PRESS KIT - bizbuysell.com · Mosquito Joe and shows how you can become part of making outside fun again! Unique Franchisees Territories Open Territories Sold Number of States 2013

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PRESS KIT

2For all media inquiries, please contact: [email protected]

ABOUT MOSQUITO JOEMosquito Joe began as a mom-and-pop mosquito control business in 2010, and in just a few short years of franchising, has grown to become an industry leader with over 168 franchise locations open nationwide. In 2012, its first year of franchising, Mosquito Joe sold 39 territories in 10 states. Now Mosquito Joe has expanded to over 270 sold territories in 28 states and counting!

This year, Mosquito Joe secured its spot on the INC 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America. Coming in at number 128, it landed in the top 3% of all companies recognized. Mosquito Joe also claimed spots on Entrepreneur Magazine’s lists of Top Franchises to Watch and Fastest Growing Franchises. Mosquito Joe was also recognized as a Top 50 Franchise Opportunity and Top Franchise Opportunity for Veterans from Franchise Business Review.

Mosquito Joe provides mosquito control services to residential and commercial customers, repelling and killing outdoor pests such as mosquitoes, ticks and fleas. Our technicians are trained mosquito control experts who apply barrier spray solutions that keep yards mosquito-free for 21 days. We also provide services for special events to keep guests chatting and laughing instead of scratching and slapping.

Each Mosquito Joe operation is an independently owned franchise offering customers reliable and effective service from a trusted community member, backed by a national network of technical expertise. Each technician is trained and certified to meet state guidelines and is always in contact with the home office to ensure timely, dependable service.

When a friendly, bright yellow Mosquito Joe van arrives, mosquitoes don’t stick around. Customers appreciate that their mosquito problem is solved for them – no chemicals to understand and no need to keep up with a schedule. Mosquito Joe does all of that for them, with regular barrier sprays that kill mosquitoes on contact and repel new ones from moving in.

MOSQUITO JOE FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITYMosquito control is a fast-growing segment in the pest control industry, and Mosquito Joe is poised to be an industry leader with our prominent branding and best-in-class systems.

Enjoying quality leisure time outdoors is a priority for today’s homeowner. This, accompanied with the increased concern surrounding mosquito-borne illnesses like West Nile and Zika Virus, gives rise to a promising business opportunity in a growing industry: Mosquito Joe.

Mosquito Joe provides the independence of running your own business with a strong foundation of guidance and support from an established corporate office. Our proven system offers franchise partners the benefits of an established brand and the chance to start up quickly. Because you don’t have to re-invent the wheel, the risk of making mistakes is low, with solutions already in place to recruit and service customers. And with a low franchise fee of $25,000, your success is only limited by your willingness to roll up your sleeves and get going!

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FAST FACTS ABOUT MOSQUITO JOE • Mosquito Joe has more than 120 franchisees operating in 169 territories across 28 states, with commitments to open an additional 102+ territories over the next two years*.

• Mosquito Joe has grown eleven-fold in the last four years, from 15 open territories in its first franchising year to 169 total territories in 2016.

• In 2015, Mosquito Joe’s 113 open territories provided over 168,000 mosquito control treatments to over 38,000 customers nationwide, a 3.2-fold increase over the previous year.

• With our emphasis on high-quality products, individualized residential/commercial programs, and outstanding customer service, Mosquito Joe retains approximately 77% of its recurring customers year-over-year.**

• Franchise locations that first opened in 2013 and 2014 have shown a 57% and 60% year-over-year growth rate respectively.

• In the 2016 mosquito season, Mosquito Joe has appeared in 105 publications nationwide, including over 65 TV and radio segments and over 120 print articles. Such coverage is a testament to the increased awareness surrounding mosquito control and Mosquito Joe’s successful business model.

• Mosquito Joe offers franchising discounts to veterans and current or former full-time law enforcement or firefighters.

Our growth over the last few years demonstrates the great business opportunity presented by Mosquito Joe and shows how you can become part of making outside fun again!

Unique Franchisees

Territories Open

Territories Sold

Number of States

201319 62 99 120

39 132 223 272

15 39 113 169

10 21 26 28

2014 2015 2016MOSQUITO JOE FRANCHISE DEVELOPMENT 2013-2016

*Based on numbers from October 5, 2016**As outlined in the Franchise Disclosure Document.

