By Steven and Kary Tratner

One of the most important management aspects we had to master was hiring the right staff, which provided a few bumps along the road. I remember someone telling Kary not to hire anyone who you wouldn’t have over for dinner with your children—we didn’t always follow that advice at first. Before long, though, we got the hang of hiring and today, we pride ourselves on having an amazing team. We have really tried to create a family atmosphere here, not just to make it more pleasant for our staff, but also for our kids and ourselves. We want everyone to feel like they’re part of an extended family, rather than a sterile and formal work environment.

Why is this so important to us? Well, let’s say the average person is awake 16 hours a day; between commuting to their job and doing their work, they’re with us more than half of their waking hours. We personally think it’s important employers understand this and try to create a feeling of comfort and excitement on the job. We’ve actually had employees who have told us work is a fun escape from challenges they’re having in other aspects of their lives. I don’t want to get too maudlin about it, but we wanted an environment people enjoyed being in.

Read the full article: A Perfect Match: Finding the ideal franchise made our dreams come true

By Steven and Kary Tratner

Steven and I started to do some research into franchising. We attended many franchise shows, but had trouble finding a unique concept about which we were truly excited. Sure, there were opportunities; every show we went to, there seemed to be a new trend popping up. However, we were looking for something truly distinctive, totally different, not just a concept that had been duplicated a hundred times before. That’s when we came across DirectBuy.

At the time, the company was just starting to expand outside of the U.S. We saw the incredible potential of the concept and went to the Indiana head office to meet with their staff. As we learned more, we were enticed by the uniqueness of it, but also loved the fact this franchise is a win-win for everybody involved—the franchisee, franchisor and, most importantly, the club members.

We also liked that the system was difficult to replicate. We weren’t going to see another competitor pop up very easily; it has taken DirectBuy 39 years to build up the manufacturer relationships and systems that make the company successful. Compare that to food service and other franchised industries, where each concept seems to have at least three or four variations, and it just became increasingly apparent this was the right opportunity for us.

Read the full article: A Perfect Match: Finding the ideal franchise made our dreams come true

By Steven and Kary Tratner

It’s funny how life tends to come full circle. More than 13 years ago, we were calling up franchisees with DirectBuy, the private home improvement and furnishings club we now serve as franchisees in Markham, Ont. These days, we’re the ones fielding those calls, sharing our experience and advice.

Of course, the basics are easy. DirectBuy is a private club in which members have access to a huge selection of products from more than 500 brand name manufacturers. They’re able to buy pretty much everything for in and around their home directly, with no retail mark up. DirectBuy forever changes the way families buy, providing them with an opportunity to live a better life.

The appeal, convenience and savings the concept offers might be obvious to DirectBuy’s hundreds of thousands of members across North America. What’s not so obvious is how a business consultant and lawyer with three kids ended up running one of the company’s most successful franchises.

Read the full article: A Perfect Match: Finding the ideal franchise made our dreams come true