A Natural Success

On a balmy morning in mid-June, two men arrive at a modest office along U.S. 41 in Naples after traveling hundreds of miles to seek out the next hot franchise opportunity—and it’s not a popular chain restaurant or a sleek gym. It’s a surprisingly successful natural health magazine printed on recycled paper with soy ink.

Long-time friends and potential business partners Mark McCrory and Melvil James Brown sit across the desk from Sharon Bruckman, founder and CEO of Natural Awakenings Publishing Corp. She flips through a package of materials and explains what it would take for these men to be publishers of Natural Awakenings in their hometown of Baton Rouge, La.

"You’ll have to put the page numbers and local content, but we try to do the work to make it easier for you," explains Bruckman, 57, whose short-cropped sandy hair and natural face reflect the vibe of the magazine. "By us laying all this out, it saves you money with your designer. Half the magazine is done for you."

The two men, both 49, read about the franchise opportunity in New Orleans’ Natural Awakenings and flew to Southwest Florida to learn more about the potential investment. Their back-to-back meetings with sales, editorial and production specialists in the Naples office are meant to give both sides a chance to decide if it’s a good match.

"It’s a free publication. Since it’s based on selling ads, we look for their ability to go out in the community and build relationships within this niche of the holistic, green-living community," Bruckman says. "And they’re getting a sense of us; can we provide the sense of support they would need?"

They’ll have a few weeks to make up their minds.

Little did Bruckman know, when she started Natural Awakenings as a way to advertise her Naples hypnotherapy business 14 years ago, that her idea would evolve into a publishing empire expected to have franchises in 100 cities by the summer of 2010.