Enterprenuer Usa

The All-New Corolla Hatchback
LAUNCHING/ Why Branding PERSEVERANCE/ Topgolf’s REINVENTION/ Sophia Amoruso

Matters Most (Ask Casper!) P. 18 Long Rise to the Top P. 46 Becomes a True Girlboss P. 58
E
/
r2
October 2018 / Entrepreneur.com

n
t h
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October 2018
→ FIRED UP
FEATURES
Fieri and his wood-fired
oven outside his
home in California.
P.50
P.50
Guy Fieri
and the
Multitaskin’
Masters
Restaurants, TV shows, Donkey
Sauce purveyor, vintner—Fieri
personally oversees all of it.
How? By mastering what he calls
“the Lock.” by DAN BOVA
P LU S : More secrets from exceptionally

busy people, including Tim Ferriss,
Randi Zuckerberg, Gen. Stanley
McChrystal (Ret.), and more.
P.40
The Top 150
Company Cultures
We surveyed more than 30,000
employees to find the happiest
workplaces. See our results.
P.46
Topgolf’s Big Swing
How a kooky, shunned U.K. company
was transformed into America’s hottest
new game. by JASON NOTTE
P.58
Girlboss Is Nothing
Like the Old Boss
Sophia Amoruso built Nasty Gal into a
paragon of street fashion—before
it crashed and burned. With her new
venture, Girlboss, she’s doing
everything differently. by LIZ BRODY
ON THE COVER AND THIS PAGE
Photograph by DAVID YELLEN
Grooming by ARIEL R AMIRE Z
2 / E N T R E P R E N E U R . C O M / October 2018
October 2018
→ TAKING NOTES
Inside Evernote’s
Silicon Valley
headquarters.
P.24
22 Imperfect Genius 35 How an Introvert Built a

EDITOR’S BUSINESS A bedding maker discovers
that going eco-friendly means
Successful Business
Pooja Sankar is painfully shy. To build
NOTE UNUSUAL being flawed on purpose.
by MAGGIE WILEY
her company, Piazza, she had to get
uncomfortable. But it was worth it.
by STEPHANIE SCHOMER
24 Inside Evernote
10 See What an 13 Baked with Love The staff at Evernote are encour- 36 An Online Brand Woos the
Entrepreneur Sees How Milk Bar founder aged to lead and learn from each Brick-and-Mortar World
Entrepreneurs see everything Christina Tosi built a national other, whether that’s a writing Clothing brand Ledbury came up with
as inactive opportunities brand on sweet nostalgia. seminar or Lego-building class. a seemingly crazy incentive for physical
just waiting to be activated. by LYDIA BELANGER by LYDIA BELANGER retailers: Share its online profits.
by JASON FEIFER by STEPHANIE SCHOMER
16 “I’m the CEO. 26 Ask Them: “What Am I
Take My Job!” Doing Wrong?” 38 Why You Need to Use NDAs
What if we’re good at one thing, Six entrepreneurs share their Don’t cheap out on creating strong
but not at everything? This is the tips for asking employees for— nondisclosure agreements. Done right,
story of one CEO discovering that. and receiving—useful and they build trust with new staff and
by JASON FEIFER difficult feedback. partners—and enable you to thrive.
by ADAM BORNSTEIN
18 Why the Brand Is More
Important Than the Product
Branding isn’t marketing. It’s the
road map for your entire product
line—and company’s future.
by LEONARD SHERMAN
4 / E N T R E P R E N E U R . C O M / October 2018 Photograph / A D A M F R I E D B E R G

October 2018
FRANCHISE
93 Franchisee
One woman’s journey from
cleaning houses to cleaning up.
by LYDIA BELANGER
96 Franchisor
No experience is no problem
for Home Franchise Concepts.
by HAYDEN FIELD
98 Suppliers
How to find the right CRM
for your business.
by STEPHANIE SCHOMER
100 A New Century

Once a global power in real
estate, Century 21 has
a new boss and a new vision:
It wants to fix real estate.
by EMILY NONKO
113 Franchises for Any

Budget, Ranked
Top franchises selling for less
than $100K, $100K to $500K,
and more than $500K.
by TRACY STAPP HEROLD
CLOSER
132 What Inspires Me
A cowboy hat reminds this
Silicon Valley CEO to grind
away until the task is done.
by JAY FULCHER
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Opportunities
Everywhere
When you think like an entrepreneur, you see
everything around you diferently.
A FEW MONTHS AGO, my wife she couldn’t afford $10,000 in

and I were brainstorming ways market research. She realized
to market our novel. We spent the airport wasn’t just a place
three years writing it together— to travel; it was actually a per-
it’s called Mr. Nice Guy, and it fect polling place, filled with
comes out October 16. And as people who have nothing bet-
any author knows, publicizing ter to do than answer questions
and marketing a book is tough. about butter dishes, and so she
It’s a crowded space, few publi- began showing up early for
cations cover books in any flights and surveying travelers.
meaningful way, and readers are Or take the man I interviewed
hard to reach. whose camera equipment busi-
We stared into the air for a ness was slowing. He realized
while. Then I thought, What Amazon wasn’t just a site to sell
would happen if I stopped look- products—it was really a giant
ing at this like an author, and R&D lab, where he could scour
started doing it like an entre- reviews of other products, see
preneur? And with that, a new buyers’ feedback, and then build
world opened up. products to meet the comment-
I don’t see entrepreneurship ers’ specific desires. “I like this
as a career choice. It’s a mind- clock, but I wish the numbers scene, in exchange for them thrill of finding opportunities,
set. That’s the thing I marvel at were bigger,” someone might emailing their entire list about and the anxiety of never pos-
most when spending time with write. Bingo. Today his com- our book. They said yes. sibly finding them all. But at
brilliant entrepreneurs, and it’s pany, C+A Global, sells tens of Inactive opportunity: acti- least there’s a solution: Make
the skill I think everyone should thousands of products and has vated. This was exciting. And this mindset a habit. Do it until
continually hone. When you offices around the world. addictive! it becomes second nature, until
think like an entrepreneur, it’s So I started thinking about I kept going. Would Elliott you can’t remember what it was
like wearing augmented reality what I’d overlooked. What had I Clark, a well-respected cock- like to not see opportunity every-
glasses. You see the same things once thought of as just a part of tail creator I met who goes by where. You’ll see more every day.
as everyone else, but you see my book, but that was really an Apartment Bartender, make Why else do you think I
them differently. They appear inactive opportunity? And then, drinks inspired by the book? wrote this month’s column the
as inactive opportunities, just aha! There’s a critical scene that Sounds fun, he said. Most way I have? This, right here,
waiting to be activated. All you features a remote-controlled authors launch their books at was an opportunity I needed
need is to find a new way for vibrator. (You weren’t expect- bookstores, but…what if that’s to activate. Now you can let me
something old to be useful. ing that, I bet. Mr. Nice Guy is a actually an inactive oppor- know if it was successful.
There are ample famous romantic comedy about two peo- tunity? I emailed a friend at
examples of this, of course. ple who each week sleep together WeWork; would they host our
Airbnb realized that a house and then critically review each party and invite members?
GROOMER, CASEY GEREN
isn’t just a house; it’s a rent- other’s performance in a mag- Yes, they would! Now, back
able space. Uber realized that azine.) What if that vibrator to Elliott: Would he come?
a car isn’t just a car; it’s a taxi wasn’t just any ol’ vibrator but Yes! Could he get us a liquor
service. But this happens on was instead…some brand’s sponsor? Yes! Opportunities Jason Feifer
a smaller scale, too. Consider vibrator? I called the adult prod- everywhere! [email protected]
the inventor of a butter dish uct company Adam & Eve with This thinking is equal parts @heyfeifer
called Butterie, who told me a proposal: I’d put them in the thrill and anxiety. There’s the S U B S C R I B E : entm.ag/subscribe
10 / E N T R E P R E N E U R . C O M / October 2018 Photograph / N I G E L P A R R Y

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Discover your voice at entm.ag/voices

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF MILK BAR
The Accessible Chef

In 10 years, Christina Tosi has grown Milk Bar from a single New York bakery to a national dessert empire—
without losing touch with the customers (and employees) she loves. by LY D I A B E L A N G E R
October 2018 / E N T R E P R E N E U R . C O M / 13
Q&A
Your company is built

on nostalgic flavors from
many Americans’ childhoods,
but it also feels unique
and modern. How did you
find that niche?
I spent 10 years in other peo-
ple’s kitchens, making their
recipes. That’s the reality of
when you’re first starting out.
When it came time for me
to consider my own voice in
food—when I was no longer
learning technique—I’d ask
anyone and everyone, “What’s
your favorite dessert?” Even
in these communities of cooks
with decades of experience and
education and access to the
most insane kitchens, they’d
say, “My grandma’s chocolate
chip cookie,” or “McDonald’s
fried apple pie.” It helped me
understand what people really
want. But I would never dare
try to compete with, say, my
grandma’s oatmeal cookie—
she made the best. I realized
that my place in the world
wasn’t to compete with these
memories but to breathe new
life into them.
Now you’re 10 years in,

and everyone wants a piece
of the pie, so to speak.
How do you decide which
opportunities to pursue,
keeping that spirit in mind?
We never do anything for the
“wow” factor. We do some-
thing because we connect with
it emotionally. We can spend
two years developing a single
product. If something doesn’t
bring that warmth, that com-
fort, that feeling of a big hug
from Grandma, we don’t do it.
Our partnership with JetBlue
last year is a great example.
Flying was always one of my
favorite things to do as a kid—
we didn’t do it a lot, usually
just to Ohio from Virginia—
but I remember staring out
that window with wonder,
scrunched up in my seat. An
airplane remains one of my themselves; oftentimes men- How have your own support You mentioned your recent
favorite places to daydream. tors are the ones who just help systems impacted how you Series A funding—what are
So a Milk Bar cookie definitely you find the key to unlock it. guide your team? your plans for that capital?
has a place there. People who are the closest to I’m a big proponent of making To grow, but in places where
you are your best mentors. It myself as accessible as possible you might not expect us. It’s
Wait; which product took two doesn’t have to be someone to my team—and to the not to open 101 Milk Bars. It’s
years to develop? who has 20 years on you, and people in our industry who are to increase our ability to, like,
The birthday cake. That lit- it doesn’t have to be someone looking for mentors or a help- show up on your doorstep. It’s
tle stinker took two years! My in the same business as you, ing hand. Or an oven when to meet you in the aisles of
mom was a working mom, so someone who has all the net- someone’s oven breaks. Or a your grocery store. It’s to meet
for my birthday growing up, works, secrets, and connec- delivery van when there’s a you at those moments in life
she’d run to the grocery store tions. But it has to be someone fender bender. It’s doing the that you could very easily take
and buy a box of cake mix and you can be outrageously hon- basic neighborly things I was for granted. It’s to remind you
a tub of frosting. In 30 min- est with. raised to do as a kid. Most bak- that there’s cause for celebrat-
utes, there was a cake on the ery COOs would never say, ing the everyday.
table. We wanted to make Is there a specific “Let’s go get lunch” or ran-
that from scratch as classically hurdle you recently worked domly drop off doughnuts to Is it getting tougher to juggle
trained pastry chefs. And it through together? one of their stores or make a the roles of chef and leader?
took us two years to capture When I was starting out in this playlist. I guess I do the things I’m never missing the kitchen
that emotional memory and industry, I didn’t see a lot of that are simple and honest when I’m in the boardroom,
get those flavors just right. We women in the kitchen. But I and often cost nothing at all, and I’m never missing the
could have put it on the menu, found my place among men as except for effort and the desire boardroom when I’m in the
I’m sure, six months or a year the woman who loved to to connect. And I take the kitchen. But I often find myself
into the process, and it would pal around and be like every- time to do that. saying, How can I bring more
have been fine. But it wouldn’t one’s kid sister. When I raised of the kitchen into the board-
be what it is today. That’s what capital for the first time late That must be harder to do as room, and How can I bring
being a great chef and a great last year, I had to work through you continue to scale. more of the boardroom into
businessperson is all about: a lot of contracts and sit at a We employ 250 people, the kitchen? I try to bring that
not stopping just because
time’s up, but knowing when
you’ve actually hit the mark,
and being relentless until THAT’S WHAT BEING A GREAT CHEF AND A GREAT BUSINESS-
you get there.
PERSON IS ALL ABOUT: NOT STOPPING JUST BECAUSE
You have 14 stores, product TIME’S UP, BUT KNOWING WHEN YOU’VE ACTUALLY HIT THE
at Target, and cookbooks, MARK, AND BEING RELENTLESS UNTIL YOU GET THERE.”
and you’ve collaborated with
everyone from the retailer
Madewell to fast-casual
restaurant &Pizza. Whom do lot of tables and negotiate probably 300 by the end of craftsmanship, that sensibility
you look to for guidance at this with a lot of people. I was the year. We defy on every of looking at ingredients dif-
stage of the business? immediately put back into this level what working at a bak- ferently, to how I assess busi-
My personal mentors are my place of I’m the only girl in the ery can and should be, from ness challenges and strategies
grandmas—neither is still with kitchen again. But my husband how we pay our employees to and positions.
me, but I use them as my moral helped me allow that emotion the benefits we offer—we have
compass. But my greatest men- to exist while also finding a a 401(k) plan and maternity All your guiding philosophies
tor over the past few years path forward. I never let myself and paternity leave, which are and themes intertwine.
has been my husband, Will get emotional in the kitchen at just not real things you find They all have layers of
Guidara. He knows me well my first job or second job at most bakeries. As a kid, I meaning. If you’ve ever seen
enough to say, “Your grandma or even third job; instead, I was like, I want my own bak- one of our cookbooks, you’ll
wouldn’t be cool with that,” found ways to help people ery. But it was a pretty selfish see that in order to make, say,
and he’s a restaurateur him- around me feel like they knew vision—I never thought about the cornflake chocolate chip
self, so he helps me figure out me and like they understood the kind of impact that might marshmallow cookie, you’ve
how to bring the truest form my goals. That turned them make on people’s lives. It’s been gotta make, like, three reci-
of me to the table. I think a lot into teammates rather than incredible to create this com- pes just to get to the cookie.
of people underestimate how enemies. And that’s still a munity of empowerment and Because there are layers
many answers they have in good strategy. connectivity. to everything we do.
Problem Solvers
“I’m the CEO. → THE FIXER

Matt Bodnar can
solve problems,
Take My Job!”
but he isn't
your next CEO.
Most leaders doubt themselves.

Some improve on the job. But there’s another
path to success—and it means
giving up the corner office. by J A S O N F E I F E R
A
few years ago, Bodnar represents a different
when Matt Bodnar path—one that can be just as
was the CEO of a empowering, and lead to just
small technology as much success. But it means
company, he got making a big change, even big-
lunch with a fellow ger than the CEOs who stayed.
CEO friend. This As a young man, Bodnar
friend was frus- dreamed of being a CEO. He
trated; his company was strug- graduated college and worked at
gling, and he wanted a change. Goldman Sachs, then left to be a
So the two spent 15 minutes or partner at the Nashville invest-
so talking through solutions, ment firm Fresh Hospitality.
and then, to his own surprise, The firm owned a struggling
Bodnar said the words that point-of-sale terminal company,
would change his life: “Well,” and Bodnar was tasked with
Bodnar asked his friend, “what turning it around. At first, he
if you just took my job?” was named CFO. But a year
“We kind of laughed about it,” later, in 2011, the little company
Bodnar says. “And then he was still needed help. So at the age
like, ‘That’s not a bad idea.’ ” of 25, Bodnar stepped in as the right skill set for me.” That’s and in not losing time trying to
Bodnar had been coming its new CEO. The day he took why, when Bodnar met with his be great at what you’re not.
to accept a difficult truth: over, his company was unable fellow CEO friend, everything Today, Bodnar’s old company
Although he had aspired to the to make payroll. “I spent several clicked: I shouldn’t be CEO has grown 40 percent and turns
position of CEO, he wasn’t actu- years basically getting the finan- anymore. Someone else should. a profit. His friend is still CEO,
ally a fit for the job. It was time cial end of the business squared “That was a transforma- and Bodnar serves as executive
to admit that. away,” he says—figuring out tional moment that fundamen- chairman, but he spends most
Plenty of notable CEOs, what was profitable and unprof- tally shifted the way I think of his time doing what he’s
like Google’s Larry Page and itable, putting in the right about pursuing opportunities,” good at: Through his invest-
LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman, have systems and processes, and so Bodnar says. He realized he ment firm, he steps in when a
replaced themselves. But still, on. Under his leadership, losses was great at saving companies company needs to be righted.
it’s more common to hear of the stopped. Payroll was made. but not necessarily growing “I have this rule of thumb I
CEOs who struggle and stick it Bodnar was thrilled. them—and that was worth use for myself now, which is to
out. They are, after all, the ones But he couldn’t maintain embracing. The way he came to always replace myself,” he says.
P H O T O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y M AT T B O D N A R
still in their jobs and telling momentum. The company was see it, nobody should expect to Come in, help, let someone else
their stories—on stages at con- saved, but it wasn’t growing. be great at every position. It’s take over. In fact, he’s serving as
ferences, to journalists for mag- He’d started some new lines of not like people look at Steph interim CEO of a new company
azines. Perhaps they hire an business, but they weren’t click- Curry and say, “Yeah, he’s a right now. But, he says, it won’t
executive coach, or go through ing. And although his employ- great point guard, but why be for long.
deep reflection. Somehow they ees’ jobs were more secure, the can’t he play center, too?” The
become the leader their com- office culture was dismal. “I game doesn’t demand it. Curry Hear Bodnar on our podcast
pany needs them to be. Then started realizing that this job is is great in his role, and that’s Problem Solvers, available
that becomes the narrative: The not all it’s cracked up to be,” he greatness. There’s power in on iTunes or wherever you
CEO must persevere. says, “and maybe it’s not even knowing what you’re great at, find podcasts.
The Big Idea
Putting the Brand First

Having a brilliant product or service isn’t enough. To capture today’s consumers, smart startups are first crafting
a brand strategy—one that builds a forward-looking foundation for the company. b y L E O N A R D S H E R M A N
S
uppose you’ve got market projections. No money. But today’s tech tools make startup world. (According to
an idea for a great In this moment, logic would it easier for founders to, well, Crunchbase, VCs closed more
new thingamajig. advise against obsessing over produce a product. With design than 22,500 global funding
It could be any- brand strategy—and it would sprints, rapid wireframe and rounds last year, continuing a
thing—a luxury definitely advise against hiring product prototyping, contract multiyear trend of increasing deal
candle, affordable a pricey agency to help you do manufacturing, fulfillment- flow and sizes.) Countless entre-
college education, or it. And yet, a growing number as-a-service, web-store design, preneurs are discovering that
a product to prevent of startups are doing just that, and hosting services, some their supposedly game-changing
male pattern baldness. You seeing great success as a result. entrepreneurs can go from con- idea has already been launched
can’t get the concept out of your Only a few years ago, product cept to first paying customer in by others, or at best is being cop-
head. You have to bring it to was king. Founders focused on a matter of weeks. ied by nimble competitors.
life. But you have no prototypes, getting a minimum viable prod- That’s a double-edged sword. Take Casper, a name that has
and no experience with the uct to market, fast—iteration Those tools that make it easy become synonymous with the
intricacies of industrial design. could fix shortcomings. Brand to rush a product to market? boxed-mattress category. Casper
No understanding of produc- strategy was a back-burner They’re available to everyone, wasn’t first to market—that
tion and distribution. No web issue, one to address when time and have resulted in unprec- honor goes to BedInABox, which
design experience. No detailed and budget allowed. edented competition in the launched in 2006. Tuft & Needle
18 / E N T R E P R E N E U R . C O M / October 2018 Illustration / V I K T O R K O E N

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The Big Idea
followed in 2012. Casper didn’t “Sail,” rewarding early custom- brand strategy with marketing, product brands cloak them-
launch until 2014. Today, there ers in five North American cities considering both to be costs selves in marketing claims
are more than 100 digitally with a daylong booze cruise. associated with promoting a (“Extra Whitener!”; “30 Percent
native mattress companies fight- Have brands copied elements product after it’s been launched. Less Fat!”), complicated further
ing for a share of the market. of Casper’s playbook? You bet. But such a view ignores the far by an endless stream of price
Still, you hear “bed in a box” But copycat tactics lack cohesion more integral role that brand promotions. And generic brands
and you think of Casper. That’s and authenticity. Casper stands strategy should play during the tend to emphasize low price at
because in 2013, Casper’s out thanks to its holistic strategy concept-to-market stage of an the expense of quality. Against
cofounders made a smart deci- and earned consumer trust. entrepreneurial endeavor. In this backdrop, Brandless wanted
sion. They had a solid under- Think about established short, branding should be to build a distinct identity rooted
standing of the company they brands like Nike, JetBlue, and the forcing function to make in quality, value, and trust.
hoped to build but faced chal- Apple. Yes, they all have great defining decisions about every Working with Red Antler,
lenging conditions: Industry products. But their lasting suc- aspect of a company’s launch Brandless concluded it needed a
sales were slow, the retail land- cess derives from their commit- strategy. Hard calls need to be unified system that allowed each
scape was saturated with nearly ment to a corporate purpose made on the appropriate target product to shine on its own. The
10,000 specialty mattress stores, that guides their market-facing markets, pricing, positioning, solution was to package each
and virtually no one was buying activities. From the outset, each branding, product, packaging item in a single color with a min-
mattresses online. So the entre- of these companies clearly iden- and digital design, sales chan- imalist white label, listing key
preneurs enlisted help from tified their target customers’ nel focus, customer support, attributes of importance and
New York branding agency unmet needs, committed to a messaging, marketing, and relevance—the word Brandless
Red Antler.
“We meet lots of founders
who can passionately ramble
on for five minutes about the ENTREPRENEURS NEED TO RECOGNIZE BRANDING AS A
innovative aspects of their CRITICAL ASSET—NOT ONLY IN ITS OWN RIGHT, BUT
unique concept,” says J.B.
Osborne, cofounder and CEO of TO HELP GUIDE THE HUNDREDS OF DECISIONS FOUNDERS
Red Antler. “Our job is to cap- WILL MAKE ON THEIR WAY TO PROFITABLE SCALE.
ture the essence of the compa-
ny’s purpose in one sentence.”
And they did. In formative
discussions with Red Antler, it core idea that speaks to that media placement. These collec- is the very last on that list, the
was revealed that Casper’s end need, and made sure every sin- tively lay the groundwork for an only place the name appears.
goal was to become a sleep- gle consumer touchpoint rein- enduring brand persona. The product, as a result, speaks
products company committed forced their brand promise. Osborne points to Brandless for itself while reinforcing the
to helping customers get a bet- To wit, Nike has inspired as another successful startup brand’s values and promise.
ter night’s sleep. The team came generations of loyal custom- that invested in its brand up Having a great concept will
up with the tagline “Live a life ers by aligning its corporate front. (It paid off: In July, the always be a requirement for
well-slept,” which gave Casper activities to celebrate personal company announced a $240 a successful venture. But in
room to grow beyond mattresses achievement and performance. million funding round.) When today’s dynamic and intensely
with pillows, bedding, and JetBlue’s brand promise to cofounder and CEO Tina competitive environment,
more lifestyle products. From bring humanity back to air Sharkey first approached Red entrepreneurs need to rec-
there, its purpose and desired travel has guided every element Antler, she saw the irony of seek- ognize branding as a critical
image guided myriad decisions of its service offering, including branding help for a company asset—not only in its own right,
on product design, business ing its signature Terra Chips, named Brandless. The concept but to help guide the hundreds
policies, marketing communi- onboard entertainment sys- was to sell a wide array of direct- of decisions founders will make
cations, and the consumer expe- tems, user-friendly website, and to-consumer products—food, on their way to profitable scale.
rience. With Instagrammable warm customer service. The kitchen supplies, personal care— Crafting a meaningful message
packaging, thoughtful user same codetermination of brand each for the unit price of $3. early on will lead to enduring
manuals designed to look and business strategy holds for By eliminating the “brand tax” rewards, long after launch.
like a bedtime storybook, and Apple, whose founding CEO built into most goods to cover
customer-friendly policies, recognized that great products advertising and retail, Brandless Leonard Sherman is adjunct
Casper started to win over con- are defined not only by techni- could deliver high-quality, professor at Columbia
sumers. It upped the ante with cal merit but by their ability to affordable products. Business School and the author
guerrilla marketing initiatives enhance consumers’ lifestyles The theory was sound, but of If You’re in a Dogfight,
that included a traveling Casper with a high aesthetic standard. questions around execution Become a Cat! Strategies for
napmobile and a Labor Day Many entrepreneurs conflate remained. Traditional consumer Long-Term Growth.
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Hard Part of a Cool Product
→ NATURAL COMFORT
Buffy’s plant-based Botanic
duvet ($250; available
mid-October at buffy.co) required
some man-made innovation.
Building the Perfect Imperfection

How a bedding maker cracked an unusual code. by M A G G I E W I L E Y
L
eo Wang is a second- but Wang wanted to push fur- Turning eucalyptus into “With eucalyptus, because we
generation bedding ther and create a plant-based fabric is complex. The plant have to turn it into a liquid solu-
maker, raised in a comforter filler. “But there’s no must be liquefied, then spun tion first, we have manufactur-
family that has always playbook for that,” he says. into threads that are as smooth ing control over how long and
sold duvets filled with He started working with (and slippery) as silk. But as thick the fibers can be,” he says.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF BUFFY
goose or duck down. eucalyptus, which he knew Wang looked closer, he noticed So Wang and his team started
Wang wanted to make would regulate heat; however, a problem: The process cre- experimenting and arrived at
a product that was his prototypes had a problem. ated eucalyptus fibers that what he calls a mishmash: a
more eco- and animal-friendly, Customers reported that the were identical in length and diverse tapestry of fibers of dif-
so late last year, he launched eucalyptus filler shifted around width—unlike animal down or ferent widths and lengths that
his startup, Buffy, with a single in the comforter until it was cotton fibers, which are fuzzy, lock each other in place.
product: a comforter filled with uncomfortably out of place. So irregular, and naturally retain “It was the key,” he says—a
material spun from recycled Wang reexamined the filler, a shape as smaller pieces nestle design not far from his family’s
plastic bottles. It was a success, trying to understand why. between larger ones. history after all.
Office Space
KATIE SO’OTO/
senior executive assistant
“I’m a mom, so having the support
to create a work-life blend is huge.
Maybe I get in at 9 or 9:30, or I
can duck out when I need to. I can
JASON BERTSCHI/ take ownership and be my own
senior software engineer CEO of my role. Just the other
“At the Evernote Academy, day, one of my executives said,
anybody can teach anything. Our ‘When are you going on vacation,
head of security led a lock-picking and have you taken a ‘me’ day?’”
class, which was ironic and fun. I
held one on how to build our logo
out of Legos. But some of them AUGUSTUS YUAN/ software engineer
are meant to be profound learning “The CFO will go over financials at all-hands
experiences—like how to talk to meetings and be really honest with us and
people about difficult problems, or say, maybe, ‘This is a slow quarter’ or ‘We’re
how to become a better manager.” meeting a lot of expectations.’ That trans-
parency trickles down to all the teams—one
of my intern’s projects was making an
analytics reporting dashboard, and anyone
can access those metrics internally.”
Inside Evernote
MONICA CHUA/ director
of product marketing
“There are multiple employee
resource groups, or ERGs. I
Interviews by LY D I A B E L A N G E R
lead one for women. Another
is called BAE, which is
Blacks at Evernote. We have
EVERNOTE IS OBSESSED with organization. Just as the company’s note-taking app helps
Asian American groups, a
workers across industries keep all their virtual odds and ends in one place, its Silicon Valley LGBTQ pride group, and a
headquarters provides valued structure and workflow to its 336 employees. An open floor Latinx group. They help peo-
plan is peppered with collaborative workstations for coders, quiet rooms for content cre- ple have a space for conver-
ators, and an open stairwell that encourages cross-departmental conversations. Multiple sation about community and
resource groups and social organizations host meetings and events throughout the calendar influence, and help foster an
year, and the Evernote Academy offers a rotating selection of classes—designed and taught inclusive culture.”
by its employees—on everything from leadership to Lego building.
24 / E N T R E P R E N E U R . C O M / October 2018 Photograph / A D A M F R I E D B E R G

GINA HAN/ senior FORREST BRYANT/ KRISTIN OSAKI/ recruiter
product manager director of editorial and content “I just taught my first Evernote Academy class
“There’s very little hubris here “We have a standing meeting called on drawing Disney characters. I’ve always
like you find at many tech Show the Words. All the writers get feared public speaking, so I loved having the
companies. It’s because Ever- together twice a week and read aloud opportunity to work on my presentation skills
note has been through some a work in progress. It aligns us on voice, in an environment where I feel supported.”
really high ups and some low tone, and style in a way that you can’t
downs. We’re not the shiny get from a document. It’s a way that all
penny anymore—instead, we the writers can harness their collective
have this really nice patina that brain energy to make sure we are say-
we’ve earned over time. ing things in the most effective way, not
People come here for that just following a script or a rule.”
humble nature, and it’s some-
thing worth staying for.”
HEATHER BLOCKHUS/
software engineer
“Our team has whiteboards DOUG MARSHALL/ senior accounting
at the end of every row, so it’s manager, international
easy to ad hoc draw some “Our CEO has emphasized the concept
things out and chat with of radical candor—people aren’t afraid to
developers. People are willing have healthy debate, because we trust each
to schedule time in their day other. Any kind of feedback is welcome,
and walk you through the best whether it be positive or negative. We want
way to write code. It’s like to help everyone get better, because that
peer programming sessions.” makes us perform better as a team.”
Six Ways
“What Am I Doing Wrong?”

