John Andikian's Entrepreneurial Story
CHAPTER 1
John Andikian had a big dream when he opened his tiny convenience store in Tustin, Calif. Andikian's father, a grocery clerk, had dreamed of opening a store together 30 years earlier. "My father died before his chance came, but I always remembered the dream that he would be with me when I opened the store," says Mr. Andikian. "We would name the store after him."
In 2004, Andikian realized his dream and kept his promise when he named the store Andikian's Market. His goal is to give consumers everything they need, from sneakers to drinks, maps, lottery tickets, and even "Andy's Ice drink," a 7-Eleven Slurpee drink. Everything was ready, but the east wind did not come -- he was stuck in the trap of lack of interest.
"When I first opened my convenience store, I even thought about competing with Walmart, but after a few weeks I gave up that fantasy because no one knew about Andy's Market," Andikian says with a chuckle.
After 18 months of dismal business, sales were too low to pay the rent, and he was in danger of closing his business. He was excited when he saw the opportunity to turn his little-known store into a convenience store franchise for a well-known brand. He paid $20,000 to join the franchise, and another $100,000 to stock, restock, and remodel it, transforming the small convenience store into the recognizable 7-Eleven.
The makeover took just 48 hours, and the real change happened almost immediately: "Sales doubled right after the 7-Eleven logo went up. "We were selling $70,000 a month, and now we're selling $160,000."
There are many examples of Indians in the franchise space. Previously, Conversion franchising was very popular in real estate, hotels, and tourism, but its influence has gradually increased in recent years as it has spread to car dealerships, restaurants, and business centers. Some experts believe the sluggish economy may also be contributing to its growing popularity.
Mark Siebert, CEO of the iFranchise Group, a chain of consulting firms in Homewood, Ill., says: 'Independent owners who may have been doing well are finding it harder.' For many owners, the decision to switch from standalone stores to a chain of brands is a "matter of life and death": close or switch. At the same time, some independent franchisors are slowly opening their arms to attract independent stores into the chain family.
In the US, 7-Eleven launched the Business Conversion Programme, a franchise program for independent stores, in 2005. Sell spirits, sell cooked food or grocery stores, and so on, can apply to join.
Jeff Schenck, 7-Eleven's senior vice president for national franchising, said the company's biggest selling point was having an exclusive roster of celebrity products that created a unique brand identity. Think Slurpees, Big Gulps, and Big Bite -- categories that are fatal to independent retail owners. It's no surprise, then, that in five years, the company's program has produced results: 196 stores have been converted into the 7-Eleven team, and the trend is growing.
The franchise approach benefits franchisors as well. "This is a very efficient way to expand and gain more stores for yourself without increasing the number of stores in the market so that you can further expand your share," Henrick said.
Indeed, the cost of converting an existing store into a chain is much lower than building a new one entirely. It also means fewer franchise fees. Location, zoning, and licensing are areas that require some thought and time on both sides. There's no doubt that 7-Eleven will continue to push this franchise approach aggressively in the future, with the company aiming to make up 60% of its new store growth by switching stores in 2010.
The Matchmaking Project
The business-switching franchise model has been so successful that many franchisors are looking to it, even those who don't own physical stores themselves.
Allegra Network is a model among them. The printing and printing licensing agency and its subsidiary, Signs Now, are pioneers of this more specific, transformational licensing model. Using a matchmaking approach, it aims to help franchisees who want to make a difference in printing and printing find the right company to run.
According to Steve White, Allegra's chief development officer, the franchise approach came from the previous leadership in charge of co-development, when the company wanted to start a franchise business but didn't want to start from scratch. The advantages of buying some existing stores and quickly putting them into operation are fully demonstrated.
About the Creator
Keep reading
More stories from Winfred Parker and writers in Humans and other communities.
