Building minority partnerships through franchising can help grow your business, according to Henryk Strzeletz of Wheels America Advertising.
Strzeletz, born in Poland and a 30-year resident of Germany before moving to the U.S., searches out viable markets and recruits potential business people from all walks of life who are interested in growing with his mobile advertising business, which he established in 1995.
Philip Mereday, chief executive officer of WAA, shares Strzeletz’s vision. Mereday, an African-American with a combined business experience that spans over 30 years, sees franchising as a way to open doors to a multinational work force, giving easy access to government programs such as the Minority Business Development Agency and others. In the end, this greatly benefits Strzeletz’s business – helping WAA turn a substantial profit and keeping the company competitive.
“The challenge for many minorities is that they don’t have the resources to take advantage of government programs,” said Mereday. “They don’t know that you can bid for contracts with the Department of Commerce or get a grant from the Small...