Feedback is easier to give than to receive. But to be a good leader, it’s crucial to hear (and respond to) critiques
of your style. We asked six entrepreneurs: How do you encourage employees to give honest feedback?
1/ Welcome it. 2/ Act on it. 3/ Switch it up. 4/ Make it part 5/ Take it outside. 6/ Confront it.
“Nothing can replace a “When I sense an “When I visit our restau- of the culture. “I try to spend social “Don’t just say you
trusted team of man- employee is comfort- rants, I’m sitting with “We work hard to time with my teams to want honest input and
agers who feel secure able with me, I’ll ask the general manager create an open environ- get unfiltered feedback. then create virtual road-
enough to share and questions like ‘What and the kitchen man- ment where employees Recently, I was at lunch blocks where employ-
speak honestly. A few can I do to better sup- ager tasting food and feel empowered to with one of my devel- ees are too intimidated
years ago, one told me port your growth here?’ providing my thoughts suggest changes to opers, and he told me it to speak out. We have
that my weekend and ‘Is there anything on the product and the better company culture, bothers him when I ask company fireside chats,
emails were stressing you wish I didn’t say execution. Once the including suggestions whether or not he is and I try to anticipate
out the team. They or do?’ But how you conversation ends, I regarding management. fulfilled—it makes him the tough questions I’d
weren’t urgent mes- act after is the most turn the tables and ask, All managers frequently feel like I don’t think he ask if I was in the audi-
sages, but the feed- important—it will deter- ‘You’re CEO for one touch base with their enjoys working here. ence and proactively
back reminded me that mine how honest day—what would you direct reports to realign I’ve since changed the address them in plain
any email from your employees will be with do?’ I then listen, take work slates with both way I communicate terms. If you acknowl-
boss feels urgent. Now you moving forward. notes, and follow up on business needs and with him and let him edge the obvious—
I save emails as drafts You need to prove that anything I commit to.” employee develop- know that I don’t ques- good or bad—and
and send them during you value their opinion —JUSTIN ROSENBERG, ment. Instead of a fixed tion his commitment to address it head-on,
business hours.” and not show an ounce CEO, Honeygrow annual or biannual or enjoyment of his you signal that you’re
—ANNIE BYSTRYN, of pettiness. Nod, and Minigrow performance review, we work. I don’t think he open to constructive
founder, Cider in Love smile, and thank them. leave the floor open for would have confided in criticism.”
Then fix the problem both managers and me if we had been —CHRIS TERRILL, CEO,
and move right on!” employees to initiate sitting in the office.” ANGI Homeservices
—RACHEL VAN feedback.” —STEVEN
DOLSEN, CEO, RVD —JESSIE ZENG, CLAUSNITZER,
Communications cofounder and cofounder and CEO,
CEO, Choosy Forever Labs
26 / E N T R E P R E N E U R . C O M / October 2018 Illustration / T O M M Y P A R K E R

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FOR MORE HOW-TO STORIES OF WOMEN IN BUSINESS,
Women Entrepreneur VISIT ENTREPRENEUR.COM/WOMEN
How does a shy entrepreneur make the connections

she needs? Pooja Sankar found out as she built
Piazza, a platform to help shy students overcome the
same problem she had always battled.
STEP 3/ Lock in your calendar. STEP 5/ Make a strategic hire.

As graduation approached, Sankar After 10 days, Sankar had built a
moved in with her brother’s family prototype—but she needed an
to save money. To keep on track experienced developer to create a
(and protect herself from the truly launch-worthy product. “A job
time-consuming charms of her ad on Craigslist cost $75, and I was
baby niece), she created a strict just so poor,” she says. “I stared at
schedule. “I’d head to a work lab my credit card, deciding whether
before my niece got home from or not to do it.” She did it, hiring a
school, crank until 10:55 P.M., get developer that she paid in equity.
STEP 1/ Build a template—fast. STEP 2/ Talk to your one last coffee before the shop Today he’s Piazza’s lead engineer.
To map out Piazza’s structure, potential users. closed at 11, and head back to the
Sankar downloaded some free To gain a holistic understanding lab until 5 A.M.” STEP 6/ Troubleshoot,
wireframe software. “You had 14 of student shyness, Sankar spoke and iterate.
days to use it before you had to to any student or professor who’d STEP 4/ Ask for help— Piazza launched to Stanford students
of any kind.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF PIAZZA
pay,” she says. “I was a very poor listen. “I’d just walk up to people at in August 2010—and at first, nobody
grad student, and I did not want to coffee shops, which made me deeply Sankar’s amateur wireframes could used it. She bribed students with gift
pay.” At Stanford, she’d use class uncomfortable,” she says. One major only carry Piazza so far. “I left a cards until they started asking ques-
time to work on Piazza, tinkering discovery: Even seemingly extro- super-awkward voicemail for this tions on the platform, and thoughtful
with features like notifications, verted people struggle. “Having a developer I know, asking him to conversations emerged. But that slug-
in-platform email, and landing laptop in every dorm room had iso- build it,” she says. “When he called gish start resulted in valuable lessons
pages. “I was always late to class, lated students, who used to go to the back, I pulled over on the highway about function, and led to a complete
so I got stuck in the front row. library and collaborate,” she says. and talked to him for an hour.” He front-end redesign that boosted
All my classmates could see me “My story of a shy girl in India was turned down the project, but it engagement…and forced Sankar into
working on this outside project.” the same story of a social, outgoing wasn’t a total loss: He suggested a new kind of conversation. “My last
boy in America.” After every conver- a useful book for her to buy, and semester,” she says, “I was out meet-
sation, she’d tweak the wireframes. offered to give advice going forward. ing investors.”
Strategies
is made within 10 miles of any

of those stores, the retailer will
be credited with up to 10 per-
cent of the purchase.
There are, of course, stipu-
lations. Retailers, for example,
get a cut of digital purchases
only if they’re in a category car-
ried in-store. (If someone buys
a sweater online but the retailer
carries only dress shirts, there’s
no credit.) When there are two
or more retailers in a single
territory, they split the credit.
And most important, retailers
must be in good standing with
Ledbury to take part in the pro-
gram. “They need to be current
or not more than 10 days late
→ SHARING THE on payment,” Trible says, laugh-
WEALTH ing. “Chasing payments is hard
Ledbury CEO to do, so this also incentivizes
Paul Trible. them to be on time.”
So far, the program hasn’t
yielded retailers a ton of
money—about $50 a month,
on average. But this has turned
out to be beneficial: The
Splitting the Sale

How does an e-commerce brand earn the trust of brick-and-mortar stores?
small sum serves as proof that
the retailer isn’t losing large
amounts of sales to digital
shoppers. “Our data shows that
With a very unorthodox offer. by S T E P H A N I E S C H O M E R Ledbury would be getting the
vast majority of those online
sales anyway,” Trible says.
“When retailers receive that
W
hen the Trible hadn’t anticipated this you to steal my customers?’ ” balance sheet at the end of
online-only business interest but eventually Trible says. every month, they know we’re
men’s apparel decided it was an opportunity He thought about how to not hurting their business.”
brand Ledbury to reach new customers. So in earn their trust. Then he came The payoff for Ledbury has
launched in 2016, Ledbury rolled out to 20 up with an offer: Physical been significant, though. The
2009, it was stores—what Trible calls “early retailers could get a cut of his program helped expand its
like many adopters.” It went well, and he online sales. “It blew people’s brick-and-mortar footprint,
online-only began looking for more retail minds,” Trible says. And soon, which now accounts for 30
brands: It offered high-quality partners. And that’s when he he’d bridged the divide. percent of the business. And
products at a competitive hit the online-storefront divide. “We thought, What if we even more important, it’s
price, because it cut out the Any online, direct-to- draw a geographic circle given it access to an industry
retail middleman. But then consumer brand is likely to around retailers and say, ‘Any of merchants with decades of
something unexpected hap- have experienced the divide at purchase made online within experience and wisdom. “Being
P H O T O G R A P H B Y K AT E M A G E E
pened. “People were walking some point. Brick-and-mortars this territory, you’ll get a finan- in wholesale, you have to be
into department stores and see the brand as competition. cial credit that can go toward sharper on margins, more
menswear stores asking for They often don’t want to carry purchasing more Ledbury disciplined on logistics,” Trible
Ledbury shirts,” says Paul a brand in their store if that inventory’?” he says. He and his says. “Because of the oper-
Trible, cofounder and CEO brand is also undercutting team hammered out the details ational requirements of the
of Ledbury. And some brick- them by selling directly online. and launched the program this wholesale world, we’ve become
and-mortar retailers wanted to “More than once, I had retail- February. Today his product is a much better—and more
carry the brand. ers say to me, ‘Why would I pay in 150 storefronts. If a purchase profitable—direct business.”
HAVE A PROBLEM WE CAN SOLVE FOR YOU?
What’s Your Problem? TELL US AT [email protected]
Are NDAs Really That Important?

To trusting entrepreneurs, a confidentiality agreement may seem unnecessary.
But it’s a vital step toward protecting your business—and its future success. b y A D A M B O R N S T E I N
was cheap and stubborn, even growth—but they’re also rife

though my father is a lawyer and with danger. Every potential
advised me against this move. partner is also potential compe-
(He eventually became my tition. Every meeting for growth
general counsel.) My NDA was could be a leg up for the other
flawed; it didn’t cover enough of guy. And every time you share
the information at my company your next big move, you need to
or place the right restrictions on know you can trust people.
how people could share it. NDAs are valuable because
I discovered my error after they force that trust. They
a business meeting, where I make it legally binding. With
mentioned a potential client the NDA in place, you can be
and what they needed help vulnerable, open up, and speak
with. The person I was meeting more candidly with potential
with (who signed my weak partners. Rather than view the
NDA) then went after that NDA as a barrier, it’s best to
client themselves—ultimately look at it as an exclusive invite.
stealing work from me. There This is a good thing—the
was nothing I could legally do. NDA is the front door to
It probably cost me $30,000 in learning more and being on the
potential revenue. inside. The same can be said for
Don’t make my mistake. hiring. The moment you have a
Creating a strong NDA for your signed NDA, you’ve connected
business is simple and not that with someone and you’ve closed
expensive. Even if you enlist the the deal. It’s a sign of respect.
best lawyer, with a ridiculously And when you have respect, you
high hourly rate, the value have strong partnerships and
you’ll receive to protect your hires. That is the foundation of
company and your ideas is growth for any business.
arguably worth the potential Pride and ownership are big
value of the company itself. Or parts of owning a company.
at least the value of one client. If that comes across as a little
I’m a small-business owner, and we’re Now, I understand that it can “preachy,” it’s because you need
in a stage of growth. Do I really need be awkward at first to ask people to bear witness to a simple real-
employees and potential partners to to sign an NDA—it seems like ity: Those who do not invest in
sign NDAs? —CHRIS P., NEW JERSEY you’re telling them you don’t trust protections for their business
them. But think of it this way: are likely to watch it fall apart.
If you don’t value your IP, your Or they will be too guarded
thoughts, and your inventions with information to ever let
THERE ARE MANY big-business of confidentiality—is not one of enough to protect them, then others in. Either way, an NDA
practices that don’t necessarily those cuttable corners. why the hell are you running a solves those problems.
apply to smaller companies. Chris, here’s a cautionary business in the first place?
When you’re a startup, you can tale of my own early ignorance. An NDA doesn’t have to feel Adam Bornstein is the founder
cut a lot of red tape without When I started Pen Name like a sign of distrust. Because of Pen Name Consulting, a
worrying about repercussions. Consulting, I used a basic of the scrappy nature of startups marketing and branding
The use of NDAs—that is, NDA—just a file I found on and small businesses, partner- agency, and the creator of
nondisclosure agreements, the internet. I wasn’t blind to ships and strategic hires are two12, a mentorship experi-
which serve as legal contracts the importance of NDAs, but I the lifeblood of scale and smart ence for entrepreneurs.
38 / E N T R E P R E N E U R . C O M / October 2018 Illustration / F E D E R I C O G A S TA L D I

We all want to love where we work. But not every entrepreneur
knows how to make their workplace enjoyable—and investing
in a Ping-Pong table won’t cut it. “Recognition isn’t something
organizations can buy,” says Doug Clafey, CEO of Energage,
a leader in employee research. “It’s an achievement they have
to work for.” Get inspired by the following three pages, where we
name the 150 companies with the best cultures. Entrepreneur
partnered with Exton, Pa.–based Energage to survey hundreds
of companies and sift through 34,613 individual employees’
responses. The survey was open to for-profit employers with at
least 35 employees. Here’s who rose to the top.
TO P CU U E
1 GOOSEHEAD INSURANCE O.C. TANNER COMPANY

Westlake, Tex.; insurance Salt Lake City; employee
2 BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY recognition solutions
HOME SERVICES AMERICAN
AMBASSADOR REAL ESTATE ADVISORS GROUP
Omaha; real estate Orange, Calif.; mortgage lending
3 HUBSPOT TOTAL QUALITY LOGISTICS
Cambridge, Mass.; software Cincinnati; logistics
4 POWER HOME CLOUDFARE
REMODELING GROUP San Francisco;
Chester, Pa.; home improvement internet infrastructure G O O S E HE A D INSURA NCE/No. 1
5 CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES INPRO
6
North Billerica, Mass.; publishing
INTEGRATION PARTNERS
Lexington, Mass.; IT services
Muskego, Wis.; building products
RESURGENS
ORTHOPAEDICS
Career Development from Day 1
7 WEIFIELD GROUP CONTRACTING Atlanta; medical
THE JELLYVISION LAB FROM THE MINUTE an employee steps into Goosehead
I C O N S M A D E B Y W W W . F L AT I C O N . C O M ; P H O T O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y O F P O W E R H O M E R E M O D E L I N G G R O U P ; P H O T O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y O F G O O S E H E A D I N S U R A N C E
Centennial, Colo.;
electrical contracting Chicago; software Insurance’s office, the company wants them thinking about their
COHESITY TEXAS CAPITAL BANK future. Female staffers, for example, are invited to join the
San Jose, Calif.; software Dallas; commercial banking Women’s Professional Development Program, which provides
9 PLURALSIGHT CROSSCOUNTRY MORTGAGE face time with fellow employees and top-level female executives
Farmington, Utah; software Brecksville, Ohio; (including the founder) to discuss everything from work-life
CWS APARTMENT HOMES mortgage lending integration and time management to relationship development. If
Austin, Tex.; property management NEXTIVA group sessions aren’t your thing, execs offer scheduled
KABBAGE Scottsdale, Ariz.; one-on-ones. “It’s important to have a support system for female
Atlanta; data technology cloud communications workers and to empower them to become successful, find career
PIVOTAL SOFTWARE WEPPT satisfaction, and create those leadership opportunities,” says
San Francisco; software Phoenix; software Shana Capodagli, manager of human capital. “So we go out of
INSTRUCTURE AEI CONSULTANTS our way to offer that to our people.”
Salt Lake City; edtech Walnut Creek, Calif.;
commercial real estate
THE J E L LYV I SION L A B/No. 20
The Case for Unlimited Vacation

JELLYVISION LAB’S OFFICIAL POLICY technically isn’t one of
unlimited vacation. Instead, the software company simply
doesn’t have a vacation policy. “People will ask me, ‘Can you
give me a loose idea of how much time to take?’ And I say no,
because that would be a policy,” says CEO Amanda Lannert.
But her point isn’t really about vacation; plenty of other
companies have flexible policies. To her, it’s about balance.
“We’re really trying to kill the notion of face time,” she says. “If
you’re in a bad mood, or it’s a beautiful day outside, don’t be at
work. Talk to your manager, talk to your team, take care of
yourself. We want your good work, not your time.”
POWER HOME REMODELING GROUP/No. 4
Best. Staff. Retreat. Ever.

POWER HOME REMODELING TAKES “work happy hour” to the next level. Each year, so long as the company collectively hits a predetermined set of goals, all
2,400 employees are invited to spend four days in Cancún, along with a plus-one, for an all-expenses-paid vacation and off-site. “We leave a lot of
downtime—it gives people a chance to mix and mingle, and it’s a good opportunity to meet and chat with our leadership team,” says Michelle Bauer, VP of
public relations. But even the corporate-sanctioned programming sounds like a party: The Power Olympics feature jousting and gladiator competitions, and
a yearly concert draws surprisingly big headliners for a home remodeling company. “Last year Ja Rule, Ashanti, Nelly, and T.I. performed just for our guests,”
Bauer says. Past performers include Snoop Dogg and Flo Rida. “Apparently we’re a very fun crowd to play to. And we have an amazing events team that
produces really beautiful stage setups. It’s not like we’re asking these artists to perform in a hotel ballroom.” Fun and games aside, the annual trip—which
started in 2012—has become a valuable part of the company’s culture even back at its 14 offices. “It helps people know they’re cared for,” Bauer says. “And
it’s a great recruiting tool—it helps get people in the door.”
Reporting / M A D I S O N S E M A R J I A N a n d S T E P H A N I E S C H O M E R October 2018 / E N T R E P R E N E U R . C O M / 41

THE 150 BEST COMPANY CULTURES
Z U R I X X/ No. 1
TO P CU U E
A Holistic View of Health

AFTER HEARING THAT a good chunk of his employees enjoyed
yoga and meditation outside the office, Zurixx COO Andrew Way
implemented a unique wellness package that encouraged them to
1 ZURIXX UBIQUITY bring their healthy habits to work. “When I was young, I got sick of
Cottonwood Heights, Utah; RETIREMENT + SAVINGS the ‘Work hard, play hard’ thing,” says Way. To avoid employee
financial education San Francisco; retirement burnout, he took some leftover office space and turned it into a
2 UPSIDE TRAVEL RPM meditation and yoga room with weekly classes, stocked the break
Washington, D.C.; Royal Oak, Mich.; logistics room with healthy snacks, and started offering free spa treatments
travel services EDA CONTRACTORS twice a month. “We want our people to know that their health and
3 8Z REAL ESTATE Bensalem, Pa.; roofing well-being are important to us,” says Way, who discovered an
Boulder, Colo.; real estate VISTAR MEDIA unexpected perk: the new programs strengthened the team bond.
4 CBH HOMES New York; advertising technology
“They felt like it increased the quality of work because they were
Meridian, Idaho; construction 7 TO 7 DENTAL & more centered, available, and felt the commitment from us,” he says.
5 N2 PUBLISHING ORTHODONTICS
Wilmington, N.C.; publishing San Antonio; dentistry
DUOLINGO FENWAY GROUP
Pittsburgh; language education Southlake, Tex.; software
7 METRIC THEORY CAPSPIRE
San Francisco; advertising Tulsa; consulting
ACCELERATION PARTNERS TIPALTI
Needham, Mass.; advertising San Mateo, Calif.; payables
9 HNI RISK SERVICES automation
New Berlin, Wis.; insurance GRIFFIS RESIDENTIAL
YTEL Greenwood Village, Colo.;
Foothill Ranch, Calif.; property management
telecommunications DRIFT
1 LIFTOFF MOBILE Boston; software
Palo Alto, Calif.; software MIDIGATOR
HIREOLOGY American Fork, Utah;
Chicago; software chargeback management
RELIAQUEST FOODA
Tampa, Fla.; cybersecurity Chicago; food services
ACCOUNTINGDEPARTMENT.COM LASALLE NETWORK
Bonita Springs, Fla.; accounting Chicago; staffing
SPAREFOOT MEDICAL GUARDIAN
Austin, Tex.; moving and storage Philadelphia; alert systems
SPARKPLUG CAPITAL ONPREM SOLUTION
Louisville, Colo.; real estate PARTNERS
investment Manhattan Beach, Calif.;
consulting
EXPRESS LIEN
New Orleans; web based services DIGITAL REMEDY
New York; advertising
PAN COMMUNICATIONS
Boston; public relations MARKON SOLUTIONS
Falls Church, Va.; consulting
ACV AUCTIONS N 2 P U B L I S HING/No. 5
Buffalo; automotive BEST HOME SERVICES
MX
Lehi, Utah; financial technology
VIVAX PROS
Naples, Fla.;
electrical and plumbing
BEVARA
Waukesha, Wis.;
Taking It Out on the Boss
Denver; construction maintenance
VERIFIED FIRST AT N2 PUBLISHING’S annual field day—which consists of
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF N2 PUBLISHING
ZUMASYS
Meridian, Idaho; Irvine, Calif.; outsourcing
tug-of-war, dizzy bat, and other throwback picnic games—CEO
preemployment services Duane Hixon loves to make himself a target. He’s known to
LEANPLUM
SWOON GROUP San Francisco; subject himself to the “dump tank” (water is poured on him from
Chicago; staffing marketing technology an overhead toilet), and each time the target is hit, he donates
VICIS AARETE money to a charity that fights human trafficking. Last year he
Seattle; sports technology Chicago; consulting took it a step further: While dressed as the company mascot,
ASSESSMENT STORYBLOCKS Koala T. Bear, he allowed staffers to slingshot tomatoes at him.
INTERVENTION Arlington, Va.; “If you hit him in the head, he gave $1,000 to charity. If you hit
MANAGEMENT information technology him on the body, it was $500,” says Katherine Daniel, N2’s
San Antonio; education
WORDSTREAM director of people operations. “He’s playful and competitive,
HOME INSTEAD Boston; software
Omaha; in home care
which is fun for our team, but it’s nice to know there’s a
big-picture element to it.” Over the past two years, the company
donated $50,000 as a result of field days.
THE 150 BEST COMPANY CULTURES
LOGICPREP FINANCIAL FINESSE
TO P CU U E Armonk, N.Y.; educational El Segundo, Calif.; financial services
consulting STATUS LABS
DMV.ORG Austin, Tex.; public relations
Encinitas, Calif.; publishing POTRATZ PARTNERS
CONCEPT TECHNOLOGY ADVERTISING
Nashville; outsourcing Schenectady, N.Y.; digital marketing
REGENTS CAPITAL KLEMENT FAMILY DENTAL
CORPORATION St. Petersburg, Fla.; dentistry
1 SCRIBE MEDIA LOGOMIX Costa Mesa, Calif.; SYMMETRY FINANCIAL GROUP
Austin; publishing Boston; branding financial services Swannanoa, N.C.; retirement
2 HUGHES MARINO HARVEST GROUP SMART CITY LOCATING planning
San Diego; commercial real estate Rogers, Ark.; consumer goods Dallas; apartment locating LIFE360
3 MAZ POLYSET COMPANY FLEXJOBS CORPORATION San Francisco; location technology
New York; content logistics Mechanicville, N.Y.; materials Boulder, Colo.; staffing FUNDERA
4 CHOOZLE SMASHTECH BRIDGEWORTH New York; fintech
Denver; advertising technology San Diego; e commerce Birmingham, Ala.; REHAB UNITED SPORTS
wealth management MEDICINE AND
5 VUESOL TECHNOLOGIES BATEMAN GROUP
Alpharetta, Ga.; San Francisco; public relations REVUNIT PHYSICAL THERAPY
information technology Bentonville, Ark.; software San Diego; physical therapy
IMPACT
6 ADVICEPERIOD Wallingford, Conn.; YOUEARNEDIT BUZZ FRANCHISE BRANDS
Los Angeles; wealth management digital marketing Austin, Tex.; human resources Virginia Beach, Va.; consumer
NORTH 6TH AGENCY services
7 COCKROACH LABS BUILDFAX
New York; database solutions Austin, Tex.; data and insights New York; brand communications PAYSCOUT
PASSCO COMPANIES Sherman Oaks, Calif.; payment
SERUR AGENCIES ERVIN & SMITH processing
Wilmington, Mass.; Omaha; branding Irvine, Calif.; real estate
retirement planning AMBASSADOR FATTMERCHANT
ACTUALIZE CONSULTING Orlando, Fla.; payment processing
9 PEERFIT Reston, Va.; financial services Royal Oak, Mich.;
Orlando; digital health consulting marketing technology GENEVA SUPPLY
PRIVATE OCEAN Delavan, Wis.; distribution
BUTTON STUDENT LOAN HERO
New York; mobile marketing Austin, Tex.; financial education WEALTH MANAGEMENT X BY 2
technology San Rafael, Calif.; Farmington Hills, Mich.; software
SYNERGIST COMPUTING wealth management
1 COOL BREEZE BEVERAGES Annapolis Junction, Md.; software QIIGO
Tampa; distribution TRUQUA Roswell, Ga.; franchise marketing
MÖBIUS PARTNERS Chicago; software
BITGO San Antonio, Tex.; information NOMADIC REAL ESTATE
Palo Alto, Calif.; cryptocurrency technology CHARM CITY RUN Washington, D.C.; real estate
Lutherville Timonium, Md.; retail MKS2
GROW AREA 1 SECURITY
Norfolk, Va.; digital advertising Redwood City, Calif.; software NODESOURCE Austin, Tex.; government services
San Francisco; software NORTHWOODS WEB SOLUTIONS
QUALBE MARKETING GROUP CLICKFUNNELS
Haltom City, Tex.; digital marketing Eagle, Idaho; software MASSPAY Shorewood, Wis.; digital strategy
Beverly, Mass.; human resources P.S. 260
HIGHER LEARNING MAIDPRO FRANCHISE
TECHNOLOGIES Boston; maintenance MEBO INTERNATIONAL New York; production
Coralville, Iowa; edtech Ontario, Calif.; pharmaceuticals ORGANA BRANDS
CADRE
CLIENT COMMAND New York; fintech GRS GROUP Denver; consumer goods
Cumming, Ga.; advertising Irvine, Calif.; real estate KRILOGY FINANCIAL
LEVATAS
TRIOS SALON Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; web St. Louis; investment management
Omaha; beauty based services SPRINGBUK
GLOBALIZATION PARTNERS Indianapolis; healthcare
Boston; human resources technology
S C R I B E M E D I A /No. 1 ACTUA L I Z E C O N SULTING/No. 26
They Get Personal Helping the Community Succeed

