選擇慢成長的五家創業公司

特許經營模式：先建設，再出售

公司名稱：ShelfGenie

地點：佐治亞州，瑪麗埃塔

年銷售額：640萬美元

????ShelfGenie公司成立于2000年，從事櫥柜滑出式貨架系統的設計、制造和安裝。公司現有51家特許加盟商，但它本來可以吸引到更多的特許加盟商。公司首席執行官和共同創始人阿蘭?楊是一位有條不紊的陸軍老兵。他認為幫助每一個特許加盟商發展壯大更為重要，因為他希望創建的是一家可持續發展的公司。他說：“我的經驗是，特許經營商，尤其是年輕的初創企業，要么必須特別善于出售特許經營權，要么必須特別長于為特許加盟商提供支持。我們必須在這兩者之間做出選擇。”

????楊和公司總裁、共同創始人巴瑞?法爾科為加盟商提供進入定制式客戶關系管理系統和商業支持中心的權限，幫助他們應對管理問題。同時，公司還將特許經營銷售業務外包給Franchise Dynamics公司，尋找潛在的特許加盟商，同時確保特許加盟商的責任心和匹配度。ShelfGenie公司要求各地區的特許加盟商每月至少在廣告宣傳方面投入5,000美元。楊說：“就算我們的特許加盟費可以達到100萬美元，讓那些沒有能力的人參與進來也沒有意義。”

Building franchises ahead of selling them

Company: ShelfGenie

Location: Marietta, Ga.

Annual sales: $6.4 million

????Founded in 2000, ShelfGenie -- which designs, builds and installs slide-out shelving systems for cabinets -- could probably have attracted more than its current 51 franchisees by now. But CEO and co-founder Allan Young -- a methodical Army veteran -- thinks it's more important to help each individual franchise grow and thrive so he can build a sustainable company. "My experience was that franchisors, especially young startups, are either really good at selling franchises or supporting franchisees," says Young. "We had to make a choice of what we do well."

????Young and co-founder Barry Falcon, ShelfGenie's president, offer franchisees access to a custom-built customer relationship management system and business support center to tackle administrative tasks. Meanwhile, the chain outsources franchise sales to Franchise Dynamics, which vets prospective franchisees to make sure they're committed and a good fit. ShelfGenie requires them to spend a minimum of $5,000 a month on advertising for each territory. "Even if our franchise fee was $1 million, it would not be worth bringing on someone who was not going to do well," says Young.