small business opportunities

WACO, Texas (May 8, 2018) – Dwyer Franchising, LLC (“Dwyer Group”), one of the world’s largest franchising companies of trade service brands, announces the Women in the Trade (WITT) Scholarship recipients for the fall 2018 semester. The program, launched in 2012 by Dina Dwyer-Owens and Dwyer Group, will award seven women a $1,500 scholarship for demonstrating outstanding work, experience and passion for their chosen service trades industry. Since the launch of the program, WITT has awarded over $50,000 to 42 scholarship recipients.

“Dwyer Group is committed to helping our franchisees recruit highly skilled and qualified individuals and we are confident that with the support of the WITT scholarships, these women can make great strides within the trade industry of their choice,” said Dwyer-Owens, co-chair of Dwyer Group. “These women are an inspiration to us here at Dwyer Group and we are proud to help them on their journey to success.”

The fall 2018 WITT scholarship recipients include: Megan Boyd of Waco, TX; Danni Kohl of Spiritwood, Saskatchewan, pursuing a career in commercial electricity; Elizabeth Moreno of Tacoma, WA, pursuing a career in carpentry; Amy Morrice of Victoria, British Columbia, pursuing a career in electrical trades; Ana Acetta of Elmhurst, NY, pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering; Martha Enzler of Minneapolis, MN, and Tamishella Holloway of Evergreen Park, IL, whom are both pursuing careers in HVAC.

The WITT scholarship is open to women 18 and older interested in pursuing a career in the trades and covers tuition, books, travel and/or fees. Funds can be applied to any accredited trade or technical school or certification program in the United States or Canada for specialties including: HVAC, plumbing, electrical repair, glass repair and replacement, appliance repair, restoration, painting, landscaping, residential cleaning or handyman services.

Candidates are evaluated based upon financial needs, previous work experience and their passion for their chosen industry. For more information and to apply, visit: http://www.dwyergroup.com/women-in-trades.asp or email WITT@dwyergroup.com.

CANTON, MA – As the world awaits the Royal Wedding, Dunkin’ Donuts is feeling the love, introducing a special new donut that fans might consider a crowning achievement in wedding-themed treats. Dunkin’ Donuts today unveiled the new Royal Love Donut, perfect for serving up a little sweetness while readying for the royal festivities. A heart-shaped donut filled with jelly and frosted with chocolate icing and a strawberry drizzle, the Royal Love Donut will be available for a limited time May 14 through May 20 at participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants nationwide.

According to Dunkin’ Brands Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Nigel Travis, a dual U.S. and British citizen born and raised in Woodford, Essex, “As the U.S. donut leader, we love helping our guests make special occasions both big and small even sweeter with fun donut designs and flavors. The Royal Wedding represents optimism, happiness and joy, and thus is a perfect opportunity for our brand to celebrate. We hope all donut lovers, royalty or not, will enjoy the new Royal Love Donut next week.”

To kick off the countdown to the festivities, Dunkin’ Donuts will also be giving guests the royal treatment with a ride inspired by the Royal Couple. On May 14, a special horse-drawn carriage branded in Dunkin’s iconic pink and orange colors will offer select guests a chance to enjoy the Royal Love Donuts while taking a trip through Central Park in true prince or princess style. Carole Radziwill, real life princess and Housewife of New York, will take the ceremonial first ride in Dunkin’s royal carriage.

Those planning to watch the morning festivities on May 19 can keep themselves running on Dunkin’, as many Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants will open at 5 AM eastern time that day, approximately two full hours before the ceremony is televised in the U.S. Guests can make their wedding viewing parties a true royal celebration with a dozen Royal Love Donuts, the brand’s signature coffee served in a Box O’ Joe®, or the brand’s full lineup of premium teas.

To learn more about Dunkin’ Donuts, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com, or subscribe to the Dunkin’ Donuts blog to receive notifications at https://news.dunkindonuts.com/blog.

