Our Town America Logo
Skip to content

Why a Home-based, Low Cost Franchise is Ideal

Americans are re-evaluating their careers as they navigate social distancing guidelines, telework and remote learning, prompting many to turn to franchising as a solution that provides flexibility and high earnings potential. Whether you were already considering franchising or just trying to find a career that will allow you to fulfill your responsibilities as a parent or spouse, home-based franchises can be an affordable option to consider. Like many Americans, you may be already working from home and learning to find your footing in a telework environment. According to research from the Brookings Institution, about half of Americans are working from home. Higher-income workers are much more likely to be working from home during the pandemic, and many experts predict the telecommuting trend is unlikely to end anytime soon. If you are considering opting out of the corporate rat race, now is an ideal time to consider entrepreneurship with a home-based franchise, like Our Town America, the nation’s leader in new mover marketing. Despite a difficult time immediately following the outbreak of COVID-19, the future of franchising is bright. Experts predict franchise sales to rebound. Industry leaders are forecasting that 2021 will be one of the strongest years ever for franchising, according to Franchising.com. Job insecurity and access to debt capital at low interest rates are prompting many Americans to consider franchising. High unemployment numbers are making it easier for franchisees to hire qualified employees, alleviating one of the primary concerns of new business owners. “We are truly committed to our culture and the people who make up our franchise system,” said Michael Plummer Jr., CEO of Our Town America. ”During this unprecedented time, Americans are struggling to balance work, family and safety. Putting an end to job insecurity by taking control of their career is a great first step to keeping worries at bay. Our home-based franchise offers business owners a proven model designed to fuel local businesses and help build and sustain economies.” Our Town America specializes in helping new movers adjust to their new communities and assisting local businesses to gain loyal customers. The company connects its partnered businesses with a new audience of movers every month, resulting in loyal, long-term customers and a welcoming sense of community. Some of the company’s valued well-known sponsors include Back Yard Burgers, Texas Roadhouse, and Mellow Mushroom, as well as numerous hair salons, dentistry offices and grocery stores. Our Town America provides franchisees with a proven business model they can tackle from the comfort of their home. At a time when safety and security are top-of-mind, teleworking provides a secure solution for a new entrepreneur. To determine if a home-based franchise is the right choice for you, here are some of the benefits of this business model. No Real Estate or Construction. Home-based franchises allow you to skip the difficult process of finding the ideal business location. Construction required to adapt your new location for your franchise model can be a costly and lengthy process. Working from home requires little more than investing in a good modem and laptop. During the pandemic, many businesses had to unexpectedly shut down during stay-at-home orders. Without a revenue stream, brick and mortar franchisees were unable to make rent payments, and many had to rely on government funds or dip into savings to stay afloat. A low-risk, home-based franchise is designed to weather the unexpected. Low Initial Investment. Home-based franchises offer a low initial investment as well as saving on construction costs. Our Town America’s up-front franchise fee is under $50k and is significantly reduced even more so for veterans. They are consistently ranked a Top 50 Low-Cost Franchise by the Franchise Business Review.  Flexibility. Home-based franchises give owners the opportunity to work at their own pace. They offer unlimited earnings potential, coupled with the time you need to take your children to their extracurricular activities. Technology That Gets The Job Done. Some home-based franchises offer their business owners the latest technology to help their businesses thrive. Our Town America provides an unmatched filtration process that produces a high-quality list of new movers. They mail to all new movers, not just homeowners. They offer a Welcome Package designed to appeal to new residents, and they send follow-up mailings to encourage repeat business. Our Town America uses proprietary management software so franchisees can easily manage their business on-the-go, along with full security and tracking features, mobile applications, social media, loyalty programs and more. If you’re considering opening a low cost franchise, please contact us to learn more about investing in a successful home-based franchise. […]

