Moms Make Amazing Business Owners

Sheree Commerford. Photo by Sam Elsom for Captain and the Gypsy Kid; courtesy My Domaine
Sheree Commerford. Photo by Sam Elsom for Captain and the Gypsy Kid; courtesy My Domaine

Building a business and building a family can happen simultaneously—just ask any of the four mom-preneurs highlighted in this article by Sacha Strebe for My Domaine.

“There has never been a better time for women to be creatively fulfilled and also pursue the role of motherhood. The digital era in a way has set us free. Our value cannot be hidden anymore; it’s out there in the open for all to see.” 

– Sheree Commerford, stylist and founder of Captain and the Gypsy Kid, featured in the article mentioned above.

NTY Franchise Company has helped inspired moms like Sheree pursue their creative passions and achieve their dreams of owning a business many times over. Passionate about fashion and kids? Open a Children’s Orchard store and do what you love every day.

Check out the article for more inspiring tips and advice for running a successful business while raising a family.

CHILDREN’S ORCHARD: Successful Franchisees Share Their Secrets

Check out this insightful interview from Business-Opportunities.biz featuring two longtime Children’s Orchard franchisees:

Claudia Aguirre and Donahi Bunt, owners of a Children’s Orchard franchise in McAllen, Texas.
Claudia Aguirre and Donahi Bunt, owners of a Children’s Orchard franchise in McAllen, Texas.

 

 

Successful franchisees Claudia & Donahi share their story

We recently spoke with Claudia Aguirre and Donahi Bunt, owners of a Children’s Orchard franchise in McAllen, Texas, and learned why they chose the franchise, what challenges they faced when they first started out and, lastly, what advice they have for potential franchisees.

How long have you been a franchise owner? 

11 years.

What were you doing before becoming a franchise owner? 

We both had worked part time in our families’ businesses for years. (Claudia in the Maquila field and Donahi in the telecommunications field.) It came a time that we wanted to have the experience to create and operate our own business.

Why did you choose Children’s Orchard franchise opportunity? 

As moms, we know how expensive it is to dress the kids in style and how fast they outgrow their clothes. Children’s Orchard offers parents a way to make money by selling their children’s outgrown, gently used items. Plus, they can stick around and shop for fashionable clothing, toys and equipment for a fraction of the retail price. It’s a great concept!

What were some of the challenges you faced starting a franchise?

Finding a way to finance the business and creating an appropriate work and life balance was difficult, especially in the early years when we were just getting the business going.

Where did you research or get advice about starting a franchise?

We called some store owners and talked to a lawyer, but we already knew we wanted to be part of the Children’s Orchard team. During our first year of operation, we visited some of the top performing Children’s Orchard franchises to learn about their daily processes.

How much does starting a franchise cost? 

All of our money! Truthfully, it was an amount very close to what the corporate office told us, but we exceeded that during the first couple of years.

What does a typical day look like for you?

In the early years we were both full-time at the store. Little by little, we built a great team capable of handling much of the day-to-day operations. One of us takes care of the administration and the other takes care of advertising and marketing.

What is your secret to success?

Remember, your customers are the reason you are in business. When something goes wrong, spend your time and energy making it right. Don’t waste time searching for someone to blame. Stay focused on your goals, and track your results. Build a great team to help you reach your goals.

What would you do differently if you had to do it all over?

We would definitely invest more time into learning about our market before opening our doors.

Where do you see your business in five years?

We just moved to a bigger location for the third time, so right now, we just want to focus on getting everything under control and use this change to impact our sales and community involvement in a positive way.

What is one trend that really excites you?

Businesses becoming more eco-friendly is really exciting. It’s rewarding to be part of that trend by allowing parents to recycle their children’s clothes and toys.

What are your favorite online tools or resources and what do you love about them?

Google Drive: All our images, documents, ideas and campaigns are available on any device!

Constant Contact: We love being able to email market!

Do you (or did you ever) have a mentor?

We like to look for learning opportunities everywhere. Other store owners have helped with that learning process.

What advice do you have for others looking to own a franchise? 

