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When Joyce Patterson became the first 10-year franchisee in the history of GNC earlier this year, it marked an important milestone for the company that is consistently ranked one of America's top franchising opportunities. For Patterson -- an African-American woman -- much of GNC Franchising's success can be traced to the company's philosophy of creating an atmosphere where franchise operators know they can achieve business world success if they work hard and have initiative. "I worked at a number of GNC stores before becoming one of the company's first franchisees and I have always been impressed at GNC's approach of teaching employees and franchise operators the formula for success and supporting them at every step along the way. I think my career at GNC and tenure as a GNC store operator attests to that," said Patterson. GNC Franchising, Inc., a subsidiary of General Nutrition Companies, Inc., is regularly ranked as one of America's top franchise opportunities by leading franchising industry magazines. It is the only nationwide specialty retailer of vitamin and mineral supplements, sports nutrition products and herbs. According to Russell L. Cooper, senior vice president and general manager of GNC Franchising, Inc., the company's strong franchisee training and support programs are what have allowed the company to grow and prosper. "Any prospective franchise operator is concerned about the level of training and support they receive. GNC is known throughout the franchising world for the importance we place on having store operators that are knowledgeable about running a business in general and our products in particular," said Cooper. Cooper said that successful franchise operators also share several common traits, the most important being good business sense. "We look at what's inside a person when awarding a franchise. We look for individuals with strong people skills and an ability to understand how a business operates. People that are willing to work hard at learning the business, follow our proven operating system and provide an exceptional shopping experience. Those are the qualities that we believe are important and I believe they are reflected in all our store operators," said Cooper. Patterson is one of many minority GNC store operators who have been attracted to GNC franchising opportunities by the company's no-nonsense approach to preparing franchisees for running a business. Nearly 28 percent of all GNC franchise stores - or more than 350 individual units - are run by minority operators. While Patterson is GNC's longest-termed franchise operator, among the most recent are Ray and Angela Hendricks -- an African-American husband-and-wife team who opened their GNC franchise store in Dunedin, Florida in early 1999. Patterson and the Hendricks took different paths to becoming GNC franchise operators. Joyce Patterson's road to operating a GNC franchise actually began as a nursing major in college. "I always had wanted to be in the health profession, but realized that nursing wasn't for me after three years in the nursing program in college. I looked at a number of opportunities in the business world and found GNC of interest because of its health connection. It's along the same lines of what I wanted to do - help people stay healthy - only on the preventive side," said Patterson. Joining GNC in its pre-franchising days as an assistant manager, Patterson was promoted to a store manager position within one month. Quickly proving herself as a 'turnaround' specialist, she was assigned to a series of underperforming company-owned stores, dramatically improving sluggish sales at each store to which she was sent. "I always hoped that GNC would offer franchises, and when they began franchising corporate stores in 1988, management encouraged me to 'go for it'," she said. Patterson became GNC's first franchise operator, taking over the Greenwood Park Mall in Greenwood, Indiana in 1989. She franchised a second store in Indianapolis three years later and added a third store in Mooresville, Indiana in early 1999. |
The Hendricks, on the other hand, had been in business for themselves, owning a computer portrait business operating out of a kiosk in a Miami, Florida shopping mall. "Ray and I had been operating our business for three-and-a-half years, and saw a lot of franchised retail stores opening up in the mall. We also saw the kind of company support that they received. That's when we got the idea to explore opportunities in franchising. We had no idea about franchising in the beginning, but we wanted a business that was more than a single kiosk in a mall," said Angela Hendricks. After spending a year of researching franchises for availability, costs and support, the Hendricks selected GNC. "Basically, we felt that GNC had the best package in terms of financing, had an excellent training program and offered a great opportunity for growth," said Angela Hendricks. Cooper said GNC's generous financing package is one of the best in the franchising industry. "Many of our franchise operators are going into business for themselves for the first time. We offer would-be franchisees an attractive financing program that includes direct financing to qualified candidates, deferred fees, special terms and grand-opening assistance," he said. GNC Franchising is also a strong promoter of minority assistance programs, including the Local Initiative Support Corporation and programs associated with the International Franchise Association. Minorities also have the opportunity to utilize GNC's special Expansion Market financing that offers a reduced loan rate for first-time franchisees who increase their initial cash down payment. "I've looked at other franchising programs and nothing matches it or even comes close. The amount of return on your investment is outstanding," said Patterson. General Nutrition Companies, Inc. also supports its more than 4,000 stores with national advertising campaigns, which will exceed $75 million in 1999, with approximately 85% corporate-sponsored and 15% franchise-sponsored. As part of an aggressive, five-year expansion program, GNC Franchising has identified nearly 600 markets across the U.S. that have no GNC presence. Angela Hendricks and Joyce Patterson encourage like-minded entrepreneurs to consider the path they took. Both stress, however, that prospective franchise operators must be prepared to work hard and have a commitment to excellence. "If you have the desire and commitment, GNC Franchising provides an excellent training program and on-going support that will help you succeed," said Patterson. Angela Hendricks adds that franchise operators must go beyond the existing company support system. "You can't be totally dependent on your franchise company. You have to do a lot of work on your own, reading magazines and such, to stay on top of what's new in the industry. It's not location-location-location, it's research-research-research," said Angela Hendricks. She also suggested prospective franchisees talk to current franchise operators before making any decision. "Talk to as many franchise store operators as possible. Follow them around if you can. It's important to learn what it's like before you leap into the business," said Hendricks. General Nutrition Companies, Inc., which is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the only nationwide specialty retailer of vitamin and mineral supplements, sports nutrition and herbal products and is also a leading provider of personal care and other health-related products. The Company's products are sold through a network of 4,277 retail stores operating under the General Nutrition Centers, Health & Diet Centre and GNC Live Well names, of which 2,767 are Company-owned and 1,510 are franchised. GNC stores are located in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and 25 international markets. For more information regarding GNC Franchising, Inc., call 1-800-766-7099; write to: 300 Sixth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 ; or visit: www.gncfranchising.com. |