Franchise Interview with Bottle & Bottega

If you have read our "About Us" page, you may have noticed that the first paragraph begins with the phrase, "Every business has a great story." Here is another one for our loyal listeners to Franchise Interviews. One day in March 2009, Stephanie King-Myers, the daughter of a French artist who had been painting her entire life, was entertaining a friend who confessed that she was green with envy of the artistic talents of King-Myers and her husband, Nick, who had attended art school. The couple convinced their friend that she could paint with the right motivation, too, as they pulled out a blank canvas and a bottle of wine. After helping her friend successfully create her first masterpiece, a business idea was born for King-Myers, who, along with her husband, had been laid off from their jobs a couple of weeks earlier. Taking advantage of her entrepreneurial spirit, King-Myers's idea blossomed into a thriving and exciting mobile business throughout Chicago's neighborhoods.

In 2010, the success and potential of the business caught the attention of franchise executive Nancy Bigley, who has more than 18 years of franchise operations experience with such brands as Baskin-Robbins, Mr. Electric, and American Leak Detection. Bigley joined the Bottle & Bottega team as co-owner and CEO in 2011, joining with King-Myers to establish a proven business model for franchise growth. A franchising program was launched in November 2011, with the first franchise sold the following month.

We are meeting with Nancy Bigley, the CEO of Bottle and Bottega.

Franchise Interview with the Gravity Vault franchise.

Lucas and Tim will go over their backgrounds, the inception story behind starting Gravity Vault, and the industry and growth of the concept. Rock climbing duo turned business partners Lucas and Time were named New Jersey State Small Businessperson of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration this year. They have 2 locations in New Jersey and are about to open their 3rd. Lucas and Tim have also trained mechanics and engineers in rappelling to perform maintenance on a 300-foot-long, $500-million-dollar Army spy blimp. After working "real jobs" through their 20s, the friend decided to pursue their passion for rock climbing as a business venture in their 30s.

ABOUT GRAVITY VAULT

Lucas Kovalcik and Tim Walsh - Avid and entrepreneurial-minded climbers - decided to open their first indoor rock gym, The Gravity Vault, in 2004. Natives of Bergen County, NJ, knew there was a need for a state-of-the-art climbing gym and wanted to share their passion for the sport. Opening the first Gravity Vault was the first step in creating a franchise. They knew how fast the sport was growing and wanted a solid foundation with at least two operating gyms before franchising. Their gyms have been featured in Fitness Magazine, the New York Times, The Bergen Record, 201 Magazine, Rockland Today Magazine, and Urban Climber Magazine, just a few publications. Gravity Vault also has been featured on Fox News and two local cable news programs. In addition to many rock-climbing awards, Kovalcik and Walsh were named co-2013 New Jersey State Small Businessperson of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Listen to the show to learn more.

Franchise Interview with My Backyard Sports

We have a scheduled meeting with Michael Kraner, the visionary behind My Backyard Sports. Established in 2017, My Backyard Sports is dedicated to delivering premium products and services, crafting unparalleled sports experiences whether at home or within the community. Specializing in tailor-made small, medium, and large-scale sports projects, the company serves a diverse clientele, encompassing residential and commercial entities such as homes, schools, churches, recreation centers, condominiums, real estate developers, and businesses. This distinctive brand introduces a valuable concept by promoting holistic well-being and encouraging both physical and psychological activity. In the subsequent section, we feature an excerpt from our Great Quotes in Franchising podcast. 

Franchise Interview with Painting with a Twist

Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney, longtime friends with a history of brainstorming business concepts, found remarkable success six years post-Hurricane Katrina with a venture that perfectly addressed a unique need in the recovering city of New Orleans — a haven for relaxation, camaraderie, and enjoyment with friends.

Reflecting on their varied ideas, from architectural salvage to science fairs, Deano shared, "We talked about concepts ranging from architectural salvage to science fairs." However, the winning concept emerged when they envisioned owning a business that hosted "painting parties" — gatherings where individuals could learn to paint, savor a glass of wine, and relish each other's company.

Driven by the desire to uplift spirits in post-Katrina New Orleans, Deano explained, "We wanted to do something to lift the spirits of people where we lived after Hurricane Katrina." Recognizing the readiness for change in both the city and themselves, the duo established their first Corks N' Canvas store in Mandeville, La., in 2007.

The success was immediate, prompting the opening of three additional studios in the New Orleans area.

Franchise Interview with Pedal Pub

We are meeting with Shane M. Dunn, Chief Development Officer of Pedal Pub.

Pedaling a party bike for entertainment would have seemed ludicrous a few years ago. Still, human-powered taverns are sweeping the nation as popular social excursions for birthday parties, bachelorette parties, and more. The pedal pubs have become fixtures in more than two dozen U.S. cities - I thought you might be interested in having the brand behind the craze on your show!

Pedal Pub is a Minneapolis-based business spearheading the bike tavern experience. Following initial success with over 40 licensed locations, the brand announced its formal franchise opportunity to grow to 1,200 bikes by 2023. 

The party bikes provide guests with a uniquely fun, safe, environmentally-friendly way for groups of eight to sixteen adults to get light exercise and fresh air while touring interesting parts of town and visiting local bars, breweries, and restaurants.

COMPANY FACTS:

Pedal Pub has 40 licensee locations across the U.S. and began franchising in April 2018.

It aims to have 1,200 bikes operating by 2023 and several new locations open by the end of 2018.

Pedal Pub costs an average of $39 for each guest seat 16 people with an additional pilot who steers the bike.

Pedal Pub was founded by Al Boyce and Eric Olson - friends who came across a party bike in Amsterdam on Facebook. The beer and fun enthusiasts traveled there to test out the concept and decided to bring it back to the United States.

Fietscafe® manufactures every Pedal Pub bike. They are known to be the highest quality and best-manufactured bikes on the road. Pedal Pub is the only concept in the industry with its parts/services provider.

Trend: The U.S. travel and tourism industry generated over $1.5 trillion in economic output in 2016, supporting more than 7.6 million U.S. jobs. The party bikes represent new downtown attractions and spice up the mundane bar-hopping experience.

Whether looking for a local night out on the town or a travel destination excursion, pedal pubs have become highly anticipated entertainment as they continue to roll out in new cities nationwide.

Franchise Interivew with Thrillz

We have a great show today. We are meeting Rob and Lisa Cannon - Founders of Thrillz, the world’s first high-flying adventure park. The Cannons recognized the growing demand for indoor family entertainment as a great business opportunity. After successful careers in finance and three years as an indoor trampoline park franchisee, they assembled a world-class team to create the next generation of adventure parks. In August of 2018, Thrillz opened its doors in Danbury, CT.

Franchise Interview with Whizzyride

Electric Scooters, Electric Bikes, Electric Skateboards and more! We have a great show today. We are meeting Jerry Szylwanski of the Whizzyride franchise opportunity. Whizzyride is a Miami-based intelligent technologies company- specializing in small electric vehicles. Whizzyride is an exclusive importer of the newest market inventions, such as electric scooters and bikes. Whizzyride provides guarantee and post-guarantee service, and the satisfaction of their clients is the most important thing for their franchise!

In Part Two, we play a clip from our Great Quotes in Franchising podcast. 

Today's show is being brought to you by Ceterus. Ceterus specializes in franchise accounting and takes care of all that work for you while giving you full access to your financial data and benchmarked reporting through their platform. If you sign up through this podcast, you will get 50% off your first two months!