Owning a Franchise: Lessons on Building a Business and Community with Maureen Twohy
If you want own a gym franchise, listen to Maureen's story before you put up that down payment.
In this episode, Mark Mondo and Cynthia Zimmerman interview Maureen Tuohy, owner of a 9Round Kickboxing franchise in Wheeling Illinois, about her journey from personal trainer to franchise owner. We explore the benefits and challenges of owning a franchise, from startup costs and employee management to navigating the pandemic and fostering a strong community. Maureen shares practical insights and personal stories, offering inspiration for anyone considering franchising as a business model.
Key Takeaways
- Why Franchising? Maureen explains her choice of the 9Round franchise for its affordability and strong support system.
- Startup Challenges: Balancing significant upfront investment, training, and adapting to franchise requirements.
- Employee Management: Tips for finding, training, and retaining dedicated staff members.
- Navigating the Pandemic: Overcoming unprecedented challenges with the help of government loans, community support, and creative solutions.
- Building a Community: How 9Round fosters a sense of belonging among members while supporting their fitness goals.
In This Episode
- 00:00 – Show Introduction: Mark introduces the topic of franchising and welcomes Maureen Tuohy.
- 05:00 – Why Franchising? Maureen shares her reasons for choosing the 9Round Kickboxing franchise over other business models.
- 15:00 – Startup Investment: The costs and sacrifices involved in launching a franchise.
- 25:00 – Employee Retention: Strategies for building a loyal and flexible team.
- 35:00 – Overcoming the Pandemic: How Maureen kept her business afloat during COVID-19 through innovative solutions and community support.
- 45:00 – Marketing Tips for Franchisees: The importance of grassroots marketing and leveraging digital tools like social media.
- 55:00 – The Value of Community: Building a supportive environment for both members and staff.
Guest Bio
Since 2017, Maureen Tuohy lives her dream as the owner of a 9Round Kickboxing franchise in Wheeling, Illinois. Along the way, she’s built amazing teams, connected with incredible customers, and turned many of those connections into lifelong friendships. Now, Maureen spends her days helping people reach their fitness goals and creating a welcoming, empowering community.
Additional Resources
Affordable Tools for Starting a Professional Services Business
Setting Up a Professional Services Business with the Right Software on a Shoestring Budget
In episode 4 of Getting Down to Business, Mark Mondo and Cynthia Zimmerman discuss how entrepreneurs can set up a professional services business on a tight budget. They cover affordable or free software solutions for website hosting, CRM, email marketing, video editing, and collaboration tools. We explore how AI tools, like ChatGPT, can help streamline content creation, making it possible to run a business efficiently without breaking the bank.
Key Takeaways
- How to find affordable website hosting and domain services (Weebly, GoDaddy, Zoho Sites).
- Affordable tools for video and image editing (Vimeo, CapCut, GIMP, Canva).
- Collaboration and communication tools for teams (Zoho Cliq, Slack, Zoom).
- Using AI (ChatGPT) to assist with content marketing and other creative tasks.
- Introduction to email marketing tools (Mailchimp, Mailjet) and free invoicing/accounting tools (Zoho Invoice, PayPal).
In This Episode
- 00:00 – Show Introduction: Mark and Cynthia introduce the topic of setting up a professional services business on a budget.
- 05:00 – The Importance of a Website: How to set up a professional website using affordable services like Weebly or Zoho Sites.
- 15:00 – Domain Names and Hosting: Discussion on buying domain names and the importance of having a professional email address.
- 25:00 – Tools for Video and Image Editing: Free tools like CapCut and GIMP for video and image editing, and when to invest in premium services like Vimeo.
- 35:00 – Collaboration Tools: How tools like Zoho Click and Zoom can help teams collaborate efficiently without high costs.
- 45:00 – AI for Content Creation: Using ChatGPT to generate marketing content, including blog posts, cold emails, and SEO strategies.
- 55:00 – Email Marketing and Invoicing Tools: Free email marketing platforms like Mailchimp and Mailjet, and accounting software options like ZohoBooks and PayPal for startups.
Guest Bio
Mark Mondo founded MondoCRM 1997 and earned his skills growing up in the family business and working in the software industry as VAR, publisher and consultant since 1993. Cynthia Zimmerman has worked in the non-profit space since 1991 in event and project management, and when she’s away from the desk, she’s singing utilizing her classical training for Christ Church in Winnteka, Illinois.
Additional Resources
- Website Hosting and Domain Services:
- Weebly: https://www.weebly.com
- GoDaddy: https://www.godaddy.com
- Zoho Sites: https://www.zoho.com/sites/
- Video and Image Editing Tools:
- CapCut: https://www.capcut.com
- GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): https://www.gimp.org
- Canva: https://www.canva.com
- Vimeo: https://www.vimeo.com
- Collaboration and Communication Tools:
- Zoho Cliq: https://www.zoho.com/cliq/
- Slack: https://www.slack.com
- Zoom: https://www.zoom.us
- AI Content Creation:
- ChatGPT by OpenAI: https://openai.com/chatgpt
- Email Marketing Tools:
- Mailchimp: https://www.mailchimp.com
- Mailjet: https://www.mailjet.com
- Invoicing and Accounting Tools:
- ZohoBooks: https://www.zoho.com/books/
- PayPal: https://www.paypal.com
Stakeholder Business Case: Profit for All
Let's create the case for all stakeholders to profit along with the shareholders.