COLUMBUS, OH – PRNewswire 

Sbarro, home of the XL New York style pizza by the slice, is launching its annual “Slices for Hope” campaign to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® who is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

From Mother’s Day (May 13) to Father’s Day (June 17), Sbarro customers will have the opportunity to make a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in participating US-based Sbarro restaurants or at Pizza Cucinova. By making a $1 donation, customers will receive a voucher for $2 off their next purchase of at least $6. Sbarro will also support St. Jude by donating 20% of all slice sales on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day up to $25,000, in honor of their customers to support the life-saving mission of St. Jude: Finding cures. Saving children.®

David Karam, Sbarro CEO, has been connected to St. Jude since his late father first became heavily involved in the 1960’s. Joe Karam served on the Board of Governors of St. Jude from 1968-1974 and 1991-2003, as well as on the Emeritus Board from 2003-2017. He was chairman of the National Convention of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Columbus in 1970 and Las Vegas in 1996. Since 2016, Sbarro has participated in Slices for Hope, donating a portion of all slice purchases to St. Jude. Since this program began two years ago, the company has raised $417,039 for this wonderful cause.

Find the Sbarro nearest you by visiting https://sbarro.com/locations/.

DENVER, CO -PRNEWSWIRE

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) and DoorDash shared results today for the successful launch of their new national delivery partnership. Chipotle has seen a 667 percent increase in weekly delivery orders since initiating the partnership.

“Chipotle is dedicated to increasing the accessibility of our real food, made with real ingredients, regardless of where our customers are or how they like to order,” said Curt Garner, chief digital and information officer at Chipotle. “The DoorDash partnership makes delivery available from more than 1,500 Chipotle restaurants across the country – our largest delivery partnership to date – so enjoying Chipotle’s food is now even easier and more convenient.”

“We hit the ground running during our first week as Chipotle’s largest on-demand partner, and we’re just getting started,” said Christopher Payne, chief operating officer at DoorDash. “DoorDash looks forward to building on our momentum as we continue to expand operations with Chipotle across the U.S. and Canada.”

To celebrate the launch of the partnership, Chipotle customers received free delivery on Chipotle orders of $10 or more placed through DoorDash from Monday, April 30 to Sunday, May 6, including May 5 in celebration of Cinco de Mayo.

As customers become more mobile and on-the-go, Chipotle is working to provide them with the same delicious food and intuitive, quick experience they get when ordering in the restaurant. Most Chipotle restaurants now have a second make-line, which is dedicated to fulfilling online and digital orders. The second make-line is separate from the customer-facing line, thereby enabling digital orders with no disruption to in-store customer orders and boosting speeds for all orders. In fact, last week Chipotle had record high digital orders with no impact to the in-store customer experience.

A few highlights of Chipotle’s partnership to date with DoorDash include:

• The average DoorDash delivery time – from order to drop-off – was 34 minutes
• Chicago, Dallas and Denver saw the most delivery orders
• The most frequently ordered items nationwide were burrito bowls, burritos, and chips and guacamole

DENVER, CO – Motto Franchising, LLC announced that 80 Motto Mortgage franchises have been sold across the country with more than 40 now open and operating. The franchisor announced late last year that 50 franchises were sold during its inaugural year of operations. Motto Mortgage officially launched on October 25, 2016, and is the first national mortgage brokerage franchise in the U.S.

Motto Mortgage is an innovative mortgage brokerage franchise and the second member of the RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: RMAX) family of brands. Loan originators in the Motto Mortgage network work hard to give homebuyers options – and present competitive quotes from wholesale lenders – because no loan is one-size-fits-all. Motto Franchising President Ward Morrison calls the mortgage brokerage franchise revolutionary and is celebrating the momentous achievement.

“80 franchises sold with more than 40 now open is a tremendous achievement for the Motto Mortgage team and network,” said Morrison. “We’re the first national mortgage brokerage franchise in the country and we knew from the early beginning that our unique brokerage model was needed in the industry. It’s a very exciting time for all of us at Motto Mortgage.”

