But, Pancheros decided it wasn’t enough to just raise awareness about the plight of the name Bob, oh no… we needed to do our part by giving each and every Bob a hot meal; A burrito, to be more specific.

Ergo, National Bob day was born. On May 1st, anyone named Bob, Rob, Robert, Bobbie, Boberta or Roberina could walk into a Pancheros and proudly proclaim “I am Bob, give me burrito!” and after a few awkward glances from other dining patrons, they would receive a FREE burrito!

What would this world be had we listened to the great musical musings of Steve Marley, would Mark Dole proudly run for president? And lets be honest, Rick Dylan just sounds ridiculous. Throughout history, Bobs have made a difference in the lives of others, and we are here to fight the fight that needs fighting! Every day Pancheros relies on a Bob that is near and dear to our hearts. With Bob’s help, we’ve torn down the walls that once stood between meat and rice, between beans and salsa. Ingredients can now co-conspire as one. Bob has single-handedly revolutionized burrito building forever.

Outdoor lighting is meeting the growing need in our American culture, which is constantly trying to add more hours to each day. NiteLites Outdoor Lighting installs energy efficient lighting systems for facilities managers, HOAs, homeowners, businesses, and municipalities to lengthen their hours of use and enhance the safety, security, and functionality of parking lots, neighborhood entryways, sidewalks, and other outdoor living areas.

A television ad, one of four produced in the effort, featuring Clockwork’s Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, Mister Sparky and One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning brands debuted on AMC following the episode and gave viewers a glimpse of the end result of a successful pitch.

“Our home services brands have remarkable stories to tell individually, and by going through this process, we’ve found new ways to tell them cohesively,” said Scott Boose, President of Clockwork Home Services. “Partnering with FKM to bring the initial concepts to life over the past few months has been exciting.”

FKM’s winning theme, entitled “+Help,” expands Clockwork’s current focus on its on-time and service money-back guarantees, establishing a complementary platform for the brand’s marketing, advertising and promotion.

“FKM’s idea conveyed the essence of these three brands – being genuinely helpful on every service call,” said Chris Buitron, vice president of marketing, Clockwork Home Services. “The resulting tri-branded campaign is an entirely new look-and-feel for us, and is much larger in scope than anything we’ve done for the brands previously.”

The concept was developed in a Utility Forum, FKM’s branded process in which three separate idea teams examine brand challenges from distinct perspectives – how to be innovative in the consumer’s life, how the brand and consumers can interact in better ways, and how the brand and its customers can have more meaningful transactions. With the insight that most home service calls are reactionary, made in a time of stress surrounding an issue in the home, teams produced and pitched three campaign ideas that demonstrate how Clockwork brands can help consumers get back to normal quickly.

“Showcasing a point of intersection between the three brands in one ad campaign was a big challenge. Our Utility Forums produced a number of great ideas to help the brands move beyond the ‘grudge purchase,’ but ultimately, ‘+Help’ is the best,” said Scott Brown, Chief Creative Officer, FKM. “The platform markets all brands equally and gives consumers a fun and smart reason to call.”

The end result has produced an integrated television, digital and print campaign that will officially launch and roll out in markets across the country on May 15.

“This is a meaningful win for FKM, especially given the transformation we’ve experienced in the past year, restructuring the agency in the months leading up to the taping of our episode,” said Jose Lozano, CEO, FKM. “But in business, the real work begins after the pitch. We’ll celebrate in a big way when the ‘+Help’ campaign starts making the phone ring for Benjamin Franklin, Mister Sparky and One Hour.”

Grilled on an authentic Mexican Comal grill, the Mango Habanero Ono Taco is served in a warm stone-ground corn tortilla and features mild, white ono seasoned in olive oil and garlic. A mango habanero pineapple salsa, is added, sweetening the ono, with a smoky red chile sauce made with guajillo, ancho and red jalapeno chiles giving the chef-crafted taco some heat. It is finished with a topping of crema and placed on a bed of Serrano cabbage slaw.

“At Rubio’s, we pride ourselves on being creators,” said Ralph Rubio, founder of Rubio’s. “We are committed to providing our guests imaginative offerings with complex flavors made from the highest-quality ingredients. The Mango Habanero Ono Taco brings together two familiar flavors in a sweet and spicy new way. Our guests will be delighted by our latest creation. ”

Rubio’s dedication to creating seafood recipes that are enticing and unique began when Ralph Rubio took his first bite of a fish taco in Mexico more than three decades ago. Realizing he had tasted something truly special, he began to develop his own recipe. The creation of the Original Fish Taco® recipe became the basis for everything Rubio’s stands for today: memorable and complex flavors in chef-crafted recipes that feature the freshest, highest quality ingredients.

