Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2024 i Entrepreneur's Startups

Want to build an amazing company? Do things that don’t scale. That advice was popularized at Y Combinator, the famed tech startup accelerator that helped launch Airbnb, DoorDash, Dropbox, Reddit, Stripe, and many more household names. But the advice applies equally—and, we would argue, even more importantly—to small businesses. Why? First, let’s talk about what it means. Doing things that don’t scale means devoting a time-consuming amount of care to things. “Startups take off because the founders make them take off,” writes Paul Graham, one of the founders of Y Combinator. That means recruiting customers yourself, one at a time. Having long, thoughtful conversations with them. Going out of your way to delight them. Providing hands-on, customized services. When a company reaches the scale of Airbnb or DoorDash, those…

Cornell Thomas lost his police officer father in New Jersey to cancer when he was four, and he grew up watching his dental assistant mother struggle to support her family. “Once, in sixth grade, I asked if we could order pizza,” he says. “Mom gave me a look that said, No. Don’t ask again.” To help out, Cornell turned to entrepreneurship. “My mother had these packs of WeightWatchers cookies that tasted like death,” he says. Cornell put on his baseball uniform and sold the cookies to his neighbors for 50 cents a pack. “I made $50. It was like a million bucks.” After his dream of playing pro basketball was cut short, Cornell returned to his entrepreneurial roots, opening a youth academy and giving motivational speeches. But his childhood fear…

Last summer, Entrepreneur magazine published a first-of-its-kind list: It was called “America’s Favorite Mom & Pop Shops.” In collaboration with Yelp, we identified the 150 local businesses across America that were most beloved (and highly ranked), and then dug into the secrets of their success. Our goal: By learning what fueled these beloved local companies, we could help other small businesses thrive too. Now, in this issue of Startups, we’re taking that mission a step further. On the following pages, you’ll find many stories inspired and informed by the 150 companies on our list—including lessons on how to win against larger competitors, how to use smallness to your advantage, and how to connect deeply with customers. You’ll also gain insights from the CEO of Jersey Mike’s—a guy who turned a…

1 ▶ The Book Loft of German Village Columbus, Ohio “Our store is known for its very unique layout. Inside is a maze of 32 rooms, all with different genres of books, connected by a series of staircases and hallways. To enter the store, you walk through a city-block-long courtyard which, during warmer months, is a garden. For a number of years, one of our most special customers, Stephanie, would visit and bring her dog, Harvey. He would wait patiently in the courtyard as she picked up her books and had a few laughs with staff. When it was time for Harvey to pass, we made a nice spot in a flower bed in our courtyard to bury his ashes. Now Stephanie brings her new puppy, Mabel, to the store.”…

1 Stratus Building Solutions Environmentally friendly commercial cleaning and disinfecting STARTUP COST $4.5K-$79.8K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 3,464/0 2 Jan-Pro Cleaning and Disinfecting Commercial cleaning STARTUP COST $4.8K-$58.1K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 10,654/0 3 Anago Cleaning Systems Commercial cleaning STARTUP COST $11.3K-$68.3K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 1,835/0 4 Dream Vacations Travel agencies STARTUP COST $1.8K-$21K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 1,874/0 5 Realty One Group Real estate STARTUP COST $48.3K-$227.5K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 390/12 6 RE/MAX Real estate STARTUP COST $43K-$289.5K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 9,111/0 7 Cruise Planners Travel agencies STARTUP COST $2.3K-$23.5K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 2,719/1 8 Corvus Janitorial Systems Commercial cleaning STARTUP COST $9.6K-$34.5K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 1,959/0 9 Skyhawks & SuperTots Sports Academy Children’s fitness programs…

Jeffrey Bell once had a problem: “I really believed I was the best at everything,” he says. “But if that’s true, you better be a heart surgeon.” Bell is a former horse trainer who, in 2010, bought a Floor Coverings International franchise in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Once he realized he couldn’t run it all by himself, he started investing in a team that could. Last year, his business did nearly $11 million in sales, making him the top-performing franchisee among Floor Coverings’ 256 locations. Here’s how he did it. 1 ▶ Focus on ‘who, not how.’ Floor Coverings International sends franchise owners books to read. Most recently, it was 10X is Easier Than 2X by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy. Bell agrees with one of the book’s core…

1 Kumon Supplemental education STARTUP COST $68.4K-$146.6K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 26,205/39 2 The Maids Residential cleaning STARTUP COST $77.6K-$155.9K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 1,454/152 3 Cinnabon Cinnamon rolls, baked goods, coffee STARTUP COST $60.3K-$621.4K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 1,882/0 4 Matco Tools Mechanics’ tools and equipment STARTUP COST $77.2K-$313.6K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 1,942/8 5 Transworld Business Advisors Business brokerages; franchise consulting STARTUP COST $94.1K-$119.6K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 450/1 6 PuroClean Property damage restoration and remediation STARTUP COST $95.5K-$245.9K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 436/0 7 HomeVestors of America Home buying, repair, and selling STARTUP COST $89K-$461.3K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 1,124/5 8 Signal Private security guard and patrol services TARTUP COST $57.5K-$273.2K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 1,084/0 9 Merry Maids…

