Hwt ucc mi ix W ys t c m ’ Is / P. / P. Du Diin / .

J2/ Er

EINSIRED YTHESMATESTIDEASFOM

June 2018

FEATURES

P.34 P.36 100 Brilliant Kevin Hart Companies Owns Looking for inspiration? You’ll find 24 pages of it in this, our the Jokes annual list of forward-thinking He’s one of America’s most famous companies broken down by the funnymen, but here’s what most categories that matter to any people don’t see: Kevin Hart in the business: growth strategies, office, building a brilliant business leadership, marketing, employee that goes far beyond—and is compensation, and more. intended to outlive—his own fame. by KRIS FRIESWICK

ON THE COVER AND THIS PAGE Photograph by ART STREIBER GROOMING, JOHN CLASELL; JOHN GROOMING, STYLING, ASHLEY NORTH

2 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 PROTECTED IN THE FACE OF THE UNEXPECTED

Customized business insurance for more peace of mind

As a small business owner, you know firsthand that each day can bring its challenges. With over 30 coverage options for customized insurance, we can ProgressiveCommercial.com build a policy that’s tailored for your business—from a full line of Commercial Auto insurance to General Liability, Workers’ Compensation, Business Owners policies, and more. Because when your unique business needs are covered, you can focus on what matters most—running your business.

Progressive Casualty Ins. Co. & affiliates. Business and Workers’ Compensation coverage provided and serviced by affiliated and third-party insurers. June 2018

→ THESKIMM’S SCRUM Life inside the celebrated newsletter company. P.30

16 How a Personal Crisis 29 Does Giving Away Leads to a Smarter Business Free Product Work? EDITOR’S BUSINESS When his child suddenly required The “freemium” business model NOTE UNUSUAL 24/7 care, an entrepreneur can make a business rich, but it adapted his company’s opera- doesn’t work for everyone. tions to allow him to run by ADAM BORNSTEIN it from anywhere, anytime. 10 Work on Tomorrow, 13 The Women’s Place by JASON FEIFER 30 Inside TheSkimm Starting Today Audrey Gelman opened the Employees of the daily news site Change is inevitable. You can coworking space The Wing to 18 A Special Thank-You had a say in their new office’s either start preparing now or give women space to collaborate Why a young founder rewarded his design—including space for all wait until it’s too late. and grow their ideas. A powerful startup’s number one employee, their empty Champagne bottles. by JASON FEIFER community has followed. his mom, with a new car. by HAYDEN FIELD by STEPHANIE SCHOMER by JOE KEOHANE 20 Learn from the Worst Want to be a better manager? Here’s how bosses from hell helped six entrepreneurs grow. by STEPHANIE SCHOMER

4 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 Photograph / ADAM FRIEDBERG PREMIUM SERVICE ON A GLOBAL SCALE.

SEAMLESS, RELIABLE ACCESS TO MARKETS WORLDWIDE Old Dominion ships throughout North America and points beyond with the same award-winning claims ratio and on-time delivery that we’re known for domestically.* To Old Dominion Freight Line, the Old Dominion logo and Helping ensure worry-free processing, OD also offers customs brokerage and compliance services. The World Keep Promises are service marks or registered service Whether you’re shipping FCL or LCL via ocean or air freight, we make sure your shipment marks of Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks identifi ed herein are the intellectual property of receives the same personalized, premium service OD provides coast-to-coast in the U.S. their respective owners. ©2018 Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc., Thomasville, N.C. All rights reserved.

Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with the permission of Major League Baseball Properties. Visit MLB.com.

For more information, visit odfl .com or call 1-800-432-6335. *2017 Mastio & Co. National LTL Carrier Report June 2018

FRANCHISE

63 Franchisee Meet the woman behind a thriving automotive repair shop. by NINA ZIPKIN 66 Franchisor Dippin’ Dots and Doc Popcorn combine into one franchise. by STEPHANIE SCHOMER 68 Marketing How franchisors and franchi- sees can get the word out. by STEPHANIE SCHOMER 70 Franchise Factory Can the Silicon Valley incubator model help create the next big franchise? We’ll soon find out. by ELIZABETH G. DUNN 83 The Taste of Success The top 200 food and restaurant franchises of 2018. by TRACY STAPP HEROLD

CLOSER

104 What Inspires Me How a classic children’s book motivates an entrepreneur to chug through adversity. by JENNA DUNAWAY

→ENTREPRENEUR ELEVATOR PITCH, SEASON 2 See what happens when a 60-second pitch can make or break a business. WATCH NEW EPISODES EVERY WEDNESDAY HERE: ENTM.AG/ELEVATORPITCH

→ PEOPLE PERSON Jonita White of Christian Brothers Automotive. P.63

6 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 Photograph / JON NORRIS PURE MOBILITY

As the automotive world moves toward fully connected and self-driving cars, it’s no surprise who’s driving the future of the industry. Michigan. Home to the world’s irst and only real-world testing facility for autonomous vehicles, Michigan leads the country in research, development, innovation and technology. And it all makes up the epicenter of mobility known as PlanetM. Find out why Michigan is the hands-down choice for your business at planetm.com EDITOR IN CHIEF Jason Feifer

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Paul Scirecalabrisotto EXECUTIVE EDITOR Joe Keohane PHOTO DIRECTOR Judith Puckett-Rinella

EDITORIAL BUSINESS ENTREPRENEUR MEDIA NATIONAL ADVERTISING SALES OFFICES MANAGING EDITOR Grant Davis CEO Ryan Shea SENIOR EDITOR Stephanie Schomer PRESIDENT Bill Shaw NEW YORK CITY (212) 563-8080 SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR Tracy Stapp Herold CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER Justin Koenigsberger REGIONAL SALES MANAGER COPY CHIEF Stephanie Makrias CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Michael Le Du James Clauss PRODUCTION MANAGER Monica Im ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/MARKETING EASTERN ONLINE SALES MANAGER RESEARCH Carol Greenhouse, John Henry Walther Lucy Gekchyan Brian Speranzini EDITORIAL INTERN Niko Ruiz NATIVE CONTENT DIRECTOR CHICAGO (312) 897-1002 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jason Fell MIDWEST DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS Adam Bornstein, Blaire Briody, Elizabeth G. Dunn, INTEGRATED MARKETING MANAGER Steven Newman Wendy Narez Boyd Farrow, Kris Frieswick, DETROIT (248) 890-8888 Margaret Rhodes, Kate Rockwood, Claire Zulkey MIDWEST ADVERTISING DIRECTOR MARKETING Lori K. Flynn ENTREPRENEUR.COM VP, INNOVATION ATLANTA (770) 209-9858 SOUTHERN ADVERTISING DIRECTOR EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Dan Bova Deepa Shah NEWS DIRECTOR Kelly Hediger Stephen Bronner SENIOR MARKETING & SPECIAL PROJECTS DIRECTOR Andrea Huspeni ACCOUNT MANAGER LOS ANGELES (310) 460-6900 INSIGHTS EDITOR Liz Webber Hilary Kelley WEST COAST SALES MANAGER ENTREPRENEUR NETWORK EDITOR Conrad Martin Richard L. Taw CONTRIBUTORS EDITOR Peter Page ENTREPRENEUR PRESS ASSOCIATE EDITORS Lydia Belanger, FRANCHISE AND Hayden Field, Matthew McCreary, Joan Oleck EDITORIAL DIRECTOR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES STAFF WRITER Nina Zipkin Jennifer Dorsey ADVERTISING SALES SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Andrea Hardalo SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR VP, FRANCHISE AD OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Michael Frazier Vanessa Campos Paul Fishback SENIOR DIRECTOR FRANCHISE SALES DIGITAL SALES MANAGER Jenna Watson MARKETING SPECIALIST Brent Davis DIRECTOR FRANCHISE SALES AD OPERATIONS COORDINATOR Bree Grenier Danielle Brown Simran Toor CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER Jake Hudson (949) 261-2325, fax: (949) 752-1180 PRODUCT DIRECTOR Shannon Humphries PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ADVERTISING SENIOR DESIGNER Kevin Chapman Direct Action Media, DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGNER Monica Dipres Tom Emerson (800) 938-4660 ENGINEER Angel Cool FRONTEND ENGINEERS Warren Dugan, John Himmelman ADVERTISING PRODUCTION MANAGER SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Christian Zamorano Mona Rifkin PROJECT MANAGER, DIGITAL PROPERTIES Jim Rupe CUSTOMER SERVICE EXECUTIVE STAFF entrepreneur.com/customerservice CHAIRMAN Peter J. Shea SUBSCRIPTIONS DIRECTOR OF FINANCE Paul White [email protected] CORPORATE COUNSEL Ronald L. Young REPRINTS PARS International Corp., VP, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (212) 221-9595, EntrepreneurReprints.com Charles Muselli ADVERTISING AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR OF Entrepreneur Media Inc., BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 18061 Fitch, Irvine, CA 92614, Gildardo Jimenez (949) 261-2325, fax: (949) 752-1180 ENTREPRENEUR.COM ACCOUNT & PRODUCT COORDINATOR Printed in the USA GST File #r129677027 Sean Strain FACILITY ADMINISTRATOR Rudy Gusyen

Vol. 46, No. 5. Entrepreneur (ISSN 0163-3341) is published monthly (except for combined issues in Jan./Feb. and Jul./Aug.) by Entrepreneur Media Inc., 18061 Fitch, Irvine, CA 92614. Periodical postage paid at Irvine, CA, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Entre pre neur, P.O. Box 6136, Harlan, IA, 51593-1636. One-year subscription rates in U.S.: $19.97; in Canada: $39.97; all other countries: $49.97; payable in U.S. funds only. For customer service go to entrepreneur.com/customerservice or mail subscription orders and changes to Entrepreneur, Subscription Department, P.O. Box 6136, Harlan, IA, 51593-1636. For change of address, please give both old and new addresses and include most recent mailing label. Entrepreneur considers its sources reliable and verifies as much data as possible, although reporting inaccuracies can occur; conse quently, readers using this information do so at their own risk. Each business opportunity and/or investment inherently contains certain risks, and it is suggested that the prospective investors consult their attorneys and/or financial professionals. Entrepreneur is sold with the under stand ing that the publisher is not rendering legal services or financial advice. Although persons and companies mentioned herein are believed to be reputable, neither Entrepreneur Media Inc. nor any of its employees accept any responsibility whatsoever for their activities. Advertising Sales (949) 261-2325. Entrepreneur is printed in the USA and all rights are reserved. ©2018 by Entrepreneur Media Inc. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisher. Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs will be returned only if accom pa nied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. All letters sent to Entrepreneur will be treated as uncon di tion ally assigned for publication, copyright purposes and use in any publication or brochure, and are subject to Entrepreneur’s unrestricted right to edit and comment.

8 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 Grow your business, one happy caller at a time.

Anycallercouldbeyournextbigcustomer.Ruby® is your live, remote receptionist service dedicated to creating real, meaningful connections with callers and helping you win business. Our friendly, professional receptionistsanswercallslive,delightyourcallersinEnglishorSpanish, transfer calls, take messages, address FAQs, make follow-up calls, and more—just like an in-house receptionist at a fraction of the cost.

Hello! How may I help?

Get$75offyourfirstfullmonthofservice with promo code ENTREPRENEUR

LEARN MORE AT callruby.com/entrepreneur OR BETTER YET, CALL 855-405-RUBY (7829) Work Your Next Job You can’t control the future. But you can prepare for it.

ONE NIGHT THIS past April, And something will come. Do MartellusandMichaelBennett not let that moment pass you by. weretextingeachother.Ifyou Today,infrontofeachofus, follow the NFL, you know these are two sets of opportunities. brothers: They’re big and There’sthestuffwemustdo— tough, with Super Bowl rings our daily tasks, what our toproveit.ButMartellusalso bosses expect. Then there’s the spent the past few years mak- stuff available to us only if we ing comic books and other seek it out: the new things to entertainment for kids, and he learn, skills to develop, and recently retired to pursue that projects to launch. These new work full-time. Michael is still things may be available at our in the NFL, but he knows it offices,ortheymaycomeinthe won’tlastforever.Soovertexts, formofasidehustle.Whatever Martellus was giving his the case, if we seek out those as an asset. The company Martellus Bennett. Last brother advice on how to build new things, we become more knew I could ably represent it summer, he came by the abridgeout. versatile. Our boundaries in public and host videos in Entrepreneur office so we “Posting team photos on expand. Our market value goes our office. could film a Facebook Live your[Instagram]iscoolfor up.Ifwedon’t,weremainqual- And here’s the thing about together. Martellus was still an likesbutnotforgrowingyour ified only for the kind of job working your next job: By active player then, and he knew brand outside of the game,” we’re already doing. We’re vul- being so endlessly curious, so it earned him attention. But he Martellus wrote in one mes- nerable to change. open to improvement, you came here to talk about entre- sage. “Use those things to get I’ll give you a personal become more valuable at your preneurship. “If Walt Disney ’em there, but sprinkle in your example.Atapreviousjobof current job, too. The restaura- could build the Walt Disney awesomeness outside of foot- mine, I was hired to edit part teur builds an app, becomes Company, why can’t I?” he told ball while you have their of a magazine. But the com- tech-savvy, and reimagines me at one point. He was con- attention.” pany also had a video depart- how his customers order food. sciously putting himself in the Ilovethisadvice,anditisn’t ment,soIbeganhostinga The corporate consultant position to do that—to have just for pro athletes: While weekly video series. It wasn’t builds her personal brand, fans see him in a very different you’re working your current job, part of my job; nobody needed learns social media, and opens way. Martellus was at my office make sure to work your next me to do that. But I sought it a new line of business. Today, I working his next job. job, too. There’s a version of this out anyway, figuring it was a do this, too. I keynote confer- weallshouldbedoing,regard- good skill to learn—and hey, ences and make podcasts— less of our role. It doesn’t matter I thought, maybe my next job neither of which is required for if you’re an employee on the wouldbeinTV!Thatnever my job, but they help promote clockoranentrepreneurwho happened,buttheskilldid Entrepreneur while I build created your current job. You come in handy. When I was skills that’ll be useful for years Jason Feifer havetheability,rightnow,even interviewing for the role of to come. [email protected] if you aren’t aware of it, to pre- Entrepreneur editor in chief, Now, with that in mind, let’s @heyfeifer

pare for whatever comes next. my on-camera work was seen return to the just-retired SUBSCRIBE: entm.ag/subscribe CASEY GEREN GROOMER,

10 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 Photograph / NIGEL PARRY

A Space for Women to Soar Audrey Gelman, cofounder and CEO of the women-only coworking space The Wing, talks about taking her business—and its members—to new heights. by STEPHANIE SCHOMER PHOTOGRAPH BY LAUREL GOLIO FOR GIRLS LIBRARY AT

June 2018 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / 13 Q&A

The Commission on Human → WING WOMEN Rights inquiry surprised many Audrey Gelman and members of your members, though of The Wing with Hillary I imagine you’ve anticipated Clinton at a recent event. these kinds of concerns and critiques. How do you go about preparing to defend why there’s a need for spaces like The Wing? Unfortunately, the news and current events have done a lot of that work for us. It’s plainly evident to anyone who is not living under a rock—and certainly to anyone who moves through the world as a woman and experiences the kind of discrimination and harassment we’ve learned to absorb on a daily basis—that it’s important to have spaces like these.

The amount of support The Wing receives on social media from members, non- members, and celebrities seems to back you up on that. We’ve been blown away since day one. The support from members and allies and women who don’t even live in the U.S., to come out and say that they stand with us and support us and ask us to bring The Wing y the time The Wing opened its doors in 2016 in the historic district to their city, it’s been really of Manhattan’s Ladies’ Mile, people were clamoring to get in. The humbling and encouraging. all-women coworking space attracted young professionals who were There’s a lot of news right now that’s left women feeling eager to spend their days alongside like-minded women, despite disillusioned. But to see women annual member fees of $2,350 and a very long waitlist. It’s not coming together and fighting hard to see why: The stylishly designed space boasts amenities like back and organizing—whether showers, beauty rooms, lactation rooms, and private phone booths; through the Women’s March or in support of organizations and the regular nighttime event series has included panels with like The Wing—that’s the silver everyone from Jennifer Lawrence to Hillary Clinton. lining to all of this. This hasn’t come without some controversy. The New York City Commission You’ve raised almost on Human Rights launched an inquiry this spring to explore potential violations $43 million in capital, some- of anti-discrimination laws—essentially questioning whether it’s legal for The thing that’s notoriously diffi- Wing to shut out men. Founders Audrey Gelman and Lauren Kassan, however, cult for both female-founded have expressed confidence that they’re in compliance with the law. And they’ve companies and female- focused companies.What continued an aggressive expansion, recently announcing plans to grow from was it like getting investors to four locations to 10. We talked with Gelman about challenges faced as a female understand this vision? founder, the necessity of safe spaces for women, and how The Wing has become Very difficult at first. We a veritable startup factory. were told by a lot of investors that women would just never

want this. PHAM/BFA.COM ANGELA BY PHOTOGRAPH

14 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 Why did they assume that? hiring each other through that I think just because it was digital network. unprecedented in a way. And we told investors that actually, Is a digital-only it’s not unprecedented; there membership something were hundreds, even thou- in The Wing’s future? sands, of these women’s clubs We’re looking at it closely. You that existed a century ago, and know, again, to the point of the they were a big inspiration requests we get from places like behind The Wing. But just Nairobi and Latvia, I think it because it didn’t exist, it was would be amazing. Figuring out hard for investors to believe how to give digital access to the it was a good idea. Of course, rich programming and network- there were other investors who ing opportunities we provide is thought, Wow. Precisely because something we’re doing a lot of this hasn’t existed is why it hard work on right now. is so visionary. So they got it → GIRL TALK How often do you hear and believed in it. It can take a Gelman in conversation really long time, but you end up with Jennifer Lawrence. requests from your members? finding and pattern-matching We are constantly surveying with the right people. and hearing ways we can make The Wing more valuable. We You have three locations in heard, for example, that they New York and one in D.C., HAVING A COMMUNITY THAT HAS YOUR wanted more coffee, so we just and plan to open in Seattle, BACK GIVES WOMEN THE COURAGE made all drip coffee free for San Francisco, Los Angeles, members and guests. We’ve Toronto, and London, as well TO TAKE LEAPS. WE’VE HAD MEMBERS been able to take our food and as Brooklyn’s Williamsburg START COMPANIES TOGETHER.” beverage offerings to the next neighborhood. How do you level, working with members to select cities for expansion? find out more about what they We have information about want to eat. Some members traffic to our website and fol- our members there live and We’ve had members start request more private phone lowers on social media. Those breathe politics every day, and companies together. We’ve booths. Some simply request insights let us know where they’re really interested in, like, seen lawyers leave their white- having more Advil and tampons we’re already on people’s radars. learning how to plant their own shoe law firms and start their in the bathroom. We try to But it can be overwhelming. We garden, or doing Reiki, things own firms together, and then move quickly to accommodate Instagrammed the other day, they may not have much access they represent other women at as many requests as we can, asking followers where they to culturally. We take a bottom- The Wing. We’ve seen women large or small. We’re a new, wanted to see the next Wing, up approach rather than who’ve been able to raise their young business, so we’re hungry and there were almost 2,000 top-down. It’s about listening seed round through investors for feedback. responses. And it was like, and having a community team or relationships they’ve made Provo, Utah; and Nairobi; and that is open to feedback and through our community. Have you noticed any patterns Latvia. So we’re hard at work to implements it quickly. about how and when women respond to the demand and be How do they connect use The Wing? Do they plug able to grow the community. A lot of your members are when they’re not in the in from 9 to 5, or are they entrepreneurs or budding physical space? coming and going more than How much do you cater to the entrepreneurs. How has that We have a digital member you expected? specific needs of each city? impacted your community? directory, and we’re in the pro- It’s used very flexibly, and There are certain elements that A number of our members cess of building a mobile app I think that’s what really works. will always be consistent as we have quit their jobs after join- that will launch for members There are a lot of businesses, scale—design, amenities—but ing because they’ve found the this summer. The directory has like gyms, whose business a lot of our programming is confidence to take professional really high engagement, women model is kind of built on this really driven by what the local risks. Having a community who are searching for each idea that you’re not going to community wants. And you’d that has your back—even if other. They’re searching for show up. But we’re focused be surprised—in D.C., for exam- you don’t know every single graphic designers or lawyers or on getting our members to be ple, we do have a lot of political person’s name—gives women communications professionals, as engaged as possible with

PHOTOGRAPH BY MONICA SCHIPPER/GETTY IMAGES FOR THE WING programming, but many of the courage to take leaps. and they’re getting in touch and the space.

June 2018 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / 15 Problem Solvers

When Life Gets Complicated Running a company is hard enough. What happens when a personal crisis happens at the same time? by JASON FEIFER

ne Sunday in 2011, startup offers services for busi- as Chris Carter and nesses that use SAP software, his family were and it quickly signed big clients. leaving for their Once his daughter fell ill, Carter church outside responded the way most entre- Milwaukee, his preneurs do under pressure: oldest daughter He tried to meet it head-on. O began acting weird. He once worked nearly a week She was 12 at the time, and she straight, alternating between stood frozen—her face blank, the office, home, and the hospi- her complexion white as chalk. tal, and then slept for a full Soon she was vomiting and 48 hours. “I woke up and having a seizure. The family thought, Something’s got to rushed her to the doctor, and a change,” he says. “I’m going to diagnosis was made: epilepsy. kill myself if I don’t figure out a “It was a day I don’t wish on way to make everything work.” any parent,” Carter says. But he To find a solution, he asked couldn’t be just a parent; he was himself a question: What can also a CEO, having founded a I do—and what can’t I do— startup called Approyo only six from anywhere in the world? months earlier, and his employ- Write checks, for example? No, ees relied upon him, too. Carter Approyo wasn’t set up for that. tried tending to both sides. “I Read marketing status reports? researching how to feel rested. was going to be something I started working 24-hour days,” No. So he gave every depart- He learned that he needed would battle all my life,” he says. he says. “I couldn’t focus on one ment head a task. In two weeks, quality sleep, not just more Instead, it became a catalyst for or the other.” they should come to him with hours of it, so he dimmed all changes he should have made Many entrepreneurs expe- cloud-based solutions for their his screens and began using anyway. “It’s bringing both of rience some version of this. part of the business. That led to an app called Headspace to my worlds together, because Entrepreneurship, after all, Approyo adopting a wide range help him relax before bed. I know that’s a benefit to my doesn’t happen in a vacuum. of tools—QuickBooks, Sales- He changed his diet—more company and my family.” Life is as unpredictable as force, MailChimp, Skype, Google vegetables, less sugar (and a Today, Carter’s daughter’s business. But as Carter came Mail, Dropbox, and more. full ban on soda). At work, he seizures are largely under con- to learn, even something as The changes meant Carter began walking the office more, trol, and Approyo is growing gut-wrenching as a family crisis could now be useful at any fetching things himself instead 600 percent each year. It’s not can become manageable—so time—which, given his daugh- of asking an assistant. a version of work-life balance long as a leader is willing to ter’s needs, would often be in The results were transfor- he ever expected, or ever went make the right changes. Today, the middle of the night. Before, mative. He felt healthier and looking for. But now he knows he’s proof of that: “My daugh- he’d be on the phone asking his stronger. Now when he was how resilient both his company ter’s epilepsy,” he says, “was the staff for information, pacing in awake at odd hours, he’d even and his family really are. best thing that ever happened the hospital hallways as nurses call into international sales for our company.” shooed him away. Now all infor- meetings—building better Hear Carter on our Approyo is Carter’s third mation was at his fingertips. relationships with, say, his India podcast Problem Solvers, company; he’d come out of Next, he looked inward. He team. “I really thought with my available on iTunes or retirement to launch it. The was exhausted, so he began daughter having epilepsy, this wherever you find podcasts.