Read More…

Gift Certificates Open the Door to New Customers

To help draw new customers through your doors, consider offering gift certificates, rather than coupons, to attract new residents. Every business owner understands the value of doling out coupons. The discounts encourage new customers to visit your establishment, introduce new product lines, and help shed excess inventory, according to Investopedia, an online investing resource. But, offering coupons has a downside. Coupons cost your business money, and customers might wait to make purchases until they have another coupon. Our Town America, the nation’s leading new mover marketing company, has an easy solution designed to ramp up profits and get new customers into your location. Rather than coupons, Our Town America appeals to new residents by offering an upscale Welcome Package that won’t get tossed in the recycle bin. The tasteful Welcome Package is oversized and designed to stand out from mundane mail. Plus, the offers included in the package are chosen because they line up with the needs of a recipient – therefore increasing the response rate. Every Welcome Package includes free one-time-use gifts, not repeat coupons. “A housewarming gift that includes proven special offers for local businesses will help welcome new residents to the neighborhood,” said Michael Plummer Jr., President and Chief Executive of Our Town America. “We encourage our partnered businesses to follow up on their welcome gifts with a thank-you postcard to keep their business top-of-mind with busy new residents.” People who purchase a new home typically open their wallets as they work to make their new residence a home, according to the National Association of Home Builders. For the first two years after closing on a new house, homeowners spend an average of $7,400 more than existing community members, $4,900 of it being spent in the first year after purchase, NAHB reported. While a big portion of expenditures are on appliances, furniture, and home repairs, new residents also spend the first few months in their new home running errands and learning where to buy groceries, take their pets, get dental work, order pizza, and more. New movers have no established habits or loyalties, making them an impressionable audience for businesses looking for new customers. Including New Mover Marketing in your advertising strategy makes it possible to reach a brand new, broad audience every single month. “Every time we add a new store, it’s a great decision,” said Tiffany Downing of Broadway Pizza in Maple Grove, Minnesota. “It depends on the market, but we get about 10-60 redemptions per month. We are seeing that people are spending more than we give in the certificate.” In case you’re still unsure whether implementing New Mover Marketing is the right choice for your business, here are some of the benefits of gift certificates. Advantages of Gift Certificates Keep your business top-of-mind New residents are busy unpacking boxes, painting, arranging furniture, and planting gardens. They are looking for easy, cost-effective options when out in their new community. Our Town America’s upscale Welcome Package is personalized and positioned as a welcoming gift to new residents, so is perceived by the customer as hospitality, not advertising. Help your business add loyal customers Gift certificates provide an extra incentive to try a new business risk-free, putting the local business at the top of the list. If you offer a free medium pizza on your gift certificate, hungry new residents will want to place an order as they unpack boxes and organize their new home. As an added bonus, if you impress them with stellar customer service and delicious food, they are likely to become loyal customers. Increase sales When customers come to redeem their gift certificate, it’s not uncommon that they will buy additional items, so it’s a great opportunity to enlighten them on your other offerings. If you’re ready to begin gaining more loyal customers, visit Our Town America today. […]

Read More…

Tapping into the New Mover Market

Help your business recoup losses incurred this spring by marketing to new movers with Our Town America, the nation’s leading new mover marketing company. Local businesses took a hit following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States. As you strive to comply with social distancing guidelines and provide a safe atmosphere for employees and customers, new mover marketing offers a profitable way to increase sales while adjusting to the new normal. Approximately 9.8 percent of the U.S. population moved in 2019, or 31 million Americans, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. In fact, the average American moves 11.7 times during their lifetime. People opt to move to a different home – sometimes bigger, other times downsizing; to start a new job – whether a career advancement or a layoff; to improve their daily commute or be closer to family, according to MoveBuddha, an online moving service. “Our Town America’s mission is to help new movers adjust and feel welcomed into their community and fuel the economy for local business,” said Michael Plummer Jr., Our Town America’s CEO. “We help our sponsor businesses gain new, loyal and long-term customers every month by targeting new movers.” New movers are big spenders. Having the ability to tap into the new mover market is a cost-effective marketing strategy to snag new customers right when they come to town. During the first year of owning a home, homeowners spend nearly $11,000 on furniture, appliances and home repairs, according to a survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders. With so many expenses related to buying a home, it seems natural that new movers would take this opportunity to economize, but research suggests the opposite. A home purchase does not suppress spending on entertainment, apparel, transportation and restaurant meals, NAHB reported. Americans are following through on plans to move, despite the pandemic, and businesses can attract new residents by helping them feel welcome in their new community. Americans missed eating at restaurants and running errands without worrying about their health during quarantine, according to a new survey commissioned by Our Town America. Over 70 percent of Americans are eager to try out businesses in their new cities, the survey revealed. Our Town America’s new mover marketing program allows businesses the opportunity to make a great first impression on new residents – essentially bringing new customers through the door – or into their curbside parking spaces! Each month the company sends a Welcome Package to new residents, which includes your proven offer. The high-quality Welcome Package introduces new movers to different businesses in the area to help them feel at home in their new community. Businesses have the option to take advantage of Our Town America’s follow-up ‘thank you’ postcard which mails to guests who redeem their housewarming offer. This gives businesses the chance to invite customers back with a second offer, or even just stand out from their competition by thanking the new mover for their business. “We’re just off the beaten path, just a little ways from the main intersection. It gives people a chance to come down this way and see what’s down in this area,” said Fort Mill, South Carolina salon owner. While businesses can choose what they want to offer the new movers, 49 years of data has proven that a free haircut, with wash, cut and blow dry results in the best response rate. If you’re still unsure if delving into the new mover market is right for your business, check out some of the benefits of new mover marketing with Our Town America. Brand Awareness Generates Customer Loyalty. New residents are stressed and tired of unpacking boxes and worrying if they will fit into their new communities. Social distancing guidelines are making it difficult for new families to meet the neighbors, and teleworking and remote schooling aren’t making it any easier. Sending a Welcome Package with housewarming offers is one way to make their transition smoother. The Welcome Package helps build brand awareness and marks the beginning step to customer loyalty, but getting repeat business is up to you. Make sure to make new residents who visit your business feel welcome by offering superior customer service and a positive atmosphere. Target Your Customer. Our Town America has been acquiring accurate new mover mailing lists for their customers since being founded in 1972. The company mines new resident names from multiple sources to ensure a clean, comprehensive list. They use proprietary technology to pull names from county courthouse warranty deeds, credit reporting agencies, magazine subscription address changes, credit cards, voter registrations, driver’s licenses, utility companies and more. With their impressive new mover mailing list and ‘sponsor exclusivity’ concept, Our Town America is able to target the new residents moving into your chosen ZIP codes so that you reach them before your competitors do. Unique Tracking Tools. The success of any marketing program is only as good as its ability to track your return on investment. Our Town America offers the Our Town TruTrak® mobile app, which is available on both the Apple Store and Google Play Store. The app allows you to validate and scan redemptions at point of sale or at your convenience. It also tracks your return on investment, triggers a ‘thank you’ mailing and even gathers detailed demographic data of your new customers. Learn more about how Our Town America can help you add customers and boost foot traffic to your business today. […]