Motto Mortgage is a different idea – a network of mortgage brokers, focused on providing personalized guidance with more clarity and less jargon. Loan originators in the Motto Mortgage network work close by – and closely with – real estate agents to deliver a one-stop solution. Motto Mortgage franchises are increasing competition in the industry, resulting in more options and a better customer experience for consumers. Importantly, Motto Mortgage loan originators are not bound to the products of one specific lender but have access to quality loan options from various sources.

Motto Mortgage has franchises operating in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, D.C. and Washington State. Motto Franchising, LLC is located at 5075 S. Syracuse St. #1200, Denver, CO 80237. Each Motto Mortgage franchise is independently owned, operated and licensed. For more information, please email newsroom@mottomortgage.com or visit mottomortgage.com.

DALLAS, TX – HomeVestors, the largest professional house buying franchise in the U.S., welcomed more than 100 new franchises in the first quarter of 2018. The new independently owned and operated HomeVestors® franchises helped open ten new markets for the “We Buy Ugly Houses®” company, including Bellingham, Wash.; Burlington-Plattsburgh, Vt.; Greenville-Paris, Texas; Huntsville, Ala.; New Orleans, La.; New York City, N.Y.; Rochester, N.Y.; Santa Fe, N.M.; Victoria, Texas; and Wilmington, Del.

“HomeVestors franchises now operate locally in 162 markets around America thanks to the steady franchise growth we continue to experience,” said David Hicks, CEO of HomeVestors. “We added 234 franchises in 2017, which we were really pleased with. For us to now be nearly halfway to that number after just one quarter of 2018 suggests this rapid growth will continue.”

As America’s number one home-buyer, HomeVestors has purchased more than 85,000 houses since 1996, the year it first began franchising. Consistently recognized as an affordable and successful franchising opportunity, HomeVestors recruits, trains and supports franchises that specialize in building businesses based on buying, rehabbing, selling and holding residential properties.

HomeVestors was recently ranked number 20 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s annual Fastest-Growing Franchises list, which is culled from Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500®. The company’s franchises purchase and improve approximately 8,000 houses each year.

Newton, MA – Paytronix Systems, Inc., an innovator in mobile loyalty and online ordering applications, mobile payment, and digital communication tools, and Bruster’s Real Ice Cream, with growing legions of fans nationwide, announces the launch of Bruster’s new Sweet Rewards customer loyalty program, across most of its 200 franchised shops in 20 states.

The new Sweet Rewards loyalty program provides customers with two easy ways to join by either downloading the Bruster’s App or registering online at BrustersSweetRewards.com. Guests receive a $3 reward just for joining, earn 1 point for every $1 spent and at 50 points will earn a $5 reward, plus more exclusive offers for members. The App, supported by iPhone and Android smartphones, also allows customers to track progress, browse the menu, share on social media and find nearby locations.

“Bruster’s goal is always to have our franchisees be successful from the day they open their doors. Our new Sweet Rewards loyalty program is an important marketing initiative to aid in their success,” said Jim Sahene, Chief Executive Officer, Bruster’s Real Ice Cream. “We invested in the Paytronix-powered rewards program because we believe it is the best platform for enabling franchisee and consumer adoption. Our entire team is excited to be working with Paytronix to grow our business through real-time consumer insights direct from our growing fan base.”

For close to 30 years, Bruster’s has worked to develop its franchise operations largely by protecting the integrity of its brand, developing brand enthusiasts and helping individual store owners drive sales. Bruster’s leaders wanted to move from a long-time eClub to a more modern, full-scale loyalty program that would enable its franchisees to take advantage of data analytics and mobile technology to uncover opportunities for increasing revenue.

Bruster’s turned to Paytronix as its loyalty program partner and worked closely with their team to develop a strategy to migrate legacy eClub members to its new program.

Prior to the program launch, Bruster’s had invested in new NCR Silver POS systems and scanners in each location. The new technology integration enables store personnel to instantaneously scan the mobile Bruster’s app or identify a customer through phone number look-up on the POS system.