16 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 Illustration / ZOHAR LAZAR ADVERTISEMENT

3 Ways to Be Super Productive Starting Right Now Having the right tech and working more productively helps streamline operations, saving time and boosting your bottom line.

If you own your own business, streamlining operations helps you take To minimize interruptions, consider adding a second monitor to it to the next level. Productivity can be elusive, though. The good news your workstation. A study conducted by Software Usability Research is, with a little discipline and the right tools, you’ll have what it takes to Laboratory (SURL) at Wichita State University1 says a second monitor achieve what you want. boosted productivity 18 percent, with 91 percent of users saying they [IVI QSVI WEXMWƼIH [MXL E HYEP QSRMXSV GSRƼKYVEXMSR Here are three tips to help you to start working faster and smarter. 2SX SRP] HS HYEP QSRMXSVW VIHYGI W[MXGLMRK FIX[IIR WGVIIRW QSVI information can be displayed in front of you, helping you locate information more quickly. To maximize viewing comfort, consider 1. AVOID MULTITASKING. E HYEP QSRMXSV WXERH JVSQ (IPP [LMGL MRGPYHIW QYPXMEHNYWXQIRX When you attempt to do two or more things at once, you are less capabilities such as tilt, swivel and horizontally slide. IƾGMIRX EX EPP SJ XLIQ 2SX SRP] HSIW W[MXGLMRK FIX[IIR XEWOWVIHYGI productivity, it also interferes with overall brain activity. 3. HAVE A ROUTINE. Instead, consider working in sprints, tackling one task and completing it FIJSVI WXEVXMRK SR ERSXLIV -J JVIUYIRX MRXIVVYTXMSRW EVI E TVSFPIQ ƼRH Take a serious look at how you’re spending your day, go hour by hour a quiet spot or ask employees and coworkers not to bother you during and recognizing when you experience distractions. Work toward that time period. eliminating them.

=SY GER EPWS FIRIƼX JVSQ WLMJXMRK XLI QENSVMX] SJ ]SYV [SVOPSEH XS *SV WQEPP FYWMRIWWIW WXMGOMRK XS E VSYXMRI JVSQ WXEVX XS ƼRMWL GER FI the start of the week. We accomplish the most tasks on Monday, tough, since workers must wear many hats. Consider outsourcing a few when everything is fresh. As the week goes on, additional tasks are of your least favorite tasks using a crowdsourcing site, virtual assistant, added and we get distracted – by Friday, our ability to complete tasks or a partner. JEPPWWMKRMƼGERXP] Productivity can be elusive, but you can take charge of your own schedule. Dell serves as technology advisor to thousands of small businesses, equipping professionals with the tools they need to get work done. With 2. UPGRADE YOUR TECHNOLOGY. more than three decades experience working with small businesses, they Businesses often delay purchasing new computers and mobile have the perfect suite of tools for every type of business. devices due to budget constraints, but this costs money itself. Put an equipment replacement plan in place and do your best to follow it. Keep To learn more about how you can Moore’s Law in mind, which roughly states that computer chips will double in performance every two years. You’ll need to keep up with the boost productivity and fuel your business’ pace of technological change to make sure your teams can achieve growth, visit: strong performance as time goes by. Dell.com/Productivity There are many affordable options that can keep you going without cutting into your budget, such as Dell’s 2-in-1 laptops and wireless keyboards.

1Dell Displays, Productivity and Satisfaction Single vs Dual Monitors,” conducted by SURL, Wichita State University and commissioned by Dell, October 15. The Splurge

→ DELAYED COMPENSATION Marla Kassan poses with the car her son bought for her after his watch business took off.

“A Car for Me? No, for Mom” The Splurge is our monthly column about entrepreneurs’ first big gift to themselves—because hard work deserves its rewards. This month: thanking a very valuable employee. by JOE KEOHANE

ake Kassan started His mom helped out on his beyond mere money. At the favorite thing about the car is his first business in second startup, too, which end of MVMT’s first year, saying, ‘Oh, my son bought it high school: a T-shirt sold apparel and “rave lights,” Kassan’s mother was about to for me,’” he says. company he grew geared toward music festi- sell her car, a battered Nissan MVMT has since taken off. through YouTube and vals. While those companies Armada. “It was this huge Last year it cleared $80 million social media channels. eventually folded, Kassan’s tank, and it had been beaten in sales. And Kassan’s mother It went…a little too third effort did not. In 2013 up,” he says. “I was surprised is still with the company. J well. “I was generating he and a cofounder launched it was still running.” Kassan’s “She’s very protective of the $10,000-plus a week,” he says, MVMT, an L.A.–based startup parents always tended toward business; she never wants “and I needed help.” He was that sells stylish, affordable, the practical, but he wanted to make a mistake,” he says. just 16, after all, and he was direct-to-consumer watches. her to have something nice. “As we’ve grown, she’s taken falling behind on shipping, And when revenue cleared a So he offered to buy her a new on more responsibility. It’s accounting—the whole oper- million in its first year, Kassan car. More than offered, really. become a career for her.” ations side. Luckily, he found hired his mother properly— “It was a forceful ‘You’re not And this has created an the perfect person. She lacked this time at a “healthy” salary. buying a car unless I buy it interesting problem. business experience, but she “For the first time ever, I was for you’ kind of thing,” he says “Now that she’s making was a quick study, a hard actually able to pay her back with a laugh. more money, she won’t let me worker, and unusually loyal. for everything she’s done over She resisted at first but get her next car,” Kassan says. Plus, she worked for free. the years,” he says. eventually ended up with “But I’m planning on helping

She was his mother, Marla. The compensation went a new white Audi Q7. “Her her redo the house.” KASSAN JAKE OF COURTESY PHOTOGRAPH

18 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018

Six Ways

1/ Bring everyone in. “A former boss was very hierarchical and discouraged collabo- ration. Everyone reported directly to her, and interdepartmental meetings were practically prohibited. It meant that only our boss had the full picture—we missed a lot of opportunity for alignment and cooperation. Today at our company, it’s a prior- ity to hold regular team meetings and foster a strong culture of collaboration. It’s crucial that our team members weave collec- tive sharing into the fabric of their day-to-day interactions.” —MELISSA BIGGS BRADLEY, founder and CEO, Indagare

2/ Be vulnerable. “Don’t be afraid to show your emotions! I worked for a partner at McKinsey who was an incredible person but an awful man- ager because he kept his feelings bottled up. After a client presentation went awry, our team didn’t know where we stood with our manager. It was tense, awkward, and demotivating. Showing vulnerability and letting others know when you’re genuinely upset can help everyone externalize their emotions, build trust, and reassure employees that they aren’t alone. It sends a clearer message than stone-faced silence.” —LEO WANG, founder and CEO, Buffy

3/ Lend a hand. “I worked for someone who would never help out the junior staff with their work, even if he was finished with his own— he’d simply pack up and leave early. I now make an extra effort to ask my staff if they can use a hand when my own workload is light. It’s created a culture that feels more like a tight-knit team and less like a hierarchy.” —ADAM TICHAUER, founder and CEO, Camp No Counselors

4/ Move as a group. “When I was a nurse manager, I had a boss with no experience in healthcare. She wanted to change our process for keeping patients from getting blood clots. I knew it was a mistake, but she insisted. Ultimately, the change failed. It taught me the importance of empowering staff to speak up. At Extend Fertility, we collect feedback from customers via surveys. Results are shared with our staff, and together we develop action plans to address negative experiences. It’s the employees who interact with patients on a daily basis who have the best solutions.” —ILAINA EDISON, CEO, Extend Fertility

5/ Trust your team. “I once worked for a woman who joined our team after I had been working there for a while. Every time I stood up, she’d ask me where I was going, whether it was to the bathroom or to the printer. She had a fear of not having control over my time and work. As a young adult, this behavior really demoralized me, especially since I had excelled at the job for years prior. My leadership style is less neurotic. Once my team members have my trust, I’m pretty hands-off.” —DENISE LEE, founder and CEO, Alala

6/ Respect others’ time. How to Be “Early in my career, I had a project manager who’d wait until the very last minute to review work, then convey lots of new information and requests. This happened at the end of the day a Better Boss or, worse, after hours, when I was home. It was demoralizing, inefficient, and disrespectful. In my career, I’m conscious In business, sometimes the most valuable lessons come from about reviewing work in a timely and complete way so my team can successfully incorporate my feedback without the worst teachers. We asked six entrepreneurs: generating a last-minute crisis—or lingering resentment.” What’s the greatest thing you learned from a bad boss? —KIRSTEN R. MURRAY, principal architect and owner, Olson Kundig

20 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 Illustration / MICHELE MARCONI 7H[Wb8[ZXoH[Wb;nf[hji

DejoekhehZ_dWhocWĄh[ii$J^[Jecehhem^oXh_ZcWĄh[iiYecX_d[ij^[ fh[iikh[#h[b_[l_d]Yec\ehje\c[ceho\eWcWdZj^[kdX[WjWXb[ikffehj e\_dZ_l_ZkWbbomhWff[ZYe_bi\ehZ[[f"kd_dj[hhkfj[Zib[[f$?jÉiWbknkh_eki ^oXh_ZcWĄh[ii\eh^Wb\e\m^WjoekfWo_dăeh[i$

tomorrowsleep.com (&&eù Ki[ 9eZ[0 NEW5 B_c_j[ZJ_c[Eù[h

CWdk\WĂkh[ZXoj^[[nf[hjiWjI[hjWI_ccedi8[ZZ_d]m_j^ el[hWY[djkhoe\[nf[h_[dY[cWdk\WĂkh_d]j^[X[ăcWĄh[ii$

LWb_ZedfkhY^Wi[imehj^+&&ehceh[Wjjecehhemib[[f$Yecj^hk&/%(/%'.$JI(&&((#&*#')///+#) Ib[[fH[l_jWb_p[Z

M[X[b_[l[_dj^[fem[he\ib[[fjeY^Wd][b_l[i$EkhZW_bo^[Wbj^ h[b_[ied_j WdZ ^Wl_d] j^[ h_]^j jeebi cWa[i Wbb j^[ Z_ù[h[dY[$ J^WjÉi m^om[Yh[Wj[Z j^[ Jecehhem cWĄh[ii[i WdZ ib[[f ioă[c m_j^ j^[ ademb[Z]["h[i[WhY^WdZ[d]_d[[h_d][nf[hj_i[e\I[hjWI_ccedi 8[ZZ_d]$?jÉi[l[hoj^_d]oekd[[Z\ehj^[X[ăd_]^jÉiib[[f$

;nf[hj_i[ ?ddelWj_ed 9ecc_jc[dj El[h*&ib[[f >kdZh[Zi e\ YWj[]eho#b[WZ_d] *&"&&& ig$ \j$ e\ 7c[h_YWd iY_[dj_ijiZ[Z_YWj[Zje fWj[djiedj^[mWojeW h[i[WhY^ bWXi je Z[l[bef j^[ h[ij\kbd_]^ji$ Yecfh[^[di_l[ ib[[f ioij[c$ efj_cWb ib[[f [Yeioij[c$

AMERICAN PRIDE 7jJecehhem"m[YedjhebekhcWĄh[ii ikffbo Y^W_d" cWdk\WĂkh[ _d ekh emd 7c[h_YWd \WĂeh_[i WdZ i[bb Z_h[Ăbo je oek$Ekhjhk[Z_h[Ă#je#Yedikc[hceZ[b [dikh[ied#i_j[mehbZYbWiifheZkĂ_ed \ehj^[^_]^[ăgkWb_jocWĄh[iiWjWd kdfWhWbb[b[Z lWbk[$

tomorrowsleep.com LWb_ZedfkhY^Wi[imehj^+&&ehceh[Wjjecehhemib[[f$Yecj^hk&/%(/%'.$ (&&Eù 9eZ[0D;M+ tomorrowsleep.com OekhIb[[f9[dj[hf_[Y[

DejoekhehZ_dWhocWĄh[ii$J^[Jecehhem^oXh_ZcWĄh[iiYecX_d[ij^[ fh[iikh[#h[b_[l_d]Yec\ehje\c[ceho\eWcWdZj^[kdX[WjWXb[ikffehj e\_dZ_l_ZkWbbomhWff[ZYe_bi\ehZ[[f"kd_dj[hhkfj[Zib[[f$

;nf[h_[dY[Wh[WbbknkhocWĄh[ii\eh^Wb\e\m^WjoekfWo_dăeh[i$

H[Wb#j_c[ 9eeb_d] KdX[WjWXb[Ikffehj Fh[c_kc j[cf[hWjkh[#h[]kbWj_d] Ekhfh[Y_i_edfeYa[j[ZYe_bi\b[n_dZ_l_ZkWbbo c[ceho\eWch[ifedZijeXeZo^[Wj" je_iebWj[cej_ed\ehkdZ_ijkhX[Zd_]^ji$ ie oek ZedÉj ^Wl[ je$

$200 off* Use Code: NEW5

tomorrowsleep.com LWb_ZedfkhY^Wi[imehj^+&&ehceh[Wjjecehhemib[[f$Yecj^hk&/%(/%'.$ Yes! This Comes In A Box! JejWb Ib[[f Iebkj_ed

J^[h[Éiceh[jeib[[fj^WdWX[Z$EkhZh[WcocWĄh[ii[i"^k]]WXb[ f_bbemi" Xh[Wj^WXb[ X[ZZ_d]" XbWYaekj ZhWf[i" Ib[[fjhWYa[h ced_jeh WdZ ceh[ meha je][j^[h je ^[bf oek kdZ[hăWdZ WdZ _cfhel[ oekh ib[[f" ieoekmWa[jeoekh\kbbfej[dj_Wb$

EkhC[cehooXh_Z CWjjh[ii EkhGk[[dI^[[jI[j -+ //& '*&

EkhIb[[fjhWYa[hCed_jeh Ekh Gk[[d 7Z`kijWXb[ 8Wi[ EkhGk[[d9ec\ehj[h ./ /// '-&

9edl[d_[dj

tomorrowsleep.com You’re Only 48 Hours Away From The BEST Sleep Of Your Life! <[[bj^[ Z_ù[h[dY[ e\ j^[ ^_]^[ă hWj[Z cWĄh[iiedj^[_dj[hd[j$

tomorrowsleep.com HAVE A PROBLEM WE CAN SOLVE FOR YOU? What’s Your Problem? TELL US AT [email protected]

Can a Free Product Make Money? Offering “freemium” products can be a smart way to acquire customers and build a lucrative business. But it’s not the right move for every company. by ADAM BORNSTEIN

introductory version reduces would make their experience barriers to entry. Number two: if better. So LinkedIn added the your product or service is estab- ability to email and commu- lished and so loved by users that nicate with non-contacts, a they’ll pay for something before clear value proposition that losing access to it. Take The New customers understood (and York Times, for example. When responded to). Dating sites hit the publisher first introduced upon a similar idea. Their free its digital pay wall, people were platforms work like window- unhappy. But they wanted to shopping, but you can’t step read stories online. So they paid. into the store unless you pay. But deciding between paid (Want to see who messaged and free models isn’t just about you? Enter your credit card what’s appealing. It’s about here.) Just because you assign big-picture strategy. Think a value to a product doesn’t about your budget. If you can’t mean the customer agrees with afford to spend on marketing, that value. Again, pay attention a free offering can help acquire and pivot where needed. customers. Think about your competition. Is your product → Don’t be lulled by vastly better? If it’s not, it early adopters. doesn’t matter what you’re The first people who try and offering for free—people would pay for your service are proba- rather pay for something that bly not representative of long- works. And if your product is term customers. Early adopters experiential, will customers feel convert at higher percentages, like they can’t live without it so plan for an eventual dip in once they’ve tried it? conversion as time goes on. And I’m building an app, and I want to try If your answers still point watch how you’re generating a freemium model. Is this a successful you toward freemium, here’s leads. You need power users strategy, or am I setting myself up how to build an infrastructure who’ll act as salespeople, so if for failure? —FABIAN, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA to support the model: new leads are the result of other customers singing your praises, → Be prepared to tweak. you likely have a winner. If people are not signing up in FABIAN, you’re facing one of your product or service, they waves, your offering isn’t strong NO BUSINESS model is fool- the biggest headaches of the must buy. The freemium model enough. But if your offer is so proof, of course. But if freemium digital age. Turn back the clock has several variations. You can good that there’s no need to pay is right for you, you’ll need to 30 years, and the idea of giving offer free trials for a period of to upgrade, the lights won’t stay constantly innovate, iterate, and away your product for free was time, or offer an entire product on very long. This is a delicate evolve—and then, hopefully, almost unheard of. Today it’s or service for free while selling balance that requires a lot of gain the traction you need to a staple business model, used in add-ons or upgrades. user testing and a willingness stand out in a crowded market some form by everyone from Generally speaking, free- and ability to pivot. full of other free products. Dropbox to The New York mium works in two scenarios. Times to Match.com. Number one: if it’s combined → Know your value. Adam Bornstein is the So first, let’s define the with the launch of your com- Years ago, LinkedIn had a prob- founder of Pen Name options. The paid model is sim- pany, because being “new” will lem: Customers didn’t see why Consulting, a marketing ple. If a customer wants to use bring some intrigue, and a free paying for its premium service and branding agency.

Illustration / FEDERICO GASTALDI June 2018 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / 29 Office Space

RONLEE BEN-GAL/ KAITLYN JANKOWSKI/ Head of marketing EUGENIA FINIZIO/ Product designer “There’s a lot of hustle—creativity and innovation are Editorial lead “At TheSkimm, you feel supported part of everyone’s DNA. It doesn’t matter if you’re “I’ve been at TheSkimm not only at work, but in your life on the engineering team or the sales team: You are through four offices, and I outside that. As a designer, we constantly thinking about how to problem-solve and never imagined we would bring in outside experts once a create innovative products for the female millennial, have a space where politi- quarter to do workshops with making it easier for them to live smarter lives.” cians and celebrities come us, which is really nice. We have for on-screen interviews. an amazing team that is really But we did it this morning: insightful, but it’s always nice to James Comey was here!” kind of get a fresh set of eyes to help see things from a different perspective.”

Inside TheSkimm Interviews by HAYDEN FIELD

IF THE PLAYFUL VOICE of TheSkimm’s e-newsletter—a conversational rundown of the day’s headlines, aimed at female millennials—morphed into a physical space, it would look like the company’s brand-new Manhattan headquarters. That’s because the place was designed by the employees themselves, who opted for clean lines and pops of color, meticulously organized stacks of books, and countless cozy couches where staffers retreat for focused work or a much-needed break. The most memorable design feature, however, is a wall of empty Champagne bottles. The team has a tradition of impromptu toasts to celebrate company milestones, making this a kind of trophy wall—and one everyone is excited to keep contributing to.

30 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 Photograph / ADAM FRIEDBERG RYAN STUCZYNSKI/ JORDAN GILLMAN/ Media sales Head of growth & analytics “This past Monday we went to Hope “On our team, we typically need two screens to be Lodge, down the block, to cook dinner productive, but the couches are great when we’re for cancer patients. It was inspiring to not thinking about the data and are more focused take a step back, see what other people on what we want to say and how to say it.” are going through, and be reminded to be grateful, not only for the opportunity to work here, but to just live healthily.”

DHEERJA KAUR/ Head of product “We have Sip ’n’ Skimms on Fridays, a happy hour where people talk about their week, personally BELYNDA GARDNER/ and professionally. Skimm’aoke is Media operations a team-wide karaoke celebration to “People are always willing to come on mark a big milestone. But the day- ajourneywithyou.Afterwork,ifIwant to-day interactions are the best part to take, say, a Rumble boxing class, or of our culture. Everybody is cheer- someotherkindofexerciseclassthat ful, collaborative, and happy to work I’veneverdonebefore,Ijustsenditout together—which is shockingly hard in our Slack channel, and four or five to find in a workplace.” people will jump on it and join me.”

June 2018 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / 31 ADVERTISEMENT

3 Easy Tips for Keeping Your Devices and Data Safe

The office of the future is agile, mobile — and secure.

The internet is the lifeblood of most businesses. Have a plan—and a backup plan. The ability to create, collaborate, and communicate Cyber attacks are becoming more of a rule than an online not only saves time, but it’s integral to the exception: In 2016, hackers breached half of all small development of new products and services. On occasion, businesses in the U.S., security experts say. A lack of online it facilitates breakthroughs. security is no longer an option.

The downside to all these flurried online exchanges is To protect yourself, install and regularly test data security that the internet can be a dangerous place for valuable systems, such as anti-malware software and DDoS information. Every day, data is breached costing small (distributed denial of service) protection. But even with businesses significant losses. When a device is these security measures in place, it’s still possible that damaged or compromised, it can be devastating for sophisticated cyber criminals will hack their way in and take an employee, team, even to an entire company— your information. both emotionally and financially. This is a case where the idiom “prepare for the best, plan for the Thankfully, there are precautions you can take to keep worst” absolutely applies. Invest in a remote backup system so your business’s data and devices safe and working for you— that in the unfortunate but not uncommon event your business and only you. is the victim of a cyber attack, you don’t lose everything.

Secure your organization’s mobile devices. Secure your Wi-Fi. Smartphones make it possible for employees to work at Unsecure Wi-Fi is like leaving your front door open. It lets any time from anywhere. While great for flexibility, this hackers in and leaves your data vulnerable to compromise. poses a security risk. This is where mobility management As a small-business owner, you’re probably on the go a lot services can help. Designed to secure corporate data, these of the time and work wherever you need to. But be careful services can help you protect and manage your company’s working in cofee shops and other public places, and resist mobile digital devices. Unfortunately, many options are the temptation to use an unsecured public Wi-Fi connection. complicated to set up and dif icult to manage. Those are the perfect situations to use Sprint Secure Wi-Fi. It’s Simple turnkey solutions do exist, however: The Samsung a “smart VPN” app that makes your Wi-Fi connection secure, Knox Manage platform from Sprint Business removes the wherever you go. A seamless public Wi-Fi security solution, headache of installation by providing business owners with it’s one of the easiest Wi-Fi security options to use. You can enterprise-ready Samsung Galaxy devices that come with “set it and forget it” and use public Wi-Fi with confidence. built-in security. Your employees are protected from the second they turn on their devices, and all company mobile The threat of a cyber attack looms over every business devices can be remotely managed through a cloud-based owner. Fortunately, thanks to a range of easy-to-use tools command center. designed to help protect your business, you don’t have to face it alone.

Visit sprint.com/whysprint or call 844-344-6556

T ng

ch big risks, ningful socia maybe we’ll t year.

REPORTING BY Blaire Briody, Bo w, Jason Feifer, Joe Ke hodes, Kate homer, June 2018 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / 35 Kevin Hart has a really, really, really good idea...

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ART STREIBER

TYPOGRAPHY BY BURN & June 2018 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / 37 The idea is this: The smart performer builds a brand. The really smart performer builds a business that will last, even when— heaven forbid— fame eventually fades.

