Category: Press Releases

Jacksonville, Florida-founded direct mail marketing franchise thrived throughout the pandemic and is preparing for rapid expansion throughout the Southeast.

Money Pages, a multi-media brand helping local businesses reach their target audiences through direct mail, digital services and its flagship product Money Pages magazine, has announced plans to partner with new franchisees as it begins its expansion to more than 40 cities by 2025.

Money Pages offers small businesses the opportunity to market their companies in big ways on affordable budgets and is building on that momentum. After seeing record growth during the pandemic, circulation has expanded to over 13 million households annually, with distribution growing every quarter.

Bringing local businesses’ stories to life in a seamless model that provides savings to local communities. Money Pages was founded in 2001, when Jacksonville-based radio advertising executive Alan Worley had a vision to provide a sophisticated medium that would give small businesses better access to local marketing through a solo mailed publication.

“I saw an opportunity to have local companies tell their story in a way that they could afford and also control the message,” Worley said. “I was determined to offer something to small business owners that wasn’t being offered. With Money Pages, not only could I bring business owners’ stories to life, I could also give them a better return on their investment.”

With franchisees currently publishing across seven states — California, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia — the brand is looking to expand by launching in additional markets throughout the Southeast focusing on the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee and its home state of Florida.

The company strategically chose the franchising model to expand in order to help local owned businesses work together to grow in the market. We believe franchising provides the best opportunity for local business owners to have access to multi-media professionals who are part of the communities they serve.

A Proven Business Model In a Growing Industry

With prime markets available, low overhead and recurring revenue streams, Money Pages represents a huge opportunity to tap into the stable multi-billion dollar direct mail industry, which is expected to reach $70.66 billion by 2023. And the brand’s strong positioning has not gone unnoticed. This year, Entrepreneur Magazine included the emerging brand in its prestigious Franchise 500 list.

In a digital world where brand messages are often lost among the daily tidal wave of emails, texts, social media posts and news feeds, Americans suffering from information overload are seeking experiences outside of their computer screens. Direct mail marketing provides a more personal, direct way to reach consumers: in their communities and at home, where they are increasingly spending most of their time.

“The pandemic certainly underscored the power of direct mail marketing,” said Danielle Wright, Franchise Development Director for Money Pages. “For our advertisers, it was a tangible way to reach customers and build loyalty. For our franchise partners, it was an opportunity to grow their businesses. And for our brand, it was an important test in resiliency, especially as we look to the future.”

Money Pages has assembled a team of more than 50 industry professionals to support its aggressive growth plans who will provide expertise to new franchisees while supporting the development of every new market.

The Two Paths to Money Pages Franchise Ownership

Money Pages offers two distinct paths to business ownership. The Executive Model is designed for franchisees who prefer to hire, train and lead a small sales team while focusing on networking and marketing. The Owner/Operator Model offers a hands-on role leading the franchise, allowing for immediate career transition at a more affordable entry point.

Money Pages Franchise Owner, Ramona Long and her husband and business partner Brian were drawn to Money Pages exactly for this reason. “We wanted something we could do that wouldn’t require high overhead costs and a physical location,” says Ramona. “Money Pages doesn’t require a brick-and-mortar store or a lot of staff upfront, which means a faster ramp-up, a proven business model and a more attractive work-life balance. A lot of that has to do with the support and training we’ve received from corporate as well. We also really liked that Money Pages offered scalability and multiple streams of revenue. Most other franchises didn’t offer that.”

According to Chris Sexton, Money Pages’ Vice President of Franchising, the brand is laser-focused on franchisee support. Money Pages recently brought on franchise business coach Marie Moon to lead the brand’s comprehensive training and onboarding program, Money Pages University.

“Our corporate team of professionals — with backgrounds in marketing, design, print, mail management, layout, accounting and digital products — give our franchise owners all the support they need to be successful,” said Sexton. “Having a dedicated business coach like Marie is yet another big bonus. It’s truly a team effort. We want our franchisees to feel supported every step of the way.”

A Streamlined Operational Model for Franchisees of All Backgrounds

Sexton says the brand’s ideal franchise candidates don’t require any specialized experience, but they are relationship-oriented, community-minded, ambitious, organized and financially skilled.

Franchise owners engage with area business owners at local events, meet and greet local residents and play an active role in their communities. For the right candidate in the right market, Money Pages represents a rare opportunity to secure prime territory in a rapidly growing sector.

“For small businesses in many small cities across the country, there just isn’t anything like Money Pages in their market,” Sexton said. “We offer an opportunity for them to reach their target customers in an effective, personal way. For motivated entrepreneurs, we offer a home-based, direct mail franchise opportunity that provides the flexibility and lifestyle they seek. There really isn’t any other franchise opportunity quite like it in the nation.”

Ramona and Brian Long came from a family of small business owners. When they discovered Money Pages’ community-oriented culture and proven franchise model, they knew they had an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of fellow business owners.

Money Pages, a multi-media brand that helps business owners reach their target audiences through direct mail, digital products and its flagship product Money Pages magazine, offers a prime opportunity for those entrepreneurs who are looking to give back to the small business owners in their communities. For example, Ramona and Brian Long, the multi-unit owners of Money Pages in Cobb County, Georgia, originally signed on with the Money Pages brand for just that reason.

