Clothes Mentor is Catching On: Must Read for Entrepreneurs

Clothes Mentor was recently featured in an article from The News & Observer about lesser-known franchises that offer big opportunities to today’s entrepreneurs. Check out excerpt from the article below and prepare to be inspired. You can also read the full article on newsobserver.com.

Beyond fast food: New franchising ideas draw entrepreneurs

They’re not household names like McDonald’s or The UPS Store, but small franchises beyond the usual restaurant groups and retailers are attracting buyers who want something new or different and see greater challenges and opportunities with lesser-known businesses.

[…] Adam Scott looked at several relatively small companies before deciding on Clothes Mentor, which has nearly 140 shops in about two dozen states that sell women’s used clothing. Scott, who previously owned a franchise that shipped packages, was looking for a team atmosphere that he felt huge franchises with thousands of locations didn’t offer.

“I wanted a certain culture,” says Scott, who lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. “I could tell they really have an interest in the success of their franchisees.”

Scott asked other franchise owners about their experience with Clothes Mentor, something that’s recommended anyone do before buying a franchise. What he heard persuaded him that even though Clothes Mentor isn’t on the tip of consumers’ tongues, it was a good fit for him.

“I have to feel that I’m going to like who I’m in business with,” he says.

Chad Olson and Children’s Orchard Featured on Forbes.com

Learn about NTY Franchise Company’s merger with Children’s Orchard in this quick read from forbes.com. Find out why Chad Olson and team decided to merge, how they did it and where the Children’s Orchard franchise is headed in the near future as a result.

Secrets to a Successful Small Business Merger

Every small business merger is unique, but they all share a few common challengers, from choosing the right partner, to managing the transition, to branding and post-merger management. Here’s how five small business owners pulled it off.

Building a Franchise

A longtime franchise veteran sought to turn his prototype children’s apparel resale shop into a national franchise by merging with Children’s Orchard, a recognized brand with 32 stores.

Why Merge?
Olson’s prototype store, NTY Kids, needed a recognizable, trusted brand to grow. Children’s Orchard needed point-of-sale software to bring its stores into the 21^st century—technology available through another business Olson owned.

What Happened
Olson and his team moved slowly, announcing the merger to franchisees over the phone, and not making a single change to operations until they had met with each owner face-to-face. “It was all about building that relationship and credibility with the franchisees.”

Takeaway
A merger can be a frightening prospect for franchisees because it affects how they run their individual businesses. “These people are entrepreneurs. They’ve invested money. This has been their life and blood and livelihood for a lot of years.” Patience and empathy is vital.

Read the full article on forbes.com.

children's orchard franchise franchisee merger partnership resale

CHILDREN’S ORCHARD: Highlights from the 2016 Conference

NTY Franchise hosted its first-annual conference for Children’s Orchard earlier this week. Many hardworking and inspiring franchisees joined together in Minneapolis, MN, for store tours at the Mall of America, sessions about the NTY point-of-sale system, reporting, marketing, hands-on experience at the corporate Children’s Orchard store and plenty of fun.

The following snapshots show just a few of the highlights from the 2016 Children’s Orchard conference.

2016 children's orchard conference franchise franchisee

Own Your Own Business with NTY Franchise Company: You Can Do It!

Watch this video message from Chad Olson, NTY Franchise Company’s Chief Operations Officer, and be inspired to open your own resale business! Find out what makes NTY’s five resale brands unique as well as get a feel for our company values. Check it out now:

business Entrepreneur franchise franchisee NTY nty franchise company resale

VP of Clothes Mentor Says Store Design Tells Your Story

NTY Franchise Company’s VP of Clothes Mentor Ted Manley talks with NCR Silver about how to tell your story through store design. Check out the article below or read it on ncrsilver.com.

Clothes Mentor store front

Designing a Store to Create an Exceptional Customer Experience

Experts in retail design and branding share secrets to maximize your retail space.

by: Deborah Nurmi

As a small business owner you are aware of how challenging it is to attract the customers you want to serve.

According to Pam Levine, president of Levine Luxury Branding in New York City, all good retail design is based on one premise: Retail shoppers desire an enjoyable and memorable experience.

She offered the following 5 tips for designing a winning store space:

Branding matters

Think of your store as an opportunity to develop your “Brand Culture.” Brand Culture, part magic and part lightening strike, is the totality of your relationship with your customers.

“Consider everything you say as your brand message, everything you do as brand engagement and everything you present as brand visual merchandising. See it all as an opportunity to communicate and engage with your shoppers,” Levine said.

