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What’s the most popular room in any house? The bathroom, ofcourse. Where else can you brush your teeth, take a showerand read great literature? Thanks to Mesa, Arizona-basedRe-Bath Corp., now there’s one more activity you can take intothe bathroom: business. That’s because the franchisormanufactures and sells acrylic bathtub liners, wall surrounds andshower-base liners to commercial and residential markets.

“The home remodeling industry is booming right now,”says John Heckenlaible, Re-Bath’s director of marketing.

Instead of refinishing the old tub or tearing it out andinstalling a new one, Re-Bath makes a liner that covers the oldbathtub, wall or shower base. This essentially gives the customer a”new” tub or shower for a lower cost.

Franchisees learn to demonstrate, sell and install Re-Bathproducts. Start-up costs of $38,500 to $78,600 include a protectedterritory, equipment, supplies, insurance, starting salaries,advertising, working capital, training and support.

Re-Bath is seeking franchisees nationwide. For furtherinformation, call (800) 426-4573 or visit

Getting Carded

Strange things happen at night. Santa Claus leaves presents, theTooth Fairy leaves money, and Yard Cards LLC leaves 8-foot-tallgreeting cards in front yards.

In the morning, lucky recipients are greeted by a giant,personalized cutout of a birthday cake, stork or any one of anumber of other designs. “We just added a Grim Reaper [forbirthdays]. That’s been a huge hit,” says Tracey Pacheco,president of the Abilene, Texas, company.

Yard Cards franchisees “rent” the cards to customers,personalize them and set them up on front lawns during thenight.

To become a franchisee, you first purchase a protected territoryfor the business, which costs $.03 per resident, with a1,000-person minimum. The start-up kit adds about $3,900 to thebill, and includes everything needed to open the franchise, such ascards, a personalizing kit, an operations manual and training.There is also a monthly royalty fee of $50.

Yard Cards is looking for new franchisees nationwide. For moredetails, call (915) 672-9444 or visit

Happy Campers

Not many people get to combine their favorite hobby with theirbusiness, but that’s exactly what Bob Laddusaw did when hecreated Outdoor Connection, a Burnsville, Minnesota, travelfranchise specializing in fishing and hunting trips.

Franchisees not only arrange trips for clients but also travelto different locales year-round to gain first-hand knowledge of thelodges recommended by Outdoor Connection. It’s a part-timeopportunity, Laddusaw says, which can easily be managed during youroff hours.

The $5,800 franchise fee includes two days of training, plusvisits to lodges and trade shows. There’s also a royalty fee of1 to 4 percent of sales.

Outdoor Connection is currently seeking franchisees worldwide.Potential franchisees should enjoy fishing and hunting and want tomake money doing something they love. For more information, call(612) 890-0407.