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We love seeing our name in lights - or in ink - so we thought you would too. Please enjoy some recent press articles about Mosquito Joe and our wonderful (and growing) family of franchise partners. Perhaps you’ll be our next Joe to be making headlines!

Already in 2016, Mosquito Joe has been mentioned in over 50 publications nationwide, including over 30 TV and radio segments and over 60 print articles.

MOSQUITO JOE MAKING HEADLINES

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Weekly VistaNovember, 2015

NewsThe Weekly Vista Wednesday, November 4, 2015 F 9A

Four-year-old Mason Carr loves to be outside. Recently he’s been spend-ing most of his days out in his fenced-in backyard, but that wasn’t always the case. Mason is very sensi-tive to mosquito bites and his yard is surrounded by woods.

“Everybody gets bites,” his mother Amanda Carr said, “but when Mason would get a mosquito bite it would be a huge welt. If he got one on his face, it would look like a black eye.”

An allergist confirmed that Mason is very sensi-tive to mosquito bites, so Amanda tried to keep him inside, but it didn’t work. Mason wanted to be out-side.

When Amanda saw a Groupon for a service that would spray for mosqui-toes she thought she would give it a try. She didn’t real-ize that Mosquito Joe was about to become part of the family.

“They have all kinds of gear on and they say hi to me,” Mason said. “They really like me.”

When they come to spray, about once a month during the warm weather, Mason watches them out the window, Amanda said. The techni-cians always come to the door before they spray and they usually talk to Mason, she said.

One day Mason told the technician he wanted to be a Mosquito Joe guy for Hal-loween and the technician

gave him a hat.After waiting for the

spray to dry, Mason went outside in his new Mosqui-to Joe hat and used his toy leaf blower to “spray” the back yard.

Meanwhile, his mother was wondering how to make a Mosquito Joe cos-tume.

“They don’t sell those at Walmart,” she said.

A few days later, Mason got a package in the mail. The local Mosquito Joe franchise owner had heard

about Mason’s ambition and provided a patch, and a Mosquito Joe backpack for hauling around Hallow-een candy. All Amanda had to do was iron the patch onto a green polo shirt and Mason become a Mosquito Joe technician.

“It’s great customer ser-vice,” Amanda Carr said, “It’s nice to see custom-er service still existing. They’re special to us.”

“When I grow up I’m going to be a Mosquito Joe guy,” Mason said.

Lynn Atkins

[email protected]

Mosquito Joe is hero to four-year-old boy

Submitted

To a little boy with a sensitivity to mosquito bites, the man who sprays his yard is a hero, so four-year-old Mason Carr decided to be a Mosquito Joe guy for Halloween.

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The Virginian-PilotApril, 2016