Understand that you are buying a franchise in order to mitigate risk and follow a proven success model. If you’re not willing to follow a franchise system, you’ll want to look for another opportunity.

Learn everything you can about the franchise before you buy. Get to know the management team, the owners and the history of the franchise. Talk to as many franchisees as possible, and ask questions. If possible, visit a few franchise units to see the day-to-day operation and talk to customers regarding their opinion of the business.

Would you recommend others be franchisees? Why?

Yes. Buying into a franchise gives you a proven system and support from people with experience in the industry. At the same time, you are the business owner, so you must stay focused in order to succeed.

Where can people get more information on Children’s Orchard franchise opportunities?

Visit the website here.

Where can people find Children’s Orchard on social media?Facebook

CLOTHES MENTOR: Franchisee Talks About Her Stores

Thinking about opening a franchise store? You’ve got to listen to this radio piece from 97.5 BEN FM featuring multiple Clothes Mentor store owner Chris Barnett of Pennsylvania. She’s passionate about the brand and her community, and it shows in the success of her stores. Click on the icon below to listen.

Speaker icon illustration

Check out Barnett’s West Chester and Springfield stores.

Clothes Mentor franchisee Chris Barett of Pennsylvania featured on NTY Franchise's LinkedIn page. Check it out.
Chris Barnett was recently featured on NTY Franchise Company’s LinkedIn page as a Franchisee Spotlight. Click on the image to go to the page, and don’t forget to follow!

NTY Franchise and Store Owners Featured in Franchising USA

Check out this article published in the December issue of Franchising USA featuring NTY Franchise and female store owners:

Female entrepreneurship is booming in America. The number of women-owned businesses in the U.S. continues to climb and is now estimated to have surpassed 9.4 million enterprises.

The American Express 2015 State of Women Owned Businesses Report shows that women-owned small businesses are on the rise, with around 30 percent of all small businesses owned by women in 2015.

However, that’s nothing compared to what’s going on in the $12 billion resale industry.

NTY Franchise Company, one of the fastest growing developers of resale brands in America, recently announced that of its four franchised brands, a whopping 67 percent of its franchisees are female. With trendsetting brands such as women’s upscale resale franchise Clothes Mentor and recently acquired children’s resale store Children’s Orchard, NTY Franchise Company executives are optimistic that those trends will continue.

Clothes Mentor franchisee Kate Paynter standing in her store, neat and organized with many clothes and shoes on racks
Kate Paynter, Clothes Mentor store owner in Cincinnati, OH. (Photo courtesy Franchising USA)

“Without a doubt, women have become the driving force of our franchise growth,” said Chief Operating Officer Chad Olson. “I think there are a lot of things to like about resale, and many of them are particularly important to women.”

Kate Paynter and her mother, Becky Finger, have led the resale revolution in Cincinnati for decades, with several resale franchise brands including Clothes Mentor. Paynter says their resale franchises buy more than $10 million worth of gently used items from local sellers annually, all while supporting charitable causes dear to her and her mom.

“It’s been a dream of ours to serve in this community,” Paynter said. “Along with putting dollars in the pockets of other Cincinnati women, we’ve been able to support local charities like March of Dimes, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Pink Ribbon Girls. All while doing what we love!”

Suzanne Simpson, another pioneer in the resale industry, says she’s been able to pay local women more than $4.6 million in the past few years with her resale brands like Clothes Mentor in Ocoee, Florida. Like Paynter and her mom, Simpson enjoys putting more money in local women’s pockets while also donating to One Heart for Women and Children, a local charity that provides the necessary resources for families as they transition through and overcome varying hardships of daily living in the Central Florida area.

“It’s been a true blessing to do what we do here,” Simpson said. “When we succeed, our community succeeds. We help local families put some extra money in their pockets when we buy their gently used items, plus we get to support great charities like One Heart for Women and Children. I couldn’t ask for a better situation.”

For Clothes Mentor franchisee Christine Ilvedson, the regular interaction with customers-turned-sellers has made her life as an entrepreneur more enjoyable. Though she operates in the small market of Fargo, North Dakota, her Clothes Mentor is one of the top revenue generators in the entire NTY Franchise system. She has spent more than $2 million purchasing gently used items from women in Fargo in the past five years.