“FUNERALS ARE A DUMB CUSTOM,” says Scribe CEO J.T. McCormick. ACTUALIZE CONSULTING IS all about paying it forward. “We feel we have a
“People say all these nice things about someone, but in most cases, that responsibility to our community,” says Theresa Santoro, senior manager of
person never heard those nice things when they were alive!” He wants his HR and operations. “We are a family, and service is something we can do
team to have that fulfillment now. So at a biannual all-team retreat in Austin, together.” The company partners with the Doe Fund, a local nonprofit that
Tex., Scribe Media employees get personal. They call their two-day exercise helps the homeless and formerly incarcerated rebuild their lives by teaching
“Strengths and Obstacles,” and it celebrates each team member while them practical skills. Actualize employees have led mock interviews and
inviting them to overcome hurdles both professional and personal. Each provided résumé feedback to men hoping to reenter the workforce. “It
employee identifies areas in which they’re struggling, and the group helps inspired me to do this not only with the people at the Doe Fund but with
them through it. The exercise is opt-in, and McCormick says participants find candidates who apply to Actualize,” says Santoro. “Perhaps a candidate
it transformative. “Back in the office, we understand each other more.” who isn’t the right fit can use the same guidance for the future. It carries over.”
4 4 / E N T R E P R E N E U R . C O M / October 2018
How
TOPGOLF Reached
the Top
Today, it’s suburbia’s favorite

new game. But for years, it
was a company hemorrhaging money.
This is the inside story of how
two twins, a skeptical management
expert, and a big-thinking
investor changed their fortunes—
and the sport of golf.
by JASON NOTTE
R
ichard Grogan made a career of spotting bad ideas. be just for regular golfers; that was a too-small idea. “We wanted to
He didn’t suffer them lightly—at Bain & Company, create a compelling and addictive game, so when a child hits one into
the strategic management firm where he was the front target, they’re way more excited than a golfer hitting one
a senior partner, the many companies’ boards into a back target,” Steve says. To accomplish that, they’d need more
he sits on, or while director of the U.S. Senate than flag-marked holes. They’d need targets—big, bunker-size targets
Judiciary Committee. So in 2003, when he was like sprawling dartboards. To build them, they bought a local driv-
on a ski vacation with his family, he wasn’t espe- ing range in Watford, just outside London, and tore it up. Each target
cially impressed when two bankers representing went 10 feet deep and 25 yards wide, filled with sensors so a golfer
a pair of British twin entrepreneurs approached would know exactly how close to the middle their ball landed. (The
him with a new opportunity. The conversation was closer a player got, the more points they’d earn.) Then they replaced
brief. the grass with artificial turf, to allow balls to roll more quickly toward
“What industry is it?” he asked. the target and make it easy for even non-golfers to score points.
“Golf,” they said. The new course opened in 2000. It confused everyone. Often, peo-
“Golf—forget it.” ple showed up thinking they’d be playing in a simulator. “We were
“Just like that?” literally handing out leaflets at the local train station, putting them
“Just like that,” he said, dismissing them. “Now, through people’s doors, and advertising in local papers,” Steve says.
there’s another two-word answer, and it starts “The problem is that you had to explain what it was, and you couldn’t,
with the letter F.” really.” It was…like golf…but not? This didn’t sit well with golfers.
But the twins, Steve and Dave Jolliffe, had been doubted before. Golf companies like the accessories giant Titleist wanted no part of it.
They’d built a quirky little British company called Topgolf, a spin on But the Jolliffes were compelled by a few shining points. Revenue
golf driving ranges that they saw as a recreational sport all its own: was up eightfold compared to its last year in operation as a regular
more of a boardwalk game than the stuffy pastime they saw as obsessed driving range. And more important, 51 percent of shots hit a target.
with, as Steve says, “the difficulty, the dress code, the silly rules.” They’d created an accessible game, which they called Topgolf; Top
The PGA wanted nothing to do with them. Golf equipment com- was an acronym for “target-oriented practice.” Now they just needed
panies said no to partnerships. Investors said no. Now Grogan, too. someone to help translate it for the United States.
“I told them that golf isn’t a business; it’s a sport, and it’s the
second-biggest source of losses of investment capital in the United GROGAN TURNED DOWN the pitch in 2003, but after some persuad-
States in its sector besides restaurants,” Grogan says now. “Why in ing, on a rainy February day in 2004, he came out to see the Topgolf
God’s name would I want to do anything in golf, which, by the way, facility in the U.K. When he arrived, he saw an Indian grandmother
is in decline?” in a full sari leading eight grandchildren down the stairs from the
That last point is true. The number of U.S. golf players peaked first tier of bays where players hit their balls. He turned to a col-
at 30 million in 2005 and has steadily dropped since. (It’s now at league, grabbed him by the shoulder, and said, “There’s something
23.8 million, with a particularly steep drop among young people.) happening here. I sense a tiger; let’s see if we can find his tail.”
Since 2006, there have been more U.S. golf course closures than But when he dove into the company’s financials, he saw a site that
openings every year. But the twins persisted. With the right help, was getting a 5 percent return on investment, at best. He saw facil-
they believed, they could create something that turned all those ities that couldn’t get enough people hitting enough golf balls for
noes into yeses—that would make the PGA come to them, attract enough hours to pay for upkeep on the equipment. “Well,” he told
the best sponsors and partners, and turn millions of non-golfers Topgolf ’s bankers, “it’s a lot of fun, it’s interesting technology, and
into avid Topgolfers. there were a lot of people there, but I’m sorry to
They’d have a way to go. But eventually, they’d say it’s just not going to make it.”
be proven right. With 60 million However, Grogan thought he had the solution.
Topgolf, he believed, needed to be an experience—a
“GOLF IS NOT a lot of fun when you aren’t very
people visiting place with great food, parties, and other ways to
good at it.” Topgolf in make money beyond the game itself. He agreed
That’s the idea that inspired Steve Jolliffe and seven years, to buy the U.S. license for Topgolf, then lined up
his brother. It was 1997, and the brothers were
golfing while deciding their next step. They’d
it’s come to investors and drew up a plan for American expan-
sion. Topgolf facilities would have to be three to
just sold off their mystery-shopping business— understand four times the size of the original Watford facility,
that is, a firm that companies hire to send peo- something that with restaurants, kitchens, and event spaces. He
ple secretly into their stores to evaluate their
staff—and were looking for something new. As
golf hasn’t. picked its first new location: Alexandria, Va., just
outside Washington, D.C., an area replete with gov-
they golfed, they began complaining about the ernment workers who do business on golf courses.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF TOPGOLF
game: It’s time-consuming, and the driving ranges used for prac- The facility opened in 2005. That year, Grogan would sit on the
tice are usually joyless mud fields. top deck of his largely empty facility and hit golf balls by himself. The
They thought about how to make the game better, quicker, and next year wasn’t much better. Something was wrong. But what? He
more fun. Microchip technology was becoming commercialized at the expanded into Chicago, figuring that the concept would be welcomed
time, and they wondered, What would happen if we put a chip inside in cold, northern climates; instead, snow closed the facility for its first
a golf ball to track the distance and accuracy of a shot? They pried a four weeks and damaged its equipment. He also opened a Topgolf
chip out of a dog collar, put it into a golf ball, and then, because the in Dallas, figuring the warm climate, strong golf culture (two major
chip was designed for police to help find lost dogs, took it to a local tournaments are held in the area), and glut of Fortune 500 companies
police station to ask the cops to scan the golf ball. It worked. would welcome the game. But that site, too, sat largely empty.
Next question: What does someone do with this ball? It couldn’t In February 2007, Grogan walked into the Dallas facility and into
a management team lined up Toptracer and is becoming a
“like a wedding reception” to standard feature at Topgolf:
greet him. When Grogan finally Now players see exactly how
reached the head manager, he their ball flies.
was greeted with a handshake “That turned it from less and
and unearned optimism. less golf to a user-generated
“Don’t worry, Rick; we’ll be experience,” Anderson says.
fine by May,” the manager said. “Golf is a linear game of 18
“I’ll be dead by May,” Grogan holes where you don’t stop
responded. and, at the end, you talk about
Grogan reflected on the it. That isn’t how content or
Jolliffes’ original problem: When entertainment is consumed. It’s
the first Topgolf was built in the much more fun when you can
U.K., people didn’t understand do everything at once.”
it. Maybe, he reasoned, the same But Topgolf still needed a
problem was still dogging the statement piece. Anderson
company. So he called the Dallas turned to Las Vegas. He
staff into a dining room, spread acquired eight acres of land
→ TEE TIME
out paper tablecloths, handed Some of Topgolf’s
near the MGM Grand, just
them markers, and asked them targets: the bar off the Vegas strip, as well as a
to figure out how Topgolf could (above), and many comarketing agreement with
attract people. places to aim the ball. MGM that plastered Topgolf ’s
The solutions were fairly name and image all over the
low-tech. Based on the group’s city. “That’s how I knew our
suggestions, employees took to brand was bigger than our size,”
the streets wearing sandwich he says. And that, it seemed,
boards and began passing out was what finally got the golf
leaflets on McKinney Avenue, industry to take notice. The
drawing the ire of the Dallas same year the Vegas location
City Council. “I said, ‘Great, let opened, Topgolf partnered with
them arrest me; let’s make a the Golf Channel on shows and
story out of it,’ ” Grogan says. series. The PGA tour and the
After six months of this, LPGA came calling next, using
people starting coming. Then telling their friends. Topgolf ’s Dallas Toptracer technology on golf broadcasts and asking Anderson what
facility had a three-hour wait to hit balls. Postal codes provided by they could do to help grow the game.
customers indicated that people from all over the world were play- “I was surprised that the PGA and the USGA wouldn’t come and
ing. They’d go home and tell friends, too, leading to crowds at other work with us in the early days,” Grogan says, “because I’d say to
locations, like that once-struggling spot in Alexandria. Topgolf ’s myself, We’re the only thing growing here; wake up.” But the PGA,
problem had been a messaging problem. Now that it was solved, the the LPGA, and the USGA aren’t fools; they read the same statistics
company could take an even harder swing. Topgolf does. While the National Golf Foundation notes that certain
aspects of golf are in decline, what it calls “off-course” golf has been
TOPGOLF THUS FAR was the result of entrepreneurs thinking a step growing steadily since 2014. And Topgolf draws a fresh crowd. Just
bigger. The Jolliffes: Driving ranges aren’t for practice—they’re the 14 percent of visitors are age 45 or older. Roughly 51 percent don’t
seed of a new sport. Grogan: This isn’t just a sport—it’s an experi- play golf otherwise, but nearly a quarter say they follow the sport
ence. And by 2011, it was time for someone else to think even bigger. now thanks to Topgolf. In this, Anderson sees opportunity: He wants
That person was Erik Anderson, a former Goldman Sachs VP, golfers to receive a provisional handicap, the grading system golf
who, as head of the innovation-focused WestRiver investment group, uses for its players, by playing at Topgolf. Currently, it’s accessible
was Topgolf ’s lead investor. His idea: global branding experience. only on courses. “Why should you play 10 rounds of golf—a 50-hour
By this point, the U.S. operation had officially acquired the U.K. commitment with lots of fees—just to get a handicap?” he says.
operation, making one unified company. Anderson replaced Grogan The leagues should consider their answer wisely. Topgolf has its
as executive chairman and began an aggressive expansion. First, he own youth-development programs, coaching programs, weekly
grew their facilities even larger—adding space for more golfers, replac- leagues, national tour, and a media branch producing content for the
ing their tiny kitchens with full line kitchens with executive chefs and Golf Channel, Amazon Prime, and in-house screens. It has reality
behind-the-scenes server passageways, and adding TVs everywhere. shows based around its chefs, its house bands, and even its players.
His major goal, however, was to expand Topgolf ’s reach beyond its With 60 million people visiting Topgolf in the past seven years and
driving ranges. (After all, what sport today is contained to its playing an estimated 16 million coming in each year going forward, Topgolf
field?) In 2013, he rolled out iPhone and Android apps. Digital social has come to understand something that traditional golf hasn’t.
media walls were installed in facilities in 2015, letting players post “Golf in and of itself hadn’t lost appeal to people,” Anderson says,
their tagged Topgolf photos to a large screen. The next year, Topgolf “but it’s how you consume it.” The difference, as its founders first
acquired the online, multiplayer golf game World Golf Tour, as well learned more than a decade ago, is in the presentation.
as a technology called Protracer that tracks the flight of golf balls,
displays its path in video, and analyzes every shot. It was renamed Jason Notte is a writer, farmer, and non-golfer in Hillsboro, Ore.
ou loo
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r o d
f o of h o
ho t ll o
P R P S
5 / ENT E ENEU C M / 2
GROOMING, ARIEL RAMIREZ
GUY FIERI
Chef, author, TV personality, Donkey Sauce maker
H
ave a great relationship with How do you ensure there are no weak links? By making certain each
your attorney before you need link understands exactly where it is in the chain. The Lock sets that
to,” says Guy Fieri. “And with tone. Everyone knows where everyone is, and when. But Fieri goes
your accountant—don’t wait till beyond that. He wants his staff to be in on the details, right down to
you’re sitting in the middle of the restaurant managers seeing the P&L statements. That way, he says,
all kinds of questions to try to they can know it all: “This is where we win—we got a lot of money com-
understand how your accounting ing in. This is where we lose—somebody is leaving the air condition-
system works.” ing on overnight. Education and information are critical. You educate
This isn’t how Fieri talks on them, you empower them, and then you set them free to go do their job.
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, or And that’s a lot of trust—that’s somebody else packing your parachute!”
any other of his Emmy-winning By aligning his troops, he can also win the war for attention that’s
TV shows. You won’t hear him raging inside his own head. When a leader juggles as many things as
like this if, on some lucky night, you happen to catch him at one Fieri does, it’s dangerously easy to forget the importance of just put-
of his more than 60 restaurants (he does pop in!), dishing out the ting it all down for a minute. “You need to have ‘you’ time. If it’s always
most bewitching condiment to ever grace a sandwich, his signature work-work-work and always family-family-family, you become so
Donkey Sauce. But Fieri didn’t become a celebrity chef superstar two-dimensional,” he says. “And if one of those things gets rattled,
phenomenon—a career that now also includes running a winery and then you really get rattled. Having some good personal time makes a
authoring a shelf-load of best-selling books—on tattoos and person- big difference in keeping your head clear. And get enough sleep!”
ality alone. He did it because he’s equally a nuts-and-bolts entrepre- Everyone around him has learned to respect that; he said he
neur, and because he has a great relationship with his attorney and leans a lot on his parents, his wife, and his kids to help him keep his
his accountant. “Fortunately,” he says, “I haven’t had my ass handed head together. They know, for example, that before he does some-
to me, because I’ve been pretty good about looking ahead.” thing that requires his attention, he’s working to clear out the other
Looking ahead. To understand how a man can cook a bacon mac thoughts. He’s not checking his email before filming something, and
’n’ cheeseburger in Vegas, host a TV show at a diner in the middle of he’s not getting random updates. He’s calm. Focused. Letting the
Iowa, and sample his latest vintage in Sonoma at what seems like the team he trusts handle what comes. “I ask my wife to make sure that
same time, it’s important to understand what “looking ahead” means if it’s not something that’s going to make me smile, wait to tell me
to him. It doesn’t mean just big-picture. It means tomorrow. stuff,” he says. “A sprinkler head broke off and squirted water for the
“We have a system inside my company, Knuckle Sandwich, that past 10 hours? We can deal with that when I get home; I don’t need
generates tomorrow’s agenda by 5 o’clock the night before. We call to know about it in the middle of Grocery Games.”
it ‘the Lock,’ and it outlines all details of the day coming forward.” Although sometimes he doesn’t exactly spend that personal
It’s the Herculean task of Fieri’s assistant to, as he describes it, “cap- time alone. This past summer, while vacationing with his family
ture all the butterflies” and generate this hyperdetailed agenda. It’s at Disney World to celebrate the opening of his new concept in the
obsessive on the minutiae, down to, say, the name and phone num- park, Chicken Guy, a wildfire began ravaging his native Northern
ber of the driver taking Fieri to his photo shoot for this magazine. It California. He hopped on a plane back home, and then, along with
puts everyone in the company on the same page and avoids wasting his son, drove up to Redding and helped feed more than 20,000 peo-
a busy person’s most precious commodity: time. ple. “People were volunteering to help us who’d just lost their homes,”
“This way, my staff knows not to call me at 2:30 in the afternoon, he says. “They’d say, ‘I have nowhere to go. I can’t just sit in a shelter. I
because they know I’m in a high-pressure interview with the badass want to help.’ What can you say to that besides ‘Grab an apron’?” This
from Entrepreneur magazine!” he says, laughing. wasn’t work, and it wasn’t exactly family time. It was just time to do
The Lock isn’t just about scheduling. To him, it’s also about creat- what felt right—a mental state as important as anything else.
ing trust. When everyone knows what’s going on, he feels comfort- Ultimately, Fieri says, that’s the key to running a business like his:
able that they’re executing his vision. It’s about balance. He relies on his team, his team relies upon him,
Fieri’s philosophy on running a giant company goes back to what and they adjust and accommodate as they go. “If I start thinking
GROOMING, ARIEL RAMIREZ
he learned in restaurants as a chef. There, everything relies upon the about seven million things going on all at once, I’m running at 9,000
strength of a team. “It’s the collective energy of all the people that rpm, at nine and a half! And no race is going to be won running at
get the food on the plate, the plate to the table, and the money to nine and a half the whole time,” he says. “I’ll do it when it has to hap-
the register,” he says. “There are a lot of people along that chain, and pen, but otherwise, I keep it right inside that sweet spot between
all it takes is one rude server or one dirty plate or one slow cook to 3,000 and 7,000, and I can run like that all day.”
break it and you’ve got yourself a disaster. Not only have you lost the And that leaves plenty of energy left to talk to his attorney and his
sale, you’ve lost all those future sales.” accountant. DAN BOVA
JACE NORMAN ANU DUGGAL
Founding partner,
Actor, Nickelodeon’s Henry Danger Female Founders Fund
JACE NORMAN GETS IT: Members of his generation are
PHOTOGRAPH BY STEPHEN BUSKEN (NORMAN); PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ANU DUGGAL

expected to be frantic, mind-boggled multitaskers. And
Norman, 18, used to fit the stereotype. On set during the first
season of Henry Danger, the hit Nickelodeon series he stars in,
he’d hop on his phone during every break. “You end up
pointlessly checking things for no reason,” he says, “and you
think it’s making you happier, but it’s making you way less
happy. And when you’re less happy, you’re less engaged.”
Five seasons into the show, he now also has an influencer
marketing company called Creator Edge, a movie he’s pro-
ducing and starring in for Nickelodeon, a project with
Viacom Digital Studios, and an in-the-works candy com-
pany. So he’s made an important change: When he’s working
on any project, the phone stays out of reach. (On set, it’s left AS THE FOUNDING PARTNER of Female Founders Fund, an
in his dressing room.) Every 60 to 90 minutes, he’ll briefly early-stage fund focused on technology companies with
check texts—his preferred mode of communication, to keep women founders, Anu Duggal is responsible for supporting
everything short—and respond only to emergencies. “I’ve such fast-growing businesses as Zola, Billie, and Eloquii. She
become good at filtering—that can wait, and that can wait,” wants to be there for the women building those businesses
he says. “You’d be surprised how many things can wait.” and knows they deserve her undivided attention. So she
Some of his peers go further; controversial YouTube prank- makes sure they get it. “I try to walk to and from work,” she
ster Jake Paul, for example, told Norman that he turned off says. “I use that time to make calls and check in on our found-
text notifications, so he never feels the need to reply immedi- ers.” It’s just 30 minutes in the morning and after she leaves
ately. Norman isn’t quite there yet, but maybe one day. the office, but that uninterrupted time has become a valuable,
“Everything’s begging for your attention,” he says. “It’s so sanity-keeping habit. “I could take an Uber or the subway, but
much noise.” this way, I can fit things in that, otherwise, I just wouldn’t.”
KIMBERLY STEWARD
Oscar-nominated producer; founder, K Period Media
EVERYONE WANTS a few minutes of Kimberly Steward’s time. The founder of K Period Media,
a young Los Angeles–based production company, Steward has spent the past five years
investing in and producing socially minded content for film and television. (Steward earned
a Best Picture Oscar nomination for her hand in the 2016 film Manchester By the Sea, the
second black woman in history to receive the honor. The first was Oprah.) To adhere to
her by-the-minute schedule, Steward has set up a system of warnings. “When I have a call
scheduled, I set three alarms,” she says. “One an hour before, one 15 minutes before, and one
literally two minutes before the call. Like, Mayday: This is about to happen.” She’s got an
emergency plan in place, too. “If I’m even one minute late, I have amazing assistants who
will call me.” In fact, it was an assistant who originally crafted the system she now lives by,
after seeing her miss too many calls. “The best bosses listen to their employees.”
NAVEEN
JAIN
Founder and CEO,
Viome;
cofounder and
executive chairman,
Moon Express
“PEOPLE KNOW I’M always reach-

able,” says Naveen Jain. He means
it. The serial tech entrepreneur
is founder of a space company
P H O T O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y O F K I M B E R LY S T E W A R D P H O T O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y O F N AV E E N J A I N
and a healthcare company, gets

400 emails a day, and promises to
respond to anyone within his com-
panies within five minutes. How?
By managing mindsets.
“It’s OK to make wrong deci-
sions,” he tells his teams. “What’s
not OK is to only play it safe.” If
someone can act without him, they
should. If he sees someone below
him CC’d on an email, he’ll let that
person reply—weighing in only if
someone is struck with indecisive-
ness and needs his help. Errors may
be made, sure, but he sees that as
the cost of thinking big. “I will never,
ever, ever tell someone that they
made a mistake,” he says. Instead,
he’ll review the process that led to a
wrong decision—so next time,
he won’t be needed at all. Though
if he is needed, he works from
4 a.m. to 10 p.m… and is responsive
throughout.
Reporting / J A S O N F E I F E R , H AY D E N F I E L D , a n d S T E P H A N I E S C H O M E R October 2018 / E N T R E P R E N E U R . C O M / 55

RANDI
ZUCKERBERG
Author, investor, CEO of
Zuckerberg Media
RANDI ZUCKERBERG is traveling too much to have a

morning routine—or really, an anything routine. So
instead, she devotes each day to one singular focus
area. Monday, for example, could be entirely about
writing her upcoming speeches, or working on a book.
Wednesdays are radio days, devoted to her SiriusXM
show and other podcasting. “I have to be very disci-
plined about not doing other things,” says Zuckerberg,
whose most recent book is Pick Three: You Can Have It
All (Just Not Every Day). By focusing on one subject,
she ensures it’s done to completion.
Of course, the outside world still tries to interject.
To manage this, she has become disciplined at not
responding to people quickly. She sees it as a form of
training—setting everyone else’s expectations. “No one
else puts boundaries on your time except for you,” she
says. “If you get everyone around you used to you reply-
ing to emails within five minutes, that’s what they’ll
come to expect.” (And anyway, she says, “I often find
that half the emails that would have seemed urgent
solve themselves by the end of the day.”) For the queries
that do matter, she has a system: At day’s end,
Zuckerberg’s assistant sends her an email called
“Notables”—a bullet-point list of every message that
requires attention. “Now I basically feel like my inbox
gets curated for me, which is very, very helpful.” She
often just replies to her assistant point by point, and
TIM FERRISS then gets back to focusing on the day’s big task.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT MAXWELL (FERRISS); PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF RANDI ZUCKERBERG

Author, investor, podcaster
TIM FERRISS HOLDS up his phone. “My phone’s on airplane. It’s always on
airplane,” he says. That way, he isn’t alerted to the steady increase in a
very high number: his unread email count, which on this day is 355,692.
“That is a small percentage of the things I am ignoring,” he says.
Ferriss is a prolific author (Tribe of Mentors) and podcaster (The
Tim Ferriss Show), and an investor and startup mentor. There are
ever-growing demands on his time, and yet he feels like he’s always
becoming more productive. The reason, he says, is because he stopped
getting stuck in the weeds—managing the details of every project, or
trying to clear out even a portion of those 355,692 unopened mes-
sages. (His assistant, Donna, will ensure that he sees the critical ones.)
Instead, he’s begun asking himself an important question about every
project and challenge: What might this look like if it were easy?
That question will lead to other questions, such as: Are there people I
could hire? Are there ways I could simplify it? It’s a basic thought experi-
ment, of course, but Ferriss knows that it may not occur to people like him.
“As a very type A, competitive, driven, run-through-walls type of person,
you end up only having one gear, which is sixth gear,” he says. “When you’re
so accustomed to competing and pushing rocks up hills successfully, you
accidentally look for paths that include a lot of resistance.” So his message
to himself—and to anyone like him—is to stop. Imagine the easier path.
Then build it. “I’ve been looking,” he says, “for elegance and less resistance.”
STANLEY SYLVIA
McCHRYSTAL ACEVEDO
U.S. General (Ret.); CEO , Girl Scouts of the USA
founder, McChrystal Group
WHEN GENERAL STANLEY M C CHRYSTAL took command of U.S.

