On Sale Now! SUMMER ISSUE

NATIONAL MINORITY FRANCHISING INITIATIVE NAMES FASTSIGNS® TO TOP 25 FRANCHISES FOR HISPANICS (Carrollton, TX) May 6, 2009 -- The National Minority Franchising Initiative (NMFI) has compiled its annual list of the Top 25 Franchises for Hispanics. Carrollton-based FASTSIGNS International, Inc., franchisor of FASTSIGNS® sign and graphics centers, was selected by the NMFI to the #12 spot on the list. The results were published in the April issue of PODER (“ability” or “power” in Spanish) Magazine, the successor to Hispanic Enterprise. The NMFI develops the list based on a rigorous analysis of several factors, including historical performance, brand identification, franchisee satisfaction, training, on-going support and financial stability. Another important determinant is the percentage of existing franchises that are Hispanic-owned, as well as the number of Hispanics in the franchisor’s top levels of management. “Based on the results of this year’s survey, we are extremely pleased to notice both the increase in the number of Hispanic-owned franchisees, as well as the increased Hispanic representation among the top management. There is no question that the franchising community is increasingly aware of the economic power and underlying talents within the Latino community. Over time, Latinos will realize their full potential and the playing field will indeed be level. Hopefully, that day is not far off,” notes NMFI co-founder Rob Bond. THE NATION'S FOREMOST CHILD-DEVELOPMENT KARATE RANCHISE ELIMINATES MONTHLY ROYALTY FEE Philadelphia, PA. (April 20, 2009) - PRO MARTIAL ARTS Franchise Corporation is one of the largest operators of karate studios encompassing an exciting and diverse children’s curriculum of martial arts techniques. The Grandmaster Samane System taught at Pro Martial Arts is the result of decades of training and teaching experience. It encompasses a curriculum of martial arts techniques drawn from the Korean arts of Tang Soo Do, Tae Kwon Do, and Hapkido. Students at Pro Martial Arts develop a potent blend of strength, flexibility, stamina and balance while learning effective and proven self-defense skills in a fun and energizing environment. "The most common royalty structure is a royalty payment based on a percentage of the franchisee’s gross sales. The percentage can vary, but normally the range is between 5% - 8%," said Carl Kosnar, Managing Partner of The Kosnar Group, franchise development consultants for Pro Martial Arts Franchise Corporation. "Our goal is not to extract more money from the franchisee as he or she becomes more successful, but instead, we want to build a long-term relationship with our franchisees. We would like our franchisees to be our partners and allow them to build equity in their businesses. We realize that in order to grow the PRO MARTIAL ARTS franchise chain nationally, we need to get innovative and aggressive. That is the reason that we instituted a monthly $10 fee per student enrolled in lieu of a percentage royalty," said Grand Master Samane. SPORT CLIPS CELEBRATES OPENING OF 600th STORE IN WILSON Wilson, NC - Sport Clips, the nation’s largest men and boy’s hair-care provider, celebrated the opening of its 600th store Wednesday, January 28 in Wilson, North Carolina, a milestone for the company with locations in 39 states. Located at 3401 Raleigh Road, Sport Clips is known for its sports-themed, guy-friendly environment. "The Free Throw Master" Ed Palubinskas - two-time Olympian, world record holder, and shooting coach to the stars shot 600 free throws in 60 minutes outside the store, while inside Stylists offer free haircuts. Several area high school and college teams were invited to come out and test their free throw skills as well. And, a special “towel cutting” ceremony was held to highlight Sport Clips’ signature MVP Treatment that features steamed towels, neck and shoulder massage, along with a hair-cut. Later in the day, Sport Clips sponsored Palubinskas’ Free Throw Clinic for the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club members. Sport Clips Founder and CEO Gordon Logan, from the company’s headquarters in Georgetown, Texas, was on hand for the event along with Team Leader (franchise owner) Ed Majeski, of Wilmington; Matt Lewis and Carty Davis, Sport Clips Area Developers for North Carolina; and other Sport Clips representatives. HOMEWATCH CAREGIVERS TAKES THE LEAD IN QUALITY CONTROLS, CAREGIVER SCREENING GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO—At a time when nursing home inspections reveal poor quality control measures and negligent hiring lawsuits and elder abuse reports are on the rise, in-home care industry leader Homewatch CareGivers, after careful review of 10 national background screening companies, selected Affordable Searches as its new national caregiver background check partner. Affordable Searches conducts multi-jurisdictional background searches across the U.S., including the 50-state sexual offender database, the federal criminal database (PACER) and motor vehicle databases for all caregivers providing client transportation. Noting the significance of this new partnership, President Leann Reynolds said, "These valuable searches are conducted on not only all new applicants but on all caregiver and employee hires system-wide each year. All names connected with Social Security numbers are checked along with county criminal searches. These real time county searches are done manually, line item by line item, and include all counties the person has lived in for the past seven to 10 years. We’re confident our security measures are the highest industry standard and we believe, just as the auditor for the Texas Department of Disability and Aging services said, that Affordable Searches provides the most complete background screening for home health agencies." With over 30 years of experience, owner Paul Marcus, a licensed private investigator, has worked with Homewatch CareGivers since 2004. Affordable Searches is a member of the National Association of Background Screeners (NAPBS), a national organization promoting ethics and best practices for the background screening industry, and was one of 35 background screening companies from across the U.S. selected to participate in a best practices survey by the NAPBS Affordable Searches is also a member of the National Association of Security Agencies (NASA) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Updated: May 13, 2009 All information contained within BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES HANDBOOK: On-Line is copyrighted © 1995-2009. Reproduction of all or part by any means without express permission of the publisher is forbidden.