 Amid  Zika  Virus  Fears,  Customers  Swarm  to  Mosquito  Services  By  Kimberley  Pierceall  April  2,  2016                                    Ralph  Gallegos,  senior  technician  at  Mosquito  Joe,  uses  a  barrier  spray  to  cover  greenery  at  the  home  of  a  client  of  Suffolk  on  Monday,  March  28,  2016.    When  battling  bugs  is  one’s  business,  the  latest  high-­‐profile  foe  can  be  a  company’s  best  free  advertising.    And  the  growing  specter  of  the  mosquito-­‐borne  Zika  virus  has  would-­‐be  franchisees  itching  to  buy  a  Mosquito  Joe  business  from  Virginia  Beach-­‐based  Buzz  Franchise  Brands,  the  company  says.    Kevin  Wilson,  the  company’s  founder  and  CEO,  said  there’s  been  a  spike  in  calls  from  prospective  buyers  as  well  as  would-­‐be  customers  for  its  backyard  barrier  spray  service.    And  that’s  without  invoking  fear  of  the  blood-­‐sucking  Zika-­‐carrying  pests  in  their  marketing,  he  said.  Instead  the  company’s  overall  strategy  focuses  on  education  and  humor  –  “sick  of  donating  blood  on  the  way  to  the  mailbox?”  reads  one  advertisement  –  not  scare  campaigns,  he  said.  In  February,  the  company  posted  a  page  on  its  website  offering  Zika-­‐specific  prevention  advice  and  links  to  the  Centers  for  Disease  Control  and  Prevention  for  more  information.    Zika  in  the  U.S.  So  far,  fewer  than  300  people  in  the  United  States  have  the  virus  after  catching  it  by  traveling  to  Zika-­‐prone  regions  of  the  world  or  engaging  in  sex  with  an  infected  person,  according  to  the  CDC.    No  known  U.S.  cases  have  been  transmitted  by  mosquito,  particularly  the  Aedes  aegypti  species.  Still,  businesses,  agencies  and  groups  such  as  the  American  Mosquito  Control  Association  are  doling  out  prevention  advice  to  keep  that  from  happening,  or  spreading  if  it  does.    The  virus  carries  with  it  the  especially  harrowing  link  to  possible  fetal  deformities  if  a  pregnant  woman  is  infected.    “Anytime  that  you  put  the  potential  for  that  kind  of  risk  to  a  parent  or  somebody,  people  pay  attention,”  Hampton  Roads  Mosquito  Joe  franchisee  Glenn  Coffey  said.  “We  don’t  want  to  ever  capitalize  on  that.”    Prevention  The  Zika-­‐carrying  mosquito  tends  to  be  a  homebody,  flying  only  100  meters,  hanging  around  outside  in  water-­‐filled  containers  and  sometimes  sneaking  into  houses  during  the  day.    “You’re  not  going  to  find  them  in  puddles,  you’re  not  going  to  find  them  in  ponds,”  said  Joe  Conlon,  an  American  Mosquito  Control  Association  spokesman  and  retired  Navy  entomologist.  “Just  get  rid  of  anything  that  holds  water.”    A  dog’s  water  dish,  for  example,  should  be  emptied  every  five  days  and  wiped  down  since  eggs  are  laid  above  the  water  line,  he  said.    Spraying  a  home’s  perimeter  with  pesticide  isn’t  a  silver  bullet,  he  said.  

education  and  humor  –  “sick  of  donating  blood  on  the  way  to  the  mailbox?”  reads  one  advertisement  –  not  scare  campaigns,  he  said.  In  February,  the  company  posted  a  page  on  its  website  offering  Zika-­‐specific  prevention  advice  and  links  to  the  Centers  for  Disease  Control  and  Prevention  for  more  information.    Zika  in  the  U.S.  So  far,  fewer  than  300  people  in  the  United  States  have  the  virus  after  catching  it  by  traveling  to  Zika-­‐prone  regions  of  the  world  or  engaging  in  sex  with  an  infected  person,  according  to  the  CDC.    No  known  U.S.  cases  have  been  transmitted  by  mosquito,  particularly  the  Aedes  aegypti  species.  Still,  businesses,  agencies  and  groups  such  as  the  American  Mosquito  Control  Association  are  doling  out  prevention  advice  to  keep  that  from  happening,  or  spreading  if  it  does.    The  virus  carries  with  it  the  especially  harrowing  link  to  possible  fetal  deformities  if  a  pregnant  woman  is  infected.    “Anytime  that  you  put  the  potential  for  that  kind  of  risk  to  a  parent  or  somebody,  people  pay  attention,”  Hampton  Roads  Mosquito  Joe  franchisee  Glenn  Coffey  said.  “We  don’t  want  to  ever  capitalize  on  that.”    Prevention  The  Zika-­‐carrying  mosquito  tends  to  be  a  homebody,  flying  only  100  meters,  hanging  around  outside  in  water-­‐filled  containers  and  sometimes  sneaking  into  houses  during  the  day.    “You’re  not  going  to  find  them  in  puddles,  you’re  not  going  to  find  them  in  ponds,”  said  Joe  Conlon,  an  American  Mosquito  Control  Association  spokesman  and  retired  Navy  entomologist.  “Just  get  rid  of  anything  that  holds  water.”    A  dog’s  water  dish,  for  example,  should  be  emptied  every  five  days  and  wiped  down  since  eggs  are  laid  above  the  water  line,  he  said.    Spraying  a  home’s  perimeter  with  pesticide  isn’t  a  silver  bullet,  he  said.  

