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Suppose you’d like to expand your business, maybe add equipment or install outdoor seating or hire more personnel. A bank loan would take months and require mountains of paper work. A growing national service provides a more convenient way. Willis Financial Innovations, Inc. in Itasca, Il., can provide sub-prime business loans usually in less than a week
“It’s fast because there’s less paperwork,” says President Walt Willis. “We don’t require appraisals, or inventory collateralized, or tax returns or financials.” Willis Financial only requires proof of annualized revenues and the loan is then made based on a percentage of that amount. The other four criteria for the loans are: the type of business, the amount of time the loanee has been in that business, loanee’s credit score and whether or not the loanee owns a home. Up to 9 % of a company’s annuals sales can be loaned. (If sales were a million dollars, Willis and his lending partners could loan up to $90,000).
Once the loan amount is determined, these criteria will also determine the amount of the weekly payment. The pay back period is six to 12 months, and the weekly installments work to the operator’s benefit.
A quick infusion of cash can save an operator from having to take on an unwanted partner, or sell off assets or take out a loan using their home as collateral. Such tough decisions are particularly evident in the food industry. Restaurants traditionally have trouble borrowing money. Lenders are leery of the industry’s turnover rate and high number of first year closings. Willis Financial represents licensed lenders. The funding comes from one of six different banks. All money is on a wire transfer from a bank directly into a loanee’s bank account.
The finance program has been in business for five years and is licensed in all 50 states. The partnership with the banks provides a timely and orderly loan process. There is no need to change existing credit card processors, and thus no complicated reconciliations to perform. Operators can also avoid what’s known as “Double Dipping.” The lending arrangement doesn’t rely on a registered card platform or credit card transactions for re-payment. Therefore, operators can implement any marketing program they desire to drive sales without the risk of double dipping. It also prevents other companies from converting your existing customers into discount diners.
If your business is growing, why pay back a cash advance with a percentage of those precious credit card sales? As a successful businessperson, why undermine your business’ operating health by giving away your new increased sales? Willis Financial Innovations application process is simple, and ensures a lending decision and fund delivery that can be accomplished in as little as five business days.
Willis Financial Innovations, Inc.
138 Bay Drive
Itasca, Il. 60143
847-971-9258
waltwillis@msn.com
he idea of a cappuccino cookie shaped like Italy came to Ramona Silvestri in a dream back in 1988. She remembers the sweet taste of Italian desserts from her childhood when her dad would offer her café latte with French bread dipped into the coffee. When she dreamed of cookies shaped like Italy, it spoke warmly to her Italian heart.
“I grew up in a very culinary family,” she says. “My dad was a chef as well as my sister and my aunt. I grew up having cookies for all the holidays. In Italian culture, desserts are much loved, especially cookies.”
The dream has since become reality. In the past year, Ramona has brought out a line of specialty Italian cookies, Stivaletti, all baked in the shape of the motherland, Italy. The cookies are softer than biscotti, somewhat shortbread-like in texture, meant to be dipped in coffee but are delightful with ice cream, hot chocolate, and milk. They are available in three flavors: café latte, cappuccino and chocolate-dipped. The cookies are a perfect complement to any Italian meal, including pizza. The cookies are available in numerous outlets throughout California and through wholesalers such as Lunardi’s Markets, Granzella’s Inc., Italian Importing and Key Market. Distributors report that people have even used the cookies as a mini map to point out where in Italy their family lived.
One idea Ramona suggests for pizzeria operators is to use the cookies as a tasty marketing ploy to be offered as a “happy” after a meal when the server brings the check. “You can guarantee repeat customers if you give them a cookie shaped like Italy,” Ramona enthuses. “After your customers have had a great meal, they’re going to remember that cookie and, of course, their kids will remember.”
Stivaletti recently rolled out chocolate-flavored mints in the shape of Italy that are also perfect treats to offer customers. “It’s a nice feeling when hotel maids leave a mint on your pillow,” Ramona points out. “This is the same concept except these mints come after a delicious pizza.”
Stivaletti is constantly looking at fresh marketing opportunities and recently opened a dialog with television’s the Food Network to develop a program about desserts, possibly with a competition included. The cookies have also found their way into golf tournaments and parades, including recently being declared the official cookie of the San Francisco Columbus Day Italian Heritage Parade.
ItalFoods Inc., the West Coast distributor for Stivaletti cookies, has announced it will begin marketing a free cookie per scoop of Gelato at some store locations. They company is marketing the idea as a way for Stivaletti Cookies to replace plastic spoons for customers who are environmentally conscious.
Though only in business for less than two years, Ramona sees a steady increase in interest in her cookies shaped like Italy.
“The cookies have already taken off beyond my wildest “dream,” 20 years ago,” Ramona exclaims.