Read More…

National Local Marketing Franchise assists Local Businesses amidst Pandemic

CW44 | Tampa Bay – Whether you’re a parent trying to facilitate virtual classes, a business trying to stay afloat, a community resident just trying to go about your life as “normal” as possible – you’ve probably had to adjust your everyday life in some way as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. Michael Plummer Jr., the President/CEO of the national Our Town America franchise that connects local businesses with new movers each month, knows just how important it is to stick together as a community during these tough times. “We have businesses who have been with us for decades and they’re having to close their doors. It’s a struggle out there for every type of business,” says Plummer. “And, unfortunately, some won’t survive. It’s not like people are going out exploring the community like they used to. They’re going out of their house with a destination in mind,” he says. Since the pandemic has hit communities around the nation so harshly, Plummer is taking a more aggressive approach to help the business owners he’s come to know so well over the years. In conjunction with all Our Town franchise owners nationwide, Plummer is taking part in the ‘Save Our Town’ movement urging people to help revive local small businesses. Examples of hard-hit businesses in the Tampa Bay area include a 22-year Our Town Sponsor Business, PoFolks Restaurant, and Carriage Cleaners in Seminole – who has been partnered with Our Town for 19 years. “People just aren’t dressing out and going out to eat as often as they used to,” says Plummer. “Dry cleaning is just one of those industries you might not think about being hit”. But numbers show that they could use more foot traffic. According to Yelp’s local economic impact report, as of mid-June, nearly 140,000 businesses closed nationwide as of March 1. Of all retail business closures, 41% of them were permanent. The ‘Save Our Town’ movement led by Plummer and his franchisees urges people to find creative ways to help the businesses in their communities stay open. Watch the CW44 interview below for ways to help. Buy a gift card or start a tab! Buy gift cards you can use later, or pay $100 upfront for future purchases & ask them to withdraw from your tab when you visit. Holiday shop now! Some local shops may not make it to the holiday rush. Buy your gifts now & give them a boost! Tip well many servers, baristas, & delivery people have been out of work at some point this year. If you can afford it, leave a big tip & make someone’s day! Schedule and pay for future services. Some salons & massage parlors will allow you to pay for services in advance. You can pay for haircuts now & have the salon withdraw from your account as you go. Leave a positive review online. Many people are looking for safe places to eat & shop. Leave a positive review of your favorite restaurants & local shops to tell your community how they’re keeping customers safe & healthy during the pandemic. Mentioning outdoor seating is a plus. Redeem your New Mover Offers. If you’re a new mover who recently received your Our Town America Welcome Package, be sure to redeem your local business Gift Certificates. The businesses included in Our Town America Welcome Packages reach out to new movers each month as they want to welcome residents, like yourself, to your new neighborhood!  Return the favor by patronizing these businesses – whether in-store, curbside or delivery. Remember: For every dollar spent at a small business, approximately 67 cents stays in the local community. Shopping local when possible is what’s best for local economies nationwide. The Our Town America franchise system wants consumers and business owners nationwide to know that we’re here to support you during this time by offering various methods to relay business offerings to locals. Both local business owners and consumers will benefit from banding together to strengthen local economies.  Our Town America supports small businesses across the nation 365 days per year. If you’re a local business looking for a way to reach out to new or current customers, reach out to Our Town America at 1-800-497-8360 to get connected with your local representative. […]

