Business leaders in and around Castle Rock believe they have a
formula for success for entrepreneurs with a vision.
It has a built-in business plan, comes with a customer-friendly
system for marketing, accounting and human resources and provides a
backbone of support for every one of its partners.
It’s called the franchise business and Castle Rock’s business
community hopes it provides one solution for energetic individuals
who seek a new direction.
The Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the
Castle Rock Economic Development Council, hosts the Nuts &
Bolts of Becoming a Franchisee June 16 through the chamber’s
economic gardening program. The program provides monthly business
training for members and non-members with courses intended to help
Castle Rock businesses flourish in today’s market.
The franchise course is the brainchild of the economic
development council’s Judy Woodley. Woodley recently returned from
the International Council of Shopping Centers convention in Las
Vegas, where she gathered information from among more than 1,800
exhibitors in a global retail real estate convention.
Regarded as the second-largest convention in Las Vegas, the
forum provided a great opportunity to find out more about the
future of retail, Woodley said. In Castle Rock, she believes that
future can and should include any number of franchises, which she
said is a great fit for the community — both in its population and
its retail space.
With an estimated 50 percent of its businesses listed as
home-based businesses and a large percentage of its commercial
space occupied by entrepreneurs, Castle Rock is a good fit for the
franchise model, she said.
As the job market is flooded with displaced employees, more
people are seeking new opportunities to control their own destiny
and go into business for themselves, Woodley said. With the
combined effect of a soft job market and a stream of untapped
talent, Woodley believes the franchise option provides a great
solution.
“A franchise model fits best with the current times because very
few retailers are adding corporate stores right now,” she said.
“There are lots of individuals who want to take a new direction in
life or are interested in wanting to go into business for
themselves.”
One such individual recently opened his third franchise in
Castle Rock, after a 30-year career in the restaurant business.
Ardy Delsouz on May 2 celebrated the grand opening of the
7-Eleven store on Wofensberger near Interstate 25, his third
location in Douglas County to open its doors in as many years.
The 7-Eleven franchise is a great option to pursue success in a
family business and, like most franchise corporations, the company
does everything possible to ensure the success of its franchisees,
Delsouz said.
Delsouz runs three locations, one in Parker, another in Lone
Tree and the third in Castle Rock, with the help of his wife and
three sons.
“7-Eleven is a great company and has a great system,” he said.
“You have to follow the system, called retail initiative, where you
have the product the customers want, when they want it. That’s part
of the training and involvement, it’s a great environment.”
With a corporate-backed network of support for its franchisees,
most franchise operations see greater success than a traditional
start-up business, said Pam Ridler, director of the Castle Rock
Chamber of Commerce. Statistics show that 85 percent of franchise
businesses see ongoing success, compared to 20 percent of
businesses opened by entrepreneurs, she said.
“There is so much support you receive by opening a franchise,”
Ridler said. “It’s a tried and true formula.”
The chamber invited a number of franchisees to share their
experience at the upcoming seminar, including Susan Thayer,
owner/operator of Sport Clips in Castle Rock, and Mike Tafoya, a
franchisee in Estrada Strategies, a business-to-business coaching
franchise.
The Nuts & Bolts of Becoming a Franchisee is from 11:30 a.m.
to 1 p.m., June 16, at the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce, 420
Jerry Street, in Castle Rock. The course is free to chamber
members, $20 for non-members. For more information call
303-688-4597 or visit the chamber’s economic gardening Web site at
www.castlerockeg.com.
The possibilities
Judy Woodley, with the Castle Rock Economic Development Council,
sees opportunity in Castle Rock for these franchises, none of which
have a location in the area.
Schlotzsky’s
Firehouse Subs
Bruegger’s
Denny’s
Dunkin Donuts
Popeyes
Marriott, or one among their family of hotels