“It  shouldn’t  be  your  only  strategy,”  he  said.  And  he  doesn’t  endorse  pesticide  misting  systems  that  companies  offer,  saying  it  can  cause  some  mosquitoes  to  build  up  a  resistance.    He  said  residents  of  Hampton  Roads,  in  particular,  are  in  good  hands  with  local  vector  control  agencies  and  said  his  group  is  working  to  marry  up  with  commercial  companies  to  take  a  team  approach  to  combating  mosquito-­‐borne  illness  threats.    Orkin  recently  said  the  Hampton  Roads  area  ranked  14th,  just  behind  Miami  and  in  front  of  the  Grand  Rapids  area  of  Michigan,  for  the  number  of  customer  calls  for  mosquitoes  last  year.    Beyond  Zika  In  three  years,  Mosquito  Joe  has  grown  from  15  to  more  than  170  locations  with  another  60  or  so  franchise  territories  sold  across  the  country,  all  while  West  Nile,  then  Chikungunya  (pronounced  CHEE-­‐cun-­‐goon-­‐yah)  and  now  Zika,  all  mosquito-­‐borne  illnesses,  posed  challenges  to  pest-­‐prone  backyards.    The  company  uses  a  synthetic  chemical,  pyrethrin,  derived  from  a  chrysanthemum  flower  that  naturally  breaks  down  the  chemical  after  21  days,  requiring  it  to  be  re-­‐applied  if  homeowners  want  to  keep  mosquitoes  away.    It’s  one  among  many  pest  control  companies  vying  to  protect  backyards,  including  Richmond-­‐based  Mosquito  Squad  and  North  Carolina-­‐based  Mosquito  Authority,  as  well  as  entrenched  brands  Terminix  and  Orkin.    And  it’s  the  first  of  what  Buzz  Franchise  hopes  will  be  several  brands  offering  different  for-­‐hire  residential  services  for  an  aging,  wealthier  population,  in  the  hopes  of  converting  do-­‐it-­‐yourselfers  to  “let  us  do  it,”  Wilson  said.  The  company  recently  started  a  pool  maintenance  business,  Pool  Scouts,  as  part  of  the  expansion.  More  than  half  of  the  company’s  Mosquito  Joe  customers  have  pools,  too,  he  said.    “They’re  already  trusting  us  to  be  in  their  backyards,”  he  said.  

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a franchisor that provides the services you lack. Plus, you have access to anestablished brand, broader purchasingpower, and internal corporate re-sources while working on a personal, local level.

Dan urges those who are consid-ering franchising to make speci� c “what-if ” plans for best-case, antici-pated-case, and worst-case scenarios. He suggests they write a detailed busi-ness plan to determine if they have the bandwidth to launch a small business.

BLAINE AND KRISTIN CARDINALELike many young couples, Blaine and Kristin Cardinale are busy.

Blaine, a 2004 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, spent 10 years � ying helicopters in the military—including two deployments to Bahrain—before transitioning to the Navy Reserve in 2014. He and his wife, Kristin, help his parents run a storage facility near

FOCUS ON FRANCHISES PROMOTIONAL SERIES

Tampa, Florida. � ey also have a young son.

Starting a new business on top of all these obligations would be crazy, right?

Not with the � exibility that comes with operating a Mosquito Joe fran-chise. “Realize that one of the bene� ts of the franchise model is that a lot of things have been taken care of for you,” Blaine says, “So embrace that, and do things their way—especially in the beginning.”

Owning Mosquito Joe of Tampa Bay with Kristin has allowed Blaine to ful� ll his Navy Reserve commit-ments—and raise a family and help and help andhis parents modernize their company—while maintaining a successful business of his own.

“When you buy a franchise, you are buying a partnership with all the other franchisees, so learn everything you can from them, and share your knowledge—both wins and losses—with others.”

BE YOUR OWN BOSS

855-JOIN-JOE

•

•Low franchise fee andfast start up. Noexperience necessary!

Recurring revenue stream and a service that is high in demand.

Great as a stand-alonebusiness or complement to anexisting business.