BY KRIS FRIESWICK

Considering how proud Kevin Hart is of the headquarters of his company, you’d think the place would be downright palatial. But it’s not. It’s simple, almost austere. It’s a series of small offices, a reception area, and a confer- ence room, and it takes up a floor of a non- descript building in downtown Encino, Calif., on Ventura Boulevard, across from a Korean BBQ joint. The rooms are sparsely furnished. There are a lot of photos and post- ers of Hart, of course, but otherwise there is no expensive art, no designer tchotchkes on the credenzas, no tasteful floor coverings that could fund a motion picture production. was the dream. Every day I get to see this Hart saw this state of affairs early in his No, the thing about this office that fills and I get to go, ‘Oh my God, how am I going stand-up comedy career and decided to try Kevin Hart with such pride isn’t its appear- to do it, man? Shit. I done took out the two- something different. Something risky. The ance. It’s the fact that it’s still his. year goddamn lease on this place!’ ’” idea was this: Create something lasting. Back in 2009, when he took out a two- But he loved the “aspirational” view from Something that will go on when you’re year lease on just a small portion of the what is still his personal office, and he had a done. Don’t just show up, do your best, and space to house his startup, HartBeat plan, drawn from a hard-earned epiphany. then go away. Don’t make money mostly for Productions, Hart was worried he wasn’t Historically, comedians and actors, even other people. Own what you do. Perfect going to be able to afford it. This was before very successful ones, are simply cogs in a your craft, of course, but in so doing, create his comedy specials became some of the very large machine. For all the fame, and a sustainable, revenue- generating enter- highest-grossing of all time. Before his the money, and the glamour, they are essen- prise that can run profitably long after the social media profile grew to near record- tially powerless against the whims of that world has had enough of seeing your face setting proportions. Before Kevin Hart Day machine. They are the product. They do and hearing your jokes. was declared in Philadelphia. Before he their best, work their hardest, earn what In short, the idea Kevin Hart had, as he became one of the biggest stars on Earth. they can, and at the end of the day, they’re stood nervously in that office in 2009, was “When I first got here,” he says, “and this left with fading fame and whatever money this: Don’t be the cog. Be the machine. is before the money was where it is now, this they were able to bank along the way. And so he is.

38 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 landed TV pilots and movie roles almost immediately. But none of them really hit, so Hart decided to try a different approach, Becky tells me. “He said, ‘I’m going to go and become the greatest, biggest comedian in the world, and then Hollywood will start calling me up and not making me audition.’” Hart went to the woodshed. He studied and toured and worked and got better. He started booking bigger and bigger comedy shows. He built a fan base and did a couple of stand-up comedy specials, all under the traditional rules where someone else owned all the rights. The turning point came one night back in 2007, when Hart walked out on stage and saw the room wasn’t full. He’d been paid a nice fee—as always—but this time some- thing nagged him. “The comedians go in and they get the money and go on the show,” he says. “Maybe it’s full or maybe not. The big thing is we got the money.” For Hart, that mentality was self-defeating over the long term. “I thought, How am I ever going to grow as a talent if every show I go to isn’t full? How’s my fan base going to grow? I thought, I’m not doing this.” So he started talking directly to comedy club owners, asking questions about busi- ness models. He found out that many were “papering” the room—giving away tickets to generate an audience—and then making all their money on food and drinks. Hart didn’t mind that. If he killed, those were new fans, after all. What he wanted was a way to “build an audience that could grow with me as I grew,” says Hart. He looked around to see who was doing it already. In this case, that was comedian Dane Cook, who at the time was one of the biggest comedians in America. He had “a cult audi- ence,” says Hart. “He had so many colleges he performed at, it was ridiculous. And he had his fans’ info. Dane Cook could reach out.” This was way before social media was FOR MUCH OF comedy’s history, someone else and that someone else wrote the rules, and ubiquitous. If you wanted to connect with a was making more off the jokes than the those rules were not favorable to them. fan, you had to get their email address. So comedian. An entire infrastructure—agents, Even though this is no longer entirely the Hart did. After each show, he’d ask people for managers, promoters, producers, investors, case, trappings of that old system remain. their email addresses and give them a flyer club owners, theater owners—made bank off Most comedians are still in it. with his photo, a tagline from the show, and the backs of these entertainers. Comedians Kevin Hart wanted out. more info about him. “Something to stay in were traditionally paid a flat fee to perform, Born and raised by his single mom, their heads and be remembered for when I meaning they didn’t see a cut of the ticket Nancy Hart, in Philadelphia, Hart had came back,” he says. He’d also drive them to sales. They did not own the rights to their worked out his unique mix of self- the then-mighty MySpace, which allowed stand-up specials, films, or TV shows. deprecating yet boastful comedy on the East him to target messages geographically, to let Someone else, usually the producer, made Coast club circuit. In 1999, he caught the local fans know about his upcoming shows. money licensing the rights to those works in eye of legendary comedy manager Dave It worked. In the second year of his mar- perpetuity. Comedians generally didn’t get Becky, who has helped plot the careers of keting push, he started seeing larger crowds any “back-end participation,” a percentage of some of the most famous comedians in the at his shows in the cities he’d canvassed the revenue generated by a film. world, including Amy Poehler, Louis CK, during his tour the prior year. He saw repeat To make it big, to be seen and heard, and Aziz Ansari. Becky signed him, and fans. People started talking, telling him they comedians had to go through someone else, Hart came to Hollywood in 2000 and loved his stuff. Crowds got bigger.

June 2018 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / 39 More important, the fans were buying because it had a “theatrical” quality to it. were released theatrically, produced, and tickets in advance from the clubs, which That was easier said than done. “We took owned by HartBeat Productions. Let Me boosted club revenue and allowed Hart to the film and shopped it to all the studios,” Explain, released in 2013, grossed more demand more money when he came back. says Clanagan, “and everybody passed on it.” than $32 million, and 2016’s What Now? “Your demand can be higher, ’cause now So they regrouped. They figured they grossed $23 million. you’re selling physical tickets, not just food made the film themselves, so why not dis- What Hart did next is perhaps less nota- and alcohol,” says Hart. Everybody won. tribute it themselves? “We took it to AMC ble than what he didn’t do. He didn’t try to Theaters, and they loved the film,” says replicate the success of his past three IT’S RARE FOR an entertainer to bet this Clanagan. “We self-distributed it into their stand-up specials. “I can’t try to go and do it heavily on himself. But comedians aren’t theaters. We had to put the prints together, again,” Hart says. “It’s not going to happen. like other entertainers. They are, in some we had to ship it to the theaters, make the It’s not realistic—especially with how people ways, smarter. They write all their own posters; we did all the marketing ourselves.” are receiving content now. It’s snackable. It’s stuff. They can read a room. They are keen The gamble worked. Released in 2011, Netflix, Hulu, it’s Apple.” observers of the human condition. They the special, Laugh at My Pain, has since So in 2017 he launched Laugh Out Loud must have impeccable timing, and they earned almost $18 million. (LOL) Network, a joint venture with must sell themselves for every minute “I think it was a pivotal moment in com- Lionsgate, to create digital comedy content. they’re onstage. They have to learn to deal edy,” says Clanagan. And it was certainly the Today, the programming includes original with a form of rejection that would wither pivotal moment in the career of Kevin Hart, scripted and unscripted series, like Cold As other types of performers—or just about any who became not just a star but a successful Balls, sponsored by Old Spice, in which Hart human being. And they know how to listen. businessperson all at the same time. interviews sports celebrities in an ice bath, These qualities, of course, are all rocket “If Kevin wants to do something, he’s not and Kevin Hart: What the Fit, sponsored by fuel for entrepreneurs. That’s why, increas- afraid to invest in himself, because he Bengay, where Hart attempts—with varying ingly, comedians like Hart, Adam Sandler, understands what his brand is. You levels of success—obscure sports with celeb- Will Ferrell, and Tom Segura are also couldn’t go to 90 percent of the people in rity friends (think: Conan O’Brien and sumo founders—starting their own production Hollywood and ask them to invest in their wrestling). LOL is also producing stand-up companies so they can assert control over own movie,” says Clanagan. specials, live broadcasts, and special events their names, produce their own specials, Around this time, Hart’s movie career was for other comedians, both known and tours, and other products, and retain all the also taking off—as he had anticipated when unknown. The content is currently free, but rights to what they make. he doubled down on his comedy work. He Hart plans to turn it into a subscription ser- The big difference is, unlike those per- got lead or supporting roles in Think Like a vice this summer. The company has a num- formers, Hart took the risk before he had a Man, Ride Along, and The Wedding Ringer, ber of advertising and branded content deals lot of fame or a following. That’s not to say among others. The next logical place for him and reports that its content has been viewed, he was unknown—he’d had success on the to put his money was on film and TV produc- collectively, more than 50 million times. road, and his specials Grown Little Man and tion. That way, as his star rose, so would the At the end of 2017, Hart’s focus on grow- Seriously Funny had done well on Comedy fortunes of a production company that got a ing his companies’ portfolio—coupled with Central—but he knew the end game long piece of, or owned, his movies. his exploding box-office success (Jumanji, before he was ready to fully play it. First, Hart needed to show that his pro- in which he costars, just set domestic “I was a ‘snap-your-fingers-famous’ guy,” duction game was strong. So he took the box-office records for Sony)—paid off big. says Hart. “You know [snaps his fingers], profits from Laugh at My Pain and bought HartBeat announced it was doing a two- nobody can think of your name. ‘What did he back the rights to his previous specials, and year, first-look deal with Universal Studios, do?’ ” He didn’t think he was ready to start began repackaging and redistributing them. which had previously produced many of producing his own specials yet. “I said, ‘It’s He also used the profits from Pain to make Hart’s films. This means that Universal gets not time.’ So patience was the first thing.” two more blockbuster stand-up specials that first crack at acquiring any projects that After taping Seriously Funny, he started HartBeat’s 12 full-time writers, producers, touring with new material. His audiences’ and support staff create. The first produced reactions were big enough that he decided movie, Night School, written by and starring the stand-up special could be a huge hit. Hart, will premiere in September. Universal That was the moment he decided to try will own the film (with some HartBeat back doing it himself. In 2009, he created end), but more important, Night School will HartBeat Productions, rented the Ventura “When it’s all said serve as the first major picture in the office space, and invested the money he was HartBeat portfolio. making on that tour into producing a spe- and done, if the world ever “Now, to do a movie with me, HartBeat cial himself, named Laugh at My Pain. He decides to say, Productions has to produce it,” he says. “You would own it outright, retaining all the have to make me a partner to do the movie.” rights. It cost him $700,000. ‘We’re done with Kevin Hart,’ Moreover, in addition to the current Now he just needed to get people to pay well, my brand projects that Hart’s various companies are to see it. Hart’s producing partner on the producing that star him, there are a number special was a guy named Jeff Clanagan, a and my business are still in development that don’t, part of his long- longtime Hollywood producer whose term plan to create something that can be Codeblack Enterprises became a division of going to work.” sustainable independent of him. Lionsgate. Clanagan says the pair intended “A lot of people in this entertainment to get the special released in movie theaters world haven’t really grasped the concept of

40 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 FAST AS

THE LEXUS HYBRID LINE

Climb into the sumptuous cabin of the RX 450h or RX 450hL. Rev its 308-combined-horsepower1 3.5-liter V6. Bury the pedal. And smile. Switch it to Sport mode. Sink deeper into its 10-way power- adjustable driver’s seat. Grip its leather-trimmed steering wheel tighter. And smile. Pass a gas station. And another. And another. And smirk. Because when you choose the eiciency of a hybrid and get all the performance and luxury you want in return, it’ssmart as h too. The Lexus Hybrids. There’s more to h than just hybrid.

INSTANT ACCELERATION2 COMPARABLYPRICED TO LUXURIOUS INTERIOR GAS MODELS2

RX 450h

Options shown. 1. Ratings achieved using the required premium unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 91 or higher. If premium fuel is not used, performance will decrease. 2. 2018 Lexus Hybrid base models compared to 2018 Lexus gas base models. ©2018 Lexus ownership,” says Hart. “Not just building the ever need those relationships again, they’re brand, but building a brand that can stand always going to be intact. I don’t want to ever out with or without you. To me, that’s where shit on anybody at any level, ever, because I the power comes in. When it’s all said and know what it felt like to be shitted on at a done, if the world ever decides to say, ‘We’re certain point in my career.” done with Kevin Hart,’ well, my brand and That was especially true in September my business are still going to work.” 2017, when Hart had one of his toughest To kick off our 100 Brilliant Companies professional moments. He’d received an list, we build off Kevin Hart’s THE ONLY QUESTION now is: Can he do it? alleged extortion threat related to a tape that bankable disposition to highlight Those closest to Hart obviously say yes. purports to show him engaged in sexual nine more brands with powerful, “I’ve never seen such a mixture of raw talent, activity with another woman—while his wife, consumer-facing leaders. work ethic, positivity, and kindness” in an Eniko Parrish, was pregnant with their first entertainer, says his manager, Dave Becky. child. Rather than pay blackmail, he owned And as I hang out for the day at Hart’s office, up publicly to what he calls “his dumbest his drive seems clear as well. Hart is here moment.” It was splashed all over the gossip most of each week, and as engaged as any and mainstream media, and it couldn’t have FENTY BEAUTY BY RIHANNA executive. During a staff meeting, he shows a come at a worse time—smack in the middle The pop star is all too familiar with the lack of seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of all the of #MeToo outrage, the press tour for makeup made for women of color. With Fenty, writers and directors who are up for consid- Jumanji, and filming of Night School.It she promised “beauty for all”—and delivered. eration on various projects. If a project has a could have been a PR disaster for both the script, he’s read it. As the conversation jumps film and his fledgling company. But it wasn’t. KODE WITH KLOSSY from one project and topic to the other, he “A lot of people don’t understand why The girls’ coding school, inspired by model points out details great and small. His assis- you have to really, really, really manage Karlie Kloss’s experience learning code, is tant discreetly passes him messages on these relationships,” says Hart. “If you got expanding nationwide. Each student can Post-it notes during the meeting, on which he people doing the work for you, there’s no connect with Kloss in person or via video chat. quickly jots an answer and hands them back. real connection to you. There’s only a con- At one point, John Cheng, HartBeat’s nection to the name and to the success that SKINNYGIRL new president of film, explains that a script- goes with the name. So if anything happens Reality TV star Bethenny Frankel started with a margarita brand and has deftly wielded writer Hart likes for a project isn’t available. to the name, people go, ‘Oh, we got to go her licensing power. Snacks, sweeteners, even His agent won’t bring him the project unless and get away because the name is tar- denim—she brilliantly promotes it all. it’s offered exclusively. Hart, as a writer, nished.’ But when you have a real relation- bristles at this—he doesn’t like the idea that ship, people know who you are. They know GIRLBOSS MEDIA someone else is making decisions for the your heart.” NastyGal founder Sophia Amoruso used her own scriptwriter without his knowledge. “He Rather than severing ties, Hart says that a fall to inspire an events series and content should at least have the option to decide,” couple of executives from Universal came by site for ambitious women. A recent redesign hints says Hart. He then crafts a sort of brilliant the Night School shoot to see how he was at a move toward a social network. plan (which was off the record) to keep both holding up. “It meant a lot,” Hart says. “It the writer and the agent in the loop without wasn’t a ‘Throw him under the bus’ or SHONDALAND making anyone feel slighted, disrespected, ‘Leave him alone’ situation. It was really a Shonda Rhimes, the megaproducer who or stepped on. ‘Check on you and see how you’re doing.’ charmingly live-tweets episodes along with her What’s surprising—for most executives And that’s something that’s vacant from the fans, signed a new $25 million per year and also, frankly, for the industry he’s in—is entertainment business.” deal with Netflix, signaling a major expansion. Hart’s awareness of the impact his decisions An entrepreneur’s low points reveal a lot will have on people. He discusses and ana- about how they reached their high points. MOMOFUKU lyzes with his team how the company will Yes, talent is extraordinarily important. But Chef David Chang keeps expanding—creating approach various conversations, some diffi- without durable relationships, timing, the hit Netflix series Ugly Delicious, and cult and some mundane, to ensure they are empathy, vision, and hard work, it probably launching Majordomo Media and his own podcast. respectful to all involved. He has a keen won’t amount to much. That’s why Hart can sense of what the reactions will likely be and afford the office, why he has a career strong VAYNERMEDIA how to mitigate them. enough to weather a personal crisis, and The digital agency led by Gary Vaynerchuk is betting heavily on voice, developing “Staying humble and grounded—that’s why he has a company built to last. “When Google and Alexa voice campaigns and even something I try to lead by example with,” he you patiently wait, you patiently take steps, VoiceCon, a “state of the union on voice.” explains after the meeting. The way Hart you don’t rush it, you’re able to put yourself sees it, he’s in the relationships business— in a position to win,” Hart says. “So many TOMMY HILFIGER and every decision either harms or strength- people want to do it all in one day. It’s not a After three decades, the designer just keeps ens a relationship, whether it’s with an day thing. I waited until the time was right innovating, launching Tommy Adaptive, up-and-coming comedian or Jeff Feltheimer, for me to go after what I can.” a new line created for people with disabilities. the CEO of Lionsgate and his partner in LOL Network. “Even things that I can’t make Kris Frieswick is a freelance writer, editor, THRIVE GLOBAL work out, I try to make people understand and author. Her debut novel, The Ghost Arianna Huffington’s wellness brand is rapidly why. You’re always going to get a real vetted- Manuscript, will be published by Post Hill expanding, and bringing work-life balance to big out answer. And the reason is because if I Press in April 2019. clients such as JPMorgan, SAP, and Hilton.

42 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018

GRAVITY CROCK-POT What do you do when your flag- BLANKET ship product kills a beloved TV character? Crock-Pot faced that WHY IT’S BRILLIANT question after Milo Ventimiglia’s The company turned character on NBC’s This Is Us a marketing mistake into 100 perished in a fire caused by a marketing magic. defective slow cooker. As slow-cooker panic spread wo weeks into across the internet, the their Kickstarter company responded with last year, John a #CrockPotIsInnocent Fiorentino and Mike campaign, featuring a Super Grillo had already Bowl ad with Ventimiglia raised $2 million (of an eventual calmly (and safely!) serving chili $4.7 million) to launch a line of 15-, from a Crock-Pot. 20-, and 25-pound blankets. That’s when they got a note from the crowd- funding company itself telling them to revisit their marketing language. The CARMAX creators had claimed that their $249 In November 2017, filmmaker blanket would lower stress hormone Max Lanman posted a witty, Marketing levels and thus “treat” insomnia. The beautifully produced video on problem wasn’t whether the blanket YouTube that he created to help could quell restless sleeping habits; it his girlfriend sell her 1996 Honda was the word treat, which implies Accord. The video went viral. science-backed promises the com- The car-buying site CarMax pany couldn’t independently support. immediately responded with “Our strategy was to play in this a funny video of its own, which Message tech-science place,” says Grillo. “But included a binding offer to buy we had to reexamine that.” not just her car, but the cat from Rather than panic, the founders the video, and everything else. saw a chance to find an even bigger The response netted more than opportunity. They did a deep dive 400,000 views, far more than any into feedback from early backers and other CarMax YouTube video. combed through Facebook and Twitter comments, and they realized consumers didn’t want a rigorously tested gizmo touting facts and fig- MOONPIE ures anyway. People just wanted You’d think an iconic, century- something that felt cozy, calmed their old baked goods company like nerves, and looked nice. “Everything MoonPie would stick to warm else out there was really clinical and and fuzzy. At least until used to help patients with autism, November, when it tweeted, “It’s sensory processing disorders, as good a day as any to stick a PTSD,” Grillo says. “We developed MoonPie in the microwave, light something you might see at West a couple candles, and scream Elm.” Grillo and Fiorentino modified into a soft pillow.” That kicked the clinical language from their mar- off an absurd, surreal months- keting and turned their focus to the long campaign, both on Twitter lifestyle consumer. They started and in the form of a series of working with influencers who could joyfully weird ads MoonPie attract the Goop-minded shopper claimed were made to run during and forged partnerships with retailers the Super Bowl, but didn’t. This like Amazon and Target. Sales have gave them all the visibility since hit more than $15 million, giving of a Super Bowl ad without the founders enough confidence to buying time. further explore the feel-good lifestyle world with products like weighted eye masks, a melatonin mist, and new duvet cover colors. —Margaret Rhodes

44 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 Illustration / MARIO WAGNER HALO TOP → KENTUCKY Most marketers sell ice cream as FOR KENTUCKY a wholesome family treat. Halo This small brand, which sells Top bucked the trend and dozens of Kentucky-themed opted for horror, airing a dysto- products, from hats to shot pian commercial that features glasses, might have trouble get- an old woman in a white room ting attention outside of…you being force-fed ice cream by a know, Kentucky. At least before Kubrickian robot that informs her it placed a much-talked-about that “everyone you love is gone; ad in the Oxford American’s there’s only ice cream.” The ad Kentucky issue containing a generated enormous buzz, fur- glaring typo designed to alarm ther setting the best-selling Halo the magazine’s highbrow Top apart in a crowded market. readers: “WE SPEAK YOU’RE LANGUAGE.” Underneath, it read, “We know... We just figured a typo would be the best way to CARDS AGAINST stand out in...Oxford American HUMANITY magazine. But nice catch any- Last year, a brand of potato way, William Faulkner.” chips called Prongles mysteri- ously appeared on Target’s shelves (including in the toy aisles) with the clunky, if famil- ← KFC iar-sounding, tagline “Once you The franchise, which in recent pop…that’s great.” The chips years has rebranded itself with sold out instantly and left a lot of sharp and funny marketing, had baffled news stories in their two coups in the last year—one wake. It was later revealed that on purpose, and one in response Prongles was a stunt two to a crisis. First, the company, years in the making…not which has reinvigorated its by the chip company but Colonel brand spokesman by by renegade game company casting different actors in the Cards Against Humanity. role, debuted its first female Colonel in the form of country legend Reba McEntire. The move generated a lot of chatter: Is this PROCTER & progress? Absurdity? Both? GAMBLE → Then, when KFC restaurants In 2017 the consumer goods in London went through a O TOP & KFC giant ran a poignant spot, “The “Being a force for good chicken deficit, the company Talk,” in which parents of color ran a full-page ad that speak to their children about rearranged its acronym into racial bias. Part of P&G’s “My and a force for growth are a mea culpa (at left). Black Is Beautiful” campaign, designed to celebrate cultural not mutually exclusive identity and start a conversation about racial bias, the ad inspired IKEA so much discussion that but mutually reinforcing. Earlier this year, IKEA, working the brand doubled down with Swedish agency Åkestam andstruckadealtohaveit Talking about bias leads Holst, redefined the idea of user incorporated into a plot engagement. It ran an ad in a on the hit sitcom Black-ish. women’s magazine that offered a to dialogue to establish novel proposition: “Peeing on this ad may change your life,” it read. common ground.” The ad was treated with pregnancy- kit technology. If the reader were pregnant, the ad —Marc Pritchard, would reveal a special discount CHIEF BRAND OFFICER, price for an IKEA crib.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF P&G (PRITCHARD); PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF HAL P&G

June 2018 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / 45 OUTDOOR WeWORK VOICES WHY IT’S BRILLIANT This spring, the athleisure brand It once served people’s released its first collection of work lives. Now it serves apparel that was designed their whole lives. based on input shared by fans 100 on social media. The response eWork—the com- was so enthusiastic (and helpful pany that provides to the design team) that CEO businesses with Tyler Haney now plans to use shared office crowdsourcing as R&D for all space, craft beer, collections moving forward, and cucumber water—is often continually introducing and described as a brick-and-mortar tweaking products to better version of LinkedIn. But it’s starting serve their fast-growing base. to look a lot more like a real-life Facebook. In addition to expanding to more than 100 cities in 21 countries, DOMINO’S WeWork has been opening gyms, In recent years, Domino’s has incubators, and even elementary undergone a digital makeover, schools for the entrepreneurs of creating an e-commerce expe- Growth tomorrow. Valued at $21 billion, the rience that far exceeds what company pitches itself as a “life- you’d expect—or even really style” and a “community,” facilitat- need—from a pizza company. ing meditation and kickboxing In the past year, it has part- sessions as well as business men- nered with Ford on pilot pro- toring and networking. While its grams in Ann Arbor, Mich., and offerings initially appealed to Miami to test self-driving Strategy scrappy startups, today massive cars for pizza delivery. The corporations including GE, verdict is still out on how Mastercard, and Samsung make up speedy deliveries can get, but a quarter of WeWork’s membership. it will undoubtedly catch the “The mission of WeWork is to attention of the next genera- create a world where people can tion of pizza eaters. make a life, not just a living,” says cofounder Miguel McKelvey, who along with cofounder Adam Neumann hopes to keep the pace. EAZE In October, WeWork purchased In 2017, the marijuana-delivery Flatiron School, a New York–based appuseditsarsenalofcon- coding boot camp, and announced sumerdatatolaunchthe it would expand the program’s offer- subscription-based Brand ings overseas, broadening Insights Program, providing WeWork’s impact on the business valuable findings to dispensa- world. In addition to generating ries and growers. In 2018, it is $1 billion in annual revenue, WeWork focused on a slightly larger now serves as a kind of global lab, mission: making marijuana generating data on how millennials mainstream. As the legal work, rest, learn, and play. cannabis industry grows east —Boyd Farrow ofCalifornia,Eazeisprepar- ingitselfforwhat’saheadwith aheavyfocusonincreasing itspolicyteam,whichwillbe keytobringingitsservices— both delivery and insights—to therestofthecountry.

