74 | Business World Magazine |
April 2014
Even if you’re considering a more tradi-
tional franchise concept, you need to look
at how the corporate office helps franchisees
during rough times. For example,WeedMan,
a lawn care business, works with franchisees
to ensure they are prepared for all the out-
side factors impacting turf – including long
winters, dry seasons and unexpected storms.
Men in Kilts, another top company on
the list, is a window-washing franchise with
a twist – technicians in kilts. The service ap-
proach may be cute, but CEO Tressa Wood
says they work very hard to ensure the busi-
ness behind it is serious.
“At some point, you have to get over the
kilts and focus on differentiating the busi-
ness. Our service goes far beyond the gim-
mick,” Wood said.
From an investment standpoint, lower-
cost concepts (those requiring an average
initial investment of under $100K) like Auto
Appraisal Network and FocalPoint Coach-
ing are always well-represented among the
award-winners, but there’s also see very high
satisfaction among more expensive opportu-
nities, such as food brands (Culver’s and East
Coast Wings & Grill) and concepts like The
Goddard School, which operates early edu-
cation centers.
Generally speaking, lower-cost concepts