Title: "Jimmy Carter: An American Excursion of Sympathy and Administration"
In the tranquil town of Fields, Georgia, there carried on with a little fellow named Jimmy who had a voracious interest and endless energy. Since the beginning, he longed for having an effect on the planet, enlivened by the tales of extraordinary legends he read about in books. As Jimmy became older, his feeling of direction just escalated. Not entirely settled to make history, to go to bat for what was correct and battle for the people who couldn't battle for themselves. With a heart loaded with desire and a head brimming with dreams, Jimmy set out on an excursion that would lead him to become perhaps of the most cherished and powerful figure in American history. His name was Jimmy Carter. From his unassuming starting points in provincial Georgia to the consecrated corridors of the White House, Jimmy Carter's process was one of boldness, sympathy, and unflinching commitment to serving others. As a young fellow, Jimmy was attracted to the goals of equity and equity, propelled by the social liberties development that was clearing across the South. He chipped in for the Harmony Corps, venturing out to far off towns in Africa to assist with further developing admittance to medical services and schooling. Yet, it was his re-visitation of Georgia that would genuinely show Jimmy the way to significance. Energized by a longing to make positive change in his own local area, Jimmy hurled himself entirely into nearby governmental issues, ultimately ascending to turn into the legislative head of Georgia. His experience as lead representative was set apart by striking changes and moderate approaches, acquiring him public acknowledgment and making way for his possible campaign for the most elevated position in the land. In 1976, Jimmy Carter was chosen Leader of the US in a notable triumph that caught the creative mind of the country. His administration was characterized by a pledge to harmony, discretion, and common liberties, as he worked energetically to facilitate nonaggression treaties, advance natural protection, and champion the freedoms of ladies and minorities. In any case, maybe Jimmy Carter's most prominent inheritance lies not in that frame of mind of force, but rather in the endless lives he contacted through his generous work and philanthropic endeavors. Indeed, even subsequent to leaving office, Jimmy kept on devoting himself to causes more significant than himself, building homes for the destitute, upholding for worldwide wellbeing drives, and energetically attempting to advance harmony and a majority rules government all over the planet. Today, Jimmy Carter is recollected as an incredible pioneer, yet as a genuine American legend whose empathy, honesty, and unflinching devotion to support keep on moving ages of Americans to take a stab at a superior world. In the quiet town of Fields, Georgia, the sun rose over fields of cotton, giving occasion to feel qualms about a warm gleam the unobtrusive home where Jimmy Carter spent his childhood days. Since the beginning, Jimmy was imparted with the upsides of difficult work, lowliness, and empathy by his caring guardians, Lord and Lillian Carter. As a little fellow, Jimmy's creative mind took off as he ate up books about history, science, and the existences of extraordinary pioneers. He was especially attracted to the tales of Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Martin Luther Lord Jr., whose fortitude and vision motivated him to accept that one individual could genuinely have an effect on the planet. Jimmy's hunger for information drove him to succeed in school, where he separated himself as a splendid and aggressive understudy. He fantasized going to the US Maritime Foundation and serving his country as a maritime official, a fantasy that would at last turn into a reality. In the wake of moving on from the Maritime Foundation in 1946, Jimmy left on a recognized military profession, serving on board submarines and ascending through the positions to turn into a regarded official. It was during this time that Jimmy's feeling of obligation and obligation to support developed, as he saw firsthand the penances made by his kindred servicemen and ladies. In any case, Jimmy's life would go off in a strange direction when his dad became sick and died, provoking him to leave the Naval force and get back to Georgia to assume control over the family nut ranch. It was here, in the midst of the fields of peanuts and cotton, that Jimmy would track down his actual reason for living. Driven by a craving to work on the existences of people around him, Jimmy hurled himself entirely into local area activism and nearby governmental issues, in the end ascending to turn into the legislative leader of Georgia in 1971. His residency as lead representative was set apart by a progression of moderate changes, including extending admittance to medical services, further developing schooling, and advancing racial fairness. In 1976, Jimmy Carter sent off his notable mission for the administration, running on a foundation of trustworthiness, uprightness, and sympathy. Despite everything, Jimmy arose triumphant, turning into the 39th Leader of the US and satisfying his life as a youngster fantasy about serving his country at the most elevated level. As president, Jimmy Carter's initiative was characterized by a pledge to discretion, common liberties, and civil rights. He handled noteworthy nonaggression treaties among Israel and Egypt, advocated the privileges of ladies and minorities, and worked enthusiastically to lighten destitution and craving both at home and abroad. Yet, maybe Jimmy Carter's most persevering through inheritance lies in his post-official years, where he has committed himself to compassionate causes and charity through the Carter Community. From killing illnesses like Guinea worm and stream visual deficiency to advancing majority rules government and compromise all over the planet, Jimmy Carter's enthusiastic endeavors have contacted the existences of millions and roused another age of pioneers to emulate his example. Today, Jimmy Carter's heritage lives on as a brilliant illustration of being a genuine American legend - a man of trustworthiness, empathy, and relentless commitment to serving others. From the cotton fields of Fields, Georgia, to the blessed lobbies of the White House and then some, Jimmy Carter's process reminds us generally that with fortitude, assurance, and an unflinching obligation to our qualities, the sky is the limit.
By Nameless writer4 days ago in Humans
First Starlight of Summer
Your whole being is constituted by yearning. You miss the stars but have never seen a fully-realized night sky sparkle to life before your eyes. You write things, funny but short but profound, emulating the archaic cosmos that turns by its own unknowable calculus emulating love in all its celestial glory turning in that same cryptic way, but fully know neither and hardly know both, and it feels disingenuous, so you write about writers. It feels vaguely masturbatory, but it’s funny but short but profound and it impresses the people around you enough, so you run with it forever until you can’t anymore.
By Steven Christopher McKnight4 days ago in Fiction
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.