Read More…

Like Everything in Texas, This Franchisee is Doing Everything Bigger

Many franchisees understandably own just one store or territory. They settle in a city, and they work to scale the franchise bigger each year. It’s a system that works well. But Dan Schrobilgen is the owner or co-owner of multiple Our Town America territories. He spends most of his time in his Austin territory, where he lives and first started with Our Town America in 2006. But in 2015, he purchased the Dallas/Forth Worth territory, partnered with Clint Finch, who also owns a territory in Houston, and launched that venture. In that acquisition, Schrobilgen also purchased a territory in Tulsa, Oklahoma. How does he do it? Why does he do it? How has he come to champion Our Town America? We wondered. Before Our Town America. Schrobilgen says that he has been in marketing and advertising his entire career. He moved from Iowa to Texas in 1990 and spent 13 years rising in the ranks of a large media company before taking what he learned and striking out on his own. The new business was successful enough that he was able to sell it a few years later. He sold the company because he knew the timing was right and there were multiple interested buyers, but he also had a desire to end his travel and own a smaller company that would give him less headaches and more control. Schrobilgen couldn’t help but think there was a real downside in having a business in Phoenix when he and his family lived in Austin. It’s one heck of a commute. A 1,000-mile commute, in fact, and Schrobilgen was racking up an obscene amount of frequent flier miles. “My three kids were all under 10, and I was gone almost every week,” Schrobilgen says. That was painful for him. Finch, a friend who had also worked for the media company, had told him about an opportunity to own an Our Town America franchise in Austin. This Our Town America gig, one in which he would court businesses interested in marketing and attracting people who were new to the area — sounded like a business he would enjoy. Schrobilgen made the decision to begin the next phase of his career with Our Town America in Austin, and his sales and revenue quickly grew. As he realized that he was living his professional dream, he doubled down on it and purchased the additional territories from another franchise owner. Buying an Our Town America franchise… and then another… and another… To make a long story short, Schrobilgen and Finch ended up hiring someone to manage Dallas/Fort Worth. Between that business and his Austin venture, he keeps busy and he loves it. He says he found himself appreciating the Our Town America franchise model because, amongst many reasons, he felt like he had far more control over his present and future than he did working for a big media conglomerate. “There were many things out of my control when I worked for someone else,” Schrobilgen says. “Upper management was always making decisions that affected me.” Life as an Our Town America entrepreneur. Not to make it sound like this is an infomercial, where if you purchase an Our Town America franchise, your life will be suddenly transformed, and the gloomy, gray sky will be filled with rainbows and unicorns, but that’s pretty much what happened to Schrobilgen… okay, minus the rainbows and unicorns. “I just have these points of comparison from my previous two careers. I suddenly had no worries about how the stock price would affect my budget, no employee issues, and no office politics. I wasn’t traveling, and I got to sleep in my bed every night,” Schrobilgen says. Even better, he got to spend quality time with his wife and children. “I was able to help make their breakfast and school lunches every day when they were young. I made it to every dance recital, every Little League game, and was even able to coach my kids. Every karate class, every graduation and school event, every you-name-it, I’ve been to,” Schrobilgen says. His kids are well on their way to growing up – Grace, 22, is about to graduate college; Nate, 19, is a sophomore in college, and Ava, 17, is a high school junior — but what has been nice is that Schrobilgen has been around to experience it. If he had stayed with the large corporation or the business in Phoenix, he would have missed out on many of the kids’ important events and experiences, he asserts. “The quality of life with Our Town America, to be able to spend time with your family and friends in your community and still have a job that’s challenging, but one that you control, that’s a rare thing,” Schrobilgen says. He works with his wife, Jodi, who works part-time managing the administrative duties for his franchise, such as the finances and taxes. “All that fun stuff,” Schrobilgen quips. The rest of the workweek, he adds, she spends volunteering. For about six years, Jodi helped manage a food pantry and for the last few years she has been co-managing a free medical clinic, which specializes in providing medical care to the underserved, including many refugees and immigrants. Schrobilgen manages to volunteer as well. Every Monday since 2007, for a chunk of the time in the middle of the day, he participates in Meals on Wheels, delivering meals to senior citizens. They also both work together and with many other family members on a charity started by one of his siblings, an event that raises money for multiple charities in their home state of Iowa, as well as an orphanage in South Africa. The whole family, including all three kids, gets in on the projects and assists with the work needed to be done. That, too, wouldn’t be happening with a conventional job or even running a different business, Schrobilgen says. He likes that due to the flexibility that comes with the job, the Our […]

