When TheOfficeSquad Founder Dida Clifton transitioned out of her time in the military into civilian life, she struggled to find a new career that suited her. “I exited the service and became a military spouse,” recalled Clifton. “So I went from active duty to nothing.” That is often the case when veterans try to readjust after many years of demanding military service. By Kelsi Trinidad
For most of her career, Genevieve Sheehan of County Cork, Ireland, sold travel packages to vacationers who wanted to experience the beauty, history and traditions of Ireland. By Patty Horansky
As the saying goes, “teamwork makes the dream work.” In the case of Neil Shah and Rizwan Bhopal’s business partnership, the old adage couldn’t be any truer. By Tamara Rahoumi
When Jeff Bryant Sr. and his two sons, Jeff Jr. and Justin, were looking to buy a franchise, they wanted a new fresh-food option for their Clarksville, Tennessee, community and a way to work together. By Patty Horansky
Many small-business owners dream of someday franchising their business, whether it be a fast-casual restaurant, fitness studio, home service or any of the hundreds of kinds of establishments across the country. By Patty Horansky
Leading window treatment franchise to provide premium window treatments, consultation services to Bakersfield and Santa Clarita.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Gotcha Covered, a leader in custom window treatment consultation in the U.S. and Canada, added a third location in California with the opening of Gotcha Covered of Bakersfield.
The new home-based center is owned and operated by Gene and Araceli Maupin. With an emphasis on end-to-end consultations, this business will provide the best in soft and hard window treatments to homeowners in Kern County including Santa Clarita and Bakersfield while offering a variety of blinds, draperies, smart solutions and much more.
“Gotcha Covered is always looking to expand in areas that have great growth potential,” said Paul Linenberg, president of Gotcha Covered. “Kern County provides us an opportunity to both expand the Gotcha Covered brand and deliver excellent end-to-end consultative services to the residents of Bakersfield and Santa Clarita. Homeowners are receiving an asset to their community, and the Maupins are great representatives for our brand in that area.”
A military veteran, Gene brings a wealth of experience and determination to the Gotcha Covered franchise. Prior to owning his own company, he worked in occupational safety and health. After researching franchises on franchise.com, Gene was introduced to Gotcha Covered with the help of a franchise consultant.
“Owning a Gotcha Covered has been a tremendous experience,” said Gene Maupin. “While the administrative portion of owning a business can be challenging, the leadership team at Gotcha Covered has always been willing and happy to help. I couldn’t have picked a better franchise.”
Looking at the future, Gene looks forward to building a long-term successful family business while providing the residents of Kern County with excellent customer experience and window treatments.
Adding 27 new franchise locations in 2021, Gotcha Covered currently has over 145 total franchises across the U.S. and Canada. The franchise has been operating under the Gotcha Covered name since 2009.
To schedule an appointment with Gotcha Covered of Bakersfield, visit https://www.gotchacovered.com/bakersfield/.
About Gotcha Covered
Gotcha Covered is a leader in custom soft and hard window treatment consultation in the U.S. and Canada. Flying under their Gotcha Covered flag since 2009, they offer custom window treatments including blinds, draperies, shutters and much more. They offer end-to-end consultation with the customer’s specific needs and goals in mind. The company currently has over 145 total franchises across the U.S. and Canada.
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. — With an unwavering commitment to innovation, Cruise Planners launched a new interactive product called “LivePlanner” during its annual Convention. This product allows Cruise Planners agents to showcase vacation options with imagery, videos, and more to help their clients plan the perfect vacation whether it’s a cruise, all-inclusive resort, and FIT Packaged trip. All of it is done live and in real-time, making this an innovative technology for the travel industry and is patent-pending.
Clients can use either a laptop or desktop device creating a live session experience between themselves and their travel advisor and plan a vacation in real-time. This revolutionary software will have the capability for clients and agents to be on video and screenshare, further contributing to the interactive experience. All of this without needing to install any special software.
“We have been diligently developing this tool by using focus groups made up of team members and experienced advisors to ensure it’s both easy to use and to fine-tune important details,” said Brian Shultz, Chief Information Officer. “Our advisors can now add this to their arsenal of proprietary tools to help them close more sales and showcase their expertise in travel.”
New clients can access this feature and request a consultation from the agent’s website while existing clients can schedule their own sessions via their myTrips account on the agent website. Once a client makes a request for a LivePlanner session, they’ll be able to:
During the session, clients may utilize the built in video feature if they wish to share their camera. They can also “favorite” or “unfavorite” items shared during the session by their agent, which helps the agent narrow down the search toward the perfect vacation. Any items that are favorited will be captured in their CP Maxx client profile and once the consultation has ended, clients will be sent to the “Session Summary” screen. There they can view any attachments sent by the agent during the consultation and share any and all trips with others via email.