“I’m living my dream,” Ilvedson said. “I spend my day interacting with customers who engage with us so often that we’ve become friends. I’m able to provide them with some money for the great stuff they bring in to sell, then helping them look great at a fraction of what they would pay at retail.”

Whether the resale brand focuses on apparel, children’s items, household goods or electronic devices, female entrepreneurs are flocking to resale opportunities for several reasons.

It’s environmentally and community friendly: A recent story in the LA Times focused on the growing body of social science indicating that “women consistently (highly) rank values strongly linked to environmental concern — things such as altruism, personal responsibility and empathy.” Resale stores keep unwanted items out of landfills and extend their use by offering them to new customers. Further, resale stores in the NTY Franchise Company system offer their goods for as much as 70 percent less than retail price, making it easier for people to get the items they love without straining the family budget.

Greater emotional connection with customers: Unlike retail stores focused exclusively on selling items, resale stores feature twice as many engagement opportunities, thanks to their two-way commerce model. Store owners develop more meaningful relationships with customers that make regular visits to buy and sell items and apparel.

Shopping is half the job: A 2013 survey of more than 2,000 people found that men got bored with shopping in just 26 minutes while women could easily last for two hours. In a job where 50 percent of your interactions with customers involving shopping their used goods, women are more likely to not just survive the daily shopping task, but enjoy it.

Founded in 2006 by resale godfather Ron Olson, NTY Franchise Company features five brands, all with a different focus: Clothes Mentor, Children’s Orchard, Device Pitstop, New Uses and NTY Clothing Exchange. The brands are all resale-based and cover women’s designer fashions, children’s apparel and accessories, furniture and household goods, electronic sales and repair, and clothing for teens and young adults.

Read more from Franchising USA at franchisingusamagazine.com.

NEW USES: Woodbury Store Showcased in Pioneer Press

New Uses Woodbury was featured in a colorful article  about the growing popularity of reuse stores. Check out the article by Bob Shaw with Pioneer Press:

Reuse Stores Popping Up in the Twin Cities

By Bob Shaw

Deb Hauer plopped a box of plates onto the store counter.

“Ooof!” she said. “I am downsizing, big time.”

Hauer is near retirement and moving into a townhome, a move that requires shedding a lifetime of accumulated stuff.

Instead of donating the plates to Goodwill, she was selling them at a for-profit store in Woodbury — New Uses.

The store is one of a wave of new used-goods stores, which sell almost everything that can be owned.

They are popping up in malls, often replacing stores that sell new merchandise. Three used-clothing stores are open in Woodbury — Once Upon a Child, Plato’s Closet and Clothes Mentor — in a mall with no other clothing shops except shoe stores.

“I would say the growth is increasing exponentially,” said Louise Kurzeka, chapter president of the National Association of Professional Organizers, which monitors household recycling stores.

Used goods in America are now a $16 billion industry, according to the data-generating firm First Research. This includes sales from 20,000 thrift stores, antique dealers and consignment shops but not sales at pawn shops or used car or boat dealers.

Kurzeka said the used-goods industry has been increasing by 7 percent annually for the past two years, far more than the retail industry overall.

She said that’s because the Great Recession put financial pressure on homeowners, who are selling their belongings to ease the crunch.

“People are brushing off their bruises and saying: ‘I am in financial trouble. I need to sell my stuff,’ ” Kurzeka said.

In addition, baby boomers are retiring and downsizing. This means selling off the contents of big suburban houses.

“They are moving out of a 3,500-square-foot house into a 1,200-square-foot condo,” Kurzeka said.

Established charities such as Goodwill have long accepted donations of clothing and housewares. Pawn shops pay cash for items with high resale value.

But they have been facing competition from stores selling used books, computers, musical instruments, exercise machines and sports equipment.

Also competing for used goods are the more than 200 consignment shops in the metro area, according to the website Yelp. These shops usually pay the donor when the item is resold.

