I have decided to start a new web site to further explore my passion for politics and in particular, how small business is affected by policy.

I speak with small business owners every day that share the same frustrations:

1.  Access to capital (I feel like a broken record on this one, but we need to keep talking about it until there is some resolution and forward momentum)

2. Concern over how new policies may affect their business (health care reform and corporate taxation

3.  The ability to offer benefits to their employees balanced with maintaining a profitable business (see #2, but add to that the current exorbitant costs for small businesses to provide it because they cannot join together for better rates)

Those are just a few of the topics that will be discussed on my new web page, come take a look!

Small Business Pundit

At the last minute I was asked to speak about tax incentives for small businesses - and I was more than happy to oblige!  It was quite an experience, and the first time I had ever been interviewed via satellite -  rather strange when you can’t see the person you are talking to!

Bottom line - the Administration needs to allocate more funds to small business lending.  The Recovery Act allocated funds to be used to provide 90% guarantees on SBA loans and drastically reduced or eliminated the fees associated with SBA loans.  (In my case I saved over $11,000 in fees!) Let’s hope they can make this happen sooner rather than later and keep the momentum behind small business lending and job creation.

Amy Nichols on Your World with Neil Cavuto

We are honored and excited to be featured today in the USA Today newspaper and online!

Here is the article:

Dogtopia in USA Today

And the video featuring lots of cuties from Dogtopia of Tysons Corner, VA!

Dogtopia Video on USAToday.com

I hope you enjoy them both - big thanks to Dogtopia of Tysons for being so patient while we filmed, and Jordan, Maria, and Liz for being willing participants!

From our Dogtopia of Land O’Lakes Blog:

3 Responses to “Is microchipping really worthwhile?”

1. Check the Chip Says:
   August 26th, 2009 at 8:17 pm Our website http://www.ChecktheChip.com can help those who find a lost pet with a microchip.

   Since there are 6 microchip databases in the U.S., have a shelter or vet scan the lost pet then use our site to enter the pet’s microchip number into ChecktheChip.com and we can locate the database that holds the owner information. We are the Google for pet microchips!

   For pet owners, it is so important to check your pet’s microchip and ensure that your pet is registered with the microchip database. Pet owners, here is some important info http://www.checkthechip.com/SupportPage.aspx

   We are happy to help pets, parents, shelters and vets!

   The Check The Chip Team

A Dozen Locations Across the U.S. Set Goal to Wash More than 1,000 Dogs

July 09, 2009 // Franchising.com // Bethesda, MD – For working police dogs across the country, the comforts of home are few and far between. With budget cuts a reality in cities everywhere, animals in law enforcement’s K-9 units can use a little pampering on the job.

That’s why a dozen Dogtopia locations from California to Maryland will simultaneously participate in the company’s fifth annual charity dog wash July 18 and 19 to raise money for local police K-9 units who play an important role in keeping their communities safe.

“We are pleased to expand our mission of raising money for working dogs to animals in our own communities,” said Amy Nichols, CEO and Founder of Dogtopia. “Realizing that budgets in local government have been cut, we want to ensure working police dogs get the supplies necessary to do their job in as much comfort as possible.”

Working police dogs play an important role in detecting narcotics and explosives, search and rescue operations, evidence recovery and criminal apprehension in their communities. In addition, the dog is responsible for protecting their police handlers. Proceeds from the Dogtopia dog washes will defer costs for equipment such as ballistic vests, safety harnesses and the outfitting of cars.

Nichols began her campaign to raise awareness for military dogs, as well as working dogs of all kinds in July 2005. To accommodate the success of the campaign, she established a permanent charitable wing of her company called K-9 Support. To date, K-9 Support has raised more than $30,000 and sent more than 7,000 lbs of supplies overseas. Last year, seven locations participated in the annual dog wash and more than $7,000 was raised.

This year, locations in Manassas, VA; Chantilly, VA; Alexandria, VA; Woodbridge, VA; North Bethesda, MD; Danvers, MA; Waco, TX; Austin, TX; Omaha, NE; North Raleigh, NC; Temecula, CA and San Marcos, CA will participate in the dog wash with a goal of washing at least 100 dogs per location.

“The Dogtopia annual dog wash is our biggest event of the year for K-9 Support. I’m thrilled that so many of our locations are participating and that together we will raise needed funds and awareness for working dogs,” Nichols said. “Most dogs we’re in contact with lead pampered lives. We want to take care of the dogs that watch over us.”