Know your customer

Know what makes you different from your competitors and what your customers are seeking.

“Ask yourself what is important about your services or merchandise that will mean something to your customers?” Levine said.

Give your shoppers what they want then help them share it.

“Millennials and others will want to share a good experience, cool product or new store discovery with others. Encourage shoppers to photograph, tweet, use Pinterest, social media and more while inside your store,” Levine said.

Interaction is key

Harry Selfridge is the father of modern marketing, and his most important question was “Are you being served?” Use Selfridges’ philosophy and make shopping an experience.

“Hospitality and pampering goes a long way – respect your customer,” Levine said. “Interest matters. Invite them in, personalize the experience. Make them feel at home. Serve coffee, cookies or wine,” Levine said. “Remember names and get to know your customers.”

Visual marketing is your silent salesperson

Store design is all about visually stimulating your customer.

“In order to attract customers and keep them shopping longer, store owners must learn how to effectively communicate visually. If possible, hire a pro,” Levine said.

Use the concept of visual storytelling. “Remember, your product is the hero,” Levine said.

Ted Manley, vice president for soft-line products at NTY Franchise Company, believes all visual marketing is storytelling.

“Effective visual merchandising is the ability to communicate to your customer by allowing your product to be a series of storyboards to excite your customer,” Manley said.

Storytelling with visual merchandising is a four step process:

Preparation: Understand what your product mix will look like for the display you are planning. What products are best sellers or hot right now? Spend time looking at your competition and other stores’ displays.

Advertising: What products, events or promotions is your store planning? “Decide how you want to communicate that, and then decide how you want to carry that theme into your store,” Manley said.

Development: Start with the store front. Your goal is to express the story you want to tell your customer. “Think of your windows or entry way as a billboard. You have 23 seconds to look at it and understand what that display or product is trying to tell you,” Manley said. Move inside and plan out your feature areas and endcaps and their stories. Consider color. “Color is the most dominating aspect of visual merchandising,” Manley said.

Execution: Your signage helps communicate key aspects of your visual story. “Signage is an art not a science. Be careful not to “over sign” your store, but don’t be afraid to tell the obvious in a sign,” Manley said. Next create in-store displays. “Demonstrate how an arrangement of merchandise can enrich a room or home. Help the customer envision the items in their homes or wearing a great outfit on vacation or at an event,” Levine said, “but don’t overdo it. Less is more – keep your presentations simple and uncluttered.

Visual marketing is an ongoing process. Be willing to review and change as often as needed. This will depend on your traffic pattern and how often your best customers visit your store. “Customers love newness, change and stimulation. A good visual merchandising program will deliver in sales,” Manley said.

Consider all customer touch points

Customer touch points include every contact a customer has with your brand from beginning to end. These may begin with seeing an advertisement for your shop or finding your website and continue through shopping and customer feedback. Touch points create a cumulative experience for your customers, so consistency is key. Service is imperative.

“Enthusiasm, care, sincerity and authenticity touches people on an emotional level. It’s key to building brand loyalty and is positively contagious,” Levine said.

Click here to see more from NCR Silver.

children's orchard clothes mentor franchisee store design story Ted Manly VP of Clothes Mentor

NTY Franchise’s Veterans Opportunities Featured in April Issue of Franchising USA

NTY Franchise Company COO Chad Olson on cover of Franchising USA standing in Device Pitstop store

NTY Franchise supports veterans with several opportunities and incentives for franchising its resale stores. Read the Franchising USA article about this topic below, or click here to see the article on franchisingusamagazine.com.

NTY Promises New Challenges, Opportunities for Veterans

One franchise that is in the business of turning the old into the new again wants to help entrepreneurial veterans start a new chapter of their lives.

NTY, standing for ‘New To You’ is a company that owns the franchising rights to five brands in the resale retail industry: Clothes Mentor, Children’s Orchard, Device Pit Stop, New Uses and NTY Clothing Exchange.

“Our main goal is to sell franchises and then support the franchisees that we sell them to,” NTY’s chief operating officer Chad Olson said during a recent interview from the company’s headquarters in Minneapolis.

Clothes Mentor, which buys and sells used women’s fashion and accessories, started franchising in 2007. Currently, it has 140 stores open and 43 stores sold and awaiting opening.

Acquired by NTY in early 2014, Children’s Orchard buys and sells gently used kids items. It currently has 27 stores open with two sold and awaiting opening.

