SMB Franchise Advisors is Helping Little Nest Portraits Grow from Start-up to Booming Brand

Years ago, Laura Novak was in high demand. As a professional photographer, she was juggling celebrity clients while regularly jet-setting across the country to speak at photography conferences and workshops.

Fast forward to 2016—while her love for photography hasn’t changed, her business model certainly has. First, Novak went from hobbyist to sole proprietor of her very own boutique studio. But even then, she was left wanting more. Novak felt limited as a solo entrepreneur, and she was driven to create something bigger than herself—something that wasn’t just about a single person as a brand, but about a team. Today, she’s the founder and CEO of Little Nest Portraits, a photography studio franchise that specializes in innovative children’s portraiture.

With five locations (two of which are still operated by Novak) spread throughout Pennsylvania (home to the brand’s headquarters), New Jersey and Tennessee, development of the Little Nest Portraits franchise is well under way. She’s even aiming to have the photography studio become a nationally-recognized brand by 2017. Before she could broaden her artistic reach, Novak realized she needed to put the right system in place to better manage incoming—and existing—franchisees. That’s when she approached SMB Franchise Advisors for help.

“Laura came to us at a point where she realized that she could no longer do everything. With two company operated studios, she was managing the managers at that level while being very hands on with the franchise, too,” said Steve Beagelman, CEO and President of SMB Franchise Advisors. “We wanted to strengthen the franchise system—to help Laura through the process of developing a franchise company without her having to be completely involved every step of the way.”

Novak already had a good sense of the type of candidates she was looking for—she was targeting owners who had an artistic aesthetic mixed with the right business and marketing awareness, but weren’t necessarily trained in photography. She knew franchise ownership was the right solution for expansion in new communities, but soon realized she also needed to duplicate herself for the franchise to develop as quickly as she wanted it to grow.

SMB Franchise Advisors helped set up systems and trained both Novak and her team in areas from operations to marketing and franchise development. They gave her the tools and advice to allow her to be a mentor to her staff, while she maintained the role as the visionary and the face of the company, which is so important for founders in the early stages of franchising.

“The initial pipeline of candidates usually relate to the founder and those aspiring Little Nest studio owners want to hear from her. However, Laura couldn’t spend the time needed to screen the hundreds of applicants who aspire to be entrepreneurs, but are unfortunately not qualified to own a Little Nest Portraits,” said Beagelman.

“It’s natural for founders to want to do everything and Laura was great at doing all of these things, but she wanted help with training her team on best practices in franchising. We helped her figure out what she wanted first, then we educated and trained her staff,” said Dawn Abbamondi, director of marketing and brand development. “Now, the entire Little Nest team is focused and ready to not just attract, but also to cultivate and launch the right studio owners who will carry out Laura’s vision. Franchise owners will be supported while they develop a unique studio in their market that also represents the Little Nest brand.”

As Novak continues on her journey to develop her emerging brand, both Abbamondi and Beagelman are inspired by her commitment, creativity and drive. Novak refuses to compromise, and she’ll often go with her intuition when making big decisions—two important qualities that have helped Little Nest retain its characteristic charm. Novak champions work-life balance, something that many entrepreneurs who seek opening a franchise genuinely want in their business. For example, she’s adamant about creating a work environment that promotes the importance of family. Novak says “Most of our workforce is part time with job sharing, plus, all full time employees have flexible hours and the opportunity to work from home.”