The Good, The Bad, and the Fraudulent: A Brief History of 75 Discovery Days

A few weeks ago, we hosted our  75^th discovery day at the corporate offices in Dunedin, FL.   For those of you not in franchising, a discovery day is when potential owners come in to meet the Big Frog staff to get approval for their purchase.  I thought I would share our favorite "epic fail"  Discovery Day stories.

• The Love/Hate Relationship: This couple came in very gung-ho about our concept.  One of them loved everything about it; the other loved everything about it except the entire system ("no minimums, that's stupid." "No art charges, I'm not doing that.").  We thanked them for their honesty and love of Big Frog.  Thanks, but no thanks.
• The "I really don't like people" Candidate:   This person was smart, earnest and loved Big Frog.  However, as the day progressed, the following was revealed...  "I really dislike young adults" (Big Frog's primary workforce),  "I really hate managing employees" (we only have two or three, but still), and in fact I'm just not fond of people (um, our whole customer base).  We recommended he look into a home-based business and forget Big Frog.  Duh.
• And finally, my personal favorite, The Tax Evader:  This candidate arrived in our office and within an hour proudly declared that he had not filed his taxes in over 5 years.  Needless to say, you could hear a pin drop after that assertion.  We figured the chance of seeing a royalty payment from that owner would be slim to none - "Don't let the door hit you..."

Everyone runs their DDays differently.  As a custom t-shirt franchise, ours are pretty casual - "t-shirts and shorts are acceptable attire".   Many of them visit us already wearing a Big Frog t-shirt (50 points!).   We have a nice lunch on Main Street and spend the whole day talking about Big Frog, answering questions, and getting comfortable that we're a good fit and they can be successful in a Big Frog store.

"Yes, yes", you say.  "I'm in franchising.  I get this." Or, "I'm not in franchising, but this is common sense."  We all get the theory behind the discovery day, but when you have less than 30 franchise units out there our objectivity slacks a bit.  The real question all emerging franchisors have to ask themselves...  do I have the nerve to turn away any candidate?

Here's an insight into our thought process,  "That franchise fee check is looking pretty good.  I could maybe pay myself this month.  And gosh, they seem awfully nice and I'm sure they would try hard."   Yep, it's tough to say no... most of the time.  But, I thought you might enjoy hearing about those three candidates where we had no problem saying no.

 "TripAdvisor" Side bar:  If you haven’t visited Main Street, Dunedin, you really should.  There are amazing restaurants on every block and cute curio shops.  If you need any recommendations, drop me an email.  Casa Tina's is a must, and no it's not named after me, but for as many times as I eat there, I may start telling people that.

Winners Never Quit... Bright House Regional Business Awards

Big Frog Co-Founders: Tina, Ron, Kerry, Leeward (Left to Right)

2014 was the inaugural Bright House Regional Business Awards for the Tampa Bay Area.  I somehow missed the announcement of the award application and my father emailed me and said "Apply!"  So, of course, I did.  I always do what my father tells me - although (obviously) not counting my teen years and early twenties. I'll let you in on results up front, we did not win.  We were in the top 10 small business finalists, but we didn't win the top honor. 

While we were disappointed, we were also inspired to try harder next year.  After all, "Winners never quit, and quitters never win."  I know we can write a better application or create a more inspired presentation.  One of the themes of the award was community/charity involvement.  While we each do our individual part with local charities, we realized that we need to bring that to the office.  New 2014 Goal:  Find a local charity and putting our passion behind it in 2014. 

This photo represents the highest point of our Big Frog franchise system to date.  52 stores open in 22 states with 9 more to open (and some of the best franchisees in the world).  A great team of employees that are Big Froggers to the core.  And an enviable partnership that has lasted for over 7 years.   We have old bull, Leeward Bean, that brings wisdom and patience to our organization, young bull, Ron DeFrece, that exudes the passion that is needed to create a business and me - a bit of both worlds.  And finally, Leeward's wife, Kerry Bean, that has empowered and inspired him to create and partake in another successful business.

 

While this picture shows us at the pinnacle of Big Frog, we’re not done... our goal is 300 stores by 2018. And we’re not quitters, so you know that that means.  

Ugh, Not Another Meeting!?! … Ah, But the IFA Convention Isn't Just 'Another Meeting'

If you don’t know me well, you don’t know that I really hate meetings.  Let me clarify, I don't hate all meetings, I dislike meetings that digress and stray off topic to the point we’re talking about the vendor’s bachelor party back in '69.  Give me a solid agenda, with concrete objectives and a set time frame and I’ll be there with bells on.

Now, conventions are just really big meetings so I know you’re thinking, Tina is going to be down on conventions.  Not true, naysayer.    And why’s that?

• An agenda – check.
• A selection of items to meet your objectives – check.   
• A set time frame – check. 
• Happy hour at the hotel bar – double check.   

This year we attended the IFA’s national convention in New Orleans – during Mardi Gras, no less.  I am always amazed at the magnitude of the event IFA puts on.  The variety of speakers - always experts in their fields - and the Mini Super Sessions were spot on.  The exhibit hall alone has almost every vendor specialty represented, and for a growing franchise, we’re always on the search for new technology to help us become bigger/better.  

