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Wine & Design , a paint-and-sip franchise with 70 locations . For $ 35 , patrons take a two-hour class and learn how to paint a predetermined masterpiece . Wine is sold for $ 5 a glass or $ 16 a bottle .
“ This community is so hungry for things to do that are new and different ,” she says , and chalks up a lot of their success to “ location , location , location .”
Their first studio is located in Leonardtown in St . Mary ’ s County , Md ., near the Patuxent River Naval Air Station , about 45 minutes south of Washington , D . C . Tyler says being near a military base provides a stable economy and a strong customer base of young working families , defense contractors , and civil servants with disposable income .
“ Our customers are age 35 to 50 working professionals looking for a night out or a fun place to have a kid ’ s birthday party ,” he says .
The Jordans say they were attracted by the brand ’ s nontraditional approach to franchising , which allowed them to start with a low-cost investment as an “ on wheels ” operation for six months . As young , inexperienced entrepreneurs , the couple had a hard time finding capital and decided to self-fund the $ 15,000 for the franchise fee and materials for their launch .
“ We had bought some land and were going to convert an old tobacco barn into a studio , but we got a call from the former mayor of Leonardtown , and he wanted us to open a studio in their town ,” says Tyler .
By the time the couple opened their first studio , they ’ d built such a huge following that they were able to open another studio in Annapolis in October 2015 , then another in Calvert County in May 2016 .
A key to their success is selecting artists who deliver a first-rate experience . “ If someone has a bad time , they will tell 10 people . If they have a good time , they might tell one . We have to go above and beyond to make sure they have a good night ,” says Tyler .
While Veronica doesn ’ t see herself returning to a 9-to-5 job and Tyler is keeping his for now , the couple is looking forward to learning how to better enjoy the fruits of their labor and striking a better worklife balance .
“ We aspire to other local business endeavors , but with Wine & Design fulltime for Veronica and two young children , we simply do not have the bandwidth to take on some of these aspirations ,” says Tyler . “ We have talked about becoming less involved by adding a general manager to oversee the three locations , or eventually selling .”
First job : We both started working in high school , where we met . Veronica worked part-time for a small insurance company as an offi ce assistant and Tyler worked for his family business , which also happened to be a franchise .
Formative influences / events : The largest infl uence on both our lives was becoming parents . That defi ning accomplishment caused a drive and focus on providing the best future possible for our children and our family ’ s future generations .
Key accomplishments : 2014 and 2015 top franchise sales for our St . Mary ’ s County location .
Biggest current challenge : Managing three locations is quite challenging , especially when Veronica is so involved with the day-to-day operations and customer interfacing for all three studios .
Next big goal : To open a new events-style business in our hometown in St . Mary ’ s County .
First turning point in your career : For Veronica , making the jump from a 9-to-5 fi nancial analyst position to being a small-business owner . Tyler was the opposite , leaving his family business to start working in skilled IT positions .
Best business decision : Opening our fi rst studio in Leonardtown , Md . When we started , we operated totally on wheels , traveling to bars , restaurants , and homes . Having a physical location in an up-and-coming town allowed us to become the top-producing franchise in the country .
Hardest lesson learned : We feel like we are continually learning hard lessons . The constant lesson that personifi es our lives , both personally and in business , is having a backup / alternative strategy . Life can be random and sometimes unfair , and not keeping an open mind to unplanned change and an inability to adapt goals will likely lead toward failure and discontent .
Work week : Tyler still works a 9-to-5 job with a defense contractor . Veronica ’ s work week generally is 24 / 7 , though she tries to take time off some weekends and most Mondays .
Exercise / workout : Does chasing kids and opening wine bottles count ?
Best advice you ever got : I think something that has stuck with us and should be enforced in today ’ s youth is to aspire to careers that suit what you are talented in , and to hone the skills required to succeed on that path . It can
PERSONAL
be very easy to chase a dream or career that you love the idea of , but lack any talent in . Modify your dreams to fi t your strengths .
What ’ s your passion in business ? To ensure that the product is always of the highest quality and that customers are so thrilled with the experience that they decide to come again with a friend .
How do you balance life and work ? It can be extremely diffi cult at times . We often would stay on our work computers until past 1 a . m ., to the point where we were so consumed with maximizing growth and revenue that it began stressing our relationship . We both have decided to make a greater effort to spend more time together ( non-work related ), with our children , and with friends , and focusing less on having absolute control over every situation .
Guilty pleasure : We both binge watch “ Game of Thrones ,” “ Stranger Things ,” and now “ Westworld .”
Favorite book : Tyler ’ s favorite book , The Hobbit by J . R . R . Tolkien , is one he read countless times in his childhood / young adulthood . Veronica ’ s is Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert .
Favorite movie : Tyler ’ s favorite is “ The Godfather .” Veronica ’ s is “ Mamma Mia !”
What do most people not know about you ? With social media and our outgoing personalities , most people know mostly everything about us . We both tend to be very transparent .
Pet peeve : Tyler absolutely hates when people leave a shopping cart in the middle of the parking lot . Veronica ’ s pet peeve is being asked what her pet peeves are ( because she couldn ’ t think of one !).
What did you want to be when you grew up ? Tyler wanted to be a video game developer , Veronica a wedding planner .
Last vacation : February 2016 to visit Tyler ’ s younger brother in Los Angeles .
Person I ’ d most like to have lunch with : Tyler would like to have lunch with Nick Offerman to discuss carpentry and Ron Swanson ( his fi ctitious character for “ Parks & Recreation ”) to see if they could eat all of the eggs and bacon . Veronica would like to have lunch with Ash Ambirge from the Middle Finger Project ( a creative woman-oriented small-business support / empowerment blog ).
MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE ISSUE I , 2017 43