At the 2013 Franchise Brokers Conference & Expo, Gayle Sutton approached Sabrina Wall about a unique new client she had encountered – The Brevard Achievement Center (BAC). Ken Richter had asked Gayle to start working with The BAC in late October 2013, after he had diligently worked with them for three months. Eric Riess suggested that Gayle invite them to the conference, where they were all able to meet and discuss their unique franchising need.
The BAC is a non-profit organization in Rockledge Florida that provides innovative services and opportunities to persons with disabilities to help them secure employment and achieve personal success. The BAC wanted to start a for-profit business which would add revenue and enable them to expand their service offerings.
The BAC have good business backgrounds and they had secured very large government contracts for their participants. They came to Gayle with very specific search criteria – they needed franchises that provided opportunities for employment, good terms of agreement, a quick ROI, better-than-average profit margins, and be appropriate for the area.
Sabrina provided a list of franchise suggestions for them to look at, and Gayle showed several different concepts in different industries. The BAC group attended three different discovery days and ultimately selected Teriyaki Madness and signed a 5-pack deal. They chose Teriyaki Madness because they felt it was a franchise that would provide a different “flavor” in their market. They liked that it had healthy aspects that work well for their area. They enjoyed speaking with Teriyaki’s operation manager, who was very knowledgeable and experienced at running restaurants.
Another key factor in The BAC’s decision was the involvement of Franchise Sherpa. Although Teriyaki Madness is a relatively young franchise, they have the support of a knowledgeable franchisor in Michael Haithe. It was important to Gayle that the franchise her client selected was well-managed.
“Michael Haithe and Mike Edwards [Franchise Development with Teriyaki Madness] were instrumental in explaining their vision and marketing plans for the future,” Gayle stated. “Mike was great to work with. He was very professional and patient as we helped the client understand the value of Teriyaki Madness. Also, he is so good about getting back to you in a timely manner so you never have to guess what is going on.”
Gayle knows she will definitely show Teriyaki Madness to future clients. She has expressed that the ROI is good, it validates well, and she feels that it is an interesting concept. She likes that it is a healthy, new, fresh brand, with a great story of three young guys starting a business from the beginning.
Throughout the process, Gayle relied heavily on her support team at the FBA. “Sabrina was very instrumental in helping me in several ways. I was most appreciative of the time she spent with my clients at the conference, even though it was one of the busiest times for her. Sabrina also provided suggestions and insight along the way as I worked with the candidates. Her knowledge and expertise are most appreciated!”
Sabrina viewed the situation as a great opportunity to experience a new approach to co-brokering. She attended several sales calls and helped build on Gayle’s expertise. She also enjoyed coaching Gayle through several instances where the deal could have fallen apart and helped her with how to proceed to keep her boundaries but still keep it moving forward.
For more information about The BAC, visit their website here. Interested in learning more about Teriyaki Madness? Check out their profile here.