1 The UPS Store Shipping, packing, mailboxes, printing, faxing, shredding, notary services STARTUP COST $101.8K-$476.99K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 5,568/2 2 Budget Blinds Window coverings, window film, rugs, accessories STARTUP COST $140.5K-$211.8K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 1,472/0 3 7-Eleven Convenience stores STARTUP COST $139.2K-$1.4M TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 77,886/5,893 4 Express Employment Professionals Staffing, HR solutions STARTUP COST $140K-$400K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 863/2 5 Interim HealthCare Medical and nonmedical home care, medical staffing STARTUP COST $125.5K-$199.5K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 651/4 6 Mac Tools Automotive tools and equipment STARTUP COST $119.9K-$343.4K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 1,159/0 7 Mathnasium Math tutoring STARTUP COST $112.9K-$149.3K TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED / CO.-OWNED) 1,106/4 8 Minuteman Press Printing, graphics, and marketing services STARTUP COST $78.2K-$219.5K* TOTAL UNITS (FRANCHISED…

Jason Wright made a new kind of snack chip, and he knew it was good. When people tried it, they bought it. He even launched inside Whole Foods—a dream for many food brands. So after it launched, why were sales dead? To save his business, Wright needed to untangle a problem that bedevils many innovators: The concept was so new that consumers found it off-putting. “Because having a product that’s never been done before, with a name that they’ve never seen before,” he says, “puts people in a bad place, or they just walk by it.” Instead of showing them his idea, Wright realized he needed to speak their language first. Wright never actually set out to make snack chips. His company, Wilde Brands, began with protein bars made with…

1 ▶ The Roxbury Roxbury, New York “When people ask us about our hotel we say, ‘Imagine if Alice in Wonderland married Willy Wonka, and they took up residence in Oz.’ That’s what we want The Roxbury to feel like. We met in NYC in 1988, and have been married for 34 years. We spent our first decade together in the theater, but putting food in our mouths became so overwhelming that Greg let a temp job on Wall Street turn into a real job. Then 9/11 happened. We realized we were happiest ‘putting on a show’ together. We had this little cabin in the Catskills, and we bought a rundown motel 30 minutes down the road. Never in our wildest dreams did we foresee that 21 years and four…

We’ve all been there: Stuck in an unfulfilling job and hoping for a change. If that sounds like you, but you don’t want to land in another version of the same situation, it could be time to promote yourself from employee to boss as the owner of your own business. How? By buying a franchise. You don’t need entrepreneurship experience. At my company, United Franchise Group, we’ve worked with about 1,600 people who have become franchisees—and most of them transitioned from another career. Many people can do so without having worked in the industry they’re investing in, as long as they have drive and ambition. If that also sounds like you, then here are five reasons to make owning a franchise your next job. 1 ▶ It works. Franchising is…

With new franchise brands entering the market almost daily, it’s easy to get caught up in the latest trend. But prospective franchisees should think twice about choosing a brand that the experts are calling “the next sure thing.” You’re not making a quick bet on a favored horse or a booming stock. You’re making a major investment in a new life. So whenever a franchise candidate asks me what’s hot in the industry, I say, “You are.” Because even if they align with what the buzzy new brand is looking for, they’re often better suited for something else. To find the right fit for you, ask yourself these five questions: 1 ▶ Which brands meet my professional goals? If you need help defining your goals, start with the basics: Do…

Startup costs can be one of the biggest hurdles to becoming your own boss—but they don’t have to be. If you’ve been thinking about taking the plunge into business ownership, you might want to begin here with our list of the top franchises that can be started for less than $50,000, less than $100,000, and less than $150,000. These lists are ranked based on the scores that each company received from Entrepreneur’s 2024 Franchise 500 ranking. That ranking analyzes each brand based on more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. A brand’s inclusion on a particular list (e.g. the “less than $50,000” list) means that it’s reasonably possible that some franchisees will be…

Entrepreneurs often feel overwhelmed. We have too many deadlines, too much responsibility, and not enough time for it all. So here’s a way to help you feel better, and to gain the clarity you need. To start, let’s play a game. I’ll ask you to do two things. First: Quick—congratulate yourself on a recent accomplishment! Do you even have one in mind? I don’t, to be honest. “Accomplishments” are big things to me, and they don’t happen daily. So now that prompt has got me thinking about all the stuff I want to accomplish but haven’t yet. Next: Quick—congratulate yourself on saying yes to something! Is this easier? It is for me. I’ve said yes to plenty of things lately—lunch with a friend, an intriguing meeting, a potential business opportunity.…