forces in Afghanistan in 2009, he became, in his words, fanat-
ical about his calendar. “The most valuable thing a leader has
is their time,” he says, and he wanted to use it properly. So first,
P H O T O G R A P H B Y G E T T Y I M A G E S / B L O O M B E R G / C O N T R I B U T O R ( M C C H R Y S TA L)
he wrote down his priorities: Spend a certain percentage of his

time with troops, another percentage with Afghan government
leaders, and so on. Then on a monthly basis, he and his team of
P H O T O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y O F G I R L S C O U T S O F T H E U S A (A C E V E D O ) ;
roughly 20 people would review his Outlook calendar (where

he put every meeting) and compare his goals to how he actually
used his time. This gave everyone insight into what worked and
what didn’t. “We would then adjust the future,” he says. “I’d take SYLVIA ACEVEDO constantly studies her own schedule. “I
things off the calendar that had somehow grown up like weeds have an Excel spreadsheet I work from that maps out what
in cracks in the sidewalk.” I want and need to accomplish on each day of the week,”
Now in civilian life, as the head of an 85-person consultancy says the CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA. “At the end of
(and the author, most recently, of Leaders: Myth and Reality), he the week, if I didn’t accomplish something, I’ll look back
maintains that rigor. He and his executive assistant review his cal- and try to figure out what kept me from it.” That helps her
endar twice a week, and everything he does goes in it—right down reprioritize—shifting her energy toward tasks that are stra-
to his personal morning routine. (Thirty minutes are allotted tegically important to the organization, and away from
for “shower and dress.”) Though he does admit a weakness: He’s things that someone else can handle. And importantly, she
bad at ending meetings on time—an easy way to bungle tightly says, it also helps her build wiggle room into her schedule
planned days. So he relies upon his assistant. “About five minutes so she can stay current on what girls are into. “I’ll study the
to the end, she opens the door and says, ‘Sir, I want to remind you Top 40 every week,” Acevedo says. “When they ask me what
we’ve got your next appointment in four minutes,’” he says. That I’m listening to, I won’t say something they think is just for
wraps things up. Then it’s on to the next calendar entry. moms. I can say, ‘I know Ariana Grande, yeah!’ ”
Nasty Gal’s SOPHIA AMORUSO was a hotshot
LIZ BRODY
media darling with a booming company
and a Netflix series based on her life—until it
all collapsed at once. Now with her new company,
by
GIRLBOSS, she’s doing everything differently.
EMILY SHUR
Photographs by
the show based on the memoir, with Charlize Theron as executive pro-
ducer and Kay Cannon, creator of Pitch Perfect, as writer. Amoruso was
showing up everywhere in a swirl of descriptives, like edgy, ambitious,
cool, hashtaggy, bangs, and swagger. And Wyatt, a consultant who’d
held top positions at Refinery 29 and Goop, braced herself for the meet-
ing. “I expected someone who would brag and peacock,” says Wyatt. But
to Wyatt’s surprise, when the two sat down to talk at La Pecora Bianca
in New York City, Amoruso opened up her journal and started taking
notes. “She was incredibly disarming in how honest she was, so self-
deprecating,” says Wyatt. “And she wanted to learn.”
Amoruso asked to meet because she had an idea burning a hole in
her side-hustle pocket. Through the book and her Girlboss Radio pod-
cast, she’d collected legions of young female followers, literally, in the
palm of her hand; she just had to look at her phone to see what they
wanted. She could feel the opportunity. But for what? She’d toyed with
the idea of a “Sophia show” before realizing she was more of an enter-
prise girl. That day, she and Wyatt batted around the pros and cons of
taking a Girlboss concept to a big media company versus flying solo.
After excited goodbyes, Amoruso pretty much went off the map.
Back at the Nasty Gal offices, troubles were coming to a head—
sales slumps, layoffs, lawsuits from employees charging pregnancy
discrimination. Staffers vented in Glassdoor reviews. (“It was fuck-
ing brutal,” Amoruso says, “having to stand in front of a team you
know has written things like that.”) The Chapter 11 papers were filed
the day after Trump was elected. To top everything off, Amoruso’s
the world was getting nasty toward Nasty Gal’s Sophia Amoruso. It marriage fell apart. “In a six-month period, I was on the cover of
wasn’t a treatment she was used to. Until then, she’d been an entrepre- Forbes, my husband of less than a year left me, and my company
neurial darling: the It-girl founder of a booming clothing retailer, fre- went bankrupt. Very publicly,” she says. “It was kind of incredible.”
quent subject of magazine covers (including Entrepreneur’s: January It’s not like she hadn’t seen it coming. “You don’t go bankrupt over-
2013), regular headliner of conferences, and author of a best-selling night,” says Amoruso, who has always been open about her failures, but
memoir. And then, on April 21, the TV version of Sophia streamed out with the kind of consideration that comes from knowing your personal
to 130 million Netflix members. It was a comedy called Girlboss, based story is your brand. When the collapse came, she gave herself space to
on her book—a loose retelling of Amoruso’s life (“real loose,” the open- call “every clairvoyant and psychologist and basically anyone Goop rec-
ing credits stress), in which a Dumpster-diving col- ommended.” And she realized something: When
lege dropout launches her fashion empire from an the dominoes started falling, she had very few
eBay store at only 22. resources. “At that time, there weren’t any young
BET ER T DO.
DI N KNO
I DI
BUI D GI LBOS
The series, frankly, wasn’t very good. But that female entrepreneurs, or very few, who had experi-
TH EVER H G
wasn’t the problem. The problem was that, simul- enced the level of crisis or anything like I had,” she
ANTED T
taneously, in a rather spectacular back-assward says. “It was a very lonely place to be.”
feat of timing, the real Sophia, 33, was out of She needed to change that—for herself and for
R NG OR
work, having sold the company she was celebrated all the women coming up. Girlboss, she now saw,
for after it filed for bankruptcy amid a pile-on of would be the answer. Amoruso’s vision centered
troubles. The crisscross of Sophia narratives was around building a strong community of entrepre-
catnip to critics, who suggested Amoruso was a neurial young women—actually, they would build
narcissist and wrote headlines like “Girlboss is a it—to help each other through hard times and level
feminist fraud.” up together. The brand would include digital con-
As if that weren’t enough, on top of the dueling tent, live rallies, and a social network the likes of
Sophias was a third reality: Amoruso had already which had yet to be seen. And she would approach
launched a whole new company she was beyond it differently: Instead of following her nose, as she
excited about, for better or worse, called Girlboss. did at Nasty Gal (she was, like the character in the
It was, she says of the misaligned stars, a total “mind fuck.” It was show, a punk college dropout without a drop of office experience), she
also an entrepreneur’s nightmare: a seemingly inescapable failure. would lead with intention. “I know it’s cliché,” she says, “but vulnera-
But almost nothing is inescapable. bility and making mistakes is at the core of learning. I wanted to build
Girlboss with everything I did wrong or didn’t know better to do.”
This is how Girlboss—not the book, not

the TV series, but the com-
pany, the thing that now defines Amoruso’s days—officially began: In
She got herself up and running, and fast. The Netflix show
was coming; she’d seen the early cuts and loved it. At this point,
Amoruso, who had an executive producer title but says she mostly
the spring of 2016, Amoruso asked to meet with Ali Wyatt. At the time, weighed in on the clothes, saw the whole thing as a giant opportu-
Amoruso was still riding high at Nasty Gal, which had 300 employees nity to get the name of her new venture out into the world. Quickly,
and a net annual revenue of $85 million; Forbes was about to estimate she prepared the Girlboss site. She wanted to launch it with a big
her personal net worth at $280 million. Her book had spent 18 weeks on rally—something full of empowering female speakers and hundreds
The New York Times best-seller list, and Netflix had recently announced of attendees. When she first reached out to women she’d interviewed
on her podcast to see if they’d participate, she wondered, Oh my If you took Nasty Gal and turned it upside down, you’d be here. At her
God; am I damaged goods? Is this even—? But overwhelmingly, they former company, Amoruso was often not in sight, either out promoting
said yes, and on their own dime. One of them, Jane Buckingham, the brand—“I drank the fucking fanfare”—or hiding in her office. But at
founder of marketing firm Trendera, remembers being a little dubi- Girlboss, she’s deliberately one of the crowd, often wearing a mechan-
ous. “I’m like, Wow, really? These 20-somethings are going to pay ic’s jumpsuit and a fisherman’s cap and planted at a table crowded with
money to come on a Saturday, their day off ?” five others, including the team’s lone dude (which is not for long, she
Amoruso called in Wyatt, who later came aboard as president and promises). For emphasis, she’s made every employee—22 so far—a
CRO. Then Amoruso used her own savings to pull it all together. On cofounder, a policy she plans to continue as the company grows. “In a
March 4, 2017, it happened: Five hundred women showed up at the way, it’s a really small thing,” says Neha Gandhi, editor in chief and COO
Hudson Loft in Los Angeles for a (and cofounder). “But it’s also really
day of wisdom, swag, and connec- powerful. I think it reinforces that
tion. “I know that’s what these young everyone here is responsible for the
women want,” says Buckingham, outcome of the business.”
an expert on millennials and now This time around, Amoruso has
informal adviser to Girlboss, “but taken great care to ensure that she
then you see it. They’re there. They’re has the right team, requiring every
all networking. They’re all approach- hire to complete a project with a
ing me, they’re all approaching tight deadline and then present
each other. They’re sucking out it. She has also surrounded her-
every element.” self with ready mentors like Beth
For Amoruso, the exhilaration of Comstock, former vice chair of
launching Girlboss just four months General Electric, whose new book,
after filing bankruptcy for Nasty Imagine It Forward, is all about
Gal was only matched by how badly what it takes to be a changemaker.
Netflix backfired. “I’ve gotten a lot of “Reaching out and asking for help is
press,” she says. “But there’s nothing that compares to what comes with a a really good sign of a leader,” says Comstock, who now, like Buckingham,
television series like this. It’s unimaginable, the amount of eyeballs, the is an informal adviser. She says she’s impressed by Amoruso’s commit-
criticism.” Trying to build a meaningful company to help young women ment to her audience, as well as her resilience: “Nasty Gal was tough.”
succeed, while being questioned as a feminist and businesswoman over At the Monday-morning meeting, everyone quickly popcorns their
the company she’d moved past? It was, she says, like entrepreneurial goals for the week. Several on the team are working on the site, which
whiplash. “There were times I thought I would never bounce back.” is updated daily with pieces about subjects like working life, mental
But she reminded herself of the advice she gives to others facing health, and identity. Wyatt, who videoconferences in from New York,
adversity: You wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t taken a risk, and that’s is nailing down logistics for this fall’s rally—their fourth—for which
what you do if you’re an entrepreneur. She began imagining the scene they’re expecting to sell 1,000 tickets. A staffer is booking talent for
in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where Harrison Ford stands on Girlboss Radio, which has grown to 700,000 downloads a month
the ledge of a chasm that separates him from the Holy Grail and, after across its four shows. (One of the hosts, Jen Gotch, founder of the col-
a long moment, takes a step out into thin air on the sheer faith a bridge orful gift and accessory brand Ban.do: “When Sophia asked me if I’d do
will appear underfoot. Still today, a year-plus later, she thinks about a podcast on mental health, I said, ‘Oh, no. Definitely not.’” She laughs,
this regularly. In some sense, Amoruso is still on the ledge herself, one standing head-to-toe in gumball orange. “And here we are.”)
foot extended over the abyss. “It’s a very high bar that I have to reach But the team’s big focus this week is on launching a test model
to even start a company called Girlboss, especially with what the past for the social media platform, Girlboss Collective, their most ambi-
few years of my career have been,” she says. “It’s masochistic to expose tious product yet. Using what they’ve learned from a closed Facebook
myself again. It’s terrifying.” group of 5,000 members over the past year, the platform allows each
user to create a work profile with as much personality as she wants.
DRIVE DOWN Sunset Boulevard in Los

Angeles’s ever gentrifying
Silver Lake and you might miss the small cinema-style marquee: this
(Men can join but have to behave.) “We’re Instagram over here and
LinkedIn over there, and that’s just not how life works now,” says
Amoruso, who likes to describe the Collective as both in one: “a place
sign is a lot of pressure. girlboss.com. The low-slung building that where a woman can show not just what she does but who she is.” The H A I R S T Y L I S T, R YA N R I C H M A N ; M A K E U P, G L O R I A N O T O
serves as Girlboss headquarters sits on the corner of Lucille Street (note pièce de résistance is the conversational feed that resembles Reddit
the girl name) and, like much of the neighborhood, is muraled. “When or Quora—long threads for members to connect, asking each other
we moved in, we demanded it be repainted because the guy whose questions, getting advice, commiserating and supporting.
mural it was had been accused of rape,” says Amoruso. (The artist was At one point, when the team seemed to hit a wall with the proto-
never prosecuted.) Now it’s a colorful abstract called Rare Bird. type, Amoruso called in a friend from her new mentor gang, Payal
On a recent Monday morning at the weekly staff meeting, everyone Kadakia, who founded ClassPass, the fitness service that gives access
is gathered in the kitchen, taking turns sharing their latest Girlboss to a variety of classes. Happy to come by, Kadakia sat with the team
moment, with account manager Lindsey O’Hara in the middle of and told them how she’d put out two total duds before finally hitting
hers: a full-body reenactment of a cooking class she took at Benihana, on a winner. By then she’d had so many fails, she hadn’t even bothered
which at one point involved turning an onion and a zucchini into a to develop the back-end technology for booking the classes—she and
train. “You have to turn the lights on and off and go, ‘Choo-choo,’” her team had to make the first 20,000 reservations manually before
O’Hara says. Her colleagues are in hysterics. they were up to speed. She emphasized that no one gets a product
After Amoruso finally catches her breath, she says: “I don’t know right on the first try, and urged the Collective team to “just put it out
how I can follow that up.” there” and then tweak, much to the relief of everyone.
GOING OUT to investors was tough at first. The
Netflix fallout was still fresh, and
Amoruso felt slightly radioactive. “In some of the early interviews, it
there will be some consolidation, but a platform like Girlboss is in a
strong position to branch out to new audiences if necessary, and to
add value to the one it has. “If the content can keep up with the need,
was like, ‘In case you’ve googled me, these things did happen, these and there’s a way to curate the community so they become an integral
things were blown out of proportion, and this is not what we’re doing part of it,” she says, “then it will be very sticky.”
now.’” But she soon stopped mentioning it. “When we met,” says Alexis
Ohanian, cofounder of Reddit, who’s now general partner at a firm
called Initialized Capital, “it was clear that Sophia has learned hard
lessons and become a much better founder as a result.”
MONIQUE Bryan has followed Girlboss from the
beginning. A longtime fan of Amoruso’s
hustle, she read the book and listens to the podcast. When she heard
Initialized Capital would go on to lead her latest fund-raise of $3.5 about the first rally, no way was she going to miss it. Nor did she care
million, bringing her total raised to $6.6 million. That’s a tenth of the that Nasty Gal had filed for Chapter 11. “For her to be able to throw
funding she got for Nasty Gal, but Amoruso prefers it that way. She something like this in the face of all that? Like, she’s not crawling under
wants Girlboss to grow on its own steam. She’s always lived for the a rock. It only made me more interested.” Bryan had just left her sec-
scent of pixie dust, that magic something that drives revenue. And so ond startup and didn’t exactly have the money, but it was 10 degrees in
far the company has paced beyond expectations; it’s on track to triple Toronto, where she lives, and she’d always wanted to go to L.A., so she
revenue from the first year. In July, it passed its 2018 revenue target. bought the ticket and booked her trip for about $1,100 in U.S. dollars.
The smallest chunk of income comes from banner advertising Between then and the time of the actual event, a lot changed. She cel-
on the site—in this market, a wise move. The company also makes ebrated her 36th birthday, went to the doctor, and was diagnosed with
money from its events, where tickets go for $275 to $700, as well breast cancer. She was told she needed to do chemo and radiation, and
as podcast sponsorships, and it’ll soon start selling subscriptions to freeze her eggs, and she needed to do it all right away. But she took the
for membership to Girlboss Collective. (Some access will be free.) trip. On March 4 at 8:00 a.m., Bryan stood outside the Hudson Loft in
Eventually, it also plans to add paid-for job postings and video tuto- line with the other 500 girlbosses who’d gathered from around the world.
rials. But today, its main revenue comes from creative brand part- Bryan remembers the excitement of going in and getting her irides-
nerships, which average in the six figures, according to Amoruso—a cent name badge, the Girlboss D.J., the glam squad room, her clear
strategy she first got excited about when Prudential approached her knapsack swag bag. “Everything was branded so beautifully,” she says,
in 2016 to promote its 4.01K race at the Rose Bowl. She was still at “and I’m super critical.” She also remembers the variety of speakers,
Nasty Gal then and worked with Prudential to create customized from comedian Whitney Cummings to Glossier founder Emily Weiss.
podcasts about saving for retirement. With Girlboss, she could get But the one she’ll never forget was the one she heard completely by acci-
much more creative. dent, when she ended up at a talk by Samantha Paige, an artist diag-
For a new venture like Girlboss, says Laura Beaudin, a partner in nosed with thyroid cancer at age 21, who’d bared her preventive double
Bain & Company’s San Francisco office, attracting brands “is a big mastectomy in a striking Equinox campaign.
opportunity that the current digital platforms haven’t really been able Bryan soaked up the talk and the Q&A afterward, until there was time
to unlock.” She points to a shift in the ROI-obsessed digital advertising for just one more question. “I was on the edge of my seat, third row, with
market toward cultivating more authentic, lifetime my arm waving: Can’t I just ask?” she says. “I remem-
connections with customers that might include, ber Sophia looking around and finally going, ‘OK…
for example, making an indelible impression at a you.’ And all of a sudden I was like, Oh, shit; I’m going
S ETHI G THEY
L STEN T BUI D
Y U JUST HAVE T
“PEOPLE TELL Y U
Girlboss rally. to start bawling my face off.” Bryan found her voice
HAT THEY ANT
One partnership around a diversity panel “was in time to tell Paige about the cancer and to ask what
L LOVE
an overwhelming success for T-Mobile,” says EVP she wished someone had told her when she was diag-
of customer care Callie Field, who spoke at the nosed. “Samantha has these piercing blue eyes—they
most recent rally. “A woman even came up and look into your soul when she’s talking to you,” says
pitched me an idea on the spot, which I was truly Bryan. “She was like: ‘Feel it all. Be angry. Be mad.
inspired by.” At another rally, Google, another of Don’t take care of other people’s feelings.’ ” With that,
Girlboss’s sponsors, ran a Startup Studio, with the talk ended, and Bryan was mobbed with women
50 Chromebooks on which attendees learned to hugging her. “It was really moving,” she says.
write business plans using Google Docs. Neither Back home, going through treatment, she
T-Mobile nor Google would confirm numbers, took Paige’s advice to heart. “I didn’t realize how
but Bumble reportedly paid in the low six fig- important it would be to me,” says Bryan, who
ures to host a photo booth and a glam squad was declared cancer-free in August 2017, and
for attendees to create professional profiles on launched her latest business, a company that
Bumble Bizz, the event’s official social media platform. “Bumble coaches women entrepreneurs. Does she plan to attend the New York
Bizz was brand-new,” says Alex Williamson, Bumble’s head of brand, rally this fall? Yes. Would she join the Girlboss Collective? Hell, yes.
so the partnership “was monumental for us.” “I’m her target customer,” she says of Amoruso. “We’re all just ready to
Girlboss is, of course, not the only working women’s empowerment absorb her books, social media, whatever she’s giving out.”
brand generating buzz. Other young girlbosses are leading companies Stories like this, of course, are Girlboss gold. They’re also what
like Create & Cultivate, Levo, The Wing, even Bumble, with its new Amoruso knew was at the other end of her own troubles. After all,
platform, to court millennial climbers who, in a pussy-hatted, #MeToo she was hearing from this audience. And she knew what it felt like to
world, see great value in women’s networks that never have to whis- be knocked down and get back up again. “People tell you what they
per again. But is the space getting crowded? Or is it a passing cultural want—you just have to listen to build something they will love,” says
moment? Will women get tired of paying to connect and confab? Amoruso. “Girlboss isn’t about me. It’s about her.”
Beaudin doesn’t think so. As long as there are working women, they
will find these communities extremely attractive, she says. Inevitably, Liz Brody is former news director of Glamour magazine.
100
ng raked in an estimated $6 billion last year, it’s
y to think of the cannabis industry as a sure bet.
states have legalized recreational use, 30 states
g with Washington, D.C., have given the legal OK
edical use, and more are sure to follow. Industry
rts are forecasting $22 billion by 2022—getting in
annabis biz seems like a no-brainer, right?
it wasn’t always such a seemingly smooth road

ccess. California was the first state to legalize
cal usage back in 1999, and it has been a slow
ometimes volatile journey to where we are now,
h is far from steady ground. The sale and use of
CANNABIS
juana is, after all, still prohibited by federal law.
kes a certain combination of passion and

essness to face uncertainty and seize opportunity
ite the risks, and that’s what this list is all about.
LEADERS
naugural Cannabis 100—produced by Green
epreneur and PRØHBTD—celebrates those
e entrepreneurs who fought to change societal
eptions, found innovative solutions to problems, and
a multibillion-dollar industry one plant at a time.
Celebrating the Movers, cannabis entrepreneurs and their companies on

ist were selected to help showcase the diverse
Shakers, and Bakers of range of products and services in the industry. We

chose businesses across 10 diferent categories—
not only to share product innovations but also to
2018
elevate the myriad of services needed to assist
entrepreneurs in navigating this complex industry,
from legal services to tech solutions.
Their stories reflect a unique set of impassioned

minds leading the way with their ideas and
showcasing the wealth of opportunity still ahead for
other green-minded entrepreneurs.
SOL Investments is building out
a portfolio of blue chip cannabis
companies that operate across
multiple legal states.
We invest in some of the leading

cultivation, distribution and retail
operators in the country.
Find out more at

solinvestments.com
SOFTWARE AND SERVICES
Intelligent tech coupled with a deep understanding of the cannabis industry have
helped these companies become the go-to providers across a host of services.
helps dispensaries generate COMPANY : Flowhub
C : Namaste Technologies more revenue and build rela- FOUNDER : Kyle Sherman
C F C : Sean Dollinger tionships with their customers LOCATION : Denver
L : Jupiter, Fla. through a variety of products fea- HTTPS://FLOWHUB.CO
HTTPS://WWW.NAMASTETECHNOLOGIES.COM turing online ordering, customer Flowhub is a team of compliance
Namaste operates a global cannabis e-commerce platform loyalty, messaging, and analytics. oficers, techies, problem solvers,
with more than 30 websites in 20-plus countries under vari- and advocates that has built
ous brands. Namaste’s product ofering includes vaporizers, COMPANY : Blackbird reliable compliance software for
glassware, accessories, and CBD products. Namaste leverages FOUNDER : Timothy Conder the regulated cannabis industry.
technology including artificial intelligence and machine learning LOCATION : Reno, Nev. The company’s goal is to make
to optimize and personalize a consumer’s on-site buying experi- MYBLACKBIRD.COM compliance simple to manage
ence across its platforms. BLACKBIRDGO.COM and provide tools to help canna-
Blackbird provides operations bis businesses thrive.
and software solutions for every
“We connect step of the cannabis distribution

process. The company transports,
COMPANY : KIND Financial
FOUNDER : David Dinenberg
a shopping delivers, and builds the software

to facilitate all of the above—
LOCATION : Los Angeles
HTTP://KIND.FINANCIAL
experience ofering cannabis operators a

complete supply chain solution.
KIND develops and provides enter-
prise technology that businesses,
to user COMPANY : GroStaf
government agencies, and financial
institutions need to operate within
experiences, FOUNDERS : Clint Armstrong and the cannabis industry—from seed
which has never Steve Vierra

LOCATION : Santa Ana, Calif.
to sale—in compliance with state
guidelines and regulations as they
been done in ecommerce. Imagine HTTPS://GROSTAFF.COM

Founded in 2017, GroStaf, Inc., is
continue to evolve. Its platform is
called Agrisoft Seed to Sale.
shopping for your favorite cannabis, an all-in-one cannabis stafing
platform. It consists of payroll and COMPANY : Headset
CBD, and vaporizers, and also taxes, workers’ compensation

insurance, HR compliance, em-
FOUNDERS : Brian Wansolich,
Cy Scott, and Scott Vickers
searching by symptoms and ployee safety and training certifi-
cations through its online digital
LOCATION : Seattle
HTTPS://WWW.HEADSET.IO
using AI to connect all of the data video training platform, stafing
and recruiting, cash management,
Headset is a data and analytics
service provider for the cannabis
being collected. ” and cannabis healthcare benefits industry, with a mission to help
—N C -f a CE S D and administration. operators make more informed
business decisions through data.
COMPANY : LeafLink Headset analyzes consumer
FOUNDERS : Ryan Smith and Zach transaction information to help
COMPANY: Meadow patients to physicians. In 2016, Silverman cannabis retailers better opti-
FOUNDER : David Hua the company launched Meadow LOCATION : New York City mize operations.
LOCATION : San Francisco Platform, an SaaS platform built HTTPS://LEAFLINK.COM
HTTP://MEADOWPOS.COM from the ground up for California Serving more than 600 brands COMPANY : Cova
In 2014, Meadow launched an cannabis retail and delivery. and 2,000 retailers across seven CEO : Gary Cohen
on-demand directory, Getmead- states, LeafLink is a marketplace LOCATION : Denver
ow.com, connecting patients to COMPANY : Baker for wholesale cannabis. With its HTTPS://WWW.COVASOFTWARE.COM
dispensaries for on-demand can- FOUNDER : Joel Milton online marketplace, CRM, and Cova’s team—made up of strat-
nabis delivery in California. The LOCATION : Denver order management tools, LeafLink egists and technologists with a
following year, Meadow became HTTPS://WWW.TRYBAKER.COM is for cannabis brands, distribu- 20-year pedigree in point-of-sale
the first Y Combinator company Founded in 2014, Baker is a CRM tors, and retailers who want to software engineering—aims to
to operate in the cannabis space for the cannabis industry, servic- streamline the ordering process, provide dispensary owners “sim-
and launched Meadow MD, a ing more than 1,000 dispensaries simplify communication, and plicity, synchronicity, and eficient
telemedicine platform connecting across the U.S. and Canada. Baker spend less time on busy work. operations.”
PACKAGING AND
PRODUCT INNOVATION
Capturing the attention and trust of consumers is about more than just brand
identity. Packaging excellence and design innovation make our top picks stand apart.
COMPANY : Saints Joints 2000, Storz & Bickel launched
FOUNDER : Lawrence Perrigo with the Volcano vaporizer, a C : Canndescent
LOCATION : Seattle balloon-bag unit with a unique F : Adrian Sedlin
HTTPS://WWW.SAINTSJOINTS.COM conical volcano design, precision L : Santa Barbara, Calif.
Saints Joints is dedicated to mak- temperature control, and a con- HTTPS://WWW.CANNDESCENT.COM
ing cannabis products by using vection heating system. Canndescent cultivates cannabis flower, productizing and curating
only natural ingredients and prac- it for the California, adult-use market. The company operates two
tices. The company ofers flowers COMPANY : Grenco Science cultivation facilities in Desert Hot Springs, Calif., and has its third
with the flavors and terpenes of LOCATION : Los Angeles facility and an extraction lab under construction.
unique hand chosen strains. HTTPS://WWW.GPEN.COM
Grenco Science is the maker of a
COMPANY : dosist series of portable vaporizers. And
CEO : Gunner Winston in giving back to the community,
LOCATION : Los Angeles Grenco Science established the
HTTP://DOSIST.COM Charity Series, a collection of
Describing itself as a modern products tied to nonprofit organi-
wellness company, dosist pro- zations wherein a portion of net
vides cannabis solutions that are proceeds are donated with each
engineered to take the guess- purchase; and the Artist Series,
work out of cannabis treatment. an installment of collaborations
The company says its proprietary with artists and brand ambas-
vaporizer technology ensures a sadors.
precisely measured dose with
each use, allowing consumers
to repeat treatment each time
COMPANY : KinSlips
FOUNDER : Josh Kirby “Similar to how Google empowered
without having to worry about in-
consistent results or experiences.
LOCATION : Oakland, Calif.
HTTPS://KINSLIPS.COM
users with information by asking,
COMPANY : Pufco
Founded by a passionate group
of entrepreneurs hell-bent on
‘What do you want to know?,’
FOUNDER : Roger Voladarsky
LOCATION : Brooklyn, N.Y.
reimagining cannabis and devel-
oping the most eficient products
we’ve put the cannabis consumer
HTTPS://WWW.PUFFCO.COM
Pufco says its vaporizers and
possible, Kin Slips began with
its sublingual strips—an infused
back in control by asking,
other products use no glues, fi-
bers, or chemicals in any airways
product that is “discreet, reliable,
all-natural, and that heightens the
‘How do you want to feel?’”
— S l ,f r C sc
and are the result of research way cannabis is used in everyday
and innovation done in-house. life.”
COMPANY : Storz & Bickel COMPANY : Double Barrel COMPANY : Pollen Gear COMPANY : Van der Pop
FOUNDERS : Markus Storz and HTTP://DOUBLEBARREL.COM FOUNDER : Ed Kilduf FOUNDER : April Pride
Jurgen Bickel Double Barrel developed a line of LOCATION : Hermosa Beach, Calif. LOCATION : Seattle
LOCATION : Tuttlingen, Germany vaporizers featuring two barrels HTTPS://WWW.POLLENGEAR.COM HTTP://WWW.VANDERPOP.COM
HTTPS://WWW.STORZ-BICKEL.COM and one airflow—a device that Obsessed with combining Van der Pop is a women-centric
The Storz & Bickel story began in looks very much like a dou- function and beauty, the team at lifestyle brand for the cannabis
1996 when Markus Storz, began ble-barreled shotgun. Customers Pollen Gear creates child-resis- industry, featuring products,
developing a herbal vaporizer are able to load each chamber tant packaging and containers advice, and guides.
that would deliver vapor produc- with a diferent cartridge, mixing for cannabis storage.
tion, ease of use, and quality. In their favorite cannabis oils.
Take the guesswork out
of your cannabusiness.
Our wide range of experience and expertise ensures our clients capture
opportunities in all segments of the cannabis industry and provides
scalability for existing companies. Each of our services are customized,
WKHUH·VQRWKLQJWHPSODWHGRUJHQHULFDERXWWKH6,9$DSSURDFK
BRAND DEVELOPMENT SALES DISTRIBUTION
INVESTMENTS LICENSING APPLICATIONS

