Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue I, 2012 | Page 58

Best

By Eddy Goldberg

OF THE BEST

Franchisee of the Year winners tell how they do it

F

ranchisors recognize the best performers in their
system each year with a Franchisee of the Year
award. We spoke with four recent winners—
different-sized, in different industries, and in
different parts of the country.
Common denominators among these winners include excelling in the following areas: 1) financial (sales/revenue volume,
profitability), 2) adherence to system and operational standards,
3) client/customer satisfaction, 4) HR (employee training,
customer service), 5) contributions to and participation in the
system (mentoring and leading), and 6) community involvement and service. And one important trait they all share is
their passion—for their business, their brand, and their people.

together. But they worked hard and learned fast. “We came
into this business with the will and the interest to succeed,”
says Alan. “We put a lot of effort into our process, how we go
about approaching customers.”
He took the corporate training while Harriet managed the
homestead. “They teach you some basics and do the best they
can. But once you get into the field and start working with
people, that’s where you really learn,” he says. In the beginning,
he walked shopping centers, introducing himself to the community, dropping cards, all very grassroots. Today, he says, “A
lot of what we do is referrals, a lot of return work.”
In addition, they employ direct mail, e-blasts, and, of course,
vehicles wrapped with lettering that serve as moving billboards.
They’re also involved with nonprofits: kids in distress in Bro-

Alan and Harriet Bleiweiss
Signs Now

“Re-peat” Winners
It’s two years in a row now for Alan and Harriet Bleiweiss,
owners of the Signs Now center in Hollywood, Fla.—the first
time Signs Now has had a Franchisee of the Year “re-peat.”
The couple, who celebrate their 24th wedding anniversary in
April, met at their 10-year high school reunion. Yes, met: they
didn’t know each other in high school.
Their business had a slow start too before turning successful: when they opened their Signs Now store in August 2004,
repeated hurricane warnings shut them down for all but 10
of their first 30 days. They quickly bought a generator and it’s
been full speed ahead ever since.
They had no previous experience in the sign business—
she was a hotel catering manager and he was a vice president
of development for a nonprofit—nor had they ever worked

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Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue I, 2012

(L-R) Michael Marcantonio (Allegra Network
President and CEO), Harriet Bleiweiss, Alan
Bleiweiss, Steve White (Allegra Network COO).