Franchising

"The Town Planner Calendar has been a very satisfying business to be in for many reasons.  Foremost, it is immediately profitable! The publication is so well received in the community that people call for extra copies rather than asking that their name be removed from the mailing list." 

– Chuck Sussman, Publisher of Town Planner, Darien, CT

My name is Stacy Travis and I work out of Northwest Indiana, just 20 miles from Chicago.  I purchased my Town Planner franchise in December 2008 (over 12 years ago!). At the time I was working for a new home builder helping to sell homes when the market crashed.  We had five young children and my husband was overcoming a severe back injury at the time and wasn’t able to work.  I needed to find a solution quick!  Thankfully, I found the Town Planner Franchise and it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life!

I love Town Planner for so many reasons!  I initially chose it because I knew that I would personally use the Town Planner Calendar and believed that others would like it too.  My favorite part of my job is meeting with business owners, hearing their stories of how they started their business & how it has evolved, then figuring out the best way to help them reach their goals! It’s a partnership that I take very seriously and thoroughly enjoy! Over time, we have expanded our website and social media pages so this has brought even more benefits to our advertisers.  Most importantly, Town Planner is a strong business!  About 75% of my advertisers renew year after year.  This makes growing your business over time extremely achievable.

With Town Planner, you have the flexibility of working part-time or full-time.  Over the years, I’ve done both as our needs as a family have changed.  When my kids were younger, I could volunteer as a room mother, attend all their sporting events, and just be there when they needed to talk.  Looking back, I am so grateful that I was able to be there for my kids and I know I couldn’t have done that working for someone else.  But even working part-time, I was able to make a good salary that contributed to the fact that our kids will graduate college debt-free plus so many other financial benefits that I didn’t have in 2008.  Now, all my kids are grown and I’m excited to expand my business, work full-time, and use all my sales and marketing skills to make my business even more successful!

It's important to mention that the franchise owner, Larry Paulozzi, is always there to help, as he is working in the business full-time.  He’s been doing this for over 30 years and he is still always looking for ways to do things better!  He’s not afraid to try new concepts so that he can let us know what other options might work for us in the future.  That is really appreciated!

If you are considering a Town Planner franchise, I would suggest thinking about the day to day work that you will be doing.  I have found that to do well, you need to be organized; enjoy one-on-one appointments with the business owners and marketing directors; be willing to make cold calls (either in person or over the phone), and be extremely focused.  I think that the franchisees that may have struggled a bit may not have realized that they need to “sell” the ads/yourself/the company.  I look at it like I’m helping to give the business owners direction toward something that will be very helpful for them and their business…because it will!!!  I’m not afraid to ask for the sale because I’m proud of the quality products that we offer.

"This is our 4th year publishing for Town Planner and it gets better every year. We were profitable in our year one, even though we launched mid-year and were in depths of the worst recession since the Great Depression. Many of those first year sponsors are still wit us, enjoying the category exclusivity we provide and year round experience."

– Brian Burnstein & Tony Selinger, Publishers of Town Planner, Minneapolis, MN

"It’s been a lot of hard work to get where we are today, but I don't regret it at all. Very few business ventures appeal to me more than TP, and being presented with other ideas has given me an appreciation for what we do and what we have."

– Deb and Jay Gordinier, Publishers of Town Planner Milford, MI

"My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our 40th Anniversary Trip to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. If you get the chance the Down Under trip is well worth it. I am grateful for Town Planner that made all this possible."

– Jim Hess, Publisher of Town Planner, Indiana

"I was able to have a flexible schedule as my sons were growing up. Now I get to know the community and as the internet portion evolves, I am able to move toward a platform that I have been involved with in the past.  I like getting to know business owners and helping them grow."

– Bill Hughes, Town Planner Publisher, Illinois