MOSQUITOJOEFRANCHISE.COM

•

© Mosquito Joe Franchising, LLC | 349 Southport Cir, Ste 106 | VA Beach, VA 23452

The filing of an application for registration of an o�ering prospectus or the acceptance and filing thereof by the New York Department of Law as required by New York law does not constitute approval of the o�ering orthe sale of such franchise by the New York Department of Law or the Attorney General of New York.Minnesota Registration #F-7090

JOIN MOSQUITO JOETO HELP MAKE

OUTSIDE FUN AGAIN.

855-JOIN-JOE

KIDDIE ACADEMYThis educational child care company uses its proprietary Life Essentials curriculum to help children develop academically and socially. Since 1981, Kiddie Academy has expanded to more than 20 states. kiddieacademy.com/sw

iTRIP VACATIONS iTrip works with property owners to list, market, rent, and manage their homes or apartments. The company fi nds renters to occupy vacation homes so the owner can earn extra income. itripfranchise.com

SEALMASTEROne of the world’s largest producers of pavement sealer and sealcoat, SealMaster has more than 100 man-ufacturing plants and distribution centers in the U.S. sealmasterfranchise.com

THERE’S A FRANCHISE FOR THATFrom child care to pest control, opportunities in franchising are seemingly endless. From child care to pest control, franchising are seemingly endless. From child care to pest control, opportunities in franchising are seemingly endless.

opportunities in

MOSQUITO JOEA leading provider of outdoor pest–control treatment for residential and commercial properties, Mos-quito Joe is a bloom-ing parent company with opportunities in a number of markets across the country. mosquitojoefranchise.com

Dan Wachter mans iTrip’s Orlando marketplace. Blaine Cardinale operates Mosquito Joe in Tampa.

F1_Focus on Franchises_MR.indd 101 2/9/16 8:58 AM

Southwest: The MagazineMarch, 2016

 Franchise  Magazine                                Mosquito  Joe  Wants  to  Take  Over  the  Country  With  one  of  the  highest  hiring  rates  among  American  brands  and  one  of  the  lowest  investments,  Mosquito  Joe  hopes  to  have  300  territories  sold  by  the  end  of  2016.    Few  animals  on  Earth  evoke  the  kind  of  hatred  that  mosquitoes  do.  Their  itchy  bites  and  nearly  ubiquitous  presence  can  ruin  any  backyard  barbecue  or  hike  in  the  woods.  They  have  an  uncanny  ability  to  sense  our  murderous  intentions,  taking  flight  milliseconds  before  the  fatal  smack  of  a  fly  swatter.    But  no  matter  how  much  citronella  and  repellent  we  douse  ourselves  with,  year  after  year,  those  pesky  little  midge-­‐flies  keep  coming  back.  While  that’s  bad  news  for  most  of  us,  it’s  great  news  for  companies  like  Mosquito  Joe,  the  nation’s  fastest-­‐growing  pest  control  and  treatment  franchise.    With  hordes  of  these  bugs  descending  upon  backyards  every  spring  and  summer,  the  demand  for  a  healthy  and  insect-­‐free  living  space  has  grown—and  for  good  reason.  According  to  the  Center  for  Disease  Control,  nearly  1,360  people  in  the  United  States  were  exposed  to  the  West  Nile  virus  last  year,  a  disease  that’s  most  commonly  spread  by  mosquito  bites.  Recently,  the  Zika  virus—a  disease  that’s  also  transmitted  through  mosquitos—has  garnered  press  attention,  too.  There  have  been  193  cases  reported  so  far  in  2016.    When  current  Mosquito  Joe  CEO  Kevin  Wilson  first  discovered  the  brand,  he  saw  an  untapped  opportunity  to  help  communities.  Having  built  a  career  based  on  finding  emerging  concepts  with  upside  potential  as  a  partner  at  Envest  Ventures,  Wilson  knew  Mosquito  Joe  was  onto  something,  he  just  needed  the  right  fuel  to  spark  its  growth.  