I shake my head in disbelief at how helpful and forthcoming all of the veteran franchisors are (don't they know we're competitors?). They are willing to share their knowledge, mistakes and even little tips and tricks for running a great Frog-a-thon (see previous blog post).  In turn, I try to pay it forward and share all our tips and mistakes to the newer franchisors.  It's a great cycle, let's keep it up!

Every time I consider registering for these conventions, I am skeptical about whether it’s worth the time and money.   But, I give them my credit card and go, because I know it’s the right thing for Big Frog.  And, inevitably, I come home with a list of ways to improve myself (yoga!), my management style (hate meetings less), my team (re-energize) and my system (Board of Directors). The experience is truly priceless.  

A quick photo digression from NOLA:

Bad Creek Bandits - Awesome Bluegrass/Ragtime Band

Grey Goose Martini at the Ice Bar in Harrah's  (Yum!)

Meeting of the Frogs: My Pad or Yours?

It’s time for the IFA Convention in New Orleans! As we get ready for this key event in The Big Easy, it brings to mind a question that often comes up during emerging franchisor sessions and conferences: “When should we start having annual conventions for our franchisees?” The answer is - NOW!  

Each year in January, an especially slow time in retail, all Big Frogs get together at what we call the Big Frog-a-thon. I can't count how many ways this annual convention benefits our store owners and, as importantly, us, the franchisor.

We asked ourselves in the beginning if we could afford it - the time and the money required to put together a Big Frog convention. We really didn’t have much of either, but we said, “If the big franchisors do it, so should we!” Plus, it was a chance to bring together all the amazing people who bought into the dream we now all share – a sustaining, prosperous future with Big Frog.

So, in 2009, we had our first annual meeting at the first Big Frog store in Clearwater, Fla. The number of stores attending? Three. The number of stores in the system? Three. Okay, it may not have been anything to write home about, but the newness of being store owners and the giddiness of starting this adventure together kept us going through that first year.

At our second convention (over 10 attendees, woot!), we created the State of the Frog Address, where we disclosed our corporate P&L, all we had accomplished (and failed to accomplish) and our goals for the coming year. It proved a great opportunity for us to "grade" ourselves on our performance and give the franchisees the opportunity to ask the tough questions. (Side note: Last year’s GPA was 3.0, but we're pretty tough graders.)

Every year since, we added something new to the Frog-a-thon. The third year, we invited our vendors to train and network with the store owners. In year four, we added panel discussions so the franchisees could learn from other successful Big Frog store owners. The fifth year, we added moderated round tables where our owners exchanged ideas in small groups – a huge hit!

Now, in our sixth year, with 59 units in the system, over 50 stores attended Frog-a-thon 2014, with a record 110 attendees that included vendors and corporate employees. The convention was hailed by our franchisees as the best yet - that's because over 70 percent of the meeting gave franchisees the opportunity to speak with other franchisees via round tables, panel discussions and social events. Networking is king!

Our store owners always leave the Frog-a-thon with more knowledge and expanded network connections, completely rejuvenated for the new year. And the same goes for us. We're excited about all the new ideas, exciting plans and a fresh report card to make this year the best ever for our store owners. I see the Dean's List in our future!

'Tis the Season

The Importance of Thank You

First, Happy Holidays to all!  With only 21 shopping days until Christmas, we're all looking over our family's wishlists and figuring out how to budget those holiday dollars. (An aside: Have you seen how much LEGO sets go for these days?)   But, remember this season is about showing our loved ones how important they are so we want to make those gifts special, not necessarily expensive.  

That sentiment goes the same for our company.  As a small business owner with fantastic vendors, employees and customers (our franchisees), its time for me to think about how I want to show them how important they are to our organization.  Each one plays a vital role in the success of Big Frog and I'm sure that's the case with any company.  Technically, I know that I should have pondered my gift giving months ago, however, since we are the home of 24 hour custom t-shirts, I feel like I should have the luxury of doing this type of planning last minute.

I did a little research just to see what type of gift giving corporations for their employees and customers.  Then, just to be trendy, created our first infographic summarizing my findings (see high res version on Pinterest here).  Does my research really tell us anything new?  It seems obvious that our customers/vendors/employees will appreciate a thoughtful gift; meaning there is a greater chance of them saying kind things about us or even doing nice things for us.

 

Our First Infographic!  Corporate Gift Giving

What do we give to our franchisees?  At our annual convention (the Frog-a-thon), we give Big Frog branded items to Big Frog store owners that can MAKE their own Big Frog branded gear.  There is just something about receiving an item made personally for you that speaks volumes, even if you could have purchased or made it for yourself.  The first time we gave these gifts to our franchisees, even I was a bit surprised by their reaction, but what our gifts say to them is that we thought of each person individually and took the time to create their gift. 
If this works for my customers, this will work for any company's customers.  Take the time to create a gift just for them.  Here are a few great ideas used by our retail store's customers: 

• Mobile Auto Detailing Company - Custom, branded stone/thirsty coasters that fit in the cup holders of their customer's cars.
• Country Club - At their annual Christmas party, gave away branded golf towels.
• Commercial Cleaning Service - During December cleanings, left branded mouse pads on everyone's desk with a Happy Holidays design.

These aren't the usual companies that you expect to do something special for their clientele.  These are just small business owners that took the time to create something unique (not expensive) for their customers.  'Tis the season of giving and everyone loves being appreciated for their loyalty to your brand.