“By teaming up with Paytronix, Bruster’s can be more strategic about how it influences buying decisions through relevant customer engagement,” said Jennifer Brinker, Vice President of Marketing, Bruster’s Real Ice Cream. “The Paytronix program will not only provide critical consumer data to market to our customers’ individual desires and needs, but it is easy and fast for franchisees to implement, as well as for our guests to participate in and become lifelong fans.”

“Bruster’s Real Ice Cream has made a strategic investment that will aid individual franchisees as they compete in their markets,” said Michelle Tempesta, head of marketing, Paytronix Systems, Inc. “From program design to implementation to the program rollout to all of its stores, Bruster’s Real Ice Cream has capitalized on the ability of the Paytronix Rewards platform to deliver a sophisticated data-driven loyalty program that will scale with Bruster’s unique business.”

MINNEAPOLIS, MN

Great Clips, Inc. is proud to be named the Official Hair Salon of the NHL® as part of a partnership with the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2018 Stanley Cup® Playoffs. The partnership centers around a campaign, aptly named the LegendHairy Greats of the NHL. The socially-shareable campaign features an online poll where fans can vote for their favorite “hockey hair” styles from some of the sport’s most notable players including: Brent Burns (San Jose Sharks), Cal Clutterbuck (New York Islanders), Jamie Benn (Dallas Stars), James Neal (Vegas Golden Nights), Chris Thorburn (St. Louis Blues), and many more.

The “LegendHairy Greats of the NHL” campaign will run through the duration of the Stanley Cup® Playoffs through the Stanley Cup® Final in June. “Head-to-Head Matchups” between players as well as individual players’ hairstyle evolutions will be displayed in campaign materials so fans can vote on their favorite hairstyles. Participants of the campaign are encouraged to use #HockeyHair to share their voting results and to encourage others to submit their own votes at NHL.com. Great Clips salons across the United States and Canada will support the campaign and encourage their current customer base to participate through in-salon signage as well as messaging through its Great Clips Online Check-in App, redirecting mobile users to the voting URL. The “LegendHairy Greats of the NHL” will also be promoted on live broadcast during the Stanley Cup® Playoffs, in person at venues hosting the Stanley Cup® Playoffs, and on the NHL’s social media channels.

In addition, Great Clips will soon announce a lineup of Great Clips ambassadors who will help spread the word of the “LegendHairy Greats of the NHL” campaign.

“When most think of hockey, they think of ‘hockey hair,’ making the NHL partnership the perfect place for Great Clips to connect with its target consumers,” says Great Clips, Inc. CEO Steve Hockett. “We wanted to join forces with the NHL to not only highlight some of the best players in the league, but to also have some fun with those legendary hairstyles that the fans have come to know and love. We look forward to the results of our online poll during the most exciting few weeks of the sport.”

“The Stanley Cup Playoffs is the most thrilling and competitive postseason in sports,” said Keith Wachtel, NHL Chief Revenue Officer and Executive Vice President. “Great Clips has conceived a creative, entertaining and inviting concept for the Stanley Cup Playoffs that has increased engagement among our avid fans across multiple platforms while connecting with a broader audience through its tremendous retail footprint of more than 4,300 stores across North America.”

“We are excited about this partnership with Great Clips and the chance to help fans connect with their favourite players during the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs,” said Sandra Monteiro, NHLPA Chief of Global Business Strategies. “The players are the face and focus of the NHL and the ability to activate players directly in the “LegendHairy Greats of the NHL” is a great opportunity to continue to profile the players’ unique style and personalities.”

For more information about Great Clips’ sponsorship with The Stanley Cup® Playoffs, visit the Great Clips website and connect with Great Clips on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

DENVER, CO

Spring 2018 marks a celebratory milestone for the Sola Salon Studio’s community across North America. Sola’s community is now 10,000 owners strong – in over 400 locations – across North America!