Read More…

Why Leading Restaurants Commit to New Mover Marketing

QSR Magazine (July 2019) — New mover marketing is a fantastic way to reach those new residents and begin building a relationship. Sometimes, being well-known and well-liked can actually work against a restaurant. That may sound like a crazy statement, particularly since brand recognition is an important aspect to consider when buying a franchise. Restaurant owners, after all, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase franchises with big-time brand recognition. But when it comes to landing customers who are new to a neighborhood, a big name is often a disadvantage for owners of mainstream restaurant franchises. When someone moves into a new house or apartment, they usually want to explore their new neighborhood. After a long day of moving, they’ll have worked up an appetite and be on the hunt for new, local places to eat. Many times, new movers want to know what’s good, trendy and local, rather than settling for the same restaurants they have already been to countless times before. The key is to let the new movers know that, while the brand may be national, the owner is still a local. Marketing to new movers can turn a big brand from being impersonal to personal. New movers may be searching for local mom-and-pop restaurants; however, that doesn’t mean big brands are out of the running. Reaching out to people who have just arrived in town can be an effective way to remind them that the owner of a national franchise is still a vital part of the local community. In fact, it’s something today’s movers are craving. In a recent millennial mover survey, 80 percent of respondents said they’d love to receive a housewarming gift and more than half (57 percent) said they want to live within walking distance of restaurants. Therefore, any neighborhood restaurant who connects with them first gains a huge advantage. Also, by welcoming a new mover to the neighborhood, a big-name brand is suddenly no longer something corporate and impersonal. It’s a brand that cares enough to reach out to somebody new to the neighborhood. That’s presuming the restaurant isn’t just mass mailing a coupon to every house and reaching the new people by chance along with everyone else. Targeted, new-resident offers with appealing offers or freebies are key to drawing in this lucrative demographic. There is more than one big-brand restaurant. Another simple reason to market to new movers is one that is as old as business itself—competition. Customers have a lot of choices, especially when it comes to food. The restaurant industry, along with the economy, continues to grow. Sales at restaurants hit $825 billion in 2018 , according to the National Restaurant Association, and are projected to reach $863 billion in the United States by the end of 2019. There are over a million restaurants in America, and a lot of them have familiar names. Even famous brands need to distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack, simply because the pack is so big. If a neighborhood is full of popular restaurants with notable name recognition, that familiarity will draw some new residents in the door. But in a well-populated area, there’s no guarantee that every new mover will try out each big name-brand dining establishment competing for stomachs and dollars. People develop habits pretty quickly. While people new to a neighborhood may be looking for quirky and unusual eateries, they often get their morning coffee and breakfast sandwiches at the national restaurant franchises that can give people what they want quickly and efficiently. New movers who also work in the area and are grabbing food during their lunch hour will quickly start compiling a list of easily accessible favorite spots. When they don’t want to cook dinner, and they want something simple and easy, they go to the familiar and comfortable. In all of those cases, nationally recognized franchise restaurants usually fit the bill. But big brand names have the same problem as the small, mom-and-pop restaurants have; customers develop daily habits that can be hard to break. Restaurants that miss out on getting new movers to come into their business in those first few weeks may lose out on that customer becoming a regular forever—and that’s a lot of potential profit missed. New mover welcome packages should be full of fun, local offers to nearby businesses—included. New mover marketing is a fantastic way to reach those new residents and begin building a relationship. After all, from a new mover’s point of view, if he or she is enjoying that coffee and breakfast sandwich in the morning and getting to work on time, why go somewhere else where things may not go so well? If a new mover loves “Pizza Fridays” with the family and has discovered the ideal pizzeria to pick up something on the way home, why risk upsetting the kids—who are still adjusting to this move—by trying something different? While part of the excitement of moving is trying new things, what makes people feel at home are rituals that become ingrained in daily life. It’s a mistake for owners of a national restaurant chain to assume new movers will simply walk in the door. It’s always a good idea to put out a welcome mat and make life-long customers in the process. By: Michael Plummer Jr. – a U.S. Army veteran with more than 20 years of experience as a senior-level franchise executive and IT professional in the direct mail marketing industry. In 2009, he took over as the president/CEO of the Our Town America franchise brand for his father, the founder, Michael Plummer Sr.   […]

