Business View Magazine | July 2020

62 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JULY 2020 that actually connects to the conveyor system.” BVM: What attributes make a good franchisee prospect? Gibson: “We look for franchisees with a business background who are financially qualified for multi- unit growth, that embody the owner operator mentality, and are brand ambassadors for Tide and Tide Cleaners. We’ve been very successful with people that have franchise experience with other concepts, but it’s not a requirement. Real estate developers, Fortune 500 executives are part of our franchise network and people who bring experience from the dry cleaning industry itself. You don’t need dry cleaning experience to be a franchisee with Tide Cleaners, in fact, about 90 percent of our franchisees have zero dry cleaning experience when they start. Our world- class support model and training program sets our franchisees up for success, with or without dry cleaning background. For prospective franchisees, I’d say, the essential element of franchising is being in business for yourself, not by yourself.” Moore: “The last time we ran the numbers, 85 percent of our franchisees have some element of family involved in the business, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives. We find our most successful franchisees are truly invested, not just from a financial standpoint but from a personal perspective. They are creating a legacy and building wealth for their family, this is a long term investment. Quite a few of our franchisees are retired from previous jobs and are investing in developing Tide Cleaners to be able to leave the business in the hands of their children when they’re ready to fully retire. “There are a few franchisees in the network that are strictly financial investors, but they are always part of a larger group that also has someone invested from an owner operator standpoint. That is a requirement of ours. Our expectation is not that they’re in the store seven days a week. Although, some do it initially because they want to know the business from top to bottom, which we love. But our goal is to pull them more out of the store, especially after they get that first one