In episode 3 of Getting Down to Business, Mark and Cynthia interview guest Michael Woyan delve into how businesses can adopt a stakeholder approach to ensure the success of not only shareholders but also employees, communities, and the environment. They explore case studies that highlight the benefits of creating equitable and socially responsible business models, including improving customer loyalty, reducing employee turnover, and fostering cooperation between businesses.
Key Takeaways
- The Stakeholder Approach: Why businesses must prioritize all stakeholders, not just shareholders, for long-term success.
- Benefits of Social Responsibility: How customer loyalty, employee retention, and community involvement strengthen a company.
- Cooperative vs. Competitive Business Models: The advantages of collaboration over competition in solving social and economic problems.
- Practical Steps for Entrepreneurs: How small business owners can start building socially responsible business models, including becoming a B Corporation.
In This Episode
- 00:00 – Show Introduction: Mark welcomes guest Michael Woyan, returning to dive deeper into unfinished business from Episode 1.
- 05:00 – The Stakeholder Approach: Michael discusses the shift from a shareholder-first model to a stakeholder-focused business approach.
- 12:00 – Social Impact in Action: Michael shares his experience working with communities to improve economic development, including his work with the Lakota tribe.
- 20:00 – Employee Retention Strategies: The discussion shifts to how businesses can reduce employee churn by treating employees as assets rather than commodities.
- 30:00 – Cooperative Business Models: Michael explains how cooperative models can foster stronger businesses, sharing examples from the Chicago B Corp community.
- 40:00 – Practical Steps for Entrepreneurs: Mark and Michael provide practical advice for entrepreneurs looking to adopt a stakeholder model, including how to start the process of becoming a B Corporation.
Guest Bio
Michael Woyan is a social impact entrepreneur with a background in real estate development and nonprofit work. As the founder of Marketsling Innovation Labs, he focuses on ethical business practices and creating economic opportunities in underserved communities.
Additional Resources
Using AI to Create Consistent Content Marketing with Vivek Gargav
It's time to leverage AI to help you write more better marketing content.
In episode 2 of Getting Down to Business, Mark Mondo and Cynthia Zimmerman interview Vivek Gargav, who shares his journey from microbiologist to data scientist and how AI transformed his marketing strategies. They explore the role of AI in helping small business owners create ethical, effective content marketing strategies on a shoestring budget.
Key Takeaways
- Transitioning from science to marketing: Vivek’s story.
- How AI can assist small businesses in content creation.
- Practical tips for using AI tools like ChatGPT for SEO.
In This Episode
- 00:00 – Show Introduction and Underwriter Support: Mark introduces guest Vivek Gargav and the topic of using AI for marketing.
- 05:00 – Vivek's Career Transition: Vivek discusses his journey from microbiologist to marketer and how he navigated various challenges.
- 12:00 – The Power of AI: Vivek explains how AI tools, especially ChatGPT, revolutionized his approach to content creation.
- 20:00 – Using AI to Create SEO Content: Vivek describes leveraging AI for writing SEO-optimized articles and content marketing strategies.
- 30:00 – AI’s Role in Business Pivot: How AI helped Vivek pivot his company’s focus, saving time and resources.
- 40:00 – Concrete Results from AI: Vivek shares the direct business results from using AI, including increased leads and improved content marketing efficiency.
Guest Bio
Vivek Gargav is the marketing director at Caldere Associates in Reading, England. As a Zoho certified expert, he enjoys working with SMEs to enhance their customer relationship management using Zoho CRM, Zoho Social, Zoho Campaigns, and Zoho Analytics. He’s our goto expert at MondoCRM when comes to learning anything about AI.
Export Notes from Act! to Housecall Pro
How to Export Notes from Act! to Housecall Pro
(Hint: You cannot do this within the native program)
To export notes from Act! to Housecall Pro, you’ll need help. On your own, you can export some of the data, but not all the data out of Act!. For instance, the contact list view doesn’t export the unique IDs so notes, history, opportunities or the calendar won’t connect back to the correct contacts when you import them into Housecall Pro. If you follow the Act! Knowledge Base and employ a native tool such as the ACTREADER, SQL Studio or ODBC connection, these programs cannot strip out the RTF/HTML code formats as shown here. Our service exports the notes from Act! into a CSV format along with the unique IDs so the House Call Pro Data Transfer team can migrate the data for you.
- Act! knowledgebase answer: "Can I export Act! notes to Excel?"
- Act! knowledgebase answer: "What can I export from Act! ?"
Try us out at no charge.
To prove that our service works before you hire us, we’ll send you a 100 record sample set of your Act! database at no charge.
- Schedule a meeting to review your requirements.
- We'll guide you through the database backup process.
- We'll send you a link so you can securely upload the database to us.
- We'll send you a ZIP file with the contents and explain how the data lays out.
- Upon your approval, send us a final backup; then, we'll send you the data after the invoice is paid.
Who Puts The Data into Housecall Pro?
Once you have the CSV (Excel) files from us, you’ll work with the Housecall Pro Data Transfer Team to put the data into the system. Their team has previous experience taking the results from our export utility.
- Budget $700.00 per Act! database.