Read More…

Jennifer Moseley – Our Town America Was the Cure for Business Travel Burnout

Jennifer Moseley was always traveling, without getting anywhere. That’s not quite true. She was very good at her job, for instance, and was by all measures a success, but she traveled so much, the airport and hotels felt more like her home than her real house. Moseley saw the people at the Transportation Security Administration more than her friends. “I would leave my home Sunday and get back Thursday,” Moseley recalls. The money was good – she worked for a textbook company, selling nursing textbooks to colleges – but she had no time to spend it. “I was just burned out,” Moseley says. She isn’t over-hyping that. To relax and deal with the stresses of a high-pressure job where she was always in a new city, Moseley said she started hanging out at the airport and hotel bars more than she should have. Even after she moved into jobs that required fewer plane tickets, she continued the habits she had picked up mingling with flight attendants and hotel minibars. Seven years ago, she finished her last drink, brushed up her resume and began looking for a fresh start.   Finding Our Town America Moseley found that much needed fresh start with Our Town America. But if there’s a typical way people become Our Town America franchise owners – and there really isn’t – this was as atypical as it gets. Moseley didn’t go looking to be a franchise owner, and at first, didn’t become one. She saw a salaried position for a corporate sales representative at the Our Town America headquarters. She liked what she saw. She would be working in an office. There seemed to be no, or minimal, traveling. And the more she read about it, she just had a good feeling about the company. She sent in her resume, was called in for an interview and got the job. She was good at it. In fact, one day, after about a year on the job, her boss, the National Sales Director, Michael Murphy, told her that her sales were, on average, a little higher than the franchise owners. Murphy couldn’t help but be pretty pleased – he had, after all, trained Moseley – and so mentioned her success to the company’s CEO, Michael Plummer Jr., who was impressed (“Damn, that’s awesome” is reported to be his response). Moseley naturally asked for a raise and a higher commission, and Murphy and Plummer immediately said yes. “They were wonderful to me,” Moseley says. Fast forward to another year later, and Murphy mentioned to his star pupil that he was thinking of investing in a franchise, but he didn’t want to run it. Instead, he proposed that they become business partners. He would put up the money to invest in a franchise, and Moseley would put in the sweat equity. Moseley liked the idea. She soon left the corporate headquarters and became the co-owner of Our Town America of Sarasota, Florida. Moseley found the Sarasota location because the owner, Sondra Conk, Our Town America’s first franchise owner, was looking to sell after being a franchise owner for about 15 years. Conk wasn’t unhappy with her business, though, and she wasn’t looking to retire. She was interested in selling for another reason. She had, unfortunately, been diagnosed with terminal cancer. “We had become friends, and she was a real mentor to me,” Moseley says. Conk would pass away far too soon, and far too young, in 2016 at the age of 69. Conk had been wary about selling her business, but Moseley would do well with her franchise, building the business up and hopefully making her mentor proud. In fact, Moseley seemed to be on track during her first year to quickly become an incredible success story and no doubt make Murphy very pleased with his decision to buy a franchise and make her a partner. But then Moseley was quickly reminded of her past with alcoholic drinks.   It isn’t what you think. Don’t worry; she didn’t take up drinking again. Moseley started having serious health issues due to her past drinking – it had taken a toll on her pancreas. During her first year of business, she reluctantly missed five months of work. Her second year as an Our Town America franchise owner wasn’t much better. She figures she lost four months due to her poor health. The next two years, maybe a combined three months. “I’m finally better now,” she says. She is extremely appreciative of the people working at Our Town America. “The opportunity that Michael Murphy and Michael Plummer provided to me was life-altering. I’ve truly never been happier – and I can now say, healthier. Those two Michaels changed my life.” But she credits Our Town America, and the strength of its business model, for allowing her the freedom to be sick. “The model is just so family-friendly. It’s just mind-boggling,” Moseley says. “I can’t think of any other franchise where I could have been sick – and still kept the business going. If you have a brick and mortar location, you have to worry about your lease, insurance, customers, etc. The support I got from corporate was just amazing. I don’t think with any other franchise; I could have been really sick and still had a good paycheck coming in.” And she cringes to imagine how employers in Corporate America would have reacted to her being sick. Granted, she had some existing clients from buying an existing franchise – and by the time her health issues crept up, she had landed plenty of new clients on her own and had built a revenue stream. It isn’t as if the model would have provided a paycheck had she not had any existing clients when she got sick. But, still, the business model kept her in the game – and allowed her to focus on her health and recover. “I also was able to take some time off to go take care of my mother […]

Read More…

Clint Finch named Rock Star Franchisee by Franchise Business Review

Franchise Business Review (April 2019) — Clint Finch purchased his first Our Town America franchise territory in 2005, after working as a sales representative for a majority of his career. What is his key to success? Be excited about the product you are selling. This year, Clint was named as an FBR Franchisee Rock Star. “Clint doesn’t let anything stand in the way of making a sale that he knows will benefit the client. Due to his relentlessness, he has become quite the role model and mentor to fellow franchisees in the system.” – Brittany Johnson, Marketing Executive, Our Town America What advice do you have for someone considering investing in a franchise? DO IT!  But don’t think that because you own a business that you are going to just make money!  It takes work and discipline.  There is no one there to check that you are working.  It is really up to you to go out and make it work!   What are you most proud of when it comes to your career in franchising? We have grown to a top franchisee group in our company and we get to spend time helping and training others who are coming in.  It is humbling to know that other business people respect and admire your work.   What was your career path before you entered franchising? I was climbing the corporate ladder. From the beginning as a Sales Representative and working my way up to VP of Sales in several organizations.   As a business owner, what has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome? Expecting everyone to be as excited as I am about my products.  I have learned to accept that others might not see the benefit. However, so many people do, and I will continue to find those people! A second challenge has been keeping my work-life balance.  Getting carried away with work seems easier when it is your own business.   What do you like most about your franchise organization?   Total support from each and every person at our corporate office!  It is more than just the systems in place, which are also fantastic. We also enjoy a great group of franchisees who care about and support each other. To learn more about an Our Town America franchise, request information here. […]