46 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 Illustration / MARIO WAGNER A24 → AIRBNB The film studio is just six years Why book a hotel when you can old, but it’s been responsible for browse hostels, mansions, cot- some of the biggest (and most tages, and even whimsical tree- awarded) indie flicks in recent houses in one place? It’s the memory, including last year’s beauty of Airbnb—but also the Best Picture winner, Moonlight, problem. As the platform has and this year’s Best Picture grown, users have had a harder nominee Lady Bird. How? time finding exactly what By letting the work speak for they need. So this winter, the itself. The company’s founders company introduced Airbnb typically don’t do press, and Collections, Airbnb Plus, and films are primarily marketed Beyond by Airbnb to recatego- online, helping enthusiasts “dis- rize listings and quality verifica- cover” the projects and spread tion levels, helping hosts the word among friends—and and guests connect more creating an enthusiastic, loyal quickly and efficiently— fan base along the way. and helping Airbnb attract an even wider audience.

STARBUCKS This spring, Starbucks started ← BOLT testing digital menu boards THREADS that can change throughout The materials company—which the day to promote certain last year brought bioengineered items and even offer dynamic spider silk to market—is eager pricing. It’s a play to remind to get its science-backed loyal customers that the brand work in front of consumers. has much more than coffee, To do so, it recently acquired and an attempt to boost sales lifestyle brand Best Made Co. during the post-lunch lull. and announced a partnership with fashion designer Stella McCartney, which will come in handy as it aims to bring its sec- ROAM FITNESS ond material—a faux leather The luxury airport gym opened made from mushroom roots—to up its first location last year at the everyday fashion enthusiast. the Baltimore–Washington

URTESY OF A24 International Airport, and travel- ers rejoiced. (And exercised!) To keep up with demand, ZILLOW Roam plans to expand to The online real estate listing Atlanta, Denver, and New York’s company is looking to cash in JFK, as well as Toronto, on its vast network of properties Montreal, and Dublin among in a new way: It’s getting into others. Plus, the founders the home-flipping game, pur- have created a membership chasing houses in Phoenix and program for frequent flyers, Las Vegas, making fast repairs with access to rentable and updates, and putting them Lululemon clothing and top- “We want to represent right back on the market. It’s a notch locker room toiletries. big risk that’s making investors hold their breath—Zillow stock a step change for took a hit when the move was announced—but the company the future of apparel.” is confident, with plans to pur- chase (and resell) between 300 —Dan Widmaier, and 1,000 homes this year. CEO, BOLT THREADS PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF BOLT THREADS; PHOTOGRAPH BY MERIE WALLACE, CO

June 2018 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / 47 BILLIE L’ORÉAL At CES in January, L’Oréal WHY IT’S BRILLIANT debuted the UV Sense, a tiny, It believes all products should wearable, battery-free sensor be created equal. that sticks to your fingernail and tracks your sun exposure. 100 eorgina Gooley was It works with your smartphone to tired of shaving relay that information and remind with men’s razors. you to get out of the sun or reap- “I did it out of prin- ply your SPF. The accessory hits ciple because I stores this summer, and can stay didn’t want to pay the ‘pink tax,’ ” on a thumbnail for two weeks. she says, referencing the higher price many companies apply to products for women. As Gooley watched brands like Harry’s and Dollar Shave ALLBIRDS Club catch fire, both of which tar- Last August, The New York geted men, she couldn’t help feel- Times wrote about Allbirds with ing that women were once again this headline: “To Fit Into Silicon getting a raw deal. So she set out to Valley, Wear These Wool change it, and last year she Shoes.” It was a crowning Product launched Billie, a subscription razor moment for the sustainably company for women. sourced, heat-regulating “We wanted to create a premium wool shoes that have burst product specifically for women, at in popularity—though in truth, half the price,” she says. To do that, the Allbirds obsession stretches she and her cofounder, Jason far beyond the Bay Area. More Bravman, conducted countless than a million pairs have sold at Innovation focus groups, obsessing over the $95, and this spring, Allbirds details. “We did many iterations of announced a new material the handle, tracking how women made from eucalyptus pulp that held it, to determine the best ergo- requires just 5 percent of the nomics.” Gooley was surprised to resources typically required to find that one of the biggest com- produce a single pair of shoes. plaints had almost nothing to do with the product itself. “Almost all women said they never used holders for their razor, because they always FARMER’S FRIDGE come with a suction cup and they Your expectations for a salad always fall down.” She challenged from a vending machine are designers to create an elegant, probably pretty low. But what if minimalist holder, and they came that salad were made fresh that back with a powerful magnetic clip day, cost just $8, and you could that adheres to the wall—any wall— get it in your office breakroom? with an extra-strong putty. “It just Farmer’s Fridge currently has works, and it gets such great feed- 120 vending machines across back,” Gooley says. “It’s different the Midwest selling from anything on the market.” restaurant-quality salads, —Stephanie Schomer sandwiches, bowls, and breakfast foods, and plans to double its footprint this year. But the real secret sauce—or dress- ing, if you will—is that each menu item is built based on data. The machines track temperature and inventory to make sure food stays fresh and sold-out items are quickly restocked.

48 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 Illustration / MARIO WAGNER HEATWORKS ← NIKE Urban dwellers, rejoice! Nike’s Pro Hijab went on sale this Heatworks’ latest product, Tetra, past December, finally serving which will hit shelves later this hijab-wearing athletes who’ve year, is a countertop dish- been either ignored by the athletic washer that can clean a small industry or forced to make do with amount of tableware, no inadequate products—often plumbing required. It’s good made of cotton, which traps mois- for the environment, too—hand- ture. Nike worked with Muslim washing uses 10 times more athletes to get the design water than a dishwasher, mean- right, using moisture- wicking ing the Tetra could help a polyester and ensuring the prod- two-person household save uct stays secure but comfortable 1,500 gallons each year. around the neck.

FLEXWARM FLOYD The term heated jacket probably In 2015, Detroit-based furniture brings to mind images of bulky maker Floyd introduced its first coats visibly packed with more product: a sleek, affordable bed technology than an article of that was easy to assemble and clothing should carry. That’s disassemble, appealing to young why the China-based Flexwarm city dwellers who were ready to created a stir when last year it upgrade from IKEA. It became so released its 8K Flexwarm, which popular that it landed retail place- lookslikeanormaljacketand ment at West Elm. In November comes with slim, lightweight 2017, Floyd finally followed it up, heatingpadssewndirectly releasing a sharp-looking table into the lining, warming to 122 that requires zero tools to assem- degrees in six minutes. It also ble, furthering the company’s syncs with your smartphone, commitment to good, easy, letting you control each individual and mobile design. Investors heater for maximum comfort. are impressed, too. The next month, the company announced a nearly $6 million round. BOWERY → Bowery is making indoor “We can make automatic farmingmorethanjust VICIS a buzzword. The produce adjustments to improve Vicis is fighting the NFL’s biggest company grows “post-organic” problem: head injuries. Unlike food—zero pesticides or traditional helmets with a hard chemicals—and uses proprietary crop quality, health, and exterior, the five-year-old com- technology to track growth and pany’s Zero1 helmet design manage crops. (As a result, the yield, even manipulating features a slightly pliable shell product packs a surprising and interior layers that better amount of flavor.) Since opera- absorb shock and impact. tions don’t rely on the weather the flavor by tweaking Two years in a row, the Zero1 cycle or even natural light, Bowery out-tested 32 other helmets in can plant, grow, and harvest with certain variables the NFL’s safety trials. In addition extreme precision and speed to equipping professional and year-round, producing 100 times NCAA players, the product will more food than a similarly sized such as nutrients and become available to high school plot of land could. Products are athletes this year. currently sold in New York–area light intensity.” Whole Foods stores, but a new facility set to open this summer with 30 times more production —Irving Fain, capability signals an impending CEO, BOWERY retail expansion. PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF BOWERY; PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF NIKE

June 2018 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / 49 TURNER SPORTS KAIROS Sports was supposed to be cable WHY IT’S BRILLIANT TV’s firewall; as long as cable The company makes was the best way to watch live companies that make games, the cord-cutters would services that matter. be held at bay. This spring, 100 Turner’s Bleacher Report Live airos wants to help began charging through the young entrepre- defenses. The streaming neurs innovate in service will offer a range of underserved indus- mainstream and niche sports tries, and for a leagues, including NBA, NCAA, decade it did that with programs: Its National Lacrosse League, vari- fellowships and incubator system ous soccer leagues, and more— helped 5,000 founders get off the and with flexible pricing, so ground. But founder Ankur Jain saw viewers may be able to pay for a gap. “We had so many smart peo- just, say, an exciting fourth quar- ple working on big problems, but no ter. Game-changer? ability to concentrate the energy on a handful of critical issues where society needed solutions,” he says. TARJIMLY New So last fall, Jain and his team picked five issues—student loans, housing In crisis situations, language is a costs, childcare, the future of work, barrier. Immigrants and refugees and costs of senior care—and often can’t communicate with aid began investing in and serving as a workers, and translators are cofounder for startups poised to expensive and scarce. Tarjimly, make a difference. which launched its product earlier Service Four have launched so far: this year and is currently a part of Residenz, which makes it up to Y Combinator, built a solution. 40 percent cheaper to rent homes in When someone in a crisis cities; Rhino, which eliminates secu- situation needs a translator, rity deposits for renters; Cera, which Tarjimly can find volunteers to decreases the cost of elderly care; step in and help within an aver- and Little Spoon, which delivers age of 90 seconds. It already has healthy baby food to parents for more than 2,500 translators on their child’s first 1,000 days of life. the service—a lot of people to And already, Jain says, these com- help give others a voice. panies are scaling quickly—thanks in part to having raised more than $20 million. (Rhino, for example, covers 50,000 units in New York.) FIN “This is proof that if you solve pain For years we’ve been promised points for the everyday person, the AI-powered personal assistants. market is big,” he says. “It’s shock- Now they’re arriving—with mixed ing, right? People are so busy being results. Bots that flop. Expensive sucked into AI this and AI that that services for entire teams. But Fin, we’re forgetting basic needs.” which began adding customers in —Jason Feifer late 2017 after years of quietly testing, is being taken very seri- ously for its straightforward offer: For $1 a minute, using a combination of AI and human work, it’ll do whatever a remote assistant can do—book flights, suggest gifts for your spouse, do research projects, and more, all by simply emailing, texting, or chatting through Fin’s app. Is it the future we’ve been waiting for? It’s at least a promising start.

50 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 Illustration / MARIO WAGNER We believe in doing things differently. That’s why everything we do is different. From the way our tobacco is grown to the way we craft our blends. Tobacco Ingredients: Tobacco & Water

Use your smartphone to request paperless gift certificates at AmericanSpirit.com*

CIGARETTES *Website restricted to age 21+ smokers ©2018 SFNTC (2) ENGINEER.AI ← WARBY PARKER Digital product shops have an The eyeglass maker’s home- efficiency issue. Coders often try-on program may have made it have days with nothing to do, famous, but that doesn’t mean it’ll as they finish a project and wait for forever be the most convenient another to begin. In this, Engineer.ai way to bridge online and physical saw opportunity. It created Builder, retail. That’s why last year it rolled which any entrepreneur can use out two new big services: to build an app or a website just facial mapping for the iPhone X by presenting their vision and camera, which recommends clicking the features they want. frames specifically for your face, Builder then assembles it using and Prescription Check, an app blocks of already written code and that can quickly re-up a user’s designs by paying those eyeglass prescriptions at home between-projects developers a without a doctor’s visit. fraction of what they’d otherwise cost. The result: projects that cost up to 75 percent less than they would on the open market. Builder LINKEDIN launched this spring, after two The Microsoft-owned social years in beta, building for everyone platform has long been a place from ski instructors to Richard for peers to network, but that Branson’s nonprofit, Virgin Unite. leaves a big gap: What about the up-and-comers who feel starved for mentorship? LinkedIn surveyed its users and VOYAGE → found that 89 percent of high- Self-driving cars have largely been level members would be open to the thing of early adopters (like sharing their insights. So in July, Tesla’s autopilot users) or nervous it rolled out a new service— cities (like Tempe, Ariz., where one connecting mentors and of Uber’s cars crashed in March). mentees for career-advice All of which makes self-driving sessions, thus making the ser- startup Voyage’s rollout especially vice more fulfilling to both sides. genius. To hone its technology in the real world, since last fall it’s been operating self-driving taxi services in retirement ← CASTBOX communities in Florida and More than half of U.S. house- California (with a human behind Asmoreuserstake holds listen to podcasts, which GE AND WARBY PARKER the wheel, for safety). The advan- “ means more than half of U.S. tages: predictable and maintained households can tell you the roads, slow-moving pedestrians, advantageofour industry’s biggest problem: It’s and, no doubt, excellent PR. hard to find new shows, in part in-audiosearch,the because there’s no great way to search for them. In October, Castbox, a popular podcast THUMBTACK featurewillgetsmarter platform, debuted a feature Let’s say you need someone to aimed at solving that problem— paint your house. If you went to andmorerobust. by enabling search within the Thumbtack, a nine-year-old com- ” podcasts themselves. That is, pany that connects customers with search that goes beyond an more than 250,000 home service —Renee Wang, episode’s title and description, providers, you’d make a request and includes what a podcast and then perhaps dozens of paint- CEO, CASTBOX host said on a show. Now it’s ers would send you price quotes. also launching its own shows That’s useful but also a lot of work. (starting with a collaboration So in September, it launched with the influencer-fueled Heard Instant Match: Now, within Well music label), signaling a seconds, you’re connected to move toward owning not just someone available for the job. search but also the shows you

Customer friction: gone. can search, too. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF CASTBOX (WANG); PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF VOYA

52 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018

WEGMANS → VIMEO Last year, the video-sharing site WHY IT’S BRILLIANT got an unexpected CEO: Anjali In a traditionally transient Sud, 34, who until then headed up job space, it’s investing the company’s creator business. in employees—and keeping But in the world of IAC, which 100 them (and customers) owns Vimeo, the move made for a long time. sense. Chairman Barry Diller has long made a point of promoting egmans, the family- young employees into top posi- owned $8 billion tions, convinced trial by fire is a supermarket chain fast path to success. It worked in the Northeast with former IAC execs Michael and Mid-Atlantic Eisner (who’d go on to run Disney) regions, is known for its customer and Dara Khosrowshahi (who service. (In 2018, it has already leads Uber). Sud’s task now? To received two national awards grow revenue to $100 million. acknowledging its excellence in the space.) But good customer service wouldn’t be possible without a highly valued and motivated work- CASPER Leaders force, says company spokeswoman Philip Krim launched mattress Jo Natale. “Our philosophy is that e-tailer Casper in 2014 with a + we can only be a great place to counterintuitive proposition. In a shop if we are a great place to marketplace crammed with work,” she says. “We hire the best, options, he would build a busi- but then we invest in training and ness on a single model. Bingo. provide opportunities for employ- Casper is now a $750 million ees to learn and grow.” company, and Krim is seen as a Leadership In 2017, Wegmans put an visionary. But when Casper impressive dollar amount behind learned during an expansion bid that talk. It invested $50 million in that its one-size-fits-all mattress employee training and an additional didn’t fit all—namely, Germans, $5 million on employee scholar- who prefer a firmer mattress— ships for college. As a result of Krim ditched the mantra and using such resources to support developed a new product, and and grow its 48,000 employees, growth continued apace. Lesson around two-thirds of all Wegmans learned: Never be beholden to appointments are filled internally. any one idea. “Many employees who started with Wegmans as part-time cashiers have built their careers here, and many have taken advantage of our CHIPOTLE scholarship program,” Natale says. For a time, Chipotle was an “We have people who started work- industry darling. Then came the ing here at the age of 15 who are seemingly endless string of food now senior vice presidents.” contamination crises, mass —Boyd Farrow abandonment, and a tanked share price. So Chipotle, long the face of the resistance to fast food, changed its mindset and poachedtheCEOofTaco Bell, Brian Niccol. Niccol’s background may be in fast food, but he’s proved brilliant at making Taco Bell the most buzzed-about player in the field, with a mix of social media brilliance and crazy food innovations like the Doritos Locos Taco. In other words, he’s a leader who gets his company the right kind of attention.

54 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 Illustration / MARIO WAGNER APPLE UPS As Mark Zuckerberg was singed A company like UPS is at risk for by Congress’s fury and other tech the most revolutionary types of companies braced themselves for disruptions—like, say, Amazon future privacy battles, Apple took testing delivery drones, or 3-D a victory lap. “At Apple, we believe printing cutting down on the need privacy is a fundamental human to ship manufacturing parts. (In right,” its website declared, and response to that last one, in 2016 went on to detail how “so much” UPS began developing a of a user’s personal data is stored 3-D-printing business.) Now it’s on their device—not in the cloud making its response official for hackers to find, or sold to with the newly created chief advertisers. It’s not a totally fair transformation officer position. fight: Apple’s business model Its hire, Scott Price, has 30 years’ doesn’t rely on advertising, as deep experience in global opera- Facebook’s does. But its aggres- tions, reports directly to the UPS sive pro-privacy stance could set chairman and chief executive, and the tone for the future. Where belongs to the UPS Management Apple leads, others often follow. Committee, the company’s senior- most leadership group.

SQUARE Square began as a technology GLOSSIER company that enables small busi- When you think of path-breaking nesses to take credit cards, then innovation, you don’t usually distinguished itself by relentlessly think of print media (save for this innovating in the intersection of magazine, of course). But rising entrepreneurship and finance. direct-to-consumer beauty Last year, it transitioned from behemoth Glossier did just that payments provider to full-on when it hired Marie Suter, finance company, announcing a highly touted Condé Nast that it would open its own creative director who has bank, Square Financial Services, worked on such titles as Teen in Utah, to offer loans and banking Vogue and Allure. It’s an insight accounts for small businesses. It’s into Glossier’s self-image: It as if Square has come full circle. made its name by skillfully marry- ing visuals, story, and an intimate connection with customers, and knows those qualities are trans- EGMANS AND MARRIOTT → MARRIOTT ferrable across any medium. In an age in which travelers demand increasingly personal- ized service, and smaller hotels and Airbnb cut deep inroads SKILLZ ← into the hospitality market, The gaming world isn’t exactly Marriott is staying ahead We want equitable known for being welcoming to of the curve with The Travel “ women. So the industry took Experience Incubator. It’s a notice this February when mobile joint venture with the professional hiring to be the status quo e-sports platform Skillz commit- services company Accenture and ted to increasing its gender startup advocate 1776, which rather than something diversity by pledging to inter- launched last summer to incu- view at least one qualified bate startups focused on disrup- woman for available executive tive technologies for the lodging newsworthy.” positions. Skillz is the first gaming industry. Rather than being company to take the so-called forced to adapt to rapid techno- ParityPledge, though its track logical change, Marriott can fos- —Andrew Paradise, record is already industry-leading: ter it—and benefit from the best. CEO, SKILLZ Its technical teams employ nearly twice the ratio of women as Twitter, Microsoft, and Google. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF SKILLZ (PARADISE); PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF W

June 2018 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / 55 INTUIT VANGST Among the many challenges a WHY IT’S BRILLIANT cannabis business faces is this: It It’s making better can’t post its open jobs on many job recruitment job boards, despite most of those a (virtual) reality. roles having nothing to do with 100 cannabis. (Marijuana companies t’s hard to compete need financial analysts and mar- with Google at the keting experts, too.) Vangst has college career fair, stepped in to fill the void, helping and a year ago, companies connect with talent— Intuit was feeling the and last August, it expanded its pain. “Tech companies with house- service by launching Vangsters, hold names would have these long a digital platform to serve lines, and we’d have maybe a few as a kind of LinkedIn for the people,” says Nick Mailey, Intuit’s VP weed business. of talent acquisition. Mailey and his team understood why—young peo- ple just entering the workforce didn’t have exposure to Intuit’s business LEVI STRAUSS & CO. Compensation and financial software, making it How’s this for an unexpected tough to get them excited about the workplace perk? Last fall, Levi’s + company. “We needed to show that started offering free genetic we’re just as innovative, while differ- screenings to employees at entiating ourselves from the other its San Francisco headquarters, employers. We couldn’t just hand out allowing workers to assess water bottles,” Mailey says. hereditary health risks. The pro- HR Programs With a Design Career Fair at the gram has proved to be polarizing, University of Washington coming up, but still, more than half of HQ recruiters decided to go big. Their employees opted in, and Levi’s is solution: virtual reality. They put looking to take the benefit together a reel in 10 days. At the fair, company-wide. they approached students in line for other tech companies and handed them VR goggles (instead of the typical water bottles), which offered TYSON FOODS a tour of the Mountain View head- After the newly passed federal quarters, a look at how designers tax breaks, many giant corpora- solve real-life problems, and an tions said they’d give one-time introduction to Intuit’s staff. The bonuses to their employees— company’s Net Promoter Score which is nice, but not as lasting among students surged from -60 to as the company’s tax benefits. 30. Now Intuit has three versions of Tyson, which will save $300 mil- the VR experience, and about 200 lion, is handing out those VR goggles that travel with recruiters bonuses and investing in a pro- across the country. gram with a more lasting impact: —Kate Rockwood It’s expanding its Upward Academy program, which pro- vides GED courses and English classes for Tyson employees, many of whom are immigrants. The program will go from 27 facil- ities to 40, and in the years ahead, Tyson plans to continue investing in the program until it’s available to every employee.

