Franchise Interviews

TSS Photography, founded in 1983, has grown to more than 225 units throughout the country and is now the number one choice in youth photography. TSS Photography offers franchise opportunities for a variety of protected territories and a 10 percent discount on all territory plans for veterans Joe Lindenmayer is the co-owner of TSS Photography, Inc. a 230 unit franchise network in the youth sports, school and event photography industry. Joe is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm as a Marine, helped run then sold a landscaping business in New York and joined TSS in 1993, working his was up from a field sales rep to Vice President and eventually President. Joe can talk about how he worked his way up from a field sales rep with TSS to President and co-owner. He can also speak to how and why he expanded the company from one that focuses just one sports photos, to one that now includes services for schools, corporations, church groups and other community organizations. Joe can also discuss how besides regular pho

Ritas Franchise Opportunity to appear on Franchise Interviews Weekly Radio Show on BlogTalkRadio Thursday, April 30, at 10AM EST. If you are a frequent listener to our weekly franchise radio show, than you already know what fans Don and Marty are of Ritas. Marty McDermott recently mentioned on a previous show that there is a cult following with Ritas. Tune in to find out why. Ritas is celebrating 25 years of being in business. Listen in on Thursday, April 30 at 10AM EST to find out more. Franchise Interviews will be meeting with Mark Mele the VP of Franchising for Ritas. You can hear the live and recorded shows by going to FranchiseInterviews.com or BlogTalkRadio.com/Franchise-Interviews. For the very first time, listeners can also hear the live show from their cell phones! Just call 347-838-8238.

Big Mouth Advertising offers effective state of the art Scrolling Mobile technology and exists to provide businesses with a creative solution helping them break through today's media clutter with high impact, geographically targeted, "In Your Face" Advertising messages that generate results. Big Mouth Advertising vehicles are one-stop shopping for Branding, New Product Rollouts, Grand Openings, Events and Guerrilla marketing. Welcome to the world of mobile advertising, welcome to Big Mouth Advertising!

With a last minute schedule change, Marty and Don spoke about one of their favorite topics...Franchising and Entrepreneurship. Listen to their review of last week's show, current events in franchising and upcoming shows over the next week.

House Doctors Franchise Opportunity to appear on Franchise Interviews Weekly Radio Show on BlogTalkRadio Thursday, April 9, at 10AM EST. Over the last two years, Franchise Interviews has had some of the biggest names in franchising on their weekly radio show as well as some exciting new franchise concepts. This Thursday, April 9 at 10 AM EST, Franchise Interviews will be meeting with very special guest Jim Hunter, president and CEO of House Doctors Their website mentions that a House Doctors handyman franchise is an exciting franchise opportunity. The Home Repair and Handyman industry in North America is growing significantly due to the increase in home ownership and the aging housing stock. Combine this with changes in the demographics of our society, the “Baby Boomers” nearing retirement age, “Dual-Income Families” struggling with time restraints, and many professionals who do not have the necessary skills to do their own home repairs or handyman work, and you soon realize that we are now part of the gr

Every so often we play an encore edition. Today you will hear our interview with Jennifer Lemcke of the WEED MAN franchise opportunity. Jennifer had some great quotes on this show. I think our favorite was “Let us amaze you!” Weed Man has almost 40 years of lawn care experience, and have grown to be the world's largest lawn care franchise! Jennifer will discuss the history of the organization as well as the WEED MAN franchise system. She also answers the following questions: What role has technology played in your business? * How big is your industry? * What has been the most interesting thing that has happened at WEED MAN? * What types of characteristics do you look for in a franchisee? * What is the training like for new franchisees? * What is a typical day like for WEED MAN franchisees? * What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to buy a franchise? * What are WEED MAN’s plans for the future?

You might get a little hungry after today's show. The creation of a truly great sub is no small feat. At Lenny's they pride themselves on serving up Authentic Philly Cheesesteaks & the Deli Fresh Experience™. Since the beginning, Lenny's commitment to quality and attention to detail has gone into every restaurant and every sub sandwich.