Owners can bring their dogs in for a bath, where both can enjoy food and games. Several local businesses have committed to the fifth annual dog wash through donations and representation, including major players in the local canine industry. A $10 per dog wash donation is requested. Proceeds will go to the local Dogtopia franchisee’s organization of choice.

About Dogtopia®

Dogtopia®, founded in 2002, began offering franchises in 2005. Dogtopia prides itself on being a place where pets are valued as family and­ where dogs enjoy endless playtime and spa treatments in a positive environment. Dog owners have the assurance of leaving their beloved pets in the hands of trained professionals. Dogtopia® staff willingly nurtures each pet with attention and love. Each location offers a variety of fun activities, sociable training and comfortable boarding for dogs of all ages, shapes, sizes, abilities and temperaments.

Washington DC is known as our nation’s capital, but it also has another national moniker, that of one of the worst cities for traffic in the country. Forbes ranked us in the Top 3 Worst Traffic Cities with the likes of Los Angeles and San Francisco. http://bit.ly/ForbesWorstCitiesForTraffic

Commuting in our area is grueling, and after leaving the “rat race” seven years ago to start my own business, I thought I had found a way to truly control the time I spend in my car. I opened a doggie daycare, Dogtopia, just seven miles from my house. Our business hours had me commuting outside of the most congested periods of the day and I felt that I had solved the problem. No longer would I be subjected to hours of wasted time in my car. Until I decided to expand the business, that is.

A few years later we decided it was time to grow Dogtopia. We had great success with the first dog daycare in Tysons Corner, VA and felt it was time to add a “sister store” in North Bethesda, MD. The new Maryland store would be only 14 miles from the Tysons Corner location – an easy commute between the two. Or so we thought. Apparently, the Wilson Bridge that takes you over the Potomac River and from Virginia to Maryland, had other ideas.

Skip forward a few more years and we are now a growing franchise company with 20 locations across the country. We also have over 30 employees, six of which are in franchise management and report daily to our North Bethesda location. The North Bethesda location now housed our national headquarters and training center. Since we began the business in Virginia that also happened to be where everyone lived, and thus the daily undertaking of the Wilson Bridge. Somehow I was back to where I started eight years before and dealing daily with the horrors of DC traffic.

It occurred to me last summer that it would be quite easy to work from home on Fridays, and I felt that I deserved a day free from commuting. My second thought was that my employees would really enjoy working from home on Fridays. If I could do it, why not everyone on our management team? They would each save up to two hours in commuting time and could therefore have an earlier start to their weekend and more time with their family. I even came up with a clever name, “Flexible Fridays.” You can work wherever you want, but there were a few rules.

1. Must be available by phone

2. Must be online and available in email

3. Must be on Instant Messenger

The first two are quite obvious; the third requirement is because even when in the office, I often use IM to communicate with my team. I might have a quick question while on the phone with a vendor or franchisee and it prevents me from having to yell and/or put the person on hold.

Last summer Flexible Fridays worked great. Knowing they had at least one day per week where they could avoid traffic really improved their outlook and I know that they appreciated my gesture. There have been a few frustrations, but the slight inconveniences are more than outweighed by the increased satisfaction felt by my staff.

This year I decided to once again offer Flexible Fridays and so far, so good. Other times of the year it would not be possible due to franchisee training and other commitments, but it has become a nice summertime perk, and one that I plan to continue indefinitely.

As some of you may know, I have been trying to encourage “Thankful Thursday” on Twitter.  I have been so pleasantly surprised by the great “tweeps” I have met that I thought a weekly shout out to all these cool folks would be a great way to acknowledge them.  Gini Dietrich (@ginidietrich) posted a very thorough blog listing her “Follow Friday” recommendations, so I thought I would follow suit and list my Thankful Thursday folks and why.  (Thanks Gini!)

I am thankful for the following Tweeps:

Franchise Folks:

@ginidietrich - Gini Dietrich is the CEO of Arment Dietrich PR Firm.  I thought I would start with her since she was the inspiration for this posting!  Gini is so full of energy! I just love her posts and interesting topics that she brings up.  She is a PR master and a super nice person!

@debraprgirl - Debra Vilchis is the COO at Fishman PR, the public relations firm for Dogtopia.  Debra has endless energy and enthusiasm plus a great sense of humor!

@DebCE - Deb Evans is the CEO of Computer Explorers.  A fellow franchisor with a positive outlook who is always willing to share ideas and her experience.  (I have found Franchisors in general to be very helpful and supportive, I think it comes with the territory)

@PaulSegreto - While I have never met Paul in person, I truly enjoy his insightful tweets and blog postings about franchising!