Read More…

Our Town America Celebrates June’s Immigrant Heritage Month with Bassam Safi

America has several monikers, including “The Land of the Free,” “Home of the Brave,” “The Melting Pot,” and “The Land of Milk and Honey” among others. Bassam Safi’s road to success is comparable to most Americans’; he worked hard, faced some setbacks, persevered and is now thriving in the Our Town America system as a Regional Developer and owner of franchises in Wilmington and Raleigh, North Carolina. It’s the journey to where he is right now, that has Safi fond of one particular nickname for America, “The Land of Opportunity.” “I’m extremely grateful and appreciative to this country,” Safi says. “My appreciation for the opportunity of what we enjoy here is endless.” Family comes first for Safi. He is a husband and a father of two teenagers. He loves to travel, loves to learn and enjoys playing and watching sports of all sorts. At the age of 50, Safi considers himself amongst the nation’s retirees. “I’m already doing something that I enjoy so I’m already retired,” he says. Working with Our Town America is something that he enjoys because becoming an owner and regional developer is something Safi worked so hard to attain. Safi’s personal and professional journey has roots overseas. Safi was born to Lebanese parents who moved to Kuwait at the time of his birth. “Growing up in Kuwait was a wonderful experience,” Safi says. “It was a small community in the sense that people knew each other and cared about one another. The culture was hospitable. People would go out of their way to help you and others out if you needed direction or advice. It’s similar to what we call ‘Southern hospitality.'” Safi got a taste of ‘Southern hospitality’ when he moved from Kuwait to America after graduating from high school. The time was 1991. Iraq invaded Kuwait. For America, it meant leading a coalition of nations to wage war against Iraq. For Safi, the impact was also extremely personal. “I was enrolled in college in Wilmington when the war broke out,” Safi says. “At the time, my parents were funding my college tuition. However, Kuwait’s assets were frozen, meaning the money I was receiving from my parents was unexpectedly cut off. I had to get two, sometimes three, jobs to make ends meet.” That also meant Safi’s pursuit of a college degree was on hiatus. Instead, he was now a student at the School of Hard Knocks. Safi seized the opportunity presented to him and ran with it. Safi snagged a job delivering pizza part-time. That job became a career. “I went from deliverer to manager, to general manager to district manager, to an executive in the corporate office,” says Safi. “I spent a total of 17 years with the company. There’s nothing I didn’t do. I worked my way from the bottom to the top.” Climbing the corporate ladder within a pizza franchise would be enough for most. Safi is cut from a different cloth. “My goal was to own franchises along the coast. Unfortunately, none were available. I would’ve had to move to the Midwest.” For the first time in nearly two decades, Safi was looking for a new professional opportunity. Our Town America stood out above all others. “I had previous experience working with Our Town America as a client of theirs, so I was familiar with their services,” says Safi. “It was an excellent service that delivered on what they promise. They welcomed new people to the area and capitalized on the concept of hospitality.” Safi was ready to experience Our Town America from the other side, as an owner. He has been with Our Town America going on 11 years, and says he hasn’t looked back. Safi says, “It has been rewarding in every sense. Knowing that I’m able to make a difference in the community by easing the transition for the new movers and replacing the lost sense of belonging with a personalized and hospitable gesture and a gift from a local business.” The road hasn’t always been smooth, but Safi takes it all in stride. “Some businesses have canceled on me, and some have tried not to pay,” says Safi. “I’ve learned how to deal with collections by cutting losses early. I’ve also learned to not take it personally.” What he does take personally are the relationships he’s formed since joining Our Town America. That includes the bonds he’s developed with the communities he now calls home. “There’s so much growth here in Raleigh, as well as Wilmington,” he says. “They’re both such hot markets. Both consistently make the top of the lists of cities where Americans are relocating. They’re full of small businesses and owners who appreciate and understand Our Town America’s unique concept.” Safi is also appreciative of the unique relationship Our Town America’s corporate office offers, including how Michael Plummer Jr. manages to treat everyone as a member of the family. “As an Our Town America franchisee, you have all the necessary tools, the system, training, technology and support to succeed,” Safi says. “The corporate culture, from the CEO to our staff, makes you feel like family. They go out of their way to help you – which is reassuring. I don’t know many CEO’s who will pick up their phone on a Saturday or return a text on a Sunday.” Safi has worked hard his entire life to reach his current status. He’s capitalized on the opportunities and is appreciative of what they have produced. “I am incredibly grateful to this country and all that it has given me. I would never take this life for granted. I lived in a different world. Things that we enjoy here in America may be a given to many people, but they’re not everywhere. I appreciate the opportunity I’ve had here.” Do you want to realize your business ownership dreams, like Bassam Safi? Does the Our Town America franchise opportunity sound like it could be for you? If so, learn more at https://www.ourtownamerica.com/franchise-us/. […]