56 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 Illustration / MARIO WAGNER FIFTH THIRD BANK ← JAGUAR As the corporate world debates LAND ROVER the best way to support new To attract 1,000 new electrical parents, and the government has and software engineers, the car yet to deliver President Trump’s manufacturer launched a promised paid parental leave code-breaking challenge in plan, it’s often falling to small partnership with Gorillaz. (Yes, companies to innovate ideas. the band.) The puzzle lived Last year, this Cincinnati-based within Gorillaz’ mixed-reality regional bank debuted an espe- app, which is a combination of cially noteworthy one: a Maternity virtual and augmented reality Concierge program, which that grants access to the band’s helps female employees who house. It attracted more than are either pregnant or have 40,000 people, and top perform- a baby up to 1 year old find ers were fast-tracked through their best work-life balance. the company’s recruitment The service can help with every- process. In September, the first thing from the essential (finding hire was made. and researching childcare options when maternity leave is over) to the elective (baby- shower planning). SURVEYMONKEY In January, based on full-time- employee feedback, SurveyMonkey started offering LEESA → healthcare, time off, and The online mattress company— transportation benefits for all which is a B corp—regularly third-party contract workers donates new beds to those in at its California headquarters. need. Following Hurricane Those benefits apply to 50 addi- Harvey, Leesa employees tional workers, and the company hand-delivered more than is working to expand the program 500 to victims in homeless to other offices. shelters. It may sound like extra work, but Leesa celebrates the practice, which has become an important recruiting tool, helping THE MUSE attract like-minded do-gooders In 2017, the job-listing site as the company grows. for millennials released its BrandBuilder tool, which cap- GUAR AND LEESA tures information and data about what current employ- WEEBLY → “Burnout is an epidemic ees like about a company’s In 2017, the company launched culture and opportunities. an employee program called in the tech industry. The Muse then uses that feed- Weebly Wanderlust, giving every back as an additional recruiting employee of five or more years tool, giving job seekers a more a six-week paid sabbatical. The We wanted to set the complete—and honest— kicker? The website builder will view of a potential employer. even cover round-trip airfare tone that Weebly’s culture to anywhere in the world. Let employees go free, the company believes, and they’ll is about balance.” come back happy. —David Rusenko, CEO, WEEBLY PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF WEEBLY (RUSENKO); PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF JA

June 2018 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / 57 tEQUITABLE SALESFORCE This summer, the nonprofit

WHY IT’S BRILLIANT arm of the CRM giant will For digitizing the #MeToo launch Philanthropy Cloud in movement to improve partnership with the United workplace safety. Way. The platform will help 100 employees of large companies he reckoning is better track their corporate- under way for matched donations. Users workplace sexual canfollowbothpersonaland harassment in the corporate impact, and the U.S., and tEQuita- AI-empowered platform will learn ble is on the front lines. Launched in abouteachuserovertime, late 2017, tEQuitable is a website eventually suggesting and con- and app allowing employees to nectingthemwithothercauses confidentially discuss office com- theymaycareabout. plaints and get assistance from an appointed adviser. Used by compa- nies including Twilio and VC firm Obvious Ventures, it also collects GOING MERRY and analyzes data to spot problems Remember how tedious apply- Social before they escalate. Cofounder ing for college scholarships Lisa Gelobter, a former executive at was? No more. Going Merry BET and Hulu, was chief digital isaplatformthatserves service officer in the Department of as a matchmaker, helping Education under President Obama, students identify which but she left the agency soon after scholarships they’re eligible Trump took office. She was unsure for. Launched last summer, it Mission of her next move, but grew increas- streamlinesandautofillsappli- ingly frustrated by the deluge of cationdetailstosaveusers workplace harassment cases in the from entering the same infor- news. As a black woman who’d mation over and over again. All spent three decades in tech, she’d applications can be submitted personally experienced discrimina- directly through Going Merry, tion at every job. So she began and yes, they’ll even remind brainstorming technology that you of impending deadlines. would empower employees and enact reform. Then #MeToo hap- pened. She knew it was time to accelerate her idea’s implementa- AUDIBLE tion—not just for the celebrity Donald Katz, CEO of the women making headlines, but for Newark, N.J.–based audio- all races and classes. “We’re tack- book company, wants the city ling issues of not just gender but aroundhimtothriveas race, transphobia, immigration much as his own business— status, parental status, ageism, andhewantshisemployees’ etc., addressing issues from subtle help.Tosupportthecommu- to severe,” she says. “Research nity, he launched Newark shows that if you can get in front of Now!,aprogramthat,through the small things and put interven- alottery,awards20Audible tions into place, you can prevent employees with a year’s worth bigger things from happening.” ofrentiftheysignatwo-year —Blaire Briody lease in Newark. In addition, thecompanywillgivea$250 monthly stipend for one year to employees who commit to living in the city.

58 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 Illustration / MARIO WAGNER ANDELA → 70 MILLION JOBS There are more software jobs in Cofounded by Richard the United States than there are Bronson, a former Wall Street qualified developers. So Andela, trader who served time for a New York–based startup, is securities fraud, 70 Million Jobs looking to Africa to build a launched last year with hopes of fresh pipeline of tech talent. connecting the formerly Andela recruits interested appli- incarcerated with career cants across Africa and puts them opportunities. (The name through a lengthy skills-assess- reflects the some 70 million ment test, eventually hiring less Americans with a criminal than 1 percent. Those folks par- record.) Employers on board ticipate in a six-month paid train- include Google and Facebook. ing program, receiving a laptop, Last year the city of Los housing, and daily meals. Upon Angeles launched a pilot pro- completion, Andela’s employees gram, knowing its potential work remotely as contractors with impact: In California, the aver- brands like Viacom and SeatGeek. age recidivism rate is 65 per- Each hire signs a two-year con- cent, but when recently tract, and the company is now released individuals secure working to create an accelerator jobs, it drops to just 3 percent. for alumni-founded companies.

← VOLVO SHARED Last summer, the carmaker HARVEST FUND announced that beginning in Nearly 44 million Americans 2019, all new models will be carry student loan debt. Shared either hybrids or powered solely HarvestFundislookingto by batteries. Bye-bye, internal lighten that load—by trading combustion engines? volunteer time for debt relief. The newly launched platform connects skilled professionals with charitable organizations PATAGONIA andcausestheycareabout. Patagonia has long been an Thoseworkers(whopayasmall outspoken defender of the envi- membership fee) then volunteer ronment, but now, as the Trump their expertise, and in turn they administration has rolled back receiveastipendtoputtoward protections and regulations, O AND ANDELA their student loans—maxing out “Sewage is an untapped it’s betting its brand on at$5,000ayear. full-blown activism: It has run TV ads calling for the protection data resource. We can of public lands and filed a law- suit to stop the administration BIOBOT uniquely measure drug from shrinking the protected ANALYTICS → Bears Ears National Monument The Cambridge, Mass.–based in Utah. In February, the com- startup is working to extract use, disease, nutrition.” pany launched Patagonia human health data from Action Works, a digital platform sewage to help solve public —Mariana Matus, to help passionate customers health crises.(How,youask? connect with local grassroots Acitypopulation’swastecan COFOUNDER, organizations fighting for the revealalotaboutitshealth.)Its BIOBOT ANALYTICS environment. first task is the opioid epidemic, and this spring the company launched a pilot program in Cary,N.C.Understandingdrug use on a city and neighborhood levelcanprovidevaluable insights on both prevention and

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF BIOBOT (MATUS); PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF VOLV treatment efforts.

June 2018 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / 59 HATCH APPS CVS HEALTH The D.C.–based startup launched When CVS Health announced it earlier this year, offering a kind of would buy healthcare provider Aetna Squarespace for apps: a platform for $69 billion, the drugstore owner where building an app is as sim- took a bold step toward the ple as clicking on templates, and future. Together, the companies can 100 the cost can be as low as $1,000 a provide expanded care options, likely month to maintain. meaning fewer doctor’s office visits for patients, thanks to consultations at retail clinics or via telemedicine. TETHIS In 2012, three North Carolina State grad students launched Tethis to AMAZON create biodegradable absorption Where to even begin? The materials, creating a product that $13.7 billion purchase of Whole sucks up salt, as a way to clean Foods? The continuing success of water after fracking. But then it Amazon Studios? The public What Investors turned to diapers, developing a more competition for its new headquar- eco-friendly approach to a product ters? Amazon Restaurants taking that typically uses oil-based absorp- a run at Seamless? Its two-hour tion materials and constitutes up to delivery service? Drones? Alexa? 1.4 percent of all landfill waste. Major Hitting 100 million paying Prime Are Watching diaper companies took note, and in members? Amazon has woven February, Tethis closed a $17.6 mil- its tentacles into every corner

We asked the VC and incubator communities* lion Series C to fund the testing. Now of the world—White House hos- to share the most brilliant companies it’s time to fill those diapers. tility be damned—all while posting that have caught their attention this year a profit for 12 straight quarters. (but that they have no connection to).

TRUMBULL UNMANNED ROBINHOOD This female-veteran-owned, Prior to 2018, if you traded crypto- Houston-based drone company has currency, you probably used a thesis: The energy industry can be Coinbase and paid it 4 percent on more environmentally friendly if it each trade. Then came Robinhood has the right data. So Trumbull’s with a deal: 0 percent. A million dronesflyabove,say,anoilspill people signed up. The compa- to detail the damage, or a large ny’s goal is to entice users to pipeline to search for potential join for crypto but eventually damage, or even whale migration use its stock-trading service— so Exxon can plan its offshore oper- which is also free, thanks to the ations. In 2017, the company fact that Robinhood runs lean, stretched its proverbial wings and making its money from subscrip- provided critical support after tions and interest generated by the Hurricane Harvey, and expanded its cash users keep with them. operations to Canada and Australia.

GOAT + HQ FLIGHT CLUB It’s a perfectly simple idea: live, online As further evidence that the trivia events in which hundreds of thou- future of retail isn’t brick-and- sands compete, watching with glee as mortar or web but a seamless competitors are eliminated with each marriage of both, the world’s question. Those who win share a jack- leading sneaker resellers— pot. Copycats now abound, so HQ Flight Club and the online has solidified its market position GOAT—merged this year. The andincreaseditsjackpotsby sneaker resale market is blowing seeking sponsors. First up, Warner up, and combined, these brands Bros., which paid HQ $3 million to can offer sneakerheads a bigger promote films like Ready Player One. selection of certified products.

60 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 Illustration / MARIO WAGNER BEAM DENTAL BIRD BUILDING- DEARDUCK All the dental-benefits company’s Did the world really need an Uber CONNECTED The average online shopper’s con- plans include Beam Perks, a for electric scooters? With The construction industry isn’t version rate is just 3 percent. service that sends tooth- $115 million in funding, the Santa exactly known for its speed, but Dearduck founder Katy Aucoin brushes, toothpaste, and floss Monica–based Bird has investors’ that’s largely because there are thought she could boost that num- to members every quarter—a answer. In California, people in so many moving parts and so ber with online polls—questions much more effective reminder to need of last-mile transporta- much red tape—even for small that would lead to product recom- take care of your gums than tion have been flocking to the projects. BuildingConnected mendations. But recently, she piv- those stress-inducing visits to the scooter-sharing startup, aims to streamline the pre- oted to B2B. Now Dearduck dentist. founded by former Uber and Lyft construction phase of any provides those polls to brands, exec Travis VanderZanden. building work, creating soft- whose own shoppers take Though municipalities have been ware to help contractors con- them. Buzzy startups including less than thrilled by the sudden nect with (quality!) vendors and Mouth and Pupjoy have signed up. PLANET flood of people zipping around on keep track of all active bids. FUNDRAISER the vehicles, Bird continues to fly. Businesses are often eager to help local schools’ and clubs’ ROOT INSURANCE fund-raising efforts but don’t MONGODB With car insurance, we all think always have the bandwidth to SCIENCE 37 The open-source database- we’re getting taken for a ride. Root, make it happen. This startup is Launched by doctors Noah Craft software company serves busi- the insurance company that oper- filling that gap. Once a mer- and Belinda Tan, Science 37 nesses that need to store large ates entirely via mobile technology, chant signs on, anyone can allows drugmakers to conduct amounts of data (and access it aims to build trust by basing shop, scan their receipt with clinical trials remotely via quickly). But plenty of today’s offers on potential customers’ the Planet Fundraiser app, smartphone. This eliminates the companies deal with unstruc- driving habits, which its app and select a cause to receive need for office visits, which tured data based on user monitors for weeks before deliv- a portion of the purchase. It opens up trials to a far more behavior rather than hard facts. ering a quote. The company is plans to expand to 20 markets by diverse population than has his- MongoDB, which had a available in 16 states and is planning the end of 2018. torically been the case. The successful IPO last fall, cate- for nationwide coverage by 2019. It three-year-old company had its gorizes and analyzes that infor- claims Root helps drivers save up to big break this year when drug mation, giving businesses the 52 percent—and investors are giant Novartis signed a three- chance to iterate and test new excited, pouring $51 million into a SPACEX year deal for 10 clinical trials. products and features, fast. round it closed in March. If you, like most folks, paused on February 6 to watch SpaceX Falcon Heavy’s test flight, you already get the point here. Let’s ROBLOX just say it: That was awesome! The appeal of playing Roblox is A rocket that can carry 64 metric clear. It’s an open-ended, online, tons into space went up and came “The idea was to take 3-D world in which kids can make back down perfectly. Two months their own characters, play games, later, its Falcon 9 rocket brought a our essence, and our build things—whatever they want. planet-seeking NASA satellite into But the real genius is in the creative space. And SpaceX maintains the values—kindness, respect, side: Roblox is user-generated, best is still around the corner: a with creators making games rocket that’ll reach Mars by 2022. equality, and empowerment— and getting cash for them. Last year, 11 million people did so. And 50 million kids play every month, from our platform which, according to ComScore BUMBLE → analysis, places Roblox behind Bumble—which started as a dating to a physical space.” only YouTube for kids under 18. app and has evolved to also be a friendship and networking app— —Whitney Wolf, took its network offline in 2017 with the launch of Hive, a series CEO, BUMBLE PENDO of physical pop-up spaces where Pendo’s SaaS platform and newly users can connect in the real world. launched product cloud provides both Hive is both an event space and a analytics and messaging capabilities, coworking space, and successful helping software developers bet- Participants: BBG Ventures, Chobani Incubator, The Company Lab, installments in New York, London, * ter understand—and communi- Felix Capital, Forerunner Ventures, Good Growth Capital, Greylock Partners,

and Los Angeles were open to Hello Alice, Hood Incubator, ICONYC Labs, Innovate Birmingham, Rise of cate with—their users in real time, Bumble users for free on a first- the Rest, Lean Startup Co., Loud Capital, Muse Capital, NCT Ventures, thanks to in-app messages requesting

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF BUMBLE come, first-served basis. RetailXelerator, Upfront Ventures, Wake County Economic Development feedback on targeted features.

June 2018 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / 61 OWN A SHRED415 FRANCHISE Fitness, community, and more than $1 million in average annual gross revenue. It could all be yours— so what are you waiting for?

FIND OUTMORE AT www.shred415.com/franchising

™

7KH $YHUDJH *URVV 5HYHQXH LV WKH DYHUDJH *URVV 5HYHQXH UHSRUWHG IRU WKH  ½VFDO \HDU E\ VHYHQ DI½OLDWHRZQHG VWXGLRV WKDW ZHUH LQ RSHUDWLRQ IRU WKH HQWLUH  ½VFDO \HDU 6RPH RXWOHWV KDYH HDUQHG WKLV DPRXQW

The Expertise That Matters Jonita White didn’t know much about cars, but she did know about people. That’s how she became a successful Christian Brothers Automotive owner. by NINA ZIPKIN

Photographs / JON NORRIS June 2018 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / 63 Franchisee

n 2006, Jonita White quit her job in San Diego and moved to Texas. She did it to be closer to family, but she also saw it as a chance to pursue her dream of becoming a real estate agent. Then the housing market crashed in 2007, just as she’d earned her license, and White needed a backup plan—fast. She still wanted to work for herself, but launching a business in a troubled market wasn’t an option. That’s how she came to franchising; it was a way to be entrepreneurial, but with a proven playbook. She started researching opportunities. Since arriving in Texas, White had become a loyal cus- tomer at Christian Brothers Automotive. She had no experience with cars but was of a situation with their car, The biggest challenge in any it’s because of everything else industry is finding the right peo- attracted to the company’s customer ser- they’re dealing with in life: I’ve ple to work with, who share your vice, long history, and values—it’s been got to get my daughter to dance values and believe in providing lessons. I’ve got to get my son the same level of service. If I around since 1982, has more than 170 to football. What does it take to am not in the building, I need locations, and operates under the motto get my car fixed and back on to feel comfortable leaving my the road? It’s wonderful to be team in the shop. And I am. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” She able to help them, give them a signed on as a franchisee and opened her ride, and say, “Don’t worry; we Community is a big part of will get your kids to football Christian Brothers’ mission, as first location in Frisco in 2011. This year, practice, to dance practice.” well as your own. How is that reflected in your business? she’ll open her second, in Little Elm. That You drive them around if their With our new location, I’m backup plan seems to be working out. car isn’t ready? excited to be part of the Little Part of the hassle of taking your Elm Chamber of Commerce car in for work is then not having and volunteer with the Women’s Before you signed on with And the fact that they’ve been a car. We have a shuttle to make League. I’m finding more and Christian Brothers Automo- around since 1982 sat really well sure customers can get where more women are getting into the tive, did you explore other with us. It’s a successful model. they need to be—on time. I’ll auto repair industry, and franchises? drop you off at the grocery store, I want to tell them to never We looked at Pizza Hut, Sub- Was it tough transitioning to and when you’re done, if your car give up on their dream. When way, Primrose Schools. But the life as a business owner? isn’t ready, I’ll pick you up. women come into the shop values of Christian Brothers My husband was like, “You can and see me, their faces just matched those of my family. do this, honey. You don’t know Before moving to Texas, you automatically relax, and they When they worked on my car, cars, but you know business.” worked for Kaiser Permanente. feel comfortable. Women, don’t they were always honest. The This industry is not about cars. What was the biggest chal- be afraid of a male-dominated price was fair. They loved on us It’s about relationships. If a lenge in moving from health- industry. Cross that line. I’m when we went into the shop. customer is frustrated because care to auto care? living proof it can be done.

64 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018

Franchisor

When Brands Are Better Together Dippin’ Dots and Doc Popcorn are opening an increasing number of joint locations— and sales are soaring. by STEPHANIE SCHOMER

n the snack world, ice cream and popcorn might not sound like a winning combination. But according to Steve Rothenstein, senior director of franchise development for Dippin’ Dots, which also owns Doc Popcorn, the disparity between the two foods is what makes them a perfect match in the franchise world. Since 2015, Rothenstein has led a push to open kiosks featuring both brands, primarily in shopping malls, in an effort to appeal to more customers from a single space. → SNACK MAN So far, it’s working: More than 20 cobranded operations Steve Rothenstein are currently open, seeing higher sales volumes than of Doc Popcorn single- brand locations. By the end of 2018, that number and Dippin’ Dots. of locations will double.

What makes these two brands received by customers? we’ve got sweet and salty. If four grow, and grow soundly. No work together? I worked at Yum! Brands back people walk in and three want business is easy, and running Dippin’ Dots has had success when they started cobranding ice cream, we can still serve that two is not a piece of cake. in malls, and Doc Popcorn is in their spaces, putting Pizza Hut one person who wants some- that space today. Now, there’s no and Taco Bell together under thing savory, like popcorn. Dippin’ Dots has been around secret, malls are facing their own one roof, for example. It started for 30 years. Doc Popcorn is 15 challenges. Putting two brands in the mid- to late-’90s and was Does a single franchisee years old, with a much smaller in one spot can serve more cus- successful in some markets, run both brands at any one footprint. How is this helping tomers in a minimal amount though it’s not a strategy they location? with brand awareness? of space. We opened our first continue with now. To be trans- When we first tried this A lot of our original Dippin’ Dots cobranded units in late 2015, and parent, the aroma was a prob- in Springfield, Mo., at the customers now have families of at first, getting malls to buy into lem. If you walk into a taco shop Battlefield Mall, we had a fran- their own, so they’re bringing it was tricky. There are logistical and smell pizza, it’s confusing. chisee who’d signed on for a Doc their kids in and discovering Doc challenges; electrical, plumbing, Popcorn, and we asked them to Popcorn. Each brand has its own and storage all need to be con- So how is popcorn and ice cobrand with our Dippin’ Dots power, its own customer base. sidered. But our volume is much cream less confusing? program. Now we have more Getting them to work together, higher in these locations. We’re You’re coming to us from a dif- than 20 around the country, even from a branding perspec- getting more traffic and traction, ferent mindset. You’re in a mall and each franchisee runs both of tive, was challenging—we had to and now malls are calling us. or an outlet mall, and you’re the brands at a location. We’re tweak logos and colors to make looking for a snack, not a meal. mindful of whom we want to sure the stores actually look good. Historically, how have More often than not, people will bring into the system. We want But in the end, it just means we

cobranded franchises been be traveling with a group. So to make sure they’re ready to can serve a larger base. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF DIPPIN’ DOTS LLC

66 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018

Service

How to Master Your Marketing To implement successful advertising and social media campaigns in the franchise world, franchisors and franchisees must communicate, collaborate, and cooperate. by STEPHANIE SCHOMER

arketing for franchises is deceptively complicated. A brand must present one unified mission to its customers but also communicate it to communities through far-flung franchisees. It’s a big task, which is why many franchises use marketing agencies that specialize in franchising. “The more we know about a brand, how that brand makes money, and how its franchisees make money, the better we can build campaigns for it,” says Dawn Kane, CEO of one such firm, the Minneapolis-based Hot Dish Advertising. Here are the four marketing moves she says every franchise should make.

3/ Find the best franchisees… Marketing isn’t just about reaching consumers. Hot Dish and other agencies like it also help franchise companies reach and recruit poten- tial franchisees. “Why would some- one invest in your brand?” Kane asks. “Getting someone to invest their life savings with you is very different from getting someone to buy a taco from you.” It’s of course important that prospects have the financial capacity to invest, but it’s also about making sure they have an emotional connection to and understanding of the brand. “Most brands talk about what they do and how, but not the why,” Kane says. “Communicate that vision to reach your target audience of potential franchisees.”

4/ …and give them the right tools. Marketing isn’t just about what to say; it’s also about how to say it. Franchisors shouldn’t assume their 1/ One campaign to serve same media consumption—if it looks type of agreement that allows indi- franchisees know how to do this. them all. like a duck and walks like a duck, it’s vidual franchisees to manage their “A franchise might attract someone Franchisees are often tempted to a duck.” A successful media cam- own accounts,” says Kane. And it’s out of corporate America who is launch local marketing campaigns to paign should help franchisees reach important for both franchisors and great at management but needs connect with their specific communi- their customer no matter the market. franchisees to know where to find additional support on operations or ties, but more often than not, Kane their customers in the digital world. marketing.” A franchise company says, that’s an unnecessary use of 2/ Meet your audience “Facebook used to be great for a lot should provide franchisees with the time and money. “When you really where they are. of brands, but now the demographic training, education, and explana- dig into the demographics and psy- To keep social media engagement has become much older,” Kane tions to set them up for success. chographics of a brand’s customer, consistent across markets, franchi- says. “There’s a lot more engage- “Make it super simple to execute the the consumer profile tends to be the sors often implement rules and reg- ment on Instagram, Snapchat, and plan and vision,” she says. That way, same, whether they’re in Ohio or ulations for local franchisees to even Pinterest, depending on your everyone truly is speaking with the

Florida or California. Same income, follow. “It’s kind of like a parent/child brand, concept, and customer.” same voice. PHOTOGRAPH ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/CECILIE_ARCURS BY

68 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 GET IN ON THE GYM FLOOR

Be a part of the hottest and fastest growing full size fitness franchise.