1851 Franchise MagazineMarch, 2016

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Zika Virus Press ReleaseFebruary, 2016

MEDIACONTACT: MattDiazNoLimitAgency [email protected]

FORIMMEDIATERELEASE

MosquitoJoeProvidesZikaVirusInformation

MosquitoPreventionFranchiseTellsFranchiseesandCustomersHowtoCombattheMosquito-BorneIllness

VirginiaBeach,Va.–MosquitoJoe,aleadingmosquitocontroltreatmentcompanyservingresidentialandcommercialcustomersnationwide,ishelpingcommunitiesacrossthecountrystayeducatedaboutrecentoutbreaksoftheZikavirus.Throughawarenessandprevention,MosquitoJoeislookingtocombatanypotentialproblemsinmarketsacrosstheU.S.“WhileZikaviruscasesintheU.S.arefewandfarbetweenatthemoment,CDCofficialswarnthattheviruscouldspreadextremelyrapidlyifandwhenithitsnewcommunitieswithmosquitoactivity,”saidMosquitoJoeCEO,KevinWilson.“TheconcernisparticularlyacuteintheSouthandSoutheast,wherehightemperatures,highhumidityandapropensityforstandingwatertoaccumulatecreateidealconditionsforAedesaegypti,themosquitothatspreadsZika,toproliferate.WehavealreadyseentheGovernorofFloridadeclareaStateofEmergencyinfourcounties.”TheZikaviruswasfirstidentifiedin1947inAfrica,butit'sonlyinthelastcoupleofyearsthatcasesofithaveappearedintheAmericas.Zikaisprimarilytransmittedthroughthebiteofinfectedmosquitoes.Themostcommonsymptomsofthevirusdiseasearefever,rash,jointpain,orconjunctivitis(redeyes).Symptoms,whilegenerallymild,typicallybegintwotosevendaysafterbeingbittenbyaninfectedmosquitoandlastforseveraldaystoaweek.Inordertoaverttheissue,manyMosquitoJoefranchiseesaregearinguptostarttheirseasonsearlierinordertopreventthesemosquitoesfromhatchinginthespring.“Tokeepaheadoftheprobleminourclients’localareas,theycantryanumberofpreventiontips,includingunblockingdrainsandgutters,avoidaccumulatinggarbage,andshyawayfromallowingstandingwatertoaccumulateinoutdoorcontainerssuchasinflowerpots,tiresandchildren’stoys,”Wilsonsaid.“AtMosquitoJoe,weutilizethebestqualitymosquito-controlproductsonthemarket.Ourbarrierspraytreatmentprotectsourclients’yardsforuptothreeweeksandourmistingsystemscanhelpprovideapermanentsolutiontocombatmosquitos.”ForthosethathaveanyquestionsabouttheZikaVirusandwaystocombatit,theycanvisittheofficialMosquitoJoewebsiteathttp://mosquitojoe.com/zika-virus.“Asyourmosquitocontrolcompany,we'rededicatedtokeepingyouinformedandeducatedoncurrentnewsandinformationwhenitcomestohealthissuestiedtomosquitoes.Whilemostofthecountryisnotinmosquitoseasonrightnow,itisimportanttorememberyourusualmosquitocontroltipsasyou

Franchising  Bring  Mosquito  Joe  Franchisee’s  Family  Together    

FBR’s  Franchisee  Insight  Q&A  interview  column  provides  a  peek  into  what  owning  a  franchise  is  like  as  well  as  some  great  advice.  

Scott  Franasiak  and  his  wife,  Kathy,  purchased  their  greater  Buffalo,  NY  region  Mosquito  Joe  franchise  in  2014  and  run  it  with  the  help  of  their  children,  Karlene,  Joel,  and  Janelle.  We  asked  Scott  to  share  his  thoughts  with  us  about  franchise  ownership.  

What  advice  would  you  share  with  people  considering  purchasing  a  franchise?  

Make  sure  you  have  a  passion  for  the  business.  It  will  become  you  and  you  will  become  it.  Run  the  numbers,  be  conservative  with  your  assumptions,  and  then  re-­‐run  your  numbers  with  a  slower  growth  scenario.  Doing  so  will  make  sure  you  would  be  at  ease  if  a  slower  than  anticipated  growth  situation  occurs.  Gather  as  much  information  as  you  can  (financial,  competition,  regulatory,  etc.),  but  understand  that  you’ll  only  scratch  the  surface  and  you’ll  need  to  learn  much  more  after  you  start  your  business.  

What  is  it  that  you  like  best  about  owning  your  franchise  from  a  business  perspective  and  from  a  personal  perspective?    

