How long have you been in franchising PR?
More than 12 years. I joined Fishman PR in early 2005 and spent most of my time serving as their Vice President until partnering with Brad and Sherri Fishman to launch Franchise Elevator PR in the Fall of 2013.
What did you do before this?
Before franchising, I spent about 10 years helping organizations in both the public and private sectors enhance their brand image. I played a key advisory role to Croatia’s U.S. Ambassador, served as a spokesperson for Miss America, and worked with numerous city and state officials to enhance the Chicago Transit Authority’s transportation network.
What drew you to this?
After eight years working with both established and emerging brands at Fishman PR, it became evident that the franchise industry was rapidly becoming one of emerging brands. Just look at a recent survey from the IFA Annual Convention earlier this year. More than 90 percent of the franchisors that attended considered themselves emerging brands, defined by having less than 20 units and operating less than five years. Franchise Elevator PR fills a growing need – affordable public relations services for emerging brands; something that, until now, really wasn’t available. On a personal note, I have always found the entrepreneurial stories behind emerging brands fascinating. Every entrepreneur has a different story about why he or she decided to start a business. Some have known from day one that they wanted to work for themselves and others came up with ideas while working for someone else and decided to take the entrepreneurial leap. Being able to share these stories with the media and public is truly an honor.
What’s special about the West Coast franchising scene?
Other than getting out of frigid Chicago and over to sunny Los Angeles in November? I have seen a growing number of franchises coming out of the West Coast, particularly from California, Washington, Colorado and Utah. In fact, we represent several of them –from one-price dry cleaning, ice cream and healthy fruit bowl concepts to hydro-therapy floating spas and children’s haircutting salons.
What are the types of franchises trending there now?
From what I see, personal-service businesses like children’s enrichment, fitness, spa services and senior care continue to be among the fastest-growing categories in the franchise world.
Which brands are you working with right now?
I’ve been very fortunate to work with some pretty incredible brands over the past 12+ years. A few of the newer brands I’m currently working with include Urban Float, Dat Dog, Rush Bowls, Zips Dry Cleaners, and Cookie Cutters Haircuts for Kids, among others.
What do you do to promote these brands you handle?
Our main objective is to drive franchise growth for our clients. We raise awareness of their franchise opportunities by employing a variety of story angles that reach qualified prospective franchise candidates. These stories cover a host of topics related to the industry and brand, including: leadership profiles of key executives, franchise development news, grand opening support, spotlight stories on successful franchisees, company news and milestones, and industry trend stories.
How important is PR to emerging brands?
Constant flow of information, multiple formats of media, thousands of startups mushrooming in a short span of time – in this dizzy environment, emerging brands need the right communication to help them catch eyeballs and stand apart. When you invest in the right PR strategy, the payoff can be huge. You’ll get increased brand exposure, new customers and interest from prospective franchisees. That’s probably why Bill Gates said, “If I was down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on PR.”
What would this cost that brand?
Depending on the size of the brand (i.e. open units, signed deals in the development pipeline, etc.), our retainer typically ranges between $2,500 and $3,500 per month.
Why can’t they avoid the expense and promote themselves?
Everybody has a story to tell, but when you’re working in your business every day it’s easy to miss it. It may seem very ordinary to you, but to those outside your industry your story is news. As a PR company it’s our job to discover these stories and tell them in a way that will build credibility and ultimately attract new business and franchisees.
What’s the secret of effective PR?
When it comes to PR, there’s one rule that remains the same, regardless of the type of media outlet you’re pitching: building relationships takes time, and therefore, patience! You wouldn’t consider someone a close, trustworthy friend after only speaking with them once, right? Well, building a relationship with a journalist is no exception to this rule. As much as we’d like reporters to consider us their go-to source from the moment we first pitch them, that can’t be achieved from a single introduction or dialogue.
What have you learned since working in this field?
Almost anything can be franchised. The franchise world may be dominated by a few big sectors, but there’s still plenty of variety to be found. Over the years, I’ve seen franchises that specialize in estate sales, dry cleaning, cell phone repair, carpet cleaning, computer programming and coding for children, Cajun cuisine, macaroni & cheese and pet waste removal, just to name a few.
How healthy is the franchise scene right now and what changes do you see in the next five years?
There is no doubt the franchise business model is an American success story. Franchise establishments are growing faster and creating more jobs at a faster pace than the overall economy. They’re getting more sales and growth than other businesses. The only change I see is continued growth.
What effect do you think the new administration in Washington is going to have on the industry?
Since the election of Donald Trump – who has promised to change course from the previous administration on a number of business-related issues – optimism among small business owners has seen its sharpest surge since 2009. Although nothing is certain, entrepreneurs should expect fewer regulations, lower taxes and extensive changes to the current health care system, all of which should make it easier to repatriate profits.