We are meeting with Jennifer Lemcke of the Weed Man franchise opportunity. Why invest in lawn care? Lawn care is part of the rapidly growing Green Industry While growth has been fueled by expansion of the housing market over the last several years, demographic trends indicate growth that will extend beyond the housing boom, with an increasingly greater percentage of homeowners hiring a professional lawn and landscape maintenance company. Maturing Baby Boomers with more disposable income and an increasing priority on enjoying life will continue to employ the services of our industry in greater numbers to ease the burdens of maintaining their homes. Additionally, growing numbers of dual-income families will continue to look to lawn care service providers to help them free up more time in which to enjoy the pleasures of family and home life. Working in conjunction with favorable demographic trends is the consumer's recognition of lawn care as a truly compelling value when compared to the retail cost of

We are meeting Blake Smith from The Decor Group (Christmas Decor, Nite Time Decor. At the Décor Group…Franchising is their business. Nite Time Decor is a member of The Decor Group, a conglomerate of lighting/decorating service and product supply companies that includes the Christmas Decor franchise system. Christmas Decor is the leading brand in Christmas decorating services and has gained national acclaim in the media and franchise industry for the success of the business. Housed in the same corporate headquarters, Nite Time Decor franchisees share many of the same resources as Christmas Decor franchisees. However, due to the scope and requirements of each business, Nite Time Decor has its own operational and support team. This experienced infrastructure and team of franchise support professionals ensure that Nite Time Decor franchisees gain full advantage in being a part of our franchise system.

Franchise Interviews is meeting with John Rotche, President and Founder of the franchise opportunity DUCTZ. John started the company as a one van operation in Ann Arbor, MI in 2002. Today the franchise boasts 134 locations in 32 states! John will talk about his strategic growth by buying his major competitor Duct Busters in 2006 and positioning the company to become a subsidiary of BELFOR, the world’s largest insurance restoration company. John created the DUCTZ National Service Team, the first rapid-response team in the industry, comprised of highly trained and certified DUCTZ specialists pulled from its franchise owners to provide services throughout the country at major disaster areas after events such as Hurricane Katrina and the California wild fires. The creation of this team allows John to provide built-in business to his franchisees and give them “on the job” training at sites that are in serious need of indoor air quality. John will share his story about what he did to help DUCTZ strategically

David Pikoff, co-founder of Games2U, launched the mobile video game theater franchise in Austin, TX in 2007. To date, they have sold more than 25 franchises, and plan to have more than 100 up and running by the end of the 2009. David will talk about how Games2U is quickly replacing “same-old” traditional birthday celebrations such as bowling, ice skating and pizza parties. He will discuss how he and Stuart came up with the idea for Games2U and what it is like working side by side with a sibling. David can also share their current strategies for helping to expand the business throughout the country. About Games2U - Games2U is transforming the video gaming and party industry. Founded in 2007 by brothers David and Stuart Pikoff, Games2U offers an interactive, state-of-the-art entertainment alternative for birthday, corporate and community gatherings. With parties starting at $199, the franchise is quickly becoming one of the hottest attractions at outdoor events and community and corporate gatherings.

As stated on Amazon.com's editorial review, the story of angel investing is long on opinion and short on data; this book does the opposite and makes a valuable contribution to this emerging financing niche with a practical and skeptical data centric approach to understanding what is going on in the world of angels." --Ian Sobieski, Managing Director, Band of Angels "What do we think we are doing? Scott Shane shows that we're not consistently targeting the best investments, or the best terms; that we're not as professional as venture capitalists--and our results reflect this lack of focus. Become a professional angel investor; start here to first learn the mistakes and omissions that angel investing is fraught with."--Frank Peters, Chairman, Board of Governors, Tech Coast Angels, Host, theFrankPetersShow.com "Venture capitalists, policy makers and entrepreneurs should read this book and take note. Scott Shane has uncovered the mythology surrounding angel investing by examining the facts and drawing crystal cle

Throughout his 20-plus-year career, franchise veteran Steven Beagelman has acted as both entrepreneur and senior level executive, giving him a unique insight and perspective in growing, operating, and building brands. A frequent guest speaker at International Franchise Association conferences, Beagelman is also a regular contributor to franchise industry publications as both source and author, as well as a contributor to a new franchise book, So You Want to Franchise Your Business. He has also been quoted numerous times as an expert in Franchise Times; New York Times; Nation’s Restaurant News; and Newsday.

