Jo To Go America, Inc., franchisor of  Jo To Go Coffee, is carving out a completely new niche in the increasingly competitive specialty coffee industry.  As coffee wars brew between industry giants over iced coffee and flavored lattes, Jo To Go America, Inc. has launched a completely new co-brand concept that pairs authentic Mexican cuisine with specialty coffee.

Dick DuBois, president of Jo To Go America, Inc. reports that the initial response to the concept more often than not involves the baffled question:  “Tacos and coffee?”

But Jo To Go America, Inc may be on to something when you consider the co-brand in light of the fact that Mexican food is number one in the quick service industry, specialty coffee businesses continue to grow at a dizzying pace, and coffee is a product that traces its origins to Latin American countries. 

Read the complete post at TransWorldNews.com 

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Kevin Faulk is sweating it out on the field at training camp with the rest of the New England Patriots, but that’s not the only place he’s planning on making an impact this season.

While getting ready to don the pads and helmet for another run at the Super Bowl, Faulk and four other current and former black professional athletes have pooled their money to buy 18 Burger King restaurants in Norfolk and Richmond, Va. The deal represents a new attempt by Burger King Corp., the Miami-based fast food chain, to grow its presence in urban areas. It is also an arrangement that allows Faulk, a native of Lafayette, La., to fulfill a goal of providing jobs to others whose backgrounds he can relate to.

Read the complete post at Boston.com.

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According to caterersearch.com, the number of franchised outlets in the hospitality sector increased last year and more businesses are franchising as a way of growing a successful brand.

Franchising as a concept is becoming increasingly important to the hospitality sector as a relatively cheap and cheerful way to grow a brand. It is one which industry body the British Franchise Association (BFA) is now working to make much more recognisable to the average punter.

According to this year’s BFA survey of the franchising market, hotels and catering is now the third-largest franchised sector in the UK, with the number of franchised outlets growing by 6% last year.

Read the entire article

Research UK franchises at our new Franchise Gator UK website!

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Gary King has owned the Management Recruiters of Tampa North franchise since 1989, leasing Class A office space.  In 2002, he and his wife, Gail, purchased land and built the 4,500-square-foot King Professional Center where MR is the primary occupant.  Just prior to closing the deal with conventional financing, the Kings discovered the U.S. Small Business Administration 504 loan program.  Their successful application reduced their equity contribution from 25 percent to 10 percent, saving them more than $50,000.

New and current franchisees should seriously factor this underutilized financing alternative into their business plans when expanding through buying commercial real estate and may be surprised at the cash that can flow from it.

Read the complete post at Franchise.org.

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Bob McQuillan runs a tight ship at his Hollywood Tans franchise in Arlington, Va. He knows precisely when workers clock in and out, who each of his daily customers are and which employees are selling what products, at regular price, or discount. But there’s a twist: He’s doing all this micromanaging from home — 133 miles away in Mullica Hill, N.J.

"We monitor the business remotely via the Internet," says Mr. McQuillan, who co-owns the store with his wife and another business partner.

While a manager handles the tanning salon’s day-to-day affairs, he pulls up data from afar by computer. A fingerprint scanner monitors workers’ arrivals and departures, while intricate software tallies sales data and pricing, almost in real time. "I’m down there once every three months," he says.

Read the complete post at StartupJournal.com.

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Fred Sischka, owner of FastFrame, a frame shop in downtown Los Altos, made a decision to take the road less traveled and he never looked back.

After spending 24 years in management positions in research and development working for Memorex, Tandy Corporation and Unisys Corporation, today he gets more satisfaction running his own retail business, he said.

His shop, which is one of more than 300 franchised FastFrame locations nationwide, offers specialty custom framing. Sischka specializes in fine art, mirrors, keepsakes and memorabilia, including preservation- and museum-grade framing.

Read the complete post at LosAltosTownCrier.com.

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Turns out, an entrepreneur’s personality can sometimes pack more punch than the pocketbook.
  
For companies shopping franchises to potential applicants, the necessary credentials have shifted from the bank account to intangible personal qualities - competitive drive, intuition and engaging personality. With personal quizzes, hours of face-to-face interviews and on-the-job evaluations, companies hope to whittle down the throng of potential franchisees, reaping richer returns in the process.

Read the complete post at Jacksonville.com.

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"(My son) Eric was always complaining about the politics and structure of corporate life," said Gary GrefRath, 66. So Gary, who taught a small business management course at the community college, decided that the two of them should start their own small business.

Because of Eric’s technical skills and Gary’s sales and marketing experience, they chose to open an AlphaGraphics franchise, which offers digital copying, printing, archiving and mail services to other small- and medium-sized businesses. 

Read the complete post along with other stories about doing business with dads at CNNMoney.com . 

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Richard Sharoff had just sold his 21 Boston Market restaurants and was trolling for his next big thing about 10 years ago when he happened across a small chain of underperforming Kansas City ice cream shops in need of some marketing.

The stores were poorly located, away from pedestrian and auto traffic. The black-and-white decor was not inviting to the customer. Marketing was nonexistent and the employees were poorly trained. But the chain had two things going for it, he says: great ice cream and the name, MaggieMoo’s.

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In 2004, Enrique Roselli, an executive at Pepsi co., decided that after 17 years it was time to be his own boss. The self-described corporate refugee’s extensive operations background and the "incredible business opportunity in Vegas" helped build his new franchise business, AlphaGraphics, and within two years of starting he’d tripled sales.

Mr. Roselli said starting his franchise – AlphaGraphics, with almost 300 shops, is the nation’s largest franchise print shop – has been one of the best business decisions he’s ever made. "I got a call from a [corporate] headhunter a month ago about a [job] opening in Europe. I said, ‘I’m not going back, heck no, I’m having too much fun.’ "

Read the complete post at HispanicBusiness.com.

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