The Mango Habanero Ono Taco joins Rubio’s expansive seafood offerings that range from shrimp and wild salmon to seasonal Langostino lobster and wild Alaska Pollock. In addition to certified sustainable seafood, Rubio’s also offers chargrilled marinated chicken and steak, “no fried” pinto beans℠, salads, hand-made guacamole, and a variety of salsas and proprietary sauces – all prepared fresh daily and made from ingredients sourced from California whenever possible.

Starting today, long-time fans and newcomers alike are invited to stop in to any one of Rubio’s locations to get a taste of the Mango Habanero Ono Taco. Fans should also stay tuned as more details on exciting upcoming events, including World Oceans Day, will be announced soon.

Located in front of JCPenney, Doc Popcorn’s PopKiosk provides passers-by with a delicious, fresh-popped snack in a variety of all-natural flavors. Doc Popcorn pops its whole-grain kernels in 100 percent corn oil and offers a wide variety of distinctive flavors made from blends of natural ingredients.

Gourmet flavors range from cheesy cheddar and sweet butter to sinfully cinnamon and hoppin’ jalapeno. Doc Popcorn flavors also are gluten-free and nut-free with soy-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free options also available.

After earning his bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa in business management with a focus in entrepreneurship, Sinnard spent the next five years working for Quiznos Corporate. Shortly thereafter, his entrepreneurial craving led him to open two Quiznos and one Cinnabon shop, which is also located in the mall.

“I really wanted to provide the mall goers a healthy alternative and after extensive research there was no question that Doc Popcorn was just that,” Sinnard says. “I am excited to introduce a brand that offers an amazing product and puts a smile on the faces of everyone who comes by.”

The new Doc Popcorn is the brand’s first in Arkansas and 50th location nationwide. The Mall at Turtle Creek opening marks the first of three units Sinnard plans to open.

“We are thrilled to welcome a driven and passionate individual like Adam into the Doc Popcorn family,” says Rob Israel, CEO and co-founder of Doc Popcorn. “As a franchise owner with Doc Popcorn, Adam can grow the fun-loving business throughout the area and provide a healthy, great-tasting product to consumers on the go in high-traffic venues.”

The kiosk is open for business and located in Al Othaim Mall in the city of Dammam. Master franchisee Mohammed Alhumaidhi worked closely with his sub-franchisee, Fahd Nawwab, to expand their business and the brand.

Since opening its doors March 22, 2012, the new site has been serving customers premium Hawaiian coffees and all-natural fresh fruit smoothies in a centralized location and laidback environment.

“The kiosk is located in the heart of the mall, serving all of its visitors,” Nawwab says. “We are extremely pleased that many of our guests are already aware of Maui Wowi and are happy that it is now closer to them.”

This brings the total number of units throughout The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to seven, which includes fixed retail, kiosks, catering, and event units. The new mall kiosk is Nawwab’s second branch.

Alhumaidhi holds the Master Franchise Agreement for The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and plans to move forward with new Maui Wowi locations and additional sub-franchises in the near future.

“Mohammed has really taken the reins and built the Maui Wowi brand in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that continues to show growth and success,” says Erin Hicks, executive vice president for Maui Wowi Hawaiian.

There are 4 main steps to franchising a business. Most companies will tell you that you need to create the Franchise Documents, and while that is the legal requirement to franchise a business, it is not the only thing needed.

Here are the 4 main steps to Franchising a Business:

1. Legal Document Creation

2. Operations Manual Creation

3. Marketing Plan Creation

4. Sales Process Creation

Each of these 4 parts is critical to the success of a new franchise business. All too often I talk with an emerging franchise that didn’t complete steps 3 & 4 prior to franchising a business and they are struggling to sell franchises.

This is not surprising. With any business you need to have a complete plan in place.

Franchising is no different.

How are you going to find people interested in buying your franchise?

Who is going to support your new franchise owners?

What process are you going to use to sell franchises?

These are all questions that need to be answered as you learn how to Franchise your business.

For a free no obligation consultation, complete the form below and a Franchise Developer will contact you to see if your business qualifies to expand via franchising.

Since the word Franchise is used in many of these terms I like to make sure that everyone is familiar with them when they are researching a Franchise business.

Franchise Disclosure Document: Often known as the FDD, is an extensive 23 part legal document which is presented to potential buyers of franchises. Until July of 2007 it was originally known as the Uniform Franchise Offering Circular (UFOC).