This milestone was announced at the recent Sola SESSIONS event in Jupiter, Florida where over 250 Sola professionals were in attendance.

The celebration of this milestone included Sola Culture Ambassador, first-ever Sola business owner and Paul Mitchell educator, Kim Bennett Horvath. “The choice I made to be part of Sola 14 years ago provided me the best opportunity for the rest of my career,” noted Horvath.

During the event, a stunned Katie Oakes from Savannah, GA was called on stage as she was officially the 10,000th salon owner. “After I left my last job, I showed up at Sola with my mother, signed a lease and never looked back. It’s been the best thing and my community has been great. Sola gave me the freedom to be my own boss and the space to be myself,” commented Oakes.

Nodding to Sola’s legacy of creating a community of like-minded, independent, creative owners, Kim added “During my 14 years, it’s been amazing to hear and share thousands of different stories. 10,000 owners, each connected through Sola, is something I could not have imagined at the start. Congratulations to all of the Sola 10,000!”

By removing the majority of risk and overhead costs of running a traditional salon, Sola Salon Studios empowers artists ready take full creative and business control of their careers – allowing them doing what they do best in highly-designed, supportive – yet private – workspaces. With state-of-the-art tools including technology like SolaGenius and Sola Pro apps, Sola helps support each business and provide valuable education/product information on demand.

The Sola Tribe: Shared Industry Culture

For pros dreaming of their own business yet worrying about losing the camaraderie of colleagues a sink away, that fear is quickly dissipated through Sola’s attention to creating engaging owners within each locale. Stylist Alex Sylvester, a 2018 Faces of Sola honoree observes, “It opened my eyes to see this huge community that I really had no idea about coming into it. There are many inspiring owners here working to make their careers and brands noticeable. It’s so much fun, having like-minded people ready to make something of themselves surround you every day.”

“I decided to move to Sola because I wanted to surround myself with a community of people with similar ideas and goals. Being here allows me to stay on top of my performance and learn so many new things,” notes nail artist Julie Nguyen.

Minneapolis stylist Mahogany Plautz sums it up nicely, “The community at Sola is very supportive of each other. We interact, communicate and share ideas (and clients) often. If I get someone who comes in and asks me to do something not in my wheelhouse, there are other professionals just steps away I can refer them to. Ours is a big circle of support and inspiration. We celebrate each other.”

HOUSTON, TX

In honor of National Teacher Day on Tuesday, May 8, Überrito locations will celebrate “Above and Beyond Educators“ by offering a free burrito, bowl, salad or nachos during regular store hours. The special promotion is open to all teachers, faculty and staff with a valid school ID, which must be presented to receive the offer. Überrito restaurants will also deliver complimentary catered meals for teachers, faculty and staff at nearby local schools throughout Teacher Appreciation Week, May 7-11.

“Teachers go above and beyond every day by educating our kids and showing up for our communities, just like Überrito delivers on its promise to go above and beyond the basic burrito,” said Marcus Jundt, CEO. “All of our teachers, faculty and staff deserve special recognition during Teacher Appreciation Week, and our ‘Above and Beyond Educators’ promotion is one simple way we’re saying thanks with a free meal during this week.”

The “Above and Beyond Educators” promotion includes one free entrée (burrito, bowl, salad or nachos) per qualified participant and is valid only on May 8, 2018. Teachers, faculty and staff must present a valid school ID, which includes an identification badge or other formal documentation from a school, college, university or home school program. It cannot be combined with any other offer, promotion or discount. The offer is valid for the teacher, faculty or staff member entrée only.

Überrito currently operates five Houston-area locations and one Phoenix location. The restaurant brand is part of Williston Holding Company, which currently operates and franchises 56 Mexican and American restaurant locations across nine brands: Casa Olé, Monterey’s Little Mexico, Überrito, Tortuga Mexican Kitchen, Crazy Jose’s, Williston Brewing Company, Gramma Sharon’s, J Dub’s Bar & Grill, and Doc Holliday’s Roadhouse.