@DavidHandler - David is a business coach, and while not specific to franchising, he has been a tremendous help to me as I learn the “ways” of franchising!  A big fan of LOA and a positive force who always stears me back when I veer into the negative.

Dog & Pet Lovers:

@dogtopia - Got to give a shout out to our company twitter account!  Alex Bowens tweets for us and does a great job of sharing interesting pet stories, photos, and Dogtopia news.

@centerpet - Center Pet Pharmacy is right in our backyard in DC, yet we never met them until Twitter!  We are now working on some cross-marketing together, all because of Twitter!

@OBGCockerRescue - Oldies But Goodies Cocker Rescue is a great group that specializes in senior dogs who often have a harder time getting adopted.  We have been fostering their rescues for 3 years now at our Dogtopia of White Flint, MD store and have been happy to assist with more than 75 dogs finding homes!

@labradors - Dogtopia pretty much “runs” on Labs, so we love Lab lovers!

@barrie - A pet sitter in Lexington, KY who loves animals and is very supportive of rescue and other pet industry folks.

@amandaspetcare - Amanda Carlson is a dog walker and pet sitter in Arlington, VA.  She is also a customer of Dogtopia of Alexandria.  It has been great getting to know her on Twitter - lots of positive energy.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and I hope to have a new post each Thursday.  Gratitude is such a powerful force and I am grateful for all of the positive influences in my life - both on and off Twitter!

With June here and the weather heating up, more and more dog owners will be treating their pups to an afternoon at a neighborhood dog park.   There are more than 600 dog parks across the country, which means spending the day at the dog park is becoming increasingly more common.  As the founder of Dogtopia, a national chain of upscale dog daycare and spas, I see dogs interacting with each other quite regularly during our daily play groups and at the “indoor” dog park days we host at our facilities during the winter. While the trips to the dog park can be a great way to help with your pooches socialization skills, it can also turn out to be a disaster if you are not prepared for the trip. When it comes to spending time at the dog park, there are plenty of “do’s and don’ts.”

With that in mind, here are a few key tips dog owners should remember before rushing out to the local dog park:

• Make sure your dog is up-to-date on his/her vaccinations before heading out.
• If you’ve never been to the park before, find out if there is a water source. If there isn’t, remember to bring water with you.
• Always clean up after your dog. The dog park’s for everyone.
• Always pay attention while your dog plays and interrupt any rough play.
• It may be a good idea to leave toys and treats of your own at home to avoid any competition for them between the dogs. Besides, the dogs are more than capable of occupying themselves.
• Don’t worry if your dog doesn’t immediately begin to play.  Every dog has to reach their own comfort level.
• If your dog makes a new friend, chat with the owner and learn when they normally come to play. You can arrange play dates!

Following these tips will help make everyone’s experience at the dog park an enjoyable one.  For more information on Dogtopia and a listing of locations nationwide, as well as how to get your dog involved with one of our numerous play groups, visit www.dogdaycare.com.

SmallBizResource Blog — SmallBizResource

Q&A With Franchise King Joel Libava

Posted by Gayle Kesten Tuesday, Apr 7, 2009, 09:00 AM ET

You know the saying, “If the shoe fits, wear it”? Well, make it a crown, and Joel Libava wears it well.

Libava, president of Cleveland-based franchise consulting firm Franchise Selection Specialists, says he didn’t aspire to be his own boss, but at a certain point during his career, he knew what he didn’t want: to work for other people. In 2001, when Libava was canned (his words) from a management position at an automobile franchise, his father, Jerry, encouraged him to join (and eventually take over) the franchise consultancy, which he had founded in the late ’80s to help match franchisors with franchisees. Libava has been there ever since. “Even though business is tough, and there’s a lot of nervousness and caution out there, I love what I do,” he says.

About the nickname: Libava was appointed the Franchise King title at a chamber of commerce event about six years ago. “The director, who knew me, looked across the room and said, ‘Hey, it’s the Franchise King!’ It just kind of stuck,” he told me. “It’s not an ego thing — it’s more of a branding thing to separate myself from others.”

Libava, whose blog is the only one tax expert Barbara Weltman regularly follows, has one of those (Internet) radio-type voices that commands attention, too. In addition, last year he wrote an e-book, “The Essential Steps To Researching A Franchise Opportunity,” plus he’s a featured blogger on American Express’ OPEN Forum and Anita’s Campbell’s Small Business Trends Website.

Libava and I had what you’d call a Franchising 101 conversation, during which he shed light on what it costs to buy into a franchise, where people go wrong in choosing one, and why it’s an excellent opportunity for someone who doesn’t want to reinvent the business wheel.

Read her Q & A Session with Joel.