There are new stores operated by other nonprofits. Savers has opened three warehouse-size stores in the Twin Cities metro area.

Another newcomer is the Found It Estate Store in Bloomington, a used furniture and household goods store. That store, which opened in August, and two others are run by Bridging, a nonprofit group that helps people living in poverty.

A unique type of used-goods store is the ReStore in New Brighton. It sells donated home construction materials such as lumber, tile, cabinets and carpet.

“It’s what you would find in a Menards or Home Depot,” said Pete O’Keefe, ReStore operations manager.

Only one item is not accepted. “We do not take used toilets. We could have filled the old Metrodome with old used toilets,” said O’Keefe.

He said ReStore saves money for consumers and helps the environment.

“This is a green solution to keep things out of landfills,” he said. “About 10 years ago, contractors did not care. Now, they have a green mind-set.”

ReStore is owned by Habitat for Humanity, and O’Keefe said revenue from one year of sales at the New Brighton location pays for the construction of five Habitat homes.

The biggest used-goods presence in suburban malls are the for-profit businesses. Many, including New Uses, pay customers cash in advance for their household items.

“We have a lot of people coming in and saying they are moving their parents into senior housing,” said Valeta Cornwell, co-owner of the Woodbury store.

In her store, about a third of the floor space is for furniture. The rest is devoted to small appliances, rugs, artwork, slow cookers and home decor items.

Store customer Hauer said she was downsizing, but she couldn’t resist buying a fireplace insert and a wooden stool before she left.

Before she left, she looked around appreciatively. “What a fun place!” she said.

New Uses franchisee and store manager organizing the showroom floor plan by moving furniture and artwork to different areas
Valeta Cornwell co-owner of new uses, a home resale store in Woodbury, moves items around on Wednesday, November 25, 2015. (Pioneer Press: Scott Takushi)

 

Clothes Mentor Franchisee in Wall Street Journal

Here is an article that was published in The Wall Street Journal featuring one of our multi-store owners talking about how they use meditation in there family.

The Family Meditation Session

 
Clothes Mentor franchisee Chris Barnett with her husband and daughter in their Clothes Mentor store, daughter sitting on countertop
Barnett family in one of their Clothes Mentor stores.
 

Yet more families are making a few shared minutes of quiet contemplation a part of their daily routines. When handled with flexibility and a sense of humor, they say, the practice can calm their children, reduce stress and anxiety and help them focus.

Meditation is increasingly taught in the West as a secular discipline aimed at gaining awareness, or mindfulness—the ability to notice and focus calmly on thoughts and feelings as they arise, without reacting or judging. More than two dozen books on mindfulness training for children and teens have been published in the last three years.

A growing number of schools are teaching mindfulness. A 12-week program of mindfulness training was linked to improvements in children’s ability to pay attention and control their emotions, and to reductions in stress, depression symptoms and aggression, according to a controlled study of 99 fourth and fifth-graders published last January in Developmental Psychology. The study is one of dozens in the past several years linking mindfulness training to improvements in children’s behavior and emotional health.

Luring a squirming youngster into meditation at home can be hard, however, and sticking to it takes flexibility and a sense of humor.

Chris and Stephen Barnett decided to try meditating with their 8-year-old daughter Eliza early this year after they noticed she was having trouble paying attention in school. Teachers mentioned her daydreaming in class, and testing at school showed Eliza’s performance didn’t match her ability, says Ms. Barnett, Garnet Valley, Pa.

Mr. Barnett, who owns two Clothes Mentor resale stores with his wife, has been meditating several days a week for years, and Ms. Barnett has dabbled in meditation too. After she researched the potential benefits for children, they decided to start meditating sitting quietly with Eliza for 5 to 15 minutes after breakfast each morning.

TIPS FOR MEDITATING WITH YOUR CHILDREN

  • Practice your meditation where your child can see you do it.
  • Reflect aloud on your own turbulent thoughts and emotions and how meditation can help calm them.
  • Try relaxation and breathing rituals at bedtime with young children.
  • Consider guided meditations, candle-gazing or listening to a resonant bell to help small children get started.
  • Accept that children of the same age differ in their ability to sit still and that many need to move around while learning to meditate.
  • Make it fun. Keep a sense of humor and be playful.
  • Set a routine of meditating at the same time every day.
  • Let your child lead family meditation sessions sometimes.
  • Make your goal calming and stabilizing your child’s mind rather than changing a specific behavior.