Device Pit Stop, meanwhile, has 11 stores open with another 10 sold and awaiting opening. NTY acquired the brand’s franchise rights in the fall of 2013. It buys and sells used electronics.

Buying and selling used home goods like furniture, artwork and small appliances is the business model for New Uses. The brand has 11 stores open with one sold and awaiting opening and it’s been around since 2011.

And with two stores open and four sold and awaiting opening, NTY Clothing Exchange, which buys and sells clothes in the teen and young adult market, started franchising in Mid-2014.

The Need for Used to New

In a world that is increasingly looking for environmentally friendly ways to deal with everything, all of NTY’s brands offer that coveted green alternative for people’s old clothing and other items, Olson said, giving people the option of getting cash for the stuff they’re no longer using rather than just throwing it away.

And with consumers often being highly cost conscious, NTY also gives them a way to save money, with products selling for, on average, 70 percent less than they would be sold as new.

All of the NTY brands make sure the items people bring them have resale value. It has to be in good condition and, in the case of apparel, it also has to be in style. Each brand will evaluate a product and they all have a pricing matrix they use to make sure they’re selling items at a price that gives value to the customer and also the business.

In the Beginning

Clothes Mentor was founded in Columbus, OH. with a store in that city and another one in Canton, OH. Olson and his father, Ron Olson, decided to go into business together, both having Resale/Retail franchising experience with another company.

When they began looking at what opportunities were out there for their own business, they found out about Clothes Mentor and noted the two stores were doing quite well. From there, the father and son negotiated the franchising rights to that brand and have been adding to the NTY family since.

Entrepreneurial Spirit

While their franchisees come from all walks of life — from teachers to former professional bull riders — they all have one thing in common and that’s the one thing NTY wants in a franchisee.

“We want people who have that entrepreneurial spirit,” Olson said.

They must have motivation and they must also have accumulated some wealth in the past that they’re able to invest.

While the company has just a handful of veteran franchisees at the moment, Olson is looking to change that, as he knows veterans have a stellar reputation as franchisees.

Veterans’ dedication and commitment to carrying out the processes they’ve been taught is what makes them good franchisees, he noted.

“That’s what franchising is all about, taking the business model and the processes that we have proven to be profitable and teaching it to others,” Olson said. “People who have had that military experience following processes fit really well into a franchise system because they will take those processes that we have developed to run and execute a successful business model and follow those processes to a tee.”

NTY has just submitted its application to join veteran franchising organization VetFran. Currently, veterans receive a $2,500 discount off any NTY franchising fee.

As an added incentive — and this goes for any franchisee — three of NTY’s brands also offer a $40,000 jump start program.

Any franchisee that opens an NTY Clothing Exchange, a Children’s Orchard or a New Uses will receive a $20,000 marketing contribution from NTY when their store opens. In addition to that, every six months after their grand opening, they will receive an additional $5,000 marketing contribution from the parent company over a two-year period, totaling a $40,000 contribution toward marketing from NTY.

Training and Support

NTY helps franchisees find the right real estate, helps them procure financing, and brings them to Minneapolis for three weeks of comprehensive training in every aspect of running their business.

The company also offers support on site when franchisees are building out their store and getting it ready to open to ensure it’s being built out properly, they’re acquiring inventory properly and their employees are being trained properly. Then they’ll let the franchisee start running their store and come back out to help franchisees with their grand opening. NTY representatives will visit again 90 days after grand opening, a minimum of three times in that first year to check on inventory, customer service and if franchisees need any additional training.

Each brand has its own regional operations managers, which are assigned to franchisees. Each regional manager has about 20 or 30 franchisees in their region and their main goal is to be a small business consultant. They have monthly consultation calls with franchisees and answer any questions they have and visit franchisees at least once per year.

Expansion and Experience

All of NTY’s brands are open to expanding anywhere in the United States. The collective experience of everyone who is involved with NTY is a huge incentive for any frachisee to choose one of the company’s brands for opening a business, Olson said. Each brand has a vice president in charge of it, he explained, and all of those vice presidents have over 20 years of experience in the retail resale sector. His father, who is president of the

company, has 30-plus years of experience in the sector and when you add in Olson’s 22 years of experience, that’s a lot of knowledge for new franchisees to draw from.

For veterans who are looking to make a new start in life, NTY gives them an opportunity to make that new start a success.