www. sivallc. com
OPERATIONS COMPLIANCE CONSULTING
LET’S START THE CONVERSATION
NATIONWIDE MANUFACTURING ACCESS Call 818-562-3362 or email [email protected]
EDIBLES
Infused foods are a fast-growing category and the culinary expertise of these
market leaders has powered the increased adoption with consumers.
COMPANY : 1906 COMPANY : The Goodship Company recipe designer, to the cannabis spirit and savvy to the places
FOUNDER : Peter Barsoom FOUNDER : Jody Hall market to create baked goods, where chocolate and cannabis
LOCATION : Henderson, Colo. LOCATION : Seattle chocolates, and confections. meet. These artisans use sun-
HTTPS://WWW.1906NEWHIGHS.COM HTTP://WWW.THEGOODSHIP.COM grown, single-origin cannabis and
In addition to great taste, all 1906 The Goodship Company was COMPANY : Défoncé Chocolatier incomparable chocolate ingredi-
products feature rapid-delivery founded in 2014 by Jody Hall, the FOUNDER : Eric Eslao ents to craft infused chocolate
formulations using single-strain owner of Seattle-based cupcake LOCATION : Oakland, Calif. bars, which come in a range of
organic cannabis to provide a bakeries and cafés. After Wash- HTTP://DEFONCE.COM flavors, containing 90 mg of THC.
range of experiences, bringing ington voters ended the prohibi- At Défoncé, artisans with years
the benefits of cannabis and tion on marijuana, Hall decided to of experience at fine chocolate COMPANY : PLUS Products
plant medicine to health-con- bring her expertise, along with her manufacturers now devote their FOUNDER : Jake Heimark
scious adults. Founded in 2016, LOCATION : Adelanto, Calif.
1906 ofers five unique expe- HTTPS://WWW.PLUSPRODUCTS.COM
riences that promote sleep Starting with high-quality ex-
(Midnight), energy (GO), arousal C : Kiva Confections tracts, the team at PLUS Products
(High Love), relaxation (Pause), F : Scott Palmer pairs them with carefully selected
and a happy mood (Bliss). L : Oakland, Calif. ingredients to make every batch
HTTP://KIVACONFECTIONS.COM of edibles consistent, fast-acting,
COMPANY : Kushy Punch Kiva Confections products are crafted from ingredients that are and tasting great.
FOUNDER : Ruben Cross combined with California cannabis. Since Kiva’s founding in 2010, its
LOCATION : Los Angeles goal has been to create an edible that redefines what a cannabis COMPANY : Kikoko
HTTPS://KUSHYPUNCH.COM confection ought to be—by applying “art and science” to ensure a FOUNDERS : Amanda Jones and
From its award-winning edibles to deliciously consistent experience. Jennifer Chapin
vapes, Kushy Punch says it aims LOCATION : Emeryville, Calif.
to make every person that comes HTTPS://KIKOKO.COM
into contact with its products Kikoko creates organic canna-
feel better, healthier, and happier. bis-infused herbal teas formulat-
In addition to its edibles, Kushy ed to help with sleep, mood, pain,
Punch has a focus on conserva- sex, and everyday wellness.
tion and environmentally friendly
production methods. COMPANY : Beboe
FOUNDERS : Scott Campbell and
COMPANY : incredibles Clement Kwan
FOUNDERS : Rick Scarpello, LOCATION : Los Angeles
Bob Eschino, Derek Cumings, HTTPS://WWW.BEBOE.COM
and Josh Fink
LOCATION : Denver
“People are depending on us to deliver Campbell and Kwan say they
started Beboe to ofer “the so-
HTTPS://ILOVEINCREDIBLES.COM
Founded in 2010, incredibles
them safe, delicious, and effective phisticated cannabis consumer
an experience unlike any other on
develops, grows, extracts,
manufactures, and distributes a
cannabis products today and long into the market.”
wide variety of cannabis edibles,

ePens, and extraction technology.
the future.There’s no better motivator COMPANY : Cheeba Chews
HTTPS://CHEEBACHEWS.COM
Featuring a full line of THC-in-
fused, terpene-rich artisanal
than knowing people depend on you Since its founding in 2009,
Cheeba Chews says it has main-
edibles, incredibles says its brand to deliver products that will make a tained its mission to provide a
promise is that every product un-
dergoes rigorous testing to help difference in their lives.” consistently potent and discreet
cannabis-infused edible solution
ensure consistency in potency —K C o f rS r utilizing independent lab testing,
and in delivering the highest lev- product infusion, and genuine
els of food production safety. patient experience.
LEGAL AND CONSULTING
From legal advice to business development to investing, these
companies excel in navigating the constantly evolving cannabis industry.
C : Frontera Law Group Clark Neubert LLP is a wom- COMPANY : Vincent Sederberg
F : Jefrey D. Welsh and Luke K. Stanton en-owned cannabis law firm FOUNDERS : Christian Sederberg
L : Sherman Oaks, Calif. founded in 2014. The firm provides and Brian Vicente
HTTP://FRONTERALAWGROUP.COM comprehensive legal counsel to LOCATION : Denver
Frontera Law Group is a law firm in California serving the industry’s commercial cannabis businesses HTTPS://VICENTESEDERBERG.COM
preeminent cannabis businesses. Frontera provides strategic advice, in all aspects of formation, oper- Vincent Sederberg is a national
helping clients navigate the ever-changing landscape to build suc- ation, licensing, compliance, and marijuana law firm providing legal
cessful and sustainable enterprises while also complying with Cali- corporate financial transactions. and policy services to cannabis
fornia’s complex, evolving patchwork of state and local regulations. and hemp businesses, ancillary
COMPANY : ELLO companies, investors, and gov-
FOUNDER : Evan Eneman ernmental bodies.
“My favorite LOCATION : Los Angeles

HTTP://WWW.ELLOINSIGHTS.COM COMPANY : SIVA Enterprises
aspect of ELLO was founded by consultants

and business advisers to be a
CEO : Avis Bulbulyan
LOCATION : Glendale, Calif.
working as force for positive, sustainable

change in the emerging cannabis
HTTPS://SIVALLC.COM
SIVA Enterprises provides busi-
a lawyer in industry. ELLO’s services include
corporate finance, tax, due
ness solutions for the cannabis
industry, including consulting,
the cannabis diligence, M&A, regulatory com- local and state licensing, compli-
industry is pliance, finance efectiveness,

operations, strategy consulting,
ance, and insurance. Operational
services include product and
having the and more. brand development, manufactur-

ing, and distribution.
ability to operate at the tip of the COMPANY : Hoban Law Group
FOUNDER : Robert Hoban
spear of a burgeoning industry. We LOCATION : Denver

https://hoban.law
COMPANY : Canna Advisors
LOCATION : Boulder, Colo.
set new legal precedent, define With attorneys licensed in nearly

every state that has embraced
HTTPS://THINKCANNA.COM
Helping new businesses launch
industry standards, and help to legalized cannabis, Hoban Law
Group serves clients across the
and established businesses
grow, Canna Advisors positions
create brands and businesses U.S. with medical and adult use itself as an investing, advocacy,
that already are, or soon will be, marijuana businesses, as well as

those operating in the industrial
and mentoring partner in the
cannabis industry. The firm helps
household names.” hemp sector. cannabis entrepreneurs win
licenses, optimize facility design,
—F r L c r Je D Wel COMPANY : MJardin standardize operations, and maxi-
LOCATION : Denver mize business development.
HTTPS://WWW.MJARDIN.COM
MJardin Group is a diversified COMPANY : PRØworks
COMPANY : Shevin Law Group Eric Shevin has spent his legal holding company dedicated to PRESIDENT: Craig Binkley
FOUNDER : Eric Shevin career (26 years) focused on the legal cannabis industry in LOCATION: Los Angeles
LOCATION : Sherman Oaks, Calif. advocating for cannabis regula- the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere. WWW.PROGLOBALWORKS.COM
HTTPS://WWW.SHEVINLAW.COM tions in addition to the legaliza- Comprised of MJardin Manage- PRØworks is a strategy con-
Shevin Law Group is a full-ser- tion of hemp. ment and MJardin Capital, the firm sulting group that brings proven
vice cannabis-business law and recently expanded to include a approaches to business growth
criminal law practice providing COMPANY : Clark Nubert Toronto ofice for Canadian facili- from a broad range of mainstream
personalized service to individu- FOUNDERS : Ariel Clark ty operations as well as a hub for consumer categories and adapts
als, cannabis entrepreneurs, and and Nicole Neubert future capital markets activity. them to enable success in the
entities in the emerging canna- LOCATION : Los Angeles rapidly expanding, ever-changing
bis industry in California. Founder HTTP://GREENFRONTIER.COM cannabis industry.
Publicly traded - CSE:ISOL | OTCQB:ISOLF | FWB:LB6A.F
“In the world of hemp, Isodiol® is

the most extraordinary company”
Isodiol® is a global leader and CBD innovator specializing in the
development of pharmaceutical actives and health and
wellness products.
www.isodi
SOCIAL/ECO-RESPONSIBILITY The companies in this group are thriving by focusing on
eco-friendly sustainability and being good corporate citizens.
COMPANY : Headwaters COMPANY : Eel River Organics
FOUNDERS : Tristan Strauss and LOCATION : Fortuna, Calif. C : Bloom Farms
Brian Casey HTTP://WWW.EELRIVER F : Michael Ray
LOCATION : Carpinteria, Calif. FAMILYFARM.ORG L : Oakland, Calif.
HTTPS://GOHEADWATERS.COM Eel River Organics embraces an HTTPS://GETBLOOMFARMS.COM
Headwaters is a cannabis supply entirely natural way of growing Working with responsible farmers who care about the land, Bloom
chain company that focuses on marijuana. While other commer- Farms’ dedication to safe, clean cannabis is evident in its full-spec-
cultivation, bulk commodity distri- cial cannabis plants are subject- trum, 100 percent pure cannabis oils that stay true to their source
bution, and consumer goods. The ed to artificial light and chemical plants. And for each product it sells, Bloom Farms provides a healthy
company says it is guided by the fertilizers, its seeds are nourished meal to a regional partner food bank.
tenets of sustainable agriculture by the raw elements of nature.
and driven by a commitment to
transparency. COMPANY : Flow Kana
FOUNDER : Michael Steinmetz
COMPANY : Sana Packaging LOCATION : San Francisco
FOUNDER : Ron Basak-Smith HTTPS://WWW.FLOWKANA.COM
LOCATION : Denver With a wide range of process-
HTTPS://WWW.SANAPACKAGING.COM ing, co-packing, white label, and
Sana Packaging designs and distribution services, Flow Kana is
develops 100 percent plant- a sustainable, sun-grown-canna-
based hemp plastic packaging bis company that embraces the
solutions for the cannabis indus- small, independent farm ecosys-
try. Proudly “made in the USA,” tem. They partner with, and give
its packaging is regenerative scale to, craft farmers in Northern
and helps heal the environment. California and values-aligned
The company is committed to brands that honor “beyond-or-
supporting domestic agriculture ganic” farming practices.
and manufacturing.
COMPANY : Marley Natural
COMPANY : Yerba Buena
FOUNDER : Preston Greene
FOUNDERS : Marley Family
LOCATION : Seattle
“Our most powerful innovation
LOCATION : Hillsboro, Ore.
HTTPS://WWW.YERBABUENA.COM
HTTPS://WWW.MARLEYNATURAL.COM
Promoting “positivity, connectivi-
is figuring out how to change the
Yerba Buena is an award-winning
cannabis cultivator of organically
ty, and personal transformation,”
Marley Natural’s flower, accesso-
negative stigmas of cannabis. For
grown flower that has a focus
on minimizing its environmental
ries, and body-care products are
responsibly sourced and integrity
customers and retailers, we think of
footprint. driven, the company says. each interaction as an opportunity to
COMPANY : kindColorado COMPANY : Emerald Family Farms exemplify professionalism, inclusion
FOUNDERS : Kelly Perez and
Courtney Mathis
LOCATION : Arcata, Calif.
HTTPS://WWW.EMERALD and the idea that cannabis can
LOCATION : Denver
HTTP://KINDCOLORADO.ORG
FAMILYFARMS.COM
Founded in 2015, Emerald Fam-

enhance a healthy, fulfilling lifestyle.”
The team at kindColorado ily Farms cultivates cannabis —M l ,f r, l F
says it develops pathways and concentrate products. The
for cannabis businesses to company says that incorporat-
be a community asset, with a ing the connoisseur cannabis
goal of inspiring the cannabis of member farms from nearby COMPANY : True Humboldt supported by more than 200
industry to not only engage in a counties into their supply chain LOCATION : Arcata, Calif. farmers. Its products are tested
Cannabis Social Responsibility helps them ofer a wider strain HTTPS://WWW.TRUEHUMBOLDT.COM for pesticides, microbiologicals,
program, but also to champion variety while also creating a Sustainably cultivated on small terpenes, and potency to ensure
community engagement as life-line to the region’s farmers farms in Humboldt County, that only clean, safe medicine
best business practice. and local communities. Calif., True Humboldt says it is reaches patients.
The explosive consumer demand for concentrates has been propelled by
the innovation and expanding product lines developed by these leading companies.
COMPANY : Organa Brands COMPANY : Moxie COMPANY : Hot Nife premium edible brands in legal
FOUNDERS : Jeremy Heidl and FOUNDER : Jordan Lams FOUNDER : Circe Wallace U.S. and international markets.
Chris McElvany LOCATION : Los Angeles LOCATION : Los Angeles Makers of the Select Oil and Se-
LOCATION : Denver HTTP://WWW.MOXIE710.COM HTTPS://HOTNIFE.COM lect CBD brands, Cura strives to
HTTPS://ORGANABRANDS.COM Founded in 2015, Moxie specializ- Sourced from California’s finest provide patients and customers
Organa Brands started in 2010 es in extracts, the concentrated outdoor, sun-grown plants, Hot with the cleanest, most flavorful
with a founding promise to de- and purified active ingredients Nife’s all-natural CO2-extracted high-quality cannabis oils, with
liver extraordinary cannabis ex- that provide the characteristic cannabis oils are delivered via the safest delivery methods
tractions. Bringing together smart flavor and efect of the cannabis its line of CBD cartridges. The available.
minds in the regulated cannabis plant. Its premium-quality canna- company says using its oils—
market, Organa Brands operates bis-concentrate products are of- processed from a single origin in COMPANY : Pure Vape
its CO2 extraction facility called ten used medicinally by patients small batches—is “the best pos- LOCATION : California
Organa Labs. With Organa Labs who require an alternative means sible way to care for your aches HTTPS://PUREVAPEOFFICIAL.COM
oil at the core of its products, the of consumption to smoking. and pains or just plain get high.” Based in Southern California, Pure
company has become a national- Vape focuses on 100 percent
ly scaled cannabis brand. COMPANY : Northwest Cannabis organic and solvent-free, true
Solutions cannabis taste and Prop 215–
LOCATION : Olympia, Wash. compliant products. Its products—
HTTP://NWCS425.COM sold in half- and full-gram cartridg-
C : Heavy Hitters Northwest Cannabis Solutions es—can be found in more than
C - : Emily DeLaCruz is one of the largest recre- 200 dispensaries in the region.
L : Southern California ational marijuana producers
HTTPS://HEAVYHITTERS.CO
and processors in Washington. COMPANY : King Pen Vapes
Claiming to be the first to put consistent, high-quality oil in a vape With more than 150 employees, LOCATION : Los Angeles
cartridge, the team behind Heavy Hitters says it prides itself in the company’s growing facility HTTPS://KINGPENVAPES.COM
industry-leading “True Ceramic” technology paired with Cold-Fil- features an extraction lab and King Pen Vapes is a group of
tered distillate. Heavy Hitters’ vape cartridge meets and exceeds an edibles kitchen. Among its vapers with a wide range of
California’s standards for safety and quality, the company says. products are LEGENDS, PRIVATE interests and experiences that
RESERVE, MINI Budz, MAGIC have come together to create
KITCHEN edibles, EVERGREEN, EZ more eficiency and knowledge in
VAPE single-use vape cartridges, choosing the right vaporizers and
GoldLine concentrates, THCaps accessories. With a dedicated
infused capsules, and more. and friendly staf, the company’s
customer service team is happy
COMPANY : CannaCraft to provide specific or general
LOCATION : Santa Rosa, Calif. information on vaporizers and
HTTPS://WWW.CANNACRAFT.COM accessories.
CannaCraft is a communi-
ty-oriented brand that provides COMPANY : The Clear
medical cannabis products man- LOCATION : California
ufactured in Sonoma County. The HTTPS://CLEARCONCENTRATE.COM
“There are new challenges every day, company says its products meet
the highest industry standards
Founded in 2013 by a group
of chemists and scientists
and that keeps us on our toes. But, for organic cultivation, extraction,
product formulation, and packag-
determined to find cleaner ways
to consume cannabis, the Clear
this is what makes it exciting. We ing to ensure patient safety and
well-being.
is a 100 percent solvent-free
cannabis concentrate. Unlike
are literally part of creating what the COMPANY : Cura
most other vaping and dabbing
concentrates, the Clear makes
industry will be for years to come.” FOUNDER : Cameron Forni its flavors and terpenes in-house
—E D L C ,c - r LOCATION : Portland, Ore. using only organic and kosher
r fr t r He H r HTTPS://CURACAN.COM components.
The Cura platform provides can-
nabis oil to both consumers and
MEDICAL FOCUS
Exacting standards with a commitment to improving the quality of life for people and
pets make these companies the leaders in the health and wellness category.
COMPANY : Papa & Barkley is a contract manufacturer and
FOUNDER : Adam Grossman brand developer of CBD consumer C : Cresco Labs
LOCATION : Los Angeles products. It also has sports per- C F C : Charlie Bachtell
HTTPS://WWW.PAPAAND formance products for athletes L : Chicago
BARKLEY.COM through its subsidiary, ISO-Sport. HTTPS://WWW.CRESCOLABS.COM
Papa & Barkley is a consumer Cresco Labs develops professional-grade cannabis products, with
products company making can- COMPANY : Liberty Health Sciences brands (Cresco, Remedi, Reserve, and Mindy’s Edibles, an infused
nabis-powered pain and wellness FOUNDER : Andy DeFrancesco edible line with James Beard Award–winning chef Mindy Segal) that
products, including topical pain CEO : George Scorcis ofer a full suite of products including flower, edibles, vape pens/
balms and transdermal patches, LOCATION : Gainesville, Fla. cartridges, and multiple forms of extracts catering to all consumers.
and consumables like tinctures HTTPS://WWW.LIBERTYHEALTH
and capsules. The company SCIENCES.COM
sources its cannabis from local Liberty Health Sciences is a multi-

farmers and processes the plant state operator that leverages its
cleanly using chemical-free infu- commercial greenhouse knowl-
sion and extraction methods. edge to deliver high-quality, clean,
and safe pharmaceutical-grade
COMPANY : Altitude Products cannabis to consumers.
FOUNDER : Krista Whitley
LOCATION : Las Vegas COMPANY : Scythian BioScience/
HTTPS://WWW.ALTITUDE SOL Global
PRODUCTS.COM COFOUNDER : Andy DeFrancesco
Altitude Products says it is CEO : Rob Reid
actively developing the technol- LOCATION : Miami
ogies to create ultra-premium HTTP://SCYTHIANBIO.COM
products that replace dangerous
pharmaceutical drugs with THC
Scythian is a research and devel-
opment company committed to “Everyone who is a driving force
and CBD wellness products.
Altitude’s brands include The
advancing prevention and treat-
ment eforts for concussions
in this industry has a sense of
Weekend Box, Bella, Felix &
Ambrosia, Whoopi & Maya, Caviar
and traumatic brain injury with its
proprietary cannabinoid-based
entrepreneurial spirit. They are
Gold, and more. combination drug therapy. curious, self-motivated, and willing to
COMPANY : Terra Tech
CEO : Derek Peterson
COMPANY : CV Sciences
FOUNDERS : Michael J. Mona III and
put themselves on the front lines to be
LOCATION : Irvine, Calif. Michael J. Mona, Jr. a steward of a larger mission we are
HTTPS://WWW.TERRATECHCORP.COM
Terra Tech Corp. is a cannabis-fo-
LOCATION : Las Vegas
HTTPS://CVSCIENCES.COM trying to accomplish.”
cused agriculture company CV Sciences operates two dis- — Ch l ,c r CE C sc L s
that cultivates and provides tinct divisions: pharmaceuticals
high-quality medical cannabis and consumer products. These
and other agricultural products. It divisions are supported by its
operates several subsidiaries in medical and scientific advisory opportunity to make a diference, by potent natural ingredients,
both medical cannabis and urban board, and state-of-the art pro- AltMed’s mission is to produce Therabis pet wellness products
agriculture, including IVXX-, Edible duction facilities. safe, reliable, and efective are designed to address spe-
Garden®, and Terra Tech’s retail cannabis-based therapies with cific conditions that challenge
division, Blüm. COMPANY : MUV/Altmed pharmaceutical-industry-level your pet. Founder and veteri-
CO-FOUNDER, PRESIDENT quality and consistency. narian Dr. Stephen M. Katz has
COMPANY : Isodiol AND CEO : R. Michael Smullen spent a decade researching,
CEO : Marcos Agramont LOCATION : Sarasota, Fla. COMPANY : Therabis developing and perfecting the
LOCATION : New York City HTTP://WWW.ALTMED.CO LOCATION : Denver company’s all-natural formula-
HTTPS://ISODIOL.COM Inspired by a firsthand connec- HTTPS://THERABISPET.COM tions to provide pets with reli-
Isodiol creates pharmaceuti- tion with patient and caretaker Backed by 25 years of veteri- able relief from itching, stress
cal-grade, pure, natural CBD and communities and driven by the nary experience and powered and joint immobility.
SPONSORED
HOW ONE CHICAGO

COMPANY IS BECOMING THE DREAM TEAM
With a vision of long-term growth, Cresco Labs
A HOUSEHOLD NAME recruited top talent from other industries.
Agricultural scientists, pharmacy executives,
FOR CANNABIS engineers, chemists, operations specialists, and
sales executives came together to create a
business structure that was both nimble and
In 2015, Charles Bachtell and his partners filed an scalable. Together, this team has set new standards
4,300-page application for one of 21 marijuana for professionalism in cannabis.
grower licenses in Illinois. Months later, winning
three of the 21 licenses with the top three scores, IDENTIFIABLE PRODUCTS
they officially entered the booming, nationwide
Having a clear understanding of the spectrum of
cannabis industry. Then came the hard part —
cannabis consumers, from the medically-minded to
fulfilling the mission to normalize and
the sophisticated, traditional consumer, drove the
professionalize cannabis.
creation of a distinct suite of brands for
Cresco Labs.
They didn’t want to just grow and
Each brand targets a unique audience. Remedi
package the medicinally popular plant, provides relief to consumers looking for discreet
they had a much bigger vision; they cannabis forms that are reminiscent of traditional
wanted to be a household name. Like medicine; like pills, tinctures, and transdermal
Johnson & Johnson. Or Anheuser-Busch. patches. Cresco serves consumers who are more
They had long-term goals of becoming familiar with traditional means of consuming
cannabis but want a quality, dependable product
titans of industry.
they can afford to enjoy every day. Reserve
combines unrivaled quality and hand-selected
Three years later, with six states in its footprint, five genetics for delicately-balanced terpene profiles
brands, and over 200 products, Cresco Labs now and an exclusive experience. Mindy’s Edibles, a
has the largest consumer footprint in the country, partnership with James Beard Award-Winning Chef
poised to cater to every level of cannabis user and Mindy Segal, showcases decadent
to make that vision a reality. chocolate-forward products infused
with flavorless oil. Mindy’s Kitchen
offers a fun, approachable line with
multiple flavors of fruit chews,
gummies, and hard candies.
BUILT TO GROW
In addition to their success winning
merit-based licenses, Cresco Labs is
expanding nationwide through strategic
acquisitions and partnerships. They aim
to be vertically-integrated
state-by-state, touching every element
of the seed-to-sale process and making
them one of the fastest-growing
cannabis companies in the country.
For more information on

Cresco Labs’ growth and
investment opportunities, visit
www.crescolabs.com
Check out these 10 companies that are experts in helping licensed
producers increase yield and manufacture diverse cannabis products.
COMPANY : Advanced Nutrients cial and urban operations. With a
C : GreenBroz FOUNDER : Michael Straumietis selection of cultivation products
F : Cullen Raichart LOCATION : Abbotsford, British combined with logistics and
L : San Diego Columbia distribution services, GrowLife
HTTPS://GREENBROZ.COM/ HTTPS://WWW.ADVANCED consultants help cultivation
GreenBroz, Inc,. makes a full line of automated harvesting equip- NUTRIENTS.COM/ operations eficiently control
ment. It says its flagship, the GreenBroz auto-trimmer, is the best dry Advanced Nutrients is an inter- supply costs, manage build-out
trimming solution available. national marketer and manufac- investments, track supply usage,
turer of agricultural, home and streamline workflows and create
garden, hydroponic fertilizers custom solutions to aid in a wide
“There are and plant nutrients. range of grow concerns.
plenty of COMPANY : Jupiter Research

FOUNDER : Mark Scatterday
COMPANY : Precision
Extraction Solutions
automated LOCATION : Phoenix CEO : Marc Beginin
tools in other HTTP://WWW.JUPITERRESEARCH.COM/

Jupiter Research designs, devel-
LOCATION : Detroit, Mich.
HTTPS://PRECISIONEXTRACTION.COM/
industries ops, and manufactures vapor-

ization technologies exclusively
Precision Extraction Solutions
makes closed loop hydrocar-
but cannabis for the natural plant-derived
oil producer. Jupiter’s propri-
bon and ethanol extraction
equipment and provides site
has a unique etary technology is engineered
specifically for today’s high
planning and training for hemp
and cannabis processors. The
need for gentle handling. Our viscosity extracts, giving the
producer a proven and reliable
company works with many
large-scale producers and spe-
challenge as an engineering company solution to deliver its product.
Jupiter’s Liquid platform pro-
cializes in local and state-level
code compliance.
is to design products with vides “powerful performance”
the ability to scale up production, with the intended flavor and

eficacy customers expect.
COMPANY : Mills Nutrients
LOCATION : Long Beach, Calif.
without sacrificing quality.” COMPANY : Convectium

