execute a system of proven Best Practices. Helping our franchisees reach their business goals is our top priority. What Our Owners Are Saying: At the start of my day,…

What types of franchises are thriving right now? The ones that give customers what they need (like employment and health services), what they want (entertainment and beauty), and what they didn’t even know they wanted until just a minute ago (acupuncture and poke bowls). From emerging industries to those that just keep going strong, we’ve picked the 10 franchise categories we believe will shine brightest in 2018. As you read through this list, keep in mind that it is not intended as a recommendation of any particular franchise. Before jumping into a trending business—or any other opportunity—it’s vital that you do your due diligence. Carefully review the company’s legal documents, consult with an attorney and an accountant, and talk to current and former franchisees to find out whether the franchise…

HERE’S THE ONLY PREDICTION WE CAN GUARANTEE WILL COME TRUE: Next year will bring big changes and new opportunities for sharp, forward-thinking entrepreneurs. And what exactly will those opportunities be? On the following pages, a range of experts (including some of 2017’s Entrepreneur cover stars!) offer their best predictions on where business is going—and where you should go, too. RECRUITING WE’VE HIT PEAK PERKS COMPANIES HAVE GOTTEN VERY GOOD at providing creature comforts to developers—they have candy, free lattes, free massages—but if you ask developers what they want, it’s a quiet place to work, with a door that closes, and more flexibility on getting to learn the technology and experiment. If you’re an entrepreneur, you’re never going to win a benefits battle against Google or Facebook. But if you give…

Jon Charlton might be a hatchet-throwing prodigy. On the helicopter pilot’s second-ever throw, the hatchet swings one perfect rotation, handle over blade, and sinks into a target 12 feet away. On his third throw, he hits the bull’s-eye. Thunk! The sound is deeply satisfying. His wife, JoyAnn Charlton, is a different story. Her hatchets bounce off the target at unpredictable angles and clatter to the concrete floor. She gives up quickly. No matter. She and Jon didn’t really come to Stumpy’s Hatchet House to throw hatchets. They came here, to this otherwise sleepy industrial part of Eatontown, N.J., because they’re in the market for a turnkey business that will make them money while allowing them the free time they need to raise two kids. And they believe a hatchet-throwing franchise…

Carly Chalker and her family have experienced ups and downs over the last decade. But with every life experience comes lessons learned and opportunities to grow. Carly and her husband, Jonathan, have been the backbone of their PuroClean business since it was opened. Carly previously worked for an insurance company while Jonathan came from a construction background. They started a family toward the end of the 2000s, but around the time their third child was born, the economic recession of 2008 hit. They started a construction business that paid the bills but did not give them the sense of fulfillment they had before. “We knew that there had to be something else we could do to put more meaning behind ourselves and our jobs,” Carly said. In the fall of…

Science and Math used to be for geeks. Not anymore! At IDEA Lab Kids, we offer some of the most interesting combinations for Birthday Parties | Camps | Classes and Workshops all based around the STEAM principles of Science | Technology | Engineering | Arts | Mathematics. Coding, Robotics, Hands-on Science, Cooking, 3D Printing, Art, and Engineering are some of our flagship offerings for ages 4 - 14. IDEA Lab Kids is making a major impact on the youth enrichment and education market all over the United States. Timing is right. With the current push for STEAM-based education in and outside the classroom, ILK is a major disruptor in the non-traditional educational space. ILK programs are unique. From figuring out mechanics of spaceship engineering using 3D Printers to creating scrumptious…

I had just left a steady job to launch a career as a health coach. My husband, an ultra runner, was in the Air Force: a good job with good benefits. We had stability and a 2-year-old son, Felix. But like a lot of entrepreneurs, stability wasn’t enough. We wanted to create a way to make our lives a permanent adventure. So we made a big leap. We quit our jobs, drew on our savings, and set out to bike across the South Island of New Zealand for five months, with Felix literally in tow—in a trailer. Some of our friends thought we were insane. But we had to go. The cycle tour began on a rainy, gray day, just outside Christchurch. We had all the belongings we needed for…