For more information please contact www.italfoodsinc.com or 650-877-0724 x316. To order cookies by phone, please call 650-871-4777
Italian desserts have satisfied the sweet tooth of people all over the world for centuries, and for your pizzeria, there’s no easier way to make a big profit by offering a little extra after the pizza’s been ordered. The biggest loss to most businesses comes in the rush and excitement of making a sale. Most employees get so lost in the sell, dessert or appetizer sales do not occur. That is the turning point for your business, or the difference between thousands of dollars a year. Cannoli is the most frequently served Italian dessert in the United States and is a Sicilian dessert made from a fried pastry shell sprinkled with powdered sugar and filled with sweetened ricotta filling, custard or ice cream.
The Golden Cannoli Company is located in Somerville, Massachusetts, and has a variety of cannoli products from a traditional shell filled with sweetened ricotta to their sinful hand-dipped chocolate covered shells flooded with chocolate chips and sweet ricotta cream. We already know they’re delicious, so let’s talk about the advantages and methods of offering cannoli at your restaurant. Golden Cannoli offers mini (3-inch) and large (5-inch) cannoli, so they could be served in quantity or as a stand-alone dessert. As a first time buyer of cannoli you may wonder how many you need to get started.
Valerie Bono, Vice President of Golden Cannoli, suggests ordering a case of the traditional large and a case of the chocolate covered large cannoli, but says it’s imperative to let people know you have them. “I’ve seen a lot of our customers place small flyers on the box tops of every pizza that goes out to delivery customers, and I’ve also seen them sit a filled shell on the countertop with a little sign that says ‘try our fresh filled cannoli,’” she suggests. Because the unfilled shells have a six to eight month shelf life when stored in a cool, dry place, you shouldn’t have any worries that your stock will go bad before they’re sold. The profit margins on Golden Cannoli products depend on where your location is, but profits will always be in the 200% to 300% range.
Valerie says that some areas, such as Alabama, Tennessee and Utah or other locations where cannoli are not commonly found, often have the highest profit margins because they are a rarity. The large chocolate cannoli could sell from three to four dollars, and cost much less than one dollar each, including the filling to create. “I have not heard of one pizza shop that didn’t have customers raving over them,” Valerie admitted. Golden Cannoli has distributors throughout the United States, but if they’re not in your area, they will gladly ship the cases directly to you and help arrange for a distributor in your area to start carrying the product. Along with a case of shells, you can also receive their premium cannoli cream filling, which comes in six 2.5 lbs easy-to-use pastry bags.
To find out more about Golden Cannoli, or to place your order, visit them online at www.goldencannoli.com or give their sales department a call at (617) 868-2826.
Whether we like it or not, the telephone is an integral part of any busy pizza business. Putting a customer on hold, while necessary, can also be a way to lose business if the customer feels the service is lagging.
John Copley, of MC Audio Concepts in Nashville, Tenn., knows all too well about the importance of keeping telephone customers satisfied. He ran his own pizzeria for a number of years before embarking on a career in the music business. As a result of his pizzeria experience, John saw a need for affordable on-hold messages that entertain as well as inform.
“We create the majority of the background music we use on our system, so being in Nashville has certainly helped.”
John says when he ran his pizzeria, the on-hold service he used charged a monthly fee of $89 to merely lease the system. John, a musician by trade, knew he could do better than that.
“I was in the pizza business and I know what operators need and I know they don’t need to pay someone $100 a month for this service.”
John saw a need for a customized message that operators could purchase for a flat fee and then own the rest of their lives. He decided to create one himself.
John says in the basic package offered by MC Audio Concepts, operators can choose their style of music, and can customize their voiceover message and a professional MC will do the rest! Turnaround time is very quick and you’ll have your system up and running in no time.
“Our goal is for the customer to only be on hold for a maximum of 30 seconds,” John notes. Even in 30 seconds, a lot of information can be revealed to your customer. MC Audio’s service consists of a CD or mp3 file that will play on a continuous loop and sells for a flat one time fee of $599, which includes a lifetime license, custom vocal and music. MC Audio will interview the client, and discuss what aspect of their business they are trying to highlight, be it a special promotion, the fact that the use wood-burning ovens, or whatever the client’s “niche” might be.
This music on-hold service is compatible with virtually any phone system. If the clients system doesn’t have a connection for the message on hold, the adapter and player will cost around $199 and is available through MC Audio or other sources. MC Audio is a relatively new company but has already lined up some 75 customers primarily in the Tennessee/Kentucky area.
“I think your readers will be pleasantly surprised at how something as simple as an on-hold message can drive up sales,” John concludes. “It did for me.”
For more information contact John Copley at MC Audio Concepts, (615)- 337-8611, or email, johncopley@gmail.com