• Most competitive and progressive model in the $32 billion fitness industry • #1 ranking for franchisee satisfaction ratings in the category • Highly recognizable fitness brand with a 20-year history • Over 850 franchise rights awarded • One of the largest member bases in the worldwide fitness industry

Inquire at Crunch.com for more info or call John Merrion at 800.669.7162.

→ ORDER UP Aurify Brands co-CEOs (from left) Andy Stern and John Rigos with Melt Shop founder Spencer Rubin, as the trio prepares to franchise their grilled cheese concept. Food

t lunchtime on a recent Thursday, → SAY CHEESE the line at Melt Stern and Rigos Shop snaked at a New York City through the restau- Melt Shop. rant and out onto the pavement, not far from Rockefeller Center, in New York City. Twentysomethings in business- casual attire and tourists alike sat around yellow picnic tables, digging into crispy grilled cheese sandwiches, milkshakes, and tater tots. From the outside, this seems like your standard success story: Melt Shop is one of many fast-casual restaurants that have sprouted up in recent years, with stylish decor, friendly cashiers, and food that’s a cut above the quality of standard fast-food fare but still hovers around $10 per meal. And as a place devoted to grilled cheese sandwiches (plus tasty accessories), it also seems somehow quintessentially New York—a city that’s birthed many food franchisees with roots in It has just begun to franchise— JOHN RIGOS, 50 years old with single-focused restaurants, the tech sector, which means first with two restaurants in a wiry build, is the son of Greek including places that sell only rice they appreciate the complexi- Kuwait City and two more on immigrants who came to the pudding or mac and cheese. But ties of food and the importance the way, and a newly minted United States and opened their Melt Shop is much more than all of data. So since 2011, under 21-unit agreement in the own diner in Jamaica, Queens, in that, too. It’s an experiment 15 the auspices of their company Philadelphia area, the first of the early 1960s. “My father’s one years in the making—a concept Aurify Brands, they’ve been which is slated to open by June. piece of advice was ‘Whatever you formed in a franchise factory, incubating restaurants— That means every day is high do, do not get into the restaurant which is now poised to prove a helping food entrepreneurs stakes at Melt Shop. Decades of business,’ ” Rigos says. concept far bigger than itself. scale their fledgling brands by experience in franchising have So he didn’t. He gradu- Its co-creators, Andy Stern providing them with everything taught Stern and Rigos some- ated from the University of and John Rigos, have many from capital to operational thing that most new business Pennsylvania in 1989 and went to more in the pipeline just like it. support to mentorship, with the owners don’t realize: A strong work on Wall Street before turn- “On paper, this is a very sim- ultimate goal of eventually per- brand and standout food are ing his attention to technology ple business,” Rigos told me. fecting and franchising these crucial to being competitive, in the early days of the internet. “You have to drive your sales, brands around the world. Apart but the difference between He founded a company in the control your ingredients, and from Melt Shop, their portfolio success and failure comes down mid-’90s licensing digital music; control your labor. But doing consists of a vegetable-centric to what’s happening under the after selling it, he went to work it every day and doing it well is salads-and-bowls concept called hood. The lessons learned at as an “entrepreneur in residence” really hard. Two concepts across The Little Beet; a full-service these corporate locations are at Idealab, a tech incubator that the street from each other can offshoot, The Little Beet Table; about to be replicated globally, churned out valuable internet look like they’re both busy, and a better-for-you chicken brand and could help steer Aurify’s companies like Citysearch and one can be killing it and the called Fields Good Chicken; brands behind it. Picasa during the first dot-com other going into bankruptcy.” and Make Sandwich, a gourmet At the shop in Manhattan, boom. The premise behind To figure out how to stay on sandwich shop. of course, no customer real- Idealab has remained a popu- the right side of that difference, But Melt Shop, with eight izes their freshly made grilled lar one in Silicon Valley: Give Rigos and Stern have taken an company-owned locations in cheese sandwiches are so promising young entrepreneurs intriguingly rigorous approach. the New York area, is the first important. But Stern and Rigos everything from office space to The two men are veteran fast- to begin proving out the model. are watching. And learning. accounting services to mentor-

72 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018

Food

following year, they became one YOU START A RESTAURANT AND END UP DEALING WITH of Five Guys’ earliest franchisees, HIRING, CONSTRUCTION,” STERN SAYS. “IF WE CAN signing a development deal for up to 30 locations in Manhattan. ELIMINATE THOSE RESPONSIBILITIES, ENTREPRENEURS’ (So far, they’ve built 14.) CONCEPTS WILL BE MORE SUCCESSFUL.” As the years went by, however, Rigos and Stern noticed a seis- mic shift in consumer behavior— away from legacy players like ship, and they’ll grow high-value York; Stern moved to Colorado ownership was anything but their Subway, Baskin-Robbins, companies faster and smarter. and became a ski bum. They hands-off. “You have to know and Dunkin’ Donuts franchises, It was at Idealab that Rigos, continued to collaborate from every detail of how you’re operat- and toward operators that then in his early 30s, met Andy afar, however, making a few ing and how the brand operates,” offered higher-quality ingre- Stern, who was in his mid-20s dead-end investments before Stern says. They had a choice— dients and a made-to-order and had already built and sold a hitting on the idea of fast-food either sell the Subway or learn the menu, but with the speed and company that created payment franchising. Sure, Rigos’ dad business well enough to amass a affordability of fast food. They gateways for e-commerce. The had warned against it, but they large portfolio of stores. So they already benefited from the trend duo began working together on figured franchises would produce dove in, working shifts at the through their Five Guys loca- a database solutions company a dependable sum of cash each sandwich shop to understand the tions—the most lucrative of their for small and midsize businesses. year without much attention. ins and outs of every job. operations—but saw an opening Then 2001 hit, the dot-com bub- In 2003, they bought a Subway They expanded from one to forge the next generation of ble burst, and funding dried up. franchise in the sleepy town of Subway to eight and by 2005 chain restaurants. They wanted Both Rigos and Stern took a Walton, near Rigos’ farm. began buying Baskin-Robbins to build their own brands. break from startup life. Rigos It didn’t take long for them to and Dunkin’ Donuts shops in Easier said than done. Dozens bought a farm in upstate New realize that successful franchise Long Island and Maryland. The of small fast-casual brands exist in the United States, but few have construction, marketing, train- 25th birthday, Melt Shop all their brands are like this; become nationwide successes. ing, finance, back office. If we opened in a kiosk outside a sub- at The Little Beet, by contrast, Fast-casual food, by definition, is can eliminate all those responsi- way station in Manhattan. a greater emphasis on local typically prepared on-site, with bilities, entrepreneurs’ concepts Melt Shop’s appeal isn’t hard produce and a more complex an emphasis on fresh or even will be more successful.” to understand. It’s comfort food menu is harder for franchisees local ingredients, making each In 2011, Aurify Brands done well. The restaurant offers to replicate.) Before Melt Shop location’s labor and supply chain launched Melt Shop as its first about a dozen “melted sand- could scale, though, Rubin had significantly more complicated original concept. wiches” that range from classic to make every menu item as than a traditional fast-food busi- grilled cheese to fried chicken foolproof as possible, and every ness’s, for which ingredients are I VISITED MELT SHOP one day with pepper jack and cabbage process streamlined. shipped from central suppliers in March with Spencer Rubin, slaw. They use high-quality bread For instance, employees still for on-site heating and assembly. the brand’s founder and CEO. from Orwashers, a venerated spread sandwich bread with To scale fast-casual, Stern Rigos and Stern met Rubin New York City bakery, and pre- salted butter by hand, as they did and Rigos decided to apply the when he was right out of college mium cheeses like Coach Farm at the outset, but they now have a Idealab approach to restau- and working at a restaurant goat. Parmesan-dusted tater butter warmer and a roller tool to rants—incubating several at development firm called BCD, tots, tomato soup, milkshakes, shave valuable seconds from the once, and providing the grunt which the duo hired to help and dipping sauces in flavors like process. Wi-fi-enabled probes work so the entrepreneurs them build Five Guys locations. truffle mayo and parsley pesto automatically log ingredient could focus on what matters. They admired Rubin’s passion round out the menu. temperatures for Department of “The most important thing for restaurants, and after the The appeal to potential Health compliance, leaving one in our industry is the quality of three brainstormed their way to franchisees is a little different, less task for the humans. Melt the food and the quality of the a premium grilled cheese sand- though. Melt Shop was designed Shop initially served its sand- hospitality,” Stern says. “But wich concept, they decided that with a simple supply chain and wiches in fancy hand-assembled you start a restaurant and Aurify would back Rubin to basic cooking demands, making boxes but switched to cheaper end up dealing with hiring, turn it into a reality. On Rubin’s it a plug-and-play concept. (Not ones that come premade. “It’s Food

not a good use of labor,” Rubin drive traffic, and the Aurify factor in here, as well. The duo build Melt Shop into a replicable explains. “We use labor for what guys want to do that, too—but built proprietary software tools concept. “Their patience for it’s meant to be used for—to take without requiring franchisees to for all their brands, automating R&D, plus their growth ambi- care of guests and develop staff.” invest in expensive equipment inventory management and tion, makes us the company we It took six years of testing and for limited-time offerings, as shift scheduling and providing are today,” Rubin says. learning before Rubin started other brands have. “You need to future franchisees with sophisti- exploring potential franchisees have corporate-owned stores to cated analytics to guide business WHEN IT CAME time to franchise in 2017. In addition to his home- try anything new on your own decisions. It’s an investment Melt Shop stateside, the found- grown insights, the Melt Shop dime, and really make sure it’s that runs in the hundreds ers were looking for someone blueprint also draws on lessons worth it,” Stern says. of thousands of dollars, and exactly like Drew Smith. He’s a from the brands where Stern But it has been Five Guys, while it’s not uncommon for fellow Five Guys franchisee—a and Rigos cut their franchise which is family-owned, that has large quick-service players like sophisticated multi-unit devel- teeth. At Subway, for example, most closely influenced Aurify’s Starbucks and Subway to create oper with prior experience in they admired the monthlong approach with Melt Shop. The these kinds of bespoke tools, fast-casual, meaning he can help “university” new franchisees are company spent 17 long years most concepts the size of Melt Melt Shop scale quickly. required to attend. As a result, perfecting its operations before Shop and The Little Beet don’t Smith decided to buy into the Melt Shop is investing heavily selling franchises, and it has a have access to them. brand after going to Melt Shop in in-store education: When higher-touch approach to those That kind of support and for lunch with a group of 10 the first Melt Shop opened partnerships. “They don’t just guidance, Rubin says, has been adults and children, all of whom in Kuwait, a team of trainers tell us what we’re doing badly; invaluable. Rigos and Stern have were happy with their meal. As (including Rubin) spent five they help us do things better,” not only served as personal men- he thought about it, he decided weeks on-site getting local staff Stern told me. “You can call and tors but also shouldered the bur- Melt Shop complements his up to speed. Baskin-Robbins get a member of the family on den of fund-raising, which Rubin existing Five Guys portfolio. and Dunkin’ Donuts are big on the phone to ask advice.” believes would have been impos- The burger brand skews heavily menu innovation, which can Stern and Rigos’ tech roots sible for him to do while trying to male, but Melt Shop plays well

LARGEST PET CARE FRANCHISE **************** OPEN150+ CAMPS 3.3**************** MILLION ANNUAL PET VISITS ****************

DOGGY DAY CARE & BOARDING (877) 700-2275 campbowwowfranchise.com r with moms and kids. Smith players, but there are plenty of try advocacy group. And most of an impact,” Stern says. also likes Aurify’s approach places with overlapping prod- those coveted developers, Lehr He and Rigos remain up for of continuously evolving and ucts: Panera, Jersey Mike’s, adds, are focused on working the challenge. They’re confident improving offerings. It’s the one Firehouse Subs, and Which with brands with proven ROI. that though Melt Shop is small, thing that’s in contrast to his Wich could all be seen as com- “The challenge for a newer, their resolve to drive unit-level experience with the notoriously petitors. Even Make Sandwich, smaller fast-casual business is economics and profits will change-averse Five Guys. one of Aurify’s own, would they have to be able to show ROI appeal to savvy franchisees. “[Aurify] looks at what launch into the same broad cat- through a corporate unit, or And they also hold firm on a works and what doesn’t and egory if and when it franchises. they’re not going to get the big lesson they took from their days makes decisions that benefit the Two of its other brands, Fields multi-unit guys to [join them].” in tech: Success relies upon a business,” he says. “It took Five Good Chicken and The Little Still, Aurify has high hopes. dogged determination to tweak Guys eight years to add bottled Beet, fall into the equally stuffed Rubin believes Melt Shop and troubleshoot. water to the menu.” “salads-and-bowls” territory. can grow to 100 stores in just “The whole notion of resil- That agility will be increas- Of course, Aurify will be com- five years, and the income it ience is very much a part of our ingly important for Aurify’s peting not just for customers produces will allow the parent DNA,” Rigos says. “It’s never a brands as they aim to expand but for franchisees as well. And company to invest heavily in linear trajectory of growth; it’s within a crowded restaurant its strategy—seeking out expe- growing its other brands. Stern always ups and downs. We’ve landscape. Joe Pawlak, a man- rienced franchisees to develop and Rigos stress that there’s seen what it takes. We don’t aging principal at the market multi-unit deals—is a popular no set timeline for franchising give up.” research firm Technomic, says one. “Everyone is chasing multi- their other concepts, but they’re that after more than a decade of unit franchisees who have 20, keenly aware that Melt Shop’s New York City–based writer explosive growth, certain parts 30, 50, 100 franchises,” says performance will largely deter- Elizabeth G. Dunn has covered of the fast-casual segment have Scott Lehr, an executive vice mine how easy it is to attract the food industry for The New become saturated. There are president at the International franchisees for future Aurify Yorker, Esquire, and The Wall no major “melted sandwich” Franchise Association, an indus- brands. “It absolutely will have Street Journal.

DIG INTO PRIME TERRITORIES WITH THE #2 BEST RANKED FRANCHISE IN AMERICA*

Quality Sets Us Apart “Marco’s is unique in that Marco’s Pizza is hand made in the Italian tradition, using fresh, it presents a cohesive never frozen cheeses, dough made in store daily, and only package with high premium meats and vegetables. Founded in 1978, Marco’s quality sales & marketing is the only Top 20 pizza chain with native Italian roots. ƎƑūijƑîŞƙîŠēƑĚǛŠĚē operating systems. I lso impressed # OUT OF 25 IN THE co’s leadership 2 PIZZA CATEGORY was clear they er franchisees to #25 IN TOP 500 LIST ĚƎƑūǛƥîċĿŕĿƥNj

JOE WALKER MULTI-UNIT MARCOSFRANCHISING.COM | 866-753-3933 MARCO’S PIZZA FRANCHISEE *Forbes Best Franchises to Buy in America 2016: $150,000-500,000 Category FRANCHISE SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION BRILLIANT BE

Take the next step in your entrepreneurial journey by exploring franchises like these ready to help you expand your business portfolio and grow your success. SiempreTax+ Tax Services Express Employment Professionals Staffing Subway Quick-Service Restaurant FRANCHISE ADVERTISEMENT

ABOUT SUBWAY

Subway offers a fresh alternative to traditional fast food, serving 7 million made-to- order sandwiches a day in about 44,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. The Subway experience is also delivered online at www.Subway.com and through the Subway® App.

SUBWAY FAST FACTS

 We have about 44,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries!

 Nontraditional locations: 10,900+ making up 25 percent of the company SUBWAY® - A BRAND BUILT ON  Estimated investment: GREAT SANDWICHES $150,050 to $328,700+ in the U.S.

Subway® Executive Chef Chris Martone knows Chicken Caesar. These Signature Wraps, “Subway is focused on menu innovation as that the simple key to success is making a great made on either a Tomato Basil Wrap or a part of its commitment to meeting changing customized sandwich for each guest that visits. Spinach wrap, are double the meat of an consumer preferences and providing a great average 6-inch sub. experience for the millions of people around Recently, the brand introduced three crave- WKHZRUOGZKRYLVLW6XEZD\HYHU\GD\μVD\V worthy, protein-packed Signature Wraps in “As part of my job, I have introduced some Len Van Popering, Vice President of Global EROGÁDYRUIXOFKRLFHV&KLSRWOH6RXWKZHVW great sandwiches, salads and wraps, as well as Brand Management and Innovation. Steak and Cheese; Turkey, Bacon and creative toppings and sauces, using unique and Guacamole; and the Savory Rotisserie-Style H[FLWLQJÁDYRUSURÀOHVμVDLG&KHI0DUWRQH Guests can choose from 37 million “The real pleasure in sandwich making comes combinations of quality proteins, fresh in providing enough quality ingredients to vegetables and bread baked fresh daily in each NEW! Wraps KHOSFXVWRPHUVÀQGWKHVDQGZLFKWKDWLV shop. Among the sandwich choices are eight Savory SHUIHFWIRUWKHPμ Fresh Fit™ six-inch subs with 400 calories or Rotisserie Style Chicken Caesar less and low in saturated fat. Each Fresh Fit Signatu 730 cal And, in keeping with Subway’s long history sandwich is made on 9-grain wheat bread with Flavor-packed with double meat as the leader in customization, guests always all the fresh veggies, providing two servings of have the option to create their own Signature vegetables and 24 grams of whole grains. :UDS´0DNH,W:KDW

Chipotle Southwest Subway has also added the new Signature GLHWDU\QHHGμ&KHI0DUWRQHVDLG´+DYHVRPH Steak & Cheese 760 cal Wraps to catering platters and in Subway To fun with it! The choice is yours and you can Make any sub a Signature Wrap Go!™ Box Meals. KDYH\RXUVDQGZLFKPDGHH[DFWO\DV\RXOLNHμ Double Meat based on average 6" sub. Additional charge for Extras. Plus applicable tax. Subway® s a Reg stered Trademark of Subway IP Inc ©2018 Subway IP Inc

For Subway franchise Information:

 Ralph Piselli / Franchise Sales Manager  [email protected]  www.subway.com  (800) 888-4848 x 1312 FRANCHISE ADVERTISEMENT

ABOUT SIEMPRETAX+®

SiempreTax+® is a unique, low- costopportunityinareliable industry.Morethanhalfofall individual taxpayers use a paid tax preparer. Tax preparation serviceshasbeenrankedasone of the most profitable industries for small business owners.**

SIEMPRETAX+® FAST FACTS

 Lowfranchisefee-- $25,000-$40,000

 Industry ranked as one of thebestforSMBs

 Strong ROI potential

LIVE LIFE ON YOUR TERMS  Flexible schedules ® WITH SIEMPRETAX+  World-class support

SiempreTax+® has everything you’re THE CUSTOMER BASE IS THERE. (6/FODVVHVDQGQRWDU\VHUYLFHVDUHMXVWD looking for in a business: freedom, SiempreTax+® VXSSOLHV \RX ZLWK WKH IHZ RI WKH SOXVVHUYLFHVWKDW6LHPSUH7D[ ÁH[LELOLW\ DQG WKH RSSRUWXQLW\ IRU JURZWK WRROV WR FDSWXUH WKH PDUNHW

For SiempreTax+® franchise Information:

 David Tarr / Director of Franchise Development  [email protected]  info.siempretaxfranchise.com/franchise-opportunities  (877) 978-1654

Minnesota state franchise registration number F-7362 and F-8023. *IBISWorld, October 2017 Tax Preparation Services Market Research Report ** Entrepreneur magazine FRANCHISE ADVERTISEMENT

ABOUT EXPRESS EMPLOYMENT PROFESSIONALS

Express Employment Professionals is aleadingstaffingproviderintheU.S., Canada and South Africa. Every day, wehelpjobseekersfindworkandhelp businesses find qualified employees.

EXPRESS EMPLOYMENT PROFESSIONALS FAST FACTS

 $35k Franchise fee

 $135k - $206k Investment  Two ownership models to choose from

 800+ offices with STAFFING: A GREAT 35 years’ experience  Mature offices average BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY $6.4 million in annual sales*

Choosing a growing industry is one of GHPDQGIRUZRUNHUVPRUHFRPSDQLHVDUH WKHILUVWPRQWKVRQDYHUDJHQHZ WKH ÀUVW VWHSV LQ VHOHFWLQJ D VXFFHVVIXO WXUQLQJWRVWDIÀQJÀUPVWRJXLGHWKHP RIILFHV JHQHUDWH VDOHV RI PRUH WKDQ  IUDQFKLVH 7KH GHFLVLRQ RIWHQ OLHV EHWZHHQ WKURXJK WKH FKDOOHQJHV RI PDLQWDLQLQJ PLOOLRQ/RRNLQJEH\RQGWKHVWDUWXS VHOHFWLQJDVKRUWOLYHGWUHQGRUDQLQGXVWU\ DSURGXFWLYHZRUNIRUFH7KDQNVWRWKH SKDVHWKHPRVWUHFHQW([SUHVV)UDQFKLVH ZLWK D KLVWRU\ RI VXFFHVV &RQVLGHU WKH VXFFHVVRIWKHLQGXVWU\([SUHVVKDV 'LVFORVXUH 'RFXPHQW VKRZHG WKDW WKH VWDIÀQJ LQGXVWU\³LW·V PRUH WKDQ  FRQWLQXHGWREUHDNUHFRUGVDQGLQ DYHUDJHPDWXUHRIILFHJHQHUDWHV \HDUVROGLQ1RUWK$PHULFDDQGLVLQD DFKLHYHG D QHZ PLOHVWRQHE\H[FHHGLQJ PLOOLRQLQDQQXDOVDOHV DQGPRUHWKDQ UREXVW JURZWK SDWWHUQ 6LQFH  ([SUHVV IUDQFKLVHV PLOOLRQLQDQQXDOJURVVSURILW (PSOR\PHQW 3URIHVVLRQDOV KDV JURZQ PDUJLQ ([SUHVV IUDQFKLVH RZQHUV DOVR WR EHFRPH D EHKHPRWK LQ WKH LQGXVWU\ Helping People Succeed EHQHILWIURPSD\LQJDORZSHUFHQWDJHLQ SXWWLQJPLOOLRQVRISHRSOHWRZRUN ([SUHVV IUDQFKLVH RZQHUV KDYH WKH UR\DOWLHV³RQDYHUDJHMXVWSHUFHQW RSSRUWXQLW\WRPDQDJHDSURIHVVLRQDO RIVDOHV Robust Growth Pattern Prevalent in EXVLQHVV WKDW PDNHV D GLIIHUHQFH LQ WKH a $150 Billion Industry FRPPXQLW\E\PDWFKLQJSHRSOHZLWKMREV :LWKWZRRZQHUVKLSPRGHOVDQGQHDUO\ 7KH VWDIÀQJ LQGXVWU\ KDV VXUYLYHG WKH WHVW DQGKHOSLQJFRPSDQLHVÀQGWRSWDOHQW  DYDLODEOH IUDQFKLVH WHUULWRULHV QRZ LV RIWLPHDOORZLQJFRPSDQLHVWRPDQDJH WKH WLPH WR H[SORUH WKH RSSRUWXQLW\ WRMRLQ WKHLU ZRUNIRUFH WKURXJK UHFHVVLRQV DQG $ UHOHDVH RQ WKH SHUIRUPDQFH RI ([SUHVV WKHQXPEHURQHVWDIÀQJIUDQFKLVH KLJKGHPDQGVHDVRQV$QGLQWRGD\·V IUDQFKLVHVUHYHDOHGLQWKDWGXULQJ

For Express Employment Professionals Information:  Express Employment Professionals  ExpressFranchising.com  (877) 652-6400

*For franchises open more than two years, average sales per territory in 2017 were $6,469,106. And for first year oices, sales were $1,011,864 per Item 19 in the Express Franchise Disclosure Document. THE WESTIN

SEPTEMBER 20-21, 2018

Want to get your franchise to the next level—fast? Then join fellow franchise founders and senior executives for Springboard’s 2-day conference.