They had a few false starts. The Barnetts tried breathing and counting exercises, but Eliza turned them into a game. Ms. Barnett looked into a simple practice, gazing at a candle flame, and found the ritual helped Eliza quiet down. “Eliza gets to pick the candle, and we put it in the center of the breakfast table and sit quietly,” backs straight and eyes fixed on the flame, Ms. Barnett says.

“It’s hard not to laugh” when Eliza starts humming sometimes, or makes the candle flame flicker by exhaling deeply, Ms. Barnett says.

Eliza loves the time with her parents, Ms. Barnett says. “There’s an intimacy about sitting around the table as a family, in complete silence.” Eliza recently has been reading with more focus, says Ms. Barnett. Her grades have risen and teachers are no longer reporting problems focusing. Also, meditation sometimes lightens Eliza’s mood, Mr. Barnett says, from a little disagreeable to sweet and cooperative.

Teachers caution that children shouldn’t be pressured to meditate. “Keep it playful,” says therapist and mindfulness trainer Eline Snel, author of “Sitting Still Like a Frog,” a book on mindfulness for children.

Preschoolers may not be able to sit still for more than 10 seconds; this is enough for them to learn to take a deep, relaxing breath. Five-year-olds may be able to be fairly quiet for 3 to 5 minutes; 6- or 7-year-olds often can do so for 5 to 15 minutes. Starting around age 8, some teachers say, most children can sit quietly for at least a minute for each year of their age, and their ability grows with practice.

Showing your child what meditation looks like and setting aside a specific time of day to practice it can spark their interest. “The best teacher is a parent who meditates,” says Angela Stewart, who teaches a meditation class for parents and children at Atisha Kadampa Buddhist Center, Providence, R.I. “Children will naturally want to try, because they’ll see you doing it and getting benefits from it.” Although meditation is part of the Buddhist tradition, its benefits can be experienced by anyone.

Amy Wright Glenn, who meditates regularly, says her son Taber sometimes imitated her when he was a toddler, sitting beside her with legs folded, saying, “Mommy, I meditate too.” Taber, now 4, sometimes initiates meditation sessions when Ms. Glenn and her husband sit on their porch in the evening. They light a candle and Taber takes the lead, saying, “Now, let me teach you today. Close your eyes. If you hear sounds, that is OK, just breathe,” says Ms. Glenn, a Pompano Beach, Fla., yoga teacher, author and blogger at PhillyVoice.com. Candle-gazing can cultivate the ability to concentrate, teachers say.

Mark Muesse, an associate professor of religious studies at Rhodes College, Memphis, Tenn., who also teaches meditation, plays a game with children using a resonant Tibetan singing bowl, which vibrates with a prolonged, haunting ring, telling them, “raise your hand when you can no longer hear the bell,” he says. Small children learn to extend their attention without realizing they’re doing so, he says. Parents at home can use any kind of resonant bell or chime.

Listening to guided meditations help children pay attention longer. Ms. Snel’s book includes a CD with 11 meditations including a 4-minute track for children as young as 4, “The Little Frog,” which encourages users to imitate a frog at rest—being keenly aware of sights and sounds, but sitting completely still.

Other exercises help children anchor their attention by focusing on their breathing, a basic practice for beginners. Ms. Snel encourages children to “lower their attention from their heads to their bellies, like a small spider on a thread,” and notice the calm movement of their breath. She advises against using a timer for such exercises because it tends to “bring all kinds of other thoughts into your mind, such as, ‘When is the end?’” she says.

Parents also can have children lie faceup on the floor, place a bean bag or stuffed animal on their stomachs, watch the object rise and fall with their breaths, and notice their heart rate declining as their breathing slows, says Maria Hersey, director of education and training for MindUP, a Miami, Fla.-based nonprofit that develops mindfulness programs for schools.