Our  franchise  has  allowed  us  to  start  a  business  that  has  brought  our  family  together  around  a  common  focus.  It  has  also  enabled  each  of  us  to  make  a  significant  contribution.  It  is  very  rewarding  to  see  the  positive  impact  we  are  having  on  our  customers.  We  are  helping  them  experience  that  “Outside  is  Fun  Again!”.  

Franchise Business ReviewFebruary, 2016

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Landscape Management, January 2015

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Franchise Times, April 2015

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Entrepreneur Magazine, April 2015

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Southwest: The Magazine, October 2015

THINGS ARE LOOKING UPIs now a good time to make the move? The annual eco-nomic output of franchises is projected to increase 5.4 percent over last year, from $845 to $890 billion.

ONLINE RESOURCES

FRANCHISE GATOR Search this app for opportunities by location, industry, and investment level. iTunes

INTERNATIONAL FRANCHISE ASSOCIATION Study economic data and industry trends, and learn franchising basics from the world’s largest franchise advocacy group. franchise.org

THE YOU NETWORK Connect with consultants who will find the right fit for you based on your skills, lifestyle, and work experience. theyounetwork.com

SPONSORSKIDDIE ACADEMY kiddieacademyfranchising.com/sw

LUNCHBOX (A WAXING SALON) lunchboxwax.com

MOSQUITO JOE mosquitojoefranchise.com

SEALMASTER sealmaster.net

manufacture and distribute pavement maintenance products throughout the U.S. “Compile your personal financial statement, and think about who you’d list for personal, professional, and financial references,” he says. “Don’t over-extend yourself when investing in a franchise.”

Yes, you can make good money as a franchisee, but understanding how you can lose money is also a vital consideration, Lane says. “Everyone builds pro forma finan-cials that lead to profitability and large yachts. Instead, you should build business models that factor in worst-case scenarios, and then decide if you can live with that.”

Lane and Lecher opened a LunchBOX waxing salon in Dublin, California, in July—the first of many they’ve committed to open-ing in the Bay Area.

3 Study potential fits.Consultants will likely present

a handful of options. Review each business’ franchise disclosure document (which details its history

1 Talk with a professional.Facing myriad choices, fran-

chise rookies Kimpton and her fiancé, Paul Gould, elicited the help of Jenny Childs, a franchise consultant from The You Network who introduced them to Mosquito Joe, a mosquito-control company.

“You could literally spend years poring over your options,” Kimpton says. “It’s hard to know where to start, so having someone guide you through a focused, step-by-step process is incredibly helpful and prevents stagnation.”

2 Analyze your financials.And be realistic, says Rick

Simon, director of franchise operations for SealMaster, a sales organization whose franchisees

FULL-TIME ADVANTAGES: Fully committing to a new endeavor can be daunting at first, but it allows you to focus all of your efforts on the growth of your new business. Devoting attention to your business—especially during the first year or two—will pay dividends, says Burghli.

GOOD FOR: Individuals recently laid off, those with managerial experience

PART-TIME ADVANTAGES: A semi-passive arrangement gives you the ability to own a franchise while allowing staff to manage day-to-day operations. It may only require 10–15 hours of work per week.

GOOD FOR: Current business owners who want to build another source of income and/or diversify their portfolio

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WHERE DO YOU WANT TO SET UP SHOP?

HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU HAVE?

FOCUS ON

franchises

HOME-BASED ADVANTAGES: Working from home means a low initial investment, low fixed costs, and a flexible work schedule. Plus, the commute can’t be beat.

GOOD FOR: Stay-at-home parents, baby boomers, rural residents

“We love being able to show our kids what it means to work hard and have ownership in something,”says Kimpton, who hired her college-age daughter during the summer to work out of their home-based office.

BRICK & MORTAR ADVANTAGES: Location, location, location, right? A physical storefront or warehouse may offer increased exposure and could attract potential business. It also allows for either full-time or semi-passive ownership.