HTTP://WWW.MILLSNUTRIENTS.COM/
Made in the Dutch tradition of
—C e R ,f r fG z FOUNDER : Danny Davis a two-part base along with ad-
LOCATION : Rancho Santa ditives that provide plants with
Margarita, Calif. only the nutrients they need,
HTTPS://WWW.CONVECTIUM.COM/ Mills is a pioneer in the field of
COMPANY : urban-gro COMPANY : Growers House Convectium’s proprietary tech- bio-mineral plant nutrients, uti-
FOUNDER : Brad Nattrass FOUNDER : Nate Lipton nology and equipment is used lizing both synthetic and organic
LOCATION : Lafayette, Colo. LOCATION : Tucson, Ariz. by companies in the vape indus- sources to optimize growth
HTTPS://URBAN-GRO.COM/ HTTPS://GROWERSHOUSE.COM/ try to automate their workflow. rates, yield, flavor, and aroma.
A cultivation technologies com- Started in 2011 in a 1,500-square- Products include the 710Shark
pany, urban-gro delivers systems, foot location, Growers House has Oil Filling System, 710Captain COMPANY : Heidolph
solutions, design services, and become a major online hydro- Auto-Capping Machine, 710Cove LOCATION : Elk Grove Village, Ill.
technologies for commercial ponics retailer in the U.S., and its No-Leak Cartridge Platform, and HTTPS://HEIDOLPH-INSTRUMENTS.COM
cannabis cultivators. Custom- clients can be found throughout the 710Seal Packaging Line. Heidolph Instruments is a manu-
ers include some of the largest North and South America, Europe, facturer of laboratory equipment,
commercial cannabis cultivators Africa, and Australia. Grower- COMPANY : GrowLife Inc. doing business in more than 100
in the world, the company says. sHouse.com has become an CEO : Marco Hegyi countries. It sells equipment to
urban-gro helps its customers e-commerce platform, media con- LOCATION : Kirkland, Wash. laboratories in pharmaceutical
achieve sustainable scalability tent provider, and creator of more HTTP://GROWLIFEINC.COM/ research, cosmetics, biology,
through innovative technologies, than 20 products for professional GrowLife, Inc., provides hy- bio-fuel, chemical industries, and
resulting in lower operational cost, growers and hobbyists in the droponic equipment, lighting, universities.
increased economic yield, and indoor, outdoor, and greenhouse nutrients, media, and other
reduced environmental impact. cultivation industry. cultivation supplies to commer-
Best of Best of
Cannabis CPG
Where the best of both worlds meet.
Talk to
Our strategy consulting group brings proven approaches to business growth from mainstream
categories, adapted by our deep knowledge and experience in cannabis, to enable success in
the rapidly expanding, ever-changing world of cannabis products.
B U S I N E S S S T R AT E G Y M A R K E T I N G S T R AT E G Y C O N S U M E R S T R AT E G Y INSIGHTS
proglobalworks.com [email protected]
FLOWER
It all starts with companies like these that are taking cultivation to new heights while
expanding the lineup of strains and outcome-based products available to consumers.
COMPANY : DNA Genetics COMPANY : Sherbinski COMPANY : Jungle Boys COMPANY : Phat Panda
FOUNDERS : Don Morris FOUNDER : Mario Sherbinski LOCATION : Los Angeles LOCATION : Seattle
and Aaron Yarkoni LOCATION : San Francisco HTTPS://WWW.THEJUNGLEBOYS.COM HTTP://WWW.PHATPANDA.COM
LOCATION : Sherman Oaks, Calif. HTTPS://WWW.SHERBINSKIS.COM Jungle Boys is a group of LA- With more than 40 strains of
HTTP://WWW.DNAGENETICS.COM Curator of genetics: Sunset based growers who are cultivat- premium marijuana, the Phat
DNA Genetics was established Sherbert, Gelato, Gello, Mochi, ing cannabis while spreading Panda line is a result of a state-
more than 13 years ago in and Acaiberry. knowledge and insight within of-the-art growing facility using
Amsterdam, providing cannabis the community since 2006. techniques executed by the
seeds for the medicinal and rec- company’s in-house experts.
reational markets. The company
has also been developing stra- C : 1964 Supply Co. COMPANY : MMAC (Triple Seven)
tegic partnerships throughout F : Jesse McConnell LOCATION : Los Angeles
the world, entering into each L : Los Angeles HTTPS://TRIPLESEVENLA.COM
legal market as the laws in each HTTPS://WWW.SUPPLIEDBY1964.COM Triple Seven is a cannabis grow-
territory change to provide for 1964 Supply Co. was created to both capture and respect a mo- ing facility that’s committed to
legal cannabis enterprises. ment in time in cannabis history: the year the THC molecule was producing only the most consis-
discovered. Through its collaborations with artists, 1964 Supply Co. tent and well-crafted premium
COMPANY : Sunday Goods has helped capture the creative essence of cannabis users. cannabis possible.
FOUNDER : Randy Smith
LOCATION : Scottsdale, Ariz. COMPANY : Copperstate Farms
HTTPS://WWW.SUNDAYGOODS.COM LOCATION : Snowflake, Ariz.
Founded in 2014, Sunday Goods HTTPS://COPPERSTATEFARMS.COM
is an all-natural cannabis Copperstate Farms continues
company that produces specific to bring growth to the local and
efects through high-integrity state economy through the
growing. Its facility in Arizona hiring of local laborers, material
includes a 320,000-square-foot suppliers, and contractors when
Dutch glass greenhouse where possible.
an assortment of products
such as flower, oils, topicals, COMPANY : Gabriel
and edibles are produced. LOCATION : Washington State
Customers can buy products HTTP://GABRIELCANNABIS.COM
at dispensaries and through its Gabriel says its cultivation
e-commerce delivery platform “The unbelievable passion and rooms are completely sealed—
at SundayGoods.com.
entrepreneurial spirit that I encounter there are no vents to the
outside, and the conditions are
COMPANY : HiFi Farms
FOUNDER : Lee Henderson
in this community is inspiring. controlled from within the room.
This provides the plants with
LOCATION : Portland, Ore.
HTTPS://WWW.HIFIFARMS.COM
This passion extends down to the the perfect environment, where
the temperature can be com-
Being music lovers, this com-
pany’s founders adopted the
consumer, and I’m regularly asked fortable, humidity can sit steady,
and pesticides aren’t ever nec-
name “HiFi” not just because of
their record-playing passions,
about where the opportunities are essary, the company says.
but also to refer to their “higher” and how the small-time entrepreneur
ideals concerning cultivation
practices. can get involved.”
— Jes e Mc l ,f r, 1 S l C
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RETAIL/DELIVERY EXPERIENCE
By providing a trusted customer experience,
these brands are setting the bar for cannabis retail online and in-store.
COMPANY : greenRush COMPANY : Harborside
C : Higher Standards FOUNDER : Paul Warshaw FOUNDER : Steve DeAngelo
F : Sasha Kadey LOCATION : San Francisco LOCATION : Oakland, Calif.
L : Boca Raton, Fla. HTTPS://WWW.GREENRUSH.COM HTTPS://WWW.SHOPHARBORSIDE.COM
HTTPS://HIGHERSTANDARDS.COM Established in 2014, greenRush Founded in 2006, Harborside is
Higher Standards was created to provide smoking connoisseurs serves both the recreational a cannabis dispensary that has
with the tools they need for an elevated smoking experience. The and medical markets. The com- more than 200,000 registered
company’s care and maintenance products help ensure the purest pany’s expansive greenRush consumers. Founder Steve
flavor, and keep pipes, rigs, and vaporizers performing and looking marketplace ofers consumers DeAngelo also started Steep Hill
their best. With its flagship store located at New York’s Chelsea a selection of thousands of Labs, a cannabis-testing facility,
Market, Higher Standards is also setting up pop-up shops in estab- products for delivery or pickup as well as a cannabis investment
lished dispensaries like The Pottery in Los Angeles, and aggressively from licensed providers, while and research firm called the
expanding its own retail footprint. its e-commerce and marketing Arcview Group.
platform enables dispensaries
and brands to sell their prod- COMPANY : Eaze
ucts online easily. CEO : Jim Patterson
LOCATION : San Francisco
COMPANY : Reef Dispensaries HTTPS://WWW.EAZE.COM
FOUNDER : Matthew Morgan Eaze says it is on a mission
LOCATIONS : Nevada and Arizona to improve lives by “helping
HTTPS://REEFDISPENSARIES.COM people understand the benefits
Reef Dispensaries’ state-of- of cannabis and by providing
the-art manufacturing facilities them with safe, convenient
breed and cultivate a vast access to cannabis products.”
selection of medicinal strains. Founded in 2014, the company’s
From extracts to concentrates technology connects licensed
to edibles, Reef Dispensaries’ product brands, distributors, and
products provide targeted relief cannabis retailers to customers
for patients across six locations on-demand.
in Nevada and Arizona. Each
“The chance to play a part in creating clean, safe, and professional COMPANY : Native Roots
an industry that is sure to be a Reef location is stafed with

highly trained, knowledgeable
LOCATION : Denver
HTTPS://WWW.NATIVEROOTS
permanent fixture of the economy patient-consultants to assist in

helping clients.
DISPENSARY.COM
Native Roots is a cannabis brand

for centuries to come is COMPANY : Acreage Holdings
providing a variety of medical and
recreational marijuana, extracts,
extremely exciting and appeals to FOUNDER AND CEO : Kevin Murphy
LOCATION : New York City
infused products, and more.
my desire to be a pioneer.” HTTPS://WWW.ACREAGE

HOLDINGS.COM
COMPANY : Bud.com
LOCATION : Oakland, Calif.
— K ,f r H r St
Acreage Holdings owns cannabis HTTPS://BUD.COM
licenses and assets in states Bud.com is a benefit corporation
where either medical and/or adult delivering recreational cannabis
COMPANY : MedMen standards comparable to those in use of cannabis is legal. Acreage in California.
FOUNDERS : Adam Bierman and the biotech and pharmaceutical owns cultivation, processing
Andrea Modlin industries. MedMen does not and dispensary operations in 13 COMPANY : tru|med
LOCATION : Culver City, Calif. run pot shops—it manages retail states and has one of the largest LOCATION : Phoenix
HTTPS://MEDMEN.COM stores that happen to sell mar- footprints of any cannabis com- HTTPS://TRUMEDAZ.COM
MedMen operates scalable ijuana and marijuana products. pany in the U.S. This dispensary ofers medical
and eficient growing facilities The company operates several cannabis products like flower and
using agronomic technology dispensaries in strategic markets concentrates.
and sustainable techniques. in the U.S.
Its manufacturing facilities use
R’S CHO
TO
IC E
EDI
shop, office, grow operation, or manufacturing facility and
DO THESE see what they think. Conduct this exercise at least once; if
possible, spend two or three days at it. Ask people who will
be candid about their opinions; it’s likely your mother or best
friend won’t want to tell you if they don’t like something—or
might not even know what a cannabis-related business
THINGS
should look like.
“Don’t just trust every person who gives you anecdotal

feedback,” says Tyler Stratford, director of client relations for
Canna Advisors. “Prepare an actual questionnaire, highlight
areas of concern which are confined . . . and get the custom-
ers to describe the general feel they get from your location.
Did they feel rushed? Did they feel like the employees didn’t
BEFORE OPENINGYOUR know what they were talking about? Those are some general
things that stem from inexperience.”
KE NOTE .
DOORS FOR BUSINESS

Helpful tips for a soft launching your
In addition to getting people’s comments, take notes during
the soft launch yourself. This will probably be the only time
you’ll be able to watch what’s going on in your business; once
you open, you’ll be too busy running the place.
brick-and-mortar cannabis store. Here’s a detailed checklist of a few things you should test
J r Ha during the soft launch:
B
• Your security system
efore your brick-and-mortar cannabis store officially
opens, do a soft launch to make sure all the bugs and • Your point-of-sale system
glitches are fixed. Here are some suggestions from • Your location’s general feel
people who have been there, done that. • The way traffic flows inside the location
TE Y UR S EMS • How the product looks in your store, if applicable

• How the employees treat customers
You should try out your security system and your point-of-
sale system, create test entries taking advantage of the • How customers react to interacting with employees
software products’ sandbox features (making sure to erase • How your staff reacts to unexpected scenarios
that fake data before your market debut), and perform other
• How your staff manages an emergency drill
trial runs. In other words, build in time to test all your systems
and procedures in a soft-launch format before opening your In many ways, how people experience your brand is related to
doors to the public. the tangible aspects of it, whether it’s the physical location,
the product, or even the people representing the brand. It’s
According to Marijuana Business Daily, the two biggest chal- important to keep this in mind as you assess the results of
lenges for cannabis businesses without access to banking your soft launch. What worked? What fell flat? What sort of
are safeguarding cash and paying employees and vendors. branding outreach can you derive from what you saw during
Being prepared for them can save you massive headaches in the soft launch?
the future.
Excerpted from Start Your Own Cannabis
I V E FR ND F E Business (Entrepreneur Press 2018).
Once you’ve test-driven all the elements in your location
individually, invite your family, friends, and colleagues to your
AUDIENCE
4 STEPS TO SCALE
YOUR CANNABIS
BUSINESS
by Javier Hasse
“In a small startup, everyone in the company kind of fills in 3. GET MORE HELP.
where needed,” says Michael Gorenstein, CEO of the Cronos
As your business grows, you’ll need guidance with more
Group. “As you scale, it’s important to put in a framework
complex things like advanced ordering, volume pricing
that allows you to push down accountability, and think
discounts, and daily operations, because complexity surges
about how you’re going to deal with internal communica-
exponentially with scale. Just make sure you add the right
tions and how you can make sure that the huge range of
people to your team.
tasks and issues that come up can be dealt with in a very
effective and clear manner.”
“A chief operating officer is crucial to manage internal
planning,” Gorenstein says. “You’ll also need to start laying
The following are action items to focus on to ensure that
out other departments. If you focus too much on one area
the cannabis isn’t the only thing growing.
and leave a gap, any single area you ignore can cripple your
business. If you don’t have your marketing department
1. DIFFERENTIATE YOURSELF. beefed up and ready to go, when you launch your product in
Clearly communicate what’s special about your product or additional territories, implementing the details (logos, fonts,
service. Is it less expensive? Is it manufactured in an ISO-ap- themes, messages) will be hard.”
proved facility? Is it organic?
4. GO MULTI-LOCAL.
Ways to diferentiate your business include:
How does one grow a cannabis business from a single store
• A unique product into a multi-location company? How does a nonretailer (like
• Organic certifications a software company, a wholesale business, a consultant,
• Great packaging etc.) expand its reach?
• 24/7 customer service
Licensed operators, infused products manufacturers,
• Regional offices and so-called OTF (other than flower) product companies,
• Dedicated account managers including vape pen and edibles makers, are restricted to do-
• ISO approval ing business within the state they’re located in. Businesses
that aren’t licensed and/or don’t sell infused products and
• Cryptocurrency integration
OTFs can do business in any state and around the world.
“We’ve seen many product companies that would be great
2. RAISE MORE MONEY.
national brands, but the capital and infrastructure required
“The single biggest limiting factor when that time comes to expand outside the territory they’re licensed in or con-
will be money, and how much cash you have on hand,” says duct business in is prohibitive,” says Larry Schnurmacher,
Compassionate Certification Centers’ CEO Dr. Bryan Doner. managing partner at Phyto Partners. “It becomes difficult,
“Your expansion/growth and time to do so will be directly if not impossible, to create economies of scale and stream-
correlated to how much money you have access to then lined systems logistics that are identical.”
and there, at that moment.”
Excerpted from Start Your Own Cannabis Business
But Gorenstein cautions against taking money from just (Entrepreneur Press 2018).
anyone. “If you get helpful, well-connected investors in
early, they’ll work to help you grow your company—and you
won’t even need to pay them.”
QUESTIONSTOASK
BEFORE NAMINGYOUR
CANNABIS COMPANY
Top marketers share how to come up
with a winning name plan.
by Jonathan Small
Your brand’s name is the message you broadcast to the world.

While companies may come and go, their names last forever.
But too often, entrepreneurs treat the naming process as an
afterthought—a fun thing to brainstorm about over bagels or
a drink, not a serious step in a brand development strategy.
The key is to find a name that both describes the essence of

your brand and diferentiates you in the marketplace. Here are
some key questions to ask yourself.
WHAT’S THE SOUL OF MY COMPANY? names,” explains Milano. The purpose of this practice is not to
Before writing anything down, ask yourself what your copy their names, but to take note of the names and brands
product or service is all about. What story do you want to that are successful and unsuccessful and understand why.
tell? Cannabis is a “very intimate product that people want
to connect with,” says Scott Milano, founder and managing IS THE NAME TRADEMARKED ALREADY?
director of Tanj, a boutique marketing agency. “Getting a
Once you have a solid list of potential names (Milano suggests
clearer picture of what your brand should represent in the
1,000!), do a trademark screening on the ones you like to make
world can be very beneficial.”
sure they’re available. You don’t want to get dinged with a
lawsuit right out of the gate. The U.S. Patent and Trade Ofice
CAN MY NAME WITHSTAND THE TEST OF TIME? website should be your first line of defense. If your findings
“Try to pick at least one aspect of your business that will be there are inconclusive, you might want to consider hiring a
permanent, and see if you can reflect that in a name,” rec- private trademark attorney.
ommends Joe Goldstein, the director of SEO and operations
at TrailBlazer SEO, web design and SEO specialists for the IS THE NAME TOO NARROW?
cannabis industry. What might be a priority one year may be
While your core customer is very important to your business,
completely diferent the next. You don’t want to be stuck with
you don’t want to just play to your base. A successful busi-
a name that’s yesterday’s news.
ness caters to its fans but leaves room to expand into other
markets.
For example, he says, “If you want to open a medical dispensa-
ry that may eventually evolve into a recreational dispensary,
Says Goldstein, “No matter what you name your business, re-
a name that includes ‘medical,’ ‘doctor,’ or ‘RX’ could send the
member that your customers aren’t the only ones you need to
wrong message.”
worry about. A dispensary named The Dank Dojo might amuse
your customers, but will it stand in the way of attracting seri-
WHAT ARE MY COMPETITORS’ NAMES? ous investors, winning cooperation from local authorities, or
Make a list of all your competitors’ names. “You want to being treated as a legitimate business by your community?”
understand what is going on with the messages behind their
Everything You Need To Know About
Starting And Running A Successful
CANNABIS BUSINESS
In 2016, legal cannabis sales reached about $6.6 billion in
North America. Recreational marijuana sales accounted for
roughly 29 percent, and the remaining 71 percent went to
medical marijuana.
NEW FRONTIER DATA, “THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY ANNUAL REPORT: 2017 LEGAL MARIJUANA OUTLOOK”
Legal sales are currently surging at a compound annual growth

rate of 16 percent and are expected to surpass $24 billion by 2025.
NEW FRONTIER DATA, “THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY ANNUAL REPORT: 2017 LEGAL MARIJUANA OUTLOOK”
Roughly 70 percent of wholesale cultivators, retailers, and

infused-product manufacturers declared they had hit or
surpassed their break-even point within a year.
MARIJUANA BUSINESS DAILY, “MARIJUANA BUSINESS FACTBOOK 2017”
From deciding on a business structure to finding a storefront

location, the startup journey is long. And if you want to get
started in the cannabis industry, that journey can take some
unexpected turns.
Start Your Own Cannabis Business will help you navigate those
turns with a combination of useful information, tips, resources,
and insightful stories from cannabis pioneers who have helped
carve out the path for you.
entm.ag/cannabisstartup
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Franchisee
Million-Dollar Maid
Christina Clark started working as a cleaner for Molly Maid 22 years ago. Today, she owns two franchise
territories in Florida that earn a combined $1 million annually. by LY D I A B E L A N G E R
Photographs / D A N I F R E S H October 2018 / E N T R E P R E N E U R . C O M / 93

Franchisee
attendance policy we stick to. But

it’s still a little more flexible than
some workplaces. The majority of
our employees are single mothers.
I wanted to make sure they had
the time to take care of their kids,
go to doctors’ appointments,
school plays, stuff like that.
Was it challenging to go from

one territory to two? What’s
your support system like?
Angel, my general manager, is
my right-hand person. She helps
me with hiring, firing, inter-
viewing, payroll, and schedul-
ing. Once we get Leon County,
our second territory, a little bit
more stable—probably in the
beginning of 2019—my husband,
John, is looking at quitting his
daytime job and working here
full-time. He has a mechanic
background, so he’ll be able to
really help cut costs on our vehi-
cle maintenance.
Do you still attend conventions

and bounce ideas off other
owners?
Yes, and sometimes I find their
he story of Christina Clark’s career is quite literally one of rags to riches. suggestions to be scary, but
Clark graduated high school in the mid ’90s and got a full-time job as an then I remind myself, This is why
you wanted to be in a franchise.
assistant house cleaner for Molly Maid. Within six months, she was pro- It’s about having that support,
moted to route manager. Eventually Clark took on even more responsibil- that access to information. If
ity and moved from the field to the home office. She became a deeply loyal someone tells me something
is a best practice, I’m going to try
employee, working at the same office for 17 years and taking college business
it—and normally, it works. For
courses on the side. In 2012, when her boss asked her to attend the annual Molly example, until recently, I’d been
Maid convention in his place, she obliged, and made an unexpected decision pretty lax about Google reviews.
while on the convention floor: She decided to purchase her own Molly Maid But other owners kept telling
me how much they can help your
franchise, and the next year became the owner of the Northwest Florida terri- business. So now, when custom-
tory. Just five years later, Clark joined the ranks of the franchise’s “million-dollar ers schedule cleanings, we say,
circle,” consistently earning $1 million in annual revenue after purchasing a “After your service, feel free
second territory in 2015. Now she’s eyeing that $2 million milestone. to leave us a Google review.” At
first, I was really nervous about
it, because we’re not perfect—
What did you learn in your ear- because they were able to relate What’s a change that you sometimes the teams miss
liest days with the company to me, given that I used to be implemented? something, or we get an unhappy
that you still apply today? in their shoes. By the time I Our attendance policy was customer. But overall, getting
When I was the office manager, moved into an ownership role, kind of willy-nilly, and some more reviews has helped the
the employees felt comfortable I had a good understanding employees were really taking business. And if we do get a bad
coming to me with what they of how employees felt and advantage of it, which was one, we reach out to the customer
liked about the job and what what areas we should focus affecting scheduling and busi- directly. Nine times out of 10, we
they didn’t like about the job, on changing. ness growth. Now we have an can resolve the situation.
Franchisor
Invest in the Underestimated

The CEO of Home Franchise Concepts works to turn inexperienced franchisees into
her company’s biggest success stories. by H AY D E N F I E L D
hirin Behzadi knows the importance of being

able to take care of yourself. As a teenager, she → RIGHT AT HOME
emigrated to the United States with her par- Shirin Behzadi, CEO
ents at the height of the Iranian Revolution of Home Franchise
Concepts.
and worked as a gas station cashier to help
make ends meet. Today, she’s the CEO of Home
Franchise Concepts (HFC), a family of direct-to-
consumer home improvement brands including
Budget Blinds, Tailored Living, and Concrete Craft, with
1,400 worldwide franchises. But her gas station experi-
ence still stays with her, driving a core mission at HFC: She
wants to turn what she calls “everyday” entrepreneurs—
millennials, seniors, single parents, veterans, and anyone
else who may appear inexperienced on paper—into busi-
ness owners. To make it happen, her 25-year-old company
offers in-classroom training, coaching, webinars, and area
meetings to help develop new franchisees.
How did your background pre- What are some ways the
pare you for franchising? company empowers franchi-
Since I was 17, I’ve been work- sees, especially if they’re
ing to support myself. During new to business?
the chaos of the Iranian Revo- As soon as a franchisee enters
lution, many families’ finances our system, we have what
were frozen—and mine was no we call pre-classroom prepa-
exception. I know what it feels ration—essentially, reading If someone had asked me if I’d what’s your advice for other
like to not have money. I know assignments. Then we hold end up in home-improvement- women in business?
what it feels like to have to two-week training sessions here related franchise systems, of I went through life—and my
find ways to support yourself. in Irvine, California, and we pay course I couldn’t have predict- work life—really not focusing
And I know there’s a way out. for our franchisees’ hotel stays ed that. But I knew at some on the fact that I’m a woman.
Franchising is the best of both to make sure they’re all taken point I’d create things for oth- I was aware that I had to work
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF HOME FRANCHISE CONCEPTS
worlds—it allows individuals care of. We teach them how to ers. In school, I would always harder and smarter than my
who have an entrepreneurial sell, how to install product, the take some kind of a leadership peers. The key to unlocking my
spirit to get into business, but A-to-Z of our business. After position in any activity I could own power was to own it. You
it also allows them to take that two-week period, we have get my hands on, from drama declare it. As women, we may
advantage of systems that are folks who provide post-class- club to choir. I liked solving not necessarily be as up-front
tried-and-true, like market- room training locally. The first problems, creating systems, when it comes to promoting our
ing, training, and support. six months of business are criti- and managing and empower- own strength. Over the years,
Even our purchasing power cal. After that period, we stay up ing people, providing oppor- I’ve gotten better at it. Every
is extremely powerful—we close and personal with coach- tunities for them to blossom. time I’m been faced with a
have folks who run around ing programs and webinars. If you add all those things decision, I always go back to my
the world sourcing products together, it’s not unusual where own core values and principles:
and programs on behalf of our In effect, you’re teaching I ended up. trying to do right by others.
franchisees, because they get people how to be leaders. Did I wake up every day and say,
to negotiate on the collective you always believe you’d be HFC supports a lot of female “Let’s just do the right thing
whole of the system. one yourself? franchisees. As a female CEO, today.” The rest of it will follow.
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Suppliers
Working with a technology provider can streamline

operations across the entire franchise business.
But first, consider your specific needs—and a potential
partner’s strengths. Here are three stories.
From Keith Gerson, president and

chief customer advocate, FranConnect
I K
W From The Melting Pot
shopping for a CRM

franchise
The Melting Pot was
(customer relationship
management system), it
/
You don’t just plug in a CRM. The
Melting Pot had to untangle a lot of its
old systems first. “We had to adapt to
their processes and learn their system.”
P H O T O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y O F K E I T H G E R S O N ; P H O T O I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y I S T O C K P H O T O . C O M /J I R S A K
was attracted to Sales- /
force’s strong reputation “Strategically, they were the right part-
ner for us. But it was time-consuming
and the level of data and to make sure everything was organized
visibility it promised to and built correctly before going live.”
provide. But, says Mark
Newlin, manager of mar- / l
After they were up and running, the
keting technology for the
franchise led its franchisees through
fondue franchise, he sure in-depth training. “All that work was
wishes he’d known that… worth it,” Newlin says.
From Pure Barre
/ When Pure Barre started working with Mindbody, a

CRM focused on the health and wellness industry, it hoped the company
could help Pure Barre streamline its studio operations.
/ The CRM collected and organized so much data, Pure Barre

began basing all its studio strategies on it—from pricing to specific pack-
ages it offers customers. That was 10 years ago, but the learnings continue.
“We’re working to further diagnose the retail aspect of our business and its
interplay with our guests’ workout behavior,” says Zach Bell, director of
finance at Pure Barre.
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Real Estate
Burning
Down
the
House
Five decades ago, Century 21 was an innovative force in real estate.
Now, in an era of new technology and consumer demands, its
fresh CEO is attempting to rebrand and overhaul the global franchise.
But at a company this size, change doesn’t come easy.
by E M I LY N O N K O
100 / E N T R E P R E N E U R . C O M / October 2018 Illustration / J A N N E I I V O N E N

Real Estate
Walk into
can double transactions in the
next five years and become
the most desirable brand in
the industry. He also believes
Century 21’s
history is on his side. Five
decades ago, Century 21
re-created the real estate busi-
ness in America. What’s to say
headquarters
it can’t happen again?
CENTURY 21 was founded in

