FranSynergy Acquires Cuppy's Coffee, Smoothies & More

Business is a fast paced and sometime difficult road to manuever. It is also a series of evolutions from startup to completion. And it is in that process that Cuppy's Coffee is proud to announce that FranSynergy has acquired our fast growing coffee company to navigate it thru the next stage in that evolution. Below is a copy of the letter sent to all franchisees acknowledging the transition and welcoming the new management team to Cuppy's Coffee.

Dear Franchisees,

Cuppy's has grown leaps and bounds since our humble beginnings in May of 2006. We currently have more than 231 franchisees nationwide and 73 open stores, with many more stores in the works!

It's our ultimate goal to see the Cuppy's brand grow strong and be successful. In order for this to happen, change is inevitable. Our objective is to always keep you, our franchisee, up to date as these changes occur.

With that in mind, we have some really exciting news! We are pleased to announce that FranSynergy Inc., lead by Dale Nabors, CEO, has acquired Cuppy's Coffee & More, Inc.

Dale Nabors has over 25 years of franchising experience and worked for the Dwyer Group from March, 1995 to August, 2000....

To read the entire letter follow this link.

Cuppy's Coffee: Easy No-Cost Marketing Tips For Your Store

These are fantastic ideas for your location that is just getting started or to help improve sales. The good thing about them is that these tips also work! Choose two out of the five and move forward on them this week. Once you begin to see that in fact these promotional ideas can bring you business your momentum will build and drive you to pick two more.

1. Network at events. Go to Chamber of Commerce meetings, Local business group meetings, and other organizational meetings that will be attracting your "ideal" client. Gather business cards. Get as many as you can and then begin to phone and email to follow up. Do this immediately while you are still fresh in their mind. If they cannot use your services, ask them if they know of someone who can and get their contact information.

2. Attend public meetings. At every public meeting, make a commitment to say something that could be useful to those that are attending. This is a great way to not only share you knowledge and help others, but it also puts you in the eye of those who could use your services.

3. Create a "useful" handout. (Check with the Cuppy's Coffee marketing department on your idea, first) A handout that when given to a recipient they keep because it has value. Make sure that you include your name, phone number, email address, website information and your 30 second commercial that tells the recipient about your location and services.

4. Create joint-ventures. Find colleagues and business associates whose business compliments yours and do joint promotions.Who could you partner with? A bakery, an independent coffee store, the local businesses around your store? The list goes on and on.

5. Write letters to editors of local newspapers and business publications. Make them interesting and newsworthy. You'll be surprised at how often a good letter will get printed. Do not forget to include your contact information and website address.

By committing to one of these items on a weekly basis within one month you will see your business gain recognition and business. You can get the word out there without spending hundreds of dollars.

WHAT IS "BUSINESS FORMAT" FRANCHISING?

Business Format Franchising vs. Company-owned Expansion

In business format franchising, the franchisor prescribes for the franchisee a complete plan, or format, for managing and operating the establishment. The plan provides step-by-step procedures for major aspects of the business and, anticipating most management problems, provides a complete matrix for management decisions confronted by the franchisees. The major advantage of buying a business format franchise is that the "system," the means for distributing goods and or services, has been developed, tested, and associated with the trademark. As a result, rapid expansion of a successful retail concept can occur more quickly than through company-owned expansion.*

Sales by business format franchisors continued to increase steadily throughout the 1990s and into the 21st century. In 2001, comparing business format franchising to product distribution franchising, business format franchising had about 4.3 times as many establishments, employed 4 times as many workers, generated 2.5 times the payroll, and produced nearly 3 times as much output.

Source: IFA faq

Cuppy's Coffee College Underway

It's Monday and Coffee College is underway. Franchisees that are attending are within weeks of opening their locations.

While at Coffee College, franchisees will learn the nuances of espresso based drinks and smoothies. But that's not all, they will also learn operational processes of running their stores that will keep their customer's coming back for more. Marketing, customer service, procedural and business development training are just some of the knowledge these attendees will take with them after graduation from the week long course.

As a refresher, Cuppy's will send a field trainer to franchisee's locations prior to a opening date to assist with training and setup of their store. Soon thereafter, franchisees can set a Grand Opening date for their customers.

The attending franchisees are from the following cities and states:

• Athens, TN


• Savannah, GA


• Columbus, OH


• Salem, OR


• Carollton, GA

Cuppy's Coffee Opening in Athens TN

Nestled at the base of the Smoky Mountain Range, Athens TN will be home to one of the nation's fastest growing coffee stores,Cuppy's Coffee, Smoothies & More. Franchisees are attending required training at the corporate office wher they will learn the nuances of espresso recipes, operational procedures and to learn the business of specialty coffee.

Grand Opening events are being schedule for the location to be held at 2037 South Congress Parkway.

