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/