Filta Fry Keys to Success

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

As a new or potential FiltaFry franchisee, you indubitably have some high hopes for your new franchise. Hopefully you've already taken the time to map out some concrete long-term goals and set upon some intermediary steps to work towards meeting those. What can you, as a business owner, do to ensure that you meet your aspirations?

Focus on Sales

You worked together with your Business Development Manager, during your training to build a preliminary customer base to get your FiltaFry business started on the right track. Your BDM can and should help you learn the skills and techniques necessary to continue to grow your roster of repeat businesses, and is there to offer guidance and support even after the initial development stage is completed. Nevertheless, it is up to you to devote the time to selling your service in your territory.

Calling on new potential customers can be a bit frightening, especially at first. It is beneficial to find ways to put aside your fears and get excited about your business. Make it an objective to continuously improve your pitch and set yourself goals for the number of new accounts you would like to see each month.

Be Your Best Employee

You've gone into business to be your own boss, but the flip side of that is that you are also your number one (and possibly only) employee. The ultimate limit of how far your FiltaFry franchise can go depends on you. It's up to you whether you want to do 5 calls in a day or 8. Nobody but you can push you to reach your full potential. Likewise, it is you who profits from being willing to push yourself and your limits to maximize the earning potential of your business.

As with marketing, make clear goals. Decide how many service calls you'd like to see yourself do each day, and push yourself to raise that bar. Your diligence and strong ethic will show as a return on your investment, a thriving business, and an ever broadening base of satisfied customers. Keep an eye on your long-term goals. The more time and effort you are willing to put into being that "one man in a van" the closer you will be to being that "one man who owns a lot of vans" with a fleet of techs working under you making you money.

Be Flexible

Adaptability is crucial in any business. FiltaFry is no exception to this rule. As you look for ways to improve your marketing techniques and streamline your daily operations, you may find that some strategies that worked well in the past are no longer as effective. Don't be afraid to be inventive. Endeavor to grow with your customers and find new ways of conducting business and developing your FiltaFry franchise.
Keep your sort-term objectives flexible as you push to meet you more solid long-term goals. Your FiltaFry franchise is your ticket to success, but it is up to you to make the best use of it.

Filtafry touts green product

SEMINOLE COUNTY - When Gov. Charlie Crist signed an executive order in July to make the state government a more environmentally friendly employer, part of the provision was that agencies should use "green lodging" for conferences when it's available.

Tom Rovison, the owner of franchise company Filtafry, hopes his company's business of reducing waste in restaurants will get a boost from the order as the New Year comes around and the bulk of the order comes into effect.

"A lot of these companies are in a rush right now to get involved with the Florida Restaurant [and Lodging] Association and the green theme lodging so they're still allowed to host these functions," Rovison said. "What happens at that point is people have to follow certain waste guidelines - reduction to a certain level - a

nd we help them get to that level and it's a cost effective way of doing it."

Rovison's company uses a vacuum and pressurized filter system, an imported system from Europe, to clean the frying oil and double the life of the oil. Rovison said that one of his goals for 2008 is to expand his business in Seminole County.

"No one likes to clean the fryers, but we've got it down to a science," Rovison said. "We've got all the tools that are needed to do it fast, safely and cost effectively."

Filtafry has a sister company that works with restaurants and cafeterias to secure the used oil and convert it to bio-diesel fuel. ABC Research Corporation in Gainesville, a company that does lab work for Burger King, said the recycled oil may be lower in coal tar and even trans fat, the Orlando Business Journal reported.

The company is also expanding and offering a filter service for freezers, which Rovison said can both lower the temperature of the freezer and equalize the humidity, which means less time with the compressor running.

"You save on electricity which means less fossil fuels which means more environmentally friendly," Rovison said.

Rovison services a variety of clients, from the cafeteria at Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford to all three Papa Joe's in Seminole County. For many of his clients, Rovison said, it's not the environmental and health benefits that lure clients to his business as much as it is the release of liability.

According to a 1999 study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, there was an estimated 44,800 injuries suffered by restaurant workers - and nearly half of those injuries were from burns. Numbers for burns in Seminole County aren't kept by state's worker's compensation department, the state Department of Health or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Florida office.

When Danna McGowen arrives at a business in the bright yellow Fitafry van, he's wearing what look like welding gloves - thick gloves that go to the elbow made from bulletproof kevlar - and he's armed with four years of experience changing out the 360-degree oil.

Both McGowen and Rovison said people often show them the scars they've gotten changing or cleaning the oil.

"They'll roll their arms up and show you the scars," Rovison said. "We take that liability away from them and give them a better product."

Filta Fry - A Leader in Fryer Filtration and Management

Filta Fry is dedicated to improving the way that restaurants and other food service establishments do business. FiltaFry's fryer filtration and management service helps its clients save money, creates safer work environments, provides businesses with the tools to improve the quality of their products and plays a role in preserving the environment. This comprehensive service provides and eco-friendly, mobile onsite solution to full fryer management, providing customers with highly effective micro-filtration of cooking oil and vacuum-based cleaning of deep fryers. By working with a highly skilled and trained FiltaFry technician, customers obtain a all-inclusive fryer management service that reaches far beyond the scope of simple waste oil management. FiltaFry's service includes such detailed aspects as temperature calibration of fryers, oil filtration, and thorough vacuuming of fryers. The advanced filtration methods employed by this system reduces the onset of chemical breakdown of oils, thereby extending that oil's usability and improving its taste and quality. How it Works

FiltaFry uses a special micro-filtration system to achieve an unparalleled clarity in recycled cooking oil. First a technician pumps hot oil directly from the fryer, often at temperatures in excess of 350 degrees. The heat of the oil lowers its viscosity, facilitating better filtration. The oil is then directed at high pressure though Filta's specials filtration unit. These units are capable of removing carbon fibers and other particulate matter down to just a few microns in size, over 100 times smaller than that filtered by the minimally effective factory installed filters on most commercial fryers. While the oil is being filtered, the FiltaFry technician is hard at work cleaning the fryer using a vaccuum-based filtration system. This thorough cleaning leaves fryers free from any residual contaminates that might degrade oil and leaves the fryer ready to work at optimal efficiency. The oil is then returned to the fryer (minus 99 percent of the contaminants) looking cleaner and tasting better, ready to use again. Filta filtered oils last an average of twice as long, leading to a reduction in oil usage by an establishment of around 50 percent. The Benefits

Oil is an expensive resource that has limited longevity, even under the best use. Microscopic contaminates that enter the oil through use break down the oil and reduce its lifespan. FiltaFry saves customers money by micro-filtering these impurities from the oil, extending its usability. FiltaFry customers often see as much as a 50 percent reduction in oil turnover and disposal. Cleaner oil means better tasting oil, and that leads to better tasting foods as well. FiltaFry removes 99% of carbon and other contaminants that taint the flavor of cooking oil. As a result, fried foods come out tasting like they were intended to, not like what they were fried in. Using FiltaFry also eliminates the risk to employees associated with fryer upkeep. Filta's cleaning service also reduces the chances of injury due to slip and fall accidents and boil outs. As a result, businesses save on insurance claims and employees come to work with the peace of mind that they are being provided a safe work environment.