See more from Franchising USA.

franchisee franchising Franchising USA NTY Franchise opportunities veterans

CLOTHES MENTOR Spartanburg Opens This Month

On the verge of opening her third Clothes Mentor store in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on March 17, franchisee Sadie Cherney talks about spring fashions from Clothes Mentor that are available for hundreds of dollars less than original retail prices.

In addition, Cherney talks about the upcoming Girls Night Out event at her Greenville store, featuring hundreds of Lilly Pulitzer items for spring. Watch the video to learn more about these big events.

clothes clothes mentor fashion franchise franchisee store owner third store three

CLOTHES MENTOR: 6 Ways To Treat Your True Customers Well

NTY Franchise Company graphic with title of article

Clothes Mentor franchisee Kate Paynter wrote this helpful article for the Women On Business website. Read the article below or check it out on womenonbusiness.com.

Every year, I make a point to set a new goal for my business. Not just for me, but for all the men and women I’m proud to call team members. The goal becomes a theme that we will build on throughout the year, affecting everyone from the CEO to the front line employees. Or as I like to refer to them, my “true” customers.

Prioritizing customer service for the end customer or final consumer is nothing new. But when you are a multi-unit business owner with several layers of management, you probably don’t spend much time engaged in traditional customer service. You do have customers, however; you just may not have thought of them that way.

In 2016, I’m making it a priority to treat my true customers well. Those would be the district managers I interact with on a daily basis and count on to help the business succeed. In turn, I’ll encourage them to treat their “true” customers, the store managers, well. It’s a mission I want to trickle all the way down to our front line employees whose true customer is the final consumer.

Whether you are a business owner or manager, chances are you are providing a work experience for somebody. That somebody is a customer. Employees pay with something much more valuable than money. They pay with their time, their skills, and their effort. Supervisors that expect their teams to treat customers like royalty have an obligation to do the same for their staff.

Here are some ways to get it done:

1. Solicit Regular Feedback

Whether you use anonymous surveys, open discussions, or exit interviews, putting mechanisms in place to generate specific feedback from employees is a critical starting point.

What is the best part about working here? What is the worst part? What would you do differently if you were in charge? Where are we missing opportunities?

2. Schedule Time to Review Feedback Regularly

Weekly, monthly, quarterly — whatever time you select, have a plan for how it will be discussed. I like to review everything before the meeting, then offer my managers a summary of what we will be discussing.

Remember not to spend the entire time on what needs to improve. Dedicate some time to what the employees say is being done well. Not only is that an opportunity to offer praise for good achievement, it’s a chance for your team members to hear what’s working and see how they can implement it, as well.

3. Finish Each Meeting with an Implementation Plan and Make Good on It

Nothing will undercut your efforts to generate regular feedback than a collective sense from your employees that they aren’t being heard. This doesn’t mean you have to solve every problem, but letting people know that their concern was discussed goes a long way.

Compile your meeting notes into a summary email and distribute it to all team members. Begin with what’s going to be a top priority, followed by midterm fixes, long-term fixes, and tabled issues. Finish with anything that won’t be addressed again but offer a detailed explanation why.

4. Be Nice

I’ve been a business owner for more than 20 years and know the pressure women feel to prove that they have the toughness to succeed in business. However, a perpetual scowl and grumpy demeanor will do far more harm than good. It’s difficult to expect your front line employees to wear a smile when dealing with customers if they are regularly greeted with their supervisor’s frown.

Being nice isn’t a weakness, being afraid to be nice is. If you show confidence in your mission and consistency in your operation, there is no reason you can’t be respected while still being nice.

5. Use Your Business to Inspire Your Employees

Would your employees consider their positions to be their jobs, their careers, or their callings? Some would say that answer has more to do with the work than the organization providing it, but I believe a company’s management team has a lot to do with how meaningful they make the work.

As a resale store owner, I don’t describe our team members as selling used clothes. We’re putting cash in local women’s pockets for their gently used items. We’re helping people look like a million bucks for pennies on the dollar. We are selling confidence through clothing without busting the family budget. That’s important work that we can all rally behind.

6. Measure Results

At regular points throughout the year, we’ll take stock of how our efforts are coming. We will look deeply at our retention rates, compare employee satisfaction levels, and review where we are succeeding and where we need improvement.

Don’t make the mistake of waiting until the end of the year to check in on your progress. If your goal is to improve or maintain a high level of “true” customer satisfaction, there is no sense in waiting until December to find out that what you’re doing isn’t working. Analyze results. Develop what’s working. Scrap what isn’t.

For me, success looks like this piece of feedback from one of my most trusted managers. She is one of my true customers whom I am proud to serve.