Read More…

Franchisee Success Series: Chris Beer on Family-First Culture

God, football and his franchise – it sounds like something straight out of a “Welcome to America” pamphlet, but these things are essential to Chris Beer’s livelihood. He has carried a passion for sports, for as long as he can remember. “We are a football family. It stems as far back as my Grandfather who played without a helmet, to my Dad who played with a leather helmet and now I’ve passed it down to my children,” Beer’s passion for football is surpassed by his love for God and family. And it’s his work with Our Town America, the nation’s premier new mover marketing franchise that allows him to fully enjoy his life’s passion to the fullest! The Virginia native graduated from James Madison University with a marketing and business management degree. Beer applied the same discipline and mental toughness needed on the athletic field. He ran track and played football during his high school and collegiate years. Several injuries and a family illness kept Beer from playing his senior year in college. “This is when I decided to buckle down and direct my energy toward gaining success in the business world!” says Beer. “After graduating from college, low on funds, and in need of employment, I had an idea to stand in front of a grocery store and approach every sales representative that walked through the doors,” says Beer. “Thankfully, after telling him I was fresh out of college and in debt, the grocery store manager respected my gumption and approved of my plan. I got a bunch of business cards and made several positive connections. I was really close to landing a job when a headhunter put me in touch with my first employer. It was an experience that taught me, at a young age, that capturing an opportunity is possible through reaching out to people and clearly communicating goals and objectives.” Beer is a proud husband and father of three grown children: two sons and one daughter. He is also the successful owner of Our Town America of Atlanta. For 20 years, he has enjoyed connecting new residents with a wide variety of businesses in the Southeast’s largest city. Beer says his connection with his family has never been stronger because of his Our Town America franchise. “For the first 18 years of my professional career, I didn’t have the opportunity to control my time, my income earning potential or, most importantly, the time I spent with my family and my quality of life,” says Beer. “That all changed when I invested in myself and joined the Our Town America family.” Beer joined Our Town America in 1999, after a nearly two-decade-long run with two prominent consumer products companies. He excelled in corporate sales and marketing, but the job, and the rigors that come with being on the road, were wearing him thin. “There are very few things more valuable than quality of life, but unfortunately, my professional career was interfering with my ability to spend quality time with my family,” Beer says. “I reached a point where I needed to step away from working for corporations and strike out on my own.” The Beer family was quickly introduced to the perils that come with working for big conglomerates. “Two weeks after our honeymoon, I learned I was being transferred from Roanoke, Virginia, to Charleston, South Carolina,” recalls Beer. “We were in Charleston for under a year. Thirty days after buying a house there, I was transferred to Atlanta. That’s when my wife jokingly asked if this is what our life was going to be like forever.”   Married for 33 years, Beer credits his wife for his success. “I have the most supportive wife in the world,” he says. “Her belief in me and my desire to be an entrepreneur during the early years is the main reason why I am here today. You have to have a spouse who is supportive because making the transition from employer to entrepreneur is scary.” Family lineage also played a huge factor according to Beer. He is a third-generation American — his grandparents first arrived in the US via Ellis Island. “Both sets of grandparents instilled the need to work hard, set goals and look for opportunity,” Beer says. “My great-grandfather spoke five different languages, but no English. They were humble beginnings, and I learned how to listen and learn from them.” Beer says his dad also played a role in sacking any apprehension he might have had about leaving corporate life to become self-employed. His dad actually left a corporate position in Michigan and moved the family to Virginia in an effort to realize his personal dreams and improve the family’s quality of life. “It was a tough decision leaving a comfortable salary, benefits, and a corporate vehicle,” Beer says. “But I inherited a leap-of-faith mentality from my dad. I knew it was time to better control my quality of life.” After a brief experience as an owner with a different, less targeted direct mail marketing franchise, Beer wasn’t satisfied. That’s when he conducted even more research and got in touch with Our Town America’s founder Michael Plummer Sr. It didn’t take long before he knew he had found the perfect match with the nation’s premier new mover marketing franchise. “I was on the verge of rejoining the corporate work force after my first crack at entrepreneurship didn’t turn out the way I wanted,” Beer says. “Michael and I talked, and he sent me some information. After a lot of soul searching and praying with my wife, I called Michael back and we had a tremendous conversation. Sixty days after our initial conversation, I was signing the paperwork to open an Our Town America franchise in Atlanta.” Beer flew down to corporate headquarters in Tampa, but he wasn’t traveling solo. “My wife and three kids joined me during my first training session,” Beer says. “That’s how amazing Our Town America is as a company. The fact that […]

Read More…