Is State Fertile For Franchisers?

Would-be entrepreneurs test waters at North Haven expo

NORTH HAVEN , CONN. (Monday, October 31, 2005) - For many would-be entrepreneurs in Connecticut and elsewhere, franchising is an attractive avenue toward financial independence and opportunity. The Entrepreneur's Source, a consulting firm that works with people bent on self-employment as a career option, held a franchise and self-employment expo on October 20 at the Holiday Inn in North Haven. Twenty-four franchise operators from as far as from Hawaii, participated in the event. The majority of them do not currently have franchisees in Connecticut, although many said they gained leads out of the expo. Changes in the economy since 2001 have moved many business people to consider self-employment. According to Steven Trudo, franchise director for the Entrepreneur's Source: "Job security doesn't exist anymore. People looking to be business owners, especially in franchising, can find successful systems." Exhibiting the expo as an information resource was the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). "The SBA is a prime source of financing for people to get access to franchising," noted Hugh Curley, an SBA business-development specialist. He noted that interested parties may visit an SBA Web site (www.sba.gov/workshops/franchises/fran2.html) where a checklist for would-be franchisees can be downloaded. The estimated total number of small businesses in Connecticut in 2003 was 314,100. One of the vendors, Steve Stovall, national director of franchise Page 1 of 3 file://C:\DOCUME~1\tloring.TES\LOCALS~1\Temp\VBT0ZIC2.htm 11/2/2005 broker relations for Maaco Collision Repair & Auto Painting, reported: "It's good to see so many people learn how to better their lifestyle. And I think with the way the real estate boom is going, people are getting faced to look at the ways they can make money." by other means. He said Maaco has five franchisees in the New Haven area. Another vendor, Jim Platt, director of franchise operation for Minneapolis-based Pets Are Inn, said his company currently has no franchisers in Connecticut. Platt, who has been working on an Internet-based platform to expand networking for the company, said, "We're looking for someone to be a mass developer in Connecticut, who would [prime] the market for franchisees here."

View all Entrepreneur's Source Press Releases

This article has been read 90 times.

Printer Friendly