the company once I learned that Stork Vision was added to the SBA’s approved vendor’s list, a criterion which helped my franchise become eligible for a $67,000 loan from the SBA. I used [additional funds from other sources] to reach the $85,000 needed for the franchise fee and expenses.
Has owning a franchise been easy?
I’m juggling the business, my family, and I’m also working at another facility until things pick up with the business. We all know that with any start-up business you can’t just open and bring in all of the money you need to do everything.
Currently, I’m making $2,000 to $2,500 per month at the Stork Vision franchise in Port St. Lucie, but I still drive two hours to work 16-hour shifts on Sundays and Mondays at Mount Sinai Medical Center, a hospital in Miami Beach. I try to schedule Stork Vision appointments in the evening from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and all day on Fridays and Saturdays so that my husband can watch our child.
I’m starting off fresh and new in Port St. Lucie and no one knows me. I am a pretty well-respected sonographer in the Miami medical community, but they don’t know that here in Port St. Lucie. In the medical community, it’s all about reputation. Although my business is still in the growing stage, business is picking up steadily.