A model occupation: who says you can't turn business into play? It's all in a day's work for these successful franchisee partners

Entrepreneur, April, 2003 by Devlin Smith

HAVING SPENT MOST OF HIS LIFE IN retailing, working at various department stores since high school and studying retailing in college, Gary Phillips, 49, wanted to find a business that would combine his enthusiasm for and knowledge of retailing with one of his hobbies, model railroads. Phillips found this ultimate opportunity while shopping at a HobbyTown USA store.

"I was in the Lexington, Kentucky, store and saw on one of their business cards that it was a national franchise. I took the business card and filed it away," says Phillips. "Then, when I got to the point where I was over being in a large corporation and wanted to go out on my own, my little memory cell came back about HobbyTown."

Phillips and his wife, Angela, who's also his franchise partner and a part-time HobbyTown employee, began looking at other HobbyTown locations in January 1999 and spent Valentine's Day at the company's Lincoln, Nebraska, headquarters. A month after visiting the corporate office, Phillips had signed the contract. His HobbyTown store, which features model railroads, radio-controlled vehicles, model rockets, science kits and various toys, games and collectibles, opened in Knoxville, Tennessee, in October 1999.

By bringing together two of his passions, Phillips has been able to build a franchise business that has far exceeded his expectations. "In November 2001, we more than doubled the size of the store," he recalls. "As a matter of fact, within six months, I realized our business was going to exceed the business plan. By the first year, we had jumped to the fourth year in the business plan." And the business keeps growing--Phillips is currently looking at a second store, located in Johnson City, Tennessee.

Unfortunately, running his own HobbyTown leaves Phillips, who has dedicated half his basement to a model railroad, little time for his hobby. He does take joy, though, in getting other people started on hobbies of their own. "I've seen people go from having just a train set around the tree to a whole garage or attic full of trains, and it was because they walked in to the store and I helped them get started," he says. "Sometimes I have to live vicariously through them, because they've got a little more time than I do to do this."

For more information about starting a business based on your hobby, turn to the "Fun Money" feature on page 94.

Got Junk?

CLEAN UP BY TAKING TRASH TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.

ONE MAN'S TRASH? JOCELYN GOLD AND Geoff Durling, both 30, know all about it. Six days a week, the couple goes to homes and businesses in Oakland, California, to remove a variety of trash and leftovers for their 1-800-Got-Junk? customers, a franchise they've owned for a year.

Most days involve three to six jobs, ranging from a complete office cleanup to appliance pickup. On each job, the couple removes trash, scraps and general junk left over from seasonal cleanings, moving and renovations. They divide everything in their truck, making piles for recycling, dumping and donating.

Gold and Durling charge based on volume--how much space the junk takes up in the truck--ranging from $65 to $428. Customers can call the 1-800-Got-Junk? corporate call center, to schedule pickups and let the operator know how much stuff they have and where it's located. This information is then passed on to franchisees like Gold and Durling by 1-800-Got-Junk?, which also handles scheduling franchisees.

Depending on the size of a job, Gold and Durling can make one or several drop-offs each day at recycling centers, charities or the dump. "We try to recycle anywhere from 50 to 6o percent of our loads, so we do anything that's salvageable or recyclable," Gold says. Furniture, appliances and other reusable items in good condition are donated to organizations like the Salvation Army.

While the couple has rock stars and famous writers on its client list, one of their more memorable jobs was not exactly glamorous. "We had to clean out a house for this lady who had 65 cats that had the run of the house," Gold says. "Needless to say, our masks were on the whole time."

When not picking up or dropping off other people's junk, Gold and Durling, who both have marketing backgrounds, spend time drumming up business. "Our biggest marketing tool is our truck. It's like a moving billboard," Gold says. "People seeing our trucks accounts for about 35 percent of the jobs we've booked." Some evenings, Gold and Durling simply drive their truck through busy streets to get their franchise's name out there.

The couple does have another employee who comes along for large jobs or rides along with Durling, giving Gold time to work on the business. She handles the budget, marketing, and making and returning phone calls. Though having only one employee leaves Gold and Durling to handle most aspects of the business themselves, Gold accepts it as part of being a franchisee. "If I am going to work 12- to 14-hour days, I would rather be doing it for myself so I can truly enjoy the rewards," she says.