Taking His Career to the Next Level: One Franchisee’s Journey to Business Ownership
Douglas Lartz taught classes at a local community college as an adjunct instructor and started selling shoes in 1994. He thoroughly enjoyed the retail shoe business and decided to take his career to the next level. He explained, “You might say I have gotten shoes in my blood and I can’t seem to get away. I finally decided I should be doing it for myself.”
For Lartz, discovering when the right time to pursue his dream was critical: “The owners of the shoe store, where I was the manager, decided not to renew their lease and closed the store earlier this year. Though I could have gone to work at another one of the company’s stores, I decided to move on. I’ve always had a dream of having my own business someday and the time seemed to be right to take the plunge.”
The Search for a Franchise Concept Begins…
“I was visiting a friend for the weekend and I was using his computer when I just thought I would see what I could find on franchises. I had been thinking that a franchise would be a good way to get into my own business. I found FranchiseSolutions.com and started browsing the companies listed. When I came upon the SHOES-n-FEET listing, it sounded very interesting because of my experience in shoe retailing. So I decided to request information about the SHOES-n-FEET opportunity from FranchiseSolutions.com,” he explained.
Lartz found FranchiseSolutions.com to be extremely helpful when searching for and discovering the SHOES-n-FEET franchise concept. He explained, “FranchiseSolutions.com has a wide range of companies listed in many different industries. If someone is interested in getting into a franchised business, the site is definitely a good place to start looking for opportunities.”
Choosing the Right Concept
Lartz was looking for a company that was responsive to his request for information and SHOES-n-FEET went above and beyond in meeting his expectations. He recalled, “SHOES-n-FEET contacted me very quickly. By the time I got home on Monday after being gone for the weekend, there was a message from the franchising representative on my machine.”
When purchasing a business, there are several factors that you must consider: Does the concept have market demand in your particular location and does the company meet your needs in terms of structure, training, and support? Lartz proactively thought about his needs as well as what his community needed before deciding to go ahead and purchase his franchise location. He said, “I chose to purchase a SHOES-n-FEET franchise because the merchandise is very similar to what was offered by the store where I had been working. So I’m hoping to fill the market void left by the closing of my previous employer’s store, as well as expand the market with some product lines new to this area. I went to Bellevue, WA around the middle of May to meet with the SHOES-n-FEET people and visit some existing stores and I was very impressed with everything. After that visit I was 99.9% sure that I wanted to go ahead with a franchise store. The support and training offered is excellent and the company provides great people at the corporate office to work with.” Overall, the concept meets both Lartz’s needs and the market demand in his community.
Lartz Gets Ready to Open for Business
Lartz is planning to open his Davenport, Iowa-based retail store in October. “I will be running and managing the business myself. A friend and former co-worker of mine will be my first full-time employee. She will bring many years worth of shoe selling experience as well as skills that will complement mine.”
He’s confident that he made a smart decision by purchasing his new franchise; “I think there is definitely an underserved need for this kind of store in our area. There are a lot of people who need to have good shoes to ease their foot problems and my SHOES-n-FEET store will give them a place to come for products and service. Product lines carried by SHOES-n-FEET offer shoes giving great comfort and support to people having foot problems, those who work long hours on their feet, and anyone who wants comfortable shoes. An important part of the SHOES-n-FEET concept is developing and maintaining relationships with local podiatrists for a referral network. My store will be the first SHOES-n-FEET location in the Midwest. It’s exciting being a pioneer and bringing something new to the area.”