California in 1971 by two real
estate agents who wanted
in Madison, N.J.,
to build “the McDonald’s of
real estate.” It was the first
company to take the very
local business of real estate
and it’s clear

and operate it on a national
platform—running a franchise
system, with local franchisees
who hire their own agents. In
a few years, Century 21 was
the company is
opening 100 offices a month.
From 1988 to 1990, it ranked
in the top 10 of Entrepreneur’s
Franchise 500® listing.
in transition.
But the internet fundamen-
tally altered the real estate
industry over the past 15 years.
“Once the listing information
became publicly available, the
A few things seem off and says. “An awful place to work.” cake and ice cream, like on an agent went from being a guard-
slightly out of place. The walls. To start, he did what’s episode of The Office. ian of information to being a
The furniture. And most nota- become common among tech Bailey says the renovation professional services provider,”
bly, the Ping-Pong table—that leaders. He opted out of the is not yet finished. But he has says Clelia Peters, president
clichéd symbol of a Silicon corner office, moved into a bigger things on his plate—like of New York’s Warburg Realty
Valley startup, which sits awk- cubicle a few rows away, and turning Century 21 into the and cofounder of MetaProp, a
wardly abandoned in a corner. turned his predecessor’s work most sought-after, beloved venture fund focused on real
The table arrived in 2017, a space into a company war brand in real estate. That’s a estate technology.
corporate gift to welcome Cen- room of sorts. Desks were big task, especially considering This in turn created new
tury 21’s then-new CEO, Nick cleared out to make way for the that most consumers loathe opportunities for real estate
Bailey, who took over that sum- Ping-Pong table. “We wanted the home buying and selling upstarts, who came in with
mer. He’d arrived from Zillow, to create a shock factor,” he process, no matter who is help- fresh ideas to tackle an indus-
one of the very tech companies says. “Leadership has to prove ing them do it. The fix will be try that’s worth $31.8 trillion
putting pressure on Century that things are different.” external (new logo, messaging, in the U.S. Redfin, for example,
21, and carried with him no But this is a 47-year-old essentially a full rebrand) as launched in 2004 with a DIY
allegiance to his new employ- company, and, as Bailey is well as internal and emo- model: Customers could find
er’s past—including its office learning, even shock waves tional—changing processes, and purchase a home on the
design. His mission, in fact, was tend not to ripple outward very changing culture, changing site with little need for an
to largely tear the place up: to fast. It only takes a quick trip customer expectations. It won’t agent. That turned out to not
overhaul what many have come down the hall to see that. Cubi- be easy, Bailey knows, and work; in the highly emotional
to see as a tired brand, a former cles still rise from carpet-lined success isn’t a guarantee. Nor process of buying a home,
real estate giant that lost its floors, and the noise level can is the blind support of staff, let Redfin learned, people like
way as technology turned the best be described as “appropri- alone a global network of 8,800 having an expert by their side
industry on its head. ate.” A party held one summer offices and 122,000 agents. throughout the buying process.
“Before I was hired, the afternoon for a recently wed Still, Bailey is setting high So Redfin pivoted to look more
place looked like a morgue,” he employee featured a sheet goals. He says the company like a conventional brokerage,

Real Estate
hiring more in-house agents

and utilizing its technology to
make the buying and selling
process as seamless as possible.
“Technology makes real estate
more efficient, and that’s
why the economics of it are
changing,” says Redfin’s CEO,
Glenn Kelman. “But there’s
still a place [for an agent] to
help somebody figure out: Is
this the right house? Is this the
right price?” The pivot worked:
Redfin is now a public com- → HITTING REFRESH
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF CENTURY 21

pany that showed a 36 percent Century 21’s new logo (left)
jump in annual revenue in its and its original (above).
last quarterly report.
But as entrants like this anyway. The last time the for- recently served as the VP of industry thinks of Century
embraced change, Century mer mainstay of Entrepreneur’s broker relations at Zillow, the 21: “It was referred to as ‘your
21 resisted. “The attitude has Franchise 500 list made the online-listings company that grandfather’s brand.’ ”
always been Don’t rock the boat,” rankings was 2008. helped consumers realize they To alter that perception, in
says Bailey. “We’re too large, Bailey, however, feels don’t need to pay an agent to March, he introduced a visual
we’re too big, we’ve been around equipped to catch the company tell them what houses are for rebrand—a step toward attract-
too long. What if we change and up. He got his career start as sale. It was there that Bai- ing younger franchisees and
it destroys us?” Change came a Century 21 agent and most ley says he learned what the younger customers. Gone is the
TOTALLYNUTZFRANCHISE.COM
black-and-gold logo featuring wrote, “and how our agents another constant pain point. It did offer a few basic
a midcentury, Brady Bunch– could help achieve that.” It’s that ever-moving target outlines, though. Century 21
style house. In its place are How will it achieve that? It’s when ownership is officially says it’s making significant
nuanced tones—gray and light a big question. transferred to the buyer. “As a investments in technology, will
gold—that showcase a simple C To start, the company is buyer or seller, you don’t under- simplify the existing system
with a 21 nestled inside. taking a cold, hard look at every stand why [that date is never for agents, and will make its
Next, Bailey wants Century part of the home buying pro- met],” Whitley says. Here, Cen- website more mobile-friendly
21 to better understand its cess. From a real estate agent’s tury 21 also sees opportunity: It for consumers. Franchisee
customers and their concerns. point of view, the problem starts wants to make the process less onboarding will change, too,
Earlier this year, the com- immediately. “Seventy percent stressful, more transparent, and leaning on video chat and
pany commissioned a study of people use the first agent streamlined with technology. conferencing to make the
by Wakefield Research on they meet,” says Cara Whitley, For as open as the com- process “more experiential than
consumers’ feelings toward the Century 21’s CMO, who joined pany is about its problems, theoretical.”
real estate universe. The results in 2015 and came from a it’s less forthcoming about its Bailey is more specific about
were comically dismal. Forty background in hospitality and solutions. I repeatedly pressed how he intends to change
percent of people think it would finance. “People spend more for specifics on the changes the company’s culture. To
be worse to sell their home time researching restaurants it would make and the tech it start, he recently introduced
than get a root canal; about the than who will oversee the big- was developing. How would something he calls House
same percentage think being a gest purchase of their lives.” But all this impact franchisees, Habits—six motivational ideas
real estate agent is easier than this is also an opportunity— agents, and consumers? that have been distributed to
driving a taxi. Century 21’s first either to be that first person a The company mostly said it all franchisees and are to serve
response came via social media: consumer meets or to change couldn’t offer specifics. It’s as the new basis of agents’
“We want to start a conversa- consumer behavior and win early days, to be fair—much is performance evaluations.
tion around how the real estate them away from competitors. either in development or still They’re idealistic, if not a little
experience could be better,” it The closing process is in the conceptual phase. cheesy: “Always elevate,” reads
Real Estate
one. “121 percent wins,” says

another. The important thing, REAL ESTATE IS LOCAL,” BAILEY SAYS.
Bailey says, is that they contain
directives. “Own it” is intended “EVEN 10 MILES MAKES A DIFFERENCE. YES, WE WANT
to change the company’s top- CONSISTENCY. BUT WE CAN HAVE A LEVEL OF
down decision-making process. FLEXIBILITY THAT STILL LETS PEOPLE BE INDIVIDUALS.”
“What if?” invites agents to
challenge the legacy think-
ing that’s kept the brand at a
standstill. “Dream big, move CHANGING ANY large company the founding DNA. “They’re make a splash, Century 21 has
fast” asks franchisees to keep is hard. But it’s even harder in building what millennials like,” to reinvent the model,” he says.
up with the changes at HQ. franchising, where changes at he says. “There’s a giant work- Some say they had no idea
And “Open the house” calls the corporate level must then table; everything is digital.” the change was coming until it
for transparent communica- reverberate down to hundreds These are the kinds of peo- arrived. Plenty of franchisees
tion—within the company and or thousands of franchisees. ple that a rebranded, refash- were consulted during the
between agent and consumer. In those franchisees, Bailey ioned Century 21 will need design process, though Bailey
“We want to get agents is finding a unique challenge. to reengage in order to be says it would have been impos-
to deliver an extraordinary Top, hard-charging franchise successful. And that will mean sible for the company to con-
experience,” Whitley says. To companies run in lockstep, hearing a lot of opinions. nect with every last one. Like
do so, she’s also exploring new with their franchisees carrying After Century 21 revealed many large franchisors, he was
incentives and rewards. This out a well-honed system. But its new branding, for example, resigned to the reality that he
summer, Century 21 presented at Century 21, while the franchisees across the country couldn’t please everyone. “The
six agents with the Relentless company was failing to evolve dutifully replaced their sign- initial rollout was emotionally
Agent Award, an honor based over the past half-century, its age and business cards—but charged,” he says.
on service rather than sales franchisees found their own that doesn’t mean they’re all What he hopes now is that
volume. Leadership pored best practices. For example, happy about it. “Fifty years franchisees give him the bene-
over 5,000 customer testi- Dylan de Bruin, co-owner of a building a brand, the gold fit of the doubt, and time. The
monials to identify honorees, Century 21 in Des Moines, standard! All to be thrown rebrand will take several years
who were taken to ESPN’s conducted an audit of the away for beige and boring,” to hit all 8,800 offices, and
ESPY Awards in Los Angeles buying and selling process to wrote one on Facebook. that’s just the visual aspects.
this past July. And that was no learn where agents can Another echoed, “Looks like Cultural and technological
random prize: Century 21 is improve service. In Washing- the designer went to a mall, changes will happen at their
now partnering with ESPN in ton, D.C., franchisee Todd passed a Michael Kors store own pace. But, he seems to
an effort to align the passion Hetherington customized and a Forever 21, then this think, a good first step is at
of its agents with the pas- training with more individual- logo was born.” least acknowledging all the
sion of a sports fan. (Century ized, in-the-field work. In conversations with problems. Century 21 needed
21 will sponsor “relentless “There have been no com- franchisees, I heard com- work. Its industry is grap-
moments” in sports through pany shifts sent down to us at plaints of all forms. Some, like pling with immense change. A
commercials featured on the ground level,” says Manny Tracy Larson, an agent with company that faces challenges
ESPN social platforms.) De Silvia, a Century 21 agent in a Century 21 franchise in the head-on is healthier than one
If it seems like an unnatural Corona, Calif. In his experi- Florida Keys, think the logo that doesn’t.
fit, that’s the point. Whitley and ence, agents are more focused design isn’t universal enough. “Real estate is local—even 10
Bailey want to catch the on their own brand than that “It’s fine for metropolitan miles makes a difference,” Bai-
attention of fresh, ambitious of the company, anyway. “All areas,” she says, “but there’s ley says. “Yes, we want to have
blood—and they’re looking well agents say the same thing: ‘It’s no connection to an island consistency. But we can have a
outside of real estate to figure not about the brand; it’s about lifestyle, which is what we sell level of flexibility that still lets
out how. Could a ratings system me,’ ” he says. “People will buy here.” Others complain of the people be individuals.” After
become as valuable to the and list with us because of who cost. Franchisee Hetherington all, individual success can only
company as Yelp has become we are. They aren’t looking says it will require hundreds lead to greater things for the
to restaurants? Could the at brands anymore.” He says of thousands of dollars to company. “If the industry won’t
predictability of an Amazon some of his colleagues have change out signs and mar- create the standard,” Bailey
delivery be translated to the been tempted to defect from keting materials. “I won’t say says, “then why can’t we?”
timeline of buying a home? Says Century 21 to NextHome, a I’m happy to pay it,” he says,
Whitley: “We’ve got to look startup-style brokerage (and “but it’s making a change and Emily Nonko is a New York–
across to other sectors to see franchise) that launched in putting us on the map.” And based writer who covers
what’s working and bring that 2015. There, technology and in Manhattan, Ryan Sherman urbanism, real estate, architec-
thinking to what we’re doing.” a modern culture is part of wants to see more change. “To ture, and design.

FRANCHISE SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Invest in
Yourself
Learn more about how these
franchise opportunities can
help you grow and realize your
full business potential.
Express Employment
Professionals
Stafing
InXpress
Shipping & Logistics
Specialists
Pillar To Post
Home Inspection
Pirtek USA
Industrial Service Provider
Stratus Building
Solutions
Commercial
Cleaning Services
FRANCHISE ADVERTISEMENT
ABOUT INXPRESS
B2B-based shipping and logistics franchise
ofering small - to medium-sized businesses
the attention and shipping rates usually
ofered to high-volume clients. InXpress
owners work from home and coordinate
movement of packages all over the world
without personally handling any packages.
INXPRESS FUN FACTS

Under $100k Initial Investment
Home Ofice Business (no high cost

brick & mortar lease)
Business to Business (no retail)
and No Employees Required
Turnkey Carrier Contracts –

Recurring Revenue
RUNNING A GLOBAL BUSINESS

FROM YOUR HOME OFFICE
In the trillion-dollar shipping and logistics of our business is that customers are every- on recurring business-to-business revenue,
industry, location has become a relative term. where…and sometimes in places you might VKRZLQJ FXVWRPHUV KRZ WR UHGXFH H[SHQVHV
In fact, running your own global business consider unlikely. It really shows that the DQG SUHVHQWLQJ ZD\V WR LQFUHDVH SURÀWDELOLW\
IURP WKH FRQYHQLHQFH RI \RXU KRPH RIÀFH LV possibilities are endless.” :LWK QR EULFNDQGPRUWDU H[SHQVHV DQG QR
now possible through the InXpress franchise The InXpress franchise model is built employees required to start, franchisees are
opportunity. InXpress has a network of 100+ able to on-board quickly and start servicing
owners in the US and Canada, most with no clients in any industry, from any location.
prior industry background. Using the brand’s Through strategic shipping and logistics
fully-tested turnkey system, InXpress Fran- relationships including being a leading cus-
chisees coordinate movement of millions of tomer of DHL, InXpress is able to provide
shipments annually – all without personally freight, parcel and shipping solutions fo-
handling a single package. cused on small- and medium-sized business-
Florida-based InXpress owner Cathy es who are often overlooked and unable to
Battreall works with clients all over the US, access high-volume pricing rates.
XQGHUVFRULQJ WKH ÁH[LELOLW\ RI WKH ,Q;SUHVV With territories available in the US and
model that promotes being able to operate Canada and a low initial investment needed
her business from anywhere. “The potential to start, now’s the time to take advantage
for growth and the long-term opportunity of the growth of the shipping and logistics
,Q;SUHVV SUHVHQWV LV IXQFWLRQDO LW·V ÁH[LEOH industry by opening your own InXpress
and scalable,” shares Battreall. “The beauty franchise business.
For More InXpress Information:

 Brittney Williams [email protected]
inxpressfranchise.com (844) 514-7447
ABOUT PILLAR TO POST

HOME INSPECTORS®
North America’s leading
homeinspection company
withNearly 600 franchisees
in 49 statesand Canada.
PILLAR TO POST
HOME INSPECTORS®
FAST FACTS
Franchise Fee: $21,900
Provides flexibility and

financial security
Helps your work/life balance
Allows you to take control of

your financial future
HE CAME HERE WITH $300.00 IN HIS POCKET;

NOW HE IS A PILLAR TO POST HOME INSPECTOR®
Ask Imran Qillawala, 46, if you can buy a knew that going to a new country with young for my children.
franchise on any budget. He migrated from kids to support was going to be extremely I have an eye for detail and I love real
Pakistan 14 years ago with his wife, two challenging, especially without much money. HVWDWH VR 3LOODU 7R 3RVW ZDV D JRRG ÀW 7KH
young kids and a few hundred dollars in his We took out a loan and in March of 2004 people, training, support and accessibility
pocket. Now he is the proud owner of Pillar we landed at Dulles airport and started are also amazing. The company has been so
To Post Home Inspectors® of Leesburg, a new chapter in our life. I worked hard welcoming and helpful.”
Virginia. while my wife stayed home to take care of Pillar To Post Home Inspectors, the largest
Qillawala is another story of a hard a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old. I got a job at home inspection company in North America,
working immigrant coming to the U.S. in a Toyota dealership and worked 8:00am to has enjoyed impressive franchisee growth for
KRSHV RI ÀQGLQJ D EHWWHU OLIH IRU KLPVHOI DQG 9:00pm seven days a week. One year later several years in a row. New franchisees on
his family, and he did not waste time. CarMax gave me the opportunity to work ERDUG HDFK PRQWK DQG HQMR\ WKH YHU\ ÀQHVW
Qillawala shares his story of his journey in sales and after seven years of it, I decided in home inspection training. Recognized by
from Pakistan to Pillar To Post Home to open my own small dealership. I made Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500®
Inspectors® of Leesburg in his own words; a minor success of that before deciding for 18 consecutive years as Number One in
“When I got the call from the US embassy to change my career and enter the home Category, Pillar To Post and its franchisees
in Pakistan that our immigration papers were inspection business. I wanted to build a are solidly leading the way as the model for
ready we were very excited. But we also lifetime career for myself and create a legacy other service franchises.
For Pillar To Post Home Inspectors® Information;

 Pillar To Post [email protected]
pillartopostfranchise.com (877) 963-3129
ABOUT STRATUS
BUILDING SOLUTIONS
Stratus Building Solutions is the nation’s
leading green cleaning and janitorial services
franchise ofering exclusive regional master
franchises and scalable unit franchise
opportunities throughout the US
and Canada.
STRATUS BUILDING
SOLUTIONS FUN FACTS
Exclusive Major Metropolitan
Territories Available
Lowest Investment Costs in
Commercial Cleaning Industry
Multiple Recurring Revenue
SPARK RECURRING REVENUE Streams
No Experience Necessary
STREAMS WITH STRATUS!
Stratus Building Solutions® provides an services puts Stratus® at the forefront of the and availabilities in major metropolitan
environmentally friendly commercial cleaning commercial cleaning industry. Offering a range areas, Stratus® provides the nation’s premier
experience driven by entrepreneurial, small of special services, customizable options, state- franchise opportunities in the commercial
business owners and regional support centers. of-the-art cleaning equipment with air-quality cleaning industry.
Since 2006, Stratus Building Solutions® has improvement components, and Green Seal
become a household name as the industry &HUWLÀHG 6WUDWXV *UHHQ &OHDQ FKHPLFDOV Regional Master Franchises:
leader in green facilities maintenance. With a Stratus Building Solutions® is second to none • Exclusive Territories Available in
proven Stratus Building Solutions® business in cleaning for quality AND health. Major Metropolitan Areas
model and a commitment to customer service, • Monthly Recurring Revenue
your own commercial janitorial service fran- Success for Today and the Future • Multiple Income Sources Model
chise has unlimited earning potential. The Stratus Building Solutions® business • High Margin Earnings Capability
model targets multiple recurring revenue • Training and Continuous Business
At the Forefront streams in a recession proof industry, assur- Development Support
In an ever-increasing environmentally con- ing a consistent income today AND into the • National Marketing Campaign
scious market, the demand for Green Clean IXWXUH &XVWRPHU FRQWUDFWV ÀQDQFLQJ SD\- • Proprietary Management Software
ments, and a scalable organizational concept
provide a solid base to leverage continuous Unit Franchises:
growth, as proven by many successful exist- • Lowest Investment Costs in the Industry,
ing Stratus® franchises. as low as $1000 down
• Guaranteed Sales Accounts
The Stratus® Difference • Multiple Franchise Concepts
Stratus Building Solutions® offers a turn- • No Experience Necessary; All sales,
key business model with franchise concepts marketing billing and collections, and
ranging from home-based businesses to services training provided
exclusive regional Master franchises. With • State-of-the-Art Equipment and Materials
the lowest investment costs in the industry • Military Discounts Available
For More Stratus Building Solutions Information:

 Mark Johnson [email protected]
stratusclean.com (888) 981-1555
ABOUT EXPRESS
EMPLOYMENT
PROFESSIONALS
Express Employment Professionals is
a leading stafing provider in the U.S.,
Canada and South Africa. Every day,
we help job seekers find work and help
businesses find qualified employees.
EXPRESS FACTS
$35k Franchise fee
$135k - $206k Investment

Two ownership models to
choose from
800+ ofices with 35 years’
experience
Mature ofices average $6.4
million in annual sales*
STAFFING: A GREAT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Choosing a growing industry is one of KLJKGHPDQG VHDVRQV $QG LQ WRGD\·V IUDQFKLVHV UHYHDOHG LQ WKDW GXULQJ WKH
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SXWWLQJPLOOLRQVRISHRSOHWRZRUN Helping People Succeed D ORZ SHUFHQWDJH LQ UR\DOWLHV³RQDYHUDJH
([SUHVV IUDQFKLVH RZQHUV KDYH WKH MXVW SHUFHQW RI VDOHV
Robust Growth Pattern Prevalent in a RSSRUWXQLW\ WR PDQDJH D SURIHVVLRQDO :LWK WZR RZQHUVKLS PRGHOV DQG QHDUO\
$150 Billion Industry EXVLQHVV WKDW PDNHV D GLIIHUHQFH LQ WKH DYDLODEOH IUDQFKLVH WHUULWRULHV QRZ LV
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For Express Employment Professionals Information;

 Express Employment Professionals
ExpressFranchising.com (877) 652-6400
)RUIUDQFKLVHVRSHQPRUHWKDQWZR\HDUVDYHUDJHVDOHVSHUWHUULWRU\LQZHUH$QGIRUÀUVW\HDURIÀFHVVDOHVZHUHSHU,WHPLQWKH([SUHVV)UDQFKLVH'LVFORVXUH'RFXPHQW
ABOUT PIRTEK
PIRTEK is a unique business-to-business franchise
and is one of the few industrial franchise business
opportunities available. Wherever there’s industry,
there’s plenty of demand for onsite hydraulic and
industrial hose replacement services by PIRTEK.
Countless pieces of equipment operate via hydraulics or
pneumatics, and their hoses require regular replacement.
Franchise owners can reap the benefits of that ongoing
need, allowing you to build a successful business, which
afords you the lifestyle you’ve dreamed of.
PIRTEK SURGES AFTER With more than 30 years of franchising experience, the
OFFERING ‘MOBILE ONLY’ PIRTEK service-based business focuses on reducing

equipment downtime by repairing and maintaining
OPTION hydraulic and pneumatic powered machines, to keep

machines and production crews in operation.
PIRTEK is a franchising company 422nd place on the magazine’s The business boasts 400+ Service & Supply Centers and
on an upward trajectory. The onsite Franchise 500® list. But PIRTEK a fleet of Mobile Service Vehicles in 23 countries. It is well
hose-replacement company has has shifted into high gear since then, matched to entrepreneurs who understand the value of
watched its presence spread steadily cracking the top 100 this year at building relationships. A PIRTEK franchise can capitalize
over the United States map since 2015 No. 78.
on opportunities wherever industrial equipment is used -
with 26 new franchises. PIRTEK’s ascent in Entrepreneur’s
i.e., virtually everywhere.
“It’s been such an exciting time for Global 200 list has been equally
PIRTEK in the United States,” said meteoric: The company is now among
Glenn Duncan, PIRTEK CEO. “Our the top 50 franchising companies Top 5 Industries that Benefit from PIRTEK’s Services:
business strategies are paying off and worldwide at No. 42. • Construction
we’re seeing widespread success as “Our Tier 2, ‘mobile-only’ option • Equipment Rental
a result.” is one of the primary factors in our • Transportation & Logistics
When a piece of hydraulic or recent success,” Duncan said. “It’s • Manufacturing & Production
pneumatic equipment blows a hose, opened up PIRTEK franchising to • Waste & Recycling
a PIRTEK technician is available 24 more people than ever before.”
hours a day to perform the replace- Tier 1 ownership requires a brick-
ment from a Mobile Service Vehicle. and-mortar location, but under the “Our customers don’t just come to us for parts and
There are 76 PIRTEK franchises Tier 2 program, owners can keep in- installation. They’re buying our experience, expertise and
across the United States, more than ventory in a storage facility and lease reputation for high quality service.” – PIRTEK Franchisee
400 worldwide. two Mobile Service Vehicles.
Entrepreneur magazine’s rankings PIRTEK requires an upgrade to
tell the story of PIRTEK’s success. Tier 1 status within three years with PIRTEK FUN FACTS
Back in 2015, the company occupied a complete Service & Supply Center.
But some Tier 2 owners have done Two Types of Franchise Options: Tier 1 Brick
so well that they’ve been able to & Mortar & Tier 2 Mobile Only
advance to Tier 1 in short order. For
example, Oliver Romano’s PIRTEK Start Up Costs: $113,600 - $633,000
Grand Rapids (Michigan) began as Support: Turnkey Startup, Financing, Marketing
“mobile only.” Brisk business helped & Training
him upgrade fast to Tier 1, two years
early. “My customers wanted a Veteran Incentives: $5,000 - $15,000 of the
physical location,” Romano said, “so Franchise Fee
I set it up.”
For More PIRTEK Information:

 Lu-Ann Senia [email protected]
www.pirtekusa.com (888) 774-7835
The List
The Fit for Any Budget

Our annual list of the top 50 franchise opportunities you can buy into for less than $100K,
from $100K to $500K, and for more than $500K. Compiled by T R A C Y S TA P P H E R O L D
/ GOEMT/TMYAI LMEARGAEPSA S O
t’s one of the questions at tiers: less than $100,000, investment range in order to this list that it is not intended
the forefront of most $100,000 to $500,000, give you the complete picture of as a recommendation of any
people’s minds when and more than $500,000. what you may spend. particular company. Startup
they begin researching A company’s placement in Companies are ranked within cost is undoubtedly important,
P H O T O G R A P H B Y ITSETTORCAKIPMHAOGTEOS. C
franchise opportunities: one of these tiers means that each tier based on their posi- but it’s only one of many fac-
How much will it cost it is reasonably possible for a tion in our 2018 Franchise tors to consider as you research
me? If you’d like a little new franchisee to open their 500® ranking, which evaluates to find the franchise that’s right
help starting your first unit within that cost range more than 150 data points in for you. Carefully read a fran-
search, read on for our list of without financing and without the areas of costs and fees, size chisor’s legal documents, con-
the best franchises for any converting an existing business. and growth, franchisee support, sult with an attorney and
budget. This list offers a snap- Some franchisees’ startup costs brand strength, and financial an accountant, and talk to
shot of the top 50 franchises in may be higher, though, and we strength and stability. existing and former franchisees
each of three startup-cost list each company’s full initial Remember as you read over before you invest.

The List
BEST FRANCHISES FOR

Less than $100,000
1 7 14 16 18 20
uBreakiFix Firehouse Subs Cruise Planners Pillar To Post Home Anago Cleaning BrightStar Care
Electronics repairs Subs Travel agencies Inspectors Systems Medical/nonmedical home
Home inspections Commercial cleaning care, medical stafing
STARTUP COST STARTUP COST STARTUP COST
$60.4K–$225.4K $92.3K–$824.8K $2.1K–$23.4K STARTUP COST STARTUP COST STARTUP COST
$36.4K–$44.6K $10.4K–$68.5K $94.6K–$153.3K
TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co. Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS
TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS
393/28 1,099/37 2,564/1 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
574/0 1,503/0 331/4
2 8 15 21
Kumon Math & Baskin-Robbins Jazzercise 17 19 MaidPro
Reading Centers Ice cream, frozen yogurt, Group fitness classes, FirstLight Home Visiting Angels
Supplemental education frozen beverages conventions, apparel, and Care Franchising Nonmedical home care Residential cleaning
accessories
STARTUP COST STARTUP COST Nonmedical home care STARTUP COST STARTUP COST
$93.6K–$401.8K STARTUP COST $57.6K–$207.5K
$69.6K–$148.97K STARTUP COST $77.99K–$102.3K
$3.7K–$32.8K
TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS $99.7K–$152.9K TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co. Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
TOTAL UNITS
25,854/27 7,982/0 (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) 585/0 251/1
9,077/2 163/0
3 9
CPR Cell Phone Mosquito Joe
Repair Outdoor pest control
Electronics repairs and STARTUP COST
sales $90.6K–$135.5K
STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS
$55.7K–$170.5K (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
285/2
TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co. Owned)
507/4
10
The Maids
4 Residential cleaning
Matco Tools STARTUP COST
Mechanics’ tools and $76.1K–$164.4K
equipment
TOTAL UNITS
STARTUP COST (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
$91.8K–$269.7K 1,236/111
TOTAL UNITS
1,781/2 11
Right at Home
5 Home care, medical stafing
STARTUP COST
HomeVestors of $78.3K–$137.9K
America
Home buying, repair, and TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co.-Owned)
selling
553/0
STARTUP COST
$53K–$421.3K
TOTAL UNITS
12
(Franchised / Co. Owned) Jan-Pro Franchising
980/0 International
uBreakiFix/ No. 1
Commercial cleaning
6 STARTUP COST
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF UBREAKIFIX
Merry Maids $3.99K–$51.1K

Residential cleaning TOTAL UNITS
STARTUP COST 8,486/0
$86.8K–$123.8K WHEN LAYNE LOWRY BEGAN working as a technician for a uBreakiFix store in Charlotte, N.C., in
TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co. Owned) 13 February 2015, he wasn’t thinking of becoming a franchisee. But it happened by the end of the
year. “The store owner offered me the deal of a lifetime,” explains Lowry, 28. “If I could make his
1,667/3 Weed Man
Lawn care store healthy enough to support a second location, I could be a partner in the new store and even
STARTUP COST choose the location.” They met their goal within 90 days and opened the new store in Lowry’s
$68.5K–$85.5K hometown of Greenville, S.C., that December. Lowry is far from the first young uBreakiFix
TOTAL UNITS technician to become a franchisee. CEO and founder Justin Wetherill shared this nugget from last
335/0 year’s summit for franchisees and managers: “We asked that anyone who started as a technician
and now owns or leads a store please stand. More than half the room stood up.”