Children who can’t sit still can still take part. The goal of meditation is to calm and stabilize the mind, not to sit still, says Dr. Stewart, a clinical psychologist. In her class for children 5 and up, “many are able to hold a traditional meditation posture, but others might be pulling their sweatshirts over their heads to block out distractions,” she says. “They’re going to get urges to wiggle.”

She urges them to “try your best to keep bringing your attention back to your breath, until you notice a calm, peaceful feeling inside your heart. Then, shift your attention and stay with this feeling.”

Many children also need to look around during meditation, says Ms. Snel, founder and director of the Academy for Mindful Teaching, a Leusden, Netherlands, training organization. Most learn to sit quite still after practicing for a while.

Setting a predictable routine, with certain activities leading to meditation exercises, can help children prepare to settle down, Dr. Stewart says.

Illustration of Wall Street Journal author

Source: The Wall Street Journal

NEW USES: Autumn Baking

Autumn is the time of year a lot of people like to bake and make warm treats for friends and family. Some fresh banana or zucchini bread – with the last of the garden’s zucchini – is wonderful to eat fresh out of the oven. And don’t forget the pumpkin bread…because everything is pumpkin this time of year – from pumpkin lattes to pumpkin muffins.

At New Uses we carry bakeware that will make your autumn baking more fun. Since bakeware tends to wear out over time, why not stop by your local New Uses and get some like-new baking utensils, pans, cookie sheets, or an updated mixer that will make it all easier?

At New Uses we carry all of your different bakeware needs – and they will be up to 70% off of retail, like-new, and very gently-used. It will make your fall baking more fun…and the prices will make you all warm and toasty inside.

still life setup of kitchen items: cooking utensils, plates and bowls, measuring cups and a cutting board

DEVICE PITSTOP: Smartphones

At Device Pitstop, we sell high quality, like-new smartphones at great prices – and they’re guaranteed! We sell many brands of smartphones, so if you’re looking to upgrade, we have a large inventory.* And, remember, we also buy smartphones, so we might just be interested in buying your older model. You can take the cash for it or use it toward a newer model.

We sell both iPhones and Android phones at Device Pitstop, and carry most models, including newer ones. Some of the brands we carry for smartphones are:

  • Apple
  • Blackberry
  • Google
  • HTC
  • LG
  • Motorola
  • Nokia
  • Samsung

Stop by your local Device Pitstop and see how easy it is to upgrade your phone by selling it to us and getting credit toward a new phone…or pocket the cash. It’s always smart to upgrade your smartphone…for a lot less money!

Device Pitstop graphic with personal holding smartphone and text promoting large selection of smartphones

*Inventory varies for each store.

CHILDREN’S ORCHARD: Halloween is Here!

Halloween is here and your kids might need some last minute costumes…

Remember to shop at Children’s Orchard for some like-new, gently-used costumes for your kids. No matter what they want to be this year, at Children’s Orchard we can help. Stop by your local Children’s Orchard and see the fun things we have for your kids to dress up in!

No one wants to spend a ton of money on something that the kids will wear one night! Your kids will love the assortment and ideas for Halloween at Children’s Orchard…and you’ll love the low prices on like-new costumes – and we don’t mind a bit that it’s last minute!

Children's Orchard little chick Halloween costume, little kid carrying pumpkin bucket

 

DEVICE PITSTOP: A Like-New Device for Fall

Fall is a good time to upgrade to a newer device. If your device is older – and slower – than you would like it to be, stop by Device Pitstop and find yourself a like-new MacBook, laptop, iMac, desktop, iPad, tablet, iPhone, or smartphone. We have a large inventory of gently-used devices that will make it easier for you to upgrade to a newer machine. And, remember, we’ll also take a look at your older device and see if you can trade that in for cash on-the-spot or use the money toward a newer laptop, tablet, desktop, or smartphone.

Take a look at what your local Device Pitstop has to offer –  you’ll be pleasantly surprised at both our great quality and our great prices!

Device Pitstop laptop with text promoting a new device for fall