“Continued support from such a great family/company to work for is making my experience here one to cherish. ‘Take care of the employees and they will take care of the customers’ greatly describes the way you run this “family,” and it truly makes me enjoy going to work everyday. I couldn’t be happier!”

About the Author
Kate Paynter is a pioneer in the $12 billion resale industry. She and her mother, Becky, own and operate several resale franchise units in Cincinnati, Ohio, including upscale women’s resale clothing store, Clothes Mentor.

business customer employees franchise franchisee inspire store success tips women

CHILDREN’S ORCHARD: Successful Franchisees Share Their Secrets

Check out this insightful interview from Business-Opportunities.biz featuring two longtime Children’s Orchard franchisees:

Successful franchisees Claudia & Donahi share their story

We recently spoke with Claudia Aguirre and Donahi Bunt, owners of a Children’s Orchard franchise in McAllen, Texas, and learned why they chose the franchise, what challenges they faced when they first started out and, lastly, what advice they have for potential franchisees.

How long have you been a franchise owner?

11 years.

What were you doing before becoming a franchise owner?

We both had worked part time in our families’ businesses for years. (Claudia in the Maquila field and Donahi in the telecommunications field.) It came a time that we wanted to have the experience to create and operate our own business.

Why did you choose Children’s Orchard franchise opportunity?

As moms, we know how expensive it is to dress the kids in style and how fast they outgrow their clothes. Children’s Orchard offers parents a way to make money by selling their children’s outgrown, gently used items. Plus, they can stick around and shop for fashionable clothing, toys and equipment for a fraction of the retail price. It’s a great concept!

What were some of the challenges you faced starting a franchise?

Finding a way to finance the business and creating an appropriate work and life balance was difficult, especially in the early years when we were just getting the business going.

Where did you research or get advice about starting a franchise?

We called some store owners and talked to a lawyer, but we already knew we wanted to be part of the Children’s Orchard team. During our first year of operation, we visited some of the top performing Children’s Orchard franchises to learn about their daily processes.

How much does starting a franchise cost?

All of our money! Truthfully, it was an amount very close to what the corporate office told us, but we exceeded that during the first couple of years.

What does a typical day look like for you?

In the early years we were both full-time at the store. Little by little, we built a great team capable of handling much of the day-to-day operations. One of us takes care of the administration and the other takes care of advertising and marketing.

What is your secret to success?

Remember, your customers are the reason you are in business. When something goes wrong, spend your time and energy making it right. Don’t waste time searching for someone to blame. Stay focused on your goals, and track your results. Build a great team to help you reach your goals.

What would you do differently if you had to do it all over?

We would definitely invest more time into learning about our market before opening our doors.

Where do you see your business in five years?

We just moved to a bigger location for the third time, so right now, we just want to focus on getting everything under control and use this change to impact our sales and community involvement in a positive way.

What is one trend that really excites you?

Businesses becoming more eco-friendly is really exciting. It’s rewarding to be part of that trend by allowing parents to recycle their children’s clothes and toys.

What are your favorite online tools or resources and what do you love about them?

Google Drive: All our images, documents, ideas and campaigns are available on any device!

Constant Contact: We love being able to email market!

Do you (or did you ever) have a mentor?

We like to look for learning opportunities everywhere. Other store owners have helped with that learning process.

What advice do you have for others looking to own a franchise?

Understand that you are buying a franchise in order to mitigate risk and follow a proven success model. If you’re not willing to follow a franchise system, you’ll want to look for another opportunity.

Learn everything you can about the franchise before you buy. Get to know the management team, the owners and the history of the franchise. Talk to as many franchisees as possible, and ask questions. If possible, visit a few franchise units to see the day-to-day operation and talk to customers regarding their opinion of the business.

Would you recommend others be franchisees? Why?

Yes. Buying into a franchise gives you a proven system and support from people with experience in the industry. At the same time, you are the business owner, so you must stay focused in order to succeed.

Where can people get more information on Children’s Orchard franchise opportunities?

Visit the website here.

Where can people find Children’s Orchard on social media?Facebook

children's orchard franchise franchisee interview kids mcallen store texas

CLOTHES MENTOR: Franchisee Talks About Her Stores

Thinking about opening a franchise store? You’ve got to listen to this radio piece from 97.5 BEN FM featuring multiple Clothes Mentor store owner Chris Barnett of Pennsylvania. She’s passionate about the brand and her community, and it shows in the success of her stores. Click on the icon below to listen.