Join our growing company. Learn more at www.cuppys.com

Social Networking Sites? Marketing to Gen Y

The popularity of social networking sites like YouTube, MySpace and Facebook have opened the door to companies looking to capitilize on the Y Generation customers who frequent these locations. Viral marketing, word of mouth and buzzing are terms most experts commonly associate with this growing population. But merely signing up and showcasing your stuff will not attract customers to your location. There are other marketing techniques that have to coincide and interact with using networking sites to attract this youthful but powerful economic group.

Companies and experts agree that Y Generation will play a huge factor in the success of any given brand. Whereas TV programs like MTV and BET played a significant role in the success (or not) of brands of the previous generation, the internet, instant messaging and social networking sites are the medium of choice for Y Gen.

Companies and brands looking to capture a piece of this group, utimately will need to have a strategy in place that will address the concerns, likes and dislikes as well as the needs of Y Gen on their terms and on their turf.

One Cuppy's Coffee franchisee realizes the importance of social networking sites and was recently interviewed on his strategy to gain more customers by reaching out and meeting this young group head on. Read the interview here.

Cuppy's Coffee First Event with "Thunder Over Louisville" Festival

Look for the Cuppy's Coffee mobile unit to be grinding out true Italian espresso and real fruit smoothies at the Thunder Over Louisville event this month. The annual event is one of the nation's largest with an expected crowd total nearing 50,000 people a day. This event is one of many that kicks off the Kentucky Derby festivities.

The Derby Festival lasts just two weeks, but its impact on the local community is felt year-round. The Derby Festival is a non-profit organization, but it provides world-class entertainment for its customers. Thunder Over Louisville is the region's largest annual event, but the Festival makes virtually no financial return on the show. However, Thunder greatly benefits a large number of other local non-profit organizations. For instance, Thunder is the No. 1 fund-raiser for the Louisville Science Center, the Kentucky Center for the Arts, Louisville Slugger Museum, Easter Seals, Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Louisville Ballet and the Belle of Louisville. In addition, a recent study found that Thunder produced an estimated impact of $31 million for the local economy on both sides of the Ohio River. For these and many other reasons, the Festival remains committed to producing such an important community asset.

If you are a visitor to this event, leave us a comment on your experiences at the event and especially your take on Cuppy's Coffee. Have fun and enjoy the event.
Want to join our growing family? Check us out at www.cuppys.com

Massachusette Opening 2nd Cuppy's Coffee Soon

Western Massachusettians will now have reason to celebrate. Cuppy's Coffee will be opening soon in Chicopee, MA a city outside of Springfield MA. Elite Manufacturing is scheduled to start delivery of the modular building to Chicopee witin the next week.

Before this location, Boston was the only Cuppy's Coffee cafe in the state. The store located in Chicopee will be the dual drive thru modular building. Built for high volume traffic, the franchisees plan to meet the high quality of espresso making with the speed of service that customers want .

Cuppy's Coffee plans to open other locations throughout the state. When asked about Dunkin Donuts stronghold in the area.

"People will soon get to see and taste the difference in what a real Italian espresso should be." states Andi Davidson, PR Director at Cuppy's Coffee.

Look for the Chicopee location Grand Opening soon in the area.

Cuppy's Coffee in The News

People are noticing. Cuppy's Coffee, Smoothies & More is moving towards opening more locations across the US. This article in the GreenvilleOnline.com tells the story of one such opening in South Carolina.

Simpsonville got an extra shot of espresso last June when Steve Parker opened Cuppy's Coffee, Smoothies & More in front of Big Lots on Woodruff Road. Read the entire article...

All Roads Will Soon Lead To Cuppy's Coffee: Normal IL

Where Interstates 75, 39 and 55 all merge, Cuppy's Coffee will be there to serve up a true Italian espresso to commuters and travelers alike. Franchisees in Normal IL have signed a lease to open a Cuppy's Coffee restaurant.

Look for the new Cuppy's Coffee to open soon.

Thinking of Franchising: Here Are The Facts

Thinking of opening your own business? Here are the facts associated with opening a franchise.

There are an estimated 1,500 different franchisors (franchise business companies) operating in the U.S.

There are believed to be more than 750,000 franchise businesses in the U.S.

The franchising industry and businesses employs over 18 million people in the U.S.

In 2004, it is estimated that franchise businesses were responsible for over 1.5 trillion in economic

output.

The franchise industry accounts for 40% of all retail sales in the U.S.

A new franchise business opens every 8 minutes of every business day.

Approximately one out of every 12 businesses in the U.S. is a franchise business.

Franchise fact: More than 75 different industries use franchising as a means to distribute goods and services.

The average initial franchise investment is $250,000- excluding real estate.

The average royalty fees paid by franchisees range from 3% to 6% of monthly gross sales.

Most franchise companies have fewer than 100 units.

The average length of a franchise contract is 10 years.

Top franchise industry- Fast Food.

Top franchise company- McDonalds.