“LivePlanner will change the game on the consultation aspect of working with clients to plan travel,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and founder of Cruise Planners. “We are excited to create a tool that will help advisors better understand what excites their clients about a vacation and helps clients understand more about the experiences and trip options, allowing agents to interactively consult with clients located anywhere in the world. Additionally, LivePlanner allows advisors to personalize a unique experience for their customers. We’re proud to offer this industry-first tool to our Cruise Planners advisors.”
About Cruise Planners
Cruise Planners was founded in 1994 and is the nation’s largest home-based travel agent franchise network. As a leader in the travel franchise industry, Cruise Planners positions a nation-wide network of 2,500 franchise owners for success by providing innovative marketing programs, proprietary and cutting-edge booking and technology tools, as well as professional development and hands-on training with the industry’s top executives. The company continues to be an industry leader and was named the No.1 travel franchise by Entrepreneur magazine for 18 consecutive years and awarded by Franchise Business Review as “Best-In-Category” for 2 years.
Franchise Business Review also ranked Cruise Planners #3 OVERALL on their list of Top 200 Franchises of 2022. Cruise Planners was recently featured in Entrepreneur as one of the top 30 franchise innovators in technology, has been consistently named as one of the Top Women-Owned Businesses by the South Florida Business Journal, is on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, and was recognized as one of the Top Workplaces by the Sun Sentinel.
Visit our website, www.cruiseplanners.com, for more information or to view the complete list of awards and honors. For those interested in becoming a franchise owner, please visit https://www.cruiseplannersfranchise.com/.
The Nation’s Leading Residential Cleaning Company Is Giving Back this Holiday Season by Offering the Chance to win a $500 Gift Certificate.
WACO, Texas — This holiday season, Molly Maid®, a Neighborly® company and one of the nation’s leading residential cleaning franchises, announced its 2022 Holiday Clean Home Giveaway sweepstakes for the eighth year in a row. The franchise is offering consumers a chance to lighten their workload at home by offering an opportunity to win one of five $500 Molly Maid gift certificates. For a chance to win, participants can enter through Holiday Clean Home Giveaway sweepstakes beginning today through December 16.
“One thing everyone seems to run out of during the holidays is time, and that’s something we hope to give back with this giveaway,” said Vera Peterson, President of Molly Maid. “A clean home is a happy home, and the holidays are unfortunately one of the busiest times of the year. With this giveaway, we want to help five families across the U.S. enjoy more time together without worrying about housework.”
Molly Maid offers a variety of services, from one-time cleanings to weekly housekeeping, performed by professional housecleaners you can trust to accommodate all your cleaning needs. Not only are they available to clean your home before a party, but they can also come back to clean up after all the festivities.
To provide someone you know a little break and extra help this holiday season in the home, Molly Maid gift certificates are available at https://www.mollymaid.com/gift-certificates/.
The five $500 Molly Maid gift certificates are redeemable at any participating franchise location for any cleaning service. For the complete contest rules for the Holiday Clean Home Giveaway, visit https://www.mollymaid.com/holiday-clean-home-giveaway-rules2/.
About Molly Maid®
Molly Maid® is a residential cleaning franchise with more than 500 franchise locations that collectively perform more than 1.7 million U.S. home cleanings annually. Franchising since 1984, and acquired in 2015, Molly Maid® is part of Neighborly®, the world’s largest home services company with more than 30 brands and 5,000 franchises collectively serving 12 million+ customers in six countries, focused on repairing, maintaining and enhancing homes and businesses. Neighborly® brands are found at Neighborly.com and on the new Neighborly App. Molly Maid® established the Ms. Molly Foundation in 1996 to raise awareness and support for victims of domestic violence. For more information about Molly Maid®, visit MollyMaid.com.
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. — Cruise Planners Chief Sales Officer, Theresa Scalzitti, celebrated the naming of Atlas Ocean Voyages’ World Traveller as its godmother in the fjords of Beagle Channel’s Glacier Alley in Chile this past weekend. The dual naming ceremony included the World Navigator, which has been in service since last year but was never formally named. Adventurer Karen Lundgren serves as the godmother of the World Navigator.
Scalzitti, Cruise Planners chief sales officer, has spent the majority of her nearly 30-year career in the cruise and travel industry, championing travel advisors.