You’ll learn from some of the best in the franchise business as they share how to avoid the pitfalls that plague all emerging brands. And learn how to overcome foreseeable obstacles and make the most of fleeting opportunities.

Join over 450 franchise executives as we take part in general sessions and intensive breakout programs covering more than 20 diverse subjects relevant to emerging and re-emerging brands.

Come see why past participants call Springboard “The best event in the franchise industry.”

Learn more and register at franchisespringboard.com 215.825.3100

HOSTED BY The List Success You Can Taste Our list of the top 200 food-related franchises of the year.

by TRACY STAPP HEROLD

nthefranchisingworld, or 100—start with our list of foodstillreignssupreme. the top 200. You’ll find them Almostaquarterofthe on the following pages, ranked 1,023 companies that within their respective catego- I applied for this year’s ries (such as coffee, hamburg- Franchise 500 were food- ers, and Mexican food). basedfranchises,andhalfof These rankings are based the companies that ranked in on the score each company the top 10 were quick-service received when evaluated by restaurants. Some of the oldest our Franchise 500® formula, and largest franchises in the which considers more than worldarefood-based,andnew 150datapointsintheareas CONTENTS ones arrive on the scene every ofcostsandfees,sizeand year, ready to capitalize on the growth,franchiseesupport, latest trends, like build-your- brand strength, and financial Asian Food/ P.84 ownpizzaandpokebowls. strengthandstability.But Baked Goods/ P.84 Thatsaid,foodfranchises please understand, our list Chicken/ P.86 canbesomeofthemost isnotintendedasarecom- Coee/ P.86 challengingtobuild—with mendationofanyparticular Frozen Desserts/ P.88 higher capital costs and more company. It’s vital that you do Full-Service complicated operations than yourownresearchtofindthe Restaurants/ P.88 many other industries. But franchisethat’srightforyou Hamburgers/ P.91 theycanalsobesomeofthe (and that means more than Mexican Food/ P.92 most rewarding. They’re par- justtryingthefood).Readthe Misc. Quick-Service ticularly popular with franchi- company’s legal documents, Restaurants/ P.92 Pizza/ P.93

TETRA IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES sees interested in multi-unit consult with an attorney ownership.So,ifyou’vegot and an accountant, and Retail Food/ P.94 atasteforfood-basedfran- talk to existing and former Sandwiches/ P.96 chises—whether it’s one unit franchisees. Smoothies/Juices/ P.99 PHOTOGRAPH BY ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/ARTISTEER ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/ARTISTEER PHOTOGRAPH BY

June 2018 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / 83 The List

ASIAN FOOD BAKED GOODS

1 1 L&L Hawaiian Cinnabon Barbecue Cinnamon rolls, baked Asian-American food goods, coee STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $133.7K–$527K $182.8K–$327.3K TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS ( Franchised / Co.-Owned ) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 184/0 1,464/2 2 2 The Flame Broiler Auntie Anne’s Chicken, beef, and Hand-Rolled tofu rice bowls Soft Pretzels STARTUP COST Soft pretzels $256.7K–$408.5K STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS $199.5K–$385.1K ( Franchised / Co.-Owned ) TOTAL UNITS 190/0 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 1,814/14 3 Teriyaki Madness 3 Asian food Great American STARTUP COST Cookies $270.7K–$651.4K Cookies TOTAL UNITS STARTUP COST (Franchised / Co.-Owned) $160.1K–$461.1K 45/1 TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 4 366/0 Pho Hoa Vietnamese food 4 STARTUP COST Wetzel’s Pretzels $158K–$295.9K Soft pretzels, lemonade, hot dogs TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) STARTUP COST 65/10 $164.95K–$405.9K TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 5 310/18 Thai Express Thai food STARTUP COST 5 $330.4K–$731.7K Ben’s Soft Pretzels Soft pretzels, dipping TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) sauces, beverages 302/0 STARTUP COST $117.3K–$332K TOTAL UNITS 6 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) Ginger Sushi 70/14 Boutique Sushi 6 STARTUP COST $270.8K–$381.2K Kolache Factory Kolaches TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) STARTUP COST 140/0 $407.8K–$712.5K TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 7 29/25 Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill Japanese food 7 Shipley Do-Nuts STARTUP COST Doughnuts, kolaches, Asian Food/Pho Hoa $106.3K–$432.1K pastries, coee TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co. Owned) STARTUP COST 23/2 $340.9K–$556.2K VIETNAMESE REFUGEE Binh Nguyen founded Pho Hoa 35 years ago. The chain TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co. Owned) offers the traditional flavors of Vietnamese pho but uses meat broths instead of the 274/13 customary bone marrow broth, making its menu items lower in calories and cholesterol. Part of Nguyen’s motivation for franchising his concept, after nine years of success on his own, was to offer other refugees the same opportunity to

pursue the American Dream of business ownership as he had in coming to the U.S. SOUP NOODLE HOA PHOTOGRAPH PHO COURTESY OF

84 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018

The List

8 11 14 CHICKEN 3 2 Big Apple Bagels/ Breadsmith Cinnaholic Chester’s Gloria Jean’s My Favorite Muin European-style Cinnamon rolls, coee Chicken Coees Bagels, sandwiches, breads and sweets STARTUP COST STARTUP COST Specialty coee muins, coee, smoothies STARTUP COST $178K–$309.5K 1 $12K–$296.6K STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $354.3K–$399.9K TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS $181.2K–$488.8K $277.8K–$394.2K (Franchised / Co.-Owned) Wingstop (Franchised / Co. Owned) TOTAL UNITS Restaurants TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 18/1 1,156/0 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 29/2 Chicken wings 856/0 84/0 15 STARTUP COST 4 12 $346.8K–$733.2K Le Macaron TOTAL UNITS KFC US 3 9 Pretzelmaker French Pastries (Franchised / Co.-Owned) Chicken The Human Nestlé Toll House Pretzels Macarons, pastries, gelato, 1,035/21 STARTUP COST Bean Drive Thru Café by Chip STARTUP COST chocolates, specialty $1.5M–$2.6M Specialty coee Bakery cafés coee and tea $205.2K–$327K TOTAL UNITS STARTUP COST STARTUP COST 2 STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co. Owned) $200.6K–$676.2K $150.3K–$526.3K (Franchised / Co.-Owned) $91.8K–$373.5K Bojangles’ Famous 19,463/1,363 277/0 Chicken ’n Biscuits TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) Chicken, biscuits, iced tea 51/13 154/1 43/5 STARTUP COST 5 13 $1.4M–$2.2M Champs Chicken Great Harvest TOTAL UNITS Fried chicken, 4 10 Franchising (Franchised / Co.-Owned) friedfish,sides Biggby Coee Philly Pretzel Bread bakeries 426/314 STARTUP COST Specialty coee, tea, Factory STARTUP COST $9K–$349K smoothies, baked goods Soft pretzels $242.6K–$589.8K TOTAL UNITS STARTUP COST (Franchised / Co. Owned) STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS $161.4K–$319.1K (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 397/0 $131.99K–$368.2K TOTAL UNITS 180/2 TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 230/0 173/10 6 Golden Chick Chicken 5 STARTUP COST Scooter’s Coee $235.5K–$484K Espresso drinks, smoothies, pastries TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co. Owned) STARTUP COST 156/14 $334K–$514K TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 7 149/18 Chicken Salad Chick Chicken salads, soups, sides 6 STARTUP COST Dunn Brothers $439.5K–$604.5K Coee TOTAL UNITS Specialty coee, tea, (Franchised / Co. Owned) baked goods, sandwiches, 68/17 soups, salads STARTUP COST $388.2K–$616.4K 8 TOTAL UNITS Hurricane (Franchised / Co.-Owned) Grill & Wings/ 78/4 Hurricane BTW Chicken wings, tenders, sandwiches, salads 7 STARTUP COST Drnk coee + tea $225.3K–$969K and Qwench juice bar TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co. Owned) Espresso, coee, tea, 55/8 smoothies, juices, sandwiches STARTUP COST $301.2K–$728.9K COFFEE TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co. Owned) 14/2 1 8 Dunkin’ Donuts The Coee Beanery Coee, doughnuts, Coee, tea, / baked goods sandwiches, salads Coee Dunkin’ Donuts STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $228.6K–$1.7M $185K–$466.5K TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS “AMERICA RUNS ON DUNKIN’,” as the brand’s classic slogan goes. Now it’s literally (Franchised / Co. Owned) (Franchised / Co. Owned) 12,538/0 67/2 true. To mark this past April’s Boston Marathon, the Massachusetts-based chain teamed up with Massachusetts-based shoe company Saucony to create running shoes adorned with coffee, doughnut, and sprinkles graphics in Dunkin’s colors:

pink, orange, and brown. BRANDS DUNKIN’ PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF

86 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 A FIT FOR EVERYONE.

This father and son team are part of a diverse group of franchise owners that includes doctors, lawyers, C-level executives, multi- brand entrepreneurs and even a former NFL quarterback. They’ve all chosen Retro Fitness to grow and expand their investment portfolios in the $24 billion health and wellness industry and are united by a common goal: to deliver the very best personalized wÌiÃÃiÝ«iÀiViwÌÌ}>ÞiLiÀ½ÃLÕ`}iÌ°

BobPolizzano&BobPolizzanoJr. Retro Fitness Franchise Owners, Philadelphia, PA

Flexible,manager-runbusinesswithastreamlinedsetofoperationsthatprovidefranchiseownerspredictable monthly income based on membership, plus additional revenue streams that maximize earning potential.

TOPCLUBSAVERAGESALES ,, TOPCLUBSAVERAGEEBITDA , TOP CLUBS HAVE MORE THAN MEMBER as seen on

AverageGrossSalesfortheTop10%ofRetroFitnessclubsoperatingduringtheperiod04/01/2017to03/31/2018.Top10%includes13clubs.4oftheseclubs,or30%,attainedorexceededtheaverage.AverageEBITDAfortheTop10%asshownin2016FederalTaxReturns submitted.Top10%includes10clubs.3oftheseclubs,or30%,attainedorexceededthisaverage.Average#ofMembersforTop10%asof03/31/2018.TheTop10%includes13clubs,4ofwhichattainedorsurpassedthestatedaverage.ReadItem19ofourApril30,2018 (&&KPKVUGPVKTGV[HQTCFFKVKQPCNKPHQTOCVKQPKORQTVCPVFGƂPGFVGTOUCUUWORVKQPUCPFSWCNKƂGTUTGNCVGFVQVJGUGƂIWTGU#PGYHTCPEJKUGGoUTGUWNVU OC[ FKHHGT HTQO VJG TGRTGUGPVGF RGTHQTOCPEG 6JGTG KU PQ CUUWTCPEG VJCV [QW YKNN FQ CU YGNN CPF [QW OWUV CEEGRV VJCV TKUM 6JKU advertisement is not an offering. This information is not intended as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for information purposes only. Offerings are made by prospectus only. ©2018 Retro Fitness LLC. All rights reserved. The List

9 6 13 17 2 6 Aroma Joe’s Coee Bahama Buck’s Carvel Ice Cream sweetFrog Denny’s Hooters Specialty coee Shaved ice, fruit smoothies Ice cream, ice cream cakes Premium Family restaurants Casual restaurants STARTUP COST STARTUP COST STARTUP COST Frozen Yogurt STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $183.7K–$578K $233.3K–$770.5K $250.6K–$415.5K Self-serve frozen yogurt $228K–$2.5M $956.5K–$4.3M TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) $221K–$439.5K (Franchised / Co. Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 55/1 104/4 398/0 1,549/172 229/197 TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co. Owned) 10 7 14 200/71 3 7 It’s A Grind Ben & Jerry’s Cold Stone la Madeleine French Gyu-Kaku Japanese Coee House Ice cream, frozen yogurt, Creamery 18 Bakery & Café BBQ Restaurant Specialty coee sorbet, smoothies Ice cream, sorbet Paciugo French bakeries and cafés Japanese barbecue restaurants STARTUP COST STARTUP COST STARTUP COST Gelato Cae STARTUP COST $181.2K–$488.8K $156.4K–$486K $50.2K–$467.5K Gelato, pastries, beverages $1.5M–$2.3M STARTUP COST $785.3K–$2.1M TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) $103.5K–$455K (Franchised / Co. Owned) TOTAL UNITS 25/0 557/29 1,238/10 48/32 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS 702/20 (Franchised / Co. Owned) 8 15 32/4 4 FROZEN Dippin’ Dots Popbar Black Bear Diners 8 DESSERTS Franchising Gelato, sorbetto, and Family restaurants Old Chicago Specialty ice cream, frozen frozen yogurt on a stick STARTUP COST Pizza & Taproom yogurt, ices, sorbet FULL-SERVICE Pizza, pasta, burgers, STARTUP COST RESTAURANTS $912.8K–$1.8M STARTUP COST $217K–$458.4K salads, craft beer $112.2K–$366.95K TOTAL UNITS 1 TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co. Owned) STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 64/33 $1.4M–$2.2M Culver (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 28/1 TOTAL UNITS Franchising 212/1 1 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) System Golden Corral 5 34/72 Frozen custard, 16 Restaurants specialty burgers Brass Tap 9 Sub Zero Franchise Family steakhouses, Craft-beer bars STARTUP COST Marble Slab Ice cream, Italian ice, buets, and bakeries 9 $1.8M–$4.3M Creamery frozen yogurt, custard STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $791.97K–$1.3M The Greene Turtle TOTAL UNITS Ice cream, frozen yogurt, STARTUP COST $2.1M–$6.2M Sports Bar & Grille (Franchised / Co.-Owned) baked goods TOTAL UNITS Family restaurants and $239.5K–$484.5K TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co. Owned) 623/8 sports bars STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 46/1 $293.1K–$376.1K (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 402/69 STARTUP COST 2 TOTAL UNITS 49/3 $1.5M–$2.7M (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS Baskin-Robbins 335/0 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) Ice cream, frozen yogurt, 33/11 frozen beverages STARTUP COST 10 $93.6K–$401.8K Yogurtland TOTAL UNITS Franchising (Franchised / Co.-Owned) Self-serve frozen yogurt 7,982/0 STARTUP COST $309.3K–$702K 3 TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) Freddy’s Frozen 316/12 Custard & Steakburgers Frozen custard, 11 steakburgers, hot dogs Bruster’s Real STARTUP COST Ice Cream $592.8K–$1.99M Ice cream, frozen yogurt, TOTAL UNITS ices, sherbets (Franchised / Co.-Owned) STARTUP COST 249/18 $270.2K–$1.3M TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 4 195/2 Dairy Queen Ice cream, burgers, chicken STARTUP COST 12 $1.1M–$1.9M Creamistry Food Franchising’s Top Two Trends TOTAL UNITS Ice cream (Franchised / Co. Owned) STARTUP COST 6,753/2 $224.5K–$576.5K TOTAL UNITS e asked the top food franchisors to tell us what trends they’re seeing. Two (Franchised / Co. Owned) 5 50/2 responses came up over and over: portability and smaller portions. That’s why Kona Ice Shaved-ice trucks PENN STATION EAST COAST SUBS, which hasn’t changed its menu in 10 years, STARTUP COST is now offering wrap versions of all its sandwiches, and why PITA PIT now offers a $120.2K–$143K TOTAL UNITS “smaller” option on all its wraps. Italian food doesn’t lend itself so readily to eating (Franchised / Co. Owned) 894/14 on the go, so FAZOLI’S got creative with items like Breadstick Sliders (above). These and other “Anytime Snacks” have increased sales in Fazoli’s Indianapolis locations

by 4.1 percent since January, and will be launched system-wide this summer. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF FAZOLI’S

88 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 THE HOME IMPROVEMENT INDUSTRY IS BOOMING ADD YOUR CITY TO OUR NATIONAL TEAM OF CONCRETE COATING PROFESSIONALS Garage Force franchises offer high demand concrete coatings in residential and commercial markets.

*

www.garageforce.com

This advertisement does not constitute an offer to sell a franchise. The offer of a franchise can be made only through the delivery of a Franchise Disclosure Document (“FDD”). Certain states require that we register our FDD. The communications on this ad are not directed by us to the residents of any of those states. We will not offer or sell franchises in those states until we have registered To start down the path to your Garage Force franchise the franchise and delivered the FDD to the prospective franchisee in compliance with applicable law. call (855)436-7230 or visit www.garageforce.com/franchise * Financing subject to credit approval. The List

10 17 Rock & Brews Bar Louie Franchising Restaurants and bars Restaurants and bars STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $763.5K–$3.4M $1.5M–$2.5M TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 26/98 16/2 18 11 HuHot Mongolian The Melting Pot Grills Restaurants Mongolian grill restaurants Fondue restaurants STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $984K–$1.2M $969.2K–$1.4M TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 49/12 119/3 19 12 Quaker Steak & Lube Bualo Wings Chicken wings, burgers, & Rings salads, steaks Sports restaurants STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $473.5K–$4.1M $1.3M–$2.4M TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 32/18 74/3 20 13 East Coast Native Grill and Wings + Grill Wings Franchising Bualo wings and Restaurants and craft beer sports bars STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $660.6K–$1.1M $998K–$2.6M TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 34/2 34/2 21 14 Johnny Rockets Eggs Up Grill Burger restaurants Breakfast and lunch STARTUP COST restaurants $605.5K–$1.1M STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS $510.4K–$887.9K (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS 379/23 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 24/0 22 Pepe’s Mexican 15 Restaurants Hwy 55 Burgers, Mexican restaurants Shakes & Fries STARTUP COST ’50s-style diners $207K–$652K STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS $196.9K–$396.1K (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS 45/0 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 117/17 23 The Flying Biscuit 16 Café Arooga’s Grille Southern food and House & Sports Bar breakfast REPRINTS Sports-themed STARTUP COST restaurants and bars $442.5K–$737K STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS $1.3M–$3.99M (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 13/1 TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) For Article Reprints, Permissions and 4/10 24 Content Licensing Contact our Partner: Russo’s New York PARS International Corp. Pizzeria Pizza, pasta, soups, salads, sandwiches, desserts STARTUP COST EntrepreneurReprints.com | (212) 221-9595 $451.4K–$1.4M TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 37/6 25 28 31 2 5 8 Lumberjacks Boomarang Diner The Lost Cajun Sonic Drive-In Jack in the Box Wayback Burgers Restaurant Franchising Cajun restaurants Restaurants Burgers Burgers, fries, onion rings, shakes Family restaurants ’50s-and-’60s-themed STARTUP COST Burgers, hot dogs, chicken STARTUP COST restaurants sandwiches, breakfast, STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $207.6K–$614K $1.5M–$2.9M ice cream, beverages $209K–$524.5K $427.8K–$1.3M STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS $109.8K–$508.1K (Franchised / Co. Owned) STARTUP COST (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS $1.1M–$2.4M (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS 11/2 1,858/394 6/4 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS 122/3 48/0 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 32 3,212/345 6 26 DoubleDave’s Checkers and 9 Beef O’Brady’s 29 Pizzaworks Rally’s Restaurants Mooyah Burgers, Growler USA – Pizza and craft beer 3 Burgers, fries Fries & Shakes Family Sports Pub Hardee’s Family sports restaurants America’s Burgers, fries, shakes STARTUP COST Burgers, chicken, biscuits STARTUP COST Microbrew Pub STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $322.5K–$499.5K $96.4K–$1.5M Craft beer, wine, STARTUP COST $797.7K–$1.3M $412.8K–$620K kombucha, food TOTAL UNITS $1.4M–$1.9M TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co. Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS STARTUP COST (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 28/2 TOTAL UNITS 567/284 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 159/13 $556.1K–$895.5K 92/3 2,111/115 TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 7 27 13/1 HAMBURGERS Farmer Boys 10 4 Restaurants BurgerFi CiCi’s Pizza Carl’s Jr. All-you-can-eat Burgers, breakfast, Burgers, hot dogs, pizza buets 30 Restaurants sandwiches, salads, sides fries, onion rings, Bualo’s Cafe Burgers custard, craft beer STARTUP COST STARTUP COST Bualo wings restaurants 1 STARTUP COST $222.5K–$1M McDonald’s STARTUP COST $1.1M–$1.6M STARTUP COST $1.4M–$1.95M $720K–$968.5K TOTAL UNITS Burgers, chicken, salads, TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) $407.4K–$1M beverages TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 380/50 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 55/34 TOTAL UNITS STARTUP COST (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 1,536/80 84/15 19/1 $1M–$2.2M TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 34,108/3,133 The List

MEXICAN FOOD 4 7 10 3 6 Moe’s Southwest TacoTime Bubbakoo’s Burritos Orion Food Systems Golden Krust Grill Mexican food Mexican food Fast-food systems for Franchising nontraditional markets Mexican food STARTUP COST STARTUP COST Caribbean-style food STARTUP COST $144.7K–$814.1K $161K–$426K STARTUP COST STARTUP COST 1 $59.5K–$140K $368.9K–$956.4K TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS $159.2K–$564K Taco Bell (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co. Owned) Mexican food TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 274/0 5/11 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) STARTUP COST 677/5 996/0 108/10 $525.1K–$2.6M TOTAL UNITS 8 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 5 Quesada Burritos MISC. 4 7 5,889/797 Qdoba Mexican Eats & Tacos QUICK-SERVICE Bar-B-Cutie Captain D’s Mexican food Mexican food RESTAURANTS SmokeHouse Seafood Barbecue 2 STARTUP COST STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $871K–$2M $209K–$290.5K STARTUP COST $781K–$1.1M Fuzzy’s Taco Shop $266.99K–$2.1M Baja-style Mexican food TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 1 TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) STARTUP COST 348/381 85/3 Wienerschnitzel (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 230/305 $597K–$1.3M Hot dogs, ice cream 10/2 TOTAL UNITS STARTUP COST (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 6 9 8 117/7 Chronic Tacos Taco Bueno $303.6K–$1.4M 5 Hot Dog on a Stick Enterprises Mexican food TOTAL UNITS Zoup! Systems Corn dogs, lemonade, fries, (Franchised / Co.-Owned) Soups, salads, sandwiches funnel cakes 3 Mexican food STARTUP COST 320/0 Del Taco STARTUP COST $639K–$1.6M STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $299K–$799K $372.7K–$568.8K $338.2K–$556K Mexican/American food TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS 2 TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS STARTUP COST (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 22/160 Dickey’s (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) $859.7K–$2.1M 42/5 Barbecue Pit 98/3 26/63 TOTAL UNITS Barbecue (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 252/303 STARTUP COST $289.9K–$421.2K TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 549/5 9 12 15 PIZZA 4 7 Urban Bar-B-Que Dog Haus Cousins Maine Blaze Donatos Barbecue International Lobster Fast-Fire’d Pizza Pizza, subs, salads STARTUP COST Hot dogs, sausages, Lobster food trucks Assembly-line pizza STARTUP COST burgers $182.7K–$365.2K STARTUP COST 1 STARTUP COST $361.4K–$697.4K TOTAL UNITS STARTUP COST $145.9K–$359.9K $397.5K–$989.5K TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) $423.4K–$990.1K Papa John’s (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 10/3 TOTAL UNITS International TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 104/55 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 11/2 Pizza 198/5 27/1 STARTUP COST 10 $130.1K–$844.4K 8 Newk’s Eatery 16 TOTAL UNITS 5 Hungry Howie’s Sandwiches, salads, soups, 13 Grabbagreen (Franchised / Co.-Owned) Jet’s Pizza Pizza & Subs pizzas, desserts Jazen Tea Gluten-free food, juices, 4,410/645 Pizza, subs, salads, wings, Pizza, subs, calzones, STARTUP COST Fruit and bubble teas, smoothies dessert bread, wings, salads slushies, smoothies, snacks $932K–$1.1M STARTUP COST STARTUP COST STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS STARTUP COST $282.7K–$412.5K 2 $470K–$651K $251.4K–$495.9K (Franchised / Co.-Owned) $118K–$197.5K Marco’s Pizza 90/22 TOTAL UNITS Pizza, subs, wings, cheese TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 18/4 bread 360/38 518/30 7/11 STARTUP COST 11 $222.8K–$663.8K Fazoli’s 17 TOTAL UNITS 6 9 Franchising 14 D.P. Dough (Franchised / Co.-Owned) Round Table Rosati’s Pizza Systems Saladworks Calzones, wings, sides, 894/0 Franchise Pizza, Italian food Italian food Salads, sandwiches, wraps, salads, desserts Pizza panini, soups STARTUP COST STARTUP COST STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $131.2K–$1.2M STARTUP COST $291.5K–$487.8K 3 $646.2K–$1.7M $423.5K–$831.3K TOTAL UNITS $498.1K–$592.2K Pizza Hut (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS Pizza, pasta, wings TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 127/13 91/122 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 24/3 STARTUP COST 371/71 92/1 $302K–$2.2M TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 14,645/352

PROVEN SYSTEM TO BUY & SELL HOUSES Now may be Be your own boss with continuous mentoring and franchise support. FINANCING FOR QUALIFYING ACQUISITION & REPAIRS the perfect time We make it easy to keep your business running smoothly. ONGOING SUPPORT to invest in Learn business strategies from the franchise system that has purchased real estate. over 85,000 homes since 1996. VALUECHEK® Take the guesswork out of estimating repairs with a sophisticated software system that helps you steer clear from making costly mistakes.