GET IN ON
THE GYM
FLOOR
Be a part of the hottest and fastest
growing full size fitness franchise.
• Most competitive and progressive model
in the $32 billion fitness industry
• #1 ranking for franchisee satisfaction
ratings in the category
• Highly recognizable fitness brand
with a 20-year history
• Over 850 franchise rights awarded
• One of the largest member bases in
the worldwide fitness industry
Inquire at Crunch.com for more info or

call John Merrion at 800.669.7162.
The List
22 24 26 28 30 37
Vanguard Cleaning Signal 88 Security ASP America’s Rooter-Man HomeTeam Cornwell Quality
Systems Private security guard and Swimming Pool Co. Plumbing, drain, and sewer Inspection Service Tools
Commercial cleaning patrol services Swimming pool cleaning Home inspections Automotive tools and
STARTUP COST maintenance, repairs, and STARTUP COST equipment
STARTUP COST renovations STARTUP COST
$10.9K–$39.4K $73K–$268.4K $46.8K–$137.6K $50.1K–$76.8K STARTUP COST
STARTUP COST $47.5K–$243.8K
TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) $96.2K–$143.3K (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS
3,237/0 376/0 TOTAL UNITS 613/22 169/0 (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) 689/0
23 25 265/0
29 31 38
Ikor International
Patient advocacy and
Pop-A-Lock
Franchise System 27 Patrice &
Associates
Valpak Direct
Marketing Systems Property
guardianship for seniors and Mobile locksmith and Stratus Building Hospitality, retail, and sales Direct-mail and digital Management Inc.
people with disabilities security services Solutions recruiting advertising Commercial, residential, and
STARTUP COST STARTUP COST Environmentally friendly STARTUP COST association property
commercial cleaning STARTUP COST management
$86.5K–$138.1K $99.7K–$134.3K $90.95K–$108K $80.6K–$200.8K
STARTUP COST STARTUP COST
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) $4.4K–$72.9K (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
$21.3K–$106.8K
63/0 558/3 TOTAL UNITS 107/0 129/14 TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
32
1,522/0 213/1
Restoration 1
Water, fire, smoke, and mold
39
restoration Chester’s
Chicken
STARTUP COST
$77.95K–$182.1K STARTUP COST
$12.4K–$286.8K
TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS
166/0 (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
1,192/0
33 40
Chem-Dry Carpet &
Upholstery Cleaning Tutor Doctor
Carpet and upholstery Tutoring
cleaning, tile and stone care, STARTUP COST
granite countertop renewal
$68.5K–$101.7K
STARTUP COST
TOTAL UNITS
TOTAL UNITS 554/1

3,553/0
41
34 N-Hance Wood
Refinishing
Dream Vacations Wood floor and cabinet
Travel agencies refinishing
$3.2K–$21.9K $49.9K–$153.2K
1,331/0 479/0
35 42
Weichert Real 1-800 Water
Estate Affiliates Damage
Real estate Restoration
$50K–$364.7K $59K–$227.6K
P H O T O G R A P H B Y A M Y B U S E K R U S / D R E A M VA C AT I O N S

350/129 51/13
36 43
Dream Vacations/ No. 34 YESCO Sign &
Lighting Service
Sign and lighting service and
911 Restoration
Residential and commercial
property restoration
maintenance STARTUP COST
THROUGH ITS EARN BACK PROMOTION, launched in 2016, Dream Vacations gives new franchi- $65K–$352.2K TOTAL UNITS
sees the chance to earn a refund of up to $6,625 on their franchise fee based on their first year’s TOTAL UNITS
commissionable sales. The promotion is one of four incentives franchisees can choose for joining 57/39
the system. Thus far almost 100 franchisees have chosen to participate, to the tune of more than
$124,000 in refunds. “The first year in any new business has a tremendous learning curve,” says
Janet Harris, Dream Vacations’ director of recruitment. “A financial incentive provides motivation
for franchisees to hit the ground running and is always a winner.”

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The List
44
Assisting Hands
Home Care BEST FRANCHISES FOR
$100,000 to $500,000
Home healthcare,
respite care
STARTUP COST
$77.1K–$149K
TOTAL UNITS
110/4
45 1
Painting with a 7-Eleven
Twist Convenience stores
Paint-and-sip studios STARTUP COST
STARTUP COST $47.1K–$1.2M*
$89.3K–$188.3K TOTAL UNITS
TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) 61,086/1,019
285/4
*While 7-Eleven’s initial
46 investment range varies

widely based on different
Dale Carnegie circumstances, most first-time
Training franchisees’ startup costs will
Workplace training and be $100,000 and up.
development
STARTUP COST
$52.2K–$226.5K
2
Dunkin’ Donuts
TOTAL UNITS Cofee, doughnuts,
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) baked goods
271/2
STARTUP COST
47
$228.6K–$1.7M
TOTAL UNITS
NaturaLawn of (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
America 12,538/0
Organic-based lawn care
STARTUP COST 3
$47.5K–$112.7K The UPS Store
TOTAL UNITS Postal, business, printing,
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) and communications
78/7 services
STARTUP COST
48 $168.9K–$398.3K
Miracle Method TOTAL UNITS

Surface Refinishing 4,979/0
Kitchen and bathroom
surface refinishing
STARTUP COST 4
$83.4K–$127.99K RE/MAX
TOTAL UNITS
Real estate
STARTUP COST
144/1 $40K–$230.5K*
49 TOTAL UNITS
7,985/0
Pinot’s Palette
Paint-and-sip studios
*The low end of RE/MAX’s
STARTUP COST initial investment range
$97.5K–$233.2K applies only to the conversion
TOTAL UNITS of an existing business. Fran-
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) chisees starting a new business
141/2 will invest more than
$100,000.
50 5
My Gym Children’s
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF RE/MAX
Fitness Center Great Clips

Early-learning/fitness
programs
STARTUP COST
Hair salons
STARTUP COST
$136.9K–$258.3K
RE/MAX/ No. 4
TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) 4,261/0 AS RE/MAX’S FRANCHISE count continues to climb, so does its agent count. At midyear, the
604/0
company hit an all-time high of 123,082 agents working under its name. According to CEO Adam
Contos, these agents sell more real estate than any other brand, as measured by residential
transactions. They also help raise millions of dollars every year for charities. This past July, for
example, RE/MAX auctioned off a tiny house to the tune of just over $47,000, all of which went to
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

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The List
6 13
Sport Clips Keller Williams
Men’s sports-themed Realty International
hair salons Real estate
$204.8K–$368.3K $183.9K–$336.99K
1,707/69 947/0
7 14
Jimmy John’s Budget Blinds
Gourmet Window coverings, window
Sandwiches film, rugs, accessories
Sandwiches STARTUP COST
TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) 1,154/0
2,718/56
15
8 Jersey Mike’s Subs
Servpro Subs
Disaster restoration and STARTUP COST
cleaning $178.5K–$746.3K
STARTUP COST TOTAL UNITS
1,264/79
TOTAL UNITS
1,763/0
16
Marco’s Pizza
9 Pizza, subs, wings, cheese
Supercuts bread
Hair salons STARTUP COST
$144.4K–$297K TOTAL UNITS
TOTAL UNITS
1,889/1,044
10
17
Mathnasium
Be the CEO
Papa John’s
International
Pizza
Learning Centers
Math tutoring
STARTUP COST
of your career
$130.1K–$844.4K
TOTAL UNITS
TOTAL UNITS
892/14
All while owning the most meaningful
4,410/645
18 business possible.
11 Snap-on Tools
Anytime Fitness Professional tools and
equipment
Fitness centers
STARTUP COST
STARTUP COST The irst and most
$107.5K–$722.8K $169.5K–$350.2K
TOTAL UNITS
experienced home
TOTAL UNITS
4,005/38
4,696/162 care franchise in
19 the U.S.
12 Wingstop
Ace Hardware
Hardware and home- Restaurants
improvement stores Chicken wings
$272.5K–$1.6M $346.8K–$733.2K
4,932/101 1,035/21
20
Pet Supplies Plus
Call us to learn more 800-840-6568
Retail pet supplies and
services
Member
STARTUP COST
$463.4K–$993.4K
TOTAL UNITS
227/215
The List
21 28
Valvoline Instant Oil Edible
Change Arrangements
Oil changes and preventive Sculpted fresh-fruit
maintenance bouquets
$162.3K–$2.3M $195.5K–$327.7K
703/451 1,239/6
22 29
Smoothie King College Nannies,
Smoothies, healthful snacks, Sitters and Tutors
health products Nanny placement,
STARTUP COST babysitting, tutoring
$263.6K–$844.5K STARTUP COST
TOTAL UNITS $151.5K–$228K
TOTAL UNITS
944/28 (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
147/0
23
Mac Tools 30
Automotive tools and Once Upon A Child
equipment New and used children’s
STARTUP COST
clothing, equipment,
furniture, toys
$171.4K–$359.8K
STARTUP COST
TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) $268.5K–$396.9K
1,146/20 TOTAL UNITS
24 369/0
Massage Envy
Massage therapy, stretch 31
therapy, skin care, facials Express
STARTUP COST Employment
$453.3K–$1.1M Professionals
Stafing, HR solutions
TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) STARTUP COST
1,179/0 $135K–$206K
25
TOTAL UNITS
779/4
Pizza Hut
Pizza, pasta, wings
STARTUP COST
32
$302K–$2.2M FastSigns
International
TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) Signs, graphics
14,645/352 STARTUP COST
$193.5K–$289.6K
26 TOTAL UNITS
Nurse Next Door 674/0
Home Care Services
P H O T O G R A P H B Y D I A N A S I M O N E T TA , LT L P H O T O G R A P H Y/ P I R T E K U S A
Medical/nonmedical
home care 33
STARTUP COST Tropical Smoothie
$105.1K–$199.4K Cafe
Smoothies, sandwiches,
TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) wraps, salads, soups,
155/9 cofee drinks
STARTUP COST
27 $222.1K–$569.3K
TOTAL UNITS
Palm Beach Tan (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
Tanning 677/1
STARTUP COST
$478.6K–$788.6K
34 Pirtek/ No. 37
TOTAL UNITS
Pearle Vision
265/199 Eye care and eyewear
STARTUP COST PIRTEK CREDITS ITS RECENT U.S. growth in part to offering a new mobile-only option to its
$389.4K–$603.9K franchisees. This option allows franchisees, who service and replace hydraulic hoses, to start their
TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) business with just two mobile service vehicles and keep their inventory in a storage facility—
416/114 making for a much lower point of entry than if they had to open one of the company’s traditional
service and supply centers at the outset. Franchisees who choose this option are expected to
grow their operations, though, so they can add a third van after one year, a fourth after two years,
and a fully staffed center within three years.

The List
35
Kiddie Academy
Educational childcare
AtWork Group/
STARTUP COST
$400K–$4.9M No. 43
TOTAL UNITS
205/1
LIKE MOST FRANCHISES, AtWork charges
36 its franchisees an ongoing royalty fee,
Denny’s as well as an administrative service fee,
Family restaurants
totaling 6.5 percent of gross revenues.
STARTUP COST
$228K–$2.5M But in situations where franchisees
TOTAL UNITS are competing for a large volume of
1,549/172 business and must offer a lower margin
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF DESIGNSENSORY

rate, the company discounts this fee
37 to 2.6 percent so the franchisees can
Pirtek still make a profit. AtWork also offers
Hose service and supply
centers/mobile services discounts on these fees for franchisees
STARTUP COST who open multiple units, renew their
$161.9K–$782.3K
TOTAL UNITS
franchise agreements for multiple terms,
488/4
or generate higher revenues. “These
incentives really motivate our owners to
focus on building their business,” says
president and COO Jason Leverant.
CHECK OUT THE NEW

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PETS ARE RECESSION RESISTANT
38 45
The Learning
Experience
Lawn Doctor
Lawn, tree, and shrub care;
$
69 Billion 1
21
mosquito and tick control INDUSTRY AND GROWING CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF GROWTH1
Academy of
Early Education STARTUP COST
Preschool/educational $101.8K–$115.9K
childcare
TOTAL UNITS
STARTUP COST
$493.5K–$3.6M 537/0
46
TOTAL UNITS
198/19
Kilwins Chocolates
Franchise
39 Chocolates, fudge, ice cream
Enviro-Master STARTUP COST
International $423.3K–$790.2K
Franchise TOTAL UNITS
Restroom hygiene products (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
and services 119/2
STARTUP COST
$172.3K–$298.7K
47 OWN YOUR OWN PET SUPPLIES PLUS FRANCHISE
TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) Blaze Fast-Fire’d
73/3 Pizza For more information visit us online at • Èîæóêäâďôçâ÷ðóêõæïæêèéãðóéððåñæõôõðóæ
Assembly-line pizza www.petsuppliesplus.com/franchise/ • 435+ stores in 33ôõâõæôøêõéèóæâõõæóóêõðóêæôâ÷âêíâãíæ
40 STARTUP COST
$454.4K–$1.1M
learnmore, or contact Christine Schultz
at 734.793.6656
© Úêïèíæ âïå îöíõê öïêõ ðññðóõöïêõêæô â÷âêíâãíæ
Kona Ice
TOTAL UNITS ×Ú×ÍóâïäéêôêïèÓÓÊ%'%ÕÓâöóæí×âóìËóÚöêõæ" Óê÷ðïêâÔÐ"&#
Shaved-ice trucks (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
STARTUP COST 224/6

$124.8K–$147.6K
TOTAL UNITS
48 1 According to the APPA: http://www.americanpetproducts.org/press_industrytrends.asp.
1,048/18 Plato’s Closet Ûéêôâå÷æóõêôæîæïõêôïðõâïðĢ æóõðãöúâçóâïäéêôæÈïðĢ æóõðãöúâçóâïäéêôæäâïãæîâåæãúñóðôñæäõöôðïíú
Teen- and young-adult- ÿ &×æõÚöññíêæô×íöôÈííóêèéõôóæôæó÷æå×æõÚöññíêæô×íöôâïåÔêïöôÛéæÏâôôíæâóæõóâåæîâóìôðç×Ú×ÍóâïäéêôêïèÓÓÊ
41
clothing resale stores
STARTUP COST
GNC Franchising $255K–$400.9K
Vitamins and nutrition
TOTAL UNITS
products (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
479/0
Celebrating 30 Years!
STARTUP COST
$180.5K–$347.3K
TOTAL UNITS
49
3,084/3,506 Cinnabon
Cinnamon rolls, baked
42
goods, cofee
STARTUP COST
Two Men and a $182.8K–$327.3K
Truck International TOTAL UNITS
Moving services (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
STARTUP COST
1,464/2
$115K–$669K
With over 30 years
TOTAL UNITS
50
303/3 Beef Jerky Outlet experience and 710
Franchise
43
Jerky, sausages,
specialty foods franchise locations in the
AtWork Group STARTUP COST
Temporary, temp-to-hire, $215.8K–$394.9K world. Coffee News® offers
and direct-hire stafing
TOTAL UNITS
STARTUP COST
$154K–$214.5K
100/6 an affordable franchise
&RIIHH 1HZV opportunity to help you

TOTAL UNITS ®
94/1
achieve financial freedom.
44
Fleet Feet
Athletic footwear, apparel,
accessories
STARTUP COST
#1 in Advertising Services for 16 Years
$187K–$413K
World’s #1 Weekly Restaurant Publication
TOTAL UNITS
145/31
Apply today at www.coffeenewsfranchise.com

The List
BEST FRANCHISES FOR

More than $500,000
1 7 13 15 17 19
McDonald’s Planet Fitness Orangetheory Goldfish Swim Embassy Suites by Homewood Suites
Burgers, chicken, salads, Fitness clubs Fitness School Franchising Hilton by Hilton
beverages Group personal training Infant and child swimming Upscale all-suite hotels Upscale extended-stay
STARTUP COST
STARTUP COST lessons hotels
$857.1K–$4.2M STARTUP COST STARTUP COST
$1.1M–$2.2M $563.5K–$999.1K STARTUP COST $17.4M–$75M STARTUP COST
TOTAL UNITS
TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co. Owned) $1.3M–$3M $11M–$22.1M
(Franchised / Co. Owned) 1,353/58 (Franchised / Co. Owned) TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co. Owned) TOTAL UNITS
34,521/2,888 1,007/24 (Franchised / Co. Owned) 235/0 (Franchised / Co. Owned)
2 8 14
69/1
18
435/0
Sonic Drive-In
Primrose School
Franchising Golden Corral 16 Holiday Inn and 20
Burgers, hot dogs, chicken Educational childcare Restaurants Bojangles’ Famous Holiday Inn Express Dairy Queen
sandwiches, breakfast,
STARTUP COST Family steakhouses, bufets, Chicken ’n Biscuits Hotels Ice cream, burgers, chicken
ice cream, beverages
and bakeries Chicken, biscuits, iced tea STARTUP COST
$716.7K–$5.8M STARTUP COST
STARTUP COST $1.1M–$1.8M
STARTUP COST STARTUP COST $7.5M–$24.8M
$865K–$3.6M TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co. Owned) $2.2M–$6.6M $1.5M–$2.4M TOTAL UNITS
TOTAL UNITS
TOTAL UNITS 353/0 (Franchised / Co. Owned) (Franchised / Co. Owned)
(Franchised / Co. Owned) TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co. Owned) (Franchised / Co. Owned) 3,730/3 6,905/2
3,365/228
9 436/53 436/326
3 Hampton by Hilton
Midprice hotels
Taco Bell
Mexican food STARTUP COST
$6.9M–$17.1M
STARTUP COST
$525.1K–$2.6M TOTAL UNITS
TOTAL UNITS 2,277/0
6,299/606
10
4 Hilton Hotels and
Resorts
Hardee’s Upscale hotels and resorts
Restaurants
Burgers, chicken, biscuits STARTUP COST
$29.1M–$111.95M
STARTUP COST
$1.5M–$1.99M TOTAL UNITS
TOTAL UNITS 503/69
2,111/115
11
5 Jack in the Box
Burgers
Culver Franchising
System STARTUP COST
Frozen custard, $1.5M–$3.3M
specialty burgers TOTAL UNITS
STARTUP COST
$2M–$4.7M 2,085/157
12
TOTAL UNITS
657/7
Freddy’s Frozen
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ORANGETHEORY
Custard &
6 Steakburgers
Carl’s Jr. Frozen custard,
steakburgers, hot dogs
Restaurants
Burgers
STARTUP COST
STARTUP COST
$577.97K–$1.99M
Orangetheory Fitness/ No. 13
$1.6M–$2.1M TOTAL UNITS
TOTAL UNITS 287/24 GROWTH CAN PROVE MORE challenging for franchises with higher startup costs, but
1,584/52 Orangetheory Fitness has proven it’s up for the challenge. The company opened its 1,000th
location in Portland, Ore., this July, just eight years after the brand’s launch. Many of
Orangetheory’s franchisees are multiunit owners, like the owner of the 1,000th studio,
Jamie Weeks, CEO of Honor Holdings, which operates more than 50 studios, with more in
development. Orangetheory CEO and cofounder Dave Long says the company’s goal is to
have 2,500 studios and 2.5 million members by 2020.

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The List
21 25 29 33 36 43
Goddard Systems Hilton Garden Inn Motel 6 Doubletree by Hilton la Madeleine French Brass Tap
Preschool/educational Upscale midprice hotels Economy hotels Upscale hotels and resorts Bakery & Cafe Craft-beer bars
childcare French bakeries and cafes
STARTUP COST STARTUP COST STARTUP COST STARTUP COST
STARTUP COST $12.1M–$23.2M $2.6M–$3.9M $21.99M–$69.3M STARTUP COST $780.7K–$1.3M
$619.9K–$760.6K $1.5M–$2.3M
TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) 741/0 910/437 397/0 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) 46/1
482/0 48/32
22 26 30 34 37 44
Salons by JC Express Oil Change Camp Bow Wow Roy Rogers
Sky Zone Salon suites & Tire Engineers Dog daycare, boarding, ProSource Restaurants
Trampoline playing courts
STARTUP COST Oil changes, tire services, training, grooming; in-home Wholesale Roast beef sandwiches,
tune-ups, repairs pet care Wholesale kitchen, bath, and chicken, burgers
STARTUP COST $550.6K–$1M
$1.3M–$2.7M STARTUP COST STARTUP COST flooring products
STARTUP COST
TOTAL UNITS $783.5K–$1.5M
TOTAL UNITS (Franchised / Co.-Owned) $1.9M–$2.5M STARTUP COST $868.3K–$1.6M
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) 81/10 TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS $509.6K–$518.3K
TOTAL UNITS
180/1 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
TOTAL UNITS
23 27 114/116 137/9 (Franchised / Co.-Owned)

139/3
31/21
Red Roof Inn

McAlister’s Deli
31 35 45
Economy hotels
Sandwiches, salads, baked
potatoes Fuzzy’s Taco Shop Rockin’ Jump 38 Schlotzsky’s
STARTUP COST STARTUP COST Baja-style Mexican food Indoor trampoline arenas
and party spaces
Del Taco Fresh Sandwiches, pizza, salads
$3.5M–$5M $762K–$2M STARTUP COST Mexican Grill STARTUP COST
STARTUP COST Mexican/American food
TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS $597K–$1.3M $503.8K–$787.98K
$1.4M–$2.9M
TOTAL UNITS STARTUP COST
TOTAL UNITS
386/126 355/32 (Franchised / Co.-Owned) TOTAL UNITS $859.7K–$2.1M (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
117/7 339/25
24 28 38/4 TOTAL UNITS
Hand and Stone American 32 252/314

46
Massage and Facial Family Care Zips Dry Cleaners
Spa Urgent-care centers Dry cleaning 39 KFC US
Chicken
Massage and spa services STARTUP COST STARTUP COST Slumberland STARTUP COST
STARTUP COST $829.5K–$1.3M $855.4K–$1.1M Franchising $1.5M–$2.6M
$500.6K-$604.3K Home furnishings
TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS TOTAL UNITS
TOTAL UNITS
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) (Franchised / Co.-Owned) STARTUP COST (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) 130/66 51/2 $545.5K–$1.99M 19,463/1,363
378/1
47
TOTAL UNITS
74/53
Hooters
40 Casual restaurants
STARTUP COST
RNR Tire Express & $956.5K–$4.3M
Custom Wheels
Tires and custom wheel TOTAL UNITS
sales and rentals
225/207
STARTUP COST
$500K–$1M
TOTAL UNITS
48
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) Gyu-Kaku Japanese
98/15 BBQ Restaurant
Japanese barbecue
41 restaurants
STARTUP COST
Farmer Boys $1.3M–$1.6M
Restaurants
Burgers, breakfast, TOTAL UNITS
sandwiches, salads, sides
705/21
STARTUP COST
$1.1M–$1.6M
TOTAL UNITS
49
Tide Dry Cleaners
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF BL ACK BEAR DINERS
55/34 Dry cleaning
STARTUP COST
42 $640.4K–$1.5M
Black Bear Diners TOTAL UNITS
Family restaurants
48/12
Black Bear Diners/ No. 42

STARTUP COST
$912.8K–$1.8M
TOTAL UNITS
50
(Franchised / Co.-Owned) Old Chicago
74/42 Pizza & Taproom
WHEN BRUCE DEAN and Bob Manley opened the first Black Bear Diner in 1995, they were both Pizza, pasta, burgers, salads,
craft beer
working 16-hour days, but they couldn’t yet afford to pay themselves—except with spare change. As
STARTUP COST
Manley explains in a video on the company’s website, “On Mondays we would go in and raid the $1.4M–$2.2M
jukebox and get the quarters—and that was our pay for the week.” They persevered, and their TOTAL UNITS
concept proved popular enough to franchise in 2002. Today, there are more than 100 Black Bear (Franchised / Co.-Owned)
35/73
Diners—and every one has a jukebox.

A D VE R T IS E M E NT
OPPORTUNITY
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realizing your personal dreams and securing true financial independence. So go ahead, make
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You’ve got the idea and Preparation is key to your Your success is driven by your
the passion; now learn what success—uncover valuable ability to lead—discover strategies
you need to know to hit the tools to establish and grow and techniques to improve your
ground running your business leadership skills
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anagement
e Innovation
anchise Bible trepreneurs ntality
The
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→ OUT OF OFFICE
The author’s beloved hat
at his family’s ranch.
A Hat Tip to Hard Work

By Jay Fulcher, CEO, Zenefits
E
ven though I’ve passed my 50th birthday, most days I still tending to the horses. But on a ranch, you have to embrace the grind.
wear the Silicon Valley startup uniform to work: jeans, Caring for other things really helps you appreciate where you fit in the
Converse sneakers, an occasional hoodie. But when I’m not grand scheme of things. Colts are born, horses die, and that cycle of
at my day job at Zenefits—an HR, benefits, and payroll life actually has a positive impact on how I think about seasonality
software company—it’s an old cowboy hat that completes and opportunity. It makes me consider how I want my work to affect
my ensemble, much to my wife’s chagrin. other people, and how I want to be in service to other people.
The hat, which hangs in my home when I’m not wearing it, When I took over as CEO of Zenefits 20 months ago, I relied a lot
is a daily reminder to love the work, even when the days are upon that perspective. The company had once been a fast-growing
long and hard. I put that hat on and it transports me to my family’s software darling, but off-the-charts growth resulted in the business
horse ranch in north central Washington State, which my brother and infamously running afoul with regulators and losing sight of its
I have operated for 25 years. workplace culture. No shortcut could fix it. We needed to unite our
Every ranch has a slightly different purpose. Ours is to provide team behind the business fundamentals that are critical to sustainable
P H O T O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y O F J AY F U L C H E R
irrigated pasture and safety for our 90 horses. If I’m there in the success. We’ve since built a new leadership team, reset our values and
winter when there’s three feet of snow on the ground, we’re feeding culture, and changed our business model. It was—and is—a lot of hard
them from a flatbed truck or a sleigh. In the summer, they’re either work, but it’s paying off for us and for our customers.
grazing or being used for equine therapy for Girl Scouts or disabled Every time I step into the office, I get the same feeling as when I put
youth across the country. on my old cowboy hat: It’s time to get to work. You can’t hack your
It’s not entirely glamorous work—mending fences, hauling feed, way to success. You’ve got to embrace the grind.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

Tell us about a story, person, object, or something else that pushes you forward, and we may include it in a future issue. And we may make you
photograph or illustrate it, too. Email [email protected] with the subject line “WHAT INSPIRES ME.”

“My unlimited 2% cash back is more
than a perk. It’s our healthcare.”
— Ken Jacobus, Good Start Packaging CEO
ĉĝĦ ĈęěħĚĭī ĪĝĜĝĝĥĝĜ "% ġĦ ěęīĠ Ěęěģ Ĭħ ħǉĝĪ ĠĝęĤĬĠěęĪĝ Ĭħ Ġġī ĝĥĨĤħıĝĝī
ćĥęğġĦĝ įĠęĬēČĊćċćĒăĂ!vāÿđĆĀÿāĉěħĭĤĜĜħĞħĪ ıħĭĪĚĭīġĦĝīī
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čǉĝĪĝĜ ĚıāęĨġĬęĤčĦĝĀęĦģÕēđÿÖČÿƣ! 'āęĨġĬęĤčĦĝ

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