Sean Fitzgerald will talk about his recent 2nd place STAR award for overall best practices at the Franchise Update Conference and the sales techniques and changes he made at Wireless Zone to go from 30 leads a month to generating 300 leads a month today! Wireless Zone ranked 1st in its category, and was named one of the top 100 fast-growing franchises by Entrepreneur Magazine. Also, by the end of December 2008, Wireless Zone opened 60 new stores, and anticipates 100 locations to open in 2009. Since stores are closing around the nation because of the economic climate, including 133 Sprint stores, Sean will talk about why a wireless communication franchise still finds growth even in this economic climate.

It started back in 1956 and was originally called Mike's Subs. Mike opened the small shop in the sea-side town of Point Pleasant, New Jersey. You have to remember that in 1956, there were very few franchise restaurants or hamburger chains. No chain pizza, chicken or taco restaurants, either. In 1956, proprietors or mom-and-pop businesses would open their stores in basic storefront locations like you see here. To survive and thrive, they had to offer exceptional quality products, coupled with unparalleled service. In 1956, Mike was unique in that the product he was offering was a relatively new item in American society — the submarine sandwich. Mike also benefited from the geographic location of his store. Point Pleasant, New Jersey is centrally located in the state on the legendary Jersey Shore. The rest is history!

January 22, 2009 With the current imploding economy, money is tight and new business opportunities prove risky. In times like these, one must take calculated risks and when seeking money-making opportunities, must invest wisely. Opening a home-based business with little expenditures and minimal staff may be the answer. Speak to Allan Young, the CEO/Co-founder of ShelfGenie, which is a concept that designs, builds and installs Glide-Out shelving systems that are custom-built to fit into existing cabinets.

Without a college degree Mike Nero, CEO and Founder of Naturell, ventured out to the world of becoming an eco-preneur way before going green was considered "cool." Nero had been an employee for a carpet cleaning business and saw the harmful chemicals that were being used in the cleaning solutions. Nero was determined to find a solution that would be less harmful and completely organic. After all, wet carpet and dark places is the ultimate breeding ground for mold and mildew to grow - and to have your kids and pets rolling around on that is a little unsettling to the stomach.

Whether it’s called a hoagie, a hero, a grinder, a spuckie, a poor boy or a wedge, the sub sandwich has proved to be a mainstay in the diets of countless Midwesterners. This familiarity is due in large part to Bill Specht and Jim Sheppard’s brainchild, Cousins Subs, which opened its first location on Milwaukee’s 60th Street in 1972. After nearly 40 years, the brand has grown to approximately 150 locations in nine states and continues to offer its customers the freshest breads, meats and toppings. The Menomonee Falls-based company recently announced plans to increase its number of units to roughly 170 and, through continued growth in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Arizona and North Dakota, hopes to have 220 restaurants in operation by 2010. Poised For Growth: How has this local company succeeded in having a national presence? What’s the strategy behind their steady growth? What does Cousins Subs attribute to their almost four decades of success? Like Father, Like Daughter: Bill Sp

ValPak: Layoffs and the down economy have consumers scrambling for more ways to save money. Valpak is bringing savings right to resident's doorsteps with their business. Today we have the pleasure of meeting with Kevin Drudge, Manager of Franchise DevelopmentValpak is one of the nation's leading direct mail companies delivering coupons to more than 45 million households in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Through its combined products, including online savings portal Valpak.com, Cox Target Media - which owns and operates Valpak -delivers.

Just in time for the new year! Our guest today spent over 15 years as a sports television producer – working with ABC Sports, ESPN and others. He also founded a travel company that became the official travel service of Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando and the University of Notre Dame. In 1998, he joined an international franchise company with 1,000 locations, and served as senior vice president in charge of marketing for their nine brands. Four years ago, he started Success Handler – a professional business coaching firm to help leaders discover their desires and achieve their goals. Please welcome…The Coach…David Handler.