You are in the right location at the right time to be a HomeVestors® franchisee, what are you waiting for?

™© HomeVestorsFranchise.com | 800-237-3522 *Each franchise ofice is independently owned and operated. The List

10 14 18 22 RETAIL FOOD 8 Villa Italian Kitchen LaRosa’s Pizzeria Figaro’s Pizza Gatti’s Pizza Dream Dinners Pizza, Italian food Pizza, Italian food Pizza, take-and-bake pizza Pizza, pasta, salad, and Meal-assembly sessions STARTUP COST STARTUP COST STARTUP COST sandwich buets STARTUP COST $296.95K–$894K $729.2K–$1.9M $111K–$546K STARTUP COST 1 $299.2K–$473K TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS $1.3M–$5.6M TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co. Owned) Edible (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 97/151 52/12 49/0 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) Arrangements 74/7 39/2 Sculpted fresh-fruit bouquets 11 15 19 STARTUP COST 9 Pizza Factory Papa Murphy’s Your Pie 23 $195.5K–$327.7K Happy & Healthy Pizza, pasta, sandwiches Take-and-bake pizza Assembly-line pizza Flippin’ Pizza TOTAL UNITS Products (Franchised / Co. Owned) STARTUP COST STARTUP COST STARTUP COST Pizza, salads, appetizers, Frozen fruit bars $156K–$643.5K beer and wine 1,239/6 $274.6K–$499.2K $364.8K–$610K STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS STARTUP COST $50.1K–$92.6K (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co. Owned) $220.7K–$513.4K 107/1 2 TOTAL UNITS 1,397/148 43/2 TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) Kilwins Chocolates 52/0 12 17/2 Franchise 16 20 Chocolates, fudge, ice Ledo Pizza cream Pizza, subs, pasta Cottage Inn Pizza Urban Bricks Pizza 10 Pizza Assembly-line pizza and 24 STARTUP COST IceBorn STARTUP COST salads Pizza 9 $392.5K–$591.5K Ice and water vending $126.3K–$442K STARTUP COST $200K–$350K STARTUP COST Pizza TOTAL UNITS machines (Franchised / Co. Owned) TOTAL UNITS $281K–$757.8K STARTUP COST STARTUP COST (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS 107/2 102/0 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS $65.6K–$389.98K $27.1K–$213.5K (Franchised / Co. Owned) 47/9 TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS 11/1 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 3 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 13 22/2 76/103 17 Beef Jerky Outlet Fox’s Pizza Den Franchise Pizza, sandwiches, wings, Toppers Pizza 21 salads Pizza, breadsticks, wings The Pizza Press 25 Jerky, sausages, 11 Assembly-line pizza specialty foods STARTUP COST STARTUP COST Pizza Schmizza STARTUP COST Doc Popcorn $111.6K–$210.1K $292.1K–$530.7K STARTUP COST Pizza $215.8K–$394.9K Kettle-cooked popcorn $455.4K–$791.5K STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS STARTUP COST (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) $91K–$546K TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co. Owned) $39.5K–$345.1K 230/0 56/21 (Franchised / Co. Owned) TOTAL UNITS 94/7 14/2 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 22/2 4 112/1 HoneyBaked Ham Specialty foods, 12 catering, cafés Craft Beer Cellar STARTUP COST Beer stores and tap rooms $299.2K–$468.2K STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS $60.3K–$182K (Franchised / Co. Owned) TOTAL UNITS 206/198 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 32/1 5 Watermill Express 13 Franchising Totally Nutz Water and ice vending Cinnamon-glazed almonds, machines pecans, and cashews STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $460K–$586.8K $57.4K–$246K TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co. Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 305/996 32/10 6 14 The Spice & Tea WineStyles Exchange Tasting Station Spices, teas, related Wine, craft beer, food, products events, wine and beer club memberships Misc. Quick / STARTUP COST $200.6K–$356.2K STARTUP COST $230.5K–$475.5K Cousins Maine Lobster TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co. Owned) TOTAL UNITS 55/1 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 13/2 MOST RESTAURANT FRANCHISES offerhands-ontrainingtotheirfranchisees, 7 butCousinsMaineLobstergoestheextranauticalmile.Thebrandpridesitself Rocky Mountain 15 Chocolate Factory Schakolad on serving wild-caught, sustainably harvested lobster from Maine—and wants Chocolates, confections Chocolate Factory European-style chocolates, itsfranchiseestounderstandfirsthandexactlywhatthatmeans.Sofounders STARTUP COST coee, gelato $191.3K–$363K STARTUP COST SabinLomacandJimTselikistakeeachnewfranchiseeonathree-daytripto TOTAL UNITS $121.5K–$153.5K (Franchised / Co. Owned) theirhometownsinMaine,wheretheyboardalobsterboatandgettowork 250/4 TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned)

baitingandhaulinglobstertraps. 20/1 PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF COUSINS MAINE LOBSTER

94 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 ACHIEVE THE POWER OF FINANCIAL STABILITY.

Register for the 2018 International Franchise Expo and be the hero you’ve always wanted to be.

MAY 31-JUNE 2, 2018 THE JAVITS CENTER • NEW YORK, NY REGISTER FOR FREE AT IFEINFO.COM USE PROMO CODE GPENT

Sponsored By Supported By #IFE2018 The List

SANDWICHES 4 7 10 13 16 Subway Charleys Philly Roy Rogers Potbelly Pita Pit Subs, salads Steaks Restaurants Sandwich Shop Pita sandwiches and salads STARTUP COST Philly cheesesteaks, fries, Roast beef sandwiches, Toasted sandwiches STARTUP COST lemonade chicken, burgers 1 $147.1K–$320.7K STARTUP COST $197.6K–$410.3K TOTAL UNITS STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $564.1K–$782.7K TOTAL UNITS Jimmy John’s (Franchised / Co.-Owned) $225.6K–$532.2K $868.3K–$1.6M (Franchised / Co.-Owned) Gourmet TOTAL UNITS 44,608/0 TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 612/16 Sandwiches (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 55/424 Sandwiches 519/56 30/24 STARTUP COST 5 17 $329.5K–$557.5K Arby’s Restaurant 8 11 14 Mr. Goodcents TOTAL UNITS Group Erbert & Gerbert’s Franchise Systems (Franchised / Co.-Owned) Sandwiches, fries, shakes Penn Station Schlotzsky’s Sandwich Shop Subs, pasta 2,657/63 Sandwiches, pizza, salads STARTUP COST East Coast Subs Subs, soups STARTUP COST Grilled subs $271.95K–$1.8M STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $156.97K–$306.5K $503.8K–$787.98K 2 TOTAL UNITS STARTUP COST $191K–$381.5K TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) $293.1K–$593K (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS Jersey Mike’s Subs (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 2,313/1,032 TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 78/2 Subs (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 339/25 93/4 STARTUP COST 309/1 $193.2K–$660.4K 6 12 18 TOTAL UNITS McAlister’s Deli 15 Cousins Subs (Franchised / Co.-Owned) Sandwiches, salads, 9 Capriotti’s Togo’s Hot/cold subs, salads, 1,219/58 baked potatoes Which Wich Sandwich Shop Specialty sandwiches, soups, desserts STARTUP COST Superior Subs salads, soups, wraps STARTUP COST 3 $762K–$2M Sandwiches STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $182.2K–$622K TOTAL UNITS Sandwiches $350K–$815.3K $274K–$508.7K TOTAL UNITS Firehouse Subs (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS Subs 355/32 $203K–$495.3K (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 79/22 STARTUP COST 87/14 225/12 TOTAL UNITS $94.8K–$1.1M (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS 435/3 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 1,049/37

CHECK OUT THE NEW FRANCHISE.org!

WHAT’S YOUR WEBSITE’S ROI?

Written to help marketers—from the Fortune 1000 to small business owners and solopreneurs—turn their websites from cost centers into profit centers, The Digital Marketing Handbook teaches you the proven models and processes for generating a steady stream of traffi c, conversions, leads, opt-ins, and sales.

™ entm.ag/digitalmarketing ADVERTORIAL 5STEPSTOBUILDING YOUR OWN ENTERPRISE

By Michael Glauser the NERCM model are working in your favor. GENUINE NEED • CREDIBLE EXPERIENCE 1. START WITH A CLEAR PURPOSE ADEQUATE RESOURCES • PAYING CUSTOMERS SOUND BUSINESS MODEL Having a motivating purpose is a critical foundation for building a successful company. It is not enough by itself, but he more these factors are present in your new venture, it is an important starting point. Make sure you get your start- the greater your probability for success. ing point down before you jump into something that doesn’t create staying power for you, your team, or your customers. 4. DEVELOP YOUR SUPPORTING CAST Successful entrepreneurs build a supporting cast of people 2. BUILD ON WHAT YOU KNOW around them in three ways: First, they develop a brain trust A strong and motivating purpose is critical to long-term of mentors who advise them for free. Second, they ind business success, but a variety of opportunities can help passionate team members who believe in their cause. And you fulill that purpose. he important thing is to do some- third, they create strategic partnerships that facilitate the thing you already know a lot about that is consistent with growth of their business. It’s all about relationships: he your “Why.” Explore experiences and opportunities in more win-win ailiations you create, the more successful your given industry, related industries, and industries you you will be—plain and simple! understand as a customer from frequent exposure to the products, services, and pain points. Building on what you 5. MAXIMIZE ALL AVAILABLE RESOURCES know will be critical to your success. Successful business builders don’t just start of lean but continue to orchestrate eiciencies while growing their 3. LAUNCH OPPORTUNITIES, NOT IDEAS business. his sharp eye for “creating more from less” ofers You need to make sure you launch a true business opportu- a tremendous competitive advantage. Being the low-cost nity, not just an idea. Determine if the i ve components of operator in an industry allows you to: 1. maintain market prices and reap larger margins than your competitors or 2. lower your prices and quickly pick up market share.

Looking to find what it takes to create a successful and thriving business, lifelong entrepreneur, business consultant and university professor Michael Glauser geared up for an adventure. Riding more than 4,000 miles in 45 days, Glauser spent 246 hours on a bike seat, climbed 155,000 vertical feet, visited more than 100 cities across the country, and interviewed 100 small-town entrepreneurs.

FIND OUT WHAT IT REALLY TAKES TO START, RUN, AND GROW YOUR OWN BUSINESS. BUY THE BOOK TODAY.

#MainStreetEntrepreneur entm.ag/mainstreetentrepreneur The List

19 Deli Delicious SMOOTHIES/ Sandwiches, salads, sides JUICES STARTUP COST $217.9K–$462.2K TOTAL UNITS 1 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 50/0 Smoothie King Smoothies, healthful snacks, health products 20 STARTUP COST Tubby’s Sub Shop $225.7K–$778.2K Subs TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) STARTUP COST 876/26 $102.9K–$283.5K TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 59/0 2 Tropical Smoothie Cafe 21 Smoothies, sandwiches, Groucho’s Deli wraps, salads, soups, Subs, salads, sauces coee drinks STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $82.5K–$380.8K $222.8K–$525.4K TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 32/1 644/1 22 3 PrimoHoagies Juice It Up! Franchising Raw and cold-pressed Italian subs juices, smoothies, acai and pitaya bowls, healthful STARTUP COST snacks $196.2K–$351.5K STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS $216.4K–$378.3K (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS 89/0 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 88/2 23 Great Wraps 4 Hot wrapped sandwiches, Nekter Juice Bar cheesesteaks, rice bowls, salads, smoothies Juices, smoothies, acai bowls, non-dairy ice cream STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $159.5K–$485.5K $201.5K–$452.6K TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 63/0 38/46 24 5 Lenny’s Grill & Subs Robeks Fresh Juices Subs, Philly cheesesteaks, salads & Smoothies Juices, smoothies, bowls STARTUP COST $188.2K–$396.1K STARTUP COST $245K–$329.5K TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS 96/2 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 84/0 25 Jon Smith Subs 6 Grilled subs Surf City Squeeze Smoothies, fruit drinks, STARTUP COST nutritional supplements $309K–$625.9K STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS $64.4K–$309.8K (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 3/7 TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 26 91/0 The Great Steak & 7 Potato Company NrGize Lifestyle Philly cheesesteaks, fries, baked potatoes Cafe Smoothies, meal- STARTUP COST replacement shakes, $133.5K–$519.1K protein bars TOTAL UNITS STARTUP COST (Franchised / Co.-Owned) $57.9K–$341.1K 67/0 TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 87/0 ADVERTISEMENT Free Information From Advertisers

Visit entrepreneur.com/freeinfo now to receive more information from the franchise and business opportunities advertisers in this month’s Entrepreneur®. Simply take a minute to quickly enter your selections online to learn more about any of these opportunities! 1. Bubbakoo’s 12. Lil’ Orbits 2. Camp Bow Wow 13. Marco’s Pizza 3. Cruise Planners 14. Merchant Lynx Services 4. Crunch Franchise 15. PuroClean 5. Dream Vacations 16. Retro Fitness 6. Express Employment 17. Shred415 Professionals 18. SiempreTax+ 7. Firehouse Subs 19. Subway 8. Garage Force 20. The Franchise Insiders 9. Gatti’s Pizza 21. Totally Nutz 10. HomeVestors of America 22. VaporFi 11. Le Macaron French Pastries HOW TO SUCCEED IN 2018 ss, Gynerchuk, hers Your Go to entrepreneur.com/freeinfo now to make your selection and get more pity information fast! Or, you can also fill out this form, circle your selections Venus Williams above, and then fax or mail back your request. Rdefines

Hu le December 2017 Ent epreneur com Please check appropriate boxes: Re nvents Itself ssa Masters Hol days Pleases Everyone 1. Are you considering starting/buying an additional business? 1/ Yes 2/ No 2. If “yes,” when are you planning to start/buy an additional business? 3/ In the next 6 months 4/ 7 to 12 months 5/ 13 to 24 months 6/ More than 24 months 7/ Not sure 3. How much do you plan to invest in the purchase of your business? 8/ Less than $50,000 9/ $50,000-$99,999 10/ $100,000-$499,999 11/ $500,000+ Please print clearly: Name______Title______Company______Address______City______State______ZIP______Phone (_____)______Fax (_____)______e-mail ______

Fax to (888) 847-6035 or mail to Entrepreneur®, P.O. Box 413050, Naples, FL 34101-3050

Expires 11/30/2018 ADVERTISEMENT OPPORTUNITY

One of these opportunities could mark the turning point to owning a business of your own, realizing your personal dreams and securing true financial independence. So go ahead, make your first move by considering all that they have to offer in this Opportunity Spotlight. Then make your first call.

Take Control Of Your Financial Future! Be Your Own Boss! Own a Lil' Orbits mini-donut operation. It's fun, flexible and profitable. We love it! You will too. You can't be Make the money you want, when you want. laid-off or fired! Guarantee your job security and stop worrying! Besides the 80% profit margin, the best part is selling our delicious snack food to happy customers. Turn-key programs make it easy to get started. Call toll free for complete information. Made in the USA Ask about the Lil' Orbits FREE INFO KIT and lifetime warranty. Lil’Orbits, Inc. 1-800-228-8305 Department 1745 (Ext. 1745) 8900 109th Avenue, Ste 100 Fax: 763-559-7545 Champlin, MN 55316 www.lilorbits.com If you write to us, please include your phone number! E-mail: [email protected]

TO ADVERTISE IN THIS SECTION, PLEASE CALL 800-864-6864. You’ve got the idea and Preparation is key to your Your success is driven by your the passion; now learn what success—uncover valuable ability to lead—discover strategies you need to know to hit the tools to establish and grow and techniques to improve your ground running your business leadership skills

B.S. Time anagement e Innovation nchise Bible trepreneurs ntality

The Finance Your Tax and Legal Total Business Playbook Alignment

trepreneur ces on rt Your Own ective siness mplify adership

Whether establishing your operations or spreading the word, no matter what stage Learn how to position yourself Reach millions—discover how Learn the skills you need to grow in the marketplace, attract to gain visibility and close your business through successful new customers, and keep deals in the world’s largest networking and profi table habits them coming back marketplace from the masters

Ultimate B.S. Guide Guide to Powerful Google ink Big, esentations AdWords Bigger

Ultimate Guide to Dynamic Facebook Networking Communication Advertising Like a Pro

Ultimate Guide to 20 Sales Instagram llion Dollar d Marketing for Business bits

of your business you’re in, we’ve got the resources to help you succeed. Visit en m An Old Book’s New Purpose by Jenna Dunaway, founder, JennaBenna

ince I was little, I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. can, I think I can…” My mom was a successful entrepreneur, and I used to take a wagon around the neighborhood and do that little engine was her: I’m gonna do this. People may not believe I roving garage sales. I always had this desire to do can. But I’m gonna do this. something. Now I was a mother, and I thought about that book a lot. As an adult, I tried lots of things, but nothing clicked. One day, out of the blue, a woman approached me. She made I taught. I worked at State Farm. I even went to law those lettered shirts they sell to sororities and asked if I’d buy them school. I met my husband there, but otherwise it was wholesale to sell on my site. I did. It went well, but I didn’t like s torture. I hated it. someone else dealing with the end product. I wanted to make it When I became pregnant with our first child, we decided I’d stay myself. But I had no idea how. home with the baby. But the deal was that I had to make up some So I sent my husband to Louisiana to get a used embroidery sort of income. After doing some research, I had an idea. machine. He drove it back, and we sat in my parents’ garage one I’d been in a sorority in college, and back then most of the sorority Sunday and figured out—without a manual—how to cut the letters gear available was pretty crappy. So I found a company that sold jew- and sew them on the shirt. We pushed and we pushed and we did it. elry that they’d engrave with sorority letters. I had no background in That shirt was the most hideous-looking thing, but we did it. computers or tech, but as I nursed the baby, I set up an online shop Now I make and sell those shirts, we have seven full-time staffers, to sell this jewelry. I called it JennaBenna, and had this grand illu- and we’re on target to hit a million in revenue this year. And I still sion that I’d start this business and—boom!—everyone would start have my tattered copy of The Little Engine That Could. I’ve read it buying. They didn’t. I kept trying different things. Nothing worked. to my three kids so many times that it’s become a family mantra. It’s I struggled. I maxed out our credit card. funny—sometimes someone will say, “I can’t do it,” and my kids are That’s where the book comes in. When I was little, my parents like, “No! You need to be like the little train! You need to say, I think read me The Little Engine That Could. A lot. You know—“I think I I can!” It’s so nice to be able to pass it along.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU? Tellusaboutastory,aperson,anobject,orsomethingelsethatpushesyouforward,andwemayincludeitinafutureissue.Andwemaymakeyou photograph or illustrate it, too. Email [email protected] with the subject line “WHAT INSPIRES ME.” PHOTOGRAPH BY SCOT LERNER SCOT BY PHOTOGRAPH

104 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / June 2018 Dell recommends Windows 10 Pro.

THERE’S NOTHING SMALL ABOUT WHAT I DO. Dell Small Business Technology Advisors give you the tech, advice and one-on-one partnership to fuel your business’ growth.

TECH. ADVICE. PARTNERSHIP.

Contact an advisor today: VISIT DELL.COM/SMALLBUSINESSPARTNER CALL 877-BUY-DELL

VOSTRO 15 5000 Starting at $549

*Ofers subject to change. Taxes, shipping, and other fees apply. Dell reserves the right to cancel orders arising from pricing or other errors. Intel, the Intel Logo, Intel Inside, Intel Core, and Core Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries. Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Screens simulated, subject to change. Windows Store apps sold separately. App availability and experience may vary by market. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. © 2018 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. 243737b UNLIMITED 2% CASH BACK TO KEEP YOUR BUSINESS GROWING

ĕġĬĠ ĬĠĝ đĨęĪģ® āęīĠ āęĪĜ ĞĪħĥ āęĨġĬęĤ čĦĝ® ıħĭ ĝęĪĦ UNLIMITED 2% CASH BACK ħĦ ĝĩĭġĨĥĝĦĬ ġĦĮĝĦĬħĪı ęĜĮĝĪĬġīġĦğ ęĦĜ ĝĮĝĪıĬĠġĦğ ġĦĚĝĬįĝĝĦįĠġěĠěħĭĤĜęĜĜĭĨ Ĭħ thousands of dollars for your business.

ĊĝęĪĦĥħĪĝĚıĮġīġĬġĦğāęĨġĬęĤčĦĝěħĥ×đĥęĤĤĀĭīġĦĝīī

āĪĝĜġĬęĨĨĪħĮęĤĪĝĩĭġĪĝĜčljĝĪĝĜĚıāęĨġĬęĤčĦĝĀęĦģÕēđÿÖČÿƣ! &āęĨġĬęĤčĦĝ