Page 129 - Entrepreneur - USA (January - February 2020)

ness loans to lure in franchisees. The incentive made it possible for his healthy food options. Prices were approachable: Most items were less
first franchisee, a single mother in her early 40s, to launch her business.) than $10. It didn’t hurt that she was on a first date with her now hus-
At Coolgreens, the franchise Cassidi Brown bought into, all this is top band. The pollen of love was already in the air.
of mind. Coolgreens’ average franchisee age is 34. Its franchising website A year later, Brown and her husband moved to Dallas and were dis-
stresses that it offers “more than our healthy menu”—including in-store appointed that Coolgreens hadn’t made it to Texas. When the company
yoga nights, fitness classes, and an attitude of being “unabashedly pas- launched its franchise program, Brown learned about it, secured a loan
sionate about making our communities a better place to live for every- from the Small Business Administration, cobbled together a 20 percent
one.” It also features photos of young franchisees, including Brown. down payment using inheritance money and her husband’s savings, and
But it didn’t start that way. became the first franchisee in the area. Her store opened in September
The company is based in Oklahoma City, and it serves down-the- 2019, and three more stores have opened since. The company plans to
line salads, sandwiches, and wraps. It launched as a corporate chain open 10 locations in 2020.
in 2009 and operated that way for six years—until 2015, when a new So far, Coolgreens’ millennial franchisees have demonstrated huge poten-
CEO named Robert Lee took over. He was only 29 at the time, and tial, says CEO Lee. They’re adaptable, tech-savvy, and interested in learn-
had spent most of his 20s opening and operating 12 leased salon- ing. They show a knack for bringing in young customers—and, if all goes
space franchises. His task was to turn Coolgreens into a franchise, well, both franchisee and customer could stick around for decades to come.
and, given his own age, he says he just hadn’t thought about youth as Brown, too, is happy with her decision…and her selfie wall, which
a liability. So when he began searching for franchisees, he cast what Coolgreens happily endorsed. She feels that the brand accepts her and
he says was perhaps a wider net than an older CEO might have. the people she hopes to serve. “What I love about Coolgreens is we’re
That’s what created an opening for Brown. inclusive and free to be ourselves,” she says. She recalls meeting a trans-
Brown’s road to Coolgreens is typical of young franchisees. She grad- gender employee behind the counter at another location, and one of
uated with a degree she wasn’t using and wasn’t passionate about— her first hires showed up for the interview with orange-and-red hair.
graphic design. Brown was working as a server at The Melting Pot in Brown herself has a lip piercing. “Accepting all lifestyles is important to
2013, the year she first stepped inside a Coolgreens as a customer. The my generation and the generations below me,” she says. “That might be
place drew her in with its bright colors, sustainable packaging, and a big reason why people are flocking here.”

55 units committed in 12 states!

Big Blue Swim School’s goal is to be
a part of life’s big moments for
families and to help kids develop
swim skills and life skills

Mature School EBIDTA $787,990*

312-300-0766

*Figure reflects the actual annual EBITDA for one affiliate-owned and operated BIG BLUE Swim School (operational for at least 5 full years as of December 31,
2018) during its 5th full 12 months of operation. This figure is published in Item 19 of our April 30, 2019, Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). Item 19 of our
FDD includes actual average and median annual gross revenue, annual expense, annual EBITDA, and other annual financial performance information for 4
affiliate-owned and operated BIG BLUE Swim Schools (operational for at least 1 full year as of December 31, 2018) during their 1st full 12 months of operation, for
3 of those 4 Swim Schools during their 2nd full 12 months of operation, for 2 of those 4 Swim Schools during their 3rd and 4th full 12 months of operation, and
for 1 of those 4 Swim Schools during its 5th full 12 months of operation. A new franchisee’s results may differ from the represented performance. There is no
assurance that you will do as well, and you must accept that risk.