“This was a surreal moment for me. To be asked to be the godmother of Atlas Ocean Voyages’ new ship World Traveller is a dream come true,” said Scalzitti. “Thank you Atlas for this once-in-a-lifetime honor.”
VIP guests at the dual naming ceremonies included travel advisors, shareholders, media and dignitaries from Argentina and Chile. World Traveller was named Nov. 19, followed by Zodiac sightseeing of Pia Glacier. In the evening the portraits of the godmothers were unveiled at a gala welcome reception prior to dinner. The naming festivities for World Navigator took place on Nov. 20, preceded by a celebratory luncheon on that vessel.
“Both yacht-style vessels specialize in expeditions to some of nature’s most spectacular destinations,” said James Rodriguez, Atlas’ president and CEO. “What a historic weekend for Atlas. It was inspiring to name these two spectacular ships surrounded by majestic glaciers.”
Both expedition ships are Polar Category C- and Ice Class 1B-certified and cater to global travelers with a passion for exploring both iconic and off-the-beaten-path destinations. The intimate vessels offer every five-star comfort, from an all-inclusive onboard experience and luxurious accommodations to in-depth excursions and customized private tours for a truly personalized voyage.
With only 100 suites, guests enjoy nearly a 1:1 guest-to-staff ratio and a special camaraderie and bond with their fellow explorers. This allows discerning travelers to immerse themselves in unique and awe-inspiring moments in remote and captivating destinations, from the Arctic to Antarctica, as well as discover destinations in Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Americas.
About Cruise Planners
Cruise Planners was founded in 1994 and is the nation’s largest home-based travel agent franchise network. As a leader in the travel franchise industry, Cruise Planners positions a nation-wide network of 2,500 franchise owners for success by providing innovative marketing programs, proprietary and cutting-edge booking and technology tools, as well as professional development and hands-on training with the industry’s top executives. The company continues to be an industry leader and was named the No.1 travel franchise by Entrepreneur magazine for 18 consecutive years and awarded by Franchise Business Review as “Best-In-Category” for 2 years.
Franchise Business Review also ranked Cruise Planners #3 OVERALL on their list of Top 200 Franchises of 2022. Cruise Planners was recently featured in Entrepreneur as one of the top 30 franchise innovators in technology, has been consistently named as one of the Top Women-Owned Businesses by the South Florida Business Journal, is on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, and was recognized as one of the Top Workplaces by the Sun Sentinel.
Visit our website, www.cruiseplanners.com, for more information or to view the complete list of awards and honors. For those interested in becoming a franchise owner, please visit https://www.cruiseplannersfranchise.com/.
TROY, Mich. — Best Life Brands, LLC (“Best Life Brands”) today announced the addition of David Tarr as vice president of franchise development. Tarr will lead the Best Life Brands franchise sales team to help accelerate the growth of the company’s senior care brands, as well as future acquisitions.
“David comes to us with an extensive background in sales and franchising,” said J.J. Sorrenti, CEO of Best Life Brands. “With his sales planning and leadership and our desire to continue to grow our portfolio of brands, it’s an ideal fit to help us advance the momentum the company has built.”
Prior to joining Best Life Brands, Tarr served in several executive roles, including vice president of franchise development and expansion for Liberty Tax Service, where he facilitated the growth from 700 locations to 4,400 locations throughout the U.S. More recently, he was the brand manager for St. Gregory Development Group, LLC and director of franchise development for REP’M Group, a full-service franchise development firm, where he oversaw the growth of Lime Painting from five locations to 70 throughout the US.
“I have a deep appreciation for Best Life Brand’s mission to serve seniors and their families on the continuum of care and look forward to growing the portfolio,” said Tarr. “Joining a multi-brand franchise company that continues to evolve is exciting. I look forward to helping recruit, select and qualify even more new franchisees across all our brands, while working with the Best Life Brands team and our existing franchisees to ensure we are delivering our senior care solutions to as many clients as possible.”
To learn more about Best Life Brands, visit www.bestlifebrands.com.
Based in Troy, Mich., Best Life Brands, LLC is a holding company that includes ComForCare and At Your Side, premier franchised providers of home care; CarePatrol, the nation’s largest franchised senior care solutions organization; Blue Moon Estate Sales, the leading estate sale franchise in the U.S., and Boost Home Healthcare, dedicated to providing superior in-home nursing, therapy, and home care services, which together include more than 500 franchise locations across the U.S. and Canada. With a private equity investment from The Riverside Company, Best Life Brands is a platform of award-winning complementary businesses that serve people along the continuum of care.