Today, as small business owners look for ways to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, franchisees like the Longs are able to give back while entering the $70 billion direct mail industry with the backing of a proven business model, low overhead costs and recurring revenue streams.

The Road to Money Pages

Prior to signing on with the brand in 2019, Brian spent 35 years in the corporate foodservice business, including a 10-year sales executive role with The Coca-Cola Company. Ramona was a special development provider and teacher. When Brian’s role ended up requiring too much travel, the Longs decided to start looking at starting their own business.

“We researched several different concepts — restaurants, senior services — everything under the sun,” said Brian. “We chose Money Pages because it gave us the flexibility to work from home, with a low investment and a community-oriented culture. We love helping people, and Money Pages offered a great plan in that regard. Founder Alan Worley and his team truly care and are aligned with all the things that we were looking for.”

Ramona added, “We wanted something we could do that wouldn’t require high overhead costs and a physical location. Money Pages doesn’t require a brick-and-mortar store or a lot of staff upfront, which means a faster ramp-up, a proven business model and a more attractive work-life balance. A lot of that has to do with the support and training we’ve received from corporate as well. We also really liked that Money Pages offered scalability and multiple streams of revenue. Most other franchises didn’t offer that.”

How Money Pages Allows Franchisees To Give Back to Their Local, Small Business Community

The Longs launched their first magazine in 2019. The following year, they expanded to a second territory and have a development deal to open two more after that. Since the beginning, the Longs say they have been fully committed to helping the local business owners in their community thrive.

“Brian and I are both children of small business owners. My dad owned a landscaping company, and his dad owned an office furniture supply company,” said Ramona. “We know what it’s like to have those great days and those hard days. The thing that we really love about Money Pages is that Alan Worley had a high-powered job, but he left because he wanted to make a difference for small business owners. We like to feature those locally-owned businesses and provide quality products in every platform and media channel at a budget that makes sense to them. We take the time to get to know them, help them build the foundation of their marketing and help them put together that plan.”

Brian agrees that this opportunity to give back to the community was a primary reason the Longs signed on with Money Pages. “In my previous career, I had traveled so much that I never knew who my neighbors were,” he said. “I wasn’t involved with the local business associations or anything like that. This has allowed us to really dig into the community, and it has been great. Money Pages has also allowed us to do a lot of philanthropy work through the Money Pages Foundation.”

How Money Pages Adapted to the Pandemic

Last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Brian says local small businesses were more in need of support than ever before.

“When we came into the pandemic, people were scared and didn’t know what to do,” said Brian. “We told them not to worry — if people are home, they are going to be more likely to read the magazine. When people were shut down, the only place they could go was to their mailbox. We actually got 11 new clients during the first two months of COVID. Over the past year, we’ve been able to help businesses pivot, stay in business and grow through strategic marketing.”

Not only did small business owners that the franchisees work with need support, but the franchisees did as well. While so many other small business owners were struggling, the Money Pages corporate team worked hard to give franchisees a model that could withstand both the pandemic and the recession. As a result, the brand experienced its most successful year of franchising in 2020 and even grew sales 30% during the most recent recession. Due to the format and diversity of the magazine, the brand is protected against seasonality or category dipping.

Ramona notes that they’ve also been able to pivot themselves in order to keep up with the changing times. “Magazine is our flagship product, but we took this time to add on the digital side, and many customers now do combined campaigns,” she said. “We can now be a one-stop-shop, which has resulted in increased returns whether it be SEO, social media, display. It has also opened up new doors for strictly digital customers.”

Looking ahead, the Longs say existing customers continue to ask them to expand to new territories, and the 16 clients who have been with them for all three years are growing alongside them.

“Being local owners, we can truly partner with our clients and help them achieve their goals and adapt to the new landscape,” said Ramona. “Having that opportunity to really be a growth partner with local businesses is so unique to Money Pages franchising, and we are excited to see where the future takes us.”

Worley says the Money Pages corporate team shares in the excitement and is thrilled to have the Longs on the team. “As we grow our brand across the country, we are looking for franchisees like Ramona and Brian who are passionate about what they are doing,” he said. “The more franchisees feel excited to give back to the communities they serve, the greater success they will find with Money Pages.”

The total cost to open a Money Pages franchise ranges from $107,500 to $198,500. For more information, visit https://moneypagesfranchising.com/

Worley discusses how the direct-mail franchise was born, some of the brand’s biggest milestones over the past two decades and the executive team’s exciting plans for the future.

Executive Q&A: Alan Worley, CEO, President and Founder of Money Pages

Worley discusses how the direct-mail franchise was born, some of the brand’s biggest milestones over the past two decades and the executive team’s exciting plans for the future.

