STARTUPS CENTRAL

Heights Wellness Retreat is pitching an affluent franchise audience, requiring potential owners to hold a net worth of $819,659 and at least $1,000,000 in liquid assets before opening. The opportunity carries a $200,000 upfront royalty-style payment, a monthly $650 charge, and a decade-long contract that can be renewed at the end of the initial term. The company offers third-party financing options and provides veterans a one-tenth reduction on the franchise fee. Franchisees

A compact, glass-walled prototype dubbed “McDonald’s Next” was revealed to franchise owners in Las Vegas, showcasing a shift toward pickup-driven layouts and visible food prep. McDonald’s quietly assembled the mock restaurant inside a warehouse and gave franchisees a walkthrough at its Worldwide meeting. Visitors were shown a storefront with floor-to-ceiling glass that lets patrons see straight into the cooking area, including the fry line, and an espresso bar where customers

Eggs Up Grill, a breakfast chain that began in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, in 1997, has grown to just over 110 restaurants and now tops the list of breakfast concepts actively seeking franchisees nationwide, an industry journal reported. The chain’s expansion has accelerated under CEO Ricky Richardson, who left his role as president and chief operating officer at TGI Fridays to take the helm in 2018. Since Richardson arrived, the company’s footprint has expanded roughly f

Companies that copy-paste roles from past years are falling behind in the war for talent, industry advisers say. Employers need to recruit people who can relearn quickly, impose clear operational habits and lead AI integration—not just run tools—and they must tailor training to local norms or risk surface-level compliance that never changes how work gets done. A common error for firms expanding into new markets is to lift a position posted in 2021 and expect it to perform in

After their niece’s dog was killed in 2018, Ken and Michael Ehrman launched a satellite-tracking collar that has grown into a multimillion-dollar company. Halo Collar, based in Plano, Texas, brought in nearly $100 million last year and is on track to approach $140 million in revenue this year as demand for pet-location devices climbs. The idea came after the Ehrmans’ family suffered a loss when a rescued dog slipped past a backyard boundary and was struck by a vehicle. The in