Franchisor: A Franchisor is the company that sells the Franchise to a buyer. Often known as the “Home Office” or “Parent Office” they are the person or persons that created the franchise system. Also known as a Franchiser.

Franchisee: This is the person or group of persons that buy the Franchise from the Franchisor. The Franchisee is the owner of the local unit or location. The Franchisee typically pays a Franchise Fee to the Franchisor for the right to operate the Franchise, up front training support and a protected territory.

Franchise Agreement: This legal contract is the agreement that is signed between a Franchisee and a Franchisor. It outlines the legal terms of the Franchise. There are often references to specific payment requirements, ongoing requirements and renewal terms.

Franchise Fee: This payment is made by the Franchisee to the Franchisor. It is usually a one time up front payment that is made after the Due Diligence process is completed and the Franchisee is approved for the Franchise. This fee typically includes a protected territory as well as training and assistance on setting up the Franchise.

Due Diligence Process: When researching a Franchise this is the process a candidate goes through to learn about the company. Typically this consists of talking with the Franchisor, completing an application, attending a webinar, reviewing the Franchise Disclosure Documents, talking to an attorney, talking with existing Franchisees, visiting the Home Office and finally making a decision.

The Due Diligence process timeline varies depending on each person, typically it ranges from 4-6 weeks.

Franchise Royalty: This is an ongoing payment that is paid by the Franchisee to the Franchisor, typically this is a percentage of gross revenue. This fee pays for the ongoing assistance, training & support from the Franchisor to the Franchisee. This fee will typically range from 1% to 10% and is paid weekly or monthly in most cases.

Liquid Capital/Initial Investment: This is the amount of money a potential Franchise buyer needs to have available to them prior to any financing. Typically this needs to be around 30% of the Total Investment. For example, if the Total Investment for a Franchise is $100k then the Initial Investment would be 30% of that or roughly $33k. This number is actually determined by the Bank that would provide the Franchise Financing and is often based on your Net Worth, previous experience, Total Investment and your credit rating/report.

Net Worth: Banks often look at a Franchise buyers Net Worth when approving them for Franchise Financing. An individual’s Net Worth is calculated by subtracting everything you owe from everything you own. For example, if you owe $100k and you own $250k worth of property, investments, real estate etc…then your Net Worth would be $150k.

Total Investment: This is the total amount someone would invest into a Franchise to open the business. This would include examples like: signs, working capital, Franchise Fee, deposits, basically everything that would be needed to open the business.

Typically the FDD provides a range on what the average Total Investment is for a Franchise based on the past experience of their Franchisees.

Franchise Financing: This type of financing is secured after a Franchise buyer has paid the Franchisor the Franchise Fee. Typically banks require good credit, some net worth and roughly 30% of the Total Investment down in order to qualify for Franchise Financing.

SBA Guaranteed Loans: These loans available for some Franchise buyers for some Franchises depending on qualifications and availability. The SBA does not actually offer Franchise Loans, they guarantee the loan from a conventional bank. A Franchise buyer must apply at a regular bank that handles SBA Guaranteed Loans in order to go through the process.

The SBA does not offer Grants for starting a business, this is a common myth.

Working Capital: This is the amount of money a Franchise buyer needs to have in the bank after all of the initial investments are made to open the business. This number is usually included in the Total Investment. This is the money that a new Franchisee would use to pay the bills while the business is ramping up.

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Are you exploring Franchise Ownership? Would you like to speak with a Franchise Specialist free of charge? You can request a Free Franchise Consultation using the form below.

“Dickey’s is excited to be opening it’s pioneer store with the Reeves in West Virginia,” said Roland Dickey, Jr., president of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. “We believe this will be our first of many new locations to come to the state.”

The Reeves are both native West Virginians, only leaving during Preston’s stint in the United States Air Force. Stephanie brings over 15 years of management experience and Preston has worked for the United States Postal Service for the last 18 years. The high school sweethearts are currently looking for a smokin’ site for their new barbecue restaurant.

“We loved the Dickey’s unique concept and commitment to family tradition and quality food,” said franchise owner Stephanie Reeves. “We are proud to be part of the Dickey’s family and can’t wait to bring great tasting barbecue at a great price to southern West Virginia.”

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit opened its first location in Dallas in 1941. Dickey’s began franchising in 1994 and has continued to grow across the country. Dickey’s currently has more than 220 locations. West Virginia is the 40th state for the nationally recognized fast-casual barbecue chain. With every new restaurant, the company creates additional jobs for landlords, brokers, construction companies, and of course makes an impact on the city it serves.