1851 Franchise: What void does Money Pages fill and what inspired you to start?

Alan Worley: I came from the radio industry and had a long history of helping businesses and clients tell their story through advertising. When I was working in Jacksonville, Florida, I recognized how expensive it was to secure electronic media placements at the time. I saw an opportunity to help local businesses tell their story, control their message and maintain a longer shelf life through direct mail, digital products and our flagship product Money Pages magazine. In 2001, Money Pages started in Jacksonville, and we were mailing magazines to about 150,000 homes. Today, with both corporate and franchised locations, we mail to over 12 million homes.

1851: What are you doing well right now? What are your brand’s differentiators?

Worley: As we celebrate our 20-year anniversary, we are proud of the credibility and brand equity that we have built over the years. Now, we are expanding with the franchise system and currently operate in seven states and counting. It is always popular to save money. We provide a way for readers to save money on the local businesses they love, while also providing the business owners a way to generate traffic into their stores. This service has proven to be heavily in demand all over the country.

We’ve also continued to diversify and grow since we operate in multiple states now. In 2014, we added several digital assets that are complementary to the magazine. We had people asking us about digital. They loved what we were doing but wanted a channel for digital products. So we launched a digital marketing sister company called 3D Digital, as well as rolled out a mobile app.

When it comes to the differentiators that set Money Pages apart as a franchise opportunity, it would be the back-end support we offer, as well as the wide array of available territories. This really sets us apart in the direct-mail segment — many competitors are sold out in prime areas, but we have territories that are wide open because we are an emerging franchise system.

1851: What were some learning opportunities that Money Pages leveraged to get where it is now?

Worley: As the company has grown, I’ve learned many valuable insights about franchising. For example, I’ve learned that we want owners to live in the cities they operate in. I’ve learned it is very difficult to manage this business from out of town, so being a part of the day-to-day operations is important.

1851: What does your ideal franchisee look like?

Worley: We can teach you what to say and who to call on, but we can’t teach you passion, determination and charisma. We look for outgoing people who want to be a part of the community and help local businesses grow. Our ideal franchisees want to have flexibility and be in control of their own schedule.

To me, it is more about the heart, passion and drive than it is about a necessary skill set. We’ve had franchisees who came from the ministry, from being a teacher, from managing a Goodwill — all walks of life. None of our owners come from a sales background.

1851: How does Money Pages support franchisees?

Worley: We pride ourselves on being there for our franchisees. We have a designated design team that represents each franchisee and is available to answer any and all questions. We’ve also hired a full-time business coach that helps franchisees take their magazines to the next page count through sales training, client interaction, etc. There is also a dedicated accounting team to handle all invoicing on behalf of franchisees.

Basically, we cover all the back office work so franchisees can focus on building and maintaining relationships in their individual markets.

1851: What have been some of Money Pages’ most important milestones since it started?

Worley: One of our biggest milestones was when we first started franchising — being able to have so much success in Jacksonville and then create a system that would allow other people all over the country to replicate it was very rewarding. Another milestone would be when we became a managed account with the USPS. Part of what Money Pages brings to the table as a franchisor is the relationships we’ve built with printers, manufacturers and more. Franchisees can leverage those relationships on a larger scale, and that has been very valuable.

1851: What growth plans does the brand have in the coming years?

Worley: We’ve proven to be recession-resistant and pandemic-resistant, and we are ready to aggressively continue that growth. We are looking to expand our footprint by launching in additional markets where we already have a presence, such as the Carolinas, Tennessee and our home state of Florida.

For more information on franchising with Money Pages, visit: https://moneypagesfranchising.com/

Chattanooga resident helps others save money with new business venture

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Chattanooga residents will enjoy more deals and savings when Money Pages begins mailing monthly local coupons in August.

Lifelong Chattanooga resident Jason Richardson chose to launch a Money Pages franchise because he wants to help people and make a difference in his community. Richardson is a community-oriented resident. Staying active in Chattanooga is important to him. Previously, Richardson worked in the nonprofit sector where he managed donation sites and served as the purchasing administrator for Goodwill Industries of Chattanooga.

“Money Pages gives me the opportunity to connect with the community in which I was born and raised,” said Richardson. “Far too often, small businesses get overlooked. Money Pages offers those in the community a reminder and another good reason – saving money – to buy locally in order to grow our city.”

Money Pages began in 2001 when Alan Worley took the risk of starting a new business with no guarantees. The risk paid off with hundreds of businesses choosing Money Pages as a way to reach local consumers every month.

“We’re excited to start mailing Money Pages in Chattanooga,” said Worley. “Jason has a passion to help business owners and help his neighbors save money. We have a very high retention rate and have for years because businesses see a return on their investment.”

Money Pages helps business owners reach targeted consumers with a variety of special offers in their neighborhoods. Richardson’s support of local small businesses is more than just talk: While other coupon magazines are national, the Chattanooga Money Pages itself is a locally owned business.

Money Pages is a direct mail publication saving readers money on everyday purchases and helping businesses grow their bottom lines. The company also specializes in custom direct mail campaigns and interactive marketing solutions to help businesses reach their desired customers. Money Pages has an in-house design team available for print, digital and animated videos to promote local businesses’ brands and increase sales.

Money Pages began offering franchise opportunities in 2013. Now the company reaches more than 725,000 homes in 20 markets across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. Visit www.moneypages.com and www.moneypagesfranchising.com for more information.