GOOD FOR: Individuals with capital to invest in real estate or a lease

“Know your geographic region. The Bay Area is every franchisee’s dream, but real estate is a challenge,”says Lane, who suggests not under-estimating the value of leasing brokers.

finding the right fitFrom child care to mosquito control, from pavement maintenance to personal grooming, opportunities in franchising are seemingly endless. But determining where you want to work (home office or storefront) and how much time you want to invest (all-out or dabble) may help you narrow your search.

Rick Burghli quit his job as a software executive in New Jersey three years ago so he could spend more time with his kids. Kate Kimpton was preparing to become a partner in a Houston bro-kerage firm last October but wanted out. And Nicky Lecher, a former law-yer and middle school teacher who owns two paint and wine studios in Utah, called her business partner, Peter Lane, during a waxing appoint-ment last summer and said, “I think I found your new business.”

Burghli, Kimpton, and Lecher don’t know each other—they come from different backgrounds and different corners of the country. But they do have two things in common: Each one led a successful career prior to diving into the world of franchising, and they all want to let you in on their

TOP FIVE FRANCHISESTARTUP SECRETS.

Is your career flatlining? Do you feel overstretched? Undervalued? Stuck? You’re not alone. By Ben Marshall

and financial stability), and meet with current franchisees to get a better sense of what it’s like to work for each company.

4 Check your ego at the door. Be an operator, Lecher

says, not an entrepreneur. In other words, don’t buy a Chick-fil-A and try to double your business by sell-ing burgers.

“There’s a lot of leeway to be creative in your market and work within your brand to make it per-sonal and local,” she says. “But our job as franchisees is to execute the vision of the brand. Don’t reinvent the service or products or try to change the company’s culture.”

5 Jump in with both feet.“There will undoubtedly be

times when you feel overwhelmed,” says Burghli, the former software executive who opened a Kiddie Academy franchise in North Brunswick, New Jersey, 18 months ago. “But sign the agreement and just start executing. Don’t hesitate and don’t second-guess.”

By most measures, franchises are growing at a faster rate than all other businesses in related industries.

DIG DEEPER

SOURCE: Franchise Business Economic Outlook for 2015, June Forecast Update; by IHS Economics

$900 BILLION

2010

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OUTPUT IN NOMINAL DOLLARS

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

5.4%

800

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Entrepreneur Magazine, November 2015

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Cont.

Entrepreneur Magazine, November 2015

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Delta Sky Magazine, April 2016

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MOSQUITO JOE ON THE AIR

Mosquito Joe has appeared in over 30 TV segments nationwide.

Here are just a few!

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STILL NOT CONVINCED? Take a look at what some of our franchisees have to say!

“I was looking for an opportunity to be in business for myself and fell in love with the Mosquito Joe concept, from the service it provides to the branding it offers and the people running the franchise system. The business model is easy to understand and execute, and the web-based software allows you flexibility to manage on the go.”

- Chris Cookman, Mosquito Joe of Macon and South Atlanta (Georgia)

“The support by Corporate has been outstanding. It is very clear that they are aware that the success of Mosquito Joe is very

much tied to the success of each individual franchisee. We also love the fact that we can work hard all summer, then take the

winter off and head South!”

- Kurt Godwin, Mosquito Joe of Baltimore and Annapolis (Maryland)

“Mosquito Joe has positive ethics, moral values, and a concept that relates to giving back. Mosquito Joe also allowed us

to spend time with our family and have more of a work-life balance. Having children of our own, we thought the business

would not only benefit us, but could also help other families. The support Mosquito Joe offers its franchisees is very helpful and

can help lead to successful growth.”

- Beth Selhorst, Mosquito Joe of East Cincinnati (Ohio)

“I always wanted to own a business and when my wife and I found Mosquito Joe, we saw incredible potential. Our plan was to work hard running the business on the side so that I would eventually be able to quit my job and run Mosquito Joe full-time. I was ecstatic when that day came a year earlier than planned, exceeding my expectations for the growth and success of our business.”

- Brad Simon, Mosquito Joe of Arkansas

17For all media inquiries, please contact: [email protected]

RECENT ACCOLADES

Not only has Mosquito Joe been mentioned frequently in the press, but the recognition extends to industry leaders as well. We are very pleased to receive these awards as a testament

to our excellent brand and service.

Mosquito Joe ranked 128th on the 2016